White Warlock

How about light contact MA vs full contact TMA? I've always thought the point of sport competition was 'to win.'

From my experience, as soon as a TMA student is noted to train hard, he is 'assumed' to be an mma fighter... and thus gets lost in the blur of stereotyping. There are 'plenty' of kickboxers and boxers that simply suck. Yes, there are certain styles that emphasize conditioning, but even these styles have plenty of individuals and groups that fall by the wayside. On the whole, though, those systems that are geared toward competition, or sport, have a higher degree of conditioning associated. Unfortunately, the side-effect to this, is a lower degree of emphasis on more lethal techniques/applications. Also, too much emphasis on competition and you lose sight of mind and technique refinement, with the goals bearing down on strength and body conditioning.

Well, the idea behind 'tma' is sort of skewed. I believe many people confuse 'traditional' with Asian, when it actually refers to the original state of a particular system that is hundreds, or thousands, of years old. Kyokushinkai is actually not very old, and by its approach, also not traditional. It derived concepts from shotokan and goju-ryu, as well as western boxing and Korean systems.

Good points MonkeyGirl

Thank you for the clarification.

Actually, it's the other way around. Hapkido has 'some' things that were 'adopted' from aikido.

Ovine King is correct in his query to illicit thought on the issue. Wing chun is not unique in the concept of interception of assault. There are plenty of systems, even before the development of wing chun, that propound, at least in part, to 'intercept.' btw, Jun Fan is Bruce Lee's actual name, so to call something Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do is somewhat pointless. He devised the concept of jeet kune do, which is actually not a system, but a philosophy, or approach, to learning... to study. A little timeline: Bruce Lee initially taught Jun Fan kung fu. I.e., he taught 'Bruce Lee' kung fu (being that it was his own name). Later, after exposing himself further to European fighting systems (wrestling, boxing, fencing) and to some Japanese systems (judo, etc), he devised the concept of jeet kune do, which although translates to, "way of the intercepting fist," actually incorporated more of an approach to study, in which one should absorb what works and toss out what doesn't. So, in a way, the title he presented created somewhat of an obstacle to learning, which he later realized and which is one of the reasons he later closed his jeet kune do / jun fan kung fu schools. It was during this time he started purporting to the "way of no way." I've spent a bit of time examining his philosophical journey, and i can confidently say... that is what it was, a journey. Because he was so extroverted, we were able to witness this journey. The mistake in doing so, is to look at his entire life's actions... as a single moment. It is better to examine his path... to look at what he did, and when, and then examine the changes he presented... both in technique, and in philosophy. These are the stages i've witnessed in his studies: Technique - (apply) - Test tube / theory - Jun Fan do Muscle Memory - (react) - spar / practice - jeet kune do Mind/Body - (act) - fight - "way of no way"I'm sorry to say that Bruce Lee never reached a particular point of enlightenment that would have truly benefited us, but i'm confident he would have, had he more time. He had touched upon it, but not totally immersed himself in it: Transcend - (do) - not fight

If i may offer a bit of advice: Stay grounded. The fancier moves are completely ineffective and actually leave you wide open. Stick to the basics and refine them. Keep your weapon in front of you as much as possible (rather than wrapping around your neck, behind your back, between your legs) . Work out with resistance (striking a bag or padded objects) to learn how to deal with recoil. Study how to use the 'stick' that is part of the nunchaku, as well as learn how to use the rope (or chain) that attaches them. Every part of that weapon can be used as a weapon, not merely the "swinging around like a friggin' bandit" part. And, whatever you do... stay grounded. Don't go friggin' dancing around all over the place. Learn to use the nunchaku as an extension of your body, not some artifact that pulls you around and makes you do weird stuff. Last bit of advice: Focus on power over speed (if you focus on speed over power, you will sacrifice power by shortening your grip, which also causes you to lose 'control' over the weapon).

Not keen with that latter bit of advice. Probably better to have requested him and your teacher to talk through this 'exploit' of trust. And once again, i refer to this article: http://www.karateforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=12255 Yes, i'm shameless.

Aye, backs are already pretty strong and they're always working out. Something you may consider later on, after you've given your back some time to chill, is to do some abdominal workouts. The abdominal muscles and back muscles help to keep you 'aligned.' The problem is that many people become misaligned because their back ends up doing all the work, while their abdominal muscles become lax. This is, especially, the hardship encountered when overweight.

mine tastes like chicken.

we won.

Well, there was WWII.

No kidding. I think the majority of those are more along the lines of 'strict traditional,' as opposed to mcdojoish, and i agree that #4 is more the reverse in these arguments. I just don't find that list viable.

'dis' orient

No. What interests me more is whether i can "comprehend" what it is he/she is teaching and whether he/she spends the extra time to bring 'insight' into each session. I.e., i look for the better teacher. No. Any new art raises a red flag with me, regardless of the progenitors.

Ah, well i'm neither so i can't help you there.

Manabimasho1, i hope you take the time to go to a doctor and get examined. It seems to me that you received an injury... and that your body is screaming at you to seek medical help. I used to, but nowadays i can take a long break from the 'traditional' training scene without any significant side-effects. i still find myself training, in that i sit in an elevator and practice techniques in close-quarters or workout on my steering wheel while i'm driving down the road, or any of the other odd habits i've picked up as my 'all-the-time' drills, and i think these little spurts of activity help me to alleviate that 'guilt' Muaythaiboxer mentioned. Well, i think i answered part of that with the comments above. I know that when i'm injured, i can't train in the traditional sense. Instead i have to work around my injury, and i've learned... over the many years... that i have to be very 'strict' with myself, or i'll merely aggravate my injuries. Anyway, if it is an injury-related hiatus, i work all the 'other' parts of my body, as if the injury were permanent. I.e., i try to function as efficiently as possible, utilizing my injury as a vulnerability. In doing this, not only do i gain 'respect' for the injury, but i also develop my ability to function 'despite' the injury i have. Every day we do things to strengthen our skills and don't pay attention to that. Not merely our martial art skills, but our other skills, such as communications, writing, math, etc. What is important to realize, to help alleviate the 'guilt' associated with direct non-performance, is that you can grow, expand, build on your knowledge base, and in turn expand your physical base... without putting you through the ropes. You don't need to pummel yourself to gain insight and growth. All you need to do is 'allow' yourself to go beyond the restraints of your normal studies. Take those moments to 'expand' your knowledge. For example, i've received many injuries over the past almost 30 years of my studies in the arts, and in many cases they were not martial-arts induced. In some cases i was bed-ridden, on crutches, in body-wraps or in a cast, wearing braces/supports, unnoticeably injured or merely doctor-ordered to 'chill.' In every case, the circumstances presented were different, the options deviated accordingly. In some cases, the best i could do was sit down and read a book, or watch a video (ended up owning a good collection of books and videos because of these circumstances). In other cases, only partial immobility was in order, so i would find some specific thing to practice, like knife-throwing or study of anatomy and the application of pain to various regions of the body. Even other times, it was merely watching people, in the streets or on television, to gain insight into their behaviors... their triggers. And for those who like to tout Bruce Lee, he wrote the majority of his notes for "Tao of Jeet Kune Do" while bedridden in the hospital. The limits you pose to yourself are more of what creates your frustrations, than the actual limits that exist.

When you say mantras, what are you referring to? Hindu, Buddhist, or some variant represented outside of such religions? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantra

I guess i have good timing then. My insight is this: I am 42 years old, have studied for a very long time. Despite the fact i studied for such a long time, and that i studied even when i was a kid (judo and boxing, primarily), i never felt 'better' than everyone. There was always someone better in technique, in application, in insight, in perspective, in attitude, in competence, power, strength, flexibility, etc. Over the years, i've gotten over some of my hangups, and i don't concern myself with what others know, or don't know, in comparison to me. Instead, i opt to learn from others and, in turn, provide learning for others... unconditionally. This approach is not common, nor is it even welcomed in many places, but it makes me feel better about myself, and sometimes makes others feel better about themselves for reciprocating. Another thought. I've walked into schools of martial arts in which i never studied even one day of what they studied. I came in and tried to do what they did, and looked like a rank amateur. And yet, in some cases after class the instructor would privately ask me demonstrate to his students the knowledge i do have. I.e., to share. In those cases where the instructor shows this kind of respect, and doesn't instead take advantage of my uncomfortable 'n00blet' status (and believe me, this has been done a few times, to my chagrin), i reciprocate the respect, and do indeed show his students some insight into how i approach a confrontation. What i've found during these times, is that the students would do a complete 180 degrees on me. Whereas initially they thought i was 'just a n00blet,' now they realize i'm as much an instructor as their own instructor, but that the knowledge and skills i provide... are different. This 'awakening' serves the students in three ways, and i take these moments to help enlighten them of this. The three ways are: 1. Never judge a book by its cover, 2. There is not merely 'one way,' 3. Sharing is better than Glaring. This last is not obvious, but what it means is... you can show envy or jealousy about what someone else knows, or you can offer to show what you know, so that they can offer to show what they know. Respect through sharing. And on that note, i learned how to sail from a gentleman who wanted to learn how to do the martial arts. We taught each other the forms (of knowledge) we were proficient in and thus respected each other as equals through this reciprocative endeavor.

Aye, i would recommend looking at your stress level. This and weight problems are, in most every cases, the underlying cause of vulnerability. I.e., learn to relax and cut down on those extra Twinkies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobudo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taira_Shinken

Hehe, congrats. And as to your last question... i can't even remember the first time. I think dinosaurs were in season then.

Aye, i tossed out the word, "awarded" because i didn't want to step on that landmine of political postulations on something that happened 160 years ago. Obviously, it didn't work. Yes, China gave the island to Britain because they feared a military response. Unfortunately, such an act turned out to be useless, as noted by the Second Opium War. As to Taiwan... frankly i don't remember either. My memory on the specifics of that are sketchy at best. I'll have to do a little research to bring up old thoughts on this... but i figure Goju_boi can do it instead.

After the First Opium War, China awarded the island of Hong Kong to the British under the Convention of Chuen Pi in January 1841. If i recall correctly, Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 2000, but not before China agreed to not interfere with Hong Kong's commerce. So, essentially, Hong Kong is now a protected trade zone of China, whereas before (during the filming of 'most' of those kung fu flicks) it was a Colony of Britain. As to Taiwan... the Imperial family relocated there after the Boxer Rebellion (do note, it was colonized prior to that). Taiwan is presently in a very precarious state, where they 'want' to claim independence of China, but fear that China will invade if they do so. Therefore they 'act' as a protected trade zone, similar to that of China's authored state. However, they are not protected... and if China wanted to, they could waltz in and just take Taiwan. The U.S. and other countries would, of course, argue, complain, rattle sabers... but it is unlikely any military retributive actions would be made. As to why China has not done it, they fear economic sanctions, as well as other things. Reader's Digest version.