White Warlock

As monkeygirl stated, no apologies needed. Although this is the net, it still required a bit of inner strength to ask the question. It also showed that you are willing to 'question' yourself. I wouldn't underrate that by calling it ridiculous, and i meant it when i said i hoped to see you here more often. Later, Me

http://pactiv.com/hefty/HeftyUltraFlex/commercial/HeftyUltra_Commercial_content.html Dudes, seriously. I can't help but respect this guy and his willingness to treat it all in good humor. Of every 'tv/movie' martial artist, Jackie Chan best epitomizes the ideal humble practitioner. I just hope he doesn't do a Pampers commercial next.

Okay, back. Other points are these: Your brother is 20, his friend 19, and you're 18. Although age may not necessarily be a factor as to whom has better insight into things, you do need to recognize that if something had happened to you, your parents would have blamed your brother for not protecting you and for putting you in harm's way. However, if something had happened to him, they would not have blamed you at all. Considering this, I would say you need to respect your brother's predicament and his assumed responsibilities. The car was already broken into, so there was no need to protect it further. It is very likely that if the person who broke the window was still around, he would be 'more' inclined to confront a woman, than he would a man. Women provide 'additional' opportunities for a criminal. These are in the form of sexual gratification, or physical dominance against the opposite sex. A woman alone, at night, is far more likely to be assaulted than a man alone, at night. To assume that someone is going to 'give' you the opportunity to defend yourself... is a major mistake in judgement. Also consider that if they wanted to do you harm, although they may approach you straight away, they may also present a weapon, or simply assault you from behind. The ability to defend yourself does not 'necessarily' increase your degree of awareness, and it offers absolutely no protection from a bullet. It also provides very little protection from multiple assailants. I have a suspicion that your brother's friend is a good runner. This may have been the 'deciding factor' in your brother choosing his friend to be the designated sacrificial lamb. You see, had danger presented itself, fighting would have been the 'worst' option to choose. The best option would have been to run while yelling, for it would likely have caused the assailants to run as well, in the opposite direction. Especially if the person running and yelling, looked too hard to catch. But really... in no uncertain terms, NOBODY should have stayed with the vehicle. It is property, and not even 'your' property. Also, as i noted above, it was already broken into, so there's nothing to 'protect.' By staying around, you three CREATED something to protect. Something far more valuable than a mere steering wheel (the only thing left in the vehicle worth stealing). Had something happened to your brother's friend, i'm sure his parents would have blamed your brother for having poor judgement and leaving him in harm's way, being he was the elder of the group. Something i suspect your brother may have considered, but had not given sufficient consideration over. Or, it could be that he opted to leave his friend at the scene, as a means to 'pacify' you. In this, it may be that your reaction to this 'presumed' assault on your toughness actually endangered your brother's friend's life. Legally, without the owner of the vehicle present, nothing could be done by anyone. The police would not have come to the scene, as no report could have been taken. Indeed, it could very well have been that the window had previously been broken and the stereo had been removed by the owner. It's not the police's job to speculate, or to run on your speculations... so they would have waited for the actual owner to call. In this, calling 911 would have been both inappropriate (in that it was not an emergency), and fruitless. Had you witnessed the crime being committed, or encountered evidence that may have helped the police to locate the persons responsible, then you could have had something to report. But seeing a window broken, and a stereo system missing... is insufficient. The security guard of the theatre would merely have been able to make a notation in his log. If he had called the police, he would have been dismissed by them, just as you would have been dismissed (in truth, it is very likely that the security guard got all official, rushed to the scene, and started acting like a professional criminal investigator... touching everything, leaving his fingerprints all over everything, and even probably reaching into the car to rummage through the items in it, in an attempt to determine who owned the vehicle. Unfortunately, most security guards don't receive proper training, and have their 'egos' associated with that little plastic badge they wear. In this, they often create more problems for police than assistance). I'm just glad nothing actually did occur, or we would have heard quite a different story. On this point, i think your brother made a bad call. Him having 2 years additional experience in 'being alive' really didn't make him anymore qualified to communicate to a security guard about a broken window and a missing stereo system. Seeing as you were already a tad upset, he should not have prevented you from doing 'something,' seeing as it was clear you wanted to. On an end comment, i commend you and your brother for being proactive in this. Few would have made the effort, or even been 'motivated' as both of you were, to communicate to the authorities. Every incident in life gives an opportunity to gain a larger understanding of not only what to do, but what you're made of. But please, whenever attempting to do the right thing, check your ego at the door. It doesn't belong on the battlefield and only increases the risks to yourself and your loved ones. Take care and hope to see you around here more often.

Licking your opponent's face?

Well, i gotta tell you up front. 4 months of martial arts training does not make you qualified to or able to defend yourself. In fact, it likely makes you more vulnerable, in that you are a point where you very likely are in the middle of questioning everything you do in a confrontation. You have not had sufficient training to have it ingrained. More to say, but gotta run. Bbl to add additional thoughts.

Bad advice. George Lucas doesn't know about life on other planets but he wrote Star Wars. Quentin Tarantino would just write movies about working in a video store. That would really suck. Actually, not bad advice at all. Don't confuse what is out there, with what you know. Your imagination is entirely your own. However, the details of quantum physics, molecular biology, goju ryu karate, and corporate litigation in Minnesota... these are things you must study in order to represent properly in your writings. George Lucas wrote about what he did know. He made up those worlds, and what was on them, so he knew more about them than anyone else. In no uncertain terms, he was the expert in the field of "the Force," the Empire, Wookies, and just about everything else he made up. As to Quentin Tarantino, he wrote screenplays, based on the works of other screenwriters. In fact, he credits many of his works to recreations of Japanese movies, much in the same way that the Seven Samurai was rewritten for American audiences into the Magnificant Seven. He based his works on the works of others that 'did' know of the particular topics. And, when he made his movies, he relied on experts to flesh out the details. Anyway, the point here is... if you don't know something, research it. Don't just ask for people to hand you a martial art name so you can associate the stuff you put into a book with that martial art. You'll only misrepresent said style. If you do not have the time to research, don't give it a name... and apply your fantastical representation of ideas, rather than get caught up in specifics. The truth of the matter is, there are a select few readers that are truly interested in detailed descriptions of techniques in a conflict. It is best to give the 'impression' of what is happening, as opposed to the specifics of what is being done.

injuries to joints are usually in the form of ligament or tendon injuries, which are exceedingly slow to heal, due to lower amounts of blood vessels to support said areas. Mostly, it just requires patience. Shorin's advice on ankle weights is good (especially the part about not using them for exercise or similar), but you do risk the chance of further aggravating your injury if applied too early, if overused, or if worn too tightly (thus interfering with the already reduced blood flow to said areas). Daily applying liniments can help encourage blood flow in various ways (dilation of blood vessels, anti-inflammation of surrounding tissues, etc). I prefer aloe vera, but others may recommend dit dai jow or menthol liniments.

Writer. Write about what you know.

Only babies are unskilled, and even they know how to bite.

Real and not expensive... not possible. You get what you pay for.

Oooo, just had a flashback of that tutu! http://www.jameslew.com/pictures/tutu.jpg That's James Lew, in case you couldn't recognize him in that spiffy outfit

If i were to guess at what Gumbi's point is, he is referring to certain systems 'specializing' in various aspects, and thus having a far more indepth degree of study available to the student in that particular aspect... be it grappling, striking, kicking, etc. In many respects, i agree with him. However, i do not agree that you should go study a little in one system to learn one particular part of that system, and then join another system to learn a particular part of another system. You enter into a system to learn the 'entire' system, for every system incorporates principles that are at the core of the effectiveness of their system. I.e., it's not the particular techniques applied in a system, but the system as a whole that incorporates techniques in a fashion that makes them effective. And to illustrate this: Actually, the punches in boxing are not what you would want to learn, for the application of punches in boxing 'assumes' the use of gloves. In this case, you would learn improper use of punches, in that you would learn to strike hard parts of your opponent's body (chin), with hard parts of your body (fist). Seeing as you would later attempt to apply these techniques in a real confrontation, without having studied the entire system associated with boxing, you will invariably walk away with a broken hand. In truth, the strength of boxing is not in the punches, but in the overall use of the body to both apply a very small repertoire of techniques with maximum speed and power, and overall use of the body to absorb, or redirect blows. I.e., it is not merely the punch that matters. In fact, that is actually one of the least important, but most noted, aspects in boxing. People notice the punch, but fail to recognize that they lasted 9 full rounds of repeated blows (an average of 60 'solid' punches a round) before applying that 'knockout' punch. Instead, all they pay attention to is that 'one' knockout punch. In fact, they don't even consider the tactics associated with being able to render his opponent susceptible to this knockout punch, such as focusing on the lower body, the ribs, the abdomen, to cause the opponent to lose his ability to keep his arms up for defense, or maintain lateral movement of the torso to absorb a 'knockout' blow... etc.

Well, in this discussion it does matter, as there is a misperception that what is being displayed in such games is 'viable' martial arts practices. Anyway, i do love the 'actions' in many of these games, since many of them present 'pristine' presentation of techniques, even if the principles involved are lost, and the application of said techniques are both substandard and non-committal. The thing is, these games do present the 'characters' with pristine technique, so in order to provide a semblance of competitive fairness, they must give flaws in application and commitment, such as stepping back and gloating after the commission of a clean series of techniques, or pausing before implementing a powerful attack, or not pressing, etc. All in all, games are a real bad medium to take lessons from. All the flash and none of the function.

Drink a glass of milk, then lick your opponent's face.

Ugh!

I can see it now. Shorinryu Sensei in a tutu.

huh? We did these in high school wrestling. I suppose you're putting names to it that i associate with other things. Can you give a basic description of those two actions so we can be on the same page?

Bah!

In every friggin' game i've experienced thusfar, the fight scenes are wholely unrealistic, for the mere fact the fighters 'stop' in between actions to give the opponent an opportunity to hit back, and because they 'get up' off the ground after a takedown.

??? You realize, of course, this is a felonious action? Seriously, you're there to learn, not to be mutilated.

You're kidding, right?

I looked in the mirror... and realized i needed to shave.

Agreed. However, i was taking into consideration what i've both witnessed and experienced with the majority of karate practitioners, and opted not to communicate 'mobility,' as this is often associated with 'sparring' and trading punches. Something you definitely should not do with a wrestler, for when it comes to their 'turn' it will be in the form of a takedown. I also didn't want to encourage side-stepping forward, since this brings you closer to their range of control. However, i couldn't quite put into words the idea of circling your opponent, and thus opted to call it side-stepping backward, as i took into account that a wrestler would more than likely repeatedly attempt to advance. Ah well. Hehe, the first two are more in the line of 'professional wrestling,' although they do have real life applicability. The crossface, one that does exist in sport wrestling, i'll have to disagree with you on this... only because of my personal failure when applying it. When i was 17 and getting ready for State competitions, i worked out with my brother, who had no wrestling background... but was a damn good brawler. I kept using the crossface on him and he told me to quit. I didn't listen, so he raised his upper body and shoved an elbow into my thigh. My leg was in a cast for months. Simply put, the crossface only serves to agitate the opponent. It doesn't take them out. I would have been better off putting a choke hold on him. But, of course, that wasn't one of the 'permitted' options in sport wrestling. Which goes to one of my other issues. What you train in for sport could inadvertantly subject you to 'limited' thinking, even when you know better. That is easier said then done while you are being smothered, however. Agreed. But then again, all of it is easier said than done.

Old thread. Anyway, yes... it is freestyle wrestling, with modified rules. Some school districts have also restricted the use of certain moves, due to insurance purposes.

I prefer octagonal in my sticks, but round for my nunchakus. This is because our hand grips, due to our joints, are more like octagonal, so you would make a better 'grip' on an octagonal stick (bo, jo, escrima, etc). And, when manipulating the stick between hands, the position of the angles are maintained. On the other hand, a nunchaku is released from your grip and returned to your grip at unexpected angles, therefore when you 'regrip' it, you have a much smaller chance of it actually fitting appropriately in the hand (flat to flat, edge to joint). This, in turn, creates a subconscious shuffling of the nunchaku in your grip, which takes away a fraction of a second in your actions and exposes you to a moment where you can be disarmed. Thus the reason why i prefer round nunchakus.