White Warlock

Ballet

hehe

100% in agreement with SevenStar. Overemphasis on what your opponent may do, puts you in 'their' game and essentially sets your mind to be on the defense... or reactive, as opposed to offense... or proactive.

Thanks. I'm of the thought the 'older' masters may not be in-touch with modern technologies, as most older folk aren't. I'm leaning towards the idea that us more 'technologically' aware practitioners/students could step-up and provide alternatives for these masters. DVD video, Flash & Shockwave interactives, scanned-notes libraries, taped and videotaped interviews, etc. Thoughts?

Ugh, made a post and lost it. Ah well, i'll try again. When we're talking about a wrestler, i'm assuming we're talking about a greco-roman or freestyle wrestler. A bjjer is not a wrestler, any more than a freestyle wrestler is a ju-jutsu practitioner. Since this was posted in the karate section of the forums, i'll assume the defender is a karate practitioner. The weakness of wrestlers is that they do not practice defenses against strikes or kicks and they are limited in finishing techniques. Unceasingly peppering the wrestler with strikes and quick kicks (snap kicks, etc) will take the wrestler completely out of his game. In most cases, it will either cause the wrestler to go on full defense (totally useless, since they don't have any defense against strikes) or cause them to get desperate and rush in for a grab. If the wrestler rushes in for a grab, the karate practitioner would do well to maintain peppering him with strikes, while side-back stepping, keeping a comfortable distance (arm's length). If, however, the wrestler effects a grab, he'll immediately attempt a takedown, and succeed. The mistake a karate practitioner could do on the ground, is to panic. The strength of a wrestler is on the ground, but it is in the form of domination and intimidation. Since a wrestler has few finishing holds (many have none whatsoever), he'll be attempting to smother you, drag you across the floor, or squeeze you like a pimple. Just keep a level head, and take every opportunity to strike, elbow and knee him, as well as looking to see if the wrestler foolishly leaves a finger for you to break (a big mistake with wrestlers, btw). Keep in mind that since you're on the ground, as long as you keep striking the wrestler, you'll keep him out of his game. Also keep in mind that the fight has now turned into a battle of staminas. Adjust your breathing and energy output to the fact you are now on the bottom of a heavy dude (or dudette). As i mentioned earlier, he'll be trying to smother you... so just maintain your breathing rhythm and don't panic. Eventually you'll either get in a good finger break, you'll wear him out with those annoying punches, or he'll wear himself out just trying to hold you. Now, if the wrestler knows finishing holds, then you're in trouble. You'll need to keep your strikes tighter, avoid extending any limbs (legs or arms), stay with your back to the floor, and take the first opportunity to get off the ground (but don't get suckered into turning your back to the wrestler in order to escape, or you're screwed). My best recommendation, would be to learn how to wrestle. This recommendation actually applies to all situations. The greatest advantage anyone can have, is surprise. If you don't recognize what they're doing, you're at a disadvantage. They could trick you, or catch you completely unprepared. This is my main argument 'for' studying multiple martial arts. Removing the element of surprise.

There is something that undermines much of this 'practitioner' over 'ma style' argument. Most people don't really think beyond what is handed to them. They don't question, they don't test. They simply learn and accept, and thus obtain a false sense of confidence, believing that what they are studying is, in fact, functional... effective. Your approach to studies, not merely 'what' you study, or 'with whom' you study, is the definer. If you approach your studies in blind faith, you will invariably be... blindsided. And so just about every person who enters into studying the martial arts, makes the assumption that what they are studying is effective in an actual confrontation. However, 'what' you are studying, 'how' it is being taught, 'who' is teaching it, and 'how' you approach these studies... all of these are factors. Returning to the question, yes... of course. Self-defense doesn't mean 'being on the defense.' It means being able to prevent, or reduce, injury to your person. How this is accomplished, varies depending on the style and 'approach.'

Really depends on what he wants to do in the end. I'm assuming he wants to 'transfer' what he has on the 2gig hd to the 20gig hd, and have the 2gig hd sit as a secondary. Running on this assumption, the best way to do this is to set the 20gig hd as the secondary, make sure your bios recognizes the secondary hd (if you have an older pc, it may be tripping up because the bios is stupid and doesn't know how to autodetect). Would help quite a bit if i knew what OS you were using, and what version. I'll assume WinXP. When the 2gig hd boots up, the 20gig hd will likely still need to be made partitioned and formatted. Use Computer Management Properties (C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Accessories\Administrative Tools... is where my link is at. Yours may vary). Use Help if you can't find it (search for Computer Management Properties within Help). From this program, under Storage, there is a Disk Management icon. Click on that and the rest is pretty obvious. After the 20gig hd is formatted, you'll want to copy all data (everything) from the C: drive (2 gig hd) to the D: drive (20 gig hd). You can do this easily enough with Explorer, or two Explorer windows... whatever makes you happy in getting the job done. After this, you'll need to use Computer Management Properties to make the 20gig hd 'active' (right click on the hd partition display). If you have Win98 or worse, let me know and i'll toss in the more convoluted, but oddly easier actions required. As far as the cables are concerned... you can put both on one cable. Master/slave (autodetect is a pain... still)... set the pins correctly (make sure you're not 'reversing' the pin settings. Some hds display the pin settings upside down, and i've corrected many a n00blet technician's efforts with just flipping over their mental map). The main will be the 'active' hd. Please realize that this is an important little detail often missed. The hd has to be Master AND set 'Active,' as i indicated in an earlier paragraph, in order for the OS hosted on it to be recognized on a boot (if it doesn't even show on the bios boot... then you need to enter bios and take care of that, as i mentioned earlier... yeah... i'm repeating myself). Okay... enough confusion.

And running with Drunken Monkey's comment, weapons practice is an extension of the techniques you study. However, if you condition your mind and body to add flair and fancy to each and every 'extended technique,' you're essentially wasting the functionality of the training associated with weapons. Just because weapons tend to be longer, can be applied more quickly, and are far more sensitive to your actions, doesn't mean you should be filling in all that time saved, with fluff. True, you can dance around and look heapin' impressive with a sword, if someone is coming in with a punch... but really... if you practice fun and silly things, that is what you'll do in a real life confrontation... fun and silly things. Practice what you intend on doing in a real life confrontation, with or without a weapon. If all you focus on is flash, you'll find yourself more focused on 'how impressive' you look, than on how 'effective' your actions are in a given situation. Oh, and frakis, if you had tried that sword strike thingamabob against anyone else who wielded a sword (or a toothpick for that matter), you would have been stabbed six or seven times before you even had a chance to finish impressing him with that cool move.

I would say it's a good waste of a nice sheath. Seriously though, a sheath is there to protect your sword from the elements, dirt, oils and bend. Few are made sturdy to withstand impact. Treating them in such a fashion endangers the life of your sword. But, there's another problem. You're dealing with two entirely different approaches. Swords are generally slashing and thrusting. Few that can be comfortably wielded one-handed are designed for hacking. However, a sheath has no edge, so hacking would be the only feasible way to apply it, one-handed. The problem here should be obvious. You'll have to be either extremely gifted and be able to apply slash/thrust techniques with one hand and hack techniques with the other hand, or end up using your sword or sheath ineffectively. At best, you could use your sheath as a shield (defense), while entrusting attacks to your sword-hand.

A properly applied uppercut goes 'straight up.' Standard uppercut targets are the groin, underarms, and chin. To avoid an uppercut to any region, do not let him line up with you. I.e., parallel to you. To protect the groin form an uppercut, keep slightly angled so that you can redirect an incoming strike with your thighs. To protect the underarms from an uppercut, keep the elbows tight to the side of the body, protecting your floating ribs. To protect the chin from an uppercut, tuck your chin.

Cord. As cool as ball bearings may be, those chains, and the ball bearing thingie, do love to 'pinch' your skin. Whenever i worked out with my chain nunchakus, i had to wear a long sleeve sweatshirt, to protect my arms (and hairs) from those dang things. Never had that problem with corded nunchakus.

lol

touchy, eh?

Treebranch and I both trained in togakure ryu ninjutsu (taijutsu, whatever). Not sure if there is anyone else in this community that has studied. Most people who have studied ninjutsu are pretty well used to the jokes, the snide remarks, the comments about how pirates pwn ninjas, and all the other fun stuff. I could care less, for it is merely something i studied, not something i invested in. However, others could take offense. Seeing as we don't know what some people in this community practice, it's not all that easy to ridicule in return... and so the jokes get kind of old. Of course, hollywood hasn't helped one bit. Putting people into ninja outfits, multicolored, running around in black in the middle of the day, or white in the middle of the night... these are ignorant directors making a buck off of a silly theme. B-rated movies, as far as i'm concerned. Sho Kosugi played a ninja in one movie, i can't recall the name of. It was rather well done, but still a tad over the top. Modern-day practitioners of ninjutsu study more than just hand-to-hand combat. In many ways, it is also an evolving system... changing with the times and the available technology. Anyone who stays traditional with ninjutsu studies is being cute, but not realistic.

when people go low on you, it's because they realize you aren't 'bending' your knees to counter their action, but instead leaning over. Learn to bend your knees. Drop your center of balance. Practice this daily, just squatting. It will be hard on your knees at first, but if you build up this habit, you'll find yourself less 'open' to such attacks. Of course, once you develop an appropriate response to this, your instructor will switch to exploiting another of your weaknesses. Just don't view it as him being better, only of you having faults that need to be corrected, and him pointing them out by exploiting them.

I agree with Sauzin that what matters is the principles associated with the weapons you practice with, not the weapons in and of themselves. The best real weapons to use, is everything and anything around you, either as a weapon of assault, a weapon of defense, a disruption, or a distraction. If you study the principles associated with 'traditional' weapons, you will gain an innate understanding of how to use the items that surround you on a daily basis. The pen, dresser drawer, bottle, belt, computer mouse. The cue ball, cue stick, chalk, and alcohol in a glass. The person standing next to you, the chair behind your adversary, the cute chick who wants your telephone number. All can create disruptions and distractions. All provide opportunities. It is unreasonable to state that there is one specific 'type' of real weapon that should be focused on, for every 'real' encounter is unique and the circumstances in which they fall in, also unique. In the end, the most effective is to be able to adapt, improvise, and in turn... overcome.

talking to the instructor is always a good route, but if you don't feel that would be effective, just be blunt, and talk to the offenders straight off. I agree, it's inconsiderate. My gf recently had a cold, didn't tell me, and then kissed me. I was so mad at her when i she later told me she had a cold. Of course, now i'm sick. Yeah, lots of people act in inconsiderate ways. It's your responsibility to care for your own health. Don't rely on the instructor, but by all means see if you can get the instructor to assist in this. As i said, however, in the end it all boils down to 'your' responsibility to care for your own health, seeing as nobody else seems to give a rat's behind.

Those with visual disabilities benefit greatly from sensitivity drills. Wing chun offers this in large quantities for stand-up. However, i've found wrestling and bjj to be prime for the visually impaired. Someone with visibility issues cannot afford to 'spar.' She needs to go for complete and utter dominance as soon as an assault is committed by her, or against her. If she's going to be studying wing chun, have her watch the techniques, but perform them with her eyes closed. It may be that she has become dependent on her eyes too much, and with a disability such as hers, this could be fatal in an actual confrontation. She needs her eyes only to deal with the initial assault. From then on, she needs to close her eyes and feel the way.

Wow, 250 watermelons! That's a lot of money there bub. Seems you're looking for gadgets and games to keep the students interested. If they are not interested by the 3rd month, they really never will be. The learning should be sufficient to hold their interest. If not, then maybe the teaching needs to be a tad more spirited. Gadgets and games are great 'utilities' for kids, but you're dealing with young adults. Good luck in finding what you're looking for, although... in my humble opinion... i don't feel that what you're looking for is what you should be focusing on.

Dijita, it is rare to fight the fight you had in mind, for a fight is a fight of the bodies. Yours and your opponents. This is not the fault of your jitters, or of adrenalin, it is the case of realizing that theory and practice are two entirely different things. The problem with theory is that it relies on a 'cooperative' partner. In practice, this is never the case.

Bah, wasted my time typing this. The original poster hasn't been here since November 5th. Ah well.

Woot! Congrats delta1, well deserved. A Woot congrats to AwfulBird, Alcoholic Chimp, dmoney101, and AngelaGeeReally? And Woot for my article. *pats self on back, acts all conceited* And to all nominees (includes self, obviously), good show.

Attitude isn't even remotely enough. I've met plenty of people with attitude that landed flat on their face. It's conditioning and the manner in which you practice. If you're lazy and base the majority of your training on 'theory,' you're going to end up with a wake-up call when in a real life confrontation. If you practice with intensity and subject yourself to real, or near real incidents, and full-on application of your techniques, you're going to be far more capable of handling a real life confrontation. Still not prepared, for nobody can be prepared for a real life confrontation, but you can be more capable. JKD, specifically, isn't about all the cute 'jumping' that dapp mentioned. While mainly an approach to study, there is the underlying 'intercepting fist' concept associated with it. Also, many instructors teach a modified form of 'jun fan do,' Lee's earlier system before introducing jkd. In fact, jun fan do is often misrepresented as jkd. In the end, as dapp mentioned, Lee did abandon jkd, as well as close his schools. The way of the intercepting fist... was a way after all. Quoting myself on something i wrote awhile back here:

vague

Pfft. A little courtesy would be in order, friggin' n00blet. Anyway, dismissing your perceived tone, it is more the question of, "what is it you want to know?" From what i can offer, without understanding what it is that is being requested, flexible weapons must be handled quite differently than all other types of weapons. The manriki-gusari, having a weighted end (or two weighted ends), can be used to smash, entangle, grasp, confuse, disrupt, trip, and disarm. Being that it is similar in many respects to any other friggin' chain you pick up off the ground, except for it having slightly smaller links and having a weighted end, the principles are similar to what one would expect of most every other 'flexible' weapon. For the remainder of these discussions, i will refer to it as a chain. One of the principles is, don't assume. What you assume a rigid weapon will do, a chain will not. It will not cooperate with you merely because you opted to start, or stop. It will not abide by your actions, merely because you decide to thrust or parry. Chains follow their own agenda, that of cooperating with the laws of physics. Chains are weapons you must cooperate with, and expect it to cooperate with you. You cannot lead it, but you can show it the way, and it will go along, until such point as there is something disrupts your actions, such as that of an immovable object, or obstacle. When wielding the chain, don't consider merely the shaft... or the length of the chain, but the end point as well. Realize that the end point will travel beyond a linear trajectory, and continue until centrifugal force, and the limitations imposed by the length of the chain, as well as any shortening of the chain posed by obstacles (be it your leg, hip, arm, or your opponent's leg, hip, arm), disrupts it by providing more variables to contend with. Some basic attack concepts, in basic English: Throw - A weighted chain can be thrown, with the end point serving as the stone, and the held end serving as the anchor. A throw is an exceptional attack, being that it is linear, and very unpredictable. It can be performed from a point where the stone is held in hand and thrown to the target, or laid at the floor to the aft, and then the chain is pulled with force and speed towards the intended target. However, it must be realized that because the distance of the stone is limited by the length of the chain, and that of your arm, as well as your forward momentum, one should prepare for retraction. If you miss your target, the stone will pull back towards you (recoil) after it has reached its apex. Depending on how you manage to 'cooperate' with the chain, you can either cause it to not pull back (not recommended, as it puts your stone dead in front of your assailant), or to have it retract back towards you. If you opt to have it come back towards you directly, it is best to have it return to the 'same' side. But, beginners will find it 'easier' to have it return to the 'opposite' side (sides being side of your body, whether it is back to your hand, or back to the floor and to the aft, is dependent on the degree of force initially used, and the amount of cooperation you are maintain with the stone). Grab - A chain can grab, by wrapping itself about the object. In being able to effect this, it is recommended that you throw the stone with a slight curve 'in the chain' from the onset. The stone itself is thrown slightly off and towards the outside of the intended target. The slight circular return basically causes the stone to come back at a trajectory slightly askew of its initial flight path. In doing so, once the 'chain' encounters the object, the stone will proceed to wrap itself about it. To ensure the 'grab' is a lasting one, assuming this is your intent, the angle of the throw must be upwards, which will encourage the stone to fly over the chain as it circles the target object. In doing so, the stone will eventually rest over and across the chain, creating a somewhat sturdy, if temporary, hold. If your intent is merely to spin the targeted object, as you would do in the case of attempting to disarm, or scar, without getting your chain entangled, then the throw must be done at a horizontal trajectory, or slightly downward, to ensure the stone, when encircling the targeted object, does not wrap 'over' the chain. Whip - Throwing the stone is in many ways similar to what you would effect with a whip, except for the effort at maintaining motion. Striking and pulling back. Snap forward, snap back. Whipping encorporates both linear striking and circular motion. Watch Indiana Jones in the "Temple of Doom" for some good entertainment. Slam - As odd as it sounds, this is probably one of the most powerful attacks that can be commited with a chain. A wide arc from your aft, over your head, and to your fore. A vertical strike, downward. Very powerful and very hard to counter, but reasonably easy to dodge or sidestep. This action can be repeated a multitude of times, bouncing off the floor, over your head, and back onto the assailant. I've heard it called, "storm from above." An apt description. Swing - Hey, you know you gotta have the swing. A very basic swing from the side, horizontal attack. As the slam is vertical, the swing is horizontal in application. But, don't be fooled by the simplicity of this attack, because it is extremely hard to control. Whether you make impact, or not, the stone will respond, either by wrapping itself about the object, richocheting off the target back to you, or missing entirely and continuing on its horizontal circular path... again back to you. The mistake a lot of practitioners make is to practice without ever actually impacting objects. While they end up learning how to maintain control (cooperation) with the chain as it comes back around in a swing, it gives absolutely no insight into how to deal with a richochet that is oftentimes unpredictable in its recoil actions. That is why it is essential one practice the swing both freely and against a stationary object (punching bag, for example). Learn to capture the richochet, cause the stone to perform a small circle outside of your inner zone, and once again allow you to strike your assailant. Plenty more. There are the various blocks and traps, the shortened strikes, wrapping and entanglement, spins and figure eights, replication of many of the 'nun-chaku' moves by bouncing the chain off limbs, torso, and even other objects (walls, etc) for unpredictable angles of attacks, and extending a multitude of techniques through the chain, including locks and holds. There's your freebie. Now ask nicely next time. edit: a training utility i emphasize, is to practice with a leather jump rope, wooden handles. Although far too long, in comparison to the length of a manriki-gusari, the extra length of a jump rope helps to encourage proper technique. It needs to be noted that a manriki-gusari is much shorter (around 2' in length), and thus much faster in application. The margin for error, in turn, is also much smaller... and thus the chance for serious injury, much higher.