White Warlock

Agreed, that is another reason. Leg strengthening/conditioning.

Yes, i comprende. And you don't have to be disrespectful about it. I read your earlier posts, thus why i wrote what i wrote. You're looking for a quick solution to something that has no quick solution. That's all. Good luck in your endeavors.

For the same reason you wear diapers before you learn to walk. One without the other, and you have nothing to fall back on. Seriously though, who cares about the foundation of a home, when it's the home that you're going to live in... and not the foundation? Well, because without a proper foundation, that home could very well collapse in on itself, with you in it. Stances help to ingrain the appropriate positions you should be striving for when you get into a conflict. It is not uncommon for untrained fighters to carry their center of balance too high, or place too much emphasis on the 'wrong' leg when leading or retreating. Such critical mistakes are exploited in almost every martial art, so it is essential you understand stances.... for they are the foundation. Be patient. As annoying as this may sound, eventually what they are teaching you will make sense, assuming they are teaching you correctly.

I've taken it to PMs. Please return to the topic of this thread.

Well, bad news to you Python. It's not that simple. You walk in, learn some stuff in 6 months, and all you're going to do is 'think too much' in a confrontation. Actions need to be made ingrained, otherwise, what's the point? A conflict isn't a situation where someone comes up to you and you both go into stances, and then take turns hitting each other. Real fights are ugly... and there's almost no time to think. So if you are wanting a quick, "slam, bam, thank you ma'am" course on martial arts... you're only going to mess with your head. Either avoid it altogether and hope for the best when someone decides to disembowel you, or study in earnest. It's not about just defending yourself from someone who wants to give you a bruise. It's about coming out alive when someone wants to kill you, or someone you love. Your lack of interest in studying the arts is common, but as i stated in another write-up awhile back... in a civilian world, we tend to ignore the fact that barbarism is still quite prominent. You may not want to bother to learn... and it is understandable, considering the state of our lives and the means by media to present violence as "somewhere over there." But, it's a present issue, each and every day. If you live to old age, or natural death, and you made no efforts to learn how to defend yourself from life-threatening encounters... it is not by choice, but by luck. The choice, of course, is always yours. You can opt to take a self-defense course at a local college or community center. I hope, however, that when you do, you'll realize that you have simply not learned enough to defend yourself. Only enough to question yourself. Thank you for your attention

If Batman wears dentures, does that mean he's old? So, if i were to create a system (or philosophy), it would be an Argentine system (both my parents were from there... so...), or would it based on the systems i studied, and thus be an 'international' system? it may not be the question, but it is definitely the answer. Many of the philosophies entombed in JKD are not Chinese. In fact, JKD was a breakaway from traditional Chinese thought on the study of martial arts, and was encouraged by Mr. Lee's experiences in the United States. I.e., Western influenced Chinese guy. Well, you're entitled to your opinion. Just kidding. In truth, JKD is a study into martial art theories and is not rooted in Chinese. It is a delving into various applications, and is geared towards continuously learning, striving, morphing. So, JKD doesn't change... for it is not a system. Ideas, theories, and deductions can be included into a tome of accumulated data, to help others strive for their individual paths, but JKD itself... merely serves to point the way.

My point being, as long as there are people willing to make up stories for a little bit of attention, or to increase profits... stories such as this, with no witnesses, should be taken with a grain of salt. In this particular case, the event these gentlemen were either sponsoring or participating in, gained some media space on that article. Also, you'll note that it indicates that this incident was the "talk of the town" in Fiji, so although this is merely a mild article, it was a much bigger media festival over there. I.e., grain of salt.

i totally agree with you bro. when my grandpa came home from the korean war and walked out of the bus i kicked him in the nuts and he collapsed onto the ground and cracked his skull on the curb. its just FUN! he's family, and family is forever, so no matter how hard i kick his nuts, he's skill my grandpa. Umm... talking to yourself?!? btw, let me know when i'm supposed to start taking your posts seriously.

Ugh! /me smacks gcav

Things to help with your jabs: * (boxing) pivot on the ball of your forward foot, swinging the heel around. The endpoint should have your foot facing sideways towards your opponent. Of course, when retracting, bring your heel back. This action should be snappy and relaxed. What it does for you is increase your penetration, assist your hips in providing power (by allowing the hips to rotate), and helps to create a quick retraction, providing a snap to your jabs. * one thing i do, is use my latissimus dorsi as a bounce point for my biceps/triceps. This gives a little bit of a kick-off point for my jab, and reminds me to protect my ribs. * definitely use your hips and torso on every jab. Be relaxed, and have the hips/torso lead the jab (this is actually a contention point, addressed next). * the concern is always telegraphing. You don't want to let your opponent know when you are about to strike, so it is essential you don't let him know. Research has shown that if you lead with your shoulders and hips, it is approximately 75% likely that the opponent will read the impending strike, while only 25% likely if you lead with the strike first, and then throw in your shoulders and hips (inclusive of the foot rotation). The problem is power loss. By leading with your strike, you lose much of the power in your strikes. So, a balance is needed. You need to gauge your opponent and determine his degree of sensitivity. I.e., his ability to read your actions. You do this by starting out your first round with 'snappy' jabs (watch boxing matches, and you'll see that the first round is loaded with 'snappy,' but relatively weak, strikes. This is the "reading round," as some call it). Slowly, you start increasing the lead factors. I.e., putting more of your hip/torso/foot rotation into the jabs, increasing their lead, until you've reached a point where the opponent can 'see' those jabs coming. You then edge back a bit, and that's your sweet spot for that opponent. Hope this helps.

sticks and stones may break my bones? Personally, i saw no reason for you to approach the lone one with hostility, when you weren't willing to approach the five of them. What's to prevent the 5 of them from meeting up again, and this time escalating from words... to sticks and stones? I'm not quite sure what it is you are asking of us? I mean, you're doing twenty things wrong, and then asking if the final outcome falls on your lap or theirs. How about working to not get to the final outcome in the first place? Five guys yelling things at you. What is it they were yelling? Where were you? Was it a path normally taken? What were you wearing? Do you know these guys? Is it necessary for you to travel that route? When you saw the lone figure, after the fact, what motivated you to approach him? Spite? What did you say to him when you did talk to him? Did you, at any time, consider changing your tone and turning him into a friend? A means to deescalate things, rather than potentially escalate? Things to consider.

You've become more gullible, having received ample brow-beating, to the point you no longer question authority. Or... you're finally dismissing your preconceptions.

a little advice: 1. never take vitamins on an empty stomach 2. be sure not to stack vitamins (taking a multi-vitamin, and then adding up on it with a vitamin-complex or vitamin-specific). Why? because you could bring your intake to an overdose level. 3. Always give extra attention to the fat soluble vitamin intake, as you could easily overdose on them. 4. Do research. Find out what you're taking. Don't just 'assume' that the vitamin supplement covers what you need, or that the 'sources' for these vitamins are viable. 5. Drink plenty of water, all day. Always a good thing to do, but especially if you're going to take vitamin supplements. 6. take vitamins in the morning or early in the day. Do not take vitamin supplements at night, as some vitamins may just give you insomnia. Minerals are a different matter. They can be taken pretty much at any time, but zinc, magnesium, and a few others are actually more beneficial to you while you are resting. 7. I'm Batman.

Well, do consider that no other witnesses were indicated in that report. Having worked in journalism, that's a clear sign that the only source... is the person(s) telling the story. So... with only he and his friend to tell the story... is it true... or just good media attention for the event?

Hmm, well i viewed your instructions, as well as your videos. I've been practicing with nunchakus, on and off, since 80'. I have steered clear of 'flash' and thus have a strong eye for it. I.e., i see it much better than most. As to Shorinryu Sensei's comments, they are right on. Since i've been visiting this board, i've come to realize he holds a similar understanding on the use the nunchaku, which is that it isn't a friggin' toy. Holding the nunchaku near the chain is not the way to practice, and all your videos are showing the wrong way to hold it. It develops very bad, and potentially fatal, habits. Also, i disagree with the idea about control. It allows for better control when performing flash techniques, but far less control for actually striking. If you were to strike something while holding near the chain, the recoil would be eratic and uncontrolled. Because of where you are holding, you would not be able to regain control, as you have no leverage. You would also not have 'time' to regain control, as the recoil would be too fast. And last, the reason the recoil would be quick, is because the strike would be ineffective. A slap, as opposed to a crush. So, as much as it may hurt to hear this... realize that the input you are receiving is an opportunity for you to 'change' what you've been doing. Additional comments made, such as parking your hand in front, or in shoalin-like half-prayer style in front of your body... these are bad ideas. Also, in the videos, you are just a tad too focused on the actions of the nunchaku, and your body is suffering for it. It is too snappy and is actually 'chasing' the nunchaku, rather than directing or leading the nunchaku. One of the bad habits associated with holding it too close to the chain. Being wrong isn't wrong. Insisting on being wrong... is. Take a bite of humble pie... and smile.

There are many elements to the 3-section that are clearly flex-oriented, but there are also many that can be applied as if they were two separate sticks. Yet, without the training one would receive from working with flexible weapons, the 3-section staff would be unrealized, just as a nunchaku, used as a sap, would be unrealized. So, i would say yes, it is a flexible weapon.

hehe, Wapcaplet was being facetious. Silly people. Anyway, 'most' martial arts are fast-oriented. Speed is an essential element of all viable martial art systems. More applicable questions would be: 1. do you prefer punching, kicking, both or neither? 2. do you prefer grappling vs striking? 3. are you interested in theory, application, philosophy, or ritual? 4. do you want to practice katas, spar a lot, or compete? 5. how much are you willing to pay, how often are you wanting to practice? 6. do you have any health (physical or mental) that may impede in your learning process, or require special training be provided? 7. What is your 'present' philosophy. I.e., are you a pacifist, or do you feel that violence is the ultimate solution to any situation? etc... 8. and 7Star's query... what's in your area? What choices are available to you based on your geographic location?

Hellstromm level - forgot. Played when it first came out, then got friggin' bored with it. Visited it again recently... and got friggin' bored with it. Maybe if i get bored again, i'll go play it.

n00blet

Agreed, but it is very very hard to do when you see it happening in front of you, and you know that it will take forever for the cops to show. If you do call the police on something like this, do not describe them as 'a couple arguing.' Instead, you should communicate that a man is assaulting a woman, and that it doesn't look like they know each other... or something similar to this. Might help 'up' the priority. Personal opinion, mind you.

Interesting. Jason, welcome.

I've worn my ol' Lion's Den t-shirt (Ken Shamrock's submission academy, for you n0oblets) in public a few times, and Shorin is absolutely correct. I was always full aware that such things intimidated people, so i only wore it to 'certain' places... like family get-togethers (hehe). On another thought, i cannot recall even one time where anyone reacted to, or queried me about, the t-shirt logo (and that's good too, since i was enrolled for only a handful of months before i took off overseas). So i don't see it as a viable means to 'open' doors to communication with other practitioners. If you want to do that, just visit the various schools. I've met plenty of new friends that way, and had experienced some great conversations at times. Soo... what was this thread about again?

It's a tough call with a grizzly. Normally, the best choice would be to drop prone and not move. I.e., play dead. But, grizzlies tend to mess with the prone person for awhile before they move on. I would say the best choice would be to have rolled the bike at the bear and then fallen prone or run the opposite direction and up a tree. Hopefully the bike would have distracted him long enough for you to get up high enough on a tree*, or to have caused him to expend his energies on the bike before sniffing your prone body out. Running from a bear isn't a good idea, since those suckers can move almost twice as fast as a man on a sprint. Being on your back is actually a bit worse than being on your stomach with a bear on top of you, as the bear will more likely go for your throat and face if you are facing him. However, if he's on top of you... you're in trouble for sure. * And yes, i'm aware bears can climb trees, but they are not as effective in combat when you're kicking their nose as they attempt to climb. Also, they don't climb so well as they grow older and trees can't readily support them.

Excellent training tools that develop both unified and detached eye-hand coordination. I especially like the way my practice sessions with them have significantly increased my ability to wield just about any flexible item (wet noodles not withstanding).

Bah! You didn't answer my question.