White Warlock

Not all militaries are the same, but yes... the vast majority do not provide even a modicum of unarmed training. Even the special units provide mere samplings. Those military personnel who are proficient in some form of unarmed combat either entered into the military 'with' that training, or studied at a publically accessible school while in the military.

I guess i'm preeeeetty damn good then. Competing professionally only means you competed for money. If you made a career out of it, you were a career professional. I was never a career professional, but i did compete for money, ages ago. There are many others here, i'm sure, that have competed for a money prize at one time or another. Also, you don't have to have competed, as an amateur or as a professional, to be an 'azzkicker.' I suppose i'm not keen with your stereotyping and i still think it's presumptuous to assume this community is loaded with rank amateurs and couch potatoes. Whether that is the case or not, none of us truly know, but i'm inclined to think otherwise. In many respects, i have to think otherwise.

Nope. I wish them luck. Definitely lots of rules, which is good for safety but takes a lot of systems out of the loop. Overall, it seems to be well-thought out.

I'm sure there are quite a few non-MAs that would like to believe that. The answer is no. Your training, approach, dedication, mindset, and individual insight are what determines whether what you know will work in the street or not. It is not all physical.

ah, tastes like chicken

Well Mandy, knowledge and age are two entirely different things. People will respect you for your knowledge, but you are still very young and the knowledge you have, or the position you hold, isn't going to dismiss the latter. Also, your above comments give me the impression you resent being treated your age and have resorted to holding a measure of disrespect to adults. Sorry to say this, but get over it. I'm 40 right now, but if i shave my beard and mustache off, i look like i'm in my early 20s. All my life i've looked far younger than i am. Due to this, i learned a long time ago to not let the stereotyping of others, based on age (or the presumption of age), interfere with my effectiveness, productivity, and presentation of respect for others. In other words, if they're sincerely older than me, i give them the respect i would any elder, regardless of my station (above/below/equal). Respect, in whatever manner given, is 'usually' reciprocated. Disrespect, or contempt, likewise. Hoping this input is well received.

I'm sorry. Didn't mean to disrupt Lucky's hello thread. I guess it was itching to come out. Anyway, thanks for the comments and let's give this thread back to Lucky.

At the moment i am at a full-stop with my training, but yes... normally i train in SD. Personal real life issues, including my significant other being diagnosed with cancer, has me with my hands full at the moment. If/when things calm down, would be nice to meet and chat in person. I've enjoyed your insights.

Nice work. I have to chase some of my stuff before i can put it up. Used to have it on a site, but since took it down.

Do you practice at that kenpo school near to Kragen Auto Parts in Poway? If so, i used to visit that place regularly, if just to watch and rent some of the videos. I believe i've met Mr. Barker before on a few of those occasions. Nice guy.

Interesting analysis Lucky, and it seems to ring true to some of my own observations. Will think on this further, thanks.

Britnoob, Here's a scalpel, there's the library and i'm your tutor. We have 20 patients in the other room that need bypass surgery. Go to the library, and let's get busy. In 7 days we have to operate. Good luck.

hehe

I had a girlfriend, back in the early 80's, who was a BBer in TKD and was on her way to a BB in TSD. She was 4'10" and muscular. She was nobody you wanted to mess with. When we were practicing one time, she threw a reverse roundhouse kick to my head and stopped, with me looking at her heel looking at my jaw looking at her heel. I didn't even see it coming, and i'm glad she didn't actually follow through. I would have been out like a light. Her height allowed her to toss in a potentially powerful headkick from 'within' a close-in sparring position. It is the practitioner, not the technique, that determines what works and what doesn't and i'm assuming your friend was joking about your height, as i do all the time with my friends of short stature.

Pfft! Jealous, eh? Without a glove, you can indeed injure or break part of your hand (mid joints in the fingers most likely). However, what he said is not incorrect, from a boxer's padded fist standpoint. Such a strike causes the brain to flop around in the skull and get bruised. It seems the brain is most susceptible to being jostled from a 45 degree angle, front and back or from a shot that causes the brain to stay in place while the skull itself moves, so a hit to the top front of the head in a diagonally downward direction, a strike to the chin in an upward diagonal, a strike to the jaw in a circular spin direction, a strike to the back of the neck in a slightly upward angle (45 degrees), or similar strikes result in the large likelihood that you'll jostle their brain, which causes the brain to shut-off in self-defense (some self-defense, eh?).

Four things are in danger when you're striking a heavy bag: The hand, the wrist, the elbow and the shoulder (i'll get to the point of this thread eventually). Going backwards: In order to avoid injury to the shoulder, the strikes committed on a heavy bag must be penetrating. If you strike it and pull back, to create a whip-like effect, you significantly increase the possibility of injuring the muscles in your shoulder. The heavy bag is not for that type of practice. It is to develop penetrating power. If you wish to practice whip-like techniques (such as the jab), work on the accuracy balls or hand targets. I.e., lightweight targets. Elbows are in danger due to bad form via overextension. Everytime you strike the heavy bag, it is essential that you do not extend your arms completely. Such actions can cause medial or lateral epicondylitis. The reasons for this is that if you fully extend your arms while impacting a heavy bag, you direct the impact to the ligaments and joint of the elbow, which could cause tearing or bruising. Also, as i stated earlier, it's bad form and can be exploited in a real confrontation. Personally, i believe the biggest risk, with striking a heavy bag, goes to the wrist. The intent of the heavy bag is to develop good form and to increase your striking power while maintaining good form. Unfortunately, a lot of people think it's just there so you can go all out. That horrible misnomer results in wrist injuries left and right, which could put you out of commission for a very very long time. If you're concerned about this, just remember to gradually build your power, to focus on proper form, and to wear a wrist wrap (if nothing else, it helps to remind you of what you need to protect, but it also provides a little more support). And now to the hand. Poor form could cause you to injure your thumb, but contrary to popular opinion, the danger of working without gloves is not the bruising, but the tearing of the tiny ligaments between the tiny bones in the very fragile appendage we know as the hand. The kind of tears are very difficult to repair, and could result in permanent deformity. Indeed, you could literally lose a finger or a thumb. Not by it being ripped off, but by inadvertently destroying the 'few' tiny blood vessels that keep the bones and nerves of the fingers and thumbs alive. I should know... i almost lost my thumb and was forced to wear a cast for 6 months just to ensure they didn't have to amputate. See... i finally got to the point.

I believe the intent is oftentimes misguided. Organizations should be created to both unite and to provide standards. Unfortunately, as LuckyBoxer stated, there are too many egos, both in and out of the organizing body. At present, many organizing bodies focus on making money, on protecting themselves from liability (competition details, etc), and on keeping their 'views' on the system clean. Such an approach only fosters ill-will, rivalry, and an eventual breakdown of standards. What 'should' be happening, is that an organization should 'foster' new approaches and even provide credentials to those who create a new system out of the existing art ("Lucky's System Shorin-Ryu," or some such other), both validating their new approach and keeping practitioners united to a common goal, which is to share and grow as a community. Both the Kodokan and the families of Aikido practice the below stated principles. Both have become models of unity. One more thought. Part of the problem with many organizations, is that they were created 'too late.' A system has spread through an area, lost a degree of cohesiveness, and splintered into a multitude of mcdojos... and then someone says, "gee, we should create an organization to bring us all together." Oop, too late. It becomes an uphill battle, against a thousand egos and a hundred misguided miscreants.

And once again a thread is hijacked. So... anyone hungry for a Big Mac?

... edited - my now-deleted comments would only have opened up a can of worms. To cut to the chase, the information provided on that website is incorrect. For resources on ninja/samurai history, examine these books: Ratti, Oscar and Westbrook, Adele. Secrets of the Samurai: The Martial Arts of Feudal Japan. Castle Books, 1999 Reischauer, Edwin O., Japan: The Story of a Nation. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, 1990

Okay, so you're a 2 at the most. But is it necessary to make an assumption about the rest of us, especially since you never ever trained with any of us? It's as if you're afraid to admit that someone in this forum could possibly be any good, or any better than you, which would invalidate your input in some way. Personally, i think a few people here have seriously underrated themselves, but then again... i never worked out with them. Then again, because i've never worked out with them, i don't claim to know where they stand, in comparison to people like Shamrock or Lewis.

Agree with all points Delta1 made. Even the one he said about me being some sort of uber stud.

Hmm... i worked 3+ years in a psychiatric crisis center (equivalent to an emergency room for psychiatric issues). Over 100 new patients a day, for over 1000 days (the vast majority of them brought in handcuffed by police and many having a long history of criminal violence). I believe that comes out to over 100k test cases (conservative number). Communication is very effective to those who aren't in full control of their faculties. Indeed, in most cases it is significantly more effective than it would be with someone who is in full control of their faculties. Psych nurses that show disrespect are often assaulted and those most effective in de-escalating are the ones who show respect and communicate with a firm voice and a confident manner. Like me. I watched both petite women and men of small stature handle conflicts very effectively, by being confident, communicative, and respectful. Mass is a factor, but it's not everything. And, acting tough is actually a feed to the fight/flight response... so i wouldn't recommend it. Instead, just be yourself, and be confident of 'who' you are and what you are capable of. Not overconfident... just confident.

Hehe, my brother is a physics professor. A bit rusty myself, but when in doubt, i subject myself to one of his very interesting lectures. Btw, good link there Delta. Thanks.

The last real samurai was Takamori Seigo. There is a statue to honor him, called "The Last Samurai" located in Ueno Park, Tokyo. Excerpts from this thread - http://www.karateforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=12356&highlight=samurai Ramy corrected me about Cruise's character here: Jules Brunet's participated in the Boshin War, which occurred 8 years earlier. Takamori Seigo was on the opposing side. In short, the movie condensed events that spanned a period of about 10 years and added twists to spice up an otherwise already spicy true set of events.

Although an entertaining read, i must admit... it doesn't sound very close to much of the information i've read or been informed of on the subject. What are your sources?