White Warlock

Disagree CPU. Directing someone to lie in court is the quickest way to have them get tripped up and be found guilty. There are a few factors which bring this into a different light than a mere "he hit first" argument. First off, they were throwing snowballs and he asked them to stop. They did not. Although snowballs aren't deadly, they could be.. if a rock is hidden in one. The argument could easily be posed that he was being attacked first. Assault and battery. More to the point, however, is the fact there were more of them then there were of him. They also stated their intent to harm. At this point, he was within his rights to take whatever was 'reasonably' necessary to end the confrontation before it escalated. If this meant that the most reasonable means was to strike the most aggressive in the group before they built up enough confidence to attack him as a group, then so be it. The things that go against him are, they were younger (if they were also smaller, this would really go against him), he had the option to enter the mall to avoid further confrontation, snowballs are generally not considered deadly weapons, he left the scene without contacting authorities immediately after, and... well... there were no 'corroborating' witnesses.

Something that has helped a lot of students build proper coordination early, is learning which position to place your lead foot when stepping for a spinning kick. Easiest way to remember, is looking at what part of your lead foot is facing your opponent prior to, and after, your spin. Adjust each (start/end of lead foot placement) until you've obtained a balance of strong power, equilibrium and accuracy. And, of course, yes... ensure you have eye contact throughout most of your technique. The dizziness, or loss of equilibrium that you get when you spin is something your mind will 'eventually' become accustomed to, as it 'learns' not to react to the liquids in your ear splashing all over the friggin' place, so don't pamper your head when spinning.

hehe... i get paid to urinate on the corpses of my enemies. I mentioned my present occupations here: http://www.karateforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=12149&start=20 And thanks for the compliment

Like a bowel movement

The article is ignorant journalistic B.S. Unfortunate, but still very common. It is the responsibility of a journalist to either 'quote' someone else's statements, or to verify anything being presented to them as fact. However, many journalists are lazy and simply don't do their homework. Television news providers are the worst.

It's B.S.

He's ignorant, you're ignorant, i'm ignorant... we're all ignorant... of one thing or another. Ignorance isn't a problem, but being ignorant of your ignorance can be.

Occasionally, it's a good thing for the instructor to let the student know he has a long way to go in his studies. I know that i've communicated such on a few occasions, with students that were just a tad too confident... not to bring them down, mind you... but to let them know they're not done yet with learning. It sounds like your instructor maintained good control, and it's likely you're now going to step-up your game.

This sounds logical. I think i'll relocate the 'cut' additives to the off-time on the creatine cycles. I.e., bulk/build for two months, lean/cut for one month. I'm feeling like a test tube here.

I noticed Bujinkan... i suppose i'll have to research that on the net.

One should use their instincts, insight, AND common sense in a confrontation, of whatever order or degree. Anger, fear, machoism, heroism, honor, peer pressure, overconfidence, insecurity, alcohol, drugs, fatigue, sleep deprivation, physical abnormalities (injuries, blindness, etc), reliance on luck or faith, and lack of experience are all factors that inhibit good judgement.

Hmm... seems i'll be adding glucosamine complex and l-carnitine to the mix. still no luck finding zma. Also corrected the niacin intake above. Decreased it by half, as the vitamin complex i have already contains 20mg.

Well, i've already received training in it, but really wanted to delve further... and pretty much only found thugfu practitioners of it since my initial instruction. /me smacks tommarker

Actually, wushu somewhat translates to war art, while kung fu means something like being at one with something, or being skilled in something. Kung fu was a misunderstanding of the phrase, "you have good kung fu," when it was referenced to someone performing a martial art. In actuality, it meant he was quite good. You could have good kung fu at knitting, writing, rowing, or dancing. Anyway, the now-commonly-used application for the word 'wushu' is applied to the watered-down fancy martial arts displays sanctioned by the Chinese government. Much of the wild and cool martial arts stuff you see in the old Chinese movies was 'wushu,' with people doing wild jumps, exagerrated dodging of weapons, etc. I suspect the reason it was brought up is because, like capoeira, it's a very acrobatic style to study, which was sort of what the poster was requesting.

It has been a hard road for me to study this weapon (or weapon-type). In all my years, i only encountered one 'knowledgeable' instructor for the manriki-gusari. I don't suppose anyone else has had this difficulty?

Umm... no.

Just to clear some things up, capoeira is a dance. The African slaves in Brazil hid their native martial arts within the dance, as a means to perpetuate their combat training through the generations, to eventually be used as a means to free themselves. It is an effective martial arts, primarily because of its unpredictability. trivia: breakdancing originated from some who witnessed capoeira being practiced.

Oh that's good. Dude, get out of here with that attitude.

Is this where i'm supposed to toss out my a/s/l ? Who knows, i might get lucky and pick up a fine young martial arts lady, eh? Sorry.. can't help but laugh. It's just funny to hear about women scoping out the men at competitions. Reversal of roles and all. I do understand the logic. Many men deal with 'manliness' insecurities and find a woman that can beat the crap out of them... intimidating, so instead of learning how to fight, they try to convince the woman to quit. Not all men are like that, but enough. And then, there are the ones who simply don't share your interests. I know one woman i was with that pushed me out of aikido practice, because she argued that i cared more for the arts than i did her. To speak honestly, i resented her for my decision. Eventually i ended that relationship. Someone else's insecurities or selfishness shouldn't hamper your own personal growth.

I have more injuries/tears in my left leg and more injuries/tears in my right shoulder, so i feel far more comfortable in the southpaw position. When i work with dual weapons, both my arms work comfortably in unison and individually, but if i am wielding but one weapon, it is my left that shines and my left that i prefer, primarily because i'm a lefty, but secondarily because of the tears in my right interfering with the flow of my actions. Also, partially because of the injuries to my left leg, and partially due to my being a left-hander, i feel more assertive in the southpaw position. Still, i practice all positions, to minimize my weaknesses.

There were a tremendous amount of quality martial arts related movies being made outside of the U.S. at the time. Problem was, Hollywood was blacklisting them... preventing such notable directors as Kurosawa from gaining access to American movie theatres.

I agree with SS... your stance and body positioning is important, very important. It is especially important to realize that there is a subconscious relation between your positional arrangement, as opposed to the positional arrangement of your opposition. This fares heavily in the outcome of a conflict and should not be so readily dismissed.

Umm... let's clear up something here. Gracie ju-jutsu is a Brazilian ju-jutsu, but a Brazilian ju-jutsu isn't necessarily the reverse. The claims that bjj maintains strict belt adherence is incorrect, on the mere fact there are posers out there, just like there are posers of other systems. The term, Brazilian ju-jutsu, from everything i recall, is not copyrighteable. Thus, exploitation of ignorance ensues, and many people open up schools 'claiming' to teach bjj... and who's to call them a liar?

Both

It is a tendency for people to go on the defensive if they switchup, which is one of the reasons why it is important to build aggressiveness in your off-hand stance... to counter this inherent weakness. As to the softening up stuff, that's really only applicable in a tournament, with rounds and breaks. In most other cases, quick jabs are used to disrupt and create an opening.