White Warlock

Hmm... i would prefer to say that trapping... happens. Wing chun includes a lot of drill-work, which can sometimes cause less experienced wc practitioners to adopt a sort of tunnel vision. that's fine, because it's a phase in the learning process, but it is not the end-all.

Lol Beka. I was thinking the exact same thing. Maybe we should co-write it.

Umm... for the money. Entertainment is a 'means' to an end, not the end in and of itself. As long as his movies sell tickets, videos are being purchased, and stations are paying for reruns, there's money in it. Seagal sells tickets, bottom line.

Intimidation works on a passive and active level. I.e., whether we want it to or not. People react to 'feeling' intimidated in different ways, but mostly it is fight... or flight. In the case of fight, you may get challenged, or tested. In the case of flight, you may be avoided. It is best to not tell people of your skills, as it is oftentimes misunderstood. I.e., taken as a 'message' of intimidation, rather than merely a note of confidence, a moment to brag, or an offering of info as to your abilities.

What are you inferring by that?

Hmm... while some of my ancestors are notable, including Jorge Newbery (Argentine aviator), Charles Newbery (publisher), and Charlemagne, I would have to say that many of them were not. But, just to be a bugger... i don't recall any of them having anything to do with the creation of an Asian martial art.

It fluctuates daily. At present it is: South America - Argentina :: 1.00 USD = 2.84673 ARS (Argentine pesos) Bolivia :: 1.00 USD = 7.90100 BOB (Bolivian bolivianos) Brazil :: 1.00 USD = 2.93289 BRL (Brazilian reals) Chile :: 1.00 USD = 614.506 CLP (Chilean pesos) Colombia :: 1.00 USD = 2,679.32 COP (Colombian pesos) Ecuador :: 1.00 USD = 1.00 USD (U.S. dollars) Falkland Islands :: 1.00 USD = 0.549660 FKP (Falklan Island pounds) French Guiana :: 1.00 USD = 0.821489 EUR (euro) Guyana :: 1.00 USD = 179.000 GYD (Guyana dollars) Paraguay :: 1.00 USD = 5,990.00 PYG (Paraguay guarani) Peru :: 1.00 USD = 3.46120 PEN (Peru nuevos soles) Surinam :: 1.00 USD = 2,502.40 SRG (guilders) Uruguay :: 1.00 USD = 29.75 UYU (pesos) Venezuela :: 1.00 USD = 1,915.50 VEB (bolivars) Just to clear up the earlier Philippines peso query: 1.00 USD = 56.3500 PHP (Philippine pesos)

JLee, Tommarker is referring to something that has little to do with you. People have opinions, but when you ask them which system is best, or better, you're going to get posturing and attitudes bouncing off each other. Everyone has an opinion of what they do and usually it is placed in the context of making derogatory comments about those systems they don't do, and of which they have little information on. So... your question is likely not going to get you the results you want. I suggest, instead, figuring out what you want, and then asking what systems cover those things you are looking for. Either that, or ask what is incorporated in the various systems presently available.

yes

Remove it altogether. Schools giving out BBs like candy, and people 'claiming' to be BBs... there's nothing you can do about that. By simply removing that stupid little misinterpreted, and often abused, symbol of 'basic' mastery, we remove as well the prize associated with 'beating' a BB.

People knowing i practiced the arts, challenges and testing used to happen a lot when i was younger. Not as much nowadays. What i truly hate more than unskilled persons challenging me or testing me, is other BBs challenging me or testing me. You would think that they would know how friggin' annoying that is.

example:

I can't answer that unless you provide two opposing questions.

lol

Generally speaking, the more time you spend at something, the better you're going to be at it. Emphasis on one thing or another presents a higher degree of expertise in one thing or another. In this case, bjj practitioners, on the average, spend far more time reinforcing groundwork than judokas. Contrastly, judokas, on the average, spend far more time reinforcing throws than bjjers. So... even if he wasn't saying it... i am.

ahh, but it now encompases more space.

yes

Hola Beka, con su pelo tan bonita.

hehe

Responding with a tangential statement to the tangential statement made by AndrewGreen. You think i was arguing semantics? Did you even read my post?!? As to the straw man, i'm full aware of fallacious reasoning and that is not what i presented. In fact, what i did was dispose of his straw man (i.e., he made it himself, not me), in that he presented an argument based on a flimsy foundation, then offered someone to redefine the foundation. I simply removed the foundation and... wala... his straw man disappears into the ground. The fact is, i disposed of his false logic. You just made an attempt to discredit my arguments by presenting a derailment on the topics. I.e., you pretty much said that what i posted was a play on words, when it clearly was not. This, my dear sir, is fallacious reasoning on your part and a rather common tactic in debates. The thing here is... this is not a debate and i'm not in this community to debate. My post wasn't an argument, it was a presentation of information as a means to 'enlighten,' as most of my posts are. Debate really doesn't belong in a community like this. Discussion yes, debate... definitely not. In truth, no straw man was presented, either on his side or mine. If you wish me to break the whole thing down into specifically what happened, i'm sure i could oblige. But that would be going way off the deep end as far as tangents are concerned.

Considering the topic at hand, yes you are. Considering your argument, no... you're being just as shortsighted. I'll take you on that wager. Your pick of an MMA fighter against a kendo master. Weapons: body... and katana. Oh gee, did i ruin your fun? Did i cheat? Didn't you say any set of rules? How about... no rules? What's wrong? So many people have come to the foolish conclusion that the end-all of martial arts is 'unarmed.' It is not. Even more have come to the exponentially more foolish idea that competitions are the ultimate decider of true martial arts mastery. They are not. It is the street that you must prepare for, as that is where the true life-threatening circumstances will occur. In the street, there are a thousand weapons at your disposal and a thousand more obstacles to trip up a narrow-visioned fighter. Many kung fu practitioners study the concept of using 'everything,' not merely their body. This is primarily because many kung fu systems focus heavily on 'street' survival. The vast majority of their repertoire revolves around 'street-oriented' tactics and actions. Lots of people just look at the superficial aspect of these things and clearly do not see beyond their own ignorance. But, seeing as i'm not interested on going to silly tangents, let's focus on this whole MMA classification. MMA = mixed martial arts. An MMA competition is a competitions allowing for different martial arts to participate. An MMA person is a person who mixes martial arts in his repertoire. Different animals altogether. And yet, the common classification is call those persons who enter into MMA competitions, such as the UFC, are MMAs. Well... so what does that say? Does it say that all persons who enter into MMAs are superior? Silly. Does it say that all MMAs (persons) are superior? No, obviously that is also ridiculous. I've heard this countless times that those who compete in competitions and win medals are somehow better than those who don't compete, and only use their skills for 'real' situations. That those who study a variety of systems, piecemeal, are somehow better than the individual who dedicates himself to one system. But, consider this... A man who obtains four bachelors degrees is not somehow superior than a man who obtains one doctorates degree. Different, but not superior. More adaptable, possibly... but clearly not superior. At least, not based on what they've learned. What makes one person better than another is the ways and means they utilize the knowledge they've obtained, and the manner in which they carry themselves through life. Now, returning to the point of this thread... which is whether there are any kung fu practitioners in MMAs, yes. Yes, there are plenty. But, and the point here is... but... it is piecemeal. Just as the other systems they study are piecemeal. BJJ is not a piecemeal system. It is a whole system, adapted and modified, but essentially based on a pre-existing whole system. Why do i bring this up? Because so many people are claiming that MMA 'competitors' are superior to non-MMA competitors, but then they get confused... and start thinking that MMA refers to the person, when in fact it refers to the competition. BJJ kicked some righteous butt at the UFC, and it did it alone... without any other systems to back it up. So when i hear someone say a 'mixed-martial artist' is superior... all i need to do is point at the Gracies. The fact of the matter is, if you dedicate yourself to truly mastering your system, whatever system that may be, you will achieve significant abilities. If, however, you wish learn a variety of other systems piecemeal, remember that eventually you will need to put all of that together and create your own, personal, system. After that, you will need to perfect your skills in your own, personal, system. And, once you've done that... guess what? Yeppers, you will no longer be a mixed martial artist. Imagine that... *poof*

No, more like 60%. Even higher if you are in a war, assuming a bullet doesn't take you out before you get into close combat. No, common sense teaches you that. Okay, i want to state a few personal opinions. BJJ is 'not' the ultimate system. NHB is 'not' real. The streets of Brazil are 'not' that tough, in comparison to many other places in the world. Budo taijutsu is also 'not' the ultimate system. Strategies and defenses against multiple attackers do exist in various systems, but the fact of the matter is... it is a disadvantageous situation. Training in strategies and defenses can 'help' you to come out on top, but there is no 'magic pill.' Now, Venezolano, it is clear that have not trained in budo taijutsu, and definitely not at length. TreeBranch, same goes for you. You also have not trained in bjj, and definitely not at length. The fact that you two are arguing about which system is better, by standing on a pedestal of ignorance, is just plain silly. I have trained a bit in both, and i can tell you that 'both' have shortcomings. Now, both of you ... please... empty your cup and compare by presentation, rather than insults and chest beating. Discuss this with civility, because both of you can learn from each other... as long as you put your egos to the side. You two are drawing lines in the ground and kicking sand in each other's face. Doing so merely hardlines your behaviors and closes your minds. But worse, it encourages ridiculous posturing and outrageous claims. Drop it. Nobody is an island and no one system is a cruise ship. This is my last post in this thread, unless tones change. The disrespect exhibited here is way out of line.

Just a few random suggestions - Tow your car with it, give it to your dog for the weekend, drop it on the freeway and pick it up the next day, or smack people around with it until either they or the belt softens up.

What is a REAL kung fu person? Is that anything like a REAL bagel? Exactly. Many of the techniques incorporated in kung fu systems are not applicable in competitions, due to their lethality. If you grab most of the K-1 champions and shove them into the old UFC competitions, they would get slaughtered. If you grab most of the UFC champions and shove them into K-1, they'll get slaughtered. If you grab a point contact fighter and shove him in a muay thai competition, he'll get slaughtered. If you grab a judoka and shove him in a kickboxing competition, he'll get slaughtered. If you grab a TKD practitioner and shove him in a greco wrestling competition, he'll get slaughtered. Should i continue, or did i make my point?