White Warlock

I prefer tossing myself into a blender. Seriously though, i prefer a good mix. Direct exposure, comparative hands-on study, watching (whether it be live or video), practice, a degree of 'healthy' competition, a lot of reading and a lot of thinking. What i need to work into there a bit more is conditioning. I'm pretty dang sure that's my achille's heel at the moment. As age creeps up on me, my conditioning (or lack thereof) is becoming a far heavier factor.

Agreed. Of course, they have to have sufficient knowledge in whatever it is that they need to instruct on.

Agreed. Doing and teaching are two entirely different things. You must, of course, be able to do... but teaching requires skills above and beyond, in that you must have an understanding as to 'why' you do what you do, and then be able to 'communicate' such. In this day and age, there are still many people who are willing to take things at face value, without receiving insight into just what the hell is going on, but... the thinking minds are the ones who will obtain the most 'universally applicable' growth from a study. It is these people who need a 'how, what, when, where, why' instructor, as opposed to a 'do' instructor. The thing is, we all strive for the 'do,' but most of us do not learn the 'do' without first understanding what the hell 'do' is. Therefore, without a qualified instructor, what we do won't be the do that we all must strive to do. That was fun, now what do i do?

Most people have back problems, but the main reason they do... is because the back isn't strengthened. Most of the problems associated with the back have to do with poorly conditioned muscles. Attention is put to build the legs, chest, abs, shoulders and arms, but rarely do people give attention to building up the back muscles... and for good reason... it's scary. However, they can and should be developed as doing so will alleviate most, if not all, of your back issues. If you're full confident this sounds like your problem, work with your instructor and a fitness instructor (would be nice if they were one and the same, but this is not always the case and it is important to recognize this). Have them put you on a training program that allows you to learn the system, while also providing a gradual conditioning of your back. On the other hand, if you have a problem that extends beyond the muscles (such as severe scoliosis, fused vertebrae, etc), i definitely recommend you speak to your doctor first, and then the instructor of the class. Doing so will allow both your doctor and the instructor the opportunity to work together for your betterment (modifying the training program to accommodate your handicaps). Good luck, and welcome.

glad you could gleen from this justfulwardog. Maestro, you brought up a very good point, which is that ... rather than choosing the furthest range and inching closer as you determine your adversary's preference, that you should instead opt to be furthest from your weakest ranges. I.e., develop a buffer zone. I agree and will make the correction to my perceptions. Delta1, i do agree with you as well, in that range is merely one aspect of the whole. Although, i do believe... at least at this juncture, that it is the most important aspect, as it relates directly to fighting 'your fight,' as opposed to 'their fight.' I do, however, also agree with you that one should not depend on range management as the end-all. Doing so, in and of itself, exposes a weakness. Instead, improvisation and adaptability must always be in the mix. And, as you stated, a large degree of exposure to other systems (although i consider this primarily as a means to decrease the 'surprise' factor of being subjected to a technique or action that you've never dealt with before and have not developed a reasonable counter to). Good question Maestro, and it ties to one of my other 'beliefs,' which is that moving forward is better, therefore traveling from ranges 5 to 0 is more advantageous... which, in turn, infers that those skilled in the lower ranges have an innate advantage. I base this on common sense. When you walk, you walk forward. When you look, you look in front of you. When you focus, you focus in a linear path... in a direction oftentimes (although not always) congruent to your line of vision. Also, your body is anatomically designed for 'forward' motion. Contrastly, when you walk backwards, your focus is disrupted, your sight is challenged to view both what is in front of you and that which is behind you, and ... of course, your body is simply not anatomically designed for backward motion. Granted, it can be performed, and with relative ease... but clearly this is a 'thinking' process, rather than an autonomic process. Which falls into my next thought... and that is... those systems which rely on dominance of the distant ranges, must also incorporate into their training program a significant degree of time and energy in practicing reverse motion (i.e, moving backwards). To the point where the practitioner's body processes such actions autonomically. It won't be a full suit, but will significantly enhance their overall effectiveness in maintaining their range of advantage. Last thought, maintaining your range does not necessarily require that you be the one to traverse the distance, only that you illicit the effect. I.e., force or lead to effect the change of distance by manipulation or encouragement of your adversary. Aikidoists do it all the time, by redirection of energy that prevents the adversary from 'closing the distance,' although that is only one way to make it happen. Agreed, good discussion. More debunking please.

Hehe. Well... he studied chabi (a hybrid of Chinese kempo and Japanese jujutsu), and Chinese shaolin kung fu from ages 9-13, then studied shotokan and goju-ryu. I think the catch to all of this would be that, as far as i know, his parents were Japanese and that he was merely born in Korea and raised there up until the age of 13, at which point he was sent to Japan to attend a boy's military academy. And, to frustrate things further, he was drafted into the Japanese army, whic gives credence to something i heard earlier on the claim he was a Japanese citizen, or at least a dual-citizen. Ah well... trivia

Here is what it is JLee. They use those words, those insults, because they know you'll react to them. When you 'react' to their verbal jabs, you are giving them power over you. How foolish is that? I'm of the opinion you need to get a thicker skin and get a better handle on your anger. In the future, when you're in these situations, try to remember the old children's line of, "sticks and stones" ... and then smile (politely). Something to also consider. Right now you're in high school... and it seems you haven't had to deal with someone attempting to outright kill you. But, if you continue to hold onto that 'thin skin' ... As to what to study, i would agree that you should attempt to join the wrestling team at the high school. Wrestling is an incredibly effective combat system, sans the finishing techniques, and it will definitely get you into shape. If your school has a boxing team, i would consider that as well. Either one will not only give you a crash course in self-defense and build up your stamina, but you may end up with some 'lasting' friendships that will help you to develop your personality.

Get a cat. ... or a little sister...

Bah! But you're still here. Hope is lost people... hope is lost. *smacks equineanimal* *smacks his little dog too*

Yes. What systems are you interested in? The list is long and my time is short.

Thank you for the input. My regret is in having waited so long to get this looked into. Btw, krunchyfrogg, i smile every time i see your name. What encouraged you to use such an... entertaining login?

Ugh! I must admit your posts are frustrating. Injury in judo practice is not a certainty. In fact, it was designed specifically to allow for a very small chance of injury, in order to allow for competition, as well as to encourage the 'pacifistic' beliefs that Jigoro Kano adopted. In truth, it is far more likely that you will obtain injury in bjj, primarily due to the encouragement of its founders to allow for far more 'open' competitions. I.e., bjj instructors are still very much geared towards 'proving' to the world that bjj is a viable study that substantially differentiates itself from the traditional Japanese instructions of jj.

I request open discussion on this. In fact, i request an effort to debunk and/or challenge these perceptions. I have acclimated to a personal belief that the magic pill for 'fighting your fight' lies within understanding your ranges and the ranges of your adversaries, then choosing the most advantageous range for you, which contrasts the most disadvantageous for your adversary. Now, the trick of this, as i see it, is to master the ability to transition between ranges. To be able to remove oneself from a disadvantageous range without retreating (angling, pushing, reversing, circling, etc), and to enter an advantageous range without charging or advancing recklessly. Also, as i see it, there needs to be a strong understanding of the various systems that dominate specific ranges... for without this knowledge it would be hard to recognize the antagonist's range of advantage, to prevent them from entering their range of advantage, and to maintain or enter your range of advantage. As a foundation to these beliefs, I have adopted a structure that is broken up into five ranges: 0 = torso-on-torso contact (wrestling, takedown), 1 = short-range (elbow/forearm/knee distance) 2 = mid-range (full-arm distance) 3 = long-range (full-leg distance) 4 = distance (communication)* I can comfortably say that my ranges of comfort are 0-2, and that if i were to oppose an antagonist, i would enter one of these three ranges. Knowing my ranges in advance, i am able to decrease the amount of variables that i should be concerned with, as well as clearly recognize those ranges i definitely do not want to be in. Now, were i placed in a situation where i must decide which of the three ranges to choose from, i would have a dependency on understanding the strengths of my antagonist, without being foolish enough to enter, and become entrapped in, their range of advantage. All i need now, is to ensure he stays within one of the ranges that i am comfortable with, while ensuring that he does not enter a range that he is comfortable with. The answer to this, as i see it, is recognizing the efforts of my antagonist to pass ranges. I.e., if he is attempting to travel from range 2 to range 1, then either he feels he has the upper hand in either range 1 or range 0. If he is attempting to travel from range 1 to range 0, then it is rather obvious where he feels his advantage lies. Again, the trick is in maintaining the furthest range of advantage, until it is recognized that such a range does not pose sufficient advantage, or that range is, in fact, more advantageous to my antagonist. I.e., because my furthest range of comfort is 2, i start on range 2. If my antagonist feels comfortable maintaining range 2 and/or is more skilled at range 2 than i, then i should change to range 1... and so on. Clearly, this contradicts the training i've experienced in some systems. I believe the reason for this is that certain systems dedicate themselves to 'owning' a particular range... which, although simplifies their shopping efforts in a confrontation, it also limits their options. Again, please post your thoughts. *On a side, I have come to the belief that someone should not endanger themselves by entering into discussion, with the hopes of de-escalating, on a threat that has entered into ranges 0-3, and that if there is any hope of having a reasonably 'safe' opportunity to de-escalate, it should be done at range 4 or beyond. However, i have also found that i've successfully de-escalated confrontations at ranges 1-3 and even de-escalated confrontations 'after' the confrontation has already entered into a physical altercation. Translated, i'm saying it's a judgement call, but advise on an increasing degree of caution in de-escalation efforts the shorter the distance you are to your antagonist.

I will repeat myself: daoshi, i looked at your site and am of the impression this is just a 'fleeting' idea. However, if you could direct me to one of your instructors (which your site states are located all over the U.S.) that is in or near San Diego, CA., I would be willing to give it a more indepth examination.

I hate to say it, but battlin_bard has a serious point here. Anyone who knows the well documented exploits (including a video clip of him in action taking on a bull... and defeating it) of the legendary Mas Oyama knows full well that kyokushinkai strongly advocates full body contact sparring and breaking. If your school is not doing this... plain and simple... they're not instructing in kyokushinkai.

Bah! Yet another missed post. I studied enough for my tastes at the time... a little less than two years, approximately once or twice a week, excluding the summer months, in which the instructor/naturalist healer stated i was not to practice (i was informed it had to do with tradition associated with India's dry heat summers). But, I cannot say that my studies were traditional. At the time of my entry into the studies, i did not have sufficient flexibility (my instructor could pretty well turn himself into a pretzel). At least not sufficient enough to satisfy my instructor. It was introduced to me as a 'natural' means to complement my healing. I must say that the massage warm-ups were a huge positive but, that stopped at after a little over a month, and i understand that it is traditional for it to be a 'regular' part of training. Regardless, it did help me to loosen up and heal a bit, although it didn't do much to increase my overall flexibility. What is it you were hoping to gleen, oh Sasori san?

Unbeknownst to the general populace, Japan was rife with a mass of martial art systems, mostly fake, around the turn of the previous century (1900's). Time eventually flushed out the fakers. It is my hopes that false systems, and those systems of little content, will eventually go the way of the dodo. I do suspect that most of the traditional arts will stay, if nothing else... for nostalgia's sake.

Anyone who has ever experienced (or applied) a thai-roundhouse kick knows full well the foolishness of having either of your arms set to defend the mid/lower body. Simply stated, the arm is no competition for the leg... although an elbow set to receive an incoming high kick is always a mean little welcome.

Umm... may i suggest rereading that article, as it seems you completely misunderstood just about every part of it.

Thank you. Indeed, as i indicated in my introduction (in the introduction forum), language studies is not my forte', nor do i consider it a 'requirement' for understanding both the philosophies and the techniques. However, i am aware that 'do' means 'way', so i was not lost on your statement... just on your inference to it being Chinese, as opposed to the system being Japanese. And thus endeth my excuse.

Thank you once again for that illuminating insight into 'short-stick' philosophy. Maybe you should reconsider the whole 'procreation' thing. Jokes aside... what does your post have to do with this particular thread? I guess i'm missing something 'yet again'...

*bows* *trips* *lands on face*

They were these short guys, with fuzzy navels and ruddy brown complexions. I was informed, by a very reputable source, that they drank napalm and urinated on the corpses of onis, as well as occasionally bathed in the dandruff of celestial dragons. Seriously though, unfortunately because of over 300 years in which the study of surreptitious warfare was banned in Japan, there's really so very little go by. Even Turnbull, a reputable historian, was unable to garner enough information to present more than a questionable insight into their history. But, what is important to note, is that the mystique and legend far overshines the fact. Historical records, what little there is, clearly indicate that ninjas failed far more often than succeeded and that legend presented a far more encouraging track record. That is not to say they were ineffective, only that they were not as effective as they are often posed as being. Regardless, their value was recognized and their successes were sufficient as to motivate diamyos to encourage their use against one another. After all, warfare is warfare and a smart general utilizes whatever means necessary to accomplish the endgoal, whatever that may be at the time. Anyway, what truly matters is this. If you obtain the element of surprise, and present the more robust of armaments (i.e., a gun to a knife fight, as opposed to a crayon at a gun fight), you will far more likely succeed than someone who walks in ill-prepared and carrying a neon-sign (such as a black ninja suit) that says, "i'm here to kill you." Really, that's all there is to understand.

I use it to hold my pants up. (line borrowed from Jimmy Woo)

It was this line, "The truth is, if a person attacks you with a knife, you will die. None of the traditional martial arts defenses will work against a knife fighter. A knife attack is an assassination, not a fight." posted by daoshi, that pushed me over the edge and motivated me to participate in this thread with that opening line. Comments made by others were much milder, and thus didn't incite my participation. Jerry's posts somewhat intrigued me, which is the wherefore and why of my queries on those issues. And for the full story on "Why White Warlock Writes Long-Winded Posts," you could buy my biography for a mere $24.99 on amazon.com. Or, you can order the entire video collection on DVD for a truly inspiring treatise on "The Wherefores of White Warlock's Witticisms." Yes... i'm kidding.