White Warlock

I must admit that i understand most everyone's positions and arguments (well, except for Michigan... but i like having reasons to pester him). As a small business & marketing consultant, i have loads of information to provide that will help to ensure 'quality' stays high, while expenses are managed. I agree wholeheartedly that many hard-road martial artists dread being labeled as McDojoists, but I am also aware that there are many very successful martial arts franchises that are widely respected (Gracie JJ, Machado BJJ, Tomiko Aikido, etc etc). I agree that some of the ideas posed on your website may be helpful, but i will also agree that there is much there that kinda rubs me the wrong way. Sort of like, "here are some tricks i use to pull in business." When i have a little more time, i'll introduce an article to this forum on marketing & small business management as it applies to 'quality assurance' and the 'martial arts.' Koreauechi, we could talk more about it then. I'm just not sure i wish to contribute in a piecemeal fashion at this time... anymore than you would like to instruct someone in your system by educating them on only one or two subroutines. However, and i want to make this very clear... i do like the foundation to the idea you pose. I would absolutely love to assist hardroad martial artists in becoming successful with running and maintaining their schools... for they are the ones that truly offer something to the community as a whole. I.e., give in trust to those who have given in trust.

hehe. i'll have to agree with wolvie here. The gentleman is providing this information for free.

Many of them were, as well as most of the writings. The viagra ad, along with the picture of a woman, naked but for the gi top, as well as the one posed nude, made it rather clear the sexist mentality. Didn't help to find writings of mixed nature in 'women of wushidao' that ran through a variety of discussions on women, sexuality, and the inference of the woman's 'place' being in the kitchen. Anyway... i looked at your site daoshi 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.

No, that would be a franchise.

No, judo and bjj are not the only options. If you fight your fight, rather than their fight, you wouldn't be having these difficulties. As to wrist locks, yes they will work against a trained fighter, you just have to know how and when to apply them. As to tightening of the wrist, this is an exploitable defense, but even then... if you gave them the time to tighten their wrist before you completed your action, you weren't quick enough and likely didn't distract/disrupt them before committing to the lock.

umm... Chinese characters?

For me, money was 'sometimes' a problem. But, what was more a problem was schools closing down and my constant moving (lots of Americans move often). I found books/videos to be very helpful in maintaining my studies during my transitions from one school to the next and for those times when i was out due to injury. As a standalone, hell no. Good stuff... but disconnected from the reality of application.

No, this is the true test of stupidity. Excuse me, but where do you get off giving advice like this to minors? Think please... think.

You do not know this... you are only hoping. It is not at all wise to make snap judgements or to run on statistics. Each and every situation is different, for the 'human element' is involved. You must learn to gauge each and every situation based on the merits of the circumstances and the information available. The quicker you can enter into the minds of your assailants, the sooner you'll come to the answers that may save your life. I just read part of this thread and Shorinryu Sensei's post has prompted me to bring up a 'real life' incident that occured in 1990: I was working the night shift at an AM/PM in Sacramento (recently moved there and needed to show employment in order to get an apartment. That's my excuse, and i'm sticking with it). I had a security guard there that night. A nice enough guy, but clearly not someone who would make much of a difference, were an incident to occur. Two customers came in, walked around, talked to the security guard, bought a candy bar and left. Their actions, i thought, were suspicious... but i was busy and had other things to think about. Besides, they left. Because of the circumstances (a security guard, my being busy, these guys having left the store, etc), my personal guard was down. Setting established, now the story. One guy returned and immediately headed straight for the security guard. He yelled at the security guard, struck him with what appeared to be the barrel of a gun and grappled him down and onto a soda can display, then stood over him threatening to kill him. As his partner entered the store, I immediately yelled at the security guard to stop (he was pathetically attempting to get back up... twisting on the sodas while the assailant stood over him with the weapon ready to strike again) and then told the assailant that we would cooperate. His partner went to the counter and demanded the money from the register. I cooperated and once again reminded the assailant to stay calm, as well as reminded the security guard. I then opened the register, reached in and pulled the cash tray out with one hand while pushing on the alarm button with the other. The store's camera was rudely angled to watch the cashier's actions, rather than the customers. Having helped replace and review the tapes in the past, i was aware of this... so i intentionally caused the assailant's partner to reach over (thus getting him on camera) and also had him grab the cash tray from the 'metal' back panel (fingerprints). I once again reminded both the assailant and the security guard to remain calm. I did this primarily to let the assailant see what i did next. I offered to the criminal the second tray hidden under the counter (I already knew that they knew it was there, as i had noticed this particular thief eyeing it the last time they were in. I knew he was going to demand that one next, so i just beat him to it, thus gaining a degree of trust so things wouldn't escalate further). Of course he said yes, so i grabbed it, along with a collection of wrapped coins, and handed it to him... again getting his fingerprints on yet another metal backing as i had him reach for it. That was it, and the assailant's partner ran out the door. I noted his height. The assailant yelled once more at the security guard and then yelled at me to get down. At that point I noticed that the weapon he had in his hand was NOT a gun. It was some sort of short metal rod (i later found out it was a gas nozzle that they had tore off one of the gas tanks). Suddenly i was enraged, but not quick to switch to combat mode. Instead, I stared at the guy in anger. As he started heading to the door he yelled at me once again to get down. I didn't, so he threw the weapon at me, which i easily avoided... and proceeded to stare at him (I suppose, subconsciously, i was hoping he would try and jump over the counter at me). He hesitated, then thought better of it... and ran out. I noted his height. I again directed the security guard to stay down and not exit the building. I then called 911 and they reported to me that they were already 'surrounding' the area and doing a lockdown (or some such police drivel). I requested an ambulance as well and then provided a description of the two thieves and their attire. I then noted where the weapon had landed (grumbled a bit when i noticed it was a gas nozzle... but smiled when i realized the assailant's fingerprints were likely all over it) and grabbed a clean cloth. I then applied first aid to the security guard, who was unsuccessfully attempting to get up (partly because he was groggy from his injury and secondarily because he was falling all over the soda cans that had opened up and spewed all over the place... i was going to hate cleaning up that mess). The police came, i repeated my information to them, as well as informed them that the 'wrapped' coins they stole had a name and phone number written on them of a kid that frequents the store (i had traded bills for the wrapped coins earlier that night). They were caught within the hour and, after the jury had heared the testimony, they were prosecuted. An interesting memory of all this was that the defense attorney was a practitioner of the arts as well. I can't recall what type, but we chatted for a bit and he had invited me to visit them at some park they practiced at. I never did go to that park.Okay... so what was all this for? While it could be perceived as a chance for me to brag about how well i reacted under the circumstances, that is not the motive (to be honest, for quite some time i was annoyed at myself for not realizing it wasn't a pistol). Basically, when you are in a situation... and you are a seasoned martial artist (yes, i'm calling myself a seasoned fighter... bah!... friggin' ego...), your mind works very fast. You find yourself analyzing the situation and deciding the best course of action. If you are a natural leader (bah! here i go again with the friggin' ego...), you'll direct others on their best course of action. And, while the decisions you make may not be the best ones... they were the best you could do under the circumstances... and you must accept that. In a confrontation, your mind will take in information from a thousand angles. Your training will help you to filter through that information and learn what to work with, and what to toss out. It will help you to recognize the possible outcomes of a confrontation and 'hopefully' guide you to make the right decision... in saving your life and the lives of others. Thank you for listening to yet another one of my life stories. Eventually i'll run out, or you'll tire of hearing them.

Well daoshi, that doesn't sound like a system... as much as it sounds like a club. A sort of support group for mixed martial artists. Maybe i'm missing something...

Let me jump in for a second. I had an acquaintance that was stabbed 49 times (he was a fellow cab driver, San Diego, 1988... check microfiche in the Union Tribune, case you think i'm full of crap). He survived. My father was assaulted with a knife and survived, no training (other than boxing 40 years earlier). I was assaulted with a knife twice, minor cut on my hand once. Let's not push out all this scare tactics on knives. Knives are deadly if they hit a vital organ or succeed in cutting a main artery. Other than that, they are not that deadly. An untrained person could be shown, in 15 minutes, how to use a weapon, and even given some basic ideas on where to hit... but we all know that 15 minutes does not make a combatant (as i was recently reminded). Even less one that applies what they've learned in 15 minutes to a situation they must react to three years later, at the height of their adrenalin rush, while being accosted... or while accosting another. I have not seen the tactics or techniques you are inferring here. I learned to keep my knife out of contact range, until given the opportunity to make a defining strike. My training, and what i've found to be most successful during practice, is to have my knife in my rear hand and to strike at any limb that grabs (or thrusts) or at any vital organ/target that i am able to expose. The three thoughts you present above don't hit me right. In the posing of the knife between you and the opponent, i see that as a good way to cut down on your 'reaction time,' thus giving your opponent a slight advantage. As to the knife in motion... I would say it would largely depend on the 'type' of motion. I would also have to say that it would be far more important to keep 'you' in motion, than it would be the knife. On the part about the knife shielding you, as opposed to shielding the knife, I agree that there is no need to shield the knife but, exactly how effective do you think a knife is in shielding you and is this not encouraging a defensive posture?

no prob. The 'Kensai,' Shinmen Musashi No Kami Fujiwara No Genshin (aka: Miyamoto Musashi), arguably the greatest samurai in history, wrote the book, "Go Rin No Sho" which translates to mean, "A Book of Five Rings." It is required reading in kendo schools and most military academies, as well as recommended reading for business majors. "A Book of Five Rings" is not merely a thesis on strategy, it is in Musashi's words "a guide for those who want to learn strategy." More info here - http://www.samurai.com/5rings/transintro/life.html Here is a copy of his book online - http://www.samurai.com/5rings/ Patrick also presents a good list of books to purchase online, one of them being "The Book of Five Rings" - http://www.karateforums.com/books.php

Yes, there is a difference. A lot of older threads here cover it.

Well, it would be nice if the United Nations enacted a resolution stating that, "belts are the devil," but we know how well that would fare... Toss it in with the thousand or so other U.N. resolutions that are ignored, until the U.S. finds one of them... useful...

How about if we don't go on belief, and instead we go into explanations? I do know that there are instructors who can instruct adults, but cannot instruct children... and vice versa. I would assume that the inference of a 'good kids program' is towards the idea that a school has a well-rounded program for children... but that's rather silly, since what truly matters is the instructor. You can't just toss someone in front of a bunch of kids, tell them to follow some sort of program, and expect them to manage the kids appropriately. I can instruct both children and adults, but i prefer adults. Children, on the average, need more affirmation than adults, which is something i'm presently working on (giving affirmation). I agree with Sasori, that if a child isn't enjoying the instruction, he's not ready... and he may never be. Oftentimes parents like to thrust children into martial art programs, thinking this will help a child develop... but... children have to have reached a certain degree of development 'before' they are instituted into a martial arts program. I think it is important for parents to give children the opportunity to learn and grow, and i think it is important for them to encourage a child to 'continue' on a study course despite some setbacks. Indeed, a parent's involvement in their child's development is a great thing, as long as this development is for the child that will eventually grow up to be an adult, and not surreptitiously for the parent that is already an adult. Which is where the problem truly lies. Many parents associate their 'self-esteem' to the success or accomplishments of their children. And while this may seem good at the early stages of a child's development, it eventually backfires. Judgement could go out the window in these cases. A child could be instituted into a school that throws out belts like confetti at a carnival. He could be pushed against his will to perform things that go against his already-developing philosophies. A child could be brought along to be shown off, as a trophy, rather than recognized as an individual... thereby undermining the entire study process. "Look at what he can do" rather than, "look at who he is." These things, encouraged by a parent with the wrong mindset, could twist and undermine even a 'good kids program,' whatever the hell that is. So, in the end, a good instructor doesn't just teach a child, he gauges and instructs the parents in the development of their child. Martial arts is not merely the development of physical skills, nor is it merely something beneficial for the student. Properly instructed martial arts is presented as an 'extension' art. Something that reaches beyond the dojo, into everyday life. Okay, enough of that.

sano, natural, wado-lee... umm... no. there are no clips of Miyamoto Musashi at work. He lived and died before even cameras were developed, let alone film.

http://www.scoi.com/aclrecon.htm I suspect that may be one of the problems i am having with my knee at the moment.

I disagree, on principle. Training should 'be' the fun. Putting in opportunities for horseplay encourages inappropriate actions inclass that will eventually lead to injuries. Education doesn't have to be boring, nor should it be. Those that continue their education in one field or another, usually find themselves intrigued by that particular field of study... thus the encouragement. It is important to present the arts in a palatable fashion, regardless of student age.

Pain is a relative thing. All my relatives are a pain. I do agree that exposure is the best cure. You build a higher tolerance and a series of 'reactions' or 'non-reactions' to pain and impact if you encounter it regularly. Some tips: 1. Go with the impact - Learn to perform small circles when hit (the smaller the better). A sort parry on contact, redirecting the energy of the blow away and outside your center (think 'swivel'). If they aren't attempting to penetrate your center, all the better. Just as you would 'go along' with a joint lock effort, in order to reverse it, you would go along with an impact in order to reverse or minimize the effects. 2. Go with your body's reaction to an impact - Sometimes you have an 'internal' response to an impact. When this happens, learn to 'go along' with the way your body reacts. In fact, even encourage it. Example - when impacted in the solar plexus, the immediate response is to attempt to 'inhale.' Of course, this won't work out too well if a good hit was made, as your diaphragm contracts on impact, forcing your air out of your lungs and preventing you from pulling air in. Instead (and here's one of my personal little magic tricks), learn to push all your air out of your lungs. Intentionally 'further' contract your diaphram. Pull it out of the contractive spasm by 'encouraging' the contraction beyond its initial state, thereby releasing it from the spasm. Sort of like the way you would unnotch a bowstring from a bow. You'll recover from the impact almost immediately and, in most cases, significantly dishearten an unseasoned fighter. 3. Don't insist on a gameplan - If strikes throw off your intended gameplan, switch. Someone punches you in the face hard enough to cause you to lean back, turn your imbalance into a lifting front kick. If struck on the left side, switch to a right roundhouse. All performed naturally and along the paths of energy created by both their actions/reactions, and your actions/reactions. In short, don't miss a beat.

If they look like you, be concerned. If not, smile politely, lick your finger, and gently insert it in their ear. Yeah, sounds like a call for attention, as well as an attempt to 'bond.' Seems like he has a little insecurity issue, associating his self-esteem with his father's abilities. An inward-projection of competence, if you will. On the other hand, he may have tried distracting you while an accomplice plotted to gently insert his finger in your ear.

Agree with AndrewGreen. "belts are the devil!"

Whoa! Is that you in the tutu?!? (( yes, another slow day at work ))

Yeah, it's really not 'more strength.' It's the process of lifting weights that raises the pain threshold, by direct exposure to 'pain.' When i was in my teens, my little sister (11 years my younger) used to kick me in the... lower extremities... all the friggin' time (annoying wench). Eventually i found that it didn't bother me that much. I wouldn't roll up and fall to the floor. My legs would still wobble, but i would grimace, adjust, and move on. Now, obviously i don't recommend people stand together and kick each other to reach high octaves... but there is something to being periodically exposed to excruciating pain that eventually numbs you to procreating... err... umm... pain as a whole.

Bah! Friggin' ranks... *grumbles* I agree that, if ranks are going to be part of the system, then tests shouldn't be part of the process. As far as the butterfly effect when testing, this is far different than an actual encounter and requires you to conquer different biochemical effects. Besides, those same effects could be experienced by going on stage, or speaking in public. Not necessarily a 'prerequisite' for obtaining a belt. Another thing. Me? I am turned off by belt testings, for some of the reasons brought up here. People focusing on just the techniques or actions necessary to obtain the 'next' belt in hierarchical process as well as the students that get 'stuck' at a certain stage, simply because they have difficulties with one particiular aspect of a system. I'm more inclined to having something which provides competence ratings, as badges, for each area of study, such as for kicks, throws, strikes, psychology of conflict, etc (clearly dependent on the system). This allows other students a better idea on who they need to approach to obtain a greater understanding on a particular area of the system. It also would encourage people to make themselves a bit more 'balanced.' Similar to rifle/grenade competency badges obtained in the military. Tutors, assistant instructors, and instructors could be defined by how many badges they have and their degree of competence on those areas. Just a thought...

Hehe, i don't believe i have even one picture of me training, wearing a gi, or standing next to any of my previous instructors. I think i'll look into this.