White Warlock

Another thought: Ages ago, anger helped a person to survive, but also helped them to die. Warriors that thought with their head lived longer than those that thought with their heart. Nowadays, we know that, besides the obvious dangers of constantly expressing your anger by posing it as aggressiveness, there is a physiological detriment. I spent a large part of my early life 'living' off of adrenalin rushes. However, as i grew older, i noticed that the moments of adrenalin actually started causing me physical pain. I researched this and found that being repeatedly subjected to adrenalin does cause physical problems, such as tendonitis and IBS. It can even cause heart problems and substantially increases your chances of having a stroke. This was definitely not something I wanted to hear, especially not after spending the majority of my life living off the rush that I now knew had been eating away at me. I was even more disturbed to find that those in high-risk occupations (you know, those who also 'live' off of adrenalin rushes), on the average, have far shorter 'natural' lives! In the olden days of chivalry and slaughter, such things didn't matter. But now, we have civilization... and we have long life. An essential part of living a long life and staying healthy actually does mean we must remain calm at all times, or as much as reasonably possible. Add to this our need to stay within the good graces of the civilized majority... and really... what other choice is there? Prison?

Bah! You made me read it again! dang subliminal messages... read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again read it again

You can get some great deals from the internet. Ebay sometimes offers a good deal as well (caveat emptor). A chain of stores in the West Coast U.S., called "Play it Again," offers used sports equipment at reasonably reduced prices. Sometimes your instructor can get you some good deals. Also, swapmeets and second-hand stores can sometimes provide a gem or two, but check out the item(s) thoroughly before purchasing, or you may end up with something that is far more detrimental than beneficial. Really, as GMC indicated, it would help to know what type of equipment you are looking for, in addition to 'where' you are located at.

lol, ditto.

Sasori_Te's is a bit more challenging, as i'll end up tossing out more conjecture than fact. There are three basic needs. That of security, sustenance and shelter (SSS). It is these three that set the foundation for survival. Assertiveness determined who received what first, but aggressiveness determined who would hold it in the end and was fueled by one or more of the three basic needs. The wars of old were fought for these reasons, and not anger. Anger was merely a tool. An emotion that served as one means to fuel aggression. Now... conjecture. Eventually, people recognized that grouping together provided a larger chance of survival, and in doing so, civilization began to grow. In order for people to live together, they had to devise a set of rules and responsibilities. A means to ensure those in the same group would not enter into battle with each other. A means to ensure that everyone in the group participated in some manner, to optimize the chances at survival. As time went by, groups became larger, cities emerged, rules were expanded, and specializations developed. Merchants, artisans, farmers, warriors and, eventually, wimps. Oh... umm... politicians. These city-states occasionally clashed with each other, but mostly there was peace.. and lots of babies. I made a joke about it earlier... but there's actually a seed in the comment about politicians. Initially, warriors were the governing body. However, with the removal of combat, came complacency and the eventual breakdown of the warrior code, until those that governed merely donned battle regalia for ceremonies and practiced none of the arts of war. Eventually, due to peace, a new breed of rulers emerged... the politicians. Masters at manipulating the masses, and skilled in court frivolities, such as the arts. The renaissance period was birthed by this, as well as the ancient Greek arts, the Japanese and even the Chinese arts. Mathematics, painting, tea ceremonies, etc. Civilization provided a great change, for good. But, it also brought with it an age of denial. The expression of anger and the behaviors of an aggressive nature became less a requirement and more a hindrance. Such things actually endangered the sanctity of this nicely oiled thing called civilization where thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of people could live safely, comfortably, and well nourished... in a relatively small area of land. But, when populations grew, more city-states developed or the existing states simply grew larger. Less land, insufficient resources... and security becomes an issue once again. Politicians then garnered warriors to protect the sanctity of these drops of civilization... and we have the paradigm of our modern-day societies. To maintain civilization... we must have barbarism to protect it. We must train parts of our society to be barbarians in order to protect the relative security our congregations have created. And, when there are no wars for these barbarians to fight, they must live among us. And when they live among us, there is tension. We praise them for their duty, and despise them for their actions. For we... are civilized.

First i'll address TDA's thoughts. It used to be said that New York was the melting pot of the world, mainly due to all the immigrants coming from Europe. Now, it's both the west and east coasts of the United States, with far more coming in from Central & South America, and from the Asian countries. There is a clash of a thousand cultures in this nation. A nation with adopted indigenous culture and hardly any history to speak of. United States is a nation of divergent philosophies, with vastly different social rights and wrongs. It is this miasma of beliefs and non-beliefs, compounded with a lack of historical or national identity, that presents the United States as being dangerous. We just don't know when we're insulting someone. Most other nations are far more grounded. They have a history or have adopted the regions indigenous history. They have a commonality in race, creed, culture, and/or religion. What do we have in common with our fellow American citizen? The right to vote? The ability to get pizza delivered, along with a bowl of curry? 100 cable channels, with nothing to watch?!? Think only of the martial arts. Where is it that 'diversity' of the arts has most been encouraged? Where is it that Bruce Lee pushed for "using no way as way," or where the Gracies decided to present their style internationally? Where first did you find Chinese sharing with non-Chinese or where you would see 5 or more systems being taught under one roof, before disco went out of style?!? The stringent nature of rules developed due to the hardships encountered in this society during the early stages, when the nation was still a frontier and cultures were beginning to clash. The United States is a young nation. A very young nation, with a very very young 'native' element. And no, i'm not talking the American Indians. The native element in the United States is the American Citizen, whatever that is. Seriously... what is it? If you think of a citizen of China, you think someone who follows communism and is of Asian descent. A nation loaded with historical icons and identity. Same goes for just about every European nation. So... when you think about it, it makes sense. I walk down the road in California, and I meet all types of people. Some who would be offended by me posing the sole of my feet in their direction if i were to sit down, others that would take offense if i stare just a tad too long at them. And yet others that would take that same action as an invitation. What we are dealing with in the United States, i have not experienced in any other country. We have a lack of identity, and too many cultures. All the answers, and not a clue in the world.

With all things, you must approach it with a degree of moderation. You can't jump into it full swing and expect immediate results. Bruce Lee practiced for many years before he reached a state of physical conditioning where he was able to workout like that. My recommendation is, don't try to emulate him. Just try to better yourself. Your body, just like you, needs to rest and heal. If you exercise hard, you need to give your body at least one day a week where it is doing 'nothing' strenuous. You should go to your doctor about this. Whatever input I can provide on this... is just speculation. Considering this, it sounds like tendonitis, probably caused by not taking in sufficient amount of water and exacerbated by your previous diet program. I'm not okay with most diets out there. Most hurt your body more than help, and many of them encourage foolish dehydration systems. Anyway, i have tendonitis right now, in my shoulders, and am undergoing physical therapy. Eventually, they will heal and i'll be back to hurting myself in brand new ways. Stay positive and seek professional advice. Get a physical check-up and have your joints checked out. Welcome.

I think mine was when i moved from San Diego to Sacramento. Took the long way, up highway 101 and through all the coastal cities. It was a very liberating experience.

Good post Michigan. Another route could be that you simply remove any testing deadlines or expectations. I.e., once you are satisfied with the level of skill a student has obtained, you perform your tests in a subtle fashion, through a series of 'subtests' strewn about your regular training day. Then, you contact their parents (assuming they are minors) and have the belt ceremony at the end of the next class meeting. Nobody ever fails, because nobody that would fail would be tested. And if there are those that are 'stuck' at a certain level, tell them what they need to focus on to get better. If it's attitude, it's attitude and you can tell them that. Just some cheese to nibble on.

Not so cut and dry fireka. Greedy non-Indians have been trying to 'obtain' their lands for quite some time and American Indians are still receiving an ample amount of mistreatment. Many non-Indians are attempting to 'pose' as Indians 'just' to take land from them. Many others are attempting to capitalize on the income obtained from Indian casinos. It's not an issue of 'when' or 'them.' It's an issue of 'now' and 'who.' The American Indians are dealing with serious problems now and they have been backstabbed countless times, even by our government. My recommend is this. Instead of trying to treat them as an interesting centerpiece for your fireplace mantle, treat them as human beings. If you approach them as if you want to 'get something' from them, they're going to blow you off... just as I would. Nobody likes to be 'used,' and that's pretty much what you seem to present in these posts. You want to learn about them... but why? Be a friend, not a profiteer. Don't approach and ask questions. Approach and say, "hello."

Well, from what i've gathered, the taboo is that, in the past, 'white man' called them primitive barbarians, took their lands, and treated them like garbage (and in some places, still do), yet now... far too many of these same 'white men' want to chummy up and 'become' them. This "Deerdroppings" Reagan character is just one of many, unfortunately.

Good link, thanks Comet. Quoting just one part of the report that reaffirms my earlier assertions: The whole of the article is worth reading, especially for us studying MA and the psychology of violence.

"best" is always subjective, but if i were to toss out my 'opinion,' it would be aikido. Aikido is one of the softest of the soft, very internal and a full 180 degrees from TKD. I think it will be a great new experience for you.

I wrote a little article for this site regarding just this. Probably sitting in Patrick's pile of articles (hehe). Training is a trust relationship. He took advantage of that. Talk to your instructor to counsel the guy and have him mediate if there are any lingering animosities.

Please remove the two links above. They contain extreme descriptions of a sexual nature. Yes, this guy is a real fraud. No arguments there. I removed the link i posted earlier of his site. Helene E. Hagan, a psychological anthropologist who worked with Native American issues for over a decade, clearly indicates such in her article, "The Plastic Medicine People Circle," reprinted here - http://www.sonomacountyfreepress.com/features/spirg-hagan.html Her closing statements - Also, i decided to look up this guy's claims of rank and honors. Nothing. No indication he ever received any of the medals he claimed to have received during the Vietnam war. In fact, he was dishonorably discharged. His claim of being in the Olympics is without proof. His claim of receiving recognition from WMAHF (first time i ever heard of them btw) is also without proof, as he is not listed in their long line of inductees. The school he supposedly went to where he claims to have received his PhD in Psychology, never existed. I can't find any of the instructors he claims to have studied under (anyone else getting any luck with this?)... and in any case... he's clearly not teaching 'native American' martial arts... but a combination of judo, ju-jutsu, aikido, and karate... maybe (assuming his belts are legitimate, which i truly doubt). The Cherokees passed a resolution condemning this charlatan and other "plastic shamans." They state he is not a Cherokee and never was. Reagan claims to have been raised on a Cherokee reservation, but Cherokees do not have reservations. Many people have claimed to be indians, because it means they are entitled to a piece of land and profits. Everything about this guy indicates he's a profiteer and now that he's making good money with his sex trade, he's comfortably calling all tribal leaders a bunch of, "living cowards." Dismiss this sad case of greed overriding inner peace.

Hmm... maybe your confidence lies within your grappling, and the uncertainty associated with not having 'sensitivity' in striking is eating at you. Have you entered any full-contact competitions and if so, did you fare well?

Hehe, sounds like we switched seats. I was working with AutoCAD during those times, doing architectural gruntwork. Drawing pads used to cost a fortune then. Wow... suddenly i'm missing Pong again.

I've been meaning to study 3D Max. I work with photoshop mainly, but use illustrator as well. On occasion i do a hand-draw (pencil) and scan it in, convert it to vector or leave it in bitmap to do a little rendering and colorization. I do it for work and for play. Painting is an entirely new medium for me and, frankly, i don't know what's going to come out of my head with it. It will be interesting to see. Am definitely interested in seeing what comes out of your head. Link me.

Is there a 'point' to this thread anymore?

Well said DM, and a helluva lot shorter than what i wrote.

Ahh, hehe... here's two more - American Indian Fighting Arts Association ((removed - fraudulant. see later post)) Native American Martial Art of Inikte http://www.inikte.com/ (edited)

To assume it is not shared, is to not look deep enough. Here's an interesting interview on the subject - http://www.9ways.com/taohouse/updates/update.htm There are many videos available on native indian archery and bowhunting techniques. A few are, "Bowhunting Across America," "Mariposa," "On Target for Fun," "One on One Bowhunting," and "Straight to the Point." here's one on the indian fighting techniques (plains indians) - http://www.martial-arts-videos.com/indian-fighting.htm Adrian "Chief" Roman http://www.adrianroman.com/ And here's his association - http://www.adrianroman.com/american_indian_warrior_council.htm An event is scheduled for May 22-23, "Gathering of People" in Barkeyville, Pennsylvania. In addition to many other native American displays, an indian by the name of White Panther will be having a Native American Martial Arts Demo and Display. For more info, or possibly gain direct communication with White Panther, contact: Maryjane Angelo at skyespirit@pathway.net, or phone - 814-786-9677. And here's a few other tidbits - Native American Weapons http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0806133465/ref=pd_sim_books_5/103-2012710-5714202?v=glance&s=books Survival Skills of the North American Indians http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1556523459/ref=pd_sim_books_2/103-2012710-5714202?v=glance&s=books Yes, i did your homework for you.

"eyes Sasori_Te suspiciously."

lol, deserves to be quoted in a sig.

lol freak.