White Warlock

A simple analogy would be to compare a gunfighter's fast-draw with that of a sharpshooter. Both are needed in a gunfight, unless the guns are already drawn. (Actually the analogy was made in reverse, by producers in old Hollywood, by 'stealing' Kurosawa samurai movies and making them into westerns. Ah well.)

You guys ready for Shotokan jujutsu?

balut - Filippino delicacy. An egg, with a half-grown chick inside, buried in the dirt for months, for the egg (and the chick within) to rot and harden. Egg is removed from the dirt and served. You peel off the shell, and eat... soft-crunchy rotten chick and rotten egg, rigid as if hard-boiled. Actually, it didn't taste bad. But maaan... the smell i left behind in the bathroom... definitely had my stomach enzymes working overtime to build up that much stench.

When you are watching opponents that are similarly matched, their skills being in different areas, but their aptitude being comparable, things... oddly enough, start looking more like a free-for-all, rather than a combat of two skilled opponents. However, if you are skilled, and your opponent is not (or not nearly in your league), the situation looks far more one-sided and you 'do' end up seeing something resembling martial arts prowess. It's not that things go out the window when fights get tighter. It's that things get tighter when fights get tighter. It's the fancy that goes out the window.

Upper westside. Well, I live in Chula Vista. My office is off Miramar Road.

Umm... they don't? Money works though. You could open up a chain of McDojos, then walk around with martial arts jewelry hanging all about your person. Or, you could become a martial arts movie star and become a celebrity that has to hire a buttload of bodyguards to protect you while you visit the urinal. Or...

Simple. Because physical limitation is a far different animal than immaturity. The 'effect' of receiving a belt is mental, not physical. Someone obtaining a black belt is told they 'know' the basics. The basics of their art, but also the basics of understanding the responsibility associated with their skills, and with the receipt of a black belt. Receipt of a black belt is often the indication the practitioner is ready to guide others along a similar path, which goes back to 'being an example.' Also, an immature black belt can create some serious 'embarrassments' for a school, while a physically limited, yet mature, person will not. Belt ranks are a pariah in the martial arts community, but seeing as they exist.. and seeing the problems associated with them, there is a need for responsible deliverance. They speak volumes to the initiated, as well as the uninitiated.

That, and regular beatings helps. (( yeah yeah, i'm in an ornery mood ))

Hehe. It became an art in and of itself 'because' of the peace that became of Japanese life. It is practiced as one of the 'historical' arts. I understand masters of iaido in Japan, that run a school, are financially (yet minimally) supported by the government as a means to keep tradition alive. Masters of the tea ceremony, ancient pottery, origami, geisha, and many others are likewise financially supported. Okay, that was just trivia. Anyway... it has its uses, assuming you can adapt it to body or stick, rather than sword.

Gee, and here i thought it was the amount of stars an adversary would see dancing around his head.

Here is my take on some of the arguments posed. First off, being an excellent practitioner does not necessarily make a good instructor. Second, I don't care how good an instructor you are, online courses simply cannot offer the indepth training required to provide the 'touch' of real-life training. A dancer can make all the right moves, and can even 'look' like they're performing their techniques with skill and power, but the mix is in the pudding and an instructor has to 'be there' to make the necessary changes. Let's put it this way. You and 20 other students spend 10 hours a week in training, with the instructor guiding, directing, and hands-on intervening. He corrects one person, and everyone in the class learns. He corrects you, and you definitely learn. Now... imagine 20 or so students, each sending in 10 hours of video tape a week... for an instructor to review. That's 200 hours of video tape to critique, every week.... for just 20 students. Let's see... 24 hours per day, 7 days a week... and we're talking... ... ... hmm... 168 hours in a week. Right... Even the best martial artist can be corrupted by the almighty dollar.

Hehe. Yeppers. Judo, wrestling, BJJ and boxing are very high intensity. I gather it is due to their classification as sport systems and the need to build endurance for prolonged bouts.

What a gentleman you are DM.

lol, no i understood what you meant. I just decided to go off on a slight tangent and talk about ranges. Reexamining my post, i can easily see how it would have looked like i was out in left field.

Agreed Sasori_Te, but I would take it up with the instructor... first. Request the student be counseled, or expelled. Resorting to threats on his life, as Natural had indicated this man did, is wholly uncalled for. Then again, the 47 year old is a student as well. Can't expect students to measure up to standards that even full instructors often fail to meet.

Hehe, a long time ago, as a joke, a friend of mine gave me a 'beginner's guide to karate,' by Villari. I agree that he runs McDojos and i've truly never been impressed with his mindset. But, whatever... As to videos, if you already have a firm grasp of a system, getting the videos is a great addition. As a 'stand-alone' means to learn a system, no. As a means to get an 'awareness' of techniques and applications applied in other systems, yes. Being 'aware' of what can come at you from practitioners of different systems is important, as surprise is one thing you really do want to take out of the equation. Videos offer you insight. They clearly cannot teach you 'how to,' but they can help you to develop counters, based on your own system.

Hmm... seems the need for social interaction is what pulled you 'out' of the martial arts, not the other way around.

After reading more of this thread, i wanted to jump in a bit. Amp is correct, in that competitions all have rules. Even the so-called 'no-holds barred' competitions. Tearing out of the groin and eye gouges are but two common exempted targets. There's also breaking or tearing off of fingers, digging your fingers under the clavicle and... pulling, ripping off an ear, hooking of the mouth or nose, pulling of hair, etc etc etc. There are a multitude of easy targets available for the desperate man (or woman). And, don't forget, there's household and outdoor items... such as dishes, chairs, keyboards, sand, throwing water or oil on the ground, etc. Things unexpected that can fundamentally change the outcome of a conflict. Essentially, there are various ranges in fighting, with grappling being ground zero. Forward momentum brings you comfortably towards ground zero, therefore it is essential that you have a firm grasp of groundfighting or you are going to find yourself 'backing up' and losing focus (your opponent in front of you, and you travel area behind you... just not a good way to go when on the streets). But, understanding and having competence in all the other ranges is also essential. For, if you don't know a range, you are susceptible to injury when attempting to pass-through that range. By range i mean that groundfighting is zero, half-arm (elbows/knees/headbutts) is range 1, full-arm (most punches) is range 2, full-leg (most kicks) is range 3, reach-leg (just outside of standard kicks) is range 4, and talk-zone (far enough away to mediate) is range 5. Different systems focus on different ranges and if you must travel through their range of control, to get to your range of control, you are susceptible to injury and outright defeat. It's important to be grounded in all ranges in order that you may enter your range of control, or at least exit their range of control, without significant risk.

hooboy...

Gus, on a personal level, i find the most effective means to work on balance, is to bring down my center of balance. When i practice 'alone,' i focus on very low stances and on walking around in circles like a friggin' waddling duck. It helps me to stay grounded and helps me to remember not to stay on my toes 'too much.' In competition, staying on your toes is excellent, but it is not necessarily the same for real confrontations, where being grounded is far more important. The reason staying on your toes in competition is important is primarily due to the fact that you are 'exchanging' strikes, as opposed to simply 'taking care of business' and attempting to finish off your adversary in the most efficient and brutal fashion. Essentially, you are dancing with your opponent. However, practicing 'too much' for competition can turn you into a ballerina. I.e., you become far more a dancer than a fighter, and your strikes suffer because of it. Your power comes from the ground up, not from mid-air. 'Too much' competition practice causes you to spend 'too much' time being airborne. Ali said it best when he said, 'fly like butterfly, and sting like a bee.' Essentially you need to be airborne, then grounded at the point of impact. The means to do this is to learn to 'switch' from standing on your toes, down to a low-stance (horse stance or otherwise) when striking and then back up onto your toes at the speed of light.

Agreed Tal. Judo throws are clean and crisp, and studying judo can truly refine some very useful takedown skills, but... judo is sport-oriented, and therefore does not include examination into defense against striking. In judo, if a throw is blocked, he simply switches up or reverts to ready position. However, in real encounters, being blocked is soon followed by a few elbows to the back of the head, or possibly a snapkick to the shin/knee. Maybe even a footstomp or ear wrench. Combat jujutsu is the unrefined base for which Kano jujutsu (judo) was created. Also, you have to realize that judo is based on only one type of combat jujutsu. There are actually a variety of different jujutsu styles, just as there are a variety of karate styles. Although similar, each has their 'focus,' their strengths and their weaknesses. Anyway, combat jujutsu implements strikes, kicks, and other means of hurting your opponent other than merely throwing and grappling. To presume the entirety of jujutsu is groundwork is to end up getting a beatdown.

People lie (and justify) to themselves and others about their vices every day. Nothing new.

No, Tommarker is correct. The amount of 'ceremony' associated with iaido is not for the weak of heart and most 'non-Japanese' are simply not interested in spending the majority of their time prepping to perform just one or two cuts in a day. It seriously is far more a study into tradition and ceremony than it is a study into an esoteric application of the blade.

Shall we start a revolution?

My job is done.