AngelaG

My ex boyfriend used to do Shotokan (years before I started). He was sparring once and went to do a mawashi geri as the guy opposite also did a mawashi geri - the other guy kicked him fair and square in the happysacks. Poor guy couldn't walk straight for 3 days. I nearly had a really embarrassing experience once, when I was changing into my gi trousers and got my toes caught in the crotch, I fell over and my head justmissed the concrete corner jutting out from the showers. I still have visions of my sensei coming up to check on me with my gi trousers around my ankles as I lie unconscious Luckily I managed to twist at the last minute, so got off with a slightly bruised wrist.

Ah the old five point palm exploding heart technique. Yeah we learnt this on day one. Unfortunately I got attacked one night by two guys and I managed to get the technique off on both guys - the first one immediately sat down and refused to move - he is still there to that day, in that very same spot, leading a relatively normal and happy life. The second one just started hopping toward me; damned technique doesn't work against hopping (!) - hopped over to me and whooped my *!

HAHA Tell that to the Brits It ain't weird to drink tea!!

Except for when you are sucker punched from behind...

The problem is that if a relatively strong person gets a hit in to your head it probably won't matter how conditioned you are - they are most likely going to win the fight!

That's more like it!! Much more in MY price range Of course if you wanna come down to the English Riviera I would be more than willing to give you a guided tour of the pubs... I mean sights!

Were you a kid, or just an iddle build??

We have two different styles of fighting: The point style sparring as per normal - which is semi-contact and because of all the rules etc. is useless for learning SD (Kicking above the belt, closed fists, straight punches, full extention etc.) Then we do oyo fighting, which is open - the only difference is that one attacks and one defends. (A bit like real life really) If you get caught by one of those haymakers or jabs you will know about it!! Angela

You'll pick them up as you go along - no one expects beginners to be word perfect. Try my glossary Here

I disagree, we also deal with situations, in a pressure test like environment. The attacker comes in with an attack and we have to deal with it in whatever way we see fit - if the attacker is not deemed to be incapacitated they carry on attacking. There are no set rules like in sparring situations - you could indicate eye gouges, bites, spitting, groin grabs etc. you indicatae it, but cannot actually do it. If you could, your dojo would be full of blind people with busted kneecaps...if that's not the case, then you are pulling punches - not very close to reality, right? At least in full contact, i am really hitting you hard. We indicate stuff like that - who said we pull our punches?

Quick tip #1: Try not to sound like you are preaching, it will just alienate the reader.

I disagree, we also deal with situations, in a pressure test like environment. The attacker comes in with an attack and we have to deal with it in whatever way we see fit - if the attacker is not deemed to be incapacitated they carry on attacking. There are no set rules like in sparring situations - you could indicate eye gouges, bites, spitting, groin grabs etc. I have also done a bit of training with 2 on 1 stuff - now THAT'S worrying stuff!

With all the will in the world contact sparring is still nothing like a real street fight.

Bit of a boring premonition though I once dreamt that I lived in the huge stately home. A few years later we went on a school trip to a place that looked exactly the same and I could even show my mates where everything was. That was odd. I've also had a couple of premonition dreams about big disasters - but I choose to think these are just coincidence. Angela

It's only targeted at the bridge of the nose if you chose to decipher the bunkai that way - the way I do it it is actually targeted at the back of the head (GB20 for anyone into PPs)

I don't know - he probably learnt a valuable lesson - such as not going back to that psychopath's dojo!

Get a trampette, I would have thought this would work the right muscles in your legs.

Sugar-free chewing gum is good for your teeth, because it releases spittle which has natural antibodies in it to kill all the bugs. However because of the sweeteners if you have too much it can also give you diarrhoea - neither of which is heart disease.

Men have a instinctive "flinch" reflex if you go for their genitals. This is why it is sometimes better to go for the inner thigh in a fight situation, as they tend to not protect this quite so well. As for the one with the brother that doesn't mind getting kicked in the family jewels - my suggestion would be that he is careful, just because he does not have crippling pain does not mean that he is not screwing up any future child making potential. I would also suggest that maybe he was lucky enough to deflect the blow - a kick to the man's nether regions can be crippling, and in certain cases (especially rising kicks) fatal!!

I think there can be a problem that if you never get hit and then in a street fight you suddenly do get hit that you will freeze up with the shock and unfamiliarity of the situation. However it is fine to learn to take a knock in the dojo, in a street fight you need to try and avoid all contact, because as vertigo stated, if they hit you first there is no telling whether you will be in a state to actually carry on defeding yourself. In the course of training there will be inevitably be times when you catch a knock or two, hopefully these will help to desensitise the shock of contact - but IMO to constantly train to take a hit to give one back is foolhardy and dangerous. Do we really want to put such a risky strategy into our muscle memory?

White Orange Red Yellow Green Purple Purple w/ stripe Brown Brown w/ Stripe Brown w/ 2 Stripe Black

DO NOT GET HIT, is our first ever major principle. I personally think it's a great principle

If it is 0 degrees celcius today, and it will be twice as cold tomorrow, what temperature will it be ???

Not me. I know the answers to EVERYTHING! (I jest, you know?)

Did you know that there is an energetic reason for this? It completes the circle of energy meaning that the other person will find it nigh on impossible to squidge your hand with their handshake, it also works if you reach across and grab them just above their elbow as you shake hands! Angela