ComicBookGuy

yes, i agree...although i know some of the hardcore old school traditionalists will say that the xtreme forms are no longer martial arts and are more gymnastics, respect is one of the main things in MA...that's what pissed me off about one of my "teachers"...we went to a tournament and he was mocking all the styles that kia loudly (anything louder than a quick shout...i know that currently, a lot of people scream for prolonged time as their kia and that kinda takes away from the original purpose of adding strength, but still)...basically he was dissing all styles other than the quiet wushu stylists...that's what bugged me, after 20-30 some years of training, he still did not grasp the concept of respect...it doesn't matter whether they were silly or not, you learn respect in MA since day one with the bowing and "sirs" and "ma'am" and "sifu" and everything...but yeah the point is, whether you like it or not, you shouldn't be trash talking about the flash and xma...it's okay to have an opinion about it but you should at least respect it as a different form of the art

it's kinda like NASCAR...you guys are trashing the flash aspect of sports martial arts or the XMA...saying how impractical it is...it's like saying that NASCAR is utterly stupid and is trash...it's just something different...NASCAR, you take something basic and practical (driving) and do something a little more with it cuz the drivers love doing it, which is driving really really fast in many circles and stuff...it's like that with XMA...you take something basic and pratical (MA base) and do something a little moer with it cuz the competitors love to do it...

eddy gordo's capoeira from tekken seems good

this is what i was trying to get at...you're most likely never gonna need to harness the power of a sword when you're mugged on the street...and even if by some odd chance you do utilize it, even if you trained doing wrist flips, you're not gonna instinctively do a wrist flip when you're faced with a gun...even though you train to do corkscrews or boxcutters in XMA, you're not gonna bust them to save your hide...just like with a weapon in a real life situation (which probably isn't going to happen in these modern times)...but like i said, i understand the belief to train traditionally with the weapon due to the fact that the MA weapons have histroy and tradition to it...so for that i understand...it just bugs me when you guys keep mentioning the ineffectiveness in combat today...

and i've seen a guy do a butterfly twist and threw a roundhouse out of one of the legs...and landed the kick in sparring! i've seen a guy do a webster (front flip where you land on your back but one of your legs sorta acts like an axe kick) and score with it in sparring! of course, these were the big name XMA people sparring, so they're experienced in such moves...so flash CAN work, tho it almost all cases it probably won't...i'm just saying flash is nice to look at and it's something different...it's not meant to replace the traditional basics...flash isn't meant to fight with..."flash is trash without any basics" -Mike Chat...so flash has SOME place in the MA world...but it's not taking over the techniques you're supposed to use in a real situation...it's just some fun stuff to do...

ok, i understand how it's view as a lack of respect for the history of the weapon and such, and i know this thread was probably created due to my thread on kamas, but...no offense, but what's with you guys and how practical is it to use, say a sai, sword, or kama, in battle? i mean, you guys keep saying that all the flash isn't gonna help you win a fight...no doubt there, it's just like XMA, you're not gonna do a snapuswipe in a fight...but really guys, how many of you carry around your sais or swords or kamas when you walk the streets, when you're most likely to get into a fight...you're NOT going to be using your weapons in reality! so that aspect of how practical flash is out of here...however, i do understand that learning a weapon purely for flash is kinda tossing out the history and tradition of the weapon, so for that i will agree with you

do you guys have any links to videos of traditional forms or katas with kamas? cuz i'm quite familiar with how the xtreme forms with kamas look like, but i'm curious as to the more traditional forms... and frakis, yes, that's exactly what i was getting at...since i don't know how to properly use kamas yet, i was wondering if there were any free sources online to do similar spins and manipulations such as with pipes or sticks, which was what i was planning on doing until i get proper training

how often ARE you gonna have a pair of kamas handy when you're being mugged? and not just competition kamas, but sharpened kamas? okay, i understand that even non sharpened competition kamas can do at least some damage with some speed, but really, are you going to be using a real kama as a real weapon? most people use kamas for interest or whatever

ahh...i hadn't checked out the sites you listed yet...didn't know they dealt with some finger manipulation...in that case, cool, thanks...and like i said, yeah i want to learn the real technique and tradition or history or all that by getting a real instructor, i just want something now to mess around with random sticks or whatever i find on the ground or pens, or something just to pass time...i don't even own kamas yet, i'm not gonna buy my own pair until i get formal training and decide to stick with it...i was just curious...so anyways, thanks for the info guys and i shall heed your warnings!

hahah no, not like baton twirling...watch some of the latest "xtreme" or whatever forms using kamas...they just spin/twirl it fast between their fingers in their hands...i was just wondering if there's anything on that...similar to spinning a pen between the fingers when someone's bored...just with a blade attached to one end haha...but yeah, i intend to find an instructor soon, i just wanted to have something to do when i sit at my desk...to just mess around and spin a pvc pipe or something to get my fingers used to the flashy maneuvers...and i'm not talking about releases...just the fun looking spins and stuff

okay, i understand that it's better to learn how to use weapons from an actual instructor rather than videos, books, or other such things...but i currently don't have time to find another school where i can be taught the kamas, but i was just wondering if there are any online tutorials/sources on the sport/XMA aspect of twirling/spinning kamas...heck if it bugs you that i'm not learning kamas from an instructor, just pretend that i'm looking for techniques on spinning pens/pencils in my hands...i do fully intend to find a real instructor, only a little later when i have some free time