Kaminari

The nunchaku are fun, but not very practical, as I'm not likely going to be carrying mine or find any common item that can be used as nunchaku. Otherwise, I'd have to say escrima or iron whip ( ).

Just was wondering if anyone knew anything about Zui Ba Xian Quan or other Drunken styles, and possibly had any good websites/books, etc. to take a look at. Thanks!

Kaminari is Japanese for "thunder." Thought it was cool.

Related to several famous people, such as Zachary Taylor, 13th Pres. of the U.S., and Mary Queen of Scots, and my great grandfather worked on movies and such, like The Ten Commandments (did stuff like props). Anyone remember the origional Power Rangers show? I trained under the guy who played the white ranger for a year or so. I also know Michael Keaton's stunt double.

Sauzinn said, "If you want depth then I would suggest finding a teacher that knows kata as there is no better way to explore the depth in martial arts then by intimately knowing kata." It does take a long time to master any kind of style, but katas do take a long time and a lot of practice to master. I also believe (as Kumite988 mentioned) that Shito-Ryu does have the highest number of katas of the Karate styles, so that might be what you're looking for, although one style that works for one person might not be for you. I am also a Christian. I look at it this way: It is not out of worship, but out of respect. Bowing (in places like China and Japan) is like a sign of appreciation, both for the person you're bowing to (let's use the teacher as an example) and appreciation for their higher level of knowledge and skill, and respect for what they are teaching you.

As far as I know (for my area), as long as you only do enough to stop the attack, you're supposedly safe from the law. However, if you do anything else (say, hitting the person repeatedly to prevent him from getting to you again), you can be charged with assault, or something to that effect. Also, in my state at least, if a BB of a MA strikes another person they can be charged with assault with a deadly weapon (or so I hear).

Yes, too many dojos nowadays are more sport oriented, and then when a street situation comes up they're unprepared. They learn to pull their kicks, punches, do the fancy stuff that'll score you points, but in a self-defense situation no amount of points is gonna help you. It's disconcerting, really, how many schools only train for sports now.

Hmmmm.... Yeah, does sound a little like that, doesn't it? I don't agree with some of the things said, but other things, I agree with, like this: "Don't be fooled for an instant because someone's style sounds old, or they come from China, or they claim to have brothers in the Shaolin Temple. There's a war of extinction going on here aided by people who don't really believe that martial arts matters any more and we have to get the kid's attention at any cost, who specialize in bringing the service to the public regardless of the concessions, or that the hope of the future lies in the Olympics, or sports, or impressing people at parties. " It did jump around, though. I've never heard of this style before. Hmmm......

It also depends on what kind of self-defense you prefer. Do you like in-close fighting? Ground? Grappling? Weapons? I'd say pick a select few that you're really interested in, check out the dojos in your area, maybe take a few free classes or watch classes, and pick which one interests you the most.

When did basketball become a martial art?

Will do.

TKD is mainly kicking, but also has things like joint locks, other hand strikes/techniques, etc. Karate is less kicking, more hands, and Shotokan (from what I know, I didn't study Shotokan) is more linear, and has rigid/hard movements, as Shane said. Kung Fu is more circular, and with animal styles you'll vary more the hand techniques (example, snake and tiger, crane, don't mainly utilize a closed fist, rather knifehand (snake), the tiger's claw (tiger), crane wing/beak, etc.) If someone who actually does the 5 animal styles Kung Fu wants to correct me, by all means, do so. Go to the dojos, watch a class, or, if possible, take a free class. See which one really catches your interest.

I'd say this: go ahead and defend your friend, but only attack until you both have an opening to get away. Also, be prepared for the consequences that come with it, like DLopez pointed out.

For self-defense, a good, healthy hobby, a great outlet, etc. I took a free class to see how it was, and loved it.

Ba Gua Baiji Quan

Bruce Lee died on a movie set. He was shot. The gun was supposed to have blanks, but obviously it didn't. That story sounds ridiculous, a scam, as others have pointed out. Smr put it quite nicely.

I like both as well, but for practicing strike placement and things like that, the bob's good, while the other I like using for improving power/speed in my kicks/punches.

I like the blandness in tofu as well, but I rarely am able to get it. Eggs, milk, meat, cheese, peanuts/peanut butter (the natural, non-sugared kind), other nuts, protein shakes, etc. etc.

I forgot to ask: What MA are you starting?

Asthma never stopped me. You'll be able to do more and more the more you do, but don't overdo it, or your asthma will kick in. Make sure to practice/exercise in an area free from things like sawdust in the air which will upset your breathing. Have your inhaler (if you have one) near just in case, but you should be fine.

Well, here are my suggestions: For mass/strength: Lift a weight that you can do a maximum of 6-8 times, and do 3-5 sets. Start out doing this every other day, as your muscles won't be used to the strain. For definition/tone: Do 12-15 repetitions, 3-5 sets of lighter weights. While lifting, rest one minute inbetween sets. Warm up before and after a workout, and include a 20 to 30 minute run in your workout. If you have a heavy bag, use it. Try to hit it as many times as you can, no matter how weak your hits get from fatigue, for three minutes non-stop. Rest for a minute and repeat two more times. You should eat a LOT of protein (very inportant for muscle growth) and vegetables/greens (like salad), and cut out sugar (as much as possible) and lower your intake of carbs (you still need carbs, but a lot of your energy will now come from protein). Hope that helps.

Exactly. Seriously, though, you don't want to try to fight a guy with a gun pointed at you. The majority of the time the person pointing the gun at you won't be after you, but after your wallet, etc. Toss it and run. I heard a statistic recently that someone will only hit a running target in a vital organ four percent of the time.

Well, both are equally lethal, depending both on the student and the training. Of course, I agree, a style (either Karate or TKD) trained for sport will lose to the traditionally taught one. The Saint is right, it isn't all kicks, in TKD there are hand techniques, locks, etc. Also, I've never heard once that I should keep my hands down.

very good story, Master Jules. If I may add to the discussion, I dislike the boxing kind of stance, because 1) I was trained with Karate stances, and 2) I think that having your hands nearer your midsection gives you a better range of protection, rather than focusing on keeping the guard at your head. Just my two cents.

I voted for "deflect and counter." Like Shane said, it really depends on the situation, but the approach I'd uaually take is to deflect and counter, if I hadn't left once I saw the guy pull a knife.