alevensalor

Agreed. Live in the moment. ~A!

I am surprised no one here has mentioned the pressure points in the shoulders. When fighting a severely overweight opponent, the pressure point where the shoulder meets the upper part of the pectoral muscle is the quickest way to score some damage points. I would use a trigger finger or poison thumb, dart in, strike, dart out, rinse and repeat. The solar plexus is also one part of the body that won't be protected by fat or muscle, and as such is always a good target. ~A!

No offense intended here, but if you are going to ever become skilled enough to survive an encounter with someone who has combative skills, you will have to study one thing for a long time, rather than many things for a short time. You need to have a base skillset in order to branch out into other skills. A tree with no trunk has no branches. ~A!

You remind me of my master, Jules. You make sense. ~A!

Master Jules has posted the ultimate answer to this question, I think. In order to be prepared for any encounter, you must be aware of all things around you not just in an individual way, but in a worldly way. It takes very little time to find the technique prevalence in any single martial art. If you do your homework for the sake of your own curiosity, and constantly seek knowledge in all things, you will be ready for anything regardless of the art you have chosen for yourself. ~A!

I believe he is saying he built his own style, an amalgam of various styles he had studied and learned over his career. This is not uncommon for the highest ranks among martial artists. Testing for Rokkudan (sixth black) in my dojo means creating a new form as a kind of thesis, a capstone of your education. I am impressed but not surprised that you created a style in your career. Congratulations on achieving what so many aspire to. ~A!

I think the answer to the first post is exceedingly simple, and refers to Jesus of Nazareth as much as the original Buddha. It doesn't matter whether either of those two existed or not. The legends and myths live on throughout history, and will continue to do so. They will never be forgotten, and so their origins are of little importance now. The principles and precepts taught in their names are important now, not the men themselves. ~A!

What would I have done with a crack addict running at me with a crow bar? It's a good question, and one that deserves a lot of thought if you have the time to think about it. In the situation, you'd find out what you would do. ~A!

Before a match, I always used to put on five pund ankle weights and run through some kicks. when you take the weights off, you get a burst of speed in your kicks for a minute or two. It helped me, anyway. ~A!

On some level or another, Chi most certainly does exist. I have seen too many things to think otherwise. I do, however, believe that science will one day be able to explain the connections, because it is not a magical or impossible force, it is something very real that can be demonstrated over and over by applying the scientific method. You can see it work. I have both used it and been used by it, so I have to go with option #2. ~A!

I find that no instructions are suitable for meditation, because it is different for each of us. You may follow the techniques of another only so far, and then you will find your own way, your own path to peace. In that regard, what I do is to simply close my eyes and take slow, even breaths. I don't think about anything in particular, but whatever happens to cross my mind I just let come and go, flowing straight through. I have heard it called "though streaming" as well, though I think that is a dubious description, because they are the flickerings of consciousness more than actual thoughts. ~A!

Glad to hear it. Best of luck! ~A!

For me personally, I can't think of a circumstance right offhand that would require it. If your requirement is for function, what function is it that would be suited by switching grips on the knife? If it is simply for form, why bother? ~A!

Wow, that's pretty intense. I can't imagine what I would do if I wasn't allowed to train with my chucks. I'd go ape. ~A!

I've been there. All I can say is that, when I finally did go back after a time away, it was a lot easier than I had let myself believe it would be. Go, it can't be as bad as what you're imagining now. ~A!