MizuRyu

So, another update here on the style and my training. I'm picking things up really quickly and meeting some very interesting people. There are only 18 students and they come and go depending on the day of the week, so each class has about 10 students and 2 instructors. I've been doing a LOT of repetition drills (which I LOVE) and learned the 2 basic tuites (open hand locks), the 3 basic armbar drills, almost all of the strikes, kicks, and some VERY interesting mechanics. There are many very, very peculiar but MINDBLOWING sci-fi like concepts. "Tendon gliding", the 2 directional flow concepts and the like. The 'tendon gliding' is VERY odd. You put your arm out like you're in 'ready stance', and have someone grab your hand like a handle and you pull them in. It's very easy. Then, you have then brush your arm from the top of the forearm to the bottom, catch, and have you pull. And all of a sudden your strength is GONE. It's a very weird feeling. Apparently, the brushing down the arm causes the muscles in the arm to relax by natural subsconcious reaction, then when you pull on the arm it literally saps the strength from the muscle by hyperextending. Lots of odd psychological tactics like this are used, and it's awesome! I didn't believe it until he did it, and my arm was just wobbly and weak feeling. A lot of the techniques are very flowy and senseless LOOKING, but when you get deep into the concepts you realize that everything has a reality based purpose. I would watch them 'play' with an arm with the snake blocks and sticking and think "well you could just pull your arm back". Wrong. That's what the technique WANTS you to do, it's how it's made to work; with resistance. I think that's what really sets this art apart from the ones I've taken in the past. The pain that's inflicted with some the techniques is unbelievable. I've blacked out twice from some of the points and gritt my teeth every day dealing with even the most basic of locks. For instance, in arm bar drill #1, it's not just an armbar. It's a tendon glide, elbow to the ribs, grinding forearm to the lower tendon of your tricep, and leverage generated from your wrist. It feels like your whole arm is being crushed. VERY painful, very effective. If you try to retract your arm in the motion, you'll pull yourself onto your own face, because the block sort of sucks you in and pulls you off balance severely. They really thought things out. I'm going to take this art as long as a possibly can. Every day I spend in that dojo I leave with my mind full of things and fresh applicable knowledge. I learned a handshake pressure point that I showed to my father (230lb steelworker with a long boxing history) and he went to his knees. Very useful stuff. If you're looking for an art that really brings home the gold... check this one out for sure

At school Lipton unsweetened green tea was the only thing I'd get from the vending machines. Good stuff, really grows on ya.

http://www.psipog.net/media.php

My friend Chris is 6'5, and I'm about 5'10. He's a TSD guy, I'm a Wing Chun guy. He has REALLY long legs, so he can kick, as most taller people do. So, how to beat him? Get close and attack. Don't let him use his length to his advantage. If you're a ground fighter, he's done for. Take a pencil, snap it in half, easy. Snap the shorter half in half, not as easy. Works the same with their limbs too. A swift kick to the knee will do some damage. Longer legs are easier to cripple typically, so leg shots are a good bet. I maintain that wrestling is the best idea though.

Great point Elbows_And_Knees. The poeticism has harmed kung fu a great deal IMO. "Goat wags tail on showy mountain" doesn't tell me enough about what to do. By the same token, if we spoke Chinese it COULD be a different story. From my understanding Mandarin relies on many stories, tales, and 'cultural sayings' in it's everyday speech. A good example would be: "gou zhang ren shi" meaning: "the dog acts fierce when in presence of his master", MEANING: "to take advantage of one's connections with powerful people". If you spoke mandarin, perhaps those poetic techniques would make more sense. Who knows... I took 2 years of Mandarin in High School; not nearly enough to truly understand it however.

It all depends on the fighter. I know MMA guys who are easy to hand a whoopin, I also know some that could snap me in half. I also know some karate guys that are VERY scary. It depends on how they train, what their street comfort level is, and how much experience they have in REAL fights. Cage fights don't resemble real fights for squat in my experience. Neither do karate studios. That being said, it's all about application.

My friend uses Tai Chi in his fighting 'mix'. It's very effective. It's strikes are so rooted and solid that if they connect they're probably going to break something. It also teaches you to attack with every part of your body (shoulders, hips, head, wrist). He says it's very useful in a clinch as it teaches you how to 'launch' someone away from you at any angle using mostly any body part.

I just hit my punching bag until I can't take it, then keep going anyway. I sprint until my legs feel like they're going to collapse, but I keep going anyway lol. I like to push the limit everytime I do something. I went from 20 pushups to 80 in a half year because I wouldn't let myself say "I quit". I don't understand how martial artists can neglect their fitness like that. Fat masters and whatnot always gave me a giggle. I've personally always thought that your technique is only as good as your body. You can't afford to get tired while someone's trying to kill you.. now can you?

I think you forget the history of the martial arts my friend. What they are and WHY they are. We've seen bullets kill people because that is how war is fought in this day and age, a thousand years ago it was something sharp or your hands. So do you think those armies slap boxed eachother to death?

I agree that the effort put into the style does ultimately determine how much it'll help you when you're attacked. When I have time, I drill on the trees in my backyard, do forms, cross-train with my friends, do whatever I can to make sure my time and money is well invested. When I go back to class, I have a much deeper knowledge of technique than I would if I confined myself to the class itself. There's a Muay Thai gym that's pretty prominant around here, and I have a few friends who attend that I spar frequently, it really adds a different level of depth to your training. Basically, technique in the safety of class versus when someone's trying their hardest to put you down is a whole different world. The more you bridge the gap between the two, the easier it is to do what the art was meant to do.

Chin na is awesome on the mat, not so hot on the street. I've seen it used in our Wing Chun school against boxers effectively, but it's not anywhere near the traditional Chin Na. It's a little more sloppy but it gets them on their knees. Chin Na seems to be much more suited to police work and things of the like versus a real one on one "I'm going to bash ur face in" moment. In the Ryu-Te school I attend, they have a VERY unique way of applying the locks, and an excellent system for setting up the angle. It's a school where we emphasize more than ANYTHING a non-compliant opponent, and train exactly for that. The locks aren't what we strive for necessarily, but if you see the angle and opportunity you take it, and if it scews up we have a backup plan. Lots of quick footwork and an interesting parrying system, you spend a month 'blocking' and then move on to parrying and deflection, but with more room for error unlike Wing Chun. I've seen videos of the Taiwan police force using Chin Na and it seems VERY effective in their case, partly because people are partially compliant when faced with a police officer, and they drill for hours a day in a RBSD environment.

It doesn't look like dance to me, but it was the best word to describe it at the time.

Of course, the true original purpose of kata was to preserve the art itself. Being that back in the old days literacy was rare, so people needed a sort of 'encyclopedia' from which to referance techinque, since they couldn't read, they turned it into a dance.

I saw it today. AWESOME MOVIE. It's definatly a must see. The fight with master Qin is insane!!!

He said it was all qigong. I'm not sure what art in particular he practiced, I know he teaches Wing Chun and 5 Animals.

There was a seminar last night about qi that I believe did truely change the way I view it forever. There was a man named Jeff Kohlman there, and he spoke of qi and how it's losing believers in many of the martial arts in modern times. He brought a bunch of people up to demonstrate a few things, and I got picked for a 'pulling and pushing' thing. Basically, he'd hover his hand over my back and move it, and I could feel it there, but I knew it wasn't touching me, then, he'd do something, and it would feel like someone's pulling me back, so I stepped back, but he NEVER touched me throughout the entire thing. He did it again, except the 2nd time he pushed me forward. It felt like something not physical for sure, it didn't feel like any specific part of me was being messed with, but just some weird 'magnetic' feeling in the core of myself is what moved me. I basically was stunned at the whole performance. I wanted to think it may have been some trick, but he was taking non-martial artists out of the crowd, including one of my friend's fathers, and doing things that you could tell were BLOWING their minds. He did something in particular that made a guy freak out. He 'compressed' qi in his hand and moved it up his arm, and the guy had a smile of disbelief, saying it felt like his arm was falling asleep. It really flipped my view on qi all together. Sure, these things may just be little qi tricks, but to me they prove something. I think I'm going to go do some breathing exercises now lol.

Take up wrestling for things like this is my only advice. The thing with striking frenzies is unless you have an enormous level of training and experience in real combat, not much is going to help you out a lot. One on one, BJJ is honestly the easiest way to take someone down. That, and you can choke him out and leave him there while you make your escape lol. If you're going to strike, there's an old WC trick I use. If they throw high, kick low. Duck under the first strike, set an angle and kick them in the lower thigh (avoid the knee) or side of the leg. It's either going to take them down or distract them, then follow through as aggressively as possible. In a fight, there are only 2 roles: the attacker, and the attacked.

http://www.ryute.com/new_york.htm I've seen many styles of karate, but Ryu-Te takes the cake by a LONG run. I've met some awesome Shotokan and Goju practitioners myself also. It's really what works for you and what instructor is teaching. The instructor makes ALL the differance.

I plan on going for the long haul on this one. That's truely what I appreciate about this art is it's depth and history, it's what karate SHOULD be.

http://www.ryute.com/texas.htm There are lots of Texas schools, but I don't know how close to Ft. Worth...

I always thought that standing locks were kinda iffy, but after goin at it with some senior students at the Ryu-Te dojo, I got a little rewritten. I think what makes them work so well for that particular style is the blocking system they use to set them up, they kind of suck your arm in no matter what you do, work angles and next thing you know you're on your knees tapping the floor and gritting your teeth. Anyone have success with standing joint locks? You don't really hear many good combat stories about them.. but then again you barely hear any good combat stories at all.. at least I don't

A nice little update for you guys on this AWESOME style! Today was my 3rd class, and I'm INSANELY addicted. I haven't been this fascinated in martial arts since I started. It's like a whole different art, VERY deep and complex and incredibly effective. It's kind of a mix of Wing Chun, Tang Soo Do, and massive amounts of Chin Na. It's aesthetic, yet powerful. The lock system is awesome, and the advanced blocks are a flowing snake type parry. Instead of other arts where you think 1-2-3 for the blocks, it always has a backup (like wing chun) to deal with whatever could happen next. It flows like mad. The kicks are not above the waist, and attack the hamstrings, quads, calves and shins to inflict pain/crumple the stance without causing permanent damage. The locks are brutally painful and swift. There are innumerable locks and variations. The punches are just like Wing Chun but with an angle variation and a few other nuances in the later forms. LOTS of weapons (which I've never done before) and the instructor is a very down-to-Earth awesome guy! Easily the best martial arts instructor I've EVER met. Also a captain of the Lansing (capitol of the state of Michigan) fire department. The school is small and tight knit, I'm learning names and habits fast. I find myself in the shower doing blocking drills or behind the grill at work in horse stance. I'm absolutely lovin it!

Ryu-te is very close range, I just officially started today lol. It's like a perfect mixture of traditional karate and Wing Chun.. I LOVE it.

*drools*... chocolate cake....

I don't believe any martial art was created in the name of self-gratification/crime. People may use it for that purpose, and in my OPINION that distances them from the purpose of martial arts. As for 'waking up to reality', reality is different for everyone. I grew up in a 'ghetto' and I've seen horrible things happen to people. My reality is different from yours. Yours is different from mine. Case in point, I have a friend who's a great fighter, a member of a family that has a long rich history in various styles of Kung Fu. He looks for any reason possible to get in a fight and brags about it all the time, and almost always wins. To me, he's a terrible martial artist, but that's not to say he can't fight. He just doesn't believe in the code of conduct that comes with having the ability to seriously hurt someone.