Drunken Monkey

lennox is like tyson? really? ok, quite show of hands. who agrees with little boy sano?

that is a really scary advert.... i mean, what if someone actually buys one? what if they spend their time and learn everything from it? what if they actually need to use it?

well, guys like that don't normally have the didcation to keep up with anything so my guess is that he's gone....

well, one friend goes to a thai box club (can't remember the name...) in wai chai. somewhere near hennessy road i think. and yeah... born and raised in london though.

i think flawed is perhaps the wrong word to use. there is nothing wrong with focusing on one art, you just have to be aware of the limits. think of it like a gearbox. you can set up a box to have stupidly close ratios to maximise the initial acceleration but this limits your top speed. or you can draw out your ratios, lose your acceleration but have much superior top speed. both have merits and best suit different situations.

i heard that there's an old guy who lives in the tibetan mountains who can shoot fireballs out of his *

sometimes i like to forgo the word 'staff' and go back to good old 'big fat stick'... sorry. back to the quality of various woods. the one thing i know about some chinese woods is that they are naturally very oily and as such can survive in more varied conditions. hence the preference to use teak for wooden dummys that are often left in the open.

two shoes that are not the same also do not make a pair. then's the question of what you want the shoes for. walking? running? wading in lakes? like i say. you can't really have a 'complete' collection of shoes (ask my girlfriend...) but you can try to have a 'comprehensive' collection.

me? i'm stuck in sunny england but i have friends who do muay thai in hk.

just to add to my post. my point is in its basic nature (and the way it is taught) wing chun can't really cope with grapplers once on the floor. that is why we try to not be on the floor. i am aware that most of the time, if the guy wants you on your back there isn't a whole lot you can do. it is for that reason that a lot of people, in their search for an answer, step outside of their original art, be it wing chun or shotokan or tkd and take up a grappling art. what you have to be aware is that this isn't because the grappling art is 'better' as such, rather it is 'better in a certain situation'. let's just take an example. i get attacked by a relatively untrained guy. using my wing chun, i take the guy out simply and quickly. the same guy attacks you. using your grappling, you take the guy out simply and quickly. we both get the job done. anyway, to pv. i was with one of ron heimberger's students for about a year and i remember grappling sessions approximately once a month (on a purely voluntary basis). who do you study with?

just out of interest, where do you train muay thai in hk?

something came to mind whilst reading another thread. when do you think it is best to train jkd style? is it good to go straight in with no prior experience in martial arts and learn from scratch or is it better to learn after you have a few years of something under your proverbial belt? let's take what seems to be the trend in jkd schools. from what i've heard, many places still teach as the core, wing chun elements, and then supplement with things from muay thai, kali, escrima (or whatever else the instructor knows-please correct me if i'm wrong). now lets assume that these guys are second generation from bruce lee and well, unlike the first generation who all had a good basis in martial arts beforehand, these guys trained in the already mixed-curriculum of modern jkd. what i mean is, they only have experience in the moves that works for them, right? isn't this exactly the thing bruce lee wanted to avoid? and because these guys didn't have the first hand knowledge of the styles from which moves are taken from, doesn't imply that they automatically have a shallower understanding of the moves? so back to the original question. is it better to learn jkd from the word go? or learn a style then go into jkd? anyway, this was what was going through my mind and i just wanted an opinion from you guys.

that's the point. i don't think anyone did.

um, if i'm right, think of the bong sau position from wing chun.

not what the one inch punch is for... it is primarily a concept that outlines that you should aim to be able to 'punch' with your hand in any position even if that means one inch away from your intended target. specifically, the 'move' is a training tool to teach you proper use of body structure, stance and turning of stance.

for some unknown reason, i don't actually have many films in which he's the main hero. most of the time he's either the bad guy, minor character or second fiddle. in any case, he seems to shine brighter than the rest. maybe it's cos he actually can act.... one of the gems in my collection is an old tv series he did in hk that is basically a version of the story chen jen and the jing woo (as depicted in fist of fury and more or less a 'true story'). some good stuff in there but unfortunately (in my opinion) it was donnie yen doing an impression of bruce lee playing chen jen.... also, back to the highlander film he was in. best moments were definitely the scenes with him in it, especially the little nod he gives to duncan after their little fight. wonderful stuff...

yeah but have you heard what blunkett wants to do? if he gets his way, we will soon have a pledge to our flag as well...

think of it slightly differently. the moves as done in the form are the 'perfect' versions of the move, as it should be if it all goes to plan. what you have to do, is take the move out of the form and learn what happens when it is applied. eveyone is different, be it in height, weight, strength but the basic physiology remains the same. the form illustrates how the move works. it is up to you to find out how it works for you. if you only do one version of the move taht works for you and neglect the form then when it is your turn to pass on the art, you will be teaching YOUR version of the move, not the move as it is intended. take this process and multiply by x and soon you will have a move that is unrecognisable from the original. learning martial arts isn't just about fighting. part of it is the responsibility to keep the art alive. while this does involve being able to use the art but part of it is also to preserve the art. hence the need to train BOTH form and application. i think the problem is that once it was formally put into a sequence, people began to forget that while the form is fixed, what you did was not. they seemed to forget that a block can be a strike can be a trap can be a push. it turned into 'block x with y' with no reference to the principles that determined that you used y in the first place. in my opinion, forms are only useless if you don't make of them.

don't take what the kid says too seriously. no one else does...

i recently ate what i have to say to be the grossest thing i have ever eaten. it's hard to describe. it was kinda too runny yet at the same time, slightly lumpy. the mixture of flavours was 'interesting' and while it wasn't inedible, it was certainly wasn't desireable. i am of course refering to my girlfriend's 'curry'...

mainly as a way to make cash. what gets me is when the students actually know something bad's going on but don't do anything about it...

been raiding my old hk flick collection and i think i'm having a re-discovered respect for donnie yen... recently (last night) came across the highlander thing with him in it and is it me or was he the coolest one in the whole film? maybe it was the character. didn't see much of him but you understood the character instantly.

is that a really subtle hint for us to get you a present?

my trainer insists we train and spar with at least 16oz gloves. in the local tournaments they use 10oz gloves.

one question and that is, what's 25 pounds in kilos? i only have one real suggestion and that is to get a heavy-ish bag. personally i prefere to play on a 40kg bag especially with kicks as you really have to get your stance perfect to get a good 'feel'. also, as you're planning on using it for punches and kicks, you'll need a bag that's at least 5feet for good coverage from shin to chest to head levels. finally, where do you plan on keeping the bag? i've got my hook set up outside and on occasion, i leave my bag outside (in the lovely UK rain). because of this, i was recommended a leather bag that isn't too bothered by the weather (apparently). (the salesperson warned me about keeping the pvc bags outside but i think he was trying to make more money of me...) for inside use, the choice of material is up to you. in any case, have fun!