Gen_Tora

As long as your safe thats all that really matters. Hopefully they learned a leason from this. But most likely they'll try & come back at you later. Cowards are always the same. I was told never kick above waist level when I studied stotokan, we practiced a few high kicks for exercise but it wasn't a requirement. Course I also only had the origional 15 kata to work with as well.

A) The kneeling on the you thing, take the face shot you can't avoid it. Use your other hand to free the other & work around a mount situation. Really all you can do. Then their are 100 strategis for the mount situation. b) The choke is easy, crush a testy. Or trip him with an ankle sweep into a leg scissor. if your lucky the attacker will fall ontop of you & you can meet him with a rising strike preferibly to the eyes or throat.

So they say, but the same is said of japanese jujitsu & allot of american MAs. I know this I've done security work, body guard work, been in the infantry & had plenty of street fights. You go to the ground you control the situation with one opponent 90% of the time, against more then that it ain't so easy... Royce was only an underdog in America, he had a big reputation in Brazil. Thats true, I agree with you on the skill set. Allot has change in Shotokan since I quit & moved to a new art. But, I also know a few "old timers" who can dislocate your shoulder standing within a matter of seconds, unfortunately most karateke don't even know those techniques exist in their arts. I blame the organisations & comericalism for that... Not really after the first UFC, there where allot of fighters turned away, Soke Odabata Aikijujutsu people for example. They have been known to KO people with stand-up grappling methods (Muscle & pressure point grabs), same as the Chin Na practicers. But, I'll drop this since it's a pointless arguement. I agree with you on that, but allot of "olden days" where only 15 to 20 years ago. Think about how downward the spirl has came with a massed attention. BJJ will start being watered down by politics in about 10 to 12 years. Just watch... I don't study shotokan anymore it was my first MA & so I have a passion fot it. I've been in boxing gyms before, unfortunately I quit fighting for fun along time ago. True but I'm a fighter, I strike & grapple. I fought a grappler once, worst fight of my life lasted 20 minutes & ended with us slamming each others' head into a truck door. Poor guy lost an eye, there is more to grappling then just joint manipulations. Again in a 1 Vs 1, since most crimes are 2 or 3 to 1 or worst yet a 1 on 1 that turns into 12 guys wanting to stomp the guys on the floor. Nope... As I said I'm a fighter. If I can hit you once it's all over, if I have to hit you 10 time or choke you out, so be it. If I have to dislocate a shoulder ok. Do you know what a cross arm bar the way it's taught on the ground was origionally for? It had nothing to do with grappling, it had to do with fighting. The arm was a control for a partial pin that let you deliver close range stomp kicks to the head (temple or jaw), neck or floating ribs. The pain of the strikes where a set up to breaking the elbow. Kano, took the technique & focused solely on locking the arm. Because it was a more humane way of dealing with agression. Several of the "Old Masters" at the time rejected both judo & karatedo as weaker expressions of a warriors' art. I've trained in a traditional japanese jujitsu dojo. I don't mind telling you it sucked, I had my shoulder dislocated allot & we never used padding for our strikes. It was a whole different animal from a comerical dojo. I started off with non-complying opponents, moved to partial contact & when I reached "black belt level" (we didn't have a belt system) it was full contact with no padding & one restiction.

You don't have to be faster then a bullet, only faster them the reflexes of the guy pulling the trigger. Plus consider range; the bigger the distance the more gravity pulls it down & a crosswind can effect where it goes. Dodging a bullet is possible at a long range & if you know it's coming. The speed of the bullet (not muzzle velocity) has allot to do with the caliber of the round. Bullet proof vests are false security, it may stop the round but the force is still absorbed into your body on impact. A bleeding hole is traded for internal bleeding. Not much better either way.

For one I was told never kick above the waist when I learned shotokan. Two, I was just curious...

I remember this story about a samurai who was also a master painter. When asked why see was focused with both brush & sword his reply was that he did not want his soul to be completely stained in blood. Allot of the character development of karate is a cultural aspect of japan or okinawa. Not a true aspect of the art. Think about this what we learn in the US isn't real karate, I mean how many of learn to count to 10 in japanese? But how many japanese already know this? Following the origional spirit of karate, karate is about making yourself a weapon. Now what good is a sword if it rests in a sheath? Because a sheathed sword is the first deterent of conflict, a drawn sword is the second deterent of violence, & a bloodied sword is the end of violence. That type of human understanding has always been a part of human culture (eastern, middle-eastern & western) but since few people actually raise their children today, its also seen as heavily lacking.

I've had Grandmaster Yamashiro throw he into a wall while sparring. To several people it was magic or ki energy power. A few people misunderstood his comment about hypnotis. He basicly did hypnotis me into throwing myself, which is true. Bur it wasn't like when I count to three you will think you are a duck. It was more like making mt mind think the distance was shorter via slight of hand fients & I off balanced myself following his movements. I think the concept of a chi/ki/jing knock out is the same thing. I convense my opponent to belive I can focus my energy. Then use deep power to effect various anatomical targets. Those who understand physics will know what I'm saying in more detail but here is the basic idea. energy is tranfered via to types of penetradion, in MA terms a snap & a thrust. A thrust directs force through a target (deep power), this energy breaks down along a linear path into the subject. A snap collides with the subject causing the energy to break down almost instantly on contact with the subject. Now since the human body is 70% water it behaves like water. Water carries energy until the energy breaks down, the only way to see how this would take effect is to strike a water bag & have equiptment to monitor how the fluids reacts. Basic idea is this, a use a couple of deep power strikes, their is little to no surface damage but their is internal injury. Now claim, chi power caused a deep tissue bruise to surface on the skin & become even more dangerous as master of chi strikes. You tell a person enough times you can knock them out with chi power & give them alittle deep power strikes they belive you. Then after a while after a while a little proof & allot of assuption you have a master of chi knock outs. Really simple in concept, same principle used by faith heals. You belive you are heal their for you are, all I have to do is tap or strike a pressure point to relive pain & your faith does the rest. It's amazing how just thinking can effect your physical state.

Well it depends on the style of jujitsu you study. Try for a kenpo-jujitsu or aikijujitsu dojo. Allot of JJJ has been watered down to judo, allot of shotokan is useless because of politics. I'm more self-defense focused, so I'd muay thai is a good start. Krav Maga is ok, I have limited knowledge on the art but what I'ne seen it's a good stand-up infighting style. I'm kinda interested in the randomly attacked in the woods thing? How did this come about?

There is never enough, I teach the rule of hit as hard as you wonna be hit. And only kick someone in the groin if you wonna be kicked in the groin. Martial Arts are like strong liquer, if you water it down it takes longer to be effective. If you take too much as one time you can get sick or worst. So try to get "drunk" just don't get "too drunk" (thought I was gonna be all zen master for a while didn't you? lol)

Roma-Boxing or Roma Fists its basicly gypsy boxing. Most old school gypsies (Roma) orginially learned how to fight, since they had no country or standing army anyone in the family (including women) were called to fight. As such a roma child was taught knife fighting, sword fighting (sabers), whip techniques, stick fighting & "boxing techniques." The system has no name among the roma, it is first taught as a childs game, much like native american indian-wrestling. Then later becomes a fighting art for those who never played the "games" as children. Of course, given that the gypsies suffered more geneside then the jews during WW2 most today are even more secretive about such things.

I'm just amazed you even tried to kick that high, unless he was a miget, a groin or knee shot would have been even more effective lol. Course I'd have been jabbing the eyes & following up with elbows to the temple & so on. So I may not be the best person to give advise, lol.

I own 2 copies, one translated into english & a photo copy of his origional japanese text. Cost me $380 for both, but well worth it to have actual effects of dim mak, kusho, & such on actual people. Kinda scary in a way as well, sadly most of Fujitas ninjitsu system which was addapted to modern warfare & function died with him & his top students, only bits & pieces exist today & mostly in books.

Personally I'd like to know what happen to Daniel after 3. See a middle age Daniel teaching some kid about karate & passing on the legend of old apartment super who could break support beams with his bare hands, leap over fences to drop 4 younger, stronger & faster black belts like they were made of paper & easily be one of the most dangerous men in the world. Yet, refused to fight unless it was life or death & forgave even his enemies because it was honorable.

elbows, I got to roll with an Assie guy who spent 18 years in Thai land. He trained in military muay thai & some other forms. Allot of the Muay arts where & unfortuately are labeled "muay thai," in a generic sense. The same way okinawan-te or even older Karate (meaning Chinese Hand) is generically labeled karate (meaning empty hand). We're just splitting hairs needlessly on this, simantics are pointless. But, on the subject of muay arts (muay thai for generic purposes) have you ever seen the case study/book published in the late 1950s by Seiko Fujita? He was the last ninja to be employed by the Japanese governement & during WWII he lead a 4 year guerrilla campaign through Burma into China. He stole a great deal of scrolls & artifacts related to martial arts. There is a side note on the English Translation to his book about how muay thai (as a generic term for all the muay arts) had tremendous potental as an atemi style. He also remarked on how the older forms relied on pressure point strikes, that used the major force drawn from elbow & knee strikes. He make reference to how the pressure points of older "muay thai" (again used genericly) was comparable to chinese, korean & japanese pressure point arts. Infact the origional scrolls of the shaolin temple where stole by the japanese governement & given to Fujita to be researched. An interesting factor about his "research" was that his method was to test various pressure points & methods on human subjects usually POWs. His work is both monsterous & insightful. It is very hard to get copies of his work & even when reprints where released in 40 plus countries. Even the US government had copies of his work. There is special notes on the Japanese spy companies & imperial guard training methods. He also added excerts from at the time modern medical journals. He point fact to allot of Martial Arts myths, including dim mak. His work is somewhat disturbing as a chapter includes the most effective striking points on the human body from the collected research. Its pretty scary. All that aside, as for what makes sport arts seem more effective then traditional. I think it has more to do with 2 major factors. 1) sports arts put a very realistic focus physical fittness 2) sport martial arts tend to adampt or train more realistically then so called traditional martial arts.

Well my 3 cents is this. If some "maturity lacking over fantsized religious zealot" wants to split hairs over the bible. The here is my opinion, 1) God is refered to as our heavenly father so does me calling my birth father dad become hereacy? 2) If so them the pope (derived from latin meaning father) or anytime someone refers to a priest as "father" they are "sinning." The aposles called those they spoke with as brothers & where never called "father" so & so. So does that make the christian religion tainted? Then while they are making excuses I simply point out that we are all the children of god & whether you call any man lord, king, father, dad or master it is only a title of respect.

Well I define "old school" as the core methods, techniques & practices of the founding idea for a martial art. In the terms of Japanese Karate (shotokan) the training was origionally what would be considered insanely hard. This then, could even be recreated in spirit by modern training methods. Striking a post = heavy bag work. Carrying clay pots = wieght training. Bare knuckled semi contact sparring = full contact padded fist sparring. In Funakoshi's own words "15 kata is enough exercise for a life?" In my own words, why does modern shotokan have nearly 30 plus kata to shodan? Why we need 28 flavors of white belt? Why do we need 10 levels to a yodansha (black belt) when the founding master had only five? Simple Comericalism, & in 3 to 5 years we'll see water down MMAs just to make a buck.... The question of whether your art is old school or not, isn't the day it was born but the spirit it embodies...

Well it depends on the training program... Allot of JJJ schools have lightened up on their training & became very watered down. Like modern shotokan. BJJ is basicly a mix of judo & wrestling, and is extremely effective on the ground. Judo is kinda good for the ground but the sports game of the dojo desides what they focus on, some focus on throws, others ground game, a few self-defense group focus on judo as a "jujitsu system." Aikido has some good qualities, & very painful standing locks but lacks the ground game. Personally I'll take my JJJ system (omoto ryu) which teaches breaking the joint then controlling the limb. Image the poor guy being jerked around by a broken wrist? But a close second is gonna be BJJ, mainly because all the BJJ guys I met train with a principle & don't focus on techniques so much as Aikido or JJJ guys will.

Rick the back kicking thing was where I started with a lengthly example but later, cut it out & well.... But here is the thing, we're talking about handicaps but what is the kids handicap? From the limited info given, it sounds more like either lack of training on his own or simply having a short term memory. Even after 10 years with a short term memory disorder the subject matter would be picked up. Simply put & I hate being the one who sounds all hard _____ed but, I once met a guy who as a child was dieing of cancer & was told he'd never walk. Now at 36 can barely walk with or without his cane & is still struggling with cancer. But, where modern medicine has failed him, he has found empowerment through chinese herbs & qi gong. Also he has 3 black belts & founded his own style of ninjitsu based on his handicap. For him an hour long class was only the beginning of what he'd practice 3 hours a day at home. None of that was possible without him training & practicing at home. You were talking about the black belt how it origionally came from a white belt being turned black by hardwork. Thing is hard work, requires a massive amount of effort. Meaning the dojo isn't gonna be the only place where he will be praticing. And from what your saying I just don't see an excuse for giving him a black belt. I always tell my students this lessons are what you find in a dojo, practice is what you find outside of it. I progressed rather quickly through MAs as a child, & allot of parents & kids I was around called it "talent." I sucked at MAs, couldn't remember katas, had bad form, lost my concentration & temper allot. But, I also started going off by myself & practicing on my own. In my garage, the woods behind my house, at my best friends house etc. Talent, luck, handicap are terms for not trying hard enough. Life isn't fair, so what you cry about not being strong enough or pick up the wieghts. You can say you love something but only love it when your around it. Practice, makes technques, forms, kata etc. work. Simply put, drill the kid on techniques. Drill the kid on katas. Make him practice. But before you do any of that, ask him & yourself this. Does he love karate or the interaction of the dojo.

I still can't belive they let him represent ninjitsu in the UFC, they had some low grade fighters origionally when compared to the gracies in the first few UFCs. But, there where better choices then Scott Morris for ninjitsu. But yeah he retired...

Actually allot of those style you mention are still muay thai. I find your logic on this like saying "Because thier are different stystems of Karate before the modernized "karate-do grouping" that they are not truly karate. As for Muay thai not being lethal at close range, I've trained with a few guys when I was stationed over seas who could prove you wrong. An elbow to the temple or neck can be just a deadly as a knife hand strike, especially if you don't know how to absorb the impact. It doesn't take some secret knowledge or special skill to make an MA lethal only intent.

Let me answer your quest like this, whats in my wallet? The cash the credit cards I can live without. My ID with my address, the place where my loved one are. I'll hand him my cash show him my empty wallet & walk away. But never show fear... Now the 1 in 100 chance he may be all psyco & willing to come to my home or stalk my g/f. No, dice... He can try & take my wallet or get his cash or back off. I'm one of these people who never backs down even if I'll lose, & know it's coming. Most people like that are either scared & desperate or just stupid. A real hard case will jusr shoot you then take your wallet, you have no defense against that. As far is stopping a crime, I'll call you a cop or a hospital but thats it. I tried the knight in shinning armor stuff & I'm a better not getting involved person. Unless its a rapist, or child molester then I'll hand them their liver. But, most times it ain;t worth getting involved. Personal experiences! my 3 cents

Kyu rank & dan grades should only be rank for the school you train at, otherwise unless a static skill test & requirements are made at systematic levels belts are just cloth. Rank is only an opinion. Personally I think skill should mark your progress not time served or money paid. But that would pit allot of people out of business.

Why shotokan took such a heavy focus on hard training is more a way of cultural thinking then political. Bare in mind, at the time bushido was still seen as a "legacy" in Japan. Duty was seen as the most important thing to honor one's family. Budo philosophy didn't hit main stream until after Japan surendered to the US at the end of WWII. Then bushido became outlawed except as a cultural sport. So we messed up MA in Japan from there on. But anyway, any MA that has roots before 1945 generally trained as a "hard form" to honor "Japan's Warrior-Heritage." A true warrior had to endure hardship, so you trained the way you fought. Those of us in the US military know that phrase all to well. Now bushido is an aniquated aspect of life like western chivary, & things become softer. Order & rules give life to codes of honor. Enlightenment gives life to our own place in the world & the value of our life the lives of those we pass in life. Weak men need order to find power & fools need enlightenment to find reason. What man or woman is not in some fashion weak or a fool? Something to consider...

Karate has seen allot of changes, originally in Japan mats where used but kumite was bare knuckle. Also I remember how striking a post wrapped in cord to toughen up one's hands was a requirement, carrying clay pots full of wet sand to build one's grip & strength, kumite was without pads & mostly full contact resulting in serious injurys & sometimes death, also Gichin Funakoshi never taught more then 15 forms, he was famous for saying that 15 forms was enough exercise for a lifetime. Now my opinion of mordern shotokan aside, allot the issues seen in modernizing karate. Funakoshi became against sparring due to the amount of injuries recieved. Pads are a requirement for insurance but you can get away with not having them based solely liability. Meaning if someone signs an "acceptance of risk form" & they hit someone too hard during sparring then its thier fault, especially if you've instructed them to go at "half-power." In thoery this means you sue the person who broke your nose & not the dojo because 1) you knew the risks & 2) someone else disobeied the rules to harm you. Now is modern karate watered down, OHY! 20 to 30 forms to shodan in some organizations. I don't care about the sport karate people too much, you know where they stand & it bothers me that someday like boxing, greco-roman, western boxing & muay thai people will forget karate's true intent. Karate-Do is melding of a fighting art & philosophy to build both mind & body. But as far as old school goes. Old school karateka are more then fighters, sports men or philosophy majors. True karate is about teaching, sometimes you teach others by your own example, sometimes by words & when all else fails sometimes by force. Now do pads, excess forms, lack of philosophy, a sports focus and/or loser requirements make karate water down? No, but forgeting what karate is does make it watered down. The moment you forget to strengthen both the minds, bodies & wills of your students or the moment you don't teach them why they are learning to fight, you water down any martial art. Karate just happens to have taken the most hits on this one.

Elbows, Actually Muay Thai was & is used by the Thai Military. It was origionally intented to be used to kill at close range. Traditional Muay Thai includes knife, sword & spear fighting & a very small set of forms for solo practice. Now on the topic of wrestling & boxing both were part of the roman army's military training, basicly cutting into the two most basic forms of hand to hand combat. striking & grappling. origional roman boxing included knees, kicks, elbows, & head butts kinda like muay thai. Also the anicent greco-roman wrestling techniques included arm bars, wrist lock & choke holds. I hate when people think that whats a sport today was always a sport. Simply put, all "combat sports" started with combat. And while I agree with both of you & shogeri on allot of points winning a fight comes down to one thing, heart. I've met men & a few women who where either physically better then me; stronger or faster or both or had better technical skills then me. I've never be beaten in a fight, thats not to say I haven't lost one. I've lost a bunch but, I've also had guys who have kicked the crap out of say they never wonna fight me again because I won't quit until they've seriously hurt me. And even then I refused to stay down. Muay Thai History Links http://www.megalodongym.com/MT%20History.htm http://www.ko-kickboxing.com/features/History/mthistory.htm http://www.ancientmuaythai.com/styles/muay_thai.htm Oh yeah & the you don't have to wrestle a wrestler thing. You better shoot him then. Sometimes you don't get a choice, infact you wonna know a 110% proven way to know if you'll survive a street fight. Go pin yourself to the kitchen table by stabbing yourself through the palm of the hand. Actually don't do that, but the point is this sometimes it's gonna be your will power that keeps you alive. Your gonna find yourself in a position where your gonna have to break your own arm just to have a chance to keep fighting. The only thing that will let you survive a fight, on any battlefield (sport, street, iraq or hell's kitch) is your will to survive.