Martial_Artist

The only thing about Bowling for Columbine is that Mike Moore's statistics aren't fully correct. That, and he was quite biased before hand. So, the movie isn't something to take in if you don't already have a good knowledge of the facts. It is somewhat funny though. Though, personally, I don't like Moore. MA

Howdy.

kadua = second/companion guro = teacher I know nothing about IKAEF.

Check out "The Hunted." Another flick to check out: "Kill Bill" The Hunted is excellent. Haven't seen Kill Bill yet. It's not out. Bulletproof Monk comes out this month, looks good.

If you are powering out of locks then you are not using proper technique. I didn't say anything about locks. But if you have weak wrists and a weak grip then there are things you are not going to be able to do well in the martial arts. Countless are the times I have simply defeated an opponent based on the fact that their wrists and grips have been weak. Also, if your opponent is much stronger than you then it will take an amount of strength to break a lock or hold. A former student of mine who knew the techniques very well just could not break free because I just overpowered him. To avoid injury to your wrists it is important that you strengthen them. Punching a solid target with weak wrists might damage you. Wanting to use your hands to manipulate your target also requires strong muscles. If you find yourself fighting on the inside, then to trap or manipulate your opponent then you better have strong wrists and a strong grip. To say having a strong grip or wrist in the martial arts is not necessary is to say that being flexible, aerobically in shape, or knowing your techniques are not necessary. It's fundamental to the martial arts to have strong hands. For proper technique under stress, ie in combat, you need the strength to fight against the force of your enemy and maintain proper form. Limp wrists, or weak forearms, won't accomplish this. Think back to what you know of martial arts history. There have always been exercises focused just on strengthening the hands and wrists. Makiwara, wooden dummy, finger push-ups, hand-stands, push-ups, heavybag work, sparring, repetative blocking, grappling exercises, sticky-hands, trapping, throws and locks, each of these exercises which are basic to martial arts require strong grip and wrists. Hope this clarifies. MA. ps. Even with proper technique if you do not have the strength to perform the task then you won't be able to perform it in combat. Case in point, a student of my brother's. Capable of performing the technique, but skinny as a rail. Defeated constantly because he just did not have the physical strength to make his movements count.

Buy or make a wooden dummy.

Irrashaimasu! Welcome.

If you sweat a lot and the floor gets wet it also gets very, very slippery. I had some of those puzzle mats (not Century) in a room I trained in in the Philippines. At the start it was excellent, but after two hours of training it was soaking wet and traction was at a nil. Something to consider. Especially if you are going to teach a large class. Sweat dripping from brows could make the floor really slippery. MA

Monkeygirl, "Raising" fighters is a tough thing to do. Not everyone has it in them to be a good fighter. However, it is good to teach sparring. Let me see if I can help. If you want to develop a good fighter then you're not going to want to build around set patterns when actually doing live/contact sparring. For the beginners, who are the most dangerous(mainly because they don't have the discipline over their bodies to control hits, etc), work them in mobility. Movement is crucial. Teach them proper avoidance, proper advancement, and proper retreat. Have them work this while avoiding basic attacks. Get them used to the art of movement. The key to any type of fighting is movement. Then work in attacking and defending while moving. Try to make it as simultaneous as possible. Just the basics. Nothing fancy. Then when they have learned to move and then hit and move have them spar. Don't have them spar in patterns. Just let them free spar using the techniques you have instructed them in. If you see anyone going outside what they have worked on then intervene and ensure that they are practicing the basics and when the basics have been mastered they can move on to more advanced movements. For now, the basics will suffice for some very interesting sparring matches. The same applies for your advanced students. Although they will have a greater freedom to choose their movements, they should not go beyond what is fundamental and necessary. Fancy movements can be practiced, but fighters should always work on the foundations. It takes years to master even the most simplest of movements when applied to live/contact sparring. Doing them alone is easy, using them in real-time is a different story. Hope this helps. MA

Welcome.

I was started before I could walk. It's the same way I'm teaching my two boys.

In any art for self defense having strong wrist and grip muscles are necessary. You need them to primarily prevent injury. Secondary to help perform proper technique. It is more than just a good idea to develop strong hands and wrists. MA

JKD was intended to be a concept, a martial arts philosophy. An approach to understanding the martial arts. In Bruce's "Tao of Jeet Kune Do" he recognizes this and states it quite plainly. Jeet Kune Do was not intended to be a taught style or system, but a concept or philosophy governing one's approach to learning the martial arts. LEE and Kaju_Influenced are correct. Only I don't believe that JKD should be taught as a solitary system in a school. At least, that's not what I gathered from reading Bruce's own writings. MA

MABUHAY!

Everybody was kung-fu fighting. Hehe Welcome.

Personally, I would have tried to avoid the fight altogether. If it came down to it, though, then I would have fought hard and fast. I haven't had the experience of fighting 10 opponents on the street, but I have been involved in 3, 5, and 7 vs 1 conflicts. Hit the closest guy to you and make it count, then move on. Never stay in one spot, and be as mobile as possible. It doesn't take much. In the 3 vs 1 it was one hit each and the fight was over. 3 kicks and that was it. There are so many factors involved, but timing is essential. In the 7 vs 1 it was all one hit except for a fellow who didn't get hit, managed to avoid, and then came in again. We parlayed a moment and then he took a good hit and that was it. As for breaking arms quickly. IF the opponent gives you the opportunity then it takes a split-second. I was stabbed at in a park. I broke his arm and struck him in the solar-plexus. End of fight. I think you handled the situation well. MA

Just don't think about it when you do it. Train hard and properly and it should click for you.

Lucidartist, You brought up something I forgot to mention. Spirit. You gotta have it when you train properly. It's that motivation and energy that will help condition your body when you train for the fateful moment of truth. MA

Having done both let me add something. An open hand strike to the jaw is devastating (where the mandible connects to the skull). Same to the atlas of the skull. Devastating. As to punching the head. I have yet to hit a guy in the face and hurt myself. I wouldn't punch a person in the skull though. It wouldn't accomplish anything for me, other than to perhaps disorientate the fellow. But that is ineffective and something I wouldn't do. Face and jaw are about it. The neck is altogether different and can cause lots of damage to the victim when attacked properly. Open hand techniques are wonderful. So are closed hands. Each technique, however, will not work for every situation. You must choose the one that does what you want when you want it to. It all depends on what you plan to accomplish with your attack. MA

1. over 20 years. 2. The Pure Art. 3. Teacher(it doesn't get any higher than that. I'm one of only three qualified to teach) 4. I don't have a favorite "art." But I suppose you could say I wouldn't train in something I didn't like. MA

As far as the police officer shooting the assailant. There is a 21ft rule among law enforcement. Basically what that is is that if a suspect is 21feet or closer it will take that person less time to close the distance and attack the officer than it will for the officer to draw his weapon and defend. So, if a suspect is more than 21ft away, say 25, and begins to approach the officer (in a kung fu stance) if that suspect crosses the 21ft line and makes an aggressive movement toward the officer. The officer is more than likely justified in shooting that suspect. Above all things officer safety is paramount. This is why when they pull you over for traffic violations they can handcuff you and confiscate your weapon for the duration of the stop. Officer safety takes precedent. You're not under arrest, they are just taking precautions for their safety. So, in theory, the story told could very well have happened. They police enter a house on a CFS(call for service) they are not let in, obviously because the man is on the floor meditating, and when they do a strange man leaps to his feet and assumes a combat position. The officer, perhaps rookie, took the officer safety initiative and fired. If it later was revealed that the victim was a martial artist then more than likely they officer would have been expunged of any fault. Police Officers have a difficult job. So many people are out to hurt them. They have to take special precautions just to survive. Many people don't understand that and in many circumstances get themselves shot or injured in an altercation. 100% compliance is the safest thing to do when dealing with an officer. Getting upset or making quick movements is not. Be calm, move slowly--in fact tell the officer when and if you move, and do exactly what he says. And NEVER, NEVER LIE about anything. That's the easiest way to bring yourself unnecessary grief, especially if you're innocent. Don't try to cover anything up. Because if it is revealed that you lied to an officer about anything that is obstruction and that is an arrestable offense. You will probably spend the night in jail, even if you just made a little lie, especially in a traffic stop. Real name, hide nothing. The most common thing are suspects being pulled over for minor violations who have a knife or gun in the car, but are afraid of telling the officer, and lie that they do. The officer can search the vehicle and if he finds it. You're going to jail. You may never get convicted, but you're going to have go through that. Even if it's legal possession of that weapon. The bottom line is: dishonesty with an officer. Police Officers generally will let honest, helpful people off the hook with verbal warnings or minor citations (unless it is a serious offense). Those that lie, try to hide, or run get the full brunt of police wrath. As for fighting. I would rather get arrested for fighting while wearing a "Peace on earth, good will towards men" t-shirt, than a martial arts related t-shirt. Prosecutors, if the case ever goes to trial, will use that against you. You are under no legal obligation, check your state to be sure, to declare your skill to an assailant. However, you should do so in front of witnesses. The only reason: so that those witnesses can say you tried everything possible to avoid the conflict, but the other guy brought it upon you. Remember if you want to tell the guy you're a martial artist do it loudly and clearly so those around can hear it. Then you have a good defense in court about being a nice reasonable guy who tried to end the fight. Depending on the state there are clauses written into state statutes that govern physical force. (which is different from deadly physical force or physical force) It would be in your best interests to learn when the law allows for use of physical force in self defense. They are more lenient that most people suspect, but having a knowledge of them better prepares you to handle the legalities of a violent encounter. MA

I recommend training on a heavy bag to develop your fast-twitch muscles. Train movements you plan on using. Make sure your technique is correct. The quickest way to kill power and speed in a technique is to do it incorrectly. MA

Off topic--But I disagree that if every fighter perfected their respective styles that they would all be equal. But I have addressed that issue in other threads. About what Oyama said: I could care less. He's another man just like me. He is respected in his arena, and his opinion applies to his arena. I don't find it at all surprising he would say something like that. He is a karate student. Why shouldn't he feel that way? The Japanese are terribly bent on honor and face. For him, a respected karateka, not to declare karate's superiority wouldn't be defending his art's honor and he would lose face. He probably gave the statement in reponse to a student from one of those two arts, or in a discourse on the subject. He may have felt differently personally, but publicly he would have to save face and preserve honor.

Shotokan karate. You need a teacher to learn a specific art. If you want to verse yourself in the basics, books and videos will help. But if you desire to learn the depth of the art you will need a good teacher. MA

Personally, I believe that the reason the martial arts have such a unintimidating reputation in the US is because of the actions of some teachers and students who really weren't a great example of what the martial arts are. Growing up in a diversified culture I can say that the martial arts in my youth among my peers was ridiculed. In my house it was revered and even second nature. It was not uncommon for my brothers and I to be doing exercises in the family room, and then stop to wash up and eat dinner. This is, in part, because teachers who shouldn't be teaching and students who have egoes larger than their capacity to reinforce are the only ones the majority of people remember. We tend to remember the failures more prominently than the successes. Thus, the stories in which the martial artist lost the fight spread more readily than the martial artist who won. (Sometimes this is also because when the martial artist tells the story of victory he is usually viewed as bragging.) Because of the nature of commerce in the US there will always be the McDojo. There will always be the student who believes his instruction was valid only to have it invalidated in a qualified conflict on the street. And there will always be the teacher who shouldn't be teaching, teaching what he claims is effective martial arts. Virtually free commerce allows those schools to exist. That's why the martial arts in general have such a bad reputation. The examples of the few exemplify the many in the eyes of the public. We, however, know this is simply not true. I have a friend, he is quite old now, he used to teach TKD in Korea, he used to teach the ROC army, and instruct US military personnel in hand-to-hand close quarters combat. Every six months he takes his school to korea(those that can afford the trip) to visit the schools there and see how traditional schools are. Traditional TKD schools in korea are of a different caliber than they are in the US. However, commerce exists in South Korea as well and there are schools that follow a more Western approach to teaching. In my personal experience, having been to Seoul, traditional TKD students are a cut above most Western students. Their training is fundamentally different. Now, to issue of fighting. In a violent encounter you do not rise to the occasion. You fall to the highest level of your training. In the fight or flight mode your body enters you revert to the highest level of training you have done. This has been qualified by real-life violent encounters by law enforcement and military personnel across the world. This is why they train so much for so long. When their lives are on the line they do what they have been taught to do. A martial artist will only perform as well as his training. It takes in the neighborhood of 3000-7000 concentrated repititions before an action becomes reflex. Have you trained with that much dedication in every technique you study? What happens most often in violent attacks is the victim has not had enough training and practice to reinforce that training. So, when attacked reverts to the highest level of their dedication. Most black belts have only the programmed reflex action of their most basic techniques. This is what they revert to, and this is why many of them lose their conflicts. Many things happen in fight or flight. Physiological, psychological, and physical. All of these have been studied and many of them are addressed in military and specialized combat training programs. Their students have been trained as to how their body will react and their training is molded around that and they are better equiped to survive. The vast majority of martial arts schools do not address the actual moment of combat. i.e. what happens to the body (time distortions, intrusive thoughts, loss of control of bodily functions, tunnel vision, etc.) So, the vast majority of students are ill-equipped to handle a real life-threatening conflict. This is an issue I addressed when I used to teach in the Philippines to law enforcement on a "private instruction" basis. Though I was not responsible for weapons training, and my training was done off the books(this is because foreigners are prohibited from working for government agencies) I did instruct many in close quarters combat. For a martial arts student to be effective he must have proper training and proper practice. Most Western students just don't. Mind set is important. Just simple mental visualisation of violent conflict helps develop reflex. Quality is determined by the ability of the teacher and the dedication of the student. Without both quality is not achieved. Hope this helps. MA.