2ndBBLittle

Wow. How * is that. I got censored. So instead of just censoring that word. They blocked my whole post. Whoever is the mod for this forum needs to leave the good information that I provided. That was a well thought out post and now you have removed all of the necessities that it presented. Thanks a lot.

Ok, if you are going to put it that the movies you listed above as having a violent plot, then take out 3 Ninjas. I think that 3 Ninjas was a great movie for it's time. I think that it probably motivated a lot of kids to join the martial arts. It never says that it is for violence, because they are always trying to help someone and most of them time fight because they are forced to. That's why the grandpa got onto them for fighting in some instances because he didn't think that they were protecting themselves with MA, but rather causing fights. Any Damme movie put a bad image to MA. I think that most people watch those movies and say that they would never be hit with a kick like that. And most of the time, it is true. You don't do flashy moves in a real fight. You fight dirty and you fight to win. Sure someone with experience might throw a kick, but I guarantee you it'll be to the knee or somewhere like that.. not to the head with a jump kick. Also, I think that Seagal movies were good for a little bit. Most of the times he was put into a position where he had to fight out of it. But he really didn't fight for violence. His biggest thing was to disable the person using their own strength and power against themselves. I can't really think of any movies that painted the MA badly. But then again, I haven't seen a lot of movies dealing with the MA. I personally think that the power rangers, although motivating to kids to get into the martial arts, made MA look really fake and stuff. All the dramatic flips and all of that. Also, they would use flashy moves to win fights. That just isn't real life. Of course, real life isn't that interesting, but they are movies and tv shows.. so, that's why they use that stuff.

Well.. to me, I don't really see a bias. I think most judges are fair. And really.. most judges judge the same division every tournament. So for them to be known, they have stood out in the past. I think that most judges do judge fairly, but the known people who normally come last get a lot of attention. That is why I was saying that judges have to pay attention to all competition. But the worst thing that can happen to you, is to go first in competition. No matter what, you normally never get 1st. So, that's a def. killer in competition. That's why it is good to be seeded and everything. Guarantee one of the last spots.

Well.. since my dad doesn't get on sites like these, I will answer for him. He has graduated about: 1st Dans: Somewhere around 30-40. 2nd Dans: Around 10. One thing you have to understand about our style of Shotokan, is that there are only 5 Dans. So, reaching 2nd or higher is fairly hard. My dad is a 4th Dan and he received it from the late Ken Eubanks. So, for me, I am 18 yrs. old and a 2nd Dan. I was in karate for about 12 yrs. also. So, getting past 1st Dan is hard. It isn't just a belt we give away like you seem some kids that are like 7 yrs. old and a BB. We take pride in awarding students to the BB level.

I know this statement I'm about to make is going to offend all of you. Good thing about America is freedom of speech. Anyways, I thought this movie was horrible. Sure it had a few cool fight scenes. But to me, the fight scenes were all exactly the same. Get into a fight and throw a knee. Not really great choreography. I don't think he is a great like Jet Li or Jackie Chan. If you want to see some great choreography watch House of the Flying Daggers. If you want to see some good MA movies, then watch Seven Samurai. Sure it's old, but it's authentic. Not someone throwing knees every five seconds. As for the plot, or should I say lack their of, it was horrible. Let's all just go look for a head and fight, throw knees, everyone that we see. Personally, I find that Unleashed was a much better choice to watch. It had a good plot and Jet Li is unbelievable. It's more realistic of someone just going crazy on a person. I also think it had the best close quarters fight scene ever. The bathroom scene was just cool. Sorry for the harshness, just don't think it's as good as everyone makes it out to be.

My dad doesn't have his school anymore. It's a long story. Anyways, Ken being gone is def. going to be hard on the RSKC. But I think that there are enough people to step up and take control. As for Lee Harper, I know him very well. If you ever get the chance, ask him if he remembers Stephen Little. He should, my dad has only known him for a long time know. But yeah, I'm friends with his son Cameron. We used to compete a lot against each other. Actually, at my dad's tournament, I think he fractured my wrist while sparring. But, I still won the fight 5-3. It was a good one. Many fights with Cameron, B.T. Webb, Max Scruggs, Lawrence Taylor, and many others. The division I was in had a lot of competition. If I was still competing, I'd be fighting Ryan McGriff right now. Just like back in the day. The 18-29 yr. old division is still tough I'm sure. And, I know almost everyone in there as well. It amazes me how many people I actually do know.

I know that this is the Sport MA section. So I thought I would just ask. Anyone on these forums compete in the RSKC tournaments? My dad used to be one of the promoters on the RSKC. Fortunately for me, I happen to know all of the promoter's in RSKC. Anyways, just asking. My dad used to have the tournament called the Collierville Classic in Collierville, TN. So, just wondering if anyone here ever went to that tournament or if I know anyone on here.

Yeah I agree. But, I was simply saying that when people get older, they don't rely on quickness. It's more of a mental game. They normally are slower, but better at countering and everything. Remember, I am talking about Black Belts, not underbelts. They aren't skilled enough to go by what I am saying.

Thanks. I appreciate the welcome.

Well.. where do I begin? My name is Stephen. I am a 2nd degree black belt and have been training in the Martial Arts for about 12 yrs. The style that I am trained in is American Shotokan, which Bill Wallace and my dad's old instructor Don Crenshaw started in the Memphis area. I have recently stopped competing in the RSKC and NASKA competitions. I trained under my sensei and father Tim Little at FiveStar Karate in Collierville, TN. Basically came on this site to see if I could find some interesting information and to meet other Martial Artists. Well, that's about it.

I had the great pleasure to be really good friends with Mr. Ken Eubanks aka Chief to all of his students. I didn't get to go to the funeral, however my dad did. If you happened to go, maybe you know my dad.. his name is Tim Little. Anyways, I feel bad for not going to his funeral since he always went out of his way to help everyone around him. He was always there for his karate family. Without him, sport karate would not even be close to where it is. I'll miss seeing him at BlueGrass, Bowling Green, and at all of the RSKC and NASKA tournaments that he attended. I also would like anyone who reads this and believes in God to pray for his family. Mrs. Kim, Marty, his step-son B.T. Webb, and B.T.'s little sister. I hope that they can work through this, and maintain being the awesome family that they are. Anybody involved in NASKA or RSKC will agree that with Mr. Eubanks gone, it just won't be the same. My prayers go out to his family and his other family. His karate family.

I agree, but disagree. I think that fighting or kumite is mostly mental. But I believe that a lot of it is physical. I mean sure, look at fighters such as Marty Eubanks, Brian Ruth, Gene Peck, E.J. Greer. Ok, so some of you don't know these fighters because they are involved in NASKA and RSKC. But anyways, they are very mentally smart fighters. They don't have to move around a whole lot or anything and they just counter bad moves thrown by their competitors. But, for people that aren't greatly trained in countering and timing; I believe that fighting is a lot more physical for them. If you go to a tournament and you watch black belts fight, you will see how it progresses in age. I believe that as an 18-29 yr. old, it is almost equal in physical and mental skill. I think that moving around will get you tired, so in a fast paced competitive division you need to be in shape. Without the physical training and the karate training that you do, you wouldn't be able to win anything. You'd be too tired to even handle most of those guys. In the 30-39 yr. old division, they are still moderately fast, but rely more on skill now. I have seen my dad win many tournaments within this division. And although he is fast, he doesn't rely on that near as much as countering and breaking an opponent's rhythm to be able to score. So, it's more mental than physical. If you look at 40-49 or 50-older divisions, they normally aren't very physically tired because everything they do is thought out. I mean yes, reactions come in.. but it's like a chess game with them. I might only be 18 yrs. old and some see me as not knowing a lot. But growing up in a dojo from age 5-18. I have seen and known many great competitors and watched and studied how they fight. So, based off of who and what I know.. this is my suggestion. Fighting is technically more of a mental fight than a physical fight. I believe that if you aren't trained well enough and don't have great endurance.. that a decent fighter could still beat you, just because of his endurance. I think that if you go into a fight no matter who or what you are up against thinking that it is your ring, then you can win. Don't underestimate people, that is the worst thing to do. Go into the fight determined to win and respecting the other person's skill. As a fighter in the RSKC and NASKA, I am often friends with my competitors. But when it comes down to it, it doesn't matter who they are when we're fighting. Anyways, I don't know if this helps.. I just don't think that it is 99% mental.