lordtariel

You also have to take into consideration: Katana=steel bullet=lead sharp steel vs lead=cuttage

You have to remember too that the people that they were fighting against probably didn't have a lot of specialized unarmed combat training. Today in the US, you have people that study striking, grappling, kicking and throwing... Sometimes all at the same time. I believe every style has it's strengths and weaknesses and a well rounded fighter will usually do better against a specialized fighter. I'm sure Caporiea has some useful stuff in it, but don't really know how well it would stand on it's own. I guess it comes down to the fighter, not the art.

Well, I've always attempted to remain empty when I meditate. It's not to say that thoughts don't come into my head, I just acknowledge the thought and let it go.

All it takes to get a black belt is about $10... The belt doesn't really mean anything at all. It's a strip of fabric meant to hold your gi together. I do find it hard to believe that someone training on their own without the aid of an instructor could really pull himself up to the level of training a senior student. Difficult, but not necessarily impossible. But you also need to remember, he said that the place he was training at did mainly kata and no sparring. Would it really be that difficult to be better at sparring then them?

Same here... Left then right, then when you're getting up it's right then left

So Nintendo's "Wii chucks" are illegal? They're a remote and game controller connected by a cord.

Probably wouldn't work on me, amusing idea though.

Absolutely not. It's a close environment with healthy people who probably don't want someone else's germs. I've missed quite a bit of training this year, but I still don't want to inflict my illness on other people.

Maybe martial artists should petition to remove the ban.

Congrats... good luck on your testing.

I like this thread. I don't really have any specific strengths. What I do feel though is that main advantage is my versatility. I don't have too hard a time picking up anything I try be it sparring, forms, weapons, or grappling. And although I never really excel at any of it, I feel I have a wide enough experience base to be able to handle any situation with a reasonable level of competence.

Welcome to the forums!

So I had my first class with the sai yesterday. I'm going to get ready for a sai clinic we're having in May with Master Tomohiro Arashiro. Does anybody know who this person is or have gone to a clinic with him?

Also, the lightweight gis take up WAY less room in your bag than a heavyweight one so if you're planning on getting a heavyweight later, make sure you bag is big enough. I had to buy a new one when I got mine.

Actually, insulting could be considered enough to change this judgement because now you're instigating the fight rather than trying to avoid it. It's not self defense at that point, it's two people in an altercation. That loud obnoxious drunk last night could turn into a suit wearing model citizen with a good lawyer at the courts. Without witnesses, it really could go either way.

Chuck is the boss

Our org requires all white, so I guess it's white for me.

You make a good point. I was assuming equal fighters of equal experience. It just went to reason that with experience being equal, the person with the better technique would win.

I feel you need both. Just because you're good in one area doesn't mean you should neglect the other. What you're not good at is just as important as what you are good at. Truth be told, someone who is good at both kata and fighting is probably going to be better than someone who is good at one or the other.

The heavyweight gis are great for kata, they provide a lot of snap that you don't get with the light ones.

I've always been taught to slap to dissipate some of the shock of impact. Rolling has it's place, but the problem with it is that it's a committed action, you can't stop and change your mind halfway through. I almost think it's better to go defensive from the ground until it's safe to get up. The only time I'd roll is in the case of having too much forward momentum.

There's no real blanket answer for this. MA does increase your confidence, decisiveness, and self respect. It could be that being accused of "being aggressive" meant that they were just standing up for themselves against someone who was used to getting their way. That being said, there are some real ego cases out there in the MA world. Unfortunately, some of them teach, so students are bound to pick up some of it.

At the same time, it's really irresponsible to wait until the last day to let you know. Sorry you had some bad experiences.

My experience is that these usually are the light weight gis (8oz) They're adaquate for practice, but you'll eventually want a heavier one. Once I got a heavyweight gi, I've never gone back to the lighter ones.

It was made at Seoul National University so I don't think they're for sale.