bushido_man96

Hands down my favorite quote from the whole video. It really says it all for me.What Mr. LeBell speaks about is solid, however, not all MAists are willing to not criticize, for whatever the reason(s). Sad, but true. As a teacher I had likes to say "They're still on the journey to be a Martial Artist, just like you and me. We're just a little further down the road."I like that.

Still, it's better to lose your wallet and phone than your life. No reputable instructor recommends going up against a gun or knife unless you suspect they're not satisfied with your belongings. of course, good on him, good that it worked out, but in general? You're right. If this was a hypothetical situation I would urge my students to comply with the robber. An iPod (at least the ones that I have seen) are not worth your life. I agree and disagree. Personally, I think its great he took the fight to this guy. Its a choice he had to make for himself, and he did what he felt was right. I agree that most times, its best to give up your stuff. But, I also think this guy did the right thing. He decided not to be a victim. Good for him. As for how the control went, evaluating the situation from a technique and execution standpoint...that's how these things go. Technique doesn't end up perfect, and when you get into it with someone who resists, it changes the whole dynamic of the situation. Also, the tight quarters caused issues, as well, and if the bus was moving, then that's a whole other factor to consider. The only thing you can count on in combat is chaos. And its tough to plan for.

Not necessarily. I think the idea of chivalric types of codes are largely based on the beliefs of people that pass the styles down, and not on the style itself. So in the end, its more a part of the person that perpetuated the system, rather than the system itself. The system ends up becoming the vehicle for trasmitting a person's beliefs. Get enough people to follow along, and then it seems to become more of a part of the style. Then, when people have some differences, the splits happen. I think this is another of the biases that Eastern style practitioners tend to pull out of their experience and then require to be applied to any style that considers themselves a Martial Art, or else deem it "not so." All styles have a history. Its impossible not to. Time implies history. How old, or how new, is just a factor of when on the timeline it happens. Nor do I believe that because a style may be a sport style, like Boxing is today, or Wrestling, or MMA, that it isn't a Martial Art. They still are. They just have a different focus.

One of those "a-ha" moments preceded by an "ouch!"

Ah, the joys of scheduling! Sounds like it was an interesting session for both sides!

I agree. It just isn't for everyone. And I think there is something we need to clear up a bit when we use the word "traditional." For the most part, we are using "traditional" to describe styles with roots in the Far East, many of which have some sort of philosophical or spiritual base along with them. But not all styles orginate from there. Boxing has a rather rich history, from the Hellenic style of Boxing from the ancient Olympiads, along with Wrestling and Pankration. Western Swordsmanship has just as rich and deep a history as that of the Samurai from Japan. Fencing has a nice history as well, and the list goes on. Not every system uses a training method like that of these "traditional" Far Eastern arts that many of us have been exposed to, and have a bias towards. Its kind of like the thread Alex put up a time back, speaking about different ways of learning. Not everyone will pick things up the same way, and different approaches work better for different people. For example, some people see the idea of practicing a jab on a heavy bag, focus mitts, or with a sparring partner as more productive than walking up and down a floor in front stances doing a lunge punch, focusing on stance transition and pulling the other hand back to the hip or ribs. Not that either is right or wrong; they are just different. Then we end up with discussions by traditionalists saying a Boxer's technique isn't very good, because of their method, and a Boxer saying a "traditionalists" punch isn't practical, because they walk and punch the air all the time. This banter just proves how much one doesn't realize about the other. So in the end, its probably ignorance on each side that plays the major role in disagreements on subjects like this one.

I've got lots of my certificates and credentials in clear plastic sleeves in a notebook at home. I do have several of my black belt certificates and instructor certificates in frames that were hanging in my parent's house. I have that at home with me, now, and when we get some walls up in the basement, I'll have a place to hang them. For the most part, they are in some pretty standard wooden frames from Wal-Mart. My 4th dan certificate is kind of bigger, so we are going to try to figure something out with that.

Well of course I would hope the 8 year old could prove himself both in knowledge and in skillset irrespective of his age. Otherwise he shouldn't really have the belt should he? I'm of the opinion anyone, regardless of age, should be awarded a rank if they check all the boxes and meet all criteria. Out of interest, at what dan rank do you say someone becomes a master? In my style it's at 7th dan however in some styles a master title is given at 4th dan. Our's is at 5th dan. I'm not crazy about it, but it is what it is.

This is one of those arguments that proves that "the belt doesn't matter," until it does matter. But perhaps we aren't discussing belts, but ranks, which could be different. I'll play a little devil's advocate here. Why does one have to be past their physical prime in order to be considered a master? And why not wait to hold judgement on someone or show them respect until after spending some time speaking and training with them? Each should be considered on a case-by-case basis, certainly, but to make a judgement call without any other information is a pretty quick jump to a conclusion.

12/17/2013 Did 55 minutes of basics, using almost all of the floor at our gym. Then, had a good stretch. I'm sore today, but yesterday, I felt loose and pretty good. I will do some more of this, looking into the Encyclopedia for more "fundamental exercises" to do up and down the floor to change things up a bit.

Oh cool! I missed that episode. I'll have to see if I can Netflix it or something.

I think the main reason is because what was originally Kalaripayattu is not the same as what it is today. I think that what it was is probably gone, and there is an attempt to resurrect it because of the stigma of being "the oldest style," which I doubt is the case, unless he was the first man of the first civilization to do any fighting, which would be really hard to trace. I'm not trying to put the style down. That's not my point. But I don't think there is a hard and fast way to trace back what the practitioners of today are doing to what it was orginally.

That sounds like a great experience! Keep up the hard work!

KC pulled out a win against division rival Oakland, but it didn't end as pretty as it started. I was a bit nervous that KC allowed Oakland to really get back into that game in the 3rd quarter. But, they really turned it back on, and defense came up with some key turnovers, although they gave up a lot of yards, which is a concern. Overall, though, KC clinched a playoff spot, and things can still swing in their favor for the division, if they just take care of business. Patrick, I saw the Phins took care of NE, which puts more of a damper on NE's playoff pursuit of the #1 seed. Bob, the Cowboys won, beating the Packers. Are they still hunting for a playoff spot?

Well, it sounds like you did a good job for your grading. Its no fun to not pass students, but it happens from time to time. So, was it a learning experience for you? What are your thoughts overall, other than the review you gave?

Thank you, everyone! Your support means the world to me! I get to add a solid black stripe down the side of each pant leg.

This gets state a lot, and a lot of times, its all that gets stated. No elaboration, no clarification, just statement.I like to see more about where all these applications are in these katas. I have read some good books that elaborate a bit more on this, and they are immensly helpful.

For us that would turn into the spare GI jacket drill. If we loved you it would even be clean. Relatively.

Who's planning to go see 47 Ronin? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1335975/ I think it looks very entertaining, and am planning to go see it.

I think its a good way to go. The school I attend has a website through the gym we are in, but not a Facebook page, yet. I keep hoping we set one up.

I'm not sure the coffee is the issue here. I drink coffee or pop (soda) often, and don't have these issues. It could be you have these issues, and are trying to associate it to something you do, in this case, caffeine intake. It also sounds like you are experimenting on yourself to see how it affects you, but you don't have any kind of control subject, and seem to be just randomly adding caffiene. You might want to start by going to see your doctor, and talk to him/her about your issues and concerns. You may want to speak with a psychiatrist or psychologist after that. See what you doctor recommends. As for the coffee, if you feel you don't need it, then stop drinking it. Or cut back to one cup a day. See how things go from there. Good luck to you.

It sounds like you've got a good idea of what you want to see out of making progress. If you go visit some schools, ask the instructors about how they approach gradings, and you should be able to nail down someone with similar ideas to yours.

I think some of the ideas and movements relate to that, because the fencing styles that were popular in France at the time would get used with Savate techniques. I don't think they have the same roots, but were just relevant at the same time and place.

I didn't watch the bunkai, just the forms. Each form had some nice touches to them. I thought the Italians did better kicks, and the form had more kicks, but the Japanese had more intricate hand techniques. Both were synced up well, but I thought that the height difference for the Italian girls might not have played in their favor, but I'm unsure if that was the case or not. I'd probably have to go with the Japanese team, even though I did prefer the kicking in the Italian kata. I think the Japanese did a more intricate form, so they would get my nod. All 6 of those performers blow my technique out of the water.

I think it would be a fun one to learn. Its one of those more obscure styles, and I always think its fun to delve into the history and techniques of these styles.