bushido_man96

I posted an article in this thread that should be of interest to this thread as well: 12 year old Oklahoma girl shoots home intruder This girl did a very good job of defending herself in a lethal threat situation. I don't see any reason why a girl like this couldn't earn a full black belt rank in the Martial Arts. I also think that we as Martial Arts instructors need to really think about how we address the "lethality" of the Martial Arts we teach. A lot of instructors think because they are teaching Martial Arts, and they teach all these moves that are considered "lethal," that they are teaching people how to kill. In actuality, they are not. Teaching someone how to kill is a whole other level of training, one taken on by military or law enforcement training. Along with the techniques, a type of mind set has to be trained for it, as well. A lot of us aren't trying to train killers. We want to train others to defend themselves. And I'm not saying we aren't teaching our students how to use lethal force levels if necessary. I guess what I'm getting at is that in my teaching experiences, I don't say things like "now if you do this, you can kill them" very much in class. I'm curious as to how often others say it or demonstrate it.

10/19/2012 AM therapy at the clinic - 30 minutes. Last session. Bag Work 3 rounds of left hand only work on the bag, rounds lasting between 30 seconds and 1 minute. BL round kick: 3x5 each leg. BL 45 degree round kick: 2x5 each leg. Kicks done between rounds.

If the instructor thinks it will be best, then go with it for a while and see how you get on. If you are doing both classes, I think that will be pretty helpful for you.

I've been reading a bit in the book already. One note the author keyed on was the Chinese practitioner's apparent willingness to seek out any kind of form, and then alter it if they felt it needed to be altered for them to use, in contrast to the Okinawan and Japanese idea of "standardizing" the katas into having a right and wrong way of them being done.

That's good to hear! Some things are tougher to pick up than others, and we all learn differently, and have different comfort levels. Kudos to you for sticking with it, and making progress!

I guess the difference between me and others is that I don't really care to "transcend" anything. I just want to do my thing, and seek what I want when I want to. I'm not really looking for any "truth."

Saw this article on a Facebook page today, and thought it would make a nice topic piece: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=157&sid=22617747 Things here went well. It appears the family had a plan of sorts, and communication and cool-headedness kept this girl alive. Thoughts?

Nice article, Bob. I like to think of the search for perfection as the rule of math that states you can keep halving things in front of 0 on the number line, and although you get infinitely closer to 0, you never quite reach it.

10/18/2012 Treadmill: 20 min 29 sec, 1.5 mile walk/jog. Bike: 1 mile cool down. Stretch Naifanchi: slow walk-through, 4 times.

Thanks for that explanation, Justice. When I get a bit healthier, I will try to play with it a bit.

I've just got my copy printed. Can't wait to tear into it. Thanks, DWx! Great find.

Hey, that's just what I was thinking....!

I'm not saying that he doesn't have some decision-making issues. Some things could have went very wrong there. But, in a zero-tolerance world, sometimes things like this make me....smile when I hear them.

Thanks for explaining further. That helps me understand what you are saying. We don't really do hook punches as one of our basic techniques in TKD, but I've done them on my own for a long time, and I teach them when I get the chance to early on. I also preach a more hand's up fighting stance. These, I feel, are matters with simple solutions that would not terribly compromise what you would be doing in your Shotokan dojo.

On another note, I loved the sound that kick made when it landed. And no, I don't want to be hit with that. A note and question on technique. I am aware that the way Capoeiristas do their kicks is different from many other styles. I have tried to do hook or heel kicks that way, putting my hand on the floor, and the kick just doesn't feel right; I know the problem is I try to apply the way I do the kick standing when I put that hand down, but something doesn't come out right, and I also feel like I can kick higher my way than by putting my hand on the ground, which seems counter intuitive to me. Can either of you guys explain to me why and where I am going wrong?

Great topic idea, MP. This one is pretty simple for me. I don't think it is the job of an instructor or dojo to enhance someone's spirituality. I think many individuals believe this to be the case, but in the end, I feel the individual will eventually find what he/she is seeking, given he/she looks hard enough. If you want to seek it through kata, then that's great. I just don't want it pushed on me, and if it is, I'll just say, "oh, ok..." shrug, then move on. I'm the guy who at the beginning of Aikido class sits in seiza and looks around at everyone else breathing and meditating. To me, that's time wasted that could be improving technique.

These individuals should be dealt with in sparring....

I agree with DWx's case by case analysis of the rank. There is nothing set in stone that only adults can earn black belt ranks. Its been common practice for a long time, and when someone finally said kids can be black belts, too, it just hasn't come off well for everyone. We see all kinds of amputees and other physically and metally handicapped individuals earn black belts. I don't see why kids can't.

I'm glad for you and your daughter to be training together.

I want to thank everyone for their input so far. You've made this discussion into exactly what I was hoping for.

10/17/2012 AM session, only half and hour today. One session to go.

I did Taekwondo for a while, and you're right, it gets that sort of rap, really viewed as ineffective fighting - the trick is to do it right; I wasn't, so I wasn't really kicking hard, just fast, my kicks were basically slaps but then I started Muay Thai and Capoeira and my kicks are now insanely strong - easily my strongest suit in sparring. But my Taekwondo training really helped me build my kick foundation. I'm not sure why I typed all this - I guess I'm missing Taekwondo a little bit. One day I'll go back and get my black belt. Don't fret it man; thanks for sharing your thoughts here. As a TKD guy, I've always appreciated Capeoira, and would love to give it a go sometime.

That also helps to explain why none of the masters that went on to found TKD and other Korean kwans didn't do any bunkai for their Shotokan forms, or their future forms.

I think the emphasis on the 3 K's really started being a mantra when Funakoshi was implementing Karate into schools. Those 3 K's created an easy to follow class training protocol that really got things going for the style. I can't confirm this, and if anyone else has any other solid information on it, please chime in with it. This is just an estimated guess on my part. @Drew. Good post, with some very good points. I agree with your thoughts on character development.

I agree with pitbull. Getting proficient in a smaller move set is the way to go, and then to work the scenarios over and over again.