bushido_man96

Welcome back to the Forums! Don't worry about going to a school and looking like a newbie; we all started that way!

Cool, I didn't know that. Also reading your post above, I do think that word of mouth is one of the most solid forms of advertising one can get. If satisfied customers are talking about you to other potential customers, it can travel fast. In the end, you are more likely to end up with those who are really dedicated, and williing to stick it out for a long time. When I think back to starting the Martial Arts, other than learning with my dad years ago, I got back in when a friend of mine invited me to the local TKD club.

This is a good arguement for "not a Martial Art," as it relates in opposition to the point JusticeZero had earlier. There has really been some good discussion on this topic, with lots of valid points made for either side. Excellent discussion, everyone!

I had a lot of great times in my first TKD school. My instructor from that time is still a person I consider a good friend. I don't feel I am as close to my current instructor, but I don't feel that this experience has been any less than my previous one. I guess I would have to say that some of my best experiences have been in training with my friend here, who is also a city police officer, just doing Combat Hapkido and Defensive Tactics together, 1 on 1. We have lots of good, open-ended conversations about technique, strategy, class ideas, and have also folded each other up into lots of fun positions while we were at it.

I think this has become more the norm now than the challenges of the past. There was a time when those things could be done, but now, most cities have an ordinance in place for those types of things, and who wants to get arrested because they don't like the fact that another MA gym has moved into their demographic area?

Again, Kudan and Judan have NO tests whatsover in Shindokan!! Yeah, talk about wanting to run away and hide...

I voted no, but, this quote by JusticeZero.... This gives me pause. You make some very valid points that are very serious concerns when it comes to self-defense. In the end, survival is the key, and running away is a good way to survive an encounter, especially if you can out-run and out-maneuver your attackers. A very convincing arguement, JusticeZero.

I do think having a well designed website can be beneficial to any school. However, I don't think that if a school doesn't have a website, that it isn't worth checking out. Bad schools come from all over the place. So do good ones. The internet, or the yellow pages, does not discriminate; they advertise for whoever is willing to pay for it. I think in time most people will realize that today's internet is yesterday's yellow pages. Its the place to find info. Granted, its not always accurate, but yellow page discriptions are less than informative, save an address and phone number. Whether a school has a website or not, its worthwhile to check out all schools nearby in person before signing up for one, in my opinion.

Books can strike people in different ways. Perhaps the Prince struck home in some different manner? I think everyone likes to put The Tao of Jeet Kune Do, The Book of Five Rings, and The Art of War as the the top 3 most of the time, due to the stature of those who wrote them. However, there is a lot more to learn from and read out there.

I have a few. I took a reverse side kick to the chest from an instructor once; I thought he was throwing a spin hook kick. The same instructor in a DT demo shin kicked me in the common peroneal, through a kick shield, and dropped me, and he also knocked me stupid momentarily with a brachial stun. Sparring with my "little" brother (5'10", 300+ lbs), I got thrown across a room. Good times!

Congratulations Liver Punch!

Wow! I don't know what to say or where to start! First of all, I would like to thank you, Patrick, for giving me this opportunity. I didn't realize then where it would lead, and KF has become a big part of who I am. Thank you, Patrick. I also want to express mu gratitude to all of the staff members I work with now and worked with in the past. You are a blast to work with! To Bob; thank you for those kind words. They mean more than yo know. And last but not least, I thank all of the great members of KF for all of their great contributions. Without you, I wouldn't have near as much to say. Thank you all!

Love the Glock!

That sounds like you had a good testing, then. Yeah, even though one group was a tad down, it sounds like they got what they had coming, and I don't blame you or your instructors a bit. Its important to step up to the plate and bring your A game to a testing, even if you're not feeling it that day.

That's good advise. Keep up your practice, be confident in what you know, and manage the butterflies as best you can. Good luck!

The only qualification an instructor needs, is to be good at instructing. Moral character and all that helps, too, but I can deal with a jerk if he can make me better.

That sounds like you've got a great trip planned out! Have fun with it, and give us a good article or something on it when you return!

I hear this a lot, but I have trouble seeing it. GM Pelligrini makes claims like that as well. Yet BJJers and Judoka can spar without these problems. I understand that smaller joints are being attacked, but, if you grab someone's wrist, and they start to resist, you get into a tug-of-war, and then you can see how other types of attacks and come into play. I think a type of sparring could be done, given sufficient research.

Well, at the same time, were the "fights" viewed on youtube considered consentual combat, or were they jumpings and muggings that didn't involve weapons? All these things are part of what needs to be considered for a more accurate idea of how things happened, and the results they led to.

I feel using Martial Arts DVD's, books, youtube videos, etc, can be a valid medium to learn from, but is best utilized if one already has experience in the Martial Arts, and has been established enough to have a good understanding of various Martial concepts, like movement, range, attacking ideas, etc. I think in this age of technology, its important to not let Martial Arts be the one thing that doesn't benefit from it. Modern technology makes many things better, and makes many more things available to us, especially via the web. Take, for example, sensei8's example of setting up training time via Skype. No, its not like being in a class setting, but it can be a viable way for MAists that are hunderds or even thousands miles away to colaborate on things and work out together. Not unlike a conference call.

Welcome aboard, Barry!

Welcome to KF, Tay.

This is terrible. Anytime a cop ends up using lethal force, there is alway a question as to why, and whether or not less lethal force could or should have been used. As an officer, I make sure I keep myself in check as to what force I use, and whether I can justify its use or not. This is done through articulation, usually after the fact in a report. That's why scenario based training is so important; to recognize when to escalate force levels. Its alway hard to Monday-morning quarterback a cop's force decisions, and I try not to do it too much. However, with that said, there should be some clear articulations out there on what caused officers to escalate their force levels, and hopefully that articulation justifies why they did so. At any rate, it is of the utmost importance that the integrity of an officer never be jeapordized; after it is gone, we have nothing left to keep us honest. If we are not honest, how can we protect and serve?

I agree with tallgeese. That is about the easiest way to control them, and hopefully the episode doesn't last too long. Sometimes, we don't want to hurt the other, because they just aren't coherent, like your situation here. Obviously teeing off and punching them out isn't a good answer, either. Another thing to consider is looking for signs of an outburst coming on. Does he get a wierd look in his eyes? Does it begin with confused speaking all the time? If you can ID some warning signs, then you can start by getting him somewhere isolated or getting everyone else away. Prevention first, then control if need be.

This is, in no way, anyone's responsibility. Just walk away from the situation. I agree. You don't know if this guy is thinking "fight" or if he is thinking "kill." If you go into it thinking "I'll teach this guy a lesson" and he is thinking "I'm going to kill this guy," you will probably be in for a big surprise. Its just best to let it be, if at all possible.