bushido_man96

That's adorable.

I like both, as well. The nice thing about a testing day is that it presents the idea of a goal to be reached, with a time frame to put to it; be it months, days, or years away. It allows for objectives to be set in order to work towards the goal, which will in the end (should) improve the day-to-day performance, which is evaluated for the purposes of allowing a student to test. I read a thesis once on how the testing is representative of a rite of passage, in a way. I like this idea, and I think that it is what makes the testing what it is.

To me, it's when you shouldn't have to. There have been times that I could have avoided a fight by leaving, running, or giving them what they want (once something as simple as a seat in a park). I am a very slight man (about 5'6" and 125lb.), and each one took that as an opportunity to control me by force or threats. That is wrong; I am not required to yield to anyone who happens to have greater biceps. I will fight with fist, foot, tooth, and nail for what is right, and I am no less justified by the fact that I could have avoided causing or receiving injury. To bow to these brutes would be a worse consequence than my swollen lip or my oppressor's broken nose. Edmund Parker said it well: "Should it be a matter of life or death, of right or wrong, then here are my weapons . . . " I can see where you are coming from here, and I can't say that I have never felt that way before, either. Being bullied isn't fun, nor should it be tolerated. There are times when discretion is the better part of valor, and there are times when action, or inaction to respond to rude requests, is the way to go, as well.

To discuss a move like a neck break without discussing the legal ramifications of using such a technique is not a good idea, in my opinion. If one is to even consider jumping to a technique like that, the other person better have a weapon or something in hand.

I agree about the practice, but using the methods that test your moves is going to be very beneficial practice. The DT sessions that I have had have been great for this. Also, doing research, and then working off the data, is a good approach to take, as well.

I agree. Get it checked out.

It was enjoyable, and the sensei is so smooth, watching him and then going out and just butchering it like I do, really gives me hope that I can attain that level of control at some point.

Agreed. Each tourney is a learning experience. Thanks for sharing it with us.

I think this is a very good point. Ueshiba comes to mind with his philosophies of Aikido. Norse, I believe. They dine in the halls of Valhalla, and then go out to fight and die in the fields of Asgard, and then, arise, and return to dine, and then do it all over again.

That's great. I'm glad that there are schools out there like that. I never said that "child prodigy" is an excuse. What I am saying is that not every child has the same talent level, nor are all children capable of the same things. Nor do I think that all children should be awarded black belts, either. However, I do think that those shown in the threads here are exceptional students, and not every child is going to be achieving that level of skill that early. I think that they can get closer to it, but some children will take longer to get there than others.

I've been there, as well. Especially with Combat Hapkido, we try to make sure that we finish more and more on the ground. But, its all give and take, too; my partner knows that I get a turn after he does.

Ok, semiar is over, and I am a bit sore, but I made it through, and had a pretty good time. Day 1: The sensei talked a little bit about conflict resolution, and how it tends to meld into Aikido's overall philosophy. Then, we spent time on working various techniques and how the philosophy went along, like letting them go where they want by leading them, and then using their energy, etc, as opposed to fighting against their strengths. We did a "corner drop" and nikkyo and kote-gashi techniques from wrist and cross-wrist grabs. Afterwards, we did some bear hug defenses, as it was requested by one of the attendees. Day 2: In the first session, we started off with some basic tai-sabaki exercises, moving in four ways: inside and to the head, inside and to the wrist, outside and to the head, and outside to the wrist. After practicing these, the sensei then had us work on a different defense using each of the different tai-sabaki. This was nice, because it showed that it didn't matter which way you defended, because there is always an option. The second sesion of day 2 started out with about 20 minutes of meditation, which I really didn't care for, but I think most of the partcipants here on the forums are aware of my thoughts on meditation. My thought was I could have spent 20 minutes on more technique work, but, that's ok. After the meditation session, we got to do paired jo-staff work. Now this was fun! We learned 4 different jo "segments" as that attacker, and the defender. I really enjoyed this session; I'd say it was my favorite. Weapon on weapon work is always fun for me. Day 3: Sensei asked if anyone had anything in particular they wanted to work on, so when no one spoke up, I offered up Shio-nage, or 4-direction throw. In the books I had been reading, Shio-nage was held as one of the important aspects of Aikido, and learning Shio-nage helped in learning others, as well, so I thought, why not? We did several variations, with a same side and a cross side grab being done nearly the same, which was nice. At the end, he showed us a 2 on 1 Shio-nage, which we got to play with. Then, we finished with Shio-nage free practice. After each of the sessions, I spent time at home writing in my notebook, and cross-referencing my Aikido books to mark pages that showed the technique we did, or something very similar, so that I could have a reference point to practice it from. Some I found, and some I didn't. I know I won't retain all of the techniques that we learned, but what I have come out with are a better idea of some of the general principles involved with all of the techniques of Aikido...things like unbendable arm, extension of energy, and moving from the center, and keeping the elbows in. It was a fun seminar, and I look forward to next year's seminar, as well.

Yeah, I don't know exactly what happened there, either. Injuries, perhaps, but I dunno. 9-13-09 Chiefs 24, Ravens 38 This game stayed a lot closer than I expected it to, which made me happy. However, it appears that we may not have a running game again this season, even with a healthy and leaner Larry Johnson. There were no openings for any of the backs to run through, and the line isn't good enough to be trying any stretch plays. The defense showed some signs of improvement. The 3-4 will get better as the players get more comfortable with the system. I thought Hali playing more of a linebacker spot is good for his speed, and Derrick Johnson looked good, too. But, when the Ravens did run the ball, they ran it well, so run defense may be a problem, too. Croyle played decently, and though he won't start if Cassell is healthy, I don't feel bad about him backing up. But still, it could be a long season if this is what is to be expected.

That's pretty cool. I thought the Lego Karate guys were cool, too, but they should have had their hands up when kicking. Love that Lego stuff. Its also cool how the rectangular-ness of the Legos lends itself to the similarities in the graphics of the 8-bit NES.

I used to collect football cards a lot, but like many other of my hobbies, it started to get expensive, and so have laid off for quite some time. Still have 'em all, though.

Welcome back.

Welcome to KF.

Yeah, that's basically what I am saying. At the core, they are the same. Sure, there are lots of people that will say that the Martial Arts are about more than just fighting, but at the end of the day, you can ask those same people if they would have started taking the classes if all that was taught was philosophy without technique, and I would be willing to bet their answer would have been no.

Fighting is when the physical training aspects of the Martial Arts are put to use. This could be when you reach the physical aspect of self-defense, or a combative sporting event. I think that all too often, Martial Artists especially like to seperate "fighting" and "Martial Arts" as much as possible, when in fact, Martial Arts exist because fighitng exists. I think that most MAists like to believe that the MAs transcend what fighting is, when in fact, the MAs are really in my mind speicialized fighting. You can look at the MAs any way you want to, but the simple fact of the matter is that the MAs came into being so that mankind could learn to fight and protect themselves better.

Thanks, tg. I sometimes feel a bit defeated when I look at what the workout calls for, and then at how much I get through. But, I'll keep plugging at it. Maybe by the end of the year, I'll be able to do a full pull-up without help. 9-11-09 Aikido seminar: 7:00 - 9:00 pm. 9-12-09 Aikido seminar: 8:30 - 11:30 am; 2:00 - 4:30 pm. Little sore after this session. 9-13-09 Aikido seminar: 9:00 - 10:30 am. Details on the Aikido seminar posted here: http://www.karateforums.com/aikdio-club-seminar-for-2009-vt37152.html

At the fitness center my wife and I go to, they have some of the bikes that has a video screen that you ride courses on. Those can be taxing, and passing people can be motivating.

The latter is really difficult to generate any sort of power with if you chamber to the front of the body.... but it does conceal your intentions. Personally, I have learnt both this way and also with bringing my knee in from the side - which is more powerful but less discrete. WNM My instructor is big on the "knee in from the side" version of the kick; or what he refers to as the "full traditional" round kick. I use it a lot, almost exclusively, when I practice, and always for board breaks. However, the shorter, sport kick will come into play more for sparring drills, and for kicking lower, it is ok, but even then, the full round kick is really very damaging, when you need it.

You know, Bob, I'm not sure what to think here. Its a good question. To be sure, there are cases when it does become an ego thing. Not all cases are that way, though, and the heirarchy can have its uses. One nice thing about rank display (belts) is that it allows a student to know where they are, where the person next to them is, and if that person might be able to answer a question they have. If they can't, then they can move up the chain. Overall, organizational heirarchy should work this way, as well. Likewise, the possession of a rank within the heirarchy should denote that the person has attained such knowledge along the way.

Dobbersky: I think that ShoriKid does bring up a good point. I was in the same boat with my current TKD organization. My instructor had asked the GM to allow me to "test ahead" at the black belt level, because my technique was where it needed to be. At that point, it was pretty much a matter of being able to perform the requirments, and have them memorized. But, the GM declined, citing that I would be a better instructor with the extra time in. Whether or not that is the case, eh, whatever. But, I just took it and went on doing what I was doing. At the same time, the concerns you mention bring us all back to the "rank doesn't matter" arguement that becomes so prevalent at times. Rank never matters, until it does matter (if that makes sense). So, I would say, if you enjoy the training, and it is good training, then don't let the lack of recognition by rank worry you. Your skill and ability will be recognized, regardless of the color around your waist. As sensei8 would say, "the proof is on the floor!"

I think the grappling aspect is going to vary from instructor to instructor based on the experience that they have. I don't know that a lot of grappling was done in the early days of JKD, although Bruce did train with Gene LeBelle a little bit. He was aware of it, but I'm not sure if the exposure was there to address it as much as it is today.