bushido_man96

Very nice. Especially the first one.

There is definitely nothing wrong with being aware.

I feel that if you look at Tai Chi in this sense, as the form of "moving meditiation" done in the park for health and exercise benefits, then you really aren't looking at much more than cardio-kickboxing. You might be doing Martial Arts moves, but you aren't learning a Martial Art. You are taking Martial Arts movements and doing them simply for exercise. Absolutely. As long as it is trained that way. But like I mentioned previously, you can't get caught in the cardio-kickboxing trap.

Martial art moves permeate the Taiji forms, tallgeese, but the questions are: does the instructor teach these moves as fighting moves to the student; does the instructor even know the fighting applications within the forms? Perhaps another question would be if students, particularly American students, of Taiji would attend a Taiji school if the "martial" in the art were emphasized? Don't most take Taiji because they're interested in "meditation in motion"? My question here is, why can't one get both? As an instructor, they take what I teach, and do what they will with it. But, it is my responsibility to make sure that I provide them with the necessary self-defense aspects that it can provide.

This makes me think of the samurai in Japan and the hwa rang in Korea. Nowadays, we have an emphasis on the average citizen seeking to protect him- or herself in a street situation, especially to be able to escape from the scene and call the police. It doesn't take away from the police and the military needing their own martial arts training, but most martial artists of today are not members of these organizations, and we can't expect the police in particular to be everywhere at once to protect us. Barring everyone carrying weapons, we fall back on our own awareness and self-defense capabilities. I think that this tends to still be the case, especially when you talk about what self-defense based systems teach. They teach you to do what you need to do in order to flee to safety, and then call in help, etc. This idea is still reasonable today.

Well, I don't know for sure. I still think Martial means Martial. That's just me, though. When so many people complain about what McDojos do to the MAs, it leads me to believe that the physical Martial aspect has more to do with it than not.

Now that's an awesome deal...."shop victoriously!!!"

Try not to just stare at the screen. Look off to the side, and use your peripheral vision to react to the change.

Oh yeah, it'll hit paperback. Wait about 8 months, but it will. The other 2 have already, too. I wonder if they are going to do the 2nd movie? I'm not sure I would go see it, because I thought the first one was a botch job.

I am glad that you brought this up, because it isn't something that we deal with a lot. However, the fact of the matter is that in a pass/fail grading, like many MA tests are/should be, there is always this possibility. We don't like to think about it, but it can happen. It has happened to me. I think that the most important thing to do is to not quit attending the dojo. If you like the training, and you feel it is good and beneficial, then stick with it. This is a learning experience, just like a tournament loss. You learn from it, and move on. Its tough to not compare your level to the ability level of others testing, but you are evaluated on what your ability level is, and how much you improve compared to how long you've been in. Stick this out. Don't worry about what others think of you. In the end, this will make you stronger and better, and in the end, you'll know that your rank wasn't handed to you.

Solid, tallgeese. Many schools have a curriculum that is attached to a testing cycle; so, you learn the forms/techniques for your belt level, and then move on when you pass the test. There will be some overlap, of course, but as far as moving onward and upward, many schools do it that way. Like tallgeese said, though, making sure that someone has achieved a reasonable level of abilty with a technique or series of techniques, then you can begin to add to it, or advance beyond it. You can't expect expertise right away, so waiting for perfection will stop you at teaching someone how to do a reverse punch/right cross. Another important thing is to not hurry things along too much. Take your time, and get it done right the first time.

I agree. When the weather is nice, its hard not to enjoy it. I spent my afternoon cleaning out my vehicles, and running to the carwash.

It sounds like you had a good time! Good deal for you.

Sounds good, unknownstyle. I'm glad that you feel confident in your decision.

I would agree that this picture shows the throw being executed in the earlier video. Kind of like a fireman's carry throw.

Makes the most sense, especially considering the height difference. I remember a guy who had started in Judo, but changed to Tae Kwon Do, which he did well in. He explained to me that his height was his Judo problem, that being tall, he was "lifting" his opponents all-too-often, while they could toss him all around. He found an advantage of being tall in TKD; i.e., longer legs for firing out kicks at a safe distance from his opponent. Being tall is ok, as long as you remember that the key is getting your hips lower than your opponents. Being taller does make this tougher, but it something that you have to adapt to in training.

I think it should, though. After all, the Martial Arts were originally meant for combat, be it military of civilian. I think that the philosophical side can be a valid bonus of Martial Arts training, but if the style you study isn't helping your Martial training and abilities (physically, for the most part), then I don't think it is deserving of the Martial tag.

Congrats!

All right! I like the Cubs, so I take them in the NL. My wife kind of likes the Dodgers, so the NLDS could be interesting. In the AL, I think that the Angels are the best team, and look for them to make the World Series. Cubs, Angels, and I am rooting for the Cubs.

This looks to be a good season, but I don't get Versus, so I'll miss it. 17 foot rings does sound small. I'd love to see some of those fights. I also think Danza will be a great host, too.

I remember there being a small contingent of Inheritance followers here, so I wondered if anyone had picked up a copy of Brisingr yet. I've got mine, and will be reading it shortly.

Absolutely! And why not? You know, thats when they grab some toy of theirs, and then you can get some interesting results. Kids are the kings and queens of improvised weapons! Along with being just the right height to bust you in the nuts, "accidentally" of course...

Solid post, tallgeese. I like this section here: I think you are right. Its about the totality of the self-defense situations, and being able to handle them. I think this is some good information.

Here's a new one: You know you're obsessed when you look at a broomstick and dustpan as a makeshift sword and buckler set.