bushido_man96

Way to go!

This may be the case, but his knowledge should be recognized.

I don't know why there are so many non-competing Martial Artists out there that automatically think that a ring fighter would not be able to defend themselves on the street. It just doesn't make sense to me. These guys practice every day at a high level. Sure, they are getting ready for the ring, but I am pretty sure that when it comes down to "real" self-defense, they know how to put an end to the fight real quick. Just lower your jab a few inches, and you have a punch to the throat. Lower the target of your thigh kick, and you have a kick to the knee. There isn't that much mystery to it.

I can understand this. However, the range may have something to do with your options as well. If they are clinching you, then the knees are good. However, what if a buddy has your arms behind your back, and his friend approaches? A kick to the knee or groin might be better then. Just depends.

There are some good points here. Full contact with some protective gear should not have any long-lasting effects, I think. Ali is just one case; there are a lot of other professional fighters out there that don't have the same problem. Like Pittbull says, if you do suffer a concussion, you need to stop for the night, and then see a doctor to follow up.

I agree with you here. Especially since most one-steps are done in a controlled, non-defending manner. Sparring is a bit different, especially when some level of contact is expected. At the same time, you get to actively defend, too, reducing the risk of getting hurt somewhat.

Capoeira would be awesome. Even learning to play the berimba would be cool.

So, does that mean that our ideas are wrong now, just because they weren't thought of then?

Hmm. Not really into the "Zen" and the whole spiritual enlightenment thing really, but am looking forward to the answer. Yeah, I hear you, Zanshin. First off, if you have the luxury of knowing that he is pointing a gun at you, then I would turn and walk the other way. Or maybe get down on my belly and army crawl away.

To become more alert and aware, you should try to concentrate more on the things around you. When you drive, try think what street you are going by; and try to think of the name of the next one. Be concious of the fact that you are going to be walking around corners, and take a wider berth. Little things like this can help you to become more aware. When you pass someone in a hallway, try to recollect their eye color. When you see someone writing, take note of which hand they write with. All kinds of little things like this can help you. As for the balance, I would just try to practice more on it.

Congrats!

I am so going to do that. This example erm, isn't from personal experience though right? so am I! I get married in August. Good luck with that guys! And congrats, Throwdown.

I am so going to do that. This example erm, isn't from personal experience though right? No, it wasn't. Just popped in there!

I would tend to agree somewhat here.

I think that each person's philosophy of the art is going to be different. However, many adhere to the principles laid out by Gichin Funakoshi, with ideals like "there is no first strike in Karate" and "Karate is a tool for justice" and the like. I am afraid I can't think of too many more right now.

This depends on how you use the muscles when you kick. If you pull your leg down from the top of the arc of the crescent kick, then it does become an axe kick, with the downward force. If the target you are aiming for is the head, at the apex of the arc, then it really isn't an axe kick at all.

I only agree on this point if you get the Wrestler on his back. If they are not on their back yet, then they are in their comfort zone. That is the main difference I see between BJJ and Wreslting. Wrestlers don't want to be on their back, and when they get their, they want to do whatever necessary to get out of that position. BJJers are comfortable on their backs, because they don't have the pin mentality. If you can get the Wrestler out of the pin mentality, and let him know that it is ok to work from your back, then I don't think it would take a whole lot of extra training to see some options from that position.

Technique will be important. You can do some research on the World Breaking League, or something like that, to find some info.

A Game of Thrones; Jon A new face walks into the armory (Samwell Tarly, we learn soon). When he speaks, Pyp identifies him as Southron from the Highgarden area, and as a lordling. Pyp traveled with a mummer’s troupe, and claimed he picked up this skill of indentification. The new boy is very huge, guessed at 20 stones, and is fat. Thorne names him the Lord of Ham and Ser Piggy, and insults him from the get-go. Thorne puts him in the list, and he is beaten handily, showing he has no skill at fighting. Thorne forces the other boy to keep beating on Sam until he rises, and Jon steps in. Now Thorne decides to send 3 boys to fight Jon and his new buddy, but two of Jon’s new friends, Pyp and Grenn, step in to help him. Sam then thanks them, and introduced himself. He is the son of Randyll Tarly of Horn Hill, bannerman to the Tyrells of Highgarden. He was the heir, but for some reason has taken the Black. He admits to the others that he is a coward, and this concerns them. That night after supper, Jon and Sam talk outside. Jon asks if Sam is afraid of everything, and why a craven would come to the Wall. Sam just sits down and cries, and is interrupted by Ghost. He begins laughing, and the two begin talking again. Jon talks of a dream of Winterfell, and how he is searching through the place looking for people, but finds no one (foreshadow?) or anything. It is empty, and he finds that he must go down to the crypts, and always awakes before getting there. Sam then tells the story of why he is at the Wall. He was the only son, until his mother had another, when Sam was around 12, I guess. Lord Randyll did not see Sam as fit to inherit the great sword of Valyrian stell called Heartsbane, which had been handed down from father to son of Horn Hill for 500 years. So, when his little brother Dickon was born, Tarly turned all of his attention to him. Where Sam liked dancing and music but hated hunting and fighting, Dickon was more robust and had the qualities of a future lord. Therefore, one day, Sam’s father basically threatened him that he would have Sam take the Black, so that Dickon could inherit Horn Hill and the sword, and it could be passed on in the way he felt it should. If Sam chose not to take the Black, then there would be a hunting trip, and an “accident” would happen to Sam. Jon returned to the dining hall, and the others began making fun of Sam. He stopped them, and told them all “how it was going to be” when it came to the treatment of Sam in the lists. Rast spoke up, and stated that he would not go along, and would look to give Sam a beating if offered the chance. That night, with the help of Grenn, Pyp, and Ghost, they paid a visit to Rast, and scared him straight. Notes: When Jon addressed the other men there about Sam, he was able to do what he needed to do, say what he needed to say, to each of the men to convince them to go along with him. In this respect, he showed some great leadership qualities. He also begins to see the other men around him as his brothers, as Benjen had told him he would.

A Game of Thrones; Eddard Eddard has began enquiring about the death of Jon Arryn, and is interviewing Grand Maester Pycelle. Pycelle thinks that Arryn’s death came in part to being worn down by his burdens as a father and as Hand of the King. One day, he requested a certain book (important note here) and seemed healthy, and the next day, he was ill. Pycelle sent a Maeter Coleman away, who I think was the Maester of the Arryn house. Pycelle felt that he would kill Arryn with the purging potions he was giving him. They talk on, and the last words Arryn said to Robert and his wife were “the seed is strong.” Pycelle thinks Arryn’s death was an illness, but Ned offers a different theory; poison (this gets Pycelle’s attention). Ned also hints that poison is a “woman’s weapon,” but Pycelle also mentions that it is a weapon of eunichs (Varys). In parting, he asks to see the book Jon was reading before becoming ill; it was a book on the lineages of the great lines of the lands. Back at the Red Keep, Ned is visited by Littlefinger. He has found 4 people who were of Jon Arryn’s entourage that had remained in King’s Landing; one was his squire, recently knighted. Petyr also points out to Ned some individuals posted outside his Keep; one that reports to Varys, and another that reports to the Queen. Ned is convinced that he should send one of his men to fetch these people to talk with, as opposed to going himself. He thanks Petyr (reluctantly) and says he may have been hasty in not trusting him. Littlefinger says that not trusting him was the smartest thing that he could have done. Notes: Is it possible that Varys the Eunich is actually one of the Eunich warriors that we meet later on? We also see how Eddard’s honor and trust can begin to get him into trouble in King’s Landing.

Well, I occasionally think I'm annoying... and I can just imagine what other people are thinking if I think that I'm annoying. I'm sometimes make jokes and say things that are met with the chirping of crickets (aka awkward silence). I find I'm a lot more satisfied with my day when I'm quiet. I also tend to laugh at a lot of things, even if they're not that funny, and I'm sure this gets annoying. So what do you think? Well, I think we all have times like that. If you want to be more quiet and listen to more things, then that is fine. I don't think it will change you much, just that your personality will show up less, because you express yourself less.

A Game of Thrones; Bran Bran sits in his window seat, watching Rickon play with the wolves. He describes each of the direwolves. Shaggydog (Rickon’s) is all black, with eyes of green fire. Summer (Bran’s) was “sliver and smoke, with eyes of yellow gold that saw all there was to see.” Bran feels that Summer is the smartest of the litter, and the most wary. Summer is also the smallest, Bran thinks. Nan is tending to Bran, and he is irritated with her. She would tell him stories, but he hates them all now. He only likes the scary ones, so Nan begins a scary one; about a long winter that came thousands of years ago, and the “white walkers” (the others) came for the first time, and how they led undead armies against the living. They hated iron and the sun. She also talked of the deaths of high and low alike due to the winter, which she also called the long night, as if the sun disappeared. The “last hero” went searching for the children of the forest, to help defeat the Others with their magic, but Nan got cut off before she could finish. Nan’s story was interrupted by Maester Luwin, who takes Bran to see a visitor. As Hodor carries Bran into the throne room, he sees Tyrion standing in front of Robb, and he is not being welcomed. Robb is still suspicious of Tyrion, and does not trust him. Tyrion has a gift for Bran, which is a blueprint of a saddle and riding tack to make so Bran can ride a horse. When Robb questions him as to why, Tryion states that he did it because Jon asked it of him. After a time, in which Tyrion is almost attacked by all three direwolves, he departs. Yoren and the other Black Brothers sup with the Starks that night, and he gives news of Benjen’s disappearance. Robb refuses to believe it, showing a bit of childishness in the process. Later, Robb promises to have Bran ride out to meet their mother when she returns, and they will one day soon ride to the Wall to visit Jon (foreshadow…). Notes: We learn the Old Nan is older than dirt it seems, and the 7 foot tall Hodor, who’s real name is Walder, is her great-grandson, and her only surviving heir. She may be as old as Maester Aemon. Bran also notes a difference in Robb, when he is being “Robb the Lord,” and when he is himself. Bran has another dream, this time climbing a tower, with his legs limp. At the top are two gargoyles, who climb down to meet him. He tells them that “he didn’t hear” what they said, and then is awakened by Hodor.

Well, you know what you want to change, so now just work on changing it. There isn't a lot of magic to it. Just try to talk less, listen more, etc. Why do you want to change? Personally, I like who I am, and don't want to change much of anything (except for maybe lose a few pounds...).

I am not so sure. Everyone has a weakness. Even the most skilled fighters can have a weakness. One may be overconfidence. Another is the fact that not many craniums can withstand a solid thwack with a lead pipe, either.

That may be the case, but anticipation and reaction time are not the same thing. And when you make assumptions, you will eventually be wrong.