bushido_man96

You are welcome. I am pretty vague when it comes to the philosophy aspect, because I just don't focus on it as much. However, you can find some reading on it, if you look in the right places.

We used to call this one "Joe Cool," and used walking down the alley as an analogy. Upon reaching the first attacker, he jump out and attack, and then the defender would execute a quick combination, and then move onto the next person. Doing it with sparring would be fun, too.

Seniority, in my eyes, always ends up being one of those ego-based things. Here is how it is supposed to work in our school: Rank first. The highest stands on the right. If both are the same rank, then it goes by time-in-rank. If there is a tie there as well, then I go by age; I allow the senior individual to hold position over me. In the end, what does it really mean? Not much. Where you stand in line isn't really an indication of what you know or your understanding of the style. If it were me, I would stand at the back with the white belts every class if that is what it took for me to get the opportunity to learn. I went through the who should be in front of who thing when I joined the school that I am with now. Before, I was a 2nd degree in a different organization; when I joined my current school, I had to start over at white belt. My technique compared to those of the low and intermediate ranks of the school were pretty good, and I had several more years in than most of the other students that were there. I didn't let it bother me, though. I just go about my business, and let things fall where they may. Here is a good exercise for you to perform the next time you hear grumblings about ranking and seniority in your class--make everyone take their belts off, and put them off to the side. Then ask everyone that if they had no prior knowledge about each other in the class, would you be able to tell who is what rank, without seeing any performances? See where that takes you.

Right now, its mainly a '99 Ford Ranger. I would prefer to drive a Silverado, though.

That is an interesting one...just goes to show that you shouldn't assume anything.

You are exactly right here. I have a question; does your friend train mainly in stage fighting, or does he train in techniques from manuals and such?

1-17-08 20 minutes of stretching today.

You could look up Uechi Ryu in Wikipedia, and also search Google to get some results. As far as getting to where people don't think they can push you around, that is going to have more to do with the way you present and carry yourself; attitude and confidence. Those are things you can work on by yourself as well. The training will help, but start inside.

Ah, ok. Thanks for the clarification.

This is how we do it at our school, as well. However, once the lower ranks get through all of the forms they know, they might start working backwards to get more reps on the lower rank forms. It really is a good workout.

Thanks for taking the time to do this, ps1. It is greatly appreciated.

Well, I guess it depends on if the style you study uses rank or not. There are some styles that don't use rank, so in order to set goals, you have to use other forms of measurement to reach them.

I want to focus on my Combat Hapkido now, as well as my DT training.

I thought the movies were ok. I am not a big fanatic, but I'll watch it if its on.

Hehe, it is pretty meager. Right now, around 40. Like I said, not much. Just a small county facility. I do think we could house around 100, though, if given the chance to build a new facility.

Yeah, that's what it sounded like when you explained it. Although it isn't a very big shield, you can do quite a lot with it. I would love to do some sword and buckler training as well. I am living in the wrong area. I need a big metropolitan area where there are groups of these people around.

1-17-08 Traditional TKD Class: 6:00 - 7:00. I warmed up with Chon-Ji, Dan-Gun, Bo-Chung, and Do-San hyungs. Then, we got right into basics, which we spent a lot of time in stances. That made my legs tired, but it was good for me. I spent time doing one-steps with the lone orange belt that was in class tonight, and we got some good one-on-one learning going. It was a good class.

It looks pretty sharp from this end. I don't have any experience with that kata, so I am afraid that I can't be much help.

What is the Total Sparring System?

Hmm, sounds interesting. I have not heard of this name before. I am sure that there are some indigenous arts to that region, though. Afterall, it is the cradle of civilization.

Yes, this is true as well.

A Game of Thrones; Bran Bran is having a dream about falling. There is a crow circling about him, trying to teach him how to fly. The crow talks to him, trying to comfort and encourage him. As he is falling, he sees the realm, and some things imporant in it: He sees Winterfell; Hodor, Mikken, and Maester Luwin, who is looking up to the sky and taking notes. He sees Robb, taller and broader, carrying live steel. He sees his mother and Rodrick on a boat, heading for a "storm" that they cannot see; his mother has the knife laid on the table. Near the Trident, he sees Ned, Arya, and Sansa. Ned in grief, Sansa crying, and Arya bottling up her anger. Shadows are all around them; one with the face of a hound (Sador Clegane), another armored like the sun (Jaime, perhaps?), and over them a giant (not sure who, perhaps the Mountain?). He sees over the narrow seas, the Dothraki, and Asshai, where he sees dragons (foreshadowing ). He also looks to the North, and the Wall, and sees Jon, in a bed cold and alone, all warmth fleeing from him (I really hope that isn't foreshadowing ), and then he looks farther to the North, where the light meets the world, deep into the heart of winter, and screams. Shortly after, he hears his father's voice, telling him one can only be brave when one is afraid. He notices that the crow has 3 eyes, the middle filled with "terrible" knowledge. Bran flies, avoiding death. The crow tells him he must live, because "winter is coming." Once flying, the crow attempts to peck a hole into the middle of his forehead (a 3rd eye, perhaps?), and shorty afterwards, Bran wakes up. When Robb bursts into the room, Bran mentions the name of his wolf: Summer. Bran notices that he can't feel Summer on his legs, too.

The Abahaya Academy sounds like it is geared more towards MMA competition. That may not be up your alley, unless you want to try your hand in the light-weight class. The Kung Fu style may have the redirecting hand work that you like, with the Chi Sao and sticking hands work, if it is a Wing Chun style. I would go check out each of the schools, and talk to the instructors about your interests and concerns, and see what they have to say. Also, watch a class of each, and take some notes and ask questions afterwards. Good luck in your search, and enjoy the journey!

Welcome to the Forums!

Hey, cool.I am a jailer here at the county facility. It is a small facility, and we probably don't do quite the same job you do, but we have fun from time to time.