bushido_man96

This one I dissagree with. I do think that some students would be overwhelemed, but that's them and their issues. Some people would absorb the type of calm training as a lesson in keeping your mind clear when faced with a high-intensity confrontation. Which most people know and agree is a good idea. Unfortunately, I would have to agree with this concept for the most part. If you never feel contact, or make contact, or experience a higher (not necessarily the same level of fighting) intensity, then it will be tough to know how to deal with it in a situation.

That clarifies things a bit. In my sources, it actually states that closing is the idea to defend, and that the movement backward is usually a result of a situation, as opposed to be the rule. Whilst i agree with you for the most part, the only thing i see that has changed is some of the older material(this applies to hand to hand also) focuses on the "dual" mentality of 2 guys squaring off outside a bar and going for it like a sparring match. The reality is, however, that a guy attacking you with a knife isnt going to stand back taking delicate little slashes at you, they are going to be trying to get close enough to get one hand on you so you cant move whilst they are pumping you with the knife in the other hand. Actually, the defenses and situations that are discussed in my sources reflect the very scenarios that you have described. It was stated that a dirk (referencing my current source) would have been pulled in a surprise attack, and very rarely was "mutual" knife combat a result. The person to defend themselves would have to a). intercept the attack, and b) then attempt to counter and try to pull their own dirk.

The answer is simple: you have to speak the language. I pointed out the quote you made above because this is the very atmosphere you need to learn you language. If you don't ever speak it and hear it spoken back, you won't get it down. Even if you mess something up, who cares? Then, the person you are talking with can help you figure out what you are actually trying to say, and then help you to get it right. That is how you have to learn a language. Believe me, I speak from experience. I took 3 years of Spanish in high school, and was pretty good at it, as far as writing and vocabulary go. Hearing it and translating it was tougher, especially hearing it from Spanish speakers (hearing an English speaker speak Spanish, and then hearing a Spanish speaker speak it are two different monsters!). I then had some time away from it, but took some more classes in college for it. It came back pretty quickly, but then, I never used the opportunities that I had to talk to Spanish speakers to really get the language down. So, all that time squandered, and I really wish I had it now. Don't be like me. Talk with Japanese speakers in Japanese. Don't be scared. Do it. It will be the best thing you do. As for learning the other 2 languages, the same thing applies. If you get to where you don't have someone to speak them with, they will begin to slip.

I loved that article! He didn't do a lot of bashing. He just talked about his experiences and revelations. There is a lot that I agree with in that article, as far as philosophy, time-in-training, and the like. Thanks for sharing that, Adonis.

A very nice article, indeed. I would love to have had the experiences that he has had. I particularly liked this quote: "But I’m into breaking tradition. So this will be an experiment and we’ll see how it goes." I would also agree with the remarks that he made in regards to humility in the Martial Arts.

I personally believe that gaining proficiency shouldn't take too long. I would say 6 solid months of hard training, and you should begin to feel proficient. Maybe even less, if you have lots of time to train, and get in lots of reps and feedback. Now, mastery, on the other hand, will take a considerably longer amount of time.

I had a few questions for you: What are these? I think the terminology your are looking for here is shoulder shrugs. I think. As for the stretching, just stick with it. Stretch like you say you have, to discomfort, not pain. If stretching is painful, then you have probably overdone it already. It takes time, but it is worth it.

What you need to do is get on a stretching regimen that you will follow every week until Christmas. Look up information on strength training for flexibility, and look up different dynamic and static stretches to incoporate into your routine. Ultimate Flexibility by Sang H. Kim is a good source for stretches. Thomas Kurz is also well known for his books on stretching. Look into those, and see what you can come up with.

Very nice!

Nice posts, cross. I have been reading up on quite a bit of historical knife fighting, and have seen some of the same things that you talk about. Some of the sources, though, do mention slipping the attack, or even shifting back from it, if not to regroup enough to carry out your plan. Do you think this is wrong? Or just different? Mind you, this is historical stuff, and not recent stuff. However, knife combat has not changed much over the past 1000 years, in my opinion.

Best of luck, and keep us posted!

No, it wasn't 15 minutes straight. It was broken up into two segments. Very tiring, though. Yeah, post your training up. I would love to read it.

I think that different people just like to express themselves different ways. Some like to do it while fighting, and some would rather not, as you mention for various, legitimate reasons. What I don't like is when one talks down of the other for their viewpoint of how to express their style or art. If one master wants to be a fighter, then great, let them fight. If another doesn't want to fight, and feels that he has nothing to prove, then I think that is awesome. In the end, though, both should be given equal respect.

Hey, works for me! 9-5-07 Tonight I had Black Belt Class from 6:00 - 7:00. We worked on stuff for our next upcoming testing, and got a pretty good workout. My instructor wanted to look over our forms for testing. He had one of the students go before me, and gave some tips for him to break them down and tweak things a little. When I did mine, all he said was "You got it down," and he kind of smiled. No pointers or tips for me, though! Maybe that is a good thing? For the last 15 - 20 minutes of class, we worked on Hoo Sin Sul (self-defense). Me and a friend also had a grappling session prior to the class, and after the class, we had another session. I got my butt pretty much kicked, but it was a good time, and boy, did it make my arms tired! I would guess that we did around 15 total minutes of grappling.

Clash has some good ideas. Physical condition is important in the Fighting Arts. Even if you can't get some of the equipment he mentioned, the only equipment that you need for push-ups is the floor. Also, a jump rope would only run you about $3. You can also get a kitchen timer to do stuff like that for set timed rounds. In the end, it is all up to your imagination. Look into these books: Solo Training and Solo Training 2. Find them here: http://www.turtlepress.com/Solo_Training_Set_p/set-slt.htm

Yeah, it was impressive. It kind of reminded me of the kind of fights that the kids that do Muay Thai in Thailand have. However, I think a lot of those kids get their bodies so abused that they are done with Martial Arts by the time they are 30. I would hate to see that happen to my kids.

Well, just stay positive, Laurie. I am sure in time, everything will come together for you.

Sounds like a typical beginner class to me. Keep at it, and things will start coming to you better.

One of the issues that I have with this is that the terminology isn't important when it comes down to defending oneself.

Are you talking about begining to teach your own classes? If this is the case, the first thing you will need is a place to teach at.

I am not sure about that. I do know that if the head does get cut, it will bleed quite profusely. The bruising may also be true. That may be why people get shiners so easily.

A kids' challenge match; that is nuts. I don't know what to think, really. The kids are good, no doubt there. However, do you think that this kind of thing is good for kids, though? I am kind of torn, here. On one hand, I want kids to know what a fight would be like, if they get into one, as far as contact goes. But on the other hand, I don't know if setting up a match like this is the way to go. What do you guys think? I am looking too deeply into this? Would you let your kid do a fight like this? Is it that much different than, say, your kid Wrestling in a tournament? Maybe it is not so bad; these two did not look hurt terribly bad at the end. Maybe it is good?

9-4-07 Taught Kids Class tonight from 4:00 - 5:00. Before class, I pushed out my form, Se-Jong, 5 times. I did it easy at first, and the last few times put more power in it. I think it is coming along, finally.

The real problem here is that you are trying to learn self-defense/fighting without some one to defend yourself/fight against. Very tricky to do, especially with the involvement of things like timing, distance, etc.

Stand on one leg and do various exercises. Do kick repetitions, like side kicks, round kicks, front kicks, etc. Do 10 of each, then switch legs. Later on, as you get better with that, do front kick, then rechamber it and then turn the leg over for round kick with the same leg before setting down. Simple drills like this will help to improve your balance. There are countless others to do, as well. Once you get your stationary balance down, try to do things on one leg while moving around, to improve your dynamic balance.