bushido_man96

Funny! I don't think I would have been standing so close to that guy, though. I would have been backtracking quick!

I'm not sure that there can really be a difference in the brutality of one sword attack over another. In combat, if a warrior took someone's arm off, they may naturally flow right into another attack, dispatching the attacker. Who knows? What if you didn't take off their sword arm? As far as it being called a "black art" because of the killing moves.....well, I think that is what the sword was made to do....kill, not maim.

That is a bad deal. I hope your friend has a really good lawyer, and lots of luck coming his way. I don't see anything good coming out of that. Just getting pushed...I can understand if he thought that the man was going to continue, and it was probaby just a fluke that he was killed, but why run that risk?

It really is about taking good care of yourself. Genetics can play a part in it as well. Some people just age better than others. Another part of it is adjusting your training routine as your body gets older, so as not to push it too far.

Oh, sure!!! I just find my treasures, and now you want me to send them around the world for others to share....well, I guess I could....

I would kind of agree. It shouldn't be that hard to find, I don't think. Have you watched any of the classes yet? That may be something that you want to do as well.

I don't think "internalness" would necessarily have to relate to a style in particular. Anyone can study Chinese medicine. Once having studied it, you could put its methods into practice in anything that you do. So, if a Karate guy studied Chinese medicine, and then taught its internal practices to his Karate students, then they get an "internal" facet of the Martial Arts.

Welcome to KF!

Welcome to KF!

The more that you spar, the better that you will get at it. By doing so, you will learn to read the telegraphs, and that can help you out a lot. Welcome to the Forums!

Quite funny!

If you are learning to use a sword, then there should be no misconceptions about what the moves you do with the sword are designed to do, or what the weapon itself was designed to do. It is a killing implement, and it was meant to be used efficiently. Iado, for example, isn't just the art of drawing the sword, it is the art of drawing and slicing/cutting at once, resulting, in the eye of the warrrior, in death.

Way to go!

I agree. Many people just assume that if they claim "self-defense," that they can coast out of some charges, when in fact, you have to be very careful. You don't want to be tried by 12, and then sentenced for 5!

Make the students do things that force them to think. Create new combinations of basic techniques and drill them in multiple directions and with variations etc. If the student is busy thinking what they have to do all the time this will not only be a huge benefit to their training but also wont give them enough time to get bored. Don't give them too much time to figure the combos out either. Show them once quickly then make them do it. It's the basics so they should be able to figure it out without much help. Then when it looks like they've just about got it, jump to another one. It'll drive them nuts and keep them paying attention because they'll know they don't get much time to get it down. Those are both great ideas. Especially jumping to new combos quickly. I always enjoyed classes like that.

Good advise. Rest and re-evaluate constantly.

NASTY!!! "Hey, Chuck, punch me!!" Good one! Thanks for sharing!

I love that old video. Very nice.

I think that is kind of cool. If I ever get the chance to move to a city, I am going to seek out a BJJ school.

I think that is really cool, too, guys. I am not sure that I can trace a lineage like that. I can get to my GM through my instructor, but I don't know much about his training. I would love to sit down and interview him, though.

I think it is great to offer recommendations. But for an instructor to tell a student that they can't train in another style, is a bit intrusive, I think. As far as gaining experience in one style prior to going into another, that has its pros and cons as well. I think training in a striking style and a ground style at the same time would work pretty well together. Training in two striking styles may be a bit more counter-productive, but if a student chooses to do so, then that is great. If a student would choose to train this way, and he was having trouble in a class I was teaching, I would just slow down his advancement. If he isn't ready to test, then he won't test. However, if he chooses to do this, then who am I to tell him what path his journey through the martial arts is to follow? After all, it is his journey.

Well done. Its good to hear that you had a good time, too.

Keep working with your instructor, and ask him for advice. He may know some of your opponents, and may be able to give you some pointers. Keep things simple, and don't try to change too much. If it has worked so far, keep trying it. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! Now, that is not to say that everything that you do will work. Some won't, and you may have to change things up. Overall, this will be a new learning experience for you, so go into it with that in mind. Good luck!

Great information. Thanks for sharing.

6-1-07 I finally got to do something this week! Today, for about an hour, my brother and I worked on some knife combat exercises that I have read about in my recent Medieval Combat manual. We worked only on covers, and focused on getting lots of repitions in, to get the muscle memory down.