bushido_man96

I just don't know if I could enforce this idea. People are going to be attracted to those who they share interests with, and the martial arts are no different. Now, I do feel that the instructor does have the professional obligation moreso than the students do. If two students are going to date, what can you do? Would you want to dismiss them from their training?

Just as long as it doesn't become a class distraction. When my instructor found out that my future wife and I were dating, he would't pair us up anymore. I felt we were pretty professional about it, and he didn't really know until he saw us out bowling together...we had been seeing each other for 2 weeks by that time.

Good ideas, ninjanurse!

Hehe, thanks!

Look at it this way, though....if a 13 year old Musashi was willing to teach you, would you learn from him?

Man, that is weird.

Do a lot of core exercises to stregthen your abs, back, etc. Otherwise, maybe don't spar for a while.

He was quick, that was for sure. What I can't understand is why in the world no one ever kept their hands up in those fights.

Thanks for the tips, John. We have been working the one-steps into kind of a flow drill in class, and I have been seeing some spots where I get that "oh, yeah, then you do this, from the one-step, and get this" stuff going on. It is that moment of enlightenment, it seems. Very nice, when we get to do it.

I think that kicking power is more a product of speed and mass than it is from flexibility. However, flexible muscles will typically be looser and more relaxed, which can help with speed. However, I don't think it is that determinant of a factor when it comes to power output. Well... others would say proper form. Its a combination of a lot of things. But as my example, if i can kick over your head as my LIMIT, an your limit is barely the head.. obviously my kick compared to yours would be stronger at the head area. That same kicker who can barely kick to the head, would still struggle to get proper form to the neck area, where as the high kicker kicks even more powerful then the guy in my example. Some people are so flexiable a kick to the neck area feels the same as someone with less flexiablity kicking to the stomach. I can see your point, but some of that comes down to how tall the person is. Someone who is 5'4" tall is going to have to kick higher to kick my head than someone who is 6'4" tall. The agles will be different.

It is about adapting different muscles to different uses. Give them 3 months worth of training, and they would improve.

Ok, sounds good. I have been working on a flying side kick, which I will have to perform when I test for my 3rd dan. I will have to jump over 3 people and break 2 boards. I practice by jumping over kicking shields, and into a Powerline. I seem to be knocking my body out of whack on contact, and this is frustrating.

I have heard stories of knuckles being broken when punching to the head. Target selection can determine tool selection.

A block is a strike and a strike is a block. I don't get what you're trying to say here. Me neither.... From reading some of your other posts, Shorin Ryuu, about striking and blocking powerfully, and concentrating on destroying the opponent, I assumed that you had heard this phrase before. Basically, what it boils down to, is that if you are forced to block an initial attack, then the block should be powerful and intentional, therefore causing damage to the limb that is attacking you--therefore, becoming a strike.

This is very well put. This is how I would look at the situation. I don't consider myself quick, or super strong, or do I want to know if I can take his best shot. I know I have lousy reaction time, too. Therefore, I don't want to stand around, waiting to eat a knuckle sandwich.

Thanks for the clips, Mike. I can see how some of those moves fall into place.

Cool, where at? I am just a state away. Are you a Husker, too?

You bring up some good points, ps1. However, and it could just be me, but I am not sure that the weapon would be that big of a difference. When defending sword on sword (at least for the European), the contact would be made from one blade to the other at around a 45 degree angle, and then push into a counter thrust or strike. I am not sure that there would be enough force-on-force sword contact for either of the blades to be broken. Unless the blades were really of that poor quality. Something else that is interesting to consider is the fact that each of the warriors would have been skilled in the use of other weapons as well. For most of their existence, the Samurai weapon of choice was the spear, as opposed to the sword. The spear was also a popular weapon in many other cultures, including the European knights. They could have met in the lists and gone weapon for weapon.

Great post. These things seem like common-sense thing to teach when it comes to self-defense, but it is usually the last thing ever taught in a class, if it is ever taught. Perhaps we should change our approach to mental first, and then physical.

This is true. However, if the student feels proud about what he has learned and accomplished, and then does something to have his rank stripped, hopefully the integrity would kick in for him to realize that he should change his attitude, and thus fix the problem. Kind of like the Samurai/Ronin paradigm.

Keep in mind that this is not a "which style is best" discussion, or a style-bashing discussion. The discussion is focused on the practitioner, and not an art. There are a lot of good points being made so far, and I want the discussion to stay positive. Thanks.

Congrats, Patrick!

When armor really increased, with full suits of plate, many times half-swording techniques would come into play to help make a more controlled thrust with the blade. Also, the edges were not focused on as much, and would be more used to bludgeon and dent the armor, as opposed to cutting with the edge. However, even with the advent of plate armor, not every warrior on the field would end up wearing a full suit of plate; it was just too expensive to outfit an army that way. So, you would still have soldiers wearing mail armor, which was more vulnerable to the cut and thrust style of fighting.

Where are you based out of, Mabon?

I can understand that you feel good about what your brother accomplished. However, part of success and pride in competition, I feel, is being able to compete within the guidelines of the rules and win. I know that it seems silly that some events want to discard face punches, but when that is the case, then you should tailor your tournament training for the environment that you will be competing in. It would be kind of like going into a boxing competition, and then kicking your opponent in the groin repeatedly; it may be a win in your mind, but it was outside the context of the rules.