bushido_man96

First off, welcome to the Forums! As for your tournaments, I don't know of any that accrue points. Your Olympic style tournaments will just get you qualified if you win a state championship, or place second, I think. The ATA circuit runs on a point system, but you have to be an ATA member to compete with them. As for Open Tournies, I don't have much experience with them, so I can't offer much help there.

Hey, that's ok! I have a DVD of Cannonball Run, and I still love that movie. She is one of the best parts!

Just don't start bowing to him before you go to the bathroom!

I spar with a little bit of bouncing. I stay on my toes, and I find that it makes me more mobile and ready to counter attack if need be. I don't bounce when I do forms, though. I find that staying on my toes helps to facilitate my footwork.

Wow, now I think I've seen it all!!

I think that you would have to take a look at it, to be sure. Of course, who of us has experience with "real" ninjitsu. Anymore, it has such a bad rap (a la Ashida Kim and others) that I view the terminology "Legitimate Ninjitsu" as an oxymoron.

Hey, cool!! I'll be checking it out!

Yeah, I know. I have been trying to figure out from the first book, when Arya was chasing cats, and got led into the basement of Baratheon's castle, and saw the two guys walking and talking. One was Varys, but I still can't pick out who the other is.

Both of these weapons existed in both cultures. Is it really necessary to differeniate them?

I had trouble placing that guy in the Prologue....I am not sure who he was. Now, you have whetted my appetite. I may have to start reading them again.

This has been my experience as well. Sometimes, it is just not as easy as "using the thumb as the weak link." That stated, I am a big fan of distraction strikes prior to releasing.

I always thought what it was referred to was kind of a regional thing. I could be wrong.

What I don't like is the $500 price tag!

Oh, I'd have to look... Oh, yeah, it was the kid who was being paid at the beginning by the guy who wanted him to steal the key. Not sure if he was revealed; it has been so long. That's right, isn't it? I think that there is something not right with the kid, cause I got the impression that he was going to end up dead. Can't remeber his name, though.

I see. Thank you. Sound cool, but I rarely have time for computer games.

Sounds good. Sorry you have to wait so long for surgery.

Thanks, Tom. I plan to keep at it. Today was easy, though. No one was around to watch me struggle!

It sounds to me like the instructor is a little to much of a perfectionist; he may be obsessive. If it were me, I think I would switch styles as well. I think that you can be held in a rank too long some times.

Wow, that is clever. The Crimson Sausage Gang. Good stuff!

It would be interesting to see what is on the DVD, and who the "master" is.

So far, I have not been disappointed with any of the books. I liked the end, where Sam got hooked up with the Archmaester Marwyn, and the archmaester prepares to leave to find Dany.

That is not as easy as you may think. When there is a shield in the way, you are asking for punishment.

If this is the case, then I think you have a show piece, as opposed to a blade that you could actually use.

How do you ID the trained ones, and the un-trained ones? If you took a look at me, you would probably think that I was "untrained." Also, assuming that you can take out that many people with one strike per opponent is very dangerous. It does not happen that easy. If it did, then no one would need to do that much trainin, learning how to do one throat strike and one groin strike.