Maxma

You sure? I never heard of that before... Translated it literally means "Death Touch"... All it is about is focusing your Qi into some sort of form (like a Ball of Energy etc) and then "transfer" that ball/energy over to a pressure point (and depending on how sensitive the points are, determines the end result...) == That is what Dim Mak is.... *goes away and looks it up on the interent* pressure points can be used to heal - but no, that's not dim mak. consider them yin and yang - there is the ability to heal and there is dim mak. if you know one, you should learn the other. But IMO, dim mak is garbage when it comes to fighting. you won't be able to apply it. now, for demonstration purposes, it would be great, but not much more. You're not going to kill anybody using dim mak. They're one and the same. Just like Yin and Yang cannot be separated, so is this. I'm just guessing, but I would assume that the same techniques from dim mak could be used to heal. It depends on the intent, the amount, the force, the direction, the type...if one is sick some techniques from dim mak may be used cautiously and in little amounts to heal, however if used on a healthy person it would cause sickness and/or death. Think of it this way. If you water a plant when the soil is dry, the plant will soak up nutrients and be healthy. If you water a plant who was out in the storm the night previous, the soil and nutrients will wash away, and the plant will die. It's all a matter of which, when.

If you're asking legally, no you didn't go over the top. He initiated with what is legally known as "fighting words" by saying he will take it from you. Anything from that point is self-defense on your point (to a certain extent, obviously.) As for morally, I think you are fine as well, because again, he threatened you. As with many of us here, you most likely do know more than one way to kill him. You told him that you had the capability, which in turn diffused the situation. I applaud your nonviolent end to the situation, an act which I believe is more commendable than following through with your counter-threat.

That sounds pretty awesome, emperornero. Unfortunately, the technical things of what you did to it went right over my head, but i can appreciate the picture of the finished product that i got. How did you learn to do stuff like that? and abacus: that's awesome! good luck opening your own shop. how did you get to become an apprentice blacksmith? i've been interested in doing that, but i have no idea how to get to be able to do it.

Wow, I didn't expect a simple introduction would get this many replies... You all certainly make a body feel welcome. My gratitude to you all.

Parkerlineage: it should help...it's not going to happen overnight, but after two or three months you'll be able to tell a large difference. Rateh: wearing ankle weights, wrist weights, and body weights are great weighs for conditioning your body and making it stronger, however i must warn you about the motions you make while doing this. whenever you have weights on like that, avoid jerking movements. For example, one may think that doing kicking drills with ankle weights would increase your speed and strength. If you do this, however, you will destroy the cartiledge, tendons, and ligaments in your knees, and then you won't be kicking at all. Be careful, and if you wear them, do not wear them to your martial arts classes. The weights, when worn throughout a normal day, do help immensely though. I also do this, and am now carrying 30 lbs on each leg, and 10 lbs on each arm. i don't do this everyday, and the difference from the days i do and the days i don't is tremendous...I love it!

I don't think chinese martial arts would be effective in the ufc for one reason... there are rules. The chinese martial arts (at least the ones i've been exposed to, albeit i have been exposed to very little) are based to work. They're meant to win, in an environment when there are no rules. Chinese martial arts started when people had no problems with spitting in your eye or kicking you in the groin, and so they are designed to retaliate to such. The UFC restricts what you can do in the arena, and rightly so. I would like to believe that the world has evolved past the time when people enjoyed to watch people get killed. The truth of the matter is, however, that sometimes nasty things are necessary, and that is what the chinese martial arts prepare you for. There is, however, no need to televise it and applaud it.

If you are looking for simple exercises to do, work on your calf muscles. I'm not sure what the exercise is called, but stand on your tip toes, then lower yourself until you're almost touching the ground...as close as you can get without actually touching, usually within a couple of millimeters...then raise yourself back up on the balls of your feet. Do this until you can't do it anymore, every other day, and you're jump height will increase. There are other things, but this is a beginning.

Haha, you and I received our inspirations from the same source...I too am a TMNT fan, from the beginning. Glad you're here with us, and hope you enjoy and learn a few things along the way.

I like your idea, but I disagree with some of your points. "Or is it a mixture of extreme pride and a disregard for life?" Bushido has a strong sense of honor. Seppuku was a demonstration of their integrity, honor, courage, etc. You also have to think of the predominance of Buddhism and the belief that this life is only one of many. "Samurai? They killed who they wanted when they wanted as long as the offender was on the lower end of the social structure." Not all of them, and not all of the time. "Chivalry does have it's place among warriors - among the dead and the soon to die, the ineffective and the overzealous." Perhaps that says something about human society, when a man who stands up and will not break his morals is immediately chastized, beaten, and possibly killed. "The valid use of generalizing things as being universally "good" or "bad" is so people in a community can function together peacefully, having been raised into similar modes of thought and conditioned "rules." Take it farther than that into the game of combat and you not only is your wisdom at risk, your life is." Not quite sure what you're trying to say in the first sentence. Using the terms "generalizing" and "universally," however, is usually a bad thing, as most everything in life is subjective. (I believe you were trying to make a point along those lines, I just didn't get it.) I love your last two paragraphs, but (in my eyes) you left out a part: Spiritual. You must forever progress spiritually as well. Respectfully, Max

Lovely article, and I can't help but notice how well the theme of this article also relates to religion... That's a topic for a different post, however. Again, lovely. I thoroughly enjoyed the extended metaphor and the point behind it. With best regards...

I used throat as an example. There are many soft targets that will put an enemy down without requiring large amounts of power: eyes, groin, inside thighs, side of the knees, "kidney shots," temple (if you can hit it), clavicle, tip of the sternum, diaphragm, base of the skull or neck (or anywhere on the neck, really)... Not to mention various pressure points and joint locks that will make you forget why you wanted to fight in the first place. In chin na we call it "pain compliance." My point that i was trying to make was that power is not the omega factor. You must have the knowledge of what to use, when. To quote the movie Braveheart - "It is our wits that make us men."

Excellent article, with excellent replies. One question though: How much power is truly required? Obviously, power is something that everyone needs, and can always improve (as with every aspect of martial arts), how much do you need? You don't need the power to punch through a brick when you hit someone in the throat. When you gouge someone's eye, you don't need to hit with the force of a mule. Let's face it, the key aspect of training is to win. Of course, there are spiritual aspects, but the original purpose of martial arts was to kill. We should train to end the fight as quickly as possible, with least harm to ourselves; that's common sense. So the ability to kick a 70 lbs punching back hard enough to strain the chains supporting it, or the ability to punch through 10 concrete blocks doesn't impress me much. Noone's throat is that tough, although many times it seems as though their heads are that dense.

I like this article, although i feel compelled to point something out: Even in "The Days of Old," chivalry wasn't the norm. You talk of samurai and knights in shining armor, but they were a minor group of people. The common man, and many "nobles," had just as little chivalrous aspects of their character as people of today. The only difference is now we have guns in addition to knives and sticks, and we have many more inter-racial problems as well. I say this because while people of old may have been openly racist, confrontations between races weren't as common. They didn't have the means to travel as easily as we do now, so except in times of war and places of trade, towns and cities were generally uniracial. Ok, I think i got carried away on a tangent, so let me get back to my point: Honor and chivalry have forever been treasures acquired by few. So I congratulate you and applaude you in your unwillingness to bend your morals. And here i think i will insert a very good quote from the movie Coach Carter, a quote that i believe you emulate the message of. "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. " That quote is said by the character Timo Cruz in response to Coach Carter's repetitive question: "What is your deepest fear?" In your case, shine so that others may have cause to rise above the constant degredation of today's society. With respect, Max

How is everyone? I'm an eighteen year old avid martial artist who is currently taking Wing Chun Kung Fu. I also enjoy music, movies, acting, and long walks on the beach. Seriously, though, I have posted a few replys already, so I figured I would come here and introduce myself. Oh, right...my name is Max. Actually, my name isn't really Max, Max is my pseudonym, and I hope that none of you take it personally that I keep my true identity to myself. Anyways, I'm excited that I found this site and look forward to discussing with and learning from many of you. With fondest regards, Max

a kali stick is a kali stick no matter what its color. the fact that it is a weapon, even if it was a police stick, may cause issues.as for the original question: If you're worried about transporting weapons to and from your school or tournaments or whatever, i would say keep them in a container, and store them in your trunk. Here in virginia, police can't open the trunk unless you're arrested, so many problems can be put out right there, whereas if it was sitting on the passenger seat and you got a speeding ticket, it would be in plain sight, and if you don't have a permit to carry a weapon, then you'd be in trouble. Putting it in your trunk prevents any hassle in the first place. Also, to carry one on your person, generally you need a permit to carry a weapon, or a concealed weapon, depending on its size and placement on your body. Again, this is mainly for carrying on your person. If you are just transporting to or from a tournament or your school, and don't keep it on you as you travel anywhere else, you should be fine, as others have stated above me.