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http://pressurepointfighting.com/public_html/dim_mak_taiji_points.htm Pressure points are not something to mess around with. Doing them wrong can can lead to health problems, including neurological disorders. For training, try them first on yourself, lightly, mind you, and see what effect you get. When you have an understanding of the human anotomy, you can practice lightly on opponents, but ALWAYS know how to heal any damage you can cause.

Shotokan and Aikido make an excellent combination, covering the entire martial arts spectrum of strikes, counters, grapples, and sweeps. I recommed you start off with Shotokan before getting into Aikido, though.

The Gracie clan itself is somewhat questionable. Just look at the UFC. Every single thing traditional training and discipline stands against is present, and glorified. Money seems to make the world go round, and the Gracies are no exception. Sadly.

I primarily study Aikido, which I have been doing for about 11 years now. It yields to the attack, yet has a sharp precision to it. This makes it easy and effective to incorporate my Shotokan and Shuai Chiao training into it as well. Aikido is an excellent martial art, both practical and very spiritual. Hitting the sparring mat a dozen times with your amr twisted into a pretzel is good for the body and mind! Or so my sensei claims.

I'm afraid not. That's what I'm trying to say. A ninja is a member of a clan of Japanese orgin that specializes in mercenary work, usually involving espionage. These clans rose during the Sengoku, and were an active force in the dissolution of the Togukawa shogunate, late in the Bakumatsu. Practicing Ninjutsu makes you a Ninjutsu practitioner, but you are not a ninja. And unless you were born a ninja, into a legit ninja clan, I'm sorry to say that you never will be a ninja, not in this lifetime. Being able to fire a rifle does not make you a marine. Wearing a pinstripe suit does not make you a mobster. Practicing Ninjutsu does not make you a ninja. These are all special orginizations, not general categories. Simple as that. And most likely, you would not want to be a ninja. If you knew half the things a ninja's line of work involved, you might never bring yourself to practice Ninjutsu again.

Yo.

It seems a lot of y'all aren't into what we call 'Wire Fu'. Y'know, all the flying around, bouncing off stuff like crazed subatomic particles, etc. The thing is, these movies are made for the Chinese. Beijing audiences have long since been bored with plain fighting movies. They want something magical, unreal, kind of like their version of high fantasy. The scene in CTHD where he runs over the treetops is a Beijing classic. It's almost as old as the film industry itself, and has been used in more Chinese action flims and soap operas than I can count on my fingers and toes. Iron Monkey was great, and for once I didn't mind the Wire Fu, just ley myself get caught up in the magic of it all. For those of you who haven't seen Iron Monkey, it's basically Robin Hood on steroids. Go rent Iron Monkey. Embrace the Wire Fu. The capitalist within you demands it.

He hangs out with his pal Richard at the Wendy's on Orchard Street in Boise, Idaho. If only I had a car...oh, and a license. That, too.

Almost any art you take will give you reliable self-defense. In the end, it all leads up to the same thing; the only difference is the external appearance and technique. Just find what is most convinient, where the best instructor is, and what you like. Personally, I like Xingyi because the power does not diminish with age. It is also good for your health, doing the forms and meditations.

Holy shiz...I ain't practicing kata in the park anymore...don't know when some cop might walk by...

Ya, you got lots of great info on Taiji. Hope to hear more from ya. As far as the internal arts and guns are concerned, Bagua, an art very closely related to Taiji, specializes in using them and disarming gunmen. Interesting to look into if you're a Taiji fan.

Actually, I do believe Li-family Taijiquan is an extension of the southern branch. The Li family has been known as famed bodyguards for several generations, among them Li Zhang-Lai and Li Long-Dao. Their Bagua and Taiji are purely southern, and may have come from the now extinct southern Taiji. Here's the Bagua site, w/ John Painter, current heir of the style (excellent martial artist). You might find links or info about Li Taiji there.

Besides the well-defined footwork, Shotokan is popular because it incorporates a good number of kicks, punches, and throws, and is well balanced. Oh, and also because Funakoshi worked his a** off popularizing it Oh, and if you think Shotokan's stances are low, check out a Goju-Ryu class. Do we have any Goju guys in here who can provide a link or something?

The proper way would be Jujutsu, but it doesn't really matter. Although I hear 'jitsu' means fruit in Japanese. Japanese guy: I study the Gentle Art! Brazilian guy: Oh yeah? I'm a Gentle Fruit master! Japanese guy: I'll take your word for it...

Both seem to be good places, but personally, I'd go with the Kung Fu place. Wing Chun, Jeet Kune Do, and San Shou are all pure fighting, centering around that aspect. All three are very quick and easy to learn, very effective, and generally good for almost anybody. Shotokan and Jujutsu are great to, and would do more than enough to protect you on the streets, but if it's purely self-defense you're going for, the Kung Fu place offers a fast and powerful mix of fighting arts.

Heh heh. Visit my Aikido dojo sometime

Phrost, that's what I'm saying. Not anyone is a ninja. There are still ninja, most likely. They have been using guns longer than Europeans knew guns existed! Ninja in the 1920s were better equipped than Chicago mobsters, as became obvious in that massacre in the capital of Mongolia, can't spell the damn name, back in 1926. Anyway, some Chicago mobsters got into a bit of a brawl with the yakuza, and they sent in shinobi who killed all the mobsters in less than thirty minutes, heavily armed as they were. People think ninja are still using tanto and shiruken. They can, but they adapt and use any technology available. They're even taught to hack into major networks, hotwire vehicles, and jam electronic transmissions, if Japanese reports are reliable. Basically, to answer the original question, How do I become a ninja?, you have to be born as one. You can be a mercenary, or marine, or whatever, and live better than a shinobi ever would, but being a ninja is far out of the reach of most people.

I'm willing to bet 80% of the fans are there just for the card girls...

I know the whereabouts of the little punk who is responsible for that site. If anyone here likes, they can accompany me in hunting him down and burning him at the stake. :bigwink:

I've got something unheard of: TKD that actually works! Muksodo Tae Kyon, practiced exclusively by the Korean military. Viscious, powerful fighters, all of 'em. You don't want to mess with them, even sparring. Believe me, been there, done that :dead:

Heh heh. It is possible, just at a level of skill that most people can't even comprehend. It takes perfect technique, a non-panicked, calm mind, and a perfect understanding of what you're doing. Just keep moving, lead them where you're going, and don't let them surround you. It's a lot simpler than you may think. Ever tried to jump an Aikido sensei? (-;

I don't mean to offend anyone who likes this layout, but...maybe something a little more lively than gray on gray?

That's MISTER ******* to y'all! hehe, just kiddin'. Phrost is cool, y'all will like him.

Yo, Zach! It's me, Mantis! Welcome to the boards.

Most people defend from an upright position. After enough training, though, you will probably find it better to defend from a lower, more solid stance, like a Shotokan back stance. Stances are there so you can fight with 'em. The question is how well YOU can use them, not how good the stance is.