NightOwl

That's what my wife said! I kind of wanted to watch surreptitiously from a distance, but she thought I was crazy and just wanted to leave the area. Realistically I had to agree with her, but I was actually sorry I didn't get to observe more. I never like to pass up an opportunity to learn something. I guess we're all like that? Too funny. martial artists are a strange breed, bless 'em.

You get what you train for. If you have to rely on martial arts to survive and train for that (krav maga), then you will be able to better apply your art in a real life situation. If you want to compete in the UFC, then you need to train like a pro athlete. If you want to train for show (forms), then you will be good at forms. Just don't then pretend that you will be good at fighting if you've never really trained for it. CMAs have overall become show arts- pretty to look at but not trained for fighting. You could do this for any art (what if mauy tai had a form and all you did was train in that?), and likewise most arts you could apply in combat IF you train for it. But as i've said before- most people want the confidence that they are fighters without wanting to actually test that, and as such CMAs are a place that often offers that feeling of being a fighter without fighting. Now again, if you are open about that (WUSHU, some schools of Capoeria) I have no issue whatsoever. Its when a performance art is sold as a way to make you a better fighter that I have a problem. I do hope that Sanshou folks will get more into MMA soon, and that most applied training will start coming back into CMAs

sashes are not traditionally worn in kung fu, and therefore not having them is not something to worry about. A black belt/ sash is just that...a piece of cloth. The artists is the thing that matters

I like knowing how to handle myself in a fight, the exercise, and the dedication of martial arts...but most of all I do it because it is fun! It really has become a main interest in my life, and it is something that I want to do well into my later years. ...and was I the only one who chose the pickup line option?

I agree- too often it is not counted as a 'real' martial art...whatever that means...

It really depends for me- after sparring with some bigger guys I don't really have that fear so much anymore...mind, I am the least intimidating looking guy you could find- I'm better off brushing someone off with a smile then giving any icy stares.

I used to not be able to at all (or do pull ups/ chinups). It took some weight lifting for me to build up to that. I know you mentioned that you don't have any, but if there is a rec. center gym with weights you can use I'd highly recommend it.

I would agree, it certainly was a good episode! It was nice to see the full range of techniques and ranges applied in the art, and the beautiful locales were no detriment either! I find it fascinating how people examined old pottery and sculptures to try an recreate one of the oldest known martial arts, and while there is a VERY heavy influence of more modern MAs in the system, it still is very neat. It was also good to see bill fighting again, and he almost got off with that shoulder lock! If the episode could have been longer, I would have liked to have seen how they went about trying to recreate the pankration moves, however I suppose that would mean less screen time to fighting. : p All in all a very entertaining episode...and the pankration uniforms were pretty spiffy if I do say so myself!

Now while finger locks I could understand, I don't see why wrist locks shouldn't be. Yes, you don't have as much time to tap out, but still it takes skill to pull them off.

Actually I was talking with some traveler friends of mine (both have lived overseas in different countries, and one speaks 4 languages), and they both have experienced or heard of crazy things going on over there. Apparently the underground is off limits after 10pm unless you are looking for some trouble, and one of them did go there late in the night and said that there was a lot of shouting and he got some really mean stares from some ruffian types. Mind, he is 6 foot 290lbs, and has done wrestling, TKD, karate, and used to do competitive weightlifting in his younger years, so not too many people would try and pick a fight with him I guess.

I will freely admit that I do not know as much about the Korean arts as I should, and while I have had quite a bit of experience with TKD, I was wondering if someone could enlighten me on the other arts. Hapkido- is this sort of like TKD but with more grappling/ joint locks? TSD- Cool name...what's it about? Any others?

Probably to some extent. Then again, so was eye gouging, and while it infamously blinded a fighter in one eye, the 'eye gougee' still won the match (then again, he was a pretty tough guy). Does small joint manipulation go beyond just fingers? Trying to apply it from cross-sides could work I suppose without greatly exposing yourself to a blow, but at that point you might as well go for a kimura lock or something of the like.

http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=55004&display_order=5&sub_display_order=8&mini_id=54986 The upcoming Pankration episode looks pretty slick. Anyone seen it yet?

Ok...I was wondering if anyone else has done this or if it was just me...do you ever slightly punch yourself in the face just to see if you could take it?

That was the pitch for the movie fearless (or at least that it would be his last martial arts 'epic'). However with War being released and the team up with Jackie chan movie coming out, I think that it is safe to say that he isn't going anywhere soon. He really is an amazing athlete, and I am glad to see that he is sticking around the film scene.

Or a prequel to star wars

It has not been screened for critics...not a got sign unfortunately. It looks a lot like 'Romeo must die' http://www.karateforums.com/uncle-nightowl-s-martial-movie-reviews-vt30723-10.html

Well, had to hang up BJJ after less than a month...Judo next I hope!

wrist locks count as small joint? Actually, I've seen wrist locks applied during BJJ when someone goes for the arm/ tries to hold onto it to set up an arm bar. It could come in handy....

K-1

Ah- another alternative outlet since PRIDE's future is a bit uncertain at the moment (although I doubt it will leave, since MMA is really popular in Japan). But remember folks- I still like UFC...just think that PRIDE has a better worldwide sampling of artists and styles as opposed to the mainly USA rooster of the UFC. Now on the gi- I don't see why that particular uniform would somehow make it more 'legitimate', as its based off of more traditional Japanese clothing...Japan isn't the only place where martial artists come from you know. Now I could see how a uniform that could be grabbed onto instead of just trunks might make it a bit more like on the 'street' (I am getting real tired of that word), but really I think that it just needs to make itself more and more professional and polished instead of WWE-esque to spruce itself up, the uniforms aren't that big of a deal. And on the whole, I think it is moving that way.

Can you catch a cold from a message board?

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear. Mark Twain

It might come from the book of proverbs- a collection of, well, proverbs in the Bible: If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you.

"I do not know what it's like to hit a man twice" Who said this cocky quote? A meatheaded mma junkie? Nope, rather a TCMAer named Li 'god of the spear' Shuwen said it long before you or I were born (1864-1934). Cockiness is not exclusive to MMA, nor is respect. Many MMAers I have met are really nice guys, and while I don't like some of the attitudes it attracts, it isn't fair to paint all of them that way.