NightOwl

as much as I'd hate to been seen on a pastel mat surrounded by soccer moms...yoga and Pilates certainly will help you with felxibility.

2 reviews tomorrow: New review of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon Encounters of the Spooky Kind

I try to visualize each technique striking, blocking, or kicking something. Sometimes I am vivid about it. Sometime, I just go with as much power as I can, destroying whatever could be in the way. It may not be right, but it leaves me exhausted, and feeling like I poured all I could into it. To Shorin Ryuu: I think that all of this information about Chosin Chibana (hope I spelled that right) is very interesting. I love learning new things about the Martial Arts, and I love the history of it as well. If you do put some literature out there, I would love to know about it. Putting power into it IS certainly a good thing, but isn't being able to practice that move with a partner (or at least on a bag) better? I sometimes shadow box (which is a good way to practice), but it is different from actually boxing with someone. For instance, there are a ton of karate moves that hardly anyone does because everyone performs it in the kata and then forgets it.

You mean TKD practitioners can usually afford clothing?

right, it can be applied in combat but it is a lot harder to do so than with many other styles. It is like, for instance, contemporary wushu: even though it is pretty much exclusively a performance art, it certainly could be applied in a fight...it would just be difficult to do. As a hard-core martial artist however, you could potentially adopt a more 'show' style and hard cross-train in it to be able to incorporate it in your actual fighting. However it would take MUCH more time to be able to use it than say, muay tai or other such styles.

I agree that most MA styles were started for practical purposes. The problem arises (if it really is a 'problem') when you don't need to use it anymore or more reality based training becomes less feasible in a trigger-happy lawsuit society. Then what to do with it? Well if you can't fight, you might as well accomplish something by looking good. Therefore you focus in a lot on forms making them look as good as possible without bothering to learn how to apply the moveset against a resisting opponent, and you work in more and more tricks into your style so that you can wow onlookers with 360 flying axekicks. Then when reality based training starts coming into vouge (like I believe it is starting to now after a long drought for the past decades), people start looking back into what they are studying to see how you can apply it again.

How do you think that kata should be taught then? Should students be able to demonstrate that they know how to apply all of the moves it contains? The problem is that many just memorize it and don't bother going beyond that in my opinion.

Movie: Iron Monkey (Chinese name: Young Wong Fei Hung: Iron Monkey) Directed by: Yuen Woo-ping Released: 1993, HONG KONG Starring: Yu Rongguang, Donnie Yen, Jean Wang, Tsang Sze Man, Yuen Shun-Yi Style(s) Showcased: Wushu, Hollywood-do Trailer: http://youtube.com/watch?v=4tEGez9A5H4 Clip:http://youtube.com/watch?v=s6vvHQZcSP4 http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/5669/donnieyenzm4.jpg Artist introduction: Donnie Yen. Born the son of an accomplished martial artist in 1963 China and raised in Boston, Yen studied various martial arts including TKD, before deciding to stick with wushu (he went on to become the first non-PRC chinese accepted onto the Beijin Wushu team). While in Hong Kong, he ran into the acclaimed Yuen Woo-ping, and he got his first role in a the small 1984 movie Xiao Tai Ji before eventually finding widespread fame by starring opposite Jet Li in Once Upon a Time in China II. Since then he has gone on to star in and even direct many films, and he is starting to get more recognition in the West by appearing in such movies as Hero. Currently he is married and has 2 children. http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/8862/ironmonkeyqo1.jpg Story: Benevolent physician by day, and robin hood like defender of the oppressed poor by night, the Iron Monkey has been the bane of the corrupt governor of Zeijing Province. But when a young Wong Fei Hung (he gets around doesn't he?) and his father come through town, they are arrested under suspicion of being the Iron Monkey when they defeat a group of thugs using expert Kung Fu. When their innocence is shown by the Iron Monkey striking again, the father is given a choice: either help kill the Iron Monkey or never see his son again. http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/3106/13014jr1.jpg http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/1188/13007wm4.jpg http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/3595/13015pe4.jpg Review: To be honest, I was going to give Iron Monkey an overall negative review. While I wouldn't say it was bad...it wasn't good either. But just like when I sneak into Fat Camps selling candy bars at inflated prices, I started to feel pains of guilt...and now to my dismay I find that looking back on the movie it is starting to grow on me. Certainly it was a critical success when it made it to the states, and I will have to agree that it has it's strong points. Very well acted and with a nice mix of fun and humor along with serious situations, it is part of the Wuxia genre but doesn't try to be an epic unlike many others of its ilk (*cough* House of Flying Daggers *cough*). At the same time, it does use wires to the point of making Issac Newton turn in his grave and there are plenty overlong meandering scenes scattered throughout the film to make it where I actually fast-forwarded through some points. This presents me with a dilemma: I hate flying and over-the-top fight fight moves when a movie takes itself seriously, but at the same time this is supposed to be more or less a fantastical romp through a fictional past and not attempting to create a 'real' world. Thus factoring this in with some long 'look at the pretty things!' scenes but at the same time some great acting and humor, I will ultimately give it a recommendation. You win this time Iron Monkey...but I will be back! Pros- -Great acting -A nice mix of humor and seriousness to create a fun 'Robin Hood-esque' adventure story Cons- -Don't expect much fighting without plenty of flying and other such nonsense -The director thought 8 minutes of watching someone cook would be a fascinating use of time ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; SEE THESE MOVIE OR BRING DISHONOR TO YOUR FAMILY: Ong Bak Drunken Master Kung fu Hustle Samurai Fiction Once Upon a Time in China II Project A Iron Monkey RENT 'THE NOTEBOOK' FOR A BETTER ACTION FLICK: The Big Boss 3 Ninjas Romeo Must Die

Gotcha, Ken Norton is now on my hit list...and yes, I can be so cruel sometimes

Movie: Romeo Must Die Directed by: Andrzej Bartkowiak Released: 2000, USA Starring: Jet Li, Aaliyah, DMX, Isaiah Washington, Delroy Lindo, Russell Wong Style(s) showcased: Wushu Trailer:Couldn't find a trailer so I'll give you 2 clips Clip:http://youtube.com/watch?v=0QLi0CeQNnA http://img490.imageshack.us/img490/3619/romeomustdiedvdyf6.jpg Story: Han Sing (Jet Li) goes to jail in place of his father and brother as they escape to California to join their fellow members in their crime family. However when Han's hears news of his brother's murder, he escapes from Hong Kong to find the killer. What he finds however, is a war between the Asian and Black gangs, and when he falls for the Daughter of daughter of the rival gang boss (Aaliyah), trouble ensues.... http://img490.imageshack.us/img490/7905/romeo7sw8.jpg http://img490.imageshack.us/img490/440/romeo3yh2.jpg http://img490.imageshack.us/img490/8913/romeo2tm4.jpg Review: Romeo Must Die was Jet Li's first starring role in a Hollywood produced movie, and if anything helped bring his name more into the mainstream of the American consciousness as a whole. The movie also starts off promisingly with an interesting upside-down fight scene while Li escapes from jail to find his brother's killer, but after that it starts to gradually go downhill. This is a movie definitely catered to the average male moviegoer just coming out of the 90's, as it features a lot of 'Urban scenes', hard rap, and metal to draw in teens like seniors to an early bird special. Every black man is a 'gansta', and of course every Asian is a Yakuza wannabe with superior fighting skills as Li struggles with English while he and his girlfriend (played with no real chemistry) hang out and have fun in the flowers and sunshine. While there are some ok fight scenes, for the rest expect tons of obvious wire work in lieu of (more or less) 'real' martial arts, and a blaring soundtrack to help make everything 'extreme' so that mediocrity can get glazed over in a nice gritty candy coating. Also, while some of the actors do a very good job, it only highlights the faults of the others, leaving a mixed bag in that regard. Overall, if you want a good, rougher martial arts flick I would not be doing my job as a human being if I didn't steer you towards Ong Bak as opposed to Romeo, but hey it's a free country, and DMX needs those royalty check right? Pros- Good production value Some good performances An OK storyline Cons- Wire-fu with too little in the way of showing Li's talent DMX Tries soooo hard to be 'Hip' with loud soundtrack(but really it's such a square!) Mediocre fight scenes at best 00000000000000000000000000000 SEE THESE MOVIE OR BRING DISHONOR TO YOUR FAMILY: Ong Bak Drunken Master Kung fu Hustle Samurai Fiction Once Upon a Time in China II Project A RENT 'THE NOTEBOOK' FOR A BETTER ACTION FLICK: The Big Boss 3 Ninjas Romeo Must Die

Right, but you don't need kata for balance and leg training.

Movie: Project A (AKA Pirate Patrol) Directed by: Jackie Chan Released: 1983, Hong Kong Starring: Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao Style(s) Showcased: None in particular Trailer:http://youtube.com/watch?v=m1LX3AB6Obo http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/337/pa4vb1.jpg Artist Intro: Sammo Hung. One of the famous trio of marital artist stars emerging from the Peking Opera school, he was born in 1952 already in the Hong Kong industry as his father was a director. In 1959 he went into training alongside Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao at the Peking Opera school before eventually leaving off to the film industry. Starting off as a stuntman (he is actually quite agile despite his size), he eventually become know for his choreography and directing, producing many hits. As both he and Jackie started to usher in the new age of comedic Hong Kong action flicks to replace the dying Kung Fu genre, they worked together on many projects (Yuen Biao as well) before eventually splitting up due to fighting between the three (they would eventually reconcile). Sammo has been in everything from Enter the Dragon to Meals on Wheels and is still directing in Hong Kong to this day. He is currently married and has 4 children. http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/3743/projectadvd1cz0.jpg Plot: Pirate Raids along the coastline of Hong Kong have been going on non-stop, and the Navy has had little success in stopping them. Even more troubling is when the pirates successfully destroy the Marine Police unit's ships, forcing the unit to disband and join the regular police academy with whom they are bitter rivals. However one officer, Dragon Ma Rulong (Chan) is not willing to give up so easily, and when an old 'friend' from the past (Hung) shows up with a possible lead about pirates smuggling police rifles, Officer Ma Rulong is on the case! http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/1647/projectadvd1quality4te5.jpg Movie Review: Project A features a great cast, quick choreography, and plenty of insane stunt work (including an actual fall from a clock tower that nearly killed Jackie). If anything this is a fun movie, so don't expect too serious of face offs or grave of situations (or at least, situations that can't be solved with a little martial arts action). As mentioned, there is some great stunt work here, and even the somewhat 'big boned' Sammo Hung can punch and kick with the best of them as they tear up pirates and gangsters on the screen with swords, ever handy MA weapons, and bicycles (yep bikes...if Lance Armstrong did this he wouldn't have to race so hard all of the time). However one word of caution is to watch what version of the DVD you get. The Miramax version is dubbed only, with updated sounds and music but with no enhancements to the origional footage, thus the sound and picture seem to come from almost entirely different movies. Plus dubbing is just lame...if you can't read subtitles without straining yourself then I suggest you stop watching movies and pick up a book. Regardless, the Hong Kong Legends DVD has restored film and original Chinese dialogue, therefore I would highly recommend it if you are going to watch this movie. Of course even the better DVD version can't cover up the flaws of the original film, and this movie certainly has some. Mainly it doesn't really get going until the character 'Fats' shows up, and until that point I thought that it played along too much with training scenes and scenes from the life of the officers. And of course, nothing is perfect with not every single scene being a gem...but nevertheless, overall it is a very fun film that I'd recommend to any fans of Jackie, martial Arts films, and action films in general. Pros- Stunts Cast Pirates (who could ask for more?) Cons- Takes awhile to get started Some scenes drag a bit \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ SEE THESE MOVIE OR BRING DISHONOR TO YOUR FAMILY: Ong Bak Drunken Master Kung fu Hustle Samurai Fiction Once Upon a Time in China II Project A RENT 'THE NOTEBOOK' FOR A BETTER ACTION FLICK: The Big Boss 3 Ninjas

Alright, I know I said I'd review Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon next, but I just finished last night watching not one, not two, but three martial arts flix. Trying to keep them as fresh as possible in my mind, I am going to start with one of them here. ?????????????????????????????????????? Movie: Once Upon a Time in China II Directed by: Tsui Hark Released: 1992, Hong Kong Starring: Jet Li, Donnie Yen Style(s) Showcased: Wushu Trailer:http://youtube.com/watch?v=DIk4E5hp3-I Clip: http://youtube.com/watch?v=iLP3h3Evn2A http://img476.imageshack.us/img476/1205/ouatic21ok6.jpg Artist introduction: The last of the 'Martial Trinity' yet to have made an appearance thus far (the former two being Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan), Jet Li is arguably one of the biggest martial artist stars since...well, martial arts movies. Losing his father at the age of two in 1965 mainland China, his mother decided to send him to the Beijing Amateur Sports School at the age of 8. He ended up placed under a harsh training regime on the fledgling wushu program, facing grueling practice sessions and tyrannical coaches. However as the fear of the Cultural Revolution calmed down and relations with the West began to open up in the 1970's, contemporary Wushu was set to be China's national sport to show off to the world, and with the Young Lee's evident talent, he was placed on the Beijing Wushu team (later going on to win 15 gold and one silver medal in China's Wushu tournaments). He made his break in the film industry in the early 1980's Shaolin Temple movie series, and went on to become a big star in asia, before becoming more well known in the US by starring in Leathal Weapon 4 and Romeo Must Die. Currently he is married to Nina Li Chi (a Hong Kong actress) and has 4 children. http://img476.imageshack.us/img476/2763/ouatic24ak8.jpg Plot: The second and one of the most popular movies in the Once Upon a Time in China series (there are almost as many OUATIC movies as Rocky ), OUATIC 2 continues the nationalistic adventures of the legendary Wong Fei Hung (remember him from a previous movie?) at the turn of the 19th century as China is occupied by foreign powers and the Qing Dynasty internally decays. And while the first film dealt with foreign exploitation and occupation, the westerners in this film are less stereotypical (although still mostly clueless and haughty) and are not the main villains in this movie. Rather the movie starts with Wong Fei Hung(Jet Li) and his sidekick Leung Foon(Siu Chung Mok) traveling with romantic interest Aunt Yee (Rosamund Kwan) to attend a British lecture on western and eastern medicine. While there, Fei Hung runs into none other than the famous revolutionary Dr. Sun Yat Sen, and they quickly become friends. However during the middle of the lecture, the building is suddenly attacked by a shower of flaming arrows, killing and wounding many. It seems that Canton province is being taken over by the radical anti-foreigner 'White Louts Cult', led by a fanatical priest with seemingly supernatural abilities. Meanwhile the ruthless governor(Donnie Yen) is more concerned with the capture of the pro-democracy Sun Yat Sen than with stopping the cult, and it is up to Fei Hung and crew to clean shop and perhaps even play a role in establishing the future republic of China before they crack open those medical textbooks anytime soon. http://img476.imageshack.us/img476/1413/ouatic22om8.jpg http://img476.imageshack.us/img476/9035/ouatic25fm9.jpg Review: While Jet Li has been making a lot gritty urban movies as of late (mmmm...concrete and heavy rock music) , OUATIC 2 is a fine example of his earlier and more traditional work. The movie is also interesting in how it tries to tie in a lot of historical events to promote a message of Chinese unity. The cult in this film is somewhat based on the secret society that led the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, and having Chinese Hero (for both Taiwan and the Mainland) Sun Yat Sen in there is like the equivalent of putting George Washington in Die Hard part IV (it is a little known historical fact that a young Washington chopped down the cherry tree using only his Iron Palm technique). The acting and plot hold up for themselves fairly well, and besides excessive foggy and red lighting in parts there are some nice set pieces. The fight scenes vary in quality, but there is no denying that the last one is a doozy (keep an eye out for the 'splinter scene...you'll understand once you make it there), and overall the action is anything but stiff. Some complaints can certainly be made about the movie however, foremost in my mind being the big fight against the White Lotus high priest. If there is one thing I hate in my action movies, it is lots of wirework, and there are so many wires flying around during the battle that I thought for a moment that it was taking place in an Orthodontist office rather than a crazy cult hideout. Also another thing that bothered me was the complete helplessness of the foreigners to help themselves, and the ease of which the protagonists could take on many of the White Lotus members. I understand that they are not 'good guys', but when you see British infantry unload 10 volleys of gunfire into a crowd of cultists only to give one or 2 a bad nose job, while Li can take on 50 with an umbrella, things seems a little off-balance. Also it is a bit hammy on the underling Chinese nationalism message (especially towards the end), but it's their movie and they can do what they want with it. Overall I'd recommend this movie as a fine example of one of the later Kung Fu films, and if anything it lets you see one of Lee's best fight scenes without all of these CG effects going around nowadays. Pros- Good storyline without many of the usual Kung Fu plot cliches Some great action scenes, especially the last one Interesting ties to historical events A very good movie to try out if you want to look at Li's older work Cons- A (wire heavy) disappointing showdown against the cult leader Sometimes a bit too sentimental with Chinese Nationalism If you shoot someone, they get hurt...except if a Qing or British Soldier is firing. Some slow scenes (Shadow Dancing) :::":":":":":":":":":":": SEE THESE MOVIE OR BRING DISHONOR TO YOUR FAMILY: Ong Bak Drunken Master Kung fu Hustle Samurai Fiction Once Upon a Time in China II RENT 'THE NOTEBOOK' FOR A BETTER ACTION FLICK: The Big Boss 3 Ninjas

I think bench fighting is a good example of how MA's can adapt to their environment. Just like today, a lot of fights happened in taverns, and the thin bench used in these forms was often used for seating in china. Thus someone decided that it'd be a good idea to use them as a weapon, and the bench move set was created. Of course it is mostly for show now, but it reminds me of how the Okinawans incorporated farming tools into their training.

Right, but he probably trained in his arts like a Judoka or Muay Tai boxer would. You CAN apply more 'traditional' martial arts...but a lot of places don't compared to those in the main UFC arts (plus you absolutely, positively have to have grappling experience and practice fighting other styles)

We do a lot of kiahping in our traditional classes with basics. I am sure that it helps some of the younger students to regulate their breathing, but I could do without so much of it. We do it so much that it loses its point. Exactly. If you suddenly go full force on your opponent with a HUGE kiai...that can be intimidating. Constant yelling however just makes it pointless.

Whew...mid-terms are finally over! I should get a chance to watch Fearless on a big screen tomorrow, so look for that review coming up soon. As for Venoms and Hard Target , I've been meaning to see the former for a long time but the video selection at the local blockbuster is limited at best (my campus is in a small town). Netflix would be the way to go for that one, but I'll still need to wait until I am home for the summer. As for the latter, I believe that I've seen it somewhere in the action section...I'll keep an eye out for it. ................................................ (crouching tiger hidden dragon review coming here soon....)

Right, but the point is that you don't need to do an extra loud yell for good breathing. It may help for extra hard blows, but for regular punches and it is somewhat inefficient to kiai every time.

how is it that karate exists at all today as a martial art, when prior to Master Funakoshi's introduction of kumite karate was learned and practised by kata alone? If the martial artists of old, were able to defend themselves successfully and if expressions like 'if you choose to land a karate blow then be in no doubt that that one blow decides everything' (Master Funakoshi) mean anything, then we have to assume that kata practice is integral to martial arts. A lot of old martial artists got into real scraps though, and besides...not all of them were expert fighters either. On punch KO's definately do happen, but if you watch a fight you will see that they are the exception to the rule. Besides, back when people would issue challenges to rival schools, and if you studied martial arts, chances are you would've had real fighting experience. Sparring is not a new concept, it's older than written records...kata were essentially a form of shadow boxing and/or a way to remember move sets. With modern technology, these are no longer required.

Right, while entertaining, I thought that the documentary was sensationalized at best, and 'David Blaine' at worst. And for all of the deadly moves the host shows people, the only time he spars he doesn't do too well. Also if you could KO someone with a shout, then why don't opera audiences black out? Anyhow.... here's another one by national geographic: Myths & Logic of Shaolin Kung-Fu http://youtube.com/watch?v=bpn7gUSUQK8 http://youtube.com/watch?v=8s1G1Qp1MoM&mode=related&search= http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ky2FIbF12m8&mode=related&search= http://youtube.com/watch?v=wkog5AYoxmE&mode=related&search= http://youtube.com/watch?v=bprZHMSZG6w&mode=related&search=

Documentary: Mind, Body and...Moves http://youtube.com/watch?v=lvRJEWHzGTo http://youtube.com/watch?v=hFRHQ3u7nPA&mode=user&search= http://youtube.com/watch?v=iqkgQqPf-uE&mode=user&search= http://youtube.com/watch?v=PfJgd71BMWw&mode=user&search= http://youtube.com/watch?v=Yy4TYk6CWkk&mode=user&search= http://youtube.com/watch?v=aG3e8Kp3Mqs&mode=user&search= http://youtube.com/watch?v=7C20qU8Rt3w&mode=user&search= http://youtube.com/watch?v=sy7NW4VOU6c&mode=user&search= http://youtube.com/watch?v=akO0_V_3yGc&mode=user&search= http://youtube.com/watch?v=WhhkgMu7adk&mode=related&search= http://youtube.com/watch?v=w1LmZhQlAOk&mode=related&search=

Documentary: Fight Science Can you youtube it?: of course http://youtube.com/watch?v=e9EjF9Zlubg&mode=related&search= http://youtube.com/watch?v=MujI1nRaLPY&mode=user&search= http://youtube.com/watch?v=HE3hUAtqyuI&mode=user&search= http://youtube.com/watch?v=dJc6Ge66p8k http://youtube.com/watch?v=x64YZnIeOiw http://youtube.com/watch?v=VeIyhdx2heo http://youtube.com/watch?v=5DY_hi0HnkA http://youtube.com/watch?v=gk0bws-KaDE http://youtube.com/watch?v=-H4mEQtM2Ck http://youtube.com/watch?v=xuNTyXlyKSc I'm not going to comment too much more on this one, as it was covered at length in this thread: http://www.karateforums.com/fight-science-vt28318.html , my opinion is this: It was entertaining, but it wasn't particularly accurate, multiple people were needed for accurate generalizations, and the TKD guy needed to buy a shirt with the money he got for doing this show.

Every now and again these things pop up in a thread or two, so I am hoping to get a collection of documentaries going that we can watch and comment on.

Of course I am interested in any recommendations! Any movie that you want to see reviewed or any thoughts you have on the movies reviewed so far, please feel free to post them!

haha, I've always wondered this myself. To be completely honest, I don't see me being too much better than the average joe you pick up off the street. After years of going to a kata oriented gym and reaching my 6th belt, I realized that I wasn't getting much better as a fighter, and decided to quit and focus on school. Subsequently I was off martial arts for about a year, and it wasn't until the Spring before I graduated that I began to look for a style to study again. I checked everywhere from Budo Taijitsu to Krav Maga, before I found a wing chun teacher who taught a small group out of his garage during weeknights that I decided to train with. It was certainly an interesting group: many had done some sort of martial art before, and there was a tall buff guy, a tall and skinny guy, a couple of average body types, and a more elderly man in the mix, so it at least let me practice against different weight sets. Every night part of our training would involve drilling, light sparring, and a 'circle'. When it was your turn in the circle, you had to counterattack against a punch, bat, and knife attack from all of the other members. Of course since I was just a beginner, all of the 'attacks' that I got were very scripted, but when going against the more senior students, you were allowed to attack any way you'd like, including feints, multiple strikes, and tricky knife maneuvers. I can honestly say that the only people who I have yet met who I believe could disarm an armed attacker with confidence belong to that group, as against them you were allowed to go full speed and force. The sifu was also fond of saying that 'you need to get outta there!', and if anyone took too many moves to get a punch in or disarm someone he would remind them, 'I'm not shooting a movie you know.' Overall I think it was a very practical class, but unfortunately wing chun just wasn't the style for me. However after so many sticking hand drills, I still to this day find myself resorting to very sloppy and crude wing chun mushed with boxing if I am in real close to someone. That was about...1 1/2 to 2 months of training. Afterwards, I started a MMA striking class which although it was only for about three months, improved me more as a fighter than anytime in my life before. Almost every class had us donning boxing gloves and sparring, and it got me used to being punched at. I was taught how to jab, cross, knee, clinch, and elbow (along with some kicks but I am not much of a kicker), but most importantly it got me over my fear of fighting and facing the possibility of being hit (especially against bigger and stronger guys). The second most important thing was it taught me how to bob out of the way of punches. One night while only one other student was there, we were sparring and the instructor quips in,'This isn't boxing, don't take the punch.' To be honest (as stupid as it may sound), I never really thought about just moving out of the way instead of trying to take in the blow, and that brought a radical change in my tactics. After that, I even got a chance to do a drill where you hand to hold your hands behind your back and crowd, bob, and weave to avoid taking hits for 2 1/2 min. rounds(and we also frequently did drills where you had to spar someone while you where against the wall and weren't allowed to move from one spot). Certainly it was exhausting, tough, and even discouraging at times. I thought that I wasn't improving too much , but then to my surprise I found that when I was sparring the new students coming in, I could usually do a handy job of taking them on...all that time I had been improving at the same rate at those better than me, so I hadn't had a chance to see how much I had advanced ! I am so glad for that experience, and my fighting style is almost completely made up of the boxing and MMA knees and elbows that I learned from there (along with random bits of wing chun as mentioned before). More recently, I studied BJJ for one month, and will start again in the summer with the hope of studying it long term. Now with that background, I have found that sparring around with people I usually catch them off guard, as they are not used to much beyond brawling that you'd find on a playground. The closest thing I got to a real fight post training was with a friend in the dorm hallway. I out punched him and probably could have landed some nice blows, but we never actually hit each other, and I learned during that time the hard way that I needed grappling training. I could get him in a nice clinch, but once I got there I didn't know any take downs, so eventually he broke out as he is much stronger than me and it went downhill from there ( the match ended when I forfeited due to being thrown around while maintaining an iron-claw grip on his t-shirt and us getting so worked up that at that point we were about ready to exchange real blows). I also sparred (not to the same intensity of full contact grappling) against a friend who took martial arts and wanted to demonstrate what they could do. After being used to fighting so many 'Haymaker Harry's' I caught gave them an interesting change to the routine, and we started to go into a lighthearted match with both of us getting in some nice hits. So all in all I'd say this: I am proud of my dodging abilities, and have almost zilch grappling and just enough striking to have a reasonable chance of beating the average person in a bar fight. As for the trained attacker? No. Way. I'm such a far cry from the skills of people who have been training and sparring for years, and if I went to the UFC I'd end up an organ donor. Haha, to be honest, most of you guys could probably eat me for breakfast (but I am high carb so I don't recommend it).