NightOwl

What's the benefit of MA shoes of just tennis shoes that you only wear in the dojo so that you don't track in dirt?

It's also evolved to the point where most of the people who practice martial arts can read and write (as well have ready access to paper). You can now draw, or even better, video record teechnuqes in order to preserve them as opposed to keeping them in a form. I have no problem if the other guy wants to devote a lot of time to forms...more power to him. But when forms take of 1/3 plus of traing time (and another 1/3 being exercising and aerobics), you have little time for actual martial applications. Plus since most places rank by kata known, your belt has very little connection to martial ability anymore (I say anymore because you used to have to belt it out with others for ranking bare knuckled style...even in the US when TMA were less mainstream).

Mrs. Baryon not too much into MA? as there is no Mrs. Nightowl as of yet, I cannot empathize completely...ask me again in 5 years.. I don't have any video or snazzy pictures, the best I could do would be to scrawl a drawing for you guys.

An added clip that I forgot: http://youtube.com/watch?v=GaAvNHWjInM&mode=related&search= from one of my favorite MA movies ever...

Cliche: Haymaker Harry Haymaker Harry is a thing of pure evil. Every night when the moon is full (or so they say), Haymaker Harry roams the streets of the city, preying on any honest soul fit to call him or herself a martial artist. As he sees his prey approaching, he hides in the shadows and then leaps out....many do not survive this encounter. Fourtunately for the inspiring martial artist, haymaker harry has a weakness: He only attacks once (usually with a sloppy or very stiff punch), and when he misses he will usually stand there for a few seconds giving you the opportunity to unleash all of your martial fury upon him, sending him back temporarily into the blackest depths of the underworld from which he came. Knowing this, a large percentage (if not the majority) of dojos have wisely decided to train their students as to how best to handle this menace. Thus many times in training for self defense, one student will play the role of 'Haymaker Harry', throwing on sloppy or stiff punch/ kick/ grab, while the other easily doges it and rains blows on his now helpless foe. Not only does this provide great training for the most likely encounter on the street, but it also helps conserve energy by not having to add resistance to training techniques that would otherwise take up so much time. Haymaker harry drills truly are the best. Here is a good example of what we need to be preparing ourselves both mentally and physically for...God help us all: http://youtube.com/watch?v=GhqUJKt3uuM

Baronbvp! You gotta settle down someday young man!

It was awhile in coming, but you definitely deserve it Cross! Congratulations!

drunken boxing, while quite old, is very rarely seen as a stand alone style (except in the movies). Rather it is usually found in a 'drunken' move set of Chinese styles such as Choy-lay-fut, Monkey style Kung Fu, Southern Shaolin, Tajichuan, and others. Pure drunken boxing in itself is called Zuijiuquan. Characterizing these Drunken styles are erratic movements and positions that seem to almost mimic the look of a drunkard, the result being that the practitioner is very fluid and loose, thus being able to bob and weave out of the way of punches easily. Also, it is supposed to lure the practitioner's opponent into a false sense of security to lessen his reaction time to sudden unexpected burst of strikes from what looks like a docile form. Supposedly this is one of the most demanding forms of Kung fu, and often it is only taught to advanced practitioners. (There must also be a distinction made between traditional and contemporary drunken boxing. Contemporary drunken fist has very highly exaggerated movements and miming that render it purely for show. You usually see this in contemporary wushu competitions where drunken forms show off amazing flexibility and extreme movement that even the most hammered of kung-fu masters could never pull off, but don't do much else than look pretty ( ). Traditional is a lot more conservative, with less acrobatics and smaller movements making it a lot more efficient. Regardless, this still brings up the question of Zui Quan's effectiveness in combat.Well....there is an oft shown video of Drunken boxing vs. Kyokushin: http://youtube.com/watch?v=S3_b9SUDQ-8 This is the only clip of Drunken boxing sparring that I can find. Mind you, It was done for a Japanese variety TV show and since it was posted on a famous 'in your face MA site), it has come under scrutiny as possibly have being set up (or the drunken boxers were karateka who were trying the style as an experiment). Regardless, it doesn't look so hot. Still...it is unfair to judge based off of just one video. Again, the hard thing that it is so hard to find being practiced instead of just being used in a form. I could see it being useful (but slightly unorthodox) if you practiced it against someone coming on with regular attacks though...whether or not there are places that do that remains to be seen. Searching the web does bring up some gyms that do exclusively teach it, but the are few and far in between. I personally would love to learn it and experiment with it, as the fluidity could potentially make for a nice way to dodge attacks (which I like doing ^^). Finally to cap things off...more youtube! (notice the fist and elbow strikes and absence of miming in this more conservative form) Also a bit more conservativehttp://youtube.com/watch?v=HqeyTHtS5RU (getting more modern) http://youtube.com/watch?v=LjO_8J1xlRY http://youtube.com/watch?v=nsF_aNSjNjM more modern madness...http://youtube.com/watch?v=zcWOAmIKl8w some in here...and actual KF sparring...nice to see. Just threw that in...love seeing tourists get beat uphttp://youtube.com/watch?v=gGzr-gkIums&mode=related&search= it's in there..

Hmm...I've always wondered why punches seem to be worth less than kicks. Sure kicks are powerful, but a solid punch is nothing to sneeze at. Regardless some of those guys were pretty fast

Bajifan, do you study it as a Martial Art? I want to see that sometime..it's certainly hard to find around these parts

This is very true. That's also the downside. The flailing (while it does produce the power) makes itt hard to control

What are your thoughts on this? Are they necessary? How do they help? In my younger years of TKD it was encouraged to Kiai before an attack (in sparring or breaks). Personally I think that to do a battle cry well telegraph that you know martial arts, thus putting your attacker on their guard.

Kyokushin, while it may not look as nice, is certainly not sloppy. It is great if you want a harder MA style.

Saw it by a pancake restaurant...

Congratulations! Very cool trophies too...

Hey nice job!!!

The first one looks kinda like a sticking hands exercise. Thanks for the clips!

How did you advance ranks? was there an official testing or was it when your instructor thought it was time?

I must admit though I'd be probably freaking out if the person didn't come to in oh...about 2 seconds .

So what's rougher...German or Muay Tai?

Movie: Ong Bak Produced: 2003, THAILAND Leading Role: Tony Jaa Style(s) Showcased: Muay Tai/Muay Boran Tailer:http://youtube.com/watch?v=PtNmH1KuJaA Clip:http://youtube.com/watch?v=JH0yAMJ-Oo8 http://img484.imageshack.us/img484/7740/180pxongbakru5.png http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/9670/0163gw5.jpg Artist Intro: Tony Jaa is an interesting fellow. Born and raised in Thailand, he grew up idolizing the movies of Jet Li, Jackie Chan, and Bruce Lee shown in his rural home town in the province of Surin. In his spare time with his friends, they would try to imitate the amazing acrobatics and moves shown on the screen, and by age 15 Tony left the farming life behind to go under the wing of veteran Thai stunt master and film director Panna Rittikrai. After working for awhile on Panna's stunt team, Jaa started to train in the art of Muay Boran for 6 years (an earlier form of Muay Tai) with the hopes of eventually creating a movie built around it. The result of those efforts was Ong Bak, and since then he has gained fame on an international level, with many pegging him as the next MA film superstar. Like Jackie Chan used to do in his youth, Jaa does all his own stunts, and he has a strict no wire policy. Truly a great athlete and a great fighter, he is one to watch. And yes there is a movie review in all this...I just thought that Jaa needed an introduction due to his relative new coming to fame. Plot: A young man named Ting is about to be ordained as a priest for his village. Respectful, admired, and (of course) trained in the deadly art of Muay Tai, he has taken an oath to never use it to harm another for personal gain. Unfortunately before the ceremony can be completed, someone steals the head from the village's Buddha statue in the middle of the night, and it's up to Ting to track down who is responsible before it is too late. Review: First things first: there is only a plot in this movie to create a reason for Jaa to elbow goonies and street fighters in the head....the good news is that he does that VERY well. Ong Bak is a gritty, rough, and an utter joy to behold. While wushu, karate, and boxing have all had their time in the limelight, Ong Bak showcases Mauy Tai on a wide scale previously unseen. Expect to see a lot of signature elbows and knees as Jaa fights everyone from fighters in an underground fight club to a super human thai boxer juiced up to be immune to pain. Certainly this movie is not a pretty one, the locales are almost all in an urban palette of brown and corroded grey that can feel a little stale at times. But regardless, the feeling of being in the streets comes across quite well. Besides the fighting, the pure stunts are truly amazing when you consider that it is all done without the help of wires or doubles. This movie contains some of the finest examples of Parkour and gymnastics outside of a stunt man convention, and it is refreshing to see thatin an age with so many digital stunts and Wuxia films. Of course, the movie has flaws. While the acting is ok, don't expect too many great lines beyond ('look out!' 'Where is it?' 'AIIIEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeee'), and the plot is not going to be required reading for Oprah's book club anytime in the near future. Still, if you are looking for a more 'raw' martial movie with great fighting along with stunts that will blow your mind, I highly recommend this movie to you. Pros: -Muay Tai -Sublime stunts -The start of perhaps the next great martial actor Cons: -Ho-hum plot -Somewhat stale scenery (debatable) -Non action scenes need more work

So...what to do? You've seen Rush Hour 2 for the fifth time, and don't really care to watch Pretty Chinese People Flying With Swords Part IV again (my personal favorite in the series), but still you are itching for a good old fashioned Martial Matinée to wash away the taste of recent theatrical choices by the Wife/Girlfriend (or your collective girlfriends for the ladies in the audience. ). Well look no further and grab a seat (if you tend to use the computer while standing), and prepare for the ultimate experience of: UNCLE NIGHTOWL'S MARTIAL MOVIE REVIEWS. Now mind you, time and access to movies will be a limiting factor, so expect an initial burst of reviews followed by a more steady stream, but I am hoping to get in at least one review a week. I'll be kicking off shortly with a few reviews to get things started.

wow! That's pretty hard core!

do speedbags really help much?

I'm guessing that you posted this because you yourself felt that it was not meeting your needs. Yes, Karate can be a GREAT SD martial art....and like any other MA it can be a poor one as well. It all boils down to the place you go to. If you sense that the place you go to does not teach Karate well, than why not follow your gut and check around for a new place?