Kensai

Cheers Submission, Its my belief that people should work with what ya good at, both mentally and physically. I much perfer locking / breaking / snapping / ripping / grappling and choking than shouting "HADOKEN!" I was not born to be a striker I do quite a bit in Aikido anyways, I would say my kicking is pretty pathetic. But I much perfer to be well grounded than using my feet as weapons anyway. So hows your training going Submission?

I cant say I have ever felt quite that way, but it definately has a calming effect.

Yin and Yang, are used exactly the same by the Japanese as it is by everyone else. Its the central pillar to the Daoist/Taiost belief system.

Well, if you say that he has good technique and tries hard, he might be pretty good a point sparring. I know when I was little, I was a little "big boned" and I tried very hard at techniques. Does'nt matter how fast you can run or how high you can jump when ya sparring. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! POWER TO "BIG BONED" PEOPLE!!!!!!!!! Anyway, back to reality, I think perhaps sparring is a good idea. Or "bull dog", I dont know whether you Yanks play this game, but you get a few people to stand in the middle of the class, and the rest at one end of the room. Then they run across the room, if the guys in the middle can catch them and pick them up for 3 seconds then they are in the middle to. So if this chubby kid, cant run that fast, then the chances are that the other kids wont be able to hold him up for 3 seconds. And if he is in the middle, chubby kids tend to be a little stronger, so he will have an easier time holding them up. Just an idea.

Look at my signiture, I dont do BJJ. But the UFC was set up to "test" unarmed ability. To be able to handle a weapon well you must first be able to handle yourself well. So you must be as good at weapons as you are unarmed. If you cant handle yourself against a BJJ player in unarmed combat, then you are not as good as he/she is. Simple. There is not point hiding behind weapons and making them an issue in what quite clearly is an unarmed combat competition. Sorry to side with the BJJers on this one Kirves, all your posts thus far I have been 100% behind.

To be honest, I dont think the japanese see it as a slap in the face. Mainly because they appericate the budo aspects to their particular arts. As we know Judo has had its fair number of victories over BJJ. And lastly BJJ is more less Japanese, as the techniques that the Gracies have refined are from Judo and Kito Ryu Jujutsu (The HEAVY ground work aspect). I do agree that weapons are a mute issue, and hand to hand skill is the most important. As I have heard the Gracies say many times on interviews in the Aikido Journel, NHB/UFC is no reflection of real combat and BJJ has evloved from the streets of the Falavas (shanty towns). If you really wanna test your art, you really have to go onto the streets. Which is something I am not perpared to do, I like my face the way it is.

Is there an offical scoring leage table for this sorta stuff? Because I am sure that I will tell you people what you want to hear. Other than personal opionion and fact aside, the refs call is law.

But JJ fighter, have you been doing BJJ longer than her? I dont think Loiloi was giving you a lecture on when to use your skills, your only a "orange" belt which even in BJJ means very little in terms of actual ability. But maybe this girl was geniunly worried of training with a bigger guy, knowing that you will probably be more "physically" strong that her. Perhaps.............

Umm yes, sorta back peddling on my part. Its only to help me understand Aikido a little better, but I really enjoy it.

Ba Gua, Hsing I and Tai Chi are all taoist. Good advice there Omnifinite.

lol, usually no Gi. But thats just personal practice. Mainly to check that my rolling actually works.

Only on foam mats. Although sometimes on grass.

Actually I thought both LOILOI44 and Kirves were very well thought out posts. I have always tried to voice such an arguement, but I have never been able to articulate it in that way.

Very ture LOILOI44

Never heard of Kuntao so I cant really judge.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0897501225/ref=sr_aps_books_1_1/202-5722728-1034212 This is where he got it from.

The thing to remember is that most of the Wudang Kung Fu (internal chinese arts), do have very heavy philosphical overtones. And you wont get the full impact of the style unless you appriciate them. Also these arts take a long long time to use properly and only with the skilled eye of a good Sifu are you going to become any good at them. If you like these sort of arts, then perhaps something like Choy Li Fut, Wing Chun or Baji Kung Fu would suit you better.

Again Kirves is truely wise. A "true" master does not need to prove him/herself. There is a good story, that Young Master Tobais (Fellow KF person)told me that I think applies here. What is the difference between a good sword and a great sword? In ancient times the good sword would be placed into a stream. As the gentle currently slowly washed the blossum down the stream it would fall onto the blade and be cut in half. A great sword would be placed into the same stream, but the blossum would avoid the blade as they already understood their fate. Or a more basic way of putting it is that you would not stand infront of a moving train, to know that it would kill you. In the same way that I would never ever challenge my Sensei, because I would already know my fate.

Congrats Laurie, I have only been doing Judo for a very short time, but I really enjoy it. All the best. Chris.

I have seen very similar things done in the Aikido dojo. Although I dont think I would believe it until it was done on me.

Wally Jay, was actually an amazing Judoka. However, when he took his first team to a local judo event they were trashed. So he developed a system more akin to Jujutsu and Aikido than Judo. I have the book, and I really really enjoyed it. Very consise, and lots of varing techniques from all ranges. And some interesting Self Defence senerios. Are those Gracie books any good, they are really pricey. Something like £25! That SMJJ was only £12 and worth every pennie.

Gotta agree with Kirves on that one.

I agree with Submission. However, this sort of training does promote mental as well as physical toughness. IMHO, its what a lot of the TMA are missing.

Sure thing KSN, no need for the apologise, as long as you got rid of that fools posts. All the best.

Well, I am a little biased. But I would choose one of my Sensei. Sensei K Williams created a style Aikido style for the western mind. Making hard concepts easy to understand. The most deadly man I have ever met, but also the nicest. Going from no students to thousands. And instilling me with awe and amazement everytime I see him demostrate. http://www.kifedgb.force9.co.uk/contents.html But then I would choose any individual that made one good student a great student.