repz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5faGD5b6Zw

True, i used to be a whole open hand away from a split, an another student did the whole split. An i kicked straight up an he couldnt. I still kick way above head level, an now im like really far off from the ground in splits, i mean really far off... the worst in the class, yet i kick higher then anyone.

You kinda did read your next line... You just said youd hit someone after you tried to defuse the situation, but he hasnt attacked you yet, so how are you for sure that hes going to hit you? Its not like his words are throwing punches towards you. An if you are trying to diffuse anything.. that means its not a mugging or hes trying to kill you, its most likely some guy who you randonly got into a scuffle with, unless you begged the mugger to not rob you an instead persuaded him to go out for drinks... If the person comes at you with a concealed weapon or he just finished beating up your friend then walks towards you, then yeah you strike first, you dont need to pause to see the situation. I been in enough chest to chest "WHAT WHAT WHAT" situations an they never escalated anywhere. Not all bumps end up in fights, bust most do end up in court.

And if he doesn't punch weakly? And if he doesn't wildly overswing? Why take that risk? Your argument is that it is easy to judge someone's skill after they attack you poorly. But you have no guarantee they will attack you poorly. Why wait and see? Why give them the opportunity to attack you well? If the situation allows you to just wait for your opponent, then you can just as easily walk away. If it does not, then you might as well attack. . I never said i would wait for an attack to judge... i was pointing out the reasons why to, an that lil tidbit was not even a major reason why to. Just like the law is another reason why to, an the fact that i dont want anything to escalate, cause i wouldnt want to get in a scuffle if i can prevent it. An in the situation that he punches powerfully then he punches powerfully, an now you have justification to defend yourself, you know you prevented it, heres another situation in that he doesnt punch you at all an you stand there for nothing, then both walk off an call it a day... an you didnt even have to swing to protect yourself. An yes.. just as easily to walk away... an that is protecting yourself, avoiding confrontation, which is what you should be doing in the first place. Im guessing our signals are mixed up, is everyone on the same page as me. Cause im pictureing that you guys have this image that some dude yells "Lets fight" an you guys are ready to square off. Maybe if someone gives us a picture of whats happening... does someone get approached in a dark alley... a guy says give me your wallet... what? It depends on the situation. Im not going to punch someone in the face cause we got into an arguement an he wants to fight... well i probably would... but if im sober an thinking straight, then no. Cause your' e no better then HE is.

I think that kicking power is more a product of speed and mass than it is from flexibility. However, flexible muscles will typically be looser and more relaxed, which can help with speed. However, I don't think it is that determinant of a factor when it comes to power output. Well... others would say proper form. Its a combination of a lot of things. But as my example, if i can kick over your head as my LIMIT, an your limit is barely the head.. obviously my kick compared to yours would be stronger at the head area. That same kicker who can barely kick to the head, would still struggle to get proper form to the neck area, where as the high kicker kicks even more powerful then the guy in my example. Some people are so flexiable a kick to the neck area feels the same as someone with less flexiablity kicking to the stomach.

Sit there an analyze strategies? Im guessing this is towards my post. You dont have to be a master to know that the punch you just blocked was weak an uncoordinated. Your not gonna lose sight that the guy just wildy over swung his body, especially when after years of training you learned to correct students when their balance is just minimaly off. An remember its all self defense, an you want to defend yourself as in defense from his reaction, you dont want to be the agressor an get caught by cops, if someone watches right when you guys swing, an you make the first attack, hes not going to say you were defending yourself, hes going to say you punched him, then its up to the judges.

An open hand parry isnt meant to meet the power of an attack, it redirects it. An the only thing that can break your fingers is something powerful like a kick, an i wouldnt advise blocking any kick with any block. An my style does open hand blocks, but we use our forearms as the blocking area, reason for the open hand, is for the control an sensativity, we also grapple so we keep our hands open.

Shoriniji Kempo translated as Shaolin temple Boxing or fist law. Supposedbly a mix of many chinese styles of kung fu an akijujitsu, looks more like karate mixed with akijutjutsu tho. We dont chamber our punches. We dont use mats, only when we are teaching lower belts break falls. The styles known for its "embu", which is prearranged fight scenes. Its very popular in the world an in mostly japan, its no where near popularity here in america. They are an organisation that has strict rules, all branches train the same. They also have a deep philopshy teachings, we focus on self defense with heavy use of pressure points, we dont compete in tourneys, an we do some weird healing as well ( which i have yet to see lol ).

I trained in wing chun, i always said it would fit perfectly with chin-na or aki jujitsu. Close the gap, in close, strike an grab an take down. I think judo would make a good mix.

I was told, tall people make better strikers. Just look at boxing an how important reach is. But shorter people have an advantage on the ground, smaller limbs make smaller targets, longer limps make longer targets, a quick leg lock is easy on someone who has longer reach. But its always based on skill, im not tall at all, an i dropped tall guys fast in sparring.

Hey, are you boricua? si,de pura cepa! Oh.. lol Im newyorican... =) New York Boricua

In my style it says we dont train to be attackers, we train for defense of self, an that defending puts you in a more tactical position, example: one.. you seen his attack, you can judge his fighting ability based on this ( weight shift, angle of attack, stance, any martial artist can make a quick judgement in just a few seconds ) basically you see a preview of what he has to offer, two.. if your style uses wristlocks an such, you dont force these moves, they arent offensive in nature. Yes theres advantages in sneak attacks of course, but not many of us train that way. But in my case, i would swing at someone in a heated arguement, no matter what philosphy my sensei tries to implant in me, im very aggresive an my tolernce for disrespectful people is extremely slim. But i hope that never happens, an dont anyone tell my sensei id swing first, or ill swing first at your face.. jk

Yeah, i wondered the same thing when i started in shotokan back then. If anything, i was under the impression that they were for self defense situations where you arent sparring an where fights end with a good hit or wrist lock. But either way i doubted its effectiveness, now my new style uses open hand blocks, an we use it for sparring an self defense. My guess... is that back then they didnt spar, they didnt have sport karate. So they never really tested these blocks in prolonged matches, it was more theory then practice, an back then it was all based on kata training. I abandoned those blocks for parries.

Hey, are you boricua?

I used to be able to do the front split an i was a few inches from the side. Im not even close now, but my kicks are still high. I always thought that flexiablity builds power... like for example, a person who can kick OVER someones head as their maximum height, has more power when kicking to someones head ( below their maximum height ), then a guy whos maximum height is to the head, it kind of extends your power range.