Rope/Stiff vs Rubber/Pliable

[Alan Armstrong]

I have a little saying that helps to put my martial arts in perspective.

Bigger-Stronger-Faster-Younger; this is what I have in mind to train against.

Today while working out in an open air exercise area for adults, a firefighter was training with a rope while I was training with thick rubber bands.

Both, his rope and my bands attached to iron bars above our heads.

I asked him for a friendly arm wrestling match but stand up style; both using the right hand.

With the idea to unbalance the other, pulling to the ground.

Fair enough, we had five goes at pulling each other over, he was bigger-stronger-faster-younger.

What do you guess the outcome would be in this event and why?

As martial artists, it is necessary to use tactics that are not obvious, such as the element of surprise or having extraordinary balance and rooting abilities developed through many years of stance training.

[sensei8]

As a MAist, I wouldn't have challenged anyone in anything, especially in the given venue.

What do you guess the outcome would be in this event and why?

I've no idea what the outcome would be, because I don't know either of yours skill sets. I don't entertain assumptions, because I've nothing to gain because I've absolutely no facts to compare.

And with that, consistencies between either of you two winning aren't without flaws.

bigger-stronger-faster-younger

Possessing these attributes doesn't favor one over another. Why?? Knowledge and experience trumps everything!!

Imho.

[Alan Armstrong]

As a MAist, I wouldn't have challenged anyone in anything, especially in the given venue.

What do you guess the outcome would be in this event and why?

I've no idea what the outcome would be, because I don't know either of yours skill sets. I don't entertain assumptions, because I've nothing to gain because I've absolutely no facts to compare.

And with that, consistencies between either of you two winning aren't without flaws.

bigger-stronger-faster-younger

Possessing these attributes doesn't favor one over another. Why?? Knowledge and experience trumps everything!!

Imho.

Apologies all round sensei8.

I left things vague and open to involve using some imagination and deductive thinking.

The area I train in is monitored by a security camera and there is an armed guard that patrols the area also.

Of couse I won all five wrestling attempts (as this type of thing) is something I do as a part of training, on a regular basis.

Not difficult to derive at the conclusion that I won all five attempts due to that I initiated the event.

Years ago while taking Aikido, we would play around practicing this technique, as a part of the warm up routine before class

This could all understandably sound like an ego trip on my part or something similar. Not my intent.

I have done this one hand, stand uparm wrestling, with many people over the years and have come to the conclusion that people that are much taller than myself do very well in this event.

The friendly fireman that is all round in better shape than myself lacks skills in resistance training in comparison, as I'm practicing with both hands and also one handed. more often than not.

Whereas I'm using muscle memory motor skills to stay balanced with the rubber bands pulling against me, while the firemen is hanging on to a rope concentrated on pulling himself up with both hands and just using upper body strength.

The element of surprise in this little event was for me to sink low to the ground in a stance whereas the fireman couldn't match me and stayed high, as he hadn't had practice to go low like myself, he would loose his balance no matter if he was in a high or low position.

The fireman's range of motion all round is alot less than mine, which gave me an unnoticeable advantage; this also understandably gives a person much taller than myself an advantage over me also.

The people I have shown this to liked it alot. They didn't seem to feel as if their ego was threatened, just liked it, as an exercise that focuses on strength and balance with a resisting person.