ISDS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYcA-srWKNk&feature...

...is running away really good advise for a self-defense strategy?

Sure, getting in shape and making possible accommodations for health issues is a great suggestion but what self-defense strategies are there for people who just can't manage to make those accomodations?

This show is called "Wushu Warrior". It's a Chinese 'reality' competition show. I want to find more videos like it. Does anyone know of any?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmFQ-eaonJg

I've been searching for examples of bad martial arts instructors and believe I have found the worst I've ever seen. This might be something some of the senior people here already know about but it's all new to me. Impressions?

I've been to several seminars from various styles and systems. I find the information useful on several levels but the usefulness is almost exclusively confined to helping me understand and explore my own training and experience from a different or new perspective.

Do you feel that it would be a good investment of time for a complete novice or beginner to attend an intensive seminar or workshop from specific styles?

I have a friend who runs a campus organization and is interested in starting an ARMA branch on the college campus. He's approached me to be one of the charter members. I was wondering if anyone here has any experience with ARMA.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Am3mQ...

That's directly plagiarized from one of my questions. Just curious.

The impetus for this question is the Iowa story of the boy who forfeited his wrestling match against a girl.

In martial arts training, specifically in full contact and aliveness training in a co-ed setting would you (males) "go easy" on a female who is there to train with full intent and full resistance? Would you go full force and full intent if that is what she wishes?

I have and would. I have KO'd 3 women and submitted 2 during training. They were not upset or traumatized by the experience. I believe if they are fully aware of the conditions of training/sparring and desire the experience of full resistance training then it is unethical to go easy on a female under such circumstances.

Thoughts, opinions, etc... ?

Consider this:

German researchers have discovered that coughing during an injection can lessen the pain of the needle stick. According to Taras Usichenko, author of a study on the phenomenon, the trick causes a sudden, temporary rise in pressure in the chest and spinal canal, inhibiting the pain-conducting structures of the spinal cord. (source = http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2zzFjl/rockforhealth...

Some consider the Kiai a less than useful aspect of Traditional Martial Arts. After considering the above excerpt does it provoke any thought regarding traditional aspects of the martial arts? Some training methods or techniques seem to make no sense, perhaps because the reason was lost during the transmission of the knowledge through successive generations.

... to suit the individual needs/wants of the practitioner?

This question allows for more freedom to express opinions and present arguments than similar questions on the topic.

Benny Hinn is a TV evangelist. Does a lot of "no-touch" KO's. Has he trained under Dillman?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1O2qHzQYVtw

http://www.logiccool.com/blog/591281-lone-nepali-s...

Whatever they're doing, they're doing it right. As for myself I hope if ever confronted with a similar situation that my training will carry me through as gracefully.

I started training when I was 3, my father teaching me Goju Ryu Karate. I started Tae Kwon Do, Judo, and Hapkido at age 10. From age 15 to 20 I practiced only Tae Kwon Do. From age 20 to 28 I practiced Kali, Jeet Kune Do, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. During this time I trained and competed in the MMA format. While in the military I also was taught CQC H2H and CQC Small Arms. From 28 to present (36) I've been studying and practicing Bak Mei Kung Fu.

I consider myself a Traditional Marital Artist because I have adopted the traditions and training methods of Bak Mei Kung Fu. However, just because my focus in training and attitude has shifted doesn't mean all the other experience and training has disappeared from my development.

The question is one that has been bothering me lately as I contemplate the whole TMA vs. MMA debate. While I consider myself a TMA I wonder if it's a fair evaluations of what I "am".

"A large part of the beauty of (art) arises from the struggle which an artist wages with his limited medium." --Henri Matisse

Medium / Media = materials and techniques used by an artist to produce a work

Question for the teachers/instructors: Do you teach how to blind-side and sucker punch people? Why or why not?

For students: Have you been taught the above while studying a martial art?

For all: Do you think such concepts should be taught as part of a martial art?

I'm not going into additional detail because I want answers from people who know, not guesses based on the details.

When it comes to self-defense I'm often asked "What if"... and the only real way I can address this question is to do to the student the very thing they fear. They can't understand the issue until they truly experience the reality of the situation they are questioning (asking about, wondering, etc...) But, the reality is it's an unpleasant and very negative thing to explore. How do you, as a teacher, address these "ultimate" questions with students? The process is, in my opinion, nasty and unpleasant. Many people who are curious aren't prepared to deal with the reality of the issue. Any guidance on how to explore such issues in a gentle manner? As it stands I can't figure out how to address these issues in a gentle and non-traumatic way.

...can you become a master of a martial arts style without students?

I accept you cannot teach yourself any style, you need a teacher. But to become a master, does the martial artist need students to do so?

The reason I ask is because when I started teaching (recently) there were things I never would have thought about or even considered that came up and required my thought and exploration to explain. Without a student I would never have developed or explored aspects of the martial arts that I have. Can a martial artist become a master without students?

The hand sign with the index and middle finger raised and the ring and pinky down with thumb pressed over the lowered fingers? In Christian religion, the hand sign is a benediction. I see it in Japanese culture and in Chinese martial arts. In Tai Chi, the hand position seems to represent a sword while practicing empty handed. Is there other meanings, culturally, that are relevant to martial arts?