we as martial artists

[Tom Yum]

WHAT THE !@#%%&*& IS A 12 OR UNDER KID GONNA DO IN A FIGHT AGAINST AN ATTACKER!?!

He use forearm smashing technique to smash forearm of attacker with full 26 letter alphabets, then deliver crushing sun fist to groin.......CONVINCE!!!!! (props to Sherwinc)

[Hermosa]

Hermosa,
Just a thought based on our previous conversations of late:

Understanding that the tougher life lessons give us the desire to save people from feeling the same loss, pain, or whatever, consider this...
People tried with great effort to spare you the same pain, and me too. They told us what we should do to avoid it, and tried to guide us with experience and wisdom. What do we do? We go learn the hard way anyhow. Why?

Because the lesson means nothing without the experience.

It's the difference between reading about an arm bar and doing one. The difference between watching a fight and being in one. It's not so much the seeing of it that teaches us as the scars we have to look at from the participation.



The question I've been trying to ponder for the last year or two is: Does the desire to help people avoid "pain" really deny them the most valuable of life's lessons?




And actually, it's something I'd like to talk with you about one to one, because I have some seriously esoteric stuff that'd get us both booted from the forum as nutcases. Gimme a call.

The lesson means nothing without the experience..Absolutely. Now people; I have to say, I don't work for Mr. Matt Thorton, or am I in any way affiliated with St. Blast Gym...However, I tend to reference his material alot because he has already said alot of what I want to say and more eloquently.

Any way..this is my point on training "Alive". There you are, Naked against your performance. It's freeing. Matt once talked about a mercenary convention he attended. He made the observation that though he was surrounded by hundreds of camo-wearing, self proclaimed killers...He couldn't pick out one guy that he would really want on his side if things went bad. He says what he really saw was a bunch of scared little boys...all hoping to finally learn the secret technique that will help them beat the nasty football players.

This is the mainstream world of martial arts. This is where most of Karate, TKD, Kenpo, Kali/Arnis, wing chun, wu shu, etc..people live. It's a self-taught fairy tale where you get to be the hero and save the day and get the girl..but in reality its only a band-aid. It just hides the scars and wounded emotions and never offers any real healing. And without true healing..people perpetuate violence and it snowballs into oblivion.

You step on the mat in a BJJ school that still has some integrity and you're gonna get locked and choked over and over. You are gonna be forced to meet yourself and that will be a great day. Then you can begin the process of becoming more fully human. Your illusions of violence and streetfighting will disappear and you'll be able to choose tolerance and inclusive-ness over Arrogance and prejudice.

Its a beautiful thing.

[gabbah]

Your illusions of violence and streetfighting will disappear and you'll be able to choose tolerance and inclusive-ness over Arrogance and prejudice.

Could you please elaborate on this? I'd especially like to hear what illusions people in general have about streetfighting! Very interesting stuff.
My illusion right now, after having seen a "documentary" of sorts called ghetto street brawls (basically showing fights between ghetto guys), is that they very rarely get a good shot in. They fight totally uncontrolled, telegraph their punches like hell, and most often swing them, making them extremely easy to block.
However, I think that if you fear the guy attacking you, and you are not confident in your abilites to defent and strike back, your basically fucked
By that I mean that all your training on bobing, weeving, blocking, punching correctly and aiming for specific areas, always having you eyes on your opponent and so forth - is useless, because you can't use it if you panic.
Sorry, I just went on rambling here.. I actually wanted to hear YOUR opinion (and others), about illusions in general, as I asked above

[Hermosa]

The illusion that one can train to become a great streetfighter...streetfighting in general is a philosophical dead end.

Why are you training?

[gabbah]

The illusion that one can train to become a great streetfighter...streetfighting in general is a philosophical dead end.

Why are you training?

Oh yeah you mean the illusion that one can train to become a great streetfighter, without actually fighting in the streets as training?

I started training because I wanted cardio training that was also fun. Kicking and punching seemed like a fun workout. I guess I got the idea from watching pride FC and K-1. But now I just love to learn and perform the techniques, and basically I want to be able to fight a kickboxning match and think that I'm moving with grace and speed, and have control.. control is the key here I think. Control over my body, my emotions, and the opponent. That is my goal I guess It would also be cool if I could control my fear of pain and getting knocked out. That is, sense the pain, but to limit the effect of it in terms of adrenaline, chock, tensing and such.
So I'm not preparing to fight on the streets.. I think it may help a little if I get good at kickboxing, but it's a whole other story than sparring with big fat gloves on your hands..

Why are you training?

[cakegirl]

most people think martial artists are ferries.

Martial artists are large boats that convey people and vehicles?!?!

Well I never knew that!

...

Sorry, I'm an editor. I couldn't help it.

[cakegirl]

oh and cakegirl, there nothing wrong with a little bondage

I never said there was

...

But I don't want to hear about it from someone I only met 5 minutes ago at a party.

[Tom Yum]

I never said there was

HOTEL HAMACA BABY!!!.......sorry.....sorry.......I got carried away .

[cakegirl]

Yeah, yeah, still waiting to hear back from that Dominican guy... Maybe he's given up on his girl-on-girl action tournament.

So for exotic travel destinations, I'm going to have to be satisfied with the Gracie cruise to Mexico...

[Hermosa]

I have nothing to add..that was beautiful. Nice Mike.

[Hermosa]

ahh what the hell..

Here is some more elaboration on my point from the man himself...I saw this and thought "there it is".

Also, I do not dismiss the danger of blades. In fact I know just how dangerous they can be, and so does every other SBG Instructor. They part of the curriculum, and they are addressed. But, I am very wary of people who talk about cutting arteries, and stabbing people in the guard, etc. Many times (not always) these people tend to be the kids that got picked on in school, lack a certain sense of self esteem, etc. I believe that people like this can be greatly helped through SPORTS. Whether it's boxing, wrestling, BJJ, Judo, NHB, etc. This type of athletic event can help someone like this gain real self esteem. But too often, instead of going down that route they I see them being drawn into the "streetfighting/ tactical" stuff. And I think this usually just increases there paranoia and fear, and eventually leads to anger.

This is why I think the sports paradigm is much healthier. The weaker members of our society are the ones that can use sports to improve their life the most. True self defense skills like awarness, maturity, lack of substance abuse, firearms, pepper spray,etc, can always be added. And should always be added. But the scared kids that get picked on are best helped through sports, and they are the ones I enjoy teaching the most because I have seen such a productive and great change that sports can bring to them.

-Matt (Mono Loco) Thornton

Personally..the only way I believe in addressing the blade, is to just make your guys "marker spar" and then say, ok you're both dead, don't do this, ok?

How do you know if you are a world class Silat person? How do you know if you are an 'expert' at 'WC' hand trapping?

Is it surviving some street fights? Is it in the pursuit of the holy grail of many JKD Concepts Instructors. . ."good form". . .which becomes defined as knowing more variations, and switches in Pok Sau Cycle then the next guy. Or looking 'crisp' on focus mitts.

How do YOU know?

[EmptyneSs]

uncle corny is pretty weak sauce. i dont think he knows alot about martial arts. in fact i dont know why he even joined this forum if he thinks martial arts suck so much.

people like uncle corny are the reason us regular folks take martial arts, because of hostile, bitter assholes like u all over the place.

i guess him telling us to go lookin for trouble in a ghetto was some kinda answer, if u want to take it seriously.

[wardancer]

why are we as martial artists so alone and so misunderstood? i can be more in depth about what im talking about, but i dont think i really need to, for u true martial artists know for sure what im talking about.

my own mother told me she would rather die than see her son become a fighter.

i guess in the end it doesnt really matter, because we do it for us, we dont do it for them.

we are alone in this world, a

big big sadface

If you want peace, be ready to do war.

[Hermosa]

If you want peace, be ready to do war.

"One cannot simultaneously prepare for peace and prepare for war"--Albert Einstien

[Uncle Corny]

uncle corny is pretty weak sauce. i dont think he knows alot about martial arts. in fact i dont know why he even joined this forum if he thinks martial arts suck so much.

people like uncle corny are the reason us regular folks take martial arts, because of hostile, bitter assholes like u all over the place.

i guess him telling us to go lookin for trouble in a ghetto was some kinda answer, if u want to take it seriously.

think what you will. i can't cure your silliness. but as long as we're both making our opinions known, you're obviously weak-minded since you let yourself fall victim to the fashion of useless martial arts.