Foul Tactics

[tri2bmt]

Hey I was reading my friends Jeet Kune Do book compiled by John Little and was curious how you guys feel about the "foul tactics". I.e, hair pulling, biting, groin grabs, fish hooks etc.

[Merryprankster]

I think this belongs on the main forum, BUT...

They're add-ons. Learn to fight. This stuff is icing on the cake--things you teach as you go along, but not the central point.

[Ish]

i don't really see them as foul tactics just extra thuings i can do tyo really hurt the person trying to hurt me.

[dnc101]

I gotta agree with the Prankster- these tactics are not the focal point of your training. If you don't have your basics, you'd probably never get the chance to use anything foul. Biting would be a last ditch measure though- blood, disease, etc.

On the other hand, I subscribe to the tennet that if you find yourself in a fair fight, you just didn't prepare well enough!

[TenTigers]

Woody Allen was once asked, "Is sex dirty?"
His reply was, "Yes, if it's done right."
So I ask "Is fighting dirty?"
"Yes, if it's done right"
When I teach a 'foul' technique-which comprises much of our technique,and a student asks if that's dirty fighting, I say. "ALL fighting is dirty"
"Anything worth fighting for is worth fighting dirty for"

[Ka]

Personally I think they are esstienial.And present in most MA however through various reasons have been forgotten or ignored.
One of the differences I find in the Typical MA school vs the Typical Combat or Self Defense school is the emphasis on these sort of moves.While I understand the MA student now has various goals in mind (comps,spiritual,perfection of movement,technique etc)they seem to focus on things that are not entirily associated with pure combat.But as I said that may not be your main goal and really isn't that appicable to many of our lives.
So I guess I am saying that its back to what you are wanting out of what you are learning.

[TenTigers]

OK, this is where I get into trouble: Combat, or self-defense school vs typical martial arts school. Do you see it? Do You? Does anybody see this??!! Dang! If what your sayin' is what I'm hearin' then your typical martial arts school is teaching warm 'n fuzzy, politically correct, harm no one, commercial crapola wannabe martial dance and NOT traditional martial arts, Meaning, that all-ALL traditional martial arts should be teaching real technique, real self-defense. I was at a tournament and there was this guy from ACK (American Combat Karate) and this traditional Karate guy (kuhrotty guy) from Japan saw his patch and asked him,
"What is American Combat Karate?"
The guy said, "It's Karate, but for combat"
To which the bewildered Karate-ka answered, "What Karate isn't?"
This is a sad state of affairs when MA is getting the rep nfor being totally innefective, or only seen as a sport.
Graden and his whole NAPMA organization has taken our art and marketed it down the fu**ing drain. His idea is to diversify- have the bulk of your students taking cardio kickbox, kids doing karate for kids, peewees doing Lil Ninjas, Krav Maga for self defense-or EZ Defense, and for those who wish to study traditional martial arts...oh, well you can do that too. Okay, I better get down off this soapbox, don't get me started...

[Ka]

Ten Tigers
I thought that this was common knowledge,a spilt of this sort has been around for a long while,what do you expect when many practitioners are never exposed to volient situations.
I think real probelms arise when practioners of the more performace based arts are tricked into beleiving that they are the same mould of Combat orientated ones.

I think neither side is right or wrong,just have difering end goals.