Ray Pina
02-01-2005, 10:09 PM
I just got back from class and its late (midnight) but I thought about my last post to you and I think I may have given the wrong impression. We have a lot of new blood at our school and they have experience but its long on theory (some of it very abstract) but short on real practicality. But they're punching a lot harder and shielding well already so I say in 16 months many of them will be game.
But when I talk about guts I mean something like this: Master Scott Rodell I think his name is (he's from the DC area and known for his swordsmanship, recently published a book and you can find him at swordforum.com) visited our school about a year and change ago with some students for a friendly get together. Now, because of their style of swordsmanship they woul not use the standard shinei -- they insisted on using their own, solid wood straight swords (boken). I would not have played under those conditions. But my master's daughter, at 5 feet, 100lbs, she played quite succesfully against each of these grown men. To me, that's guts.
You don't hear much about our school or my master (which is funny, because people in the NYC area definitely know who he is, and you know how quick people are to post smack over the littelest thing) but he's a quiet man and doesn't promote sport fighting. I'm the only one interested in that sort of thing to be honest. But people come all the time. And his disciples are all very quiet and gentle. But if push comes to shove they will play, but they've been trained to go all out, not used gloves and to them, not poking you in the eye or kicking you in the balls is gentlemanly -- expect every other possible thing.
Anyway, I didn't want to seam like I was selling the school short. And also, I thought about you a few weeks ago and we were doing anti ground work (we're more into anti throw than throwing, anti kick, than kicking, etc. etc.) and thought, "You know who would apreciate this? Red."
Seriously, if you're ever in NY please stop by. Let's put all our past drama behind us -- I think you'd apreciate my master's no bull$hit aproach. He's very nice and very practical and intelligent. He doesn't lie to his students. He'll tell you what he can and can't do and allow you to try it on him full power.
Anyway, have a good night or most likely good day when you see this.
peace
Ray Pina
But when I talk about guts I mean something like this: Master Scott Rodell I think his name is (he's from the DC area and known for his swordsmanship, recently published a book and you can find him at swordforum.com) visited our school about a year and change ago with some students for a friendly get together. Now, because of their style of swordsmanship they woul not use the standard shinei -- they insisted on using their own, solid wood straight swords (boken). I would not have played under those conditions. But my master's daughter, at 5 feet, 100lbs, she played quite succesfully against each of these grown men. To me, that's guts.
You don't hear much about our school or my master (which is funny, because people in the NYC area definitely know who he is, and you know how quick people are to post smack over the littelest thing) but he's a quiet man and doesn't promote sport fighting. I'm the only one interested in that sort of thing to be honest. But people come all the time. And his disciples are all very quiet and gentle. But if push comes to shove they will play, but they've been trained to go all out, not used gloves and to them, not poking you in the eye or kicking you in the balls is gentlemanly -- expect every other possible thing.
Anyway, I didn't want to seam like I was selling the school short. And also, I thought about you a few weeks ago and we were doing anti ground work (we're more into anti throw than throwing, anti kick, than kicking, etc. etc.) and thought, "You know who would apreciate this? Red."
Seriously, if you're ever in NY please stop by. Let's put all our past drama behind us -- I think you'd apreciate my master's no bull$hit aproach. He's very nice and very practical and intelligent. He doesn't lie to his students. He'll tell you what he can and can't do and allow you to try it on him full power.
Anyway, have a good night or most likely good day when you see this.
peace
Ray Pina