kung fu baseball bats

[brianlkennedy]

Looks like the kung fu weapon of choice back in the Motherland of Kung Fu is----baseball bats. They are popular in Taiwan too.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-china-baseball-bats-20111102,0,6271961.story

Tiger Claw should start carrying a line.

take care,
Brian

[BakShaolinEC]

they're all filled with cork. they must be the sammy sosa limited edition.

[TaichiMantis]

Any bat forms to post? :D;)

[GeneChing]

Props to Master Chen Sitan for such a high profile demo.


Chinese Kungfu kicks off New York Mets (http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/us/2013-09/15/content_16970494.htm)
Updated: 2013-09-15 05:30
By Hu Haidan and Amy He (chinadaily.com.cn)

The 5th annual An Evening of Chinese Culture hit Citi Field, the home of the New York Mets baseball team, on the evening of a game against the Miami Marlins on Friday.

The event featured kungfu and taichi performances from over 200 participants, led by 2-time world champion winner SitanChan and Chinese ribbon dance.

An Evening of Chinese Culture was sponsored by the Sino-American Friendship Association and the Sino-American Culture and Arts Foundation, created to give baseball fans insight into China through the country’s traditional cultural forms.

Among the dignitaries present were Sun Guoxiang, Chinese Consul General in New York, Peter Koo, Council Member of Queens, Margaret Lam, board of director of the New Jersey Chinese-American Chamber of Commerce, LuoDePaoli, executive vice president of the Mets, Xu Yaping, Director of China National Tourist Office in New York, Peter Zhang, President of Sino-American Friendship Association and Li Li, executive vice president of Sino-American Friendship Association and president of Sino-American Culture & Arts Foundation.

Sun threw the ceremonial first pitch for the game.

"I think a Chinese culture night will facilitate a culturalexchange between Chinese and Americans," said Sun. "Having a kungfu performance before the game is a wonderful way to promote Chinese culture," he added.

Li Li, executive vice president of Sino-American Friendship Association and president of Sino-American Culture & Arts Foundation, said it is a wonderful night for Chinese culture meets Western sport.

"I believe that language can be a barrier, but music and culture can meet and communicate without barrier and beyond boarders," Li said.

Koo, council member of Queens also attended the culture night.

"Flushing has the highest concentration of Asian-Americans in New York, so here is a great place to host culture event like this," he said.

The China National Tourism Office (CNTO) has been supporting the An Evening of Chinese Culture for three years.

Throughout the game, a video provided by the CNTO featuring China’s natural landscapes was shown throughout the stadium.

The event was hosted to coincide with Mid-Autumn Festival, which takes place on the 15th day of the eighth-month on the Chinese lunar calendar. It is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture when family members gather for celebrations that include carrying lanterns, performing dances and eating pastries named moon cakes.

Many US officials sent congratulatory letters to support the event, including ones from mayor Bloomberg ofNew York, governor Chris Christie of New Jersey, and governor Dannel Malloy of Connecticut, among others.

[David Jamieson]

Using a club is pretty standard form throughout time. A Baseball bat is a ready made easy to get club.

Like a machete is a ready made, easy to get broadsword... :)

If impromptu conflict is upon you, it's likely you won't have time to pick up your antique weapons...

[Syn7]

You mean you don't carry a guandao around with you? You're just not taking this seriously. :p

[YouKnowWho]

This is better.

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130329011761/deadliestfiction/images/5/50/Spiked_bat.jpg

[GeneChing]

Bats are top heavy, designed for one blow, like an executioner's sword. If you swing and strike, it's difficult to follow up.

[David Jamieson]

Bats are top heavy, designed for one blow, like an executioner's sword. If you swing and strike, it's difficult to follow up.

Keep swinging!

Figure 8s!

Also, you can poke with them like you poke with a staff or spear.
It hurts. :)

[GeneChing]

Do you prefer hardwood or alloy? Have you advanced to twin bat yet?


:D

[Lucas]

i just thought i would do my civic duty and let you guys know about these things called batons. they are like bats, but they dont suck. :eek:

http://www.kotulas.com/wcsstore/KotulaCatalogAssetStore/images/product/199190_lg.jpg

[Jimbo]

i just thought i would do my civic duty and let you guys know about these things called batons. they are like bats, but they dont suck. :eek:

http://www.kotulas.com/wcsstore/KotulaCatalogAssetStore/images/product/199190_lg.jpg

Unfortunately, those collapsible batons are very illegal, at least where I am. In the home, I'd probably prefer a good ball peen hammer.

[Lucas]

well sheet if we're going illegal just carry a machete understrapped to your back!

[Syn7]

Do you prefer hardwood or alloy? Have you advanced to twin bat yet?


:D

Hardwood. I have an awesome little league louisville. Perfect. Heavy enough, but light enough.



Lucas, I have a few of those extendable batons. They are cool in some situations, horrible in others. Not the most structurally sound club out there. So if you wanna walk on somebody and take out their legs, maybe a quick swipe to the head, they work great. More than that, not so reliable. I found out the hard way. Shoulda known.


Jimbo, They aren't illegal in Canada, so it surprises me that they are in the US. You can have an AR but not a piece of **** baton? What if it doesn't collapse? Maybe it's illegal for the same reasons butterfly knives are illegal in canada... none of which make much sense.

[Syn7]

well sheet if we're going illegal just carry a machete understrapped to your back!

Or you can just carry a sidearm.

[GeneChing]

heh heh. That made my day being able to call FOUL on Lucas again. :) Our forum sponsor MartialArtsMart.com carries Tokushu Keibo (collapsible batons for the uneducated martial artist). MAM carries two styles: manual (http://www.martialartsmart.com/19-05.html) and automatic (http://www.martialartsmart.com/19-01.html). And at this posting, they are illegal in California, Massachusetts, and New York. They might not be illegal in Canada, but they cannot be shipped across the border.


Hardwood. I have an awesome little league louisville. Perfect. Heavy enough, but light enough. I completely agree.


Lucas, I have a few of those extendable batons. They are cool in some situations, horrible in others. Not the most structurally sound club out there. So if you wanna walk on somebody and take out their legs, maybe a quick swipe to the head, they work great. More than that, not so reliable. I found out the hard way. Shoulda known. If I wasn't in California, WHERE THEY ARE ILLEGAL, I might have a few of those myself. But I don't. I can't even buy them from out of the Tiger Claw warehouse, where our office is housed. :(

But what do you mean by you found out the hard way? Do tell....

[Syn7]

heh heh. That made my day being able to call FOUL on Lucas again. :) Our forum sponsor MartialArtsMart.com carries Tokushu Keibo (collapsible batons for the uneducated martial artist). MAM carries two styles: manual (http://www.martialartsmart.com/19-05.html) and automatic (http://www.martialartsmart.com/19-01.html). And at this posting, they are illegal in California, Massachusetts, and New York. They might not be illegal in Canada, but they cannot be shipped across the border.

I completely agree.

If I wasn't in California, WHERE THEY ARE ILLEGAL, I might have a few of those myself. But I don't. I can't even buy them from out of the Tiger Claw warehouse, where our office is housed. :(

But what do you mean by you found out the hard way? Do tell....


I broke it. Nuff said.

That's funny. Cause I had to get my butterfly knives from cali. Life is weird like that. Some laws make no sense. What if you have a non collapsible baton? Or a nigh stick? Do you need to have a baseball glove near a bat to make it legal? Some of these bandaid laws baffle me. We go after the effect and ignore the cause. Seems like such a waste of time. If they did both, ok cool, but that's not what's happening.

[Jimbo]

Jimbo, They aren't illegal in Canada, so it surprises me that they are in the US. You can have an AR but not a piece of **** baton? What if it doesn't collapse? Maybe it's illegal for the same reasons butterfly knives are illegal in canada... none of which make much sense.

Yup, CA has some really stupid laws. Automatic knives (switchblades) with a blade over 2", any butterfly knife (bali song), sap, or nunchaku are also illegal here. I'm actually surprised CA even allows switchblades with 2" or under blades, considering how unreasonable so many of the laws are. But really, a knife is a knife; regardless of how it opens, once it's open it's just another knife. And nunchaku! How many people have done a drive-by nunchuking??

There may be some states that allow civilians to carry collapsible batons. I know that switchblades (and probably butterfly knives too) are legal in some states.

[Lucas]

:eek:bro! :eek:

[Syn7]

I don't understand it either. I can kill someone with a bic pen, Melted plastic shaved down jail style, a piece of metal that is somewhat pointy, a sharpened spoon, whatever. If people want to cause harm, they will. Man, sharp anything will make a decent weapon on the fly. And that's not even getting into blunt objects. If I walk around with a rock in my hand, is that illegal because it can be a weapon? What if I just think it's a cool rock?

That's funny about the butterfly knives, cause I got mine in chinatown in SF when I was staying in SJ. They were on full display, not some under the table type thing. Maybe the law wasn't around back then? It was quite awhile ago now.

There is another irony. We can have(and I do) spring loaded blades, but only the folding kind. Which is weird because everything I look at says they are illegal, yet they are commonly sold all over. So I dunno. Some info I found said you can have spring assist, but it has to be initiated manually. So mine doesn't have a button like the 50's greaser style ones we see in movies, mine has a small trigger behind where the blade meets the handle and it gives it just enough of a nudge that the spring does the rest. Maybe that's the difference? If it is, that's just stupid. A button = illegal but I guess they found a way to circumvent the law because of how it was worded and nobody has bothered to make an amendment? I dunno. They are all stupid laws to me. But I come from an engineers perspective. If I can't buy it I'll just make it and so that makes me wonder what the point is... ya know? I realize not everyone is able to do some of these things, but many weapons are basic and simple. I mean, you can make a rudimentary gun with ease. It may not be an AR, but it will still kill. Or just backfire on you, but to me that's just natural selection at its best.



I think Lucas did a drive by nunchucking. Heard he took down a whole crew!

actually I do know of a drive by clubbing, ball bat out the window style. It wasn't a good look for the guy on the receiving end.

[bawang]

I don't understand it either. I can kill someone with a bic pen, Melted plastic shaved down jail style, a piece of metal that is somewhat pointy, a sharpened spoon, whatever.

wow

wow such deadly
wow

[Syn7]

I think people are just intimidated by the flashier weapons. I can open my butterflies in a few different ways, I can throw them in the air closed and catch the mid spin opened, one in each hand, but that's just for kicks. None of it is useful in a fight. It's just a blunt weapon till it's open, just like any other folding or retracting blade. People have some weird irrational fears. A butterfly knife is illegal, but a hunting knife is not? That's just stupid!

Maybe they banned the chucks cause too many kids were coming to the ER needing stitches in the back of the head, lol. I made a nice pair on the lathe with really fine steel rope between them. I drilled through the end about 3/4 of an inch from the end and then drilled down the top to meet the other hole so that the rope comes out of the top. They have served me well. I was a lil battered at first from getting over excited, but now I can throw two around with ease. Tracers!!! That being said, I'd rather have a bat. I don't really like them as a weapon. Like the butterfly knives, I just did it cause I can and it seemed neat at the time. Now they sit on a shelf with the rest of my toys that I never use anymore right next to the butterflies.

[Syn7]

wow

wow such deadly
wow

Saw that coming. When I say "I", I mean anyone. Even you young padawan.

[Jimbo]

Syn,

Assisted-opening knives are indeed legal here because, as you say, you have to initiate the opening to about 30 degrees or so before the spring assist kicks in. I own a few knives like that (from ZT/Kershaw), but to be honest, they just sit on a dresser. I carry a manual-opening Spyderco. I don't see any advantages to automatics or assisted-openers, as there's more to foul up, wear out or break. Simple is better, IMO. :)

I might add that I carry the Spyderco as a utility blade, not as a weapon. When you realize how useful a knife is day to day, you wonder how you got along without one.

[bawang]

Saw that coming. When I say "I", I mean anyone. Even you young padawan.

I sharpen my fingernail into monomolecular thin claws. I can rend steel like butter.

[Syn7]

Syn,

Assisted-opening knives are indeed legal here because, as you say, you have to initiate the opening to about 30 degrees or so before the spring assist kicks in. I own a few knives like that (from ZT/Kershaw), but to be honest, they just sit on a dresser. I carry a manual-opening Spyderco. I don't see any advantages to automatics or assisted-openers, as there's more to foul up, wear out or break. Simple is better, IMO. :)

I might add that I carry the Spyderco as a utility blade, not as a weapon. When you realize how useful a knife is day to day, you wonder how you got along without one.

Totally agree. I've had them open on me when I didn't want them to. They do have a lock on them, but they are mechanically unreliable if you don't remove that feature. But when you do that, they can open in your pocket, or when bumped or dropped. I agree, simple is better. I have two main blades I carry. One is a folding knife I use as a tool, and I have a sheathed blade that is strictly used as a weapon(happy to say never been used for that reason). I do not carry the sheathed blade unless I'm out in the bush. Or I guess feel threatened in some way and feel I should have it. I used to just leave it in the glove box. Now it hangs off my workbench. I have a spyderco too, great tool. Between that and a leatherman I keep in my kit, I'm good to go. My leatherman is pretty sweet, It has the wire stripper/plier combo. The plier part is kind of like a needlenose and lineman hybrid. Served me well. I can't imagine not having it now. It's not actually a real leatherman, it was a gift and I have no idea what the brand is, but it's pretty durable.

[Syn7]

I sharpen my fingernail into monomolecular thin claws. I can rend steel like butter.

That should be illegal! I say we ban fingernails. Way too open to abuse. They are also uses as drug paraphernalia! Maybe we should ban credit cards too. They can be used as a weapon or for drugs too.

[GETHIN]

Quick release leather belts with heavy metal buckles are very popular here , easy to carry and useful - I've seen a lot of people playing with these....

[Kellen Bassette]

Maybe we should ban credit cards too. They can be used as a weapon or for drugs too.

http://www.everystevenseagalmovie.com/images/the-glimmer-man-18.jpg

Credit cards kill.

[RenDaHai]

Weapons are illegal when they are concealable. This is a completely logical law. It should be this way.

If you have to mess around opening a blade 30 percent of the way before it flicks, then you pretty much have to carry it already open if you intend to use it suddenly. If weapons are obvious, they are not as dangerous because people can see it coming. Butterfly knives come out of nowhere, they open fast.

If someone is holding a knife in front of you there are ways to escape. If they brush past you and stab you in the kidneys without you even seeing the knife, that is more dangerous.

I know there are ways around all this, but by making it illegal we make the very concept of hidden weapons distasteful in peoples minds. This is a good thing. It doesn't stop the criminals but it helps us know who the criminals are.

Part of the reason no one outside the continent of America understands their gun laws. Sure we get you need shotguns and hunting rifles for bears and stuff.... But why handguns?

[Kellen Bassette]

Part of the reason no one outside the continent of America understands their gun laws. Sure we get you need shotguns and hunting rifles for bears and stuff.... But why handguns?

What happens if your rifle jams and you've wounded a bear?
Enter the side arm. :D:cool:

[Jimbo]

If you have to mess around opening a blade 30 percent of the way before it flicks, then you pretty much have to carry it already open if you intend to use it suddenly. If weapons are obvious, they are not as dangerous because people can see it coming. Butterfly knives come out of nowhere, they open fast.

Although I don't favor them, the assisted-opening folders open very fast. You push a thumb stud or "flipper" with one hand, and the assisted-opening feature takes over. It's one smooth motion. Have you ever handled one? You don't need to carry it open. They can be open and ready faster than a butterfly knife. But they are not necessarily designed to play a weapon role. It's designed for convenience (and perhaps a degree of novelty). Most folding knives are used for mundane cutting tasks.

But TBH, I can flick open a Spyderco one-handed as fast or faster than an assisted-opener, if I really feel like it (I never need to for daily cutting chores so I don't). Plus, doing that too much can cause premature wear on the locking mechanism.

[RenDaHai]

Although I don't favor them, the assisted-opening folders open very fast. You push a thumb stud or "flipper" with one hand, and the assisted-opening feature takes over. It's one smooth motion. Have you ever handled one? You don't need to carry it open. But they are not only designed to play a weapon role. It's designed for convenience (and perhaps a degree of novelty). Most folding knives are used for mundane cutting tasks.

But TBH, I can flick open a Spyderco one-handed as fast or faster than an assisted-opener, if I really feel like it (I never need to for daily cutting chores so I don't). Plus, it can cause premature wear on the locking mechanism.


Oh, I see. Does it still come out of the side though? I.e how fast can you go from a closed knife to stabbing into something, do you need to change grip?

Right, I get it. There will always be ways around it. But making these things illegal does help, it puts the concept into the social consciousness. This has a large impact on peoples behaviour. Plus some stupid kid is not gonna think that kinda knife is cool, but a butterfly knife, thats awesome. Theres more potential for danger.

[Raipizo]

Quick release leather belts with heavy metal buckles are very popular here , easy to carry and useful - I've seen a lot of people playing with these....

Or even the seat belt belts, those buckles pretty heavy and hard.

Bawang, you make me laugh. Do you use a lot of tiger claw strikes with those fingernails?

[Raipizo]

If so may you have mercy on us all, you could pierce our skulls like peanut shells with those mini lightsabers.

[Jimbo]

RenDaHai:

So long as the knife laws here don't become as restrictive as those in the U.K. Some of which are ridiculous. As Syn said, even if you restrict everything, people will always find a way with whatever objects are around. Simply outlawing everything that *could* be dangerous isn't the answer. There are much deeper societal issues that must be addressed. Otherwise, we should ban cars, as people cause more deaths and destruction with them every year than almost anything else.

[RenDaHai]

RenDaHai:

So long as the knife laws here don't become as restrictive as those in the U.K. Some of which are ridiculous. As Syn said, even if you restrict everything, people will always find a way with whatever objects are around. Simply outlawing everything that *could* be dangerous isn't the answer. There are much deeper societal issues that must be addressed. Otherwise, we should ban cars, as people cause more deaths and destruction with them every year than almost anything else.

No but it is important to attach a much social stigma as possible to these things. It makes people aware of the danger.

I think we should massively change road laws. Living in China for many years I have seen the worst of driving and horrific accidents. It is such an unnatural death. Cars can be more dangerous than guns. But look at the laws governing cars. They are many and constantly watched. I don't think we go far enough. It angers me that we can make an iPad but yet we can't make a safer set of road laws or safer cars for pedestrians.

[Syn7]

To be honest, I wouldn't want to fight with any folding knife. I mean, if you have to, okay, but it would be my last choice for obvious reasons. Anyone who handles knives know what I'm talking about. Stuff happens. Parts fail. It's just not a good look.

The spring blade is fast, it will be open long before you can raise your hand. But that's true with most lock blades with the thumb stud. The emerson wave is pretty fast too, but it will destroy your pocket.

Ren: I disagree with the stigma comment. Not entirely, but in part. I hear what your saying and I respect the sentiment. But we have to be more pragmatic about these things. We should work on the fix, not the bandaid. Knives and guns aren't even in the same league. Just like fishing line isn't in a knifes league, yet can be deadly. As for guns, I'm all for controls and SOME limitations, but an outright ban is simply out of the question. You will never keep all the guns from all the bad guys, but you can do a lot to make sure those who do possess them legally have the necessary knowledge to handle, maintain and store them properly. And even then, you will still have to deal with the idiot factor, but that's just a fact of life. Guns aren't going anywhere. Every day they become more accessible and easier to fabricate. We need to look at this from a different angle. No point in trying to dam a river with your hands. That's when you think up some more creative solutions. Try new ideas.

As for conceal comment, well, lots of people carry knives and you just don't see them. I clip mine on my pocket and I'm not really worried about people seeing it or not, but I could just as easily drop it in my pocket. It would be no less legal and no less dangerous. What does it matter how it opens? If you don't want kids to play with weapons, then educate them... en masse.

As for cars, they will be driving themselves in your lifetime. Much safer that way. Just think, you can sleep on your way to work! :D

[RenDaHai]

Ren: I disagree with the stigma comment. Not entirely, but in part. I hear what your saying and I respect the sentiment. But we have to be more pragmatic about these things. We should work on the fix, not the bandaid.

Let me give you an example. In China there might as well be no laws governing road use. It is an absolute disaster, and when there are not enforced guidelines no one thinks about it and what is safe.

When you are crossing a pedestrian crossing on a green light (for you) you do not expect a vehicle to be driving on the wrong side of the road and crossing the red light and not paying any attention to you. Yet this happens every time I cross the road.

This would not happen in the west and if it did, everyone nearby would be angry, this social stigma is what stops it happening. Everyone considers it wrong because they have grown up with this law. Here its the driver who gets angry that you went in front of them. Wtf??

When you have lots of laws governing this behaviour people grow up with them and the laws ARE the education. They think about these things. Because they don't have these laws in China, no one thinks about them and everyone is a bad driver.

If everyone was sensible and educated, then you don't need any laws what so ever.
These laws ARE part of the fix, it IS the education. Another social fix will take generations. The bandaid can be put on today.

[Syn7]

Yes... but you don't ban the cars. Follow me? That genie is out of the bottle. You make rules and educate everyone who drives as to how it works and why and penalize offenders. That's all well and good. Now just transfer that argument to weapons because that was what I was referring to, not the car thing. I sympathize with the driving problem in china, but quite frankly, that's just not an issue where I live. I have no issue with our driving laws. We get permits, we get insured, we take care to not plow through crowds. All in all we do ok considering the amount of stupid we have up in here. You hear how high accident fatalities are and people think "wow". Not me, I think we're lucky it's not a **** show like where you're at. We do pretty well under the circumstances. But we still lose our heads over other issues and I think "security" is one of those issues. If people don't push back, then it will become the norm(like you said) and the next generations won't realize what they have lost. I don't support pre crime regulation, but I do support some level of balanced regulation. Big difference between the two though.

[JamesC]

America isn't a continent.

Guns, in general, are a right given to us by our constitution. Hunting is well and good, but the reason for ownership of a gun is simply to use against te government if needed.

But, that's opening a whole can of worms that will quickly spiral down into 1bad territory.

[JamesC]

That was weird. My phone showed a post by RDH as te most recent..., but I think it was on the first page.

Nothing to see here.

[Jimbo]

In decades past, a high number of young people were taught how to safely handle guns and knives, and their proper uses. Regarding knives, I mean their responsible uses as tools, not as thugs' weapons. In general, this instilled a degree of respect, and a more mature attitude, toward these things. I remember in school, most boys I knew carried some type of pocketknife/scout knife, etc. Yet not once did I or anyone I knew ever pull a knife during a fight. The thought never even crossed our minds.

Nowadays, people are instilling fear of the objects into their children. They are taught to be very afraid of someone using a little pen knife to open a package or slice an apple. They can be expelled from school for having one on their person, even if they forgot it was in their bag and they willingly come forward to let school officials know about it. Many Boy Scout troops are no longer allowed to carry any knives whatsoever. Zero tolerance policies mean almost zero common sense.

While *possibly* having good intentions, these "solutions" really are a band-aid...a band-aid put over a compound fracture. It's resulting in a wimpified generation of parents and kids who are taught to fear everything and accept no personal responsibility. Sheep who are willing to just give up their rights "As long as it makes me feel a little safer." It creates an attitude and position of helplessness. Then you have the sociopaths who will not obey the gun laws, and will remain armed no matter what laws are passed, who become bolder and bolder. They can get whatever they want, whenever they want.

And have all the new restrictive laws made everything better? Apparently not. They may *seem* perfectly logical on the surface, but such values are really a cop-out. I say this, and I'm not even a "gun person." But I do know how to safely handle a firearm and shoot properly. Familiarity and respectful handling, along with people actually raising their kids properly, takes the mystique out of it. That's only a part of what society needs to fix, but it could be a start. It's certainly better than opting to settle for a nanny state.

[RenDaHai]

Yes... but you don't ban the cars. Follow me? That genie is out of the bottle. You make rules and educate everyone who drives as to how it works and why and penalize offenders.

But you do. You ban any cars that have a big spike on the front whose only purpose is to skewer pedestrians. Of course you do. YOu ban cars that use lead petrol, in England it is illegal to have bull bars on the front of your car without a permit because they are more dangerous in pedestrian impact and few people really need them. You ban new cars that don't have a crumple zone. You ban new cars that don't have seat belts or airbags.

Knives are an essential part of every day life. Any knives for cutting, whittling, butchering even. But knives expressly designed to kill people... It makes sense to ban them. Why do you want them? Its a message as much as anything. Any knife can kill people, but one expressly designed for this purpose? Its the intent behind it.

Sure, don't ban Shotguns and rifles, you need them for bears, cougars (the feline kind) and zombies. But ones expressly designed for killing people? Hollow point bullets? You need these things?


@James, sorry, the continent of 'North' America, or the AmericaS.

@Jimbo, I see your point about the weakening of people and lack of personal responsibility etc. I get it, I took a pen knife to school, lots of people did, it was just kinda fun and never a problem. But I didn't go to the really bad school, maybe there it would have been a bad idea. The rules are only there for stupid people, if you are sensible you don't need them. But lots of people are stupid.

[David Jamieson]

The 2nd amendment:


A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

I don't think this says anything about a right to using guns against the government if you need to. But that did make me laugh this morning...so thanks! :p

[Kellen Bassette]

The 2nd amendment:



I don't think this says anything about a right to using guns against the government if you need to. But that did make me laugh this morning...so thanks! :p

LOL at this.

C'mon man, consider the context. They had JUST used guns against their government before forming the Union. Take into account the things the founding fathers had written during that period.

There is absolutely no doubt, whatsoever, they were referring to using guns against the government.

[Kellen Bassette]

SYN and Jimbo are right. If you grow up being properly educated about this stuff, you don't see the madness you get when people aren't.

I grew up in an area with a very rural mindset. Five year old kids were; and still are taught to shoot guns; and taught the dangers and responsibilities that go with it. These kids grow up without ever considering misusing a firearm. It's the people who get their first experience as an immature adult that do the stupid stuff.

Same goes for power tools, chain saws, whatever. If your taught to handle them properly and respect the danger, there are far fewer accidents. People who just pick them up and dive in, tend to have more accidents. At least that's what I believe.

[RenDaHai]

If your taught to handle them properly and respect the danger, there are far fewer accidents.

Well, yeah. Of course.

If everyone is educated well and kind you don't need any laws at all. As in none. The problem is a huge number of people are either complete retards or genuinely nasty. The laws are for them.

Educate everyone to the same level?? Impossible. People are NOT equal.

People talk about treating the cause not the symptom. What? That is far more naive. What, you think we can just cure ignorance and evil and social inequality? Yeah, cause thats much easier than creating some laws.

[Jimbo]

Well, yeah. Of course.

If everyone is educated well and kind you don't need any laws at all. As in none. The problem is a huge number of people are either complete retards or genuinely nasty. The laws are for them.

Educate everyone to the same level?? Impossible. People are NOT equal.

People talk about treating the cause not the symptom. What? That is far more naive. What, you think we can just cure ignorance and evil and social inequality? Yeah, cause thats much easier than creating some laws.

And once again, the only ones following the progressively stricter laws will be those who are already law-abiding in the first place. Who said you can 'cure ignorance, evil and social inequality'? That ain't gonna happen. But you cannot deny that something is broken, and more people need to take more responsibility. That may not happen either, but the need is still there, whether you choose to acknowledge it or not. The only alternative to trying is being fatalistic about it, and things continuing to get progressively worse.

There are *already* tons of laws in place. I've got a great idea. Why not enforce those? The problem with increasingly more band-aid solutions is that when you give an inch, you end up sacrificing a mile. I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on this.

[GeneChing]

That's funny about the butterfly knives, cause I got mine in chinatown in SF when I was staying in SJ. They were on full display, not some under the table type thing. Maybe the law wasn't around back then? It was quite awhile ago now.

Chinatown is almost a sovereign nation in SF. It's not legally so, but it feels that way sometimes and Buddha bless them for it. You can pick up all sorts of illegal goodies in Chinatown: butt knives, switchblades, nunchuks (http://www.martialartsmart.com/weapons-nunchakus.html), stars (http://www.martialartsmart.com/16-12pak.html), push daggers (http://www.martialartsmart.com/bdk-25.html), keibos (http://www.martialartsmart.com/19-05.html), fireworks, drugs, sex slaves, you name it. It's just like in the movies. ;) Every once in a while I hear about a big shakedown bust for weapons of the vendors there, but frankly, SFPD has much bigger fish to fry.

[bawang]

Chinatown is almost a sovereign nation in SF. It's not legally so, but it feels that way sometimes and Buddha bless them for it. You can pick up all sorts of illegal goodies in Chinatown: butt knives, switchblades, nunchuks (http://www.martialartsmart.com/weapons-nunchakus.html), stars (http://www.martialartsmart.com/16-12pak.html), push daggers (http://www.martialartsmart.com/bdk-25.html), keibos (http://www.martialartsmart.com/19-05.html), fireworks, drugs, sex slaves, you name it. It's just like in the movies. ;) Every once in a while I hear about a big shakedown bust for weapons of the vendors there, but frankly, SFPD has much bigger fish to fry.

when I walk down Chinatown, I make a sh1t face, the gnagsters on the sidewalks all nod at me.


╚═( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)═╝

[GeneChing]

Ex-Phillies want the team to honor legendary strength coach, kung fu master Gus Hoefling (https://www.inquirer.com/phillies/phillies-strength-conditioning-coach-kung-fu-mike-schmidt-20230719.html)
Mike Schmidt, Larry Bowa and others credit Hoefling's punishing workouts for fueling the team's 1980 World Series victory.

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A generation of former Philly sports stars — including Phillies Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt, and former Eagles quarterback Roman Gabriel — credited Gus Hoefling with their on-field success. Hoefling died on July 4 at 88.Read more
DAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer
by David Gambacorta
Published an hour ago

He operated in the shadows of Veterans Stadium, unseen by spectators.

Beginning in 1976, in a small, carpeted room just beyond the Philadelphia Phillies’ clubhouse, Gus Hoefling led a generation of players through daily workout routines that he’d concocted, a punishing blend of resistance exercises, stretching, and Northern Shaolin kung fu.

He was, by many accounts, major-league baseball’s first dedicated strength and conditioning coach, decades before it became customary for players to employ their own training entourages.

Hoefling was also a walking urban legend, a man whose mysterious backstory and unconventional methods transfixed otherwise hard-to-impress professional athletes.

“He came here with rumors of having been in competitive fights with Bruce Lee,” Mike Schmidt, the team’s Hall of Fame third baseman, wrote in an email, likening Hoefling’s training room to a “sweat dungeon.”

“Gus had lethal hands,” said former pitcher Larry Christenson, “and could break bamboo chopsticks with his throat.”

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Mike Schmidt, and a core group of other Phillies who worked closely with Gus Hoefling, celebrated the franchise's first World Series championship at Veterans Stadium in 1980.

Hoefling, who coached 17 years with the Phillies, and four years with the Philadelphia Eagles, died July 4 in Tennessee, following a lengthy battle with head and neck cancer, said his wife, Maggie Hoefling. He was 88, and had requested to be cremated.

His death sent a ripple of heartbreak through a circle of former players who considered themselves his disciples, a group that included Schmidt, Christenson, Steve Carlton, Bob Boone, and Larry Bowa.

Each credited Hoefling with sharpening his mind as much as body. He urged the players to shed negative thoughts that gathered, like so many storm clouds, during difficult periods, and to instead believe that they could succeed.

That initial, core group of Phillies who worked with Hoefling went on to win the franchise’s first World Series championship, in 1980.

During a 2020 interview with The Inquirer, Hoefling summed up his philosophy in simple terms: “Anybody can quit. I want to win,” he said. “Turn negative knowledge into positive.”

Hoefling’s former pupils want the Phillies to publicly commemorate his legacy in some fashion, perhaps during the team’s alumni weekend festivities, which are scheduled to be held at Citizens Bank Park in August. (The Phillies did not respond to a request for comment.)

“It’s time to acknowledge him,” Schmidt said. “Actually, way past time.”

‘You gotta learn to move, move, move!’

It was the specter of an infamous day in U.S. history, and, later, a chance meeting with a down-on-his-luck quarterback that set Hoefling on a circuitous path to Philadelphia.

Hoefling grew up in Iowa, and was in third grade when Japanese fighter planes launched a surprise attack on a U.S. naval base in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

A schoolteacher suggested that Iowa, the country’s bread basket, might be attacked, too, Hoefling previously told The Inquirer. He responded by sending some pocket change and a Wheaties box top to a radio show, Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy, and received a book on judo.

The judo book’s lessons ignited a lifelong passion for martial arts.

Years later, in Southern California, Hoefling studied tomari-te, a form of martial arts unique to Okinawa, and began teaching. One student was a doctor who introduced Hoefling in 1970 to Roman Gabriel, the Los Angeles Rams’ 6-foot-5 quarterback.

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Elbow and leg injuries had derailed Gabriel’s career.

“[The Rams] thought I couldn’t take the pain,” Gabriel said during a recent interview, “which was bull—”

Hoefling began to train Gabriel, who had relied only on lifting weights and running to stay in shape. “He would throw punches at me and not let me block,” Gabriel recalled. “He’d say, ‘You gotta learn to move, move, move!’”

The Eagles traded for Gabriel in 1973, and Hoefling followed the quarterback to Philadelphia.

Guided by Hoefling, Gabriel shed 25 pounds, increased his flexibility, and turned inward.

“Gus was a great philosopher,” Gabriel said. “The most important wisdom he gave me was, ‘If you don’t know who you are, you won’t get respect from people.’”

During his first season with the Eagles, Gabriel threw for 3,219 yards and 23 touchdowns, and was named the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year.

Hoefling won an admirer in the Phillies’ then-owner, Ruly Carpenter, who hired Hoefling after his tenure with the Eagles ended in 1976.
continued next post

[GeneChing]

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Bob Carpenter, the son of former Phillies owner Ruly Carpenter, was among those who trained religiously with Gus Hoefling for years.
DAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer

Ruly’s son, Bob Carpenter, was 13 when he first met Hoefling during spring training. The younger Carpenter grew curious about the “bald, jacked guy in shorts and boxing shoes” who was showing several Phillies what appeared to be unusual exercises.

Carpenter remembers Hoefling enlisted him to join with blunt humor: “Hey, kid, you can’t be a fat little **** all your life. Get up here and start training!”

Hoefling’s training room soon became the source of league-wide intrigue. Members of the team were challenged to reach to the bottom of a 55-gallon drum that was filled with rice, and move their arms around, a task at which Carlton, the future Hall of Fame lefthander, thrived. A dark, enclosed space — nicknamed the “mood room” — was used for meditation.

Players wore flat, thin-soled boxing shoes, which slipped easily on the carpeted floor. To disrupt their balance and focus, Hoefling would kick at their legs.

Schmidt compared Hoefling’s physique to Oddjob, the stout villain in Goldfinger, the 1964 James Bond film.

Bowa heard stories that Hoefling sometimes traveled the city’s subway in disguise, and grappled with muggers.

Hoefling told others, like pitcher Don Carman, of sneaking, years earlier, into China, to deepen his studies of kung fu — at a time when Americans were barred from visiting the country.

“This is where we weren’t sure if it was a myth,” Carman said, “or what really happened.”

“He had that mysterious martial arts tattoo on his arm,” Schmidt said. “He commanded tremendous respect. If he said ‘Do it,’ we did it.”

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Steve Carlton was among Gus Hoefling's most devoted pupils. (AP Photo/Bill Ingraham)
ASSOCIATED PRESS

“If I had gotten into a fight with Gus the first year I worked with him,” said Boone, the former catcher, “he could have killed me in about 30 seconds.”

Hoefling’s most devoted followers continued their workouts at Veterans Stadium during the offseason, meeting five days a week. When the temperature outside turned bone-rattling cold, Hoefling had them run the stadium’s steep ramps.

For three consecutive seasons in the mid-to-late 1970s, the Phillies had suffered devastating losses in the National League Championship Series. Hoefling urged players to build a deeper resolve, to remember how fatigued they’d be in the summer, when the Vet’s AstroTurf could heat up to 165 degrees.

“He’d say, ‘Right now, you might think I’m nuts,” Bowa recalled. “But it’ll come into play when it’s August, and it’s the 8th inning, and the game is tied.’”

When his students excelled — Carlton won three of his four Cy Young awards while working with Hoefling, and Schmidt won three MVP awards — Hoefling didn’t seek any credit.

“I don’t think we would have won the World Series without him in 1980,” Carpenter said. “He had no idea the value he provided.”

‘He was our protector’

Hoefling’s career with the Phillies came to a quiet end in the early 1990s, after he was injured in an elevator accident. He continued to loom large, though, in the minds of former players, many of whom reflected on his lessons long after their playing careers ended.

“Gus was not just a teacher and a conditioning coach,” said Christenson, who remained close to Hoefling. “He was our friend. He was our protector.”

Left-handed pitcher Shane Rawley said he was “kind of floundering” when the New York Yankees traded him at age 28 to the Phillies in 1984.

“Gus became a major person in my life at that time,” he said. “I’d never been around someone like him.”

In 1987, Rawley led National League pitchers in starts, with 36.

Away from the game, Hoefling continued to enjoy sharing his training secrets, said his wife, Maggie. Sometimes that meant interrupting a restaurant dinner to discuss a waiter’s elbow pain, or inviting strangers into the garage of their Largo, Fla., home to exercise.

“If someone wanted to learn,” she said, “he’d go to the moon and back. He loved helping people.”

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Former Phillies pitcher Larry Christenson said Gus Hoefling had "lethal hands," but used his abilities to motivate the team's players.
Copyright © The Phillies/Paul Roedig

Hoefling was slowed only by cancer — Stage IV squamous cell carcinoma of the left tonsil, which doctors discovered in 2018.

He believed the disease had been caused by a chewing tobacco addiction he developed in the 1970s, when the tobacco industry routinely provided their products to the Phillies and other teams, in an attempt to lure younger consumers into emulating their sports heroes, who played with puffed-out cheeks.

Hoefling endured grueling radiation and chemotherapy treatments, and unsuccessfully sued a pair of tobacco companies. Yet he remained capable, well into his 80s, of replicating the swift kung fu moves that had once enraptured members of the Phillies and Eagles.

“He was a phoenix that would rise from the ashes, no matter what,” Maggie Hofeling said. “He had such an aura — this forcefulness and positivity that he carried through his entire life.”

Like Hoefling’s former students, she hopes that that his pioneering work can now be celebrated, before memories of that magical era in the city’s sports history begin to fade.

Hoefling’s words still burn brightly in the mind of Roman Gabriel, who continues to repeat an instruction that he received long ago.

At night, Hoefling once told Gabriel, lie down in a dark room, and consider how fortunate you are to be alive, to play a game you love, to have people in your life who care for you.

“I miss him,” Gabriel said. “God, I miss him.”

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Even after battling head and neck cancer in his 80s, Gus Hoefling remained capable of replicating kung fu moves that once enraptured a generation of Phillies and Eagles.
David Maialetti / Staff photographer


David Gambacorta
David Gambacorta
I work on the investigations team, and narrative-driven projects.


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