Should a Person Just Practice the Pole if there a old man ?

[Vajramusti]

Agreed. I am 64 years old and if anything, by virtue of decades of conditioning, I am better than ever, even with my disabilities. Within the last month, two muggers contemplated robbing me in the parking lot of the local grocery store and there was an attempted home invasion. In both cases, I just looked at them, and waited. In both cases, they backed down because they sensed I was not afraid. Training has eradicated fear within me. I had no fear or other emotions but was in that still quiet space before combat that my training has taught me. They knew they would be getting into something they did not know what. I was prepared to kill because going into combat, my training has taught me to have no moral constraints if I am forced to engage the bad guys. If they are ruthless and mean, I am more ruthless and mean. The bad guys want an easy mark. They are hesitant to go into an engagement they sense will not be easy. Win, lose, or draw, they pay. Guaranteed they will pay. You young guys are hung up on age. Do not train for the glory and fame of youth. Train for your old age. You want to be an effective martial artist? Train until you slip in your own sweat then train some more; train until you go to one knee, get up, then train some more; train until you pass out. When you wake up, train some more. Train until you do not have any bright ideas, then you start to understand that still quiet space in between the calm and the combat. You spend too much time talking, talking, talking. To remedy your ignorance get into serious combat training, then you will understand. You might just save your own life.

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Yup- depends on who the person is and what they have done and are doing.

[deejaye72]

Btw from a LEO perspective I think carrying weapons from knives to sticks and even guns is asking for trouble and is a really bad idea. Real self defense is living a healthy and smart lifestyle. Most people never are attacked never have fights and so forth because they avoid trouble and the places and people who cause it. Weapons cause more problems than they solve and are mainly security blankets that make scared people falsely feel more secure.

very true statement!

[deejaye72]

At any rate, I got to agree with TC101, no martial art works for real that isn't based on athleticism and conditioning. The misconception is that TCMA wasn't based on these attributes. It's simply not true.

i agree. i got into a fight in 1995 with a family memeber over my grandfathers funeral ( my italian side of the family, we fight when someone dies) he was 18 years old, benching 300lbs! anyone who tells you strength and speed dont mean anything are full of crap! hardest fight of my life, it was like wrestling an alligator in a phone booth!!

[KPM]

Btw from a LEO perspective I think carrying weapons from knives to sticks and even guns is asking for trouble and is a really bad idea. Real self defense is living a healthy and smart lifestyle. Most people never are attacked never have fights and so forth because they avoid trouble and the places and people who cause it. Weapons cause more problems than they solve and are mainly security blankets that make scared people falsely feel more secure.

Good rational points. This is one of the best things that tc101 has written. The first part, not so much.

[LoneTiger108]

Should a person just practice the Wing Chun pole or other kung fu pole techniques and forms if there a old man ? Instead of doing Kung Fu systems that they could not use in selfdefense ?

The stick, rather than the pole, is the Father of all Chinese Martial Arts weaponry. It is not the stick that you will need to defend yourself, it is the benefits reaped from years and years of training correctly that you will carry in your hands. In actual fact, you may not need the stick in your old age at all, but they do make excellent therapy apparatus!

The pole is simply an extension of the stick and has very specific adjustments to make better use of additional length and weight. I have heard a story of my Sigung using a pole in his sixties that none of his younger students could even lift off the floor.

[Wayfaring]

Btw from a LEO perspective I think carrying weapons from knives to sticks and even guns is asking for trouble and is a really bad idea. Real self defense is living a healthy and smart lifestyle. Most people never are attacked never have fights and so forth because they avoid trouble and the places and people who cause it. Weapons cause more problems than they solve and are mainly security blankets that make scared people falsely feel more secure.

From my perspective waiting on a LEO and their weaponry for their perspective could get me killed. Weapons to me are options, not security blankets or anything to make me feel any way. They are tools. If you want to limit your options because of your perspective that's your problem. But projecting an image of scared people falsely feeling secure certainly isn't me, and doesn't sound like a whole lot of people on this forum either.

[HybridWarrior]

Weapons to me are options, not security blankets or anything to make me feel any way. They are tools.

I agree! Tools for the toolbox! Just like hand to hand skills and good situational awareness.

[tc101]

From my perspective waiting on a LEO and their weaponry for their perspective could get me killed. Weapons to me are options, not security blankets or anything to make me feel any way. They are tools. If you want to limit your options because of your perspective that's your problem. But projecting an image of scared people falsely feeling secure certainly isn't me, and doesn't sound like a whole lot of people on this forum either.

Weapons do not give you options like you think. That is security blanket thinking I've got a weapon and options and that makes me feel better. Only it isn't true. Most of the time weapons only make things worse for the people with the weapons. I see it time and time again.