Martial Arts = Painful Conversations

[Banjos_dad]

ryu means stream. Like a river. But the function it has means like "style" or way, sure.

[Musicalkatachmp]

"If you don't mind my asking (why would I?), how does your style address throwing and takedowns?"

Sorry I don't understand what was wrong with this question...it seems like a legitimate query to me...sure the other stuff he said was kind of toolish...but what's wrong with asking someone this...is it b/c you are a groundfighter and the whole idea is to get it to the ground?

[Ikken Hisatsu]

you know, for a bunch of zen masters i would of thought my poser comment would be like water off a ducks back. no need to get upset guys

[Banjos_dad]

Accepted.

[Merryprankster]

Nah, it was a totally legitimate question. I was trying to figure out how to give him a real response when he started in on the "rooting" crap.

It wasn't the question, it was just clear he wasn't going to get the real answer to it, especially when he started talking out of his ass, hence the knocked out comment...

[rogue]

I think Banjos_dad is a poser for another reason, "Long live Banjo my dog.

There was a poser who had a dog and Banjo was his name-o.
B-A-N-J-O, B-A-N-J-O, B-A-N-J-O and Banjo was his name-o!

Sorry B_D just kidding, I checked you profile to see what kind of dad whould name his kid Banjo. I just couldn't resist.

Hey MP, has this thread turned into a painful conversation yet?

PS B_D, I didn't use the entire quote of "Long live my Girl, & Banjo my dog" because it looks bad to the women to mention your dog and Girl in the same sentence.

[omarthefish]

Originally posted by CFT
Nope. Traditionally, Chinese is read right to left if written horizontally.

Formal written documents, e.g. letters, are written top to bottom, right to left. Although alot of people now write in the "Western" format of left to right, top to bottom.

Just for the record, "traditionally" in this context means like at least more than 50 years old. Now adays pretty much everything horizontal is left to right. Even the verticly printed stuff is generally left to right. It's only in really old stuff you see the right to left. It throws me every onc in a while because certain things like the names of the city gates in Xi'an or . . . I dunno, every once in a while I bump into the old style. I kind of like that about the language though. You can write in pretty much any direction you **** well please. What ever looks best. The evolution of the writing materials has lead to a script which looks best vertically but since each character is a self contained little square, there's really no 'front' and 'back' end. Just top and bottom.

[omarthefish]

Originally posted by Vash
Indeed. I'm 5'8" and when I was training, weighed in at 145lbs (appx 66kg). I was benching 245lbs (appx 111-ish KG).

Dude, that's awsome. Maybe I need to go to the training sections more. How the hell do you get up there like that. I never seem to get much past benching my weight, which is weird because I tend to give people the impression that I'm really strong for my size but I guess it's really just funtional strength. I keep thinking if my actual pure muscular strength was up to par with my functional strength I'd seem incredibly strong but I truly suck at anything that requires isolation of muscle groups.

I kind of like benching though because it's not as isolated as the machines. It's off topic but I have a cheap gym nearby and I think I'm about ready to commit to being able to bench ove 100 kg. ( I wiegh about 75 kg. ) Simple program?

[Merryprankster]

245 should be totally attainable for you. The problem you are likely having is that you're trying the dang machines!!! Machines, generally suck because they overisolate--which is very good for rehabilitation or extremely specific work, but not so hot for overall athletic ability.

If you're not used to the lifting, try starting simple with a 2 sets of 10 repetitions program 2 times per week, just to lay the foundations and groove the movements, before you start worrying about details of program development.

I'd lift a total of four days per week:

day 1, squat and deadlift
day 2, Bench and bent over rows (or pull ups)
day 3, rest
day 4, squat and deadlift
day 5, bench and bent over rows (or pull ups)

This program is easy, you can slap an extra set on each exercise when you're ready to do it, and it will get you in and out of the gym in about 30-40 minutes if you're doing it right. My attention span is too short, so I really can't spend any longer than that on weights...

Get somebody to show you the exercises and have fun.

[Christopher M]

Originally posted by Merryprankster
Nah, it was a totally legitimate question. I was trying to figure out how to give him a real response when he started in on the "rooting" crap.

There's a style of "rooting" demo popular among taiji instructors where they invite observes to push their chests or arms while they stand there unmoved. I've never seen it popularizard among so-called "external" arts, but I suppose the word gets around.

The thing is, this kind of skill isn't proof against takedowns - I suppose one might get this idea if they merely watched these demos and was prone to fantasy, or if someone they trusted explicitly told them so. But, no matter how good you're rooting this force, someone need merely attack you in some fashion to spoil it - say, by hitting you upside the head, or manipulating your joints. And this is, of course, exactly what a trained martial artist executing a takedown will do - he won't just stand there pushing you.

Then, our friend who is "rooting" has to rely on a dynamic defense (/offense) against grappling attempts just like everyone else.

This is my take, anyway. I think it is a shame that these legends start, because they obscure the legitimate usefulness of these training methods, and thus grant them disrepute.

...

The only thing worse, I think, than meeting an oddball is having a good friend who is good friends with an oddball. Knowing that you both do martial arts, they are sure to constantly try to set you up, and it's more difficult blowing off this middle-man who is legitimately your bud. A friend of a friend, apparently, is into empty force but is wary to try it too much because it shortens your life span. But I really have to meet him; we'll get along famously...

[Banjos_dad]

Fvck you Rogue. I didn't bother looking at yrs 'cause who cares, your post tells me all i need to know.
Go ahead & think I'm a "poser." If that will make me a proper adversary for you & Ikken Hisatsu you bet.
Banjo says, 'Be careful Dad...his e-mail smells like hand lotion."

[quiet man]

My sifu (over 20 years of experience) has an acquaintance who works in the police and has attended some kind of MA 'course' (in absence of better word) - and guess what, he wants to spar a little with my sifu. And so, he assumes an on-guard position, hands in front of himself, and sifu simply grabs his forearms, pulls him (disrupting his balance, because this guy was so rigid he fell after his arms as if made of wood) and gives him a couple of light slaps on the face. This was the end of the 'sparring', because at that moment this guy's kid started crying, like 'don't beat my dad' ...

Once I had a discussion with this one guy who insisted that people who train MAs can only defeat other people who train MAs, preferrably the same style.
Now I know Michael Jordan couldn't touch me if we had a 1 on 1 game, because I have never trained basketball

[omarthefish]

Merry,

What's your weight and how much do you bench? Otherwise I don't really care what you have to say on it. Vash claims at 140 he's doing 245. So I wanna know what he did to get there.

I do lift.

I suck.

I've never touched the machines.

I basically only bench and do squats to mix it up when I'm too tired to keep going with the bag or with the Baji. But the idea of lifting some serious weight is just starting to sound attractive. More out of vanity than anything else. I hit harder than anyone else in the gym. I can't figure out how benching is supposed to help exactly. Power comes from the legs and waist. I just think it's cool. Squats on the OTOH, are a different story. Even when I do my bag work, my legs will eventually get tired PLUS it seems like they work my whole back in a usefull way as well.

[Merryprankster]

What's your weight and how much do you bench? Otherwise I don't really care what you have to say on it. Vash claims at 140 he's doing 245. So I wanna know what he did to get there.

Then I won't bore you with the details

Nice way to treat somebody trying to help you out. I thought you were trying the machines because you wrote the bit about isolation.

[Vash]

Originally posted by omarthefish
Merry,

What's your weight and how much do you bench? Otherwise I don't really care what you have to say on it. Vash claims at 140 he's doing 245. So I wanna know what he did to get there.

I do lift.

I suck.

I've never touched the machines.

I basically only bench and do squats to mix it up when I'm too tired to keep going with the bag or with the Baji. But the idea of lifting some serious weight is just starting to sound attractive. More out of vanity than anything else. I hit harder than anyone else in the gym. I can't figure out how benching is supposed to help exactly. Power comes from the legs and waist. I just think it's cool. Squats on the OTOH, are a different story. Even when I do my bag work, my legs will eventually get tired PLUS it seems like they work my whole back in a usefull way as well.

First, MPs a valuable source of information. Just be cool, omar.

Second, do you do any lifts aside from bench and squat? If not, then you are creating a potentially serious muscular imbalance in your shoulders. Anyway, here's the routine I credit with my greatest increase in strength.

Warmup
One BW set of every exercise, plus 15 minutes going over set (kata)
{First set of every exercise is warmup, so 3x8 = 1x8 warmup, 2x8 working set}

Workout

Chinup: 3xfailure
Bench: 3x8
Barbell Powerclean + Press: 3x8
{No warmup sets}Bent-over DB Row: 3x8
DB Cuban Rotations: 3x12
Lying Rear Deltoid Raise (DB): 1x12

Medicine Ball Hamstring Curl: 2x8
Internal Oblique Raise (balancing DB): 2x8

Cooldown
Different set (kata) than warmup

I was not doing squats, lunges, leg press, etc because I've got some muscular imbalance I have to correct before I can do those again. If you have no problems in that area, though, I would encourage squats (standard and front).

I did this workout twice a week, Mon and Thurs. I didn't note my corework here, as I never did the same workout twice. However, I trained abs/low back Mon Wed Fri, with a load (total sets) of Light Heavy Medium.