From: eskrima-digest-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com To: eskrima-digest@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Subject: Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest V6 #274 Reply-To: eskrima@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Errors-To: eskrima-digest-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Precedence: Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest Sat, 26 June 1999 Vol 06 : Num 274 In this issue: eskrima: Improvised Weapons eskrima: Acheiving power AND accuracy eskrima: Re: Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest V6 #273 eskrima: Crafty's woof re: Animal's woof eskrima: CRIME BOOK ISBN #'S eskrima: Re: Wavemaster eskrima: Re: length of fights eskrima: Self Defense and "the Rules" eskrima: The Female Beast - LONG post eskrima: . .......................................................................... Eskrima-Digest, serving the Internet since June 1994. ~1100 members strong! Copyright 1994-99: Ray Terry, Inayan System of Eskrima, Martial Arts Resource Replying to this message will NOT unsubscribe you. To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe eskrima-digest" (no quotes) in the body of an e-mail (top line, left justified) addressed to majordomo@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com To send e-mail to this list use eskrima@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com See the Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) FAQ and online search the last two years worth of digest issues at http://www.MartialArtsResource.com Mabuhay ang eskrima! Ray Terry, PO Box 110841, Campbell, CA 95011 FMA@MartialArtsResource.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Katz, Mary Lou" Date: Fri, 25 Jun 1999 15:11:33 -0700 Subject: eskrima: Improvised Weapons eI don't know if any of you people do this...it could just be that I'm strange.....nah (!!), but here's a game/exercise that is both fun & educational. Where ever you are right now, stop and look around for 5 seconds, and identify as many improvised weapons (within arms reach) as possible. To clarify, guns/sticks/bolos/knives are NOT improvised weapons, so if you happen have one within arms reach that's great but it doesn't count for this exercise. I say within arms reach, because if you're ever attacked for real, it's unlikely that you'll have more time to arm yourself than it takes to reach out your arm. 5 seconds is a very long time and you won't have that much time in a real attack, but it's a starting point and you should allow yourself less time as you get better at this. Don't annalize them, just spot them & move on. After your 5 seconds are up, go back and really annalize each one & how it could be used as a weapon. Pick it up, hold it different ways, swing it, whatever it takes for you to confirm if it would be a decent choice. Note your good & bad choices. This exercise does 2 things: 1.) It gets you accustomed to and hopefully more proficient at seeing the potential weapon in everyday items. 2.) It gets you accustomed to paying attention to your surroundings in general. The two worst places I've found, as far as providing the fewest improvised weapons are: 1.) public bathrooms (most everything is bolted down - gee I wonder why? ;^) and 2.) my car (it's relatively un-cluttered but I've seen some that were a weapon rich environment ;^). Find anything interesting? HTH. I don't know if any of you people do this...it could just be that I'm strange.....nah (!!), but here's a game/exercise that is both fun & educational. >Where ever you are right now, stop and look around for 5 seconds, and >identify as many improvised weapons (within arms reach) as possible. >...Find anything interesting? Hmmm... this unopened can of Slim Fast here on my desk looks promising... Regards, Mary Lou "Anything worth doing is worth doing to excess" ------------------------------ From: Dawn & Creight Hatico Date: Fri, 25 Jun 1999 15:33:32 PDT Subject: eskrima: Acheiving power AND accuracy People, I was wondering if anyone has developed any drills or exercises that will allow a person to train accuracy but with power. In my training I have found that I can hit specific targets during drills, such as hand-elbow-knee, etc., but In sparring at real speed and with power my accuracy suffers. I do realize that in fighting the targets move and the owner of the various targets is also trying to whack you, so that makes accuracy more difficult. So instead I have been structuring my strikes in a way that insures that I will hit the body or leg should I miss the hand, elbow or Knee. Basically, I attack deeper. But I have fought fighters that seem to be able to strike my small targets at will, and my style seems kind of "MONGO SMASH" in comparison. Admittedly mongo-mode has been very successful for me against many opponents, but when I face the accurate ones, who I think of as Snipers, my game is practically nullified. So what do you folks think? I have hit specific targets hard and fast on my heavy bag but that lacks the quick movement or the threat of counter that comes in real fighting. In my fantasy world I would merely hit 6 tennis balls continuously against an uneven wall with my stick and that would do the trick, but alas, my fantasy world does not translate well to real life. Any help would be very welcome. Aloha, Creighton _______________________________________________________________ Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com ------------------------------ From: Ron Levy Date: Fri, 25 Jun 1999 15:33:04 -0700 (PDT) Subject: eskrima: Re: Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest V6 #273 > This is something of a phenomenon that you hear about now and then. You hear > about a guy that is stuck under his car and someone lifts it up with > superhuman strength that would otherwise be impossible. > Every now and then something causes a > by pass of the restrictor but it is only in extreme cases. > How to tap into that? That would be a wonder to know. It's called 'adrenaline.' But a lengthier response is important. You know how people say you only use five percent of your brain? Actually, you use all of your brain, just only five percent of the neorons are actually FIRING at any one time. Your muscles are the same way. Your muscles are made up of long threads. When you contract a muscle, about five to ten percent of those threads shorten, pulling. Let go, and contract again... and again about five to ten percent contract; except those threads (fibers) that are 'all tired out' and have no energy left don't contract. Some other threads take up the slack for them. There are many chemicals which are very important to every muscle contraction. The two most important are calcium, and adrenaline. Both of these have to be present every time you contract a muscle. Their effects are very complex and the last time I studied this was way back in college. But one of the effects of adrenaline is to say, "What percent of this muscle do you want to use right now?" Under relaxed conditions, you have enough adrenaline to use five to ten percent of the muscle. In a fight-or-flight situation, your tissues get flooded with adrenaline, and the percentage of muscle fibers you use goes up to 20, 30, 40 percent. Your strength goes way up, your fine motor control goes way down. Unfortunately, your body isn't made to take that kind of stress. Remember that muscles have to be connected to bones to make you move, and if your muscle contracts so hard that it tears itself, or tears itself free of the bone, you're in for a world of hurt later. Which is usually what people report after such an experience. - -Ron Levy ------------------------------ From: Michael Koblic Date: Thu, 13 May 1999 11:04:49 -0700 Subject: eskrima: Crafty's woof re: Animal's woof Bravo! Love the pedestal bit! >No, other things being equal (that's English for "ceterus parabus") this >behavior of tall, large framed women is because of biological reasons; most >women prefer a man who is bigger and stronger than them, and most men >prefer to be bigger and stronger too. This may be true, but my experience is that it also cultural: women in England seem to have more self confidence than in North America. It may have to do with what is considered polite in society: e.g. monopolizing conversation in a mixed company by males is unthinkable in UK but common this side of Atlantic. Women get to express themselves better as a result...etc. etc. I am off to douse myself with water and cover my a.. in asbestos in readiness for the flames. Mike Koblic, Quesnel BC ------------------------------ From: "BILL MCGRATH" Date: Fri, 25 Jun 1999 22:22:54 -0700 Subject: eskrima: CRIME BOOK ISBN #'S Here are the ISBN numbers for the books I recommended. AMAZON.COM has all of them in stock. By John Douglas JOURNEY INTO DARKNESS # 0-312-9877-9 OBSESSION #0-671-01704-7 MINDHUNTER #0-684-84598-9 By Gavin De Becker THE GIFT OF FEAR #0-440-22619-8 I would also like to recommend: WHOEVER FIGHTS MONSTERS By Robert Ressler (also a former FBI serial killer profiler) #0-312-95044-6 I have not read the following, but since it is from another FBI profiler that Douglas speaks highly of in his books I'll include it on our list: THE EVIL THAT MEN DO #0-312-9877-9 By Roy Hazelwood. Amazon.com has many other books on the subject and they will be listed when you do a search for any of the above titles. Regards, Tuhon Bill McGrath PS. does anyone know how to prevent the annoying skipping of lines in a post? My posts along with several other people have been coming up on the digest as a full line, then one word, then a full line again and so on. Any ideas? ------------------------------ From: Paolo Valladolid Date: Fri, 25 Jun 1999 23:33:53 -0400 Subject: eskrima: Re: Wavemaster Thanks everyone for all the responses about the Wavemaster. I am fortunate in that my apartment is actually on top of somebody's garage so I don't have to worry about irritating anyone below me. The alternative I have in mind is quite a bit more expensive - it's a metal frame that I saw at Sports Authority which is designed to support a standard heavy bag. I need to do a bit more thinking on this... :) Paolo ------------------------------ From: Steven Drape Date: Sat, 26 Jun 1999 05:10:42 PDT Subject: eskrima: Re: length of fights Hello, one and all. I've been off the Digest for nearly two years, living out in the boondocks in the Philippines. Since I'm now back in an area where I have access to a server, here I am. Just to throw in $.02 on the fights from the past, there are cases of both long and very short battles. 1) Before WW II, in a fight that established Saavedra as the best escrimador in Cebu, the two men went three full rounds and no one was badly hurt. 2) In another fight with which I am familiar, two respected fighters went at it and one was dead with a crushed skull within about 15 seconds. 3) A third example is a local legend told to foreigners concerning two fighters who went at it from morning until the sun went down, and then retired until the next morning when they agreed not to fight. In reality, the fight involved two farmers who got into an argument, pulled their blades and made one attack/defense. Both apparently realized that the other also knew eskrima, so they spent the whole day looking for openings and never struck another blow. 4) A final example involved another two blade fighters who really hated each other. Each looked for openings until someone found one and struck, which caused the other to make a desperate attempt to counter. The result was that the first blow split his skull, and his attempted counter nearly severed the other guy's arm, and both fighters died! The point I'm making is that people fight for different reasons, and those reasons pretty much determine the injuries that result. If all our purpose is is to have bragging rights, then we are likely not trying too hard to kill each other, thus fights that can and do last a long time. By the same token, fights between real enemies, or over reasons other than local bragging rights can cause deaths, and death fights very rarely were/are long fights. Steve ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ From: "Tim Kashino" Date: Sat, 26 Jun 1999 01:52:40 -0700 Subject: eskrima: Self Defense and "the Rules" Phil Martino wrote: >It's probably already been stated but as for woman's >self defense you can not say enough about the mental >aspects. Defense programs should emphasize avoidance >(avoiding danger areas, analizing the enviroment, >escape atd ets, simplicity and of course INTENT. > Whether is applies to women or men, in order to >pull anything off and save our butts we need to >attack, as a legend in our part of the >woods has said, "like a wolverine on crack". I >believe that defense is "Hit hard and run like hell" >versus offense which is "keep hitting hard >as hell untill the bouncers pull you off of him." But >I digress *lol* > Basically the difference between the dojo and >the street is that all rules go out the window. The >person in front of you is no longer your training >partner and should be dealt with quickly and with >extreme prejudice. Quite a leap mentally. > Phil "Rhino-Style" Martino > >------------------------------ Well, I can agree that to successfully defend oneself from an attacker one cannot keep a completely defensive mindset. You have to attack your attacker to terminate the encounter. However, I disagree with the statement that "the rules go out the window" on the street. It is quite the contrary. The rules do not simply disappear, they change. The rules I am speaking of are civil and criminal laws. We are all accountable for our own actions under these "rules". Should we neglect or choose to ignore these rules the consequenses could be quite unpleasant. When I was younger, my instructor made me research the New York State penal code before I could earn my black belt. He did this so I would better understand my "right" to self defense, and to define my own use of force for self defense as a "trained" individual within the parameters of state law. I strongly encourage all members of the digest to research the pertinent laws and even court rulings of the state (and even the count or municipality) that they live in if they have not done so. Ignorance of the law is not a viable defense in court. "Give unto Cesar that which is Cesar's..." JC Respectfully, Tim Kashino Angelfire for your free web-based e-mail. http://www.angelfire.com ------------------------------ From: TaoArt@aol.com Date: Sat, 26 Jun 1999 10:00:02 EDT Subject: eskrima: The Female Beast - LONG post Some excellent discussion on this list in regards to training women. Here are a couple of things I have learned as a self defense instructor (in addition to, but far separated from, a martial arts instructor): The two biggest hurdles that I face in training women are: 1) Overcoming Denial. Many women in my classes have a great deal of difficulty with accepting the fact that they are being attacked. Even with all of the safety gear on, this big padded guy woofing in their face, understanding that they are PAYING for a course where this guy will be "attacking" them... they STILL face this stage of denial. "This isn't real... he can't really hurt me." Unfortunately, this applies to all "sub reality" training they are in. Which leaves us to say, NO we can't REALLY attack you like someone on the street... all we can do is threaten and maybe rough you up a bit. But the guy on the street - HE doesn't have that inhibition. Our course gets as real as we can get without serious legal risks. Our attacker verally assaults each woman (or pretends to be the nicest man in the world), he kicks chairs over and hits the walls. He tells the women in graphic detail what he is going to do to them - rape, beat, whatever. The second form of denial is more dangerous... this is when the women are facing a REAL attack and they cannot accept the fact of the situation. "How can this be happing to me?", their internal voice screams. I tell the women in my class to kick the term "I can't believe..." out of their mindset forever. BELIEVE IT! You are being attacked! Accept that fact and it will difuse to internal conflict within yourself. You can now act. 2) The next hurdle I have to overcome is Attitude. I see this all of the time in a work environment or a bar... I'm certain you have as well: A half drunk a**hole walks up to a woman and puts his arm around her shoulders and starts "hitting on her". She responds by smiling and nervously trying to extract herself from his contact. Inside her mind, she is screaming: Leave me alone. But outside, her body posture is meek and "gentle". She doesn't want to hurt his ego. She doesn't want to call attention to his actions. She wants this to end without anyone "getting hurt"... emotionally as well as physically. Her face belies her intent... she smiles nervously. She thinks to ease out of the scenario. But he sees the smile and the meek efforts and in his mind he is saying: "Her lips say no no, but her body says yes yes." The attitude is the key. I have felt women in excess of 6 feet and 200 lbs have a hard time moving a target pad with their strike... because they face so many internal inhibitions. And I have felt the difference with a women five foot nothing hit a target pad with all of her existence behind that strike. Of course, then the key is to get her to do the same thing to the padded attacker... and then the same thing again to the man who attacks her on the street - OR (and this is the sad truth of it) the man she "loves" who abuses her. I start out my class asking how many women would kill to save thier life if that was the only option available. On average, about half the women raise their hands. It never ceases to send a chill down my back. I ask how many will kill to save their child. Every hand goes up. I ask how many will kill a man they KNOW to save their life, if that is the only option. All but maybe a hand or two go down. This is the war we wage. It isn't so much a matter of physical skill - how big or strong a woman is... it is more an effort to overcome BOTH nature AND nurture. Any self defense program for women that does not address this is NOT a decent program. And I refuse to belittle that statement with an IMHO after it. If you teach women self defense, KNOW what you are up against. At least read as much as you can about the female cultural conditioning. Many have mentioned "The Gift of Fear" by Gavin DeBecker - this is an excellent resource. As well, "Beauty Bites Beast" by Ellen Snortland. And also "Reviving Ophelia" by Mary Pipher. I may get flamed for this last one, but that never stopped me before... If you want to teach women good self defense AND have them embrace it, you need to have a women instructor teach the class with you (if you are a man). This is simply how it is. I don't care how empathic a man is to the female mental state and plight, a woman will learn faster from another women when she sees HER throw the padded attacker around. I have even taken this a step further... I am a woman, but I am 6 feet tall. I also train a great deal, so I have an athletic body. And I am a person of "presence"... which other women can find intimidating. I found women were more receptive to my 5'6 assistant instructor demonstrating techniques than they were for myself. Eventually, they will come around and they will learn from anyone who has something to teach. But from the start you have to give them a role model with whom they can connect. And you need to let her be an active part of the teaching. Don't talk over her and only use her for examples... let her connect with the students. Hope some of this helps. Meghan Gardner "One day my daughters will grow up and be proud to have a mate that walks beside them... not in front... and not behind." http://users.aol.com/taoart/amwa/amwa.htm - A Comprehensive Martial Arts and Self Defense website: With an online bookstore, public bulletin board, articles, and over 1000 links. ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Sat, 26 Jun 1999 10:32:02 -0700 (PDT) Subject: eskrima: . ------------------------------ End of Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest V6 #274 **************************************** To unsubscribe from this digest, eskrima-digest, send the command: unsubscribe eskrima-digest -or- unsubscribe eskrima-digest your.old@address in the BODY of email (top line, left justified) addressed to majordomo@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com. Old digest issues are available via ftp://ftp.martialartsresource.com, directory pub/eskrima/digests. All digest files have the suffix '.txt' Copyright 1994-99: Ray Terry, Inayan System of Eskrima, Martial Arts Resource Standard disclaimers apply.