From: eskrima-digest-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com To: eskrima-digest@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Subject: Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest V7 #140 Reply-To: eskrima@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Errors-To: eskrima-digest-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Precedence: Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest Tues, 21 March 2000 Vol 07 : Num 140 In this issue: eskrima: How people learn eskrima: Females in MA training eskrima: I didn't mean to shoot him 4 times Re: eskrima: I didn't mean to shoot him 4 times eskrima: Visiting Florida eskrima: Ron Balicki Seminar [none] ========================================================================== Eskrima-Digest, serving the Internet since June 1994. 1100 members strong! Copyright 1994-2000: Ray Terry, the Martial Arts Resource, Inayan Eskrima Replying to this message will NOT unsubscribe you. To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe eskrima-digest" (no quotes) in the body (top line, left justified) of a plain text e-mail 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 four years worth of digest issues at http://www.MartialArtsResource.com Mabuhay ang eskrima! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Kevin Davis" Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2000 22:15:52 -0800 Subject: eskrima: How people learn I can recommend two books to those on the digest interested in further study: Quantum Learning by Bobbi DePorter and Motor Performance and Learning by Richard Schmidt (Published by Human Kinetics) Quantum Learning deals with the different kinds of learners and methods to improve your own study/retention as well as those of your students (although we're mostly talking classroom learning). Motor Performance and Learning (in a new revised addition) is the king of sports training science texts. *Note-this is not an easy read. This is basically a college text book on the science of training. A lot can be learned from this book for MA instructors, IMHO. As a foundation for all my instruction I use a quote attributed to Paul Whitesell, Ph.D. (Martial Artist, Marine, Warrior, Scholar) who said "the top instructors are the top motivators." Something that those of us that live this stuff forget is that for most students we must "create the need" (motivate) our students to learn. Some of the worst students can be coppers (especially veteran officers) but they can also be some of the best. It largely depends on how I motivate them and treat them. Another important thing is students need to know you care. KD ------------------------------ From: "BILL MCGRATH" Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2000 22:58:46 -0500 Subject: eskrima: Females in MA training I believe very strongly that both men and women can benefit from martial arts training and encourage all the female members of my own family to train, so please take what I am about to say in its totality. When anthropologists speak of primitive humans as "hunter-gatherers" they are speaking specifically about the adult males being the "hunters" and the females and children being the "gatherers." Anthropologists tell us that the first hominids appeared about 4.4 million years ago. The first stone tools (simple stone flakes for cutting meat) were developed about 2.5 million years ago, but it took another million years or so for the first hand axe to be invented. Homo sapiens first appeared about 200,000 years ago. Cro-Magnon (modern) man appeared about 40,000 years ago. The first walled town (Jericho) was founded around 8,000 B.C. Putting things in perspective, women received the right to vote in the U.S. in 1920 (and in Switzerland in 1971!). Until very, very, very recently in human history, it was the males of our species who hunted and went off to war and the females who stayed close to home and raised the children. For millions of years it was necessary for the survival of the species for human males to be physically aggressive, just as it was necessary for the survival of the species for human females to care for the young and the sick and wounded. Whether these survival instincts from our primitive past work for or against the modern martial arts instructor is dependant on his understanding of how these instincts are at work in his students. An instructor who ignores the physical, behavioral and cultural differences between the genders in self-defense training does a serious and unnecessary disservice to his female students. A rational study of the subject will reveal that there are basic behavioral differences between the male and female of every mammalian species on this planet. In studying the human brain, differences can be found between males and females on very foundational levels. In scans of the human brain while responding to stimuli, it was found that different parts of the male and female brain were activated by the very same stimuli (to put it another way, different parts of the male and female brain where used to solve the very same problem). We have heard that human males tend (on average) to be better at dealing with spatial relationships than human females, while females tend to handle verbal and social skills better. The brain scan studies showed an interesting reason for the female's better verbal skills. When a male is speaking only one part of his brain (in one hemisphere) is active, however when a female is speaking two sections of the brain (one in each hemisphere) were active. In another study males and females learned to navigate a maze. Both gender groups learned the maze, but each group memorized the maze differently. Interestingly, each group could be confused by rearranging the maze in a different way. Males could be thrown off track by changing the distances between turns and females by changing landmarks at turns. Hint: Here is the real reason men won't ask for directions (to the frustration of the females in their lives) the average male can't remember verbal directions as well as the average female. Draw him a map however and he'll be as happy as a pig in a puddle. Men do better remembering in pictures while women do better remembering words. When left to their own devices, young boys and girls will play differently. Mattel toys wanted to expand their market share and find a toy that would appeal to both young boys and girls. They tried a combination Dollhouse/Fort (you can't make this stuff up) in their test lab and gave it to groups of young kids to play with. The girls played with the dolls and generally played house while the boys catapulted the baby carriage off the roof while playing "war." When choosing what games they will play, young boys tend to form themselves into teams (armies?) and tend to play aggressive rough and tumble games with clear winners and losers. Girls tend to form themselves into smaller groups and tend to play games that develop verbal and social skills without a need to have a clear winner and loser. Think of what survival skills were needed among primitive male hunters and what survival skills were needed among the females back at camp. I think this difference in game/play instinct may be one factor that helps us as instructors understand the different motivations in males and females. While the motivations are certainly not exclusive to each gender, if we were to sum up the difference between male and female play in young children in a nutshell it would be that males want to "win" and females want "togetherness." While other motivations (such as self defense) may be what brings adult students into our schools I believe that the instinctive motivations we see in children may be, at least to some extent, what keeps them there. The person that started this thread stated that he didn't want to start a "Tae-bo" or "Kardio-kickboxing" type class. My advice is don't give up on the idea too quickly. Most of the schools I give seminars at which have this type of class have found that it is a useful way to overcome the reluctance many females have towards martial arts training. It may only be shadow boxing, but it can be a first step that leads them into your regular classes. As "un P.C." as it sounds, you might also consider a female only class with a female instructor. It was only fairly recently in human history that adult males and females began to routinely socialize with members of the opposite sex who were not their mates or offspring. Even in "modern" society you are going to find that a certain percentage of women are not going to feel comfortable learning a brand new physical skill while amongst a group of big, loud, hairy, sweaty males. Having a "women's self-defense class" with a female instructor may bring in women you might not otherwise see come through your door. Regards, Tuhon Bill McGrath www.pekiti-tirsia.com ------------------------------ From: "Patrick Christian" Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2000 07:12:09 -0500 Subject: eskrima: I didn't mean to shoot him 4 times AnimalMac wrote: It isn't "what we mean to do" in this world that counts, it's what we do. Under this light, "I didn't mean to hit him that hard in the head with a club" really does come across as an assinine statement. Reply goes: Well that was a long 4 paragraphs...I think we are talking about 2 different things here. Let's simplify this a little. If I were to shoot you (AnimalMac) with a nerf gun and you were startled and fell, cracking your skull. Is it really my fault you eat through a straw? More to the point, what if we were playing Olympic Nerf shooting? The fellows in question were playing a violent game where checking and lovetaps occur all the time. While it probably isn't nice or kosher to hit a man with a hockey stick. It is expected in a hockey game. This in no way excuses McSorley, however it does pose limitations to liability. Simplification Theory provided by Grand Unification. Patrick N. Christian Inayan School of Eskrima Lenoir City, TN www.shoponthenet.com/Inayan ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2000 7:15:30 PST Subject: Re: eskrima: I didn't mean to shoot him 4 times > things here. Let's simplify this a little. If I were to shoot you > (AnimalMac) with a nerf gun and you were startled and fell, cracking your > skull. Is it really my fault you eat through a straw? In today's litigious society, yes, you would probably be at fault. Ray Terry raymail@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com ------------------------------ From: IMATC@aol.com Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2000 10:01:15 EST Subject: eskrima: Visiting Florida Greetings, I will be traveling to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on Business and wanted to know if anyone could recommend any schools(FMA, Kuntao/Silat, etc.) and how to contact them. I will only be there for a few days so I hope to make some acquantainces. Thank you kindly. A. Ramirez ------------------------------ From: RBalicki@aol.com Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2000 11:34:33 EST Subject: eskrima: Ron Balicki Seminar Hi Everyone, I will be doing a seminar in Grand Junction, Colorado on the 25th & 26th of March. We will cover Kali (Lameco and the Inosanto Systems), Jun Fan Gung fu JKD, Maphilindo Silat, and Shoot Wrestling. You can call Troy Miller at High Desert Martial Arts at: (970) 243-8010 Thanks Ron Balicki Ron Balicki and Diana Lee Inosanto's Web Site ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2000 09:45:33 -0800 (PST) Subject: [none] ------------------------------ End of Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest V7 #140 **************************************** To unsubscribe from the eskrima-digest send the command: unsubscribe eskrima-digest -or- unsubscribe eskrima-digest your.old@address in the BODY of an email (top line, left justified) addressed to majordomo@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com. Old digest issues are available via ftp://ftp.martialartsresource.com. Copyright 1994-2000: Ray Terry and the Martial Arts Resource Standard disclaimers apply.