Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2004 11:48:02 -0700 From: eskrima-request@martialartsresource.net Subject: Eskrima digest, Vol 11 #318 - 10 msgs X-Mailer: Mailman v2.0.13.cisto1 MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net Errors-To: eskrima-admin@martialartsresource.net X-BeenThere: eskrima@martialartsresource.net X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.13.cisto1 Precedence: bulk Reply-To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net X-Reply-To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net X-Subscribed-Address: fma@martialartsresource.com List-Id: Eskrima-FMA discussion forum, the premier FMA forum on the Internet. List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Unsubscribe: , List-Help: Status: O X-Status: X-Keywords: Send Eskrima mailing list submissions to eskrima@martialartsresource.net To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://martialartsresource.net/mailman/listinfo/eskrima or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to eskrima-request@martialartsresource.net You can reach the person managing the list at eskrima-admin@martialartsresource.net When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Eskrima digest..." <<---- The Sudlud-Inayan Eskrima/Kali/Arnis/FMA mailing list ---->> Serving the Internet since June 1994. Copyright 1994-2004: Ray Terry and Martial Arts Resource The Internet's premier discussion forum devoted to Filipino Martial Arts. 1900 members. Provided in memory of Mangisursuro Michael G. Inay (1944-2000). See the Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) FAQ and the online search engine for back issues of the Eskrima/FMA digest at http://MartialArtsResource.com Mabuhay ang eskrima! Today's Topics: 1. And now, a word from our sponsor... (Bobbe Edmonds) 2. ...Or a daughter named "Roxanne" (Bobbe Edmonds) 3. Thanks... (Bobbe Edmonds) 4. Lost E-mail Address (Rocky) 5. South Florida, McMartial Arts?? (Andrew Evans) 6. Inayan Videos (1@msfencing.org) 7. Re: [The_Dojang] partial review of "Realistic Sparring Weapons" (RSW) (Steve Ames) 8. Re: Inayan Videos (abreton@juno.com) 9. Re: Heads and Buzz (pun intended) (Marc Macyoung) --__--__-- Message: 1 From: "Bobbe Edmonds" To: Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2004 00:22:16 -0700 Subject: [Eskrima] And now, a word from our sponsor... Reply-To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net Hi everybody, my name is Bobbe, and I'm an Eskrimador... (Hi Bobbe!) I've done some posting on this list recently about knife fighting. I tried to cover the questions asked & stick to the point, but I have left a couple of large areas alone: Mindset & Legalities. I'll start with the legal: Very obviously, murder is against the law. In most states, aggressive, unnecessary or overuse of deadly force is against the law. In some states, just carrying a bladed weapon is illegal. It is important that you understand the law, not just in self-defense, but also in every aspect of your existence, because it will always be a dictating factor no matter where you live. The law is a juggernaut, not a precision instrument, or perhaps I should say law enforcement is. It doesn't matter if you're a good guy or a bad guy, if it lurches toward you your chances are always 50-50 of a positive outcome. Maybe the court will see things your way, or maybe you will get a DA with a vigilante jones. Maybe witnesses will back you up and you get off scott-free, or maybe the gangbanger you offed has friends, and they find out who you are from the court proceedings, and murder your family in retaliation. Now, there are people on this list who will say "If you had to use a knife, what did you do provoke it?" or "Every time you use a knife, you are breaking the law". There's truth to that. But there are many points left dangling in the wind, and they should be addressed as well. For instance, it's just as illegal for THEM to kill YOU, as it is for you to kill them in self-defense. Yet, nobody ever brings this up, I have heard many an argument start with "If you had to (cut/maim/kill) them, you had no business being involved in the first place." Sometimes, IT chooses US. If you are backed into a corner, or the lives of your loved ones are at stake, well, that's not exactly the time to be saying "Wait! Consider the legal ramifications of this!!" You have different options open for you in different situations, but I see it like this: If the dog is looking for you, outrun it if you can. If you can't, your only hope for survival is to turn & face it. So, what I think: If it comes to it, do your best not to get caught. Don't stand around & gloat, dispose of the weapon, burn the body & your clothes, prepare & rehearse a story in case you're questioned GET THE HELL OUT OF DODGE. I have been on BOTH sides of the law, and it usually doesn’t' matter to them "who swung first", especially if there's a body. The law demands justice, and I for one will go home to my wife instead of 'owning up" to it. Mindset: This is just as important as physical skill when dealing with a knife. Mindset has different labels, Vunak calls it "Killer Instinct", but essentially it's the ability to instantly respond with equal or superior deadly force than your attacker. I might caveat that by adding "...And not cry all night about it". Having this ability, to respond to an attack & be perfectly willing to do whatever it takes to live through it, will often be a deciding factor in an altercation. Hesitation comes from uncertainty, from being in a situation you are uncomfortable in. A half-assed defense will not route a dedicated attack. in my personal experience, but for the occasional exception (i.e. attacker is on drugs), most garden-variety thugs will not attack if there is a good chance of them getting the worst of it, and if your attitude is "I'm willing to die, & I'm willing to take your sorry ass with me for amusement on my journey" chances are they will back off. If not, you are at least equipped with all the tools you need to survive. Unfortunately, the only way to gain this ability is lead a hard life, and be a cold bastard. And that comes with a whole truckload of emotional crap as well as if you ever actually have to DO it. Marc MacYoung's excellent website has a section that talks about the hell of conscience over something horrific you have done, i.e. killed someone. The person writing it speaks of the reminder of your actions coming back to haunt you when you least expect it, no matter how hard you try or how deep you bury it. Some people are wired that way. Others will never think twice about it. Still others will be somber for a period, and then gradually accept what has happened, and get on with their lives. And that, in a nutshell, is my point: If you are attacked and live through it, you will be suffering some emotional trauma, whether you off the guy or not. I have been through situations where I survived an assault from beating the crap out of the other guy, and others where I survived because they decided not to kill me. Of the latter, I have a scar on the right side my face, just above the lip, where the barrel-sight of a shotgun cut it enroute to being rammed down the back of my throat. Believe me when I say that the emotional trauma from NOT being able to, or having done anything is as maddening as having sent somebody to the hospital. Either way, you still have to look at yourself in the mirror, and square it with yourself. A couple of points before I send this to the list & prepare for my crucifixion: 1: Looking over my post I wanted to add that my spiel about legalities may sound a little harsh, but understand: I am not condoning murder, but advocating survival in ALL facets, not just the fight. 2: This was in no way meant as a slander to policemen (and women) who live with the X-factor of life or death every day. I do not envy your job. 3: Marc "Animal" MacYoung - I used your website as a general reference, but there are other sites that have the same style of thought, yours was just the most convenient. I meant no offense to you or your people personally, it was meant as an example of a school of thought. Baboy "I have a high art, I hurt with cruelty those who would attack me." Archilocus, 650 B.C. --__--__-- Message: 2 From: "Bobbe Edmonds" To: Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2004 00:26:59 -0700 Subject: [Eskrima] ...Or a daughter named "Roxanne" Reply-To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net >"The UK is fielding an athlete at the Olympics called Pippa (short for Phillipa). In Greek slang a pippa is a BJ! (apparently)."< That poor bastard. That's as bad as being named "Adolph", or having your name as "Karol Korl Krauser" (K.K.K.) Baboy "In this world, there is no such thing as a safe place, or a safe way. Danger lies along every path." --__--__-- Message: 3 From: "Bobbe Edmonds" To: Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2004 00:39:15 -0700 Subject: [Eskrima] Thanks... Reply-To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net >"I guess you can me "ILAGA" in the same area."< That's it, Clint, embrace your inner rodent. >"It would be an interesting to see you and your students practice the "near reality" fights."< We have a good time, although only a few are really near that level. We had a test several months ago, though, and THAT was a sight. To give you an idea, I had a bucket outside the school for vomit. It was full by the end of the test. >"Sir, your replies are great addition to myself and it helps me a lot of things - this will definitely a new start!"< You're welcome, glad you liked it. Just train hard & the knowledge will come to you. It just takes time and practice, there is no other way. >"Your students are lucky to have you as their teacher."< You should tell them that, they think I'm a complete bastard. Mabuhay! Baboy "Transformation does not tolerate mediocrity" --__--__-- Message: 4 From: "Rocky" To: Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2004 08:48:38 -0400 Subject: [Eskrima] Lost E-mail Address Reply-To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net My ideal training partner would be one of these Ass#!*$ computer geeks that got nothing better to do then to send out virus's, man would I love to get hold of one of these mental midgets. My PC got hit with a couple of nasty virus's and I lost all my e-mail and all of my contacts, so you guys that I correspond with need to send me you e-mail addresses again, I know Iam going to get flooded doing this but it is the only way I know how to do it, so if you want me to have your e-mail send it to me, Ray, Marc, Craty, Kim, GM Gat, Rich Parsons, the Buffalo Crew ect...... Rocky --__--__-- Message: 5 To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net From: "Andrew Evans" Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2004 09:42:45 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Eskrima] South Florida, McMartial Arts?? Reply-To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net I enjoyed Tom Furman's excellent list of the talented FMA folks in South Florida but I just want to add another person (and a personal plug). Dr. Wilfredo Matias teaches in Largo, Florida (near Tampa) and is one of GM Remy Presas's senior students. Some of you may not know him well, as he was off the seminar circuit while kicking butt against stomach cancer. But he's back and when he was in Iowa and then Kansas, he worked out with us till 2-3 am in the morning and still got up early for the seminar. During the late training sessions, he held a beer in one hand and stick in the other and like a true arnisador, he never spilt a drop. Dr. Matias is the Lance Armstrong of Modern Arnis! His website is www.arniskarate.com Respectfully, Andrew Evans www.TopekaKarate.com _______________________________________________ Join Excite! - http://www.excite.com The most personalized portal on the Web! --__--__-- Message: 6 From: <1@msfencing.org> To: Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2004 08:44:34 -0500 Organization: 1@msfencing.org Subject: [Eskrima] Inayan Videos Reply-To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net >>-----Original Message----- >>From: hanosh@inayaneskrima.com [mailto:hanosh@inayaneskrima.com] >>I just wanted to put in a plug for the Inayan Videos and DVDs. >>They are both available at the following link here in North America. Do you know if they are in stock here in the USA or will they be dropped shipped from Germany? Also does Grand Master Cabales have any vidoe tapes for sale? Blessings, Rez Johnson "Standing guard on old, forgotten roads, that no one travels anymore." THE FENCING MASTER by Arturo Perez Rez Johnson, M d'A Headmaster: Mississippi Academy of Arms (Mississippi Fencing Academy) President: United States Traditional Fencing Association Certified Fencing Instructor: (USTFA, TFI, AAI, USFCA) Certified Fencing Master Apprentice: (USTFA, USFCA) Teaching Classical Fencing and Historical Swordsmanship since 1980 Modern Sport Fencing Coach 1980 - 2002 Mississippi Academy of Arms P.O. Box 955 Pelahatchie, MS 39145-0955 E-Mail: 1@MSFencing.org Academy Website: http://MSFencing.org USTFA Website: http://traditionalfencing.org --__--__-- Message: 7 From: "Steve Ames" To: Subject: Re: [Eskrima] [The_Dojang] partial review of "Realistic Sparring Weapons" (RSW) Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2004 12:07:00 -0500 Reply-To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net I think the following is a tribute to this list (and of course The Dojang). HTTP/1.1 503 Server overloaded I get this when attempting to load http://www.rsw.com.hk/ . Heh. -Steve ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ray Terry" To: "Eskrima" Sent: Monday, August 23, 2004 7:55 PM Subject: [Eskrima] [The_Dojang] partial review of "Realistic Sparring Weapons" (RSW) > FYI... From the_dojang list. > > Ray > > ------------------------------------------ > > I know that weapons work is not a big concern for a large portion of list members, but I > thought I would share a tip for those to whom it is of interest. > I recently took a short vacation in Hong Kong and while I was there I arranged to meet > one of the owners of RSW (realistic sparring weapons) to see their gear and engage in > some sparring. I had read reports of their practice swords and I wanted to see how much > of their advertisement was hyberbole and how much was reality. > The weapons are billed as being safe for full power/full contact/full speed sparring > including thrusting - in addition to being of the correct weight and balance to match a > real sword of the same type. The sparring group uses a rules system based partly on the > honor system of calling all good hits made on you, and partly on video taping each bout. > These two factors struck me as the perfect vacation opportunity. My wife went clothes > shopping and I went to get smashed around by strangers. > It turns out that the weapons are realistically weighted and balanced. When swung it > feels almost like the real thing. The difference lies in the higher drag produced by the > width of the "blade." Each blade has a distinct shape and clearly discernable edges, > flat, point, etc - theses are not fluffy, padded boffers, but they are substantially > thicker in cross-section than a steel blade. > I can attest to the safety of the blades because I got hit - a lot. I took full power > shots to most areas of my body including fingers, neck and ear. Of at least ten strikes > to my fingers, only one caused lasting pain (mild and only when flexing the joint in > question). It was really liberating to spar full out with no armour other than a light > helmet with visor. > In fact, it took me a long time to get used to the idea of all the freedom. I constantly > pulled shots or decided against realistic attacks for fear of hurting my opponent. Only > after getting creamed in several bouts did it start to penetrate that I could really, > honestly attack using a full menu of options. I'm looking forward very much to having my > own set of swords arrive so I can continue this process of freeing my mind. I had no idea > that safety concerns had become so entangled in my sparring concepts. > Anyway, if you do any sparring with some kind of weapon like the juk-do or one of the > many types of padded weapon, and realism is one of your training goals, you might want to > take a look at RSW (www.rsw.com.hk). They have video of various bouts so you can see the > equipment in action, swords, knives, polearms, shields, etc. > The lifespan of the equipment is said to be six months of hard use once per week. The > Hong Kong group I met spar every weekend. The sword can be repaired once it wears out as > long as the inner core of the weapon has not been broken. Once my order of swords > arrives, I will keep track of their durability and let you know how they fare under the > conditions in my group. > > ===== > Anthony Boyd: Swordsman and English Teacher > www.stormpages.com/haidonggumdo > > _______________________________________________ > The_Dojang mailing list, 1600 members > The_Dojang@martialartsresource.net > Copyright 1994-2004: Ray Terry and Martial Arts Resource > Standard disclaimers apply > http://martialartsresource.net/mailman/listinfo/the_dojang > _______________________________________________ > Eskrima mailing list, 1900 members > Eskrima@martialartsresource.net > Copyright 1994-2004: Ray Terry and Martial Arts Resource > Standard disclaimers apply > http://martialartsresource.net/mailman/listinfo/eskrima --__--__-- Message: 8 From: "abreton@juno.com" Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2004 18:17:46 GMT To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net Subject: Re: [Eskrima] Inayan Videos Reply-To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net In the same vein, does anyone know if any of Bob Breen's videos are available in the US / in US format? Particularly looking for the Panantukan ones ... Andy -- <1@msfencing.org> wrote: >>-----Original Message----- >>From: hanosh@inayaneskrima.com [mailto:hanosh@inayaneskrima.com] >>I just wanted to put in a plug for the Inayan Videos and DVDs. >>They are both available at the following link here in North America. Do you know if they are in stock here in the USA or will they be dropped shipped from Germany? Also does Grand Master Cabales have any vidoe tapes for sale? Blessings, Rez Johnson --__--__-- Message: 9 From: "Marc Macyoung" To: Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2004 13:04:24 -0600 Subject: [Eskrima] Re: Heads and Buzz (pun intended) Reply-To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net In honor of Bobbie Edmonds I will attempt not to swear in this post...no small task, but I shall try... > >"I guess the point would be: If the person is wacked-out on drugs, go for > the arteries. The femoral artery inside the thigh will bleed someone out > almost as quickly as a neck wound."< Okay, disregarding the fact that you are talking about application of lethal force here with ALLLLL kinds of ensuing problems, let's look at this idea from a purely physical standpoint (i.e. your fairy godmother has shown up, waved her magic wand and made all the post incident problems go away *poof*) The reality is you're still facing a serious set of complications. Let me, start by throwing out a tactical consideration. It has been my experience both from dealing with drug freak outs as well as those in what we used to call "manics" that the safest and most effective means for both controlling them and ending the threat they pose is to attack their structure, and by extension their means of locomotion. This is not the whole answer mind you...but it is very much what we call a "Mountain Man Rabbit Stew" issue. That term comes from an old mountain man cook book that read "step one, catch a rabbit..." If you don't get that first step done, wellllll now then the rest of that recipe isn't going to work is it? Once you do catch the rabbit then you have all kinds of options availible to you other than just stew. But that first step is a biggie. Pain is a questionable deterrent. The old premise that if it hurts someone will stop is largely untrue of someone in an aggitated state. In the old model of fight/flight it was assumed that when he felt enough pain the person would quit fighting. Unfortunately that failed to take into consideration that 50% of the time the guy would choose to fight harder. If you add in Lt Col Dave Grossman's four scale model of fight/flight/posture/submit you are now facing an only 25% chance that the guy will choose the option you want (submission). Flight as many LEOs know, creates its own set of problems. I discussed this model with Grossman and I proposed a five part model, which lessens your chances of him behaving how you want him to even more. Furthermore the old idea that pain will stop the person is predicated on the proper application of that pain. Unfortunately, the way most people apply it isn't a deterrent, but rather a spur. I have a saying that I teach "Pain and emotion are motivational messages, when we feel them we feel we must act. So if you don't want someone to act, don't give them the motivation to do so" Finally, there was a conversation I had with an old friend Justin Kocher who after listening to my random babbling on the subject summed up my point perfectly by saying"You can't make someone stop a behavior through pain. It is up to that person to choose to stop or not. If he decides that the pain is worth it to achieve his goal he will continue." Now without going into too many details let us just say that your's truly has had his posterior used as a mop on several occassions, when after delivering an awesome degree of force into an opponent, I discovered that lover boy there had decided that eating my face was a higher priority than the pain I inflicted. Or as we professionals like to say "Oops..." Well, now instead of getting all emotionally wiggly jiggly and making the so-called "rational decision" to upgrade to a higher level of force let's look at a couple of other important factors. Factors that had I taken the time to address that "rational decision" would have shown itself, not to be quite so rational. In fact, it was a "If all you got is a hammer...every problem looks like a nail" solution and not "rational" at all. First and foremost is the fact that the reason that this person was still a threat to me was because I was standing right in front of him. "Oh my gosh golly gee, there is a train coming at me! What shall I do?! What shall become of me?!" Ummmm...get off the tracks stupid comes to mind. Run like heck also has a certain je ne se qua don'tcha think? Now I have been in several knife altercations and you know what? Never, not once did someone, after I poked him, want to jog a block to catch me and continue our disagreement. Whereas my continued presence in the area did have a tendency to prompt him into continued hostilities. So when I say "MOVE!" I am not just talking about moving off line, I am talking about "ease on down the road" Now usually when I say you had best do the flat foot floogey I am always met with a chorus of "What if you can't run?" Well, first of all, that inability to run had better be something more than just in your mind (what we call rattlesnake cornered) because unless you are trapped in a blind alley by 27 ninjas with uzis your failure to remove yourself from a situation will be looked upon as your willing participation in the death of another human being. Break contact and continue mission kiddies...learn it, love it, live it. Second the reason that hostilities continued is that quite frankly I had NOT removed his ability to continue to attack. Yes, I had inflicted pain, but despite my killer kung fu dim mak death touch blow, my opponent was still up and functional. Bummer dude. You can look at it in one of two possibilities. One is that the move I had chosen was yes painful, but it did not hinder his ability to continue attacking. He was still up on his feet, motivated and able to attack. In short, I'd just wasted a move and made him madder. Two, is that I was in the wrong position to/ did not have the mindset to / had so over committed myself that I was unable to exploit the results of what I had created. In other words, while I may have rung his chimes/disrupted his structure/softened him up with my move I was unable to keep him from regaining his abiltiy to attack me again. Again, that was my fault for not being where I needed to be or having the intellegence to do what was necessary to finish the job. All touching myself while fantasies of defeating uber-bad guys dance in my head aside here folks... that failure to perform was my fault. I was not fighting an unstoppable opponent. I was facing someone who I had left with the ability to continue attacking me. I did so by either my continued presence or failure to immediately remove his ability to continue attacking. I will admit in my early years that it was my refusal to close in and get the job done that left my opponent with this ability. I wanted one move to do it all. A move that I could safely do at a distance and then let him realize what folly he was engaged in by doing it. Bad news here kiddies, that kind of move might work for putting an unruly drunk back into line, but against a serious bad boy, it only increases your chances of getting hurt because it leaves him with the ability to make other choices than to submit to your wishes. In short, it's not only on, but you have just greatly increased your chances of getting hurt because you are still there in the line of fire and he's got the means to shoot back. And all this on top of the fact that instead of running fiercely I had stood there and tried to show him "where it was at" for messing with me in the first place. Then, still failing to realize that not getting into those kinds of situations in the first place was the best of all possible answers, I said, "Well heck I gotta close and really, really pound this guy to get it done" Quite frankly, that was my most vicious, violent and over the top period of my life.And yes, a lot of the violence that I engaged in should have landed me in jail (even when it was my job). Basically my strategy was to go beserk on the fellow and do a smack down on his posterior. This application of overwhelming force was how I achieved the removal of someone's ability to launch an effective counter offensive. Except for one little problem, there were some guys out there using the same strategy or people who, just had enough spunk, not to be smacked down very easily. Now you're talking a serious donnybrook. And win, lose or draw...can you say "Ouch?" It was finally after reading about how Erwin Rommel was defeated in North Africa that I began to use my head for something other than as a target. That was when I realized that by attacking his supply lines I could keep him from attacking that the owie factor went down. Take his feet out, collapse his leg, drag him off balance and let gravity do the work. In short, attack his structure. It's hard for him to chase you when he is laying on the ground now isn't it? It's even harder for a guy to chase you with a broken leg. Come to think of it an unstoppable bad guy isn't much of a threat if you are down the block while he is picking himself up off the ground. But what about if you HAVE to stay and engage? If he's falling, he ain't attacking. If he is trying to keep his balance, he ain't attacking. If he got spun over thataway, he ain't attacking. If after darting out of the way, you grab his noodle and are swinging like Tarzan on a vine from it, he ain't attacking. He may want to, but he's got something else he has to attend to before he attacks. From this position, he can't effectively attack you. He's got to do something else first...other wise the laws of physics work their ol' black magic on him. Quite frankly, this strategy works for rolling up quarrelsome drunks to surviving knife wielding manaics. It's what we refer to as our "happy spot" I'm here, my structure is intact and I am in the perfect position to do something else (how nasty depends on the level of violence you have offered me). You're there, your structure is not intact and before you can continue to attack, you have to do something else...otherwise, physics, gravity or any other little detail like that will prevent you from effectively doing it. While you are doing that something else...well, I shall not stand by idle. In fact, I'm going to be doing something that really further complicates your life, your plans and your happy, happy little head space. But, because I am in my happy spot, I will have a choice of what to do. And again, how nasty -- or lethal -- I get will depend entirely on the level of threat you offered. Yes, I can escort you out the door while explaing very calmly how unacceptable that behavior is. I can drop you like a stack of dishes and run fiercely. I can spin you around and slam you onto the ground and slap you into a control hold. I can hold out my knife and watch you piroit -- as you peel yourself like an apple (and in doing so I should point out I will have only inflicted ONE cut...far more defensible in court than 27 blurring kali knife fighting cuts to get the same effect) By temporarily removing his ability to attack me, the "rational and logical decision" on what to do takes on a major paradigm shift. You get more options as to what makes a rational decision. One that is quite often far, far more acceptable to the people who are reviewing your actions post incident (like a jury). Which brings us to ... Bobbie And, as Mike Casto pointed out, > WHERE you use a knife is as least as important as WHY you use a knife,i.e. >go for vital targets like the eyes, trachea, etc...The knife has a stopping >power that empty hand simply can't compare to, drugs or no. I have a demo I do in my seminars. I pick the highest ranking player in the room and ask him to particpate. I then pull my knife out and say "everyone knows this is a deadly weapon right?" When they agree I turn to the person and drop into that mode which few people see these days, that evil little illegitimate love child that allowed me to survive what I have. With a nasty, nasty glint in my eye I say "Okay I want you to defend yourself against this knife" Around this time the person is getting somewhat nervous for very good reason. I ask the person if he is ready and when he says yes, I lay the knife down and walk away while putting my hands in my pocket. "Okay, defend yourself against the knife" Needless to say someone who is all pumped up on adrenalin facing a knife on the floor is a humorous sight. Then I ask the assembled room what the lesson is. After some joshing and joking t hey realize the truth. It ain't the knife that is dangerous, it is me. A knife does not have stopping power. A knife does not have any power at all. It is meerly a tool. It is your application of that tool that creates certain results. How well you apply that tool, in combination with the application of other tools is what will give you an end effect. I have seen a lot of people make terrible mistakes in both why and how they use a blade. If you do not realize that it is how you use a combination of tools to acheive an end, you are going to fixate on one aspect and try to over use it. This failure is not only very, very likely to get you seriously injured (because you have not removed yourself from the line of fire...and the other side WILL shoot back), but also in deep, deep post incident trouble. Because it suddenly looks like you are facing an uber bad guy you over reacted and now you are faced with the fun, fun, fun task of explaining to a jury why he was slashed twenty three times, half of which are defensive wounds while you were so busy defending yourself. I often tell people that Tai Chi is the martial arts with the horns taken off. I make this analogy because people forget that it ain't the horns that will kill you. It's what's behind it. A polled (horns removed) animal will kill you just as fast, just as dead and just as effectively. In short, it is the 1200 pounds of iritated Big Mac that will squish you flat. The horns are just a refinement in the delivery system. In this regard, the knife isn't the threat, it is just a delivery system of a much larger threat. A threat that when combined with a knife is just a little bit quicker at acheiving an over all goal. If you think of the knife as the threat, you're going to find yourself in deep, deep kim chee when you try to apply it because you are focusing on the wrong thing. Buzz said > >"Indeed, the whole West Side Story ethos of most training I've seen or > heard about bugs me: mano a mano, two partners square off, draw training > blades, and have at it. Who in their right mind is going to attack you like > that?"< Not anyone who wants to win. Buzz again > >"I'm not a very talented martial artist, but I am a sneaky SOB; at the risk > of echoing Animal, I think the sneaky bastards have a leg up on most martial > artists when it comes to knife work."< Echo moi? I'm flattered...I think. A point that I feel is often overlooked by both trainers an trainees is that you are dealing with a thinking opponent. Some one who is looking at you from a tactical perspective. When, where and how can he attack to acheive his goal? What many people over look is that while they are looking from a postition of strength at building their defenses. The individual deemed a spincter is looking at those same defenses from a position of weaknesses. Not his, but yours. Where are there gaps, holes and blind spots in your perimeter security? How can he win through your weakness? Weaknesses that he can exploit through a variety of tactics. With all the emphasis for a head to head conflict that occurs in most training, any savage little street weasel worth his salt is going to recognize the indifference paid to subterfuge and trickery. As such, unless he has overwhelming odds on his side, it won't be a frontal assault. Nor most times will he try to sneak his way in as that is something people expect. (Although quite often people who are so focused on a head to head conflict fall easy prey to an overwhelming ambush from behind). No, most times it is just easier to trick your way in. You work your way in under cover of something else until you get into position to strike. And you do so with serious force before the guy has a chance to rally. And I hate to say this, but someone who is so busy looking for a head to head conflict to match his strength/training is pretty easy to take out in this manner. This is especially true because most of what they are trained in fails to immediately remove an attacker's ability to attack. By the time what they are doing would be effective, it's over. Bobbie said > Alot of people use this argument to scream about "common sense" in > everyday life, saying a little awareness will save you. Well folks, I have > discovered that common sense isn't all that common. Different people have > different opinions as to what "Awareness" is, and some people just haven't > had a need in their lives to think in these terms, I'll give you two sayings I use in both my WSD and crime avoidance classes. Commonsense is based in knowing how things work. I mean really work, not how you want them to work. It is knowing that in these circumstances, this is what happens when you do this. Knowing this you can effect the outcome by your choices of what you do and don't do. If you want this reaction do this. If you don't want this reaction, don't do it. That's commonsense. People say be aware...OF WHAT? I'm aware of all kinds of things, but what are the danger signs? Why is this fact meaningless and this a danger sign? If I don't have some kind of standard that I know is a "not good situation" that I can compare what is happening to, I have no idea of what I need to be concerned about. As such I have a choice either ignore what is happening around me and hope that the boogey man misses me (which is what most people do) or become hyper-vigilant and paranoid because I don't know what I need to be aware of and I assign everything a threat. Awareness without knowledge is paranoia. There are distinct signs of danger, if you look around and don't see them, don't worry, you're safe. If you do see them don't ignore them, dismiss them or rationalize them away > Also Buz, have no fear of echoing Animal. You left out way too many > expletives for that! You will note that I did not swear once in this missive. Thank you very much. Now I'm going to go outside, have a cigar, a shot of single malt whiskey and swear for a half an hour... just to get the taste back in my mouth. Marc Animal MacYoung --__--__-- _______________________________________________ Eskrima mailing list Eskrima@martialartsresource.net http://martialartsresource.net/mailman/listinfo/eskrima http://eskrima-fma.net Old digest issues @ ftp://ftp.martialartsresource.com/pub/eskrima Copyright 1994-2004: Ray Terry, MartialArtsResource.com, Sudlud.com Standard disclaimers apply. Remember September 11. End of Eskrima Digest