Martial arts thoughts?

[Bobby]

Hi Valkie,
I don't like knives - they cut you.

I actually liked the movements in martial arts - the katas.
That's why I changed over many years later to ballroom dancing and
eventually Latin American dancing.
It's all the same type of skills really so my background in martial arts helped me to learn fast.

[sprintcyclist]

I started martial arts later in life, in my late 20s.
Shotokhan and Budokan.
Had a great master who was a surgeon and was only interested in students who gave their all.

Classes were generally small, never more than 10 students.
And we fought regularly with semi contact, unless we used body armor.

He was also a master at Judo, jujitsu and Kung Fu.
He believed that it was good to always keep learning and pushing yourself.

We had very few Showdan members, it was not awarded unless you deserved it.
Even to get to brown belt required a direct invitation from him, he tested you, your attitude and your willingness to learn before you moved further.

Black belts were done once a year, and only in threes.
At least one would fail, so you had to strive to be better than those you trained with.
At my black belt test, two failed, one because he had "a bad attitude" and one because he was not yet enough.

I started competition fighting at my brown belt and fought for 8 years.
In the many, many fights I have participated in, I have never achieved first place, the best was third.
Sometimes I didn't even make the finals.
But I was proud to have fought some of the best in Australia and overseas.

I carry a few scars, have had quite a few broken bones, but no serious lasting debilitating injuries.
Most are from just pushing ourselves to the limit and overreaching what semi-contact is.

At 63, I'm far too old to fight competitively any more.
Still practice with my knives, my boe, my sais and hit the bag a couple of times a week.
I can look after myself, but it would have to be a short fight.

Since retirement, I have taken to getting fit again.
Swimming 1.5k twice a week, exercising and walking 6 to 7 k twice a week.
I don't do weights, and I can't jog because of a spinal injury, but walking and swimming are low impact.
I have a kayak which I usually use at least once a week, but it's at the mother in laws at the moment.

Hopefully, I will be healthy for a few more years, dad lived to over 90 and was reasonably fit until he broke his hip, from there it was downhill.

I play golf once a fortnight now, was twice a week, but it was getting too frustrating, that bloody ball never did what I wanted.
Now I'm just concentrating on swimming and walking.

Wow

[Valkie]

Hi Valkie,
I don't like knives - they cut you.

I actually liked the movements in martial arts - the katas.
That's why I changed over many years later to ballroom dancing and
eventual Latin American dancing.
It's all the same type of skills really so my background in martial arts helped me to learn fast.

Only blunt knives are Dangerious.
All my knives are razor sharp, I have quite a collection.
Throwing knives don't need to be sharp for throwing practice, so I keep them dull.

I sharpen all my knives with a Ruixin knife sharpener and finish off with a honing stone and then a strop.
You can shave with my knives.
But the missus won't let me sharpen the knives in the kitchen.

I have a few fighting knives and combat knives.
But I'm looking for a genuine Gurkha knife, not a fake or one made for tourists.
I also have some beautiful Damascus bladed knives, beautiful to look at , but they need regular care and attention as they do have a tendency to rust.

Have never cut myself, too badly, with any of my knives.
But did some serious DAMAGE with a tool I used to get the grout out one time, cut a vein, damaged some tendons and nerves in my thumb.

[Bobby]

Hi Valkie,
check this out:

[Bobby]

Ali versus Wepner.

You've all got to see the last round of this fight - jump to 9:02
to see Wepner's face before the last round



Impressive how Wepner blocked all those jabs and combinations with his face.

[Crackey]

The only "martial arts" experience I have was during Army training, that is to say, pseudo-karate combined with a knife. I think martial arts has been over-glorified into utter silliness by Hollywood such as:



... and ...

[Bobby]

The only "martial arts" experience I have was during Army training, that is to say, pseudo-karate combined with a knife. I think martial arts has been over-glorified into utter silliness by Hollywood such as:

... and ...

Very funny -
and now for the maximum bullshit:

[Crackey]

Very funny -
and now for the maximum bullshit:

Cripes! Reminds me of Saturday nights at the disco back when I was still young & limber.

Here's some cringe-worthy boxing: United States Marine vs. Finland Reaction Commando. Note the American's pre-fight boast.

[sprintcyclist]

The only "martial arts" experience I have was during Army training, that is to say, pseudo-karate combined with a knife. I think martial arts has been over-glorified into utter silliness by Hollywood such as:

I think, in terms of wining, Army training would have to be #1

[Crackey]

The only "martial arts" experience I have was during Army training, that is to say, pseudo-karate combined with a knife. I think martial arts has been over-glorified into utter silliness by Hollywood such as:

I think, in terms of wining, Army training would have to be #1

It's mostly by use of a weapon. It's normally elite fighting units like SAS or Selous Scouts who knew how to use their hands.