en-us http://riposte.org Martial Arts news. Thought, word, and deed in the Martial Arts Community http://riposte.org/archive/getStory?story=1005 I put together this bunch of clips so I could get a look at how different forms of karate executed a basic take-down (nage- waza in Jananese). When I started training (many, many moons ago), it was in Shotokan Karate. And, being a very hard Japanese style (Okinawan origins), it focused almost exclusively on the linear techniques. The basic stances, strikes and kicks (kihon) were drilled over, and over, and over. As I trained longer and got a little better at these, I kept waiting for the sweeps, take-downs and finishing holds that I just knew were coming. Eventually, they did, but very little emphasis was put on them. And, being young and impressionable then, I assumed that, where the fighting picture of karate was concerned, they must not be that important then. http://riposte.org/archive/getStory?story=1004 Last Wednesday I had three white belts (new this year), four purple belts (our lowest tested grade), one yellow, and two orange belts. Having a mixed-level class is great, in that many students get a chance to be junior, senior and peer, often all in the one class, but it's quite complicated. Here's how I rotated the pairings on the night ... http://riposte.org/archive/getStory?story=1003 What separates us from the Japanese Samurai Warriors of the past? The Samurai approached each day as if it were their last. They thought about death often and consequently lived each day with a heightened sense of awareness. They treated people with the utmost respect. If you knew that today was your last, would you initiate arguments with your brother or wife? If you only had 24 hours to live, would you spend your time watching television for hours? Would you complete a task by doing the minimal about of work or would you focus on maximum output to accomplish your goal—to be remembered for contributing something significant? Would you complete a poem, finish a painting, hug your child tightly, say you love them, feel true compassion and maybe help a friend in need. http://riposte.org/archive/getStory?story=1002 People have suggested that I should write something about how to recognize and deal with martial arts frauds. Living in Japan I have a better understanding of its martial arts and history and in the past I have helped poke holes in the stories of many frauds. It is actually rather sad that I have to write this. I went onto the internet to get information about martial arts. I did find some online journals, web sites and other resources that were of help. But as soon as I wandered onto a message board I was confronted with frauds spreading complete rubbish. I soon found myself trying to counter the mistakes they were spreading in order to make themselves look good. I happen to like history and I was able to point out many mistakes in what they were trying to present. Soon I got the reputation as both a fraud buster and a history expert. I would just prefer to deal with normal conversations. But over the years I’ve been pulled into a lot of investigations and I have learned all of the tricks that they seem to use as well as a simple litmus test for determining if someone is 99 percent likely to be a fraud. http://riposte.org/archive/getStory?story=1001 A perennial complaint against aikido involves the supposed un-reality of the training methods. Apparently some people who watch aikido from the outside would like for aikido to be more realistic. And aikido practitioners on the inside are not even immune to this idea either - we get a lot of suggestions about how to improve the realism in our training. http://riposte.org/archive/getStory?story=1000 This is primarily a modern ethical assertion, disguised as a historical thesis, and consequently there is hardly any evidence to be refuted. Karate-do and Aikido, to cite two specific examples, are often represented as defensive martial arts today. Their founders’ own words reject this characterization. It is true that the arts were not to be used for starting fights; however, this is not because they were envisioned to be “defensive martial arts”, but because they were not “martial arts” at all! http://riposte.org/archive/getStory?story=999 The Eku Bo (aka Eiku Bo, Ekku Bo, Kai Bo) is a very interesting weapon. It is a traditional implement of Okinawan Kobudo, but not many systems have passed down its proper use and technique. I’d like to share with you a video I created describing Eku Bo combat theory and application. In the video I talk about handling the weapon, how it differs in usage from other weapons, controlling it properly, and more. I also demonstrate at the end a bit of randori (freestyle kumite) to show how the blocking and attacking movements can be utilized. http://riposte.org/archive/getStory?story=998 Someone who has achieved technical excellence and is concerned that the deeper meaning of the tradition is becoming lost with the popularization of martial arts as sport. The martial arts is more than fighting. TanDao is dedicated to the martial way. It is the vision of martial arts as an integral system that transcends combat and explores the full spectrum of the martial arts: hard, soft and internal. http://riposte.org/archive/getStory?story=997 It has taken me a very LONG time to even grasp this concept, let alone exemplify it in my own body mechanics. Prior to the Chen Practical Method, all the taiji I have ever been exposed to consists of shifting the weight side-to-side, back-to-forward, and leg-to-leg.In the Chen Practical Method, the weight stays centered and the body only turns about the central axis. There is NO shifting of weight. The turning of the body is driven by the movement of the kuas (one up, one down; one open, one close). http://riposte.org/archive/getStory?story=996 When faced with an opponent who grabs you or moves into striking distance, it is normal to want to move away from them. In my opinion, one of the best counters to this is to move TOWARDS the opponent. That’s right…. move in close to him/her. This will not only surprise the attacker but it will offset their balance and diminish their advantage. If you can hit me… I can hit you. Of course you have to be able to implement an attack or else you will be moving in closer to an ass whopping and you don’t want that. You have to have a strategy to make the engagement work in your favor.