Watching Karate

[elfs]

So, one of the other things I did yesterday was watch freinds of mine try out for their ext belt level in karate. I don't know much about karate and am under the impression that the standards and expectations for what a student can and should know are rather fractured and may have some dilution. Still, what I saw Saturday afternoon gave me the impression that there are still schools out there that teach effective self-defense. The black belts were especially impressive, tossing each other about the room.

Only one or two students showed little enthusiasm for the sport and seemed to be out of it. There was a test with a punching bag and many of the lower students took it as test of form, rather than a test of effectiveness, which was disappointing. Only a few were trying to strike body blows. On the other hand, during the sparring most showed a strong degree of competence at defending themselves from attacks in different patterns-- from behind, from above. A tiny slip of a girl, maybe ten, reached between her legs, grabbed her attacker by the knee and just floored him in one pull, and when he got up again she threw him over her shoulder.

Kouryou-chan got a little bored, and Omaha diagnosed it as hunger, so we had to leave before the full-on sparring began. While we ate, I asked both of the girls if they wanted to try that, and they said they would be willing to try. I think a sport where they're not directly in competition with someone else, and where they learn self-discipline and patience, would be good for both of them. Probably for Omaha and I too. Although I don't know if we'd be quite as ferocious with each other as J5nn5r and Desirae were; those two were clearly having too much fun.

Comments

[memegarden.livejournal.com]

Aikido is very cool, and produces some excellent stories (http://www.wattstapes.com/dobson.htm) as a side effect of its premise of redirecting energy rather than attacking/opposing.

In addition to the link above, I've heard a story about an aikido student who was walking back from his lesson late one evening and was menaced by two muggers with knives who demanded his money. Having had so far only a few lessons, he hadn't learned how to do any damage or even defend himself, but he knew the first step: relax. So he relaxed, even closed his eyes for a moment, and let all his tension drop. When he opened his eyes, his attackers were running away. Nothing like someone relaxing when you threaten them to freak a mugger out, I guess. They had no way of knowing he didn't have a clue what he'd do next.

I have heard aikido recommended for small people, as its practitioners use leverage and balance shifts rather than direct force. Women have a lower center of balance than men, and so may actually be even better situated to take advantage of leverage.

sweat in the dojo, laugh in the battlefield...

[murbin.livejournal.com]

Old MA saying, translated to modern times as the more you sweat in training, the less you bleed on the battlefield.

Roger Zelazny practiced and taught Aikido. Following the example of his instructor he studied a hard karate style for several years in order to learn how to kick and punch effectively. This made him a better uke and thusly his training partners better Aikidoists.

The more you train in one art, the more you find different arts have more in common. Effective and powerful kicks and punches have a lot more to do with body placement and balance shifts than muscle power.