YOU- Realistically and often testing your skills.

“	Originally Posted By: Sifu Chuck Kennedy I'm not sure as to exactly what you mean but I think this statement goes a long way. Filming yourself pounding on another person for the purpose of "showing" someone else what you can do does not seem like something honorable people do. .	”

That's why you don't video yourself beating up a random person, you fight against the person who wants your skills proven.

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If the problem has a solution, worrying is pointless, in the end the problem will be solved. If the problem has no solution, there is no reason to worry, because it can't be solved.

“	Originally Posted By: Seh That's why you don't video yourself beating up a random person, you fight against the person who wants your skills proven.	”

Too true. Filming a sanctioned bout or sparring session is not honorable?? WTF? I use filming things as a tool to look at and see what I can improve upon, like: "I drop my hands when I throw a round kick", or: "I telegraph my shoot way too much". It is a tool. The dishonorable thing would be, as Seh said above, filming yourself beating up some random dude in the street. That's dishonorable, and if anything, criminal evidence. Calm down, SCK.

-Wu

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Man for Sale: House-broken, current vaccinations, almost never humps your leg.

The it's not honorable to film excuse is the typical tripe spouted by crappy martial arts who have no real skill and don't want it known.

This could be a good thread. If people want to post videos I'm happy to watch them. I'm interested in seeing ideas that don't come across well in words put in to action. I'm interested in seeing how people move and how attitudes to training translate into practice.

If people don't want to post a video I'm not interested in seeing them insulted.

The idea that a video on youtube "proves" something other than a desire to share pictures of your hobby with total strangers via the web is a bit of a reach. I could get my teacher to put something of him up and pretend it was me and only FF, SWK and the pope would know I'm completely clueless compared to the guy showing some real skill on youtube.

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Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you
High mountains are a feeling
I don't need to sell my soul, he's already in me

This thread is silly! However, I do thank all participants for providing me entertainment while at work.


Seriously though, Cam's point was to create a thread of people "testing" themselves to maybe show off a little and to provide the opportunity for thoughts and criticisms. I don't believe it was ever implied that anyone who did not post anything would instantly be branded a no-talent goober.

That being said, I shall post my own video of maximum pwnageof teh noobs!


ph34r mah skillz!

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"You must eat bitter before you can taste sweet"- Iron & Silk
"I see no virtue where I smell no sweat"
"Arm yourself because no one else here will save you" - Chris Cornell

I never said anyone not posting anything was a no talent hack, I did say those who make silly excuses for not doing so were no talent hacks as it gets repeatedly proven as true.

I think you have to have categories of video maybe 3 sections a compete section like cam's video, a demo section like a lot of the you tube vids and a section for someone happened to have a camera on when I got in that bar fight...then demo prove whatever would have some coverage.

That still leaves another problem, I had two (sort of) fights in the last 3 weeks but all of the opponents either backed down or ran away ...in my mind I won mostly because I didn't have to fight and I didn't have to run to avoid fighting...but that would make for a very dull video

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“	Originally Posted By: WuSung Too true. Filming a sanctioned bout or sparring session is not honorable?? WTF? I use filming things as a tool to look at and see what I can improve upon, like: "I drop my hands when I throw a round kick", or: "I telegraph my shoot way too much". It is a tool. The dishonorable thing would be, as Seh said above, filming yourself beating up some random dude in the street. That's dishonorable, and if anything, criminal evidence. Calm down, SCK. -Wu	”

Wu, I said nothing about the filming of sanctioned bouts or sparring sessions. I said...

"This is not to say that people who readily compete in "sport fights", and have film of them competing, are without honor. It is the nature of the sports world."

I totally understand using video as a tool to look for things that you can improve on. There is nothing dishonorable about that. Football does it, baseball does it, etc. However, to ask people for videos of them actually fighting is going to be more available to those who compete in the sports arena events because of everything that is involved.

Most people will not film a challenge match and if they did they would probably only release it to a select few if any. They would definitely not be posted on Youtube.

“	Originally Posted By: Mei Hua The it's not honorable to film excuse is the typical tripe spouted by crappy martial arts who have no real skill and don't want it known.	”

I can turn around and say that asking people to post their videos is the typical thing that crappy martial artists do in order to ___________ (you fill in the blanks).

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I am the present. I cannot know what tomorrow will bring forth. I can know only what the truth is for me today. That is what I am called upon to serve, and I serve it in all lucidity - Igor Stravinsky

“	Originally Posted By: aaradia Hi Anne, I looked at some tai-chi from one of your links. I have never seen the hesitation step that the master does before. Where he kind of stops and restarts near the beginning of a lot of moves? Can you explain that move to me?	”

I never thought of this as something different that we do at all. I guess it is just a stylistic thing that he does, which all of us have picked up. I always saw it as a way of channeling more chi, or just making the move feel like it works better. It doesn't really cross over into our kung fu, just our tai chi.

“	Originally Posted By: Lugaldamhara Very nice, Anne. After the choke didn't work, you had a perfect elevator sweep set up from the half butterfly position you had. Did you sweep her? How did she wind up armbarring you?	”

I wish! That would've been a much better idea than what actually happened. She rolled to her stomach, and I was still holding the choke, but then she escaped, there was some sort of tussle, and I think it ended up with me in guard. I'm pretty sure I got arm barred because of a bad guard pass, so I totally deserved the arm bar.

Also, I must say, I want a highlight reel like Cam's. Maybe that should be the next thread. Everyone should make themselves a highlight reel, regardless of what style they do. Tai chi highlight reels would be awesome.

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"Papers just don't make me happy." - Mary Kate Olsen, on quitting NYU

“	I guess it is just a stylistic thing that he does	”

His tai chi is unusual - he bobs up more often than most teachers for example - but the stop/start thing referred to is fairly common. It's more usually seen in chen and it tends to be where there's deep spiralling reflected out into the limbs. It just feels good. I haven't seen it so much in "competition" circles or more modern teachers.

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Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you
High mountains are a feeling
I don't need to sell my soul, he's already in me

That would make sense, because he does Chen tai chi too.

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"Papers just don't make me happy." - Mary Kate Olsen, on quitting NYU

Thinking on it, doing boxing competitions or competitive sparring could be a good idea for Taiji practitioners to test a bit, and of course also for other CMA practitioners. But that's for those who don't mind unleashing a bit, or possibly eat a punch. The boxing looked pretty good, from some of the clips. The best performance I saw on a CMA tournament was some kind of Mantis practitioner from the Netherlands who would sit in a low horse waiting for the opponent to come, and then jump into him with a couple of long hands. He knocked the other guy who did more of orthodox kickboxing around pretty well, stunning him often, and landing almost everything he lunged in. Very good eye-hands coordination, strong, exact hitting, not just random flailing that hits more by accident.

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“	Originally Posted By: Anne Also, I must say, I want a highlight reel like Cam's. Maybe that should be the next thread. Everyone should make themselves a highlight reel, regardless of what style they do. Tai chi highlight reels would be awesome.	”

That would be the slowest highlight reel ever!

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"You must eat bitter before you can taste sweet"- Iron & Silk
"I see no virtue where I smell no sweat"
"Arm yourself because no one else here will save you" - Chris Cornell

I dont see what the big fuss was ata all unless theres some insecurity there. Cam posted a vid clip. Thats great stuff and yes a lot of people talk a big game about what others are capable of. If you guys feel that strongly about how others suck or how you do not then post something.

If you dont care then dont get p1ssed. just shut up and watch.

I think there are probably quite a few here that have no qualms about suffing some looser that needs a nap. very few have the desire or the sack to get into a ring and fight professionaly, including me.

So you either know that you can fight/defend yourself when you need to or you dont know.

Nice video cam, thanks for posting. BTW have you learned to pull back the roundhouse kick yet?

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One hit, see blood.

It's not enough to just not get hit

Techniques that I like to practice are.

Step to the outside. Apply arm bar. Force opponent to bend forward and down. Axe kick to the back of head. Even if the arm bar only partially succeeds It usually results in breaking the opponents balance.

As the opponent is busy regaining their balance I kick the knee joint of their standing leg and simultaneously pull in the opposite direction. When they fall over I axe kick them in the head.

The intent of the arm bar is to hyperextend/ break the elbow. The intent of the kick to the knee is to hyperextend/break it. The intent of the axe kick is to kill.

I have practiced both the arm bar and kick to knee to full extension of lock but never past the locking point. I have never axe kicked anyone in the head for real.

I have practiced these techniques against boxers and grapplers under a variety of rules (with single and multiple opponents). But always when sober, always when healthy, always in a controlled safe environment.


So what have i proved ?