Thursday, October 15, 2009
Hyold on a minute
I think its funny that all of these people who practice and "teach" derivatives of Mugai Ryu ( our style of Japanese swordsmanship) all of the sudden are calling it Mugai Ryu Iaihyodo...instead of "Iaido". Many of the same people also talk badly about our group because we do not tolerate their crap. Ironic. They wouldn't have known the "hyo" was in there originally without us telling them.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Friday, October 2, 2009
Youtube Ryu Karate
I have not heard of any professional Mixed Martial Artist, Jujutsuka, Karateka, Iaidoka, Kendoka, or Judoka bad mouth practitioners of other arts.
This example should be followed by all of the other idiots out there sharing their months of knowledge with experts who have been working hard in the respective fields for decades.
The commentators who present the most amazing idiocy are the Karate and MMA guys. Here is some highly abbreviated advice for both camps:
Karate guys
Learn karate. No...really. Go to Japan and learn karate. Your completely ignorant understanding of classical karate, its origins, its mythos, and its principles do absolutely nothing to support those who are really in the business of propagating the ART of Karate. The countless posts that are articulated as if the 16 year old brown belt in Cobra Ryu Karatee were an actual expert make all traditional karate instructors and practitioners look like a clan of freakin' morons. Don't do your homework with wikipedia as your only reference. Don't learn your kata from youtube. Don't base "expertise" on what you see the latest WKF World Champion doing. And...you know what...if you have a black belt and a whopping 4-5 years experience with not one minute of training in Japan then keep your mastery of the English language to yourself. Only when you have as much experience and skill as the 70 year old Okinawan Hanshi whose forward stance you are trying to critique should you put your fingers on the keyboard.
MMA Guys
You DO karate so stop talking bad about it. Every principle of Karate can be found in MMA practice. If you think traditional karate guys fight with their hands on their hips yelling and screaming all day long then you are also using youtube, "The Karate Kid", and the NASKA World Championships on ESPN 2 as your reputable research sources. If you think that someone who posts themselves doing kata on a video does not know how to apply the techniques you're wrong. If you think karate practitioners are going to fight you from a traditional forward or horse stance you're wrong. If you think they are going to hit you, stop, and then look to a referee to award a "point" you are wrong.
Karate is the original "Mixed Martial Art". Its lineage contains elements from all of the major martial arts. This is because all of the major Asian martial arts can trace their lineage to China. Check this out:
China (Chuan Fa), Thailand (Muay Thai), Okinawa (Kempo), Japan (Karate), USA (MMA Striking Arts)
China (Shuai Jiao), Greece (Pale, not implying this started in China...), Okinawa (Tegumi), Japan (Sumo), USA (Wrestling, MMA Ground-work))
China (Chin Na), Japan (Jujutsu/ Judo), Okinawa (Tuidi), Brazil (Jiujitsu), USA (MMA grappling and submission-work)
So, you see, historically most of what MMA sportsman do shares elements of other countries' indigenous fighting systems. As time went on, the arts were adapted to the geography and the political climate of each culture the arts settled in. MMA has done what martial arts systems have been doing for centuries, adapting to the context of a need of a particular time period. Classical Karate is made up of Gote (hard techniques, punching kicking, elbows knees) and Jute (soft techniques, sweeps, reaps, joint locks, takedowns...what is called tuidi in Okinawa). The techniques are practiced on an individual basis (kata), partner basis (ippon kumite), spontaneous basis (kumite), and practical basis (goshinjutsu). The only difference between this format and MMA is the percentage of practice time spent on each element. Natually, in MMA more time is spent on the "kumite" or spontaneous fighting element. The difference has nothing to do with effectiveness...it has to do with CONTEXT. The context of MMA is simply different than that of Karate. While comparing the two might not be like comparing apples to oranges, it would be like comparing lemons to grapefruit. Almost the same...different proportions.
Now the difference comes with MMA being developed solely for sport. The "depth" that most traditionalists speak of is that classical martial arts were developed to improve a society's well-being on several fronts. Respect, discipline, confidence, higher education, self defense, physical fitness, mental fitness, longevity, military effectiveness, societal uniformity, and national pride are just a few attributes that are developed to a very high level and have been for hundreds of years. Of course the MMA guys are going to think they can point out elements of MMA training that develop these same facets, but don't be confused. Extensive practice of any sport is going to develop an instinctive reactive process to the techniques of the game. This is not the "mental fitness" I am speaking of. That's simply being good at what you do. The focus in classical martial arts is just different.
Unfortunately for the karate guys, they have stopped learning, too. The result is a bunch of karate guys who know there is more to their art which makes it a superior form of practice to MMA, yet they are not willing to work hard enough in the traditional system to learn it. The MMA guys see the uninformed, under-trained, misguided karate-as-a-religion practitioners caught in an ineffective and archaic method of fisticuffs as a bunch of guys in pajamas that would get their heads wripped off by even the most novice of MMA practitioners.
The cure? Simple. Everyone needs to get rid of their egos. Some people will say that MMA guys are the egotistical ones...with UFC, cage matches, sponsors embroidered over every inch of a pair of booty shorts, trash talk, and the brutality in the ring against another human being simply win at all costs for the big payday. It is a good point.
But, I think the karate guys are equally egotistical. There are more 10th degree grandmaster Soke Dr.s in the state of Tennessee than in all of Japan (sarcasm of course... I didn't actually count them). And not one of them has been to Japan! "Masters" and "Experts" hide behind their impressive techniques...against pre-arranged and highly orchestrated attacks from opponents who will flip through the air with a proper wink of the eye. There is a great attraction to the 8,000 sq. ft. facilities, black belt clubs, summer camps, and after school day care opportunities to pay off the Jaguar early. These disgusting practices certainly put these idiots at the top of the heap as well.
So, my advice is to follow the example of the REAL experts. Those who have been everywhere and done everything and can now express a well articulated opinion on all sides of the traditional vs. modern martial arts discussion. They're easy to pick out. They're the guys from both camps not bad mouthing other martial arts.
This example should be followed by all of the other idiots out there sharing their months of knowledge with experts who have been working hard in the respective fields for decades.
The commentators who present the most amazing idiocy are the Karate and MMA guys. Here is some highly abbreviated advice for both camps:
Karate guys
Learn karate. No...really. Go to Japan and learn karate. Your completely ignorant understanding of classical karate, its origins, its mythos, and its principles do absolutely nothing to support those who are really in the business of propagating the ART of Karate. The countless posts that are articulated as if the 16 year old brown belt in Cobra Ryu Karatee were an actual expert make all traditional karate instructors and practitioners look like a clan of freakin' morons. Don't do your homework with wikipedia as your only reference. Don't learn your kata from youtube. Don't base "expertise" on what you see the latest WKF World Champion doing. And...you know what...if you have a black belt and a whopping 4-5 years experience with not one minute of training in Japan then keep your mastery of the English language to yourself. Only when you have as much experience and skill as the 70 year old Okinawan Hanshi whose forward stance you are trying to critique should you put your fingers on the keyboard.
MMA Guys
You DO karate so stop talking bad about it. Every principle of Karate can be found in MMA practice. If you think traditional karate guys fight with their hands on their hips yelling and screaming all day long then you are also using youtube, "The Karate Kid", and the NASKA World Championships on ESPN 2 as your reputable research sources. If you think that someone who posts themselves doing kata on a video does not know how to apply the techniques you're wrong. If you think karate practitioners are going to fight you from a traditional forward or horse stance you're wrong. If you think they are going to hit you, stop, and then look to a referee to award a "point" you are wrong.
Karate is the original "Mixed Martial Art". Its lineage contains elements from all of the major martial arts. This is because all of the major Asian martial arts can trace their lineage to China. Check this out:
China (Chuan Fa), Thailand (Muay Thai), Okinawa (Kempo), Japan (Karate), USA (MMA Striking Arts)
China (Shuai Jiao), Greece (Pale, not implying this started in China...), Okinawa (Tegumi), Japan (Sumo), USA (Wrestling, MMA Ground-work))
China (Chin Na), Japan (Jujutsu/ Judo), Okinawa (Tuidi), Brazil (Jiujitsu), USA (MMA grappling and submission-work)
So, you see, historically most of what MMA sportsman do shares elements of other countries' indigenous fighting systems. As time went on, the arts were adapted to the geography and the political climate of each culture the arts settled in. MMA has done what martial arts systems have been doing for centuries, adapting to the context of a need of a particular time period. Classical Karate is made up of Gote (hard techniques, punching kicking, elbows knees) and Jute (soft techniques, sweeps, reaps, joint locks, takedowns...what is called tuidi in Okinawa). The techniques are practiced on an individual basis (kata), partner basis (ippon kumite), spontaneous basis (kumite), and practical basis (goshinjutsu). The only difference between this format and MMA is the percentage of practice time spent on each element. Natually, in MMA more time is spent on the "kumite" or spontaneous fighting element. The difference has nothing to do with effectiveness...it has to do with CONTEXT. The context of MMA is simply different than that of Karate. While comparing the two might not be like comparing apples to oranges, it would be like comparing lemons to grapefruit. Almost the same...different proportions.
Now the difference comes with MMA being developed solely for sport. The "depth" that most traditionalists speak of is that classical martial arts were developed to improve a society's well-being on several fronts. Respect, discipline, confidence, higher education, self defense, physical fitness, mental fitness, longevity, military effectiveness, societal uniformity, and national pride are just a few attributes that are developed to a very high level and have been for hundreds of years. Of course the MMA guys are going to think they can point out elements of MMA training that develop these same facets, but don't be confused. Extensive practice of any sport is going to develop an instinctive reactive process to the techniques of the game. This is not the "mental fitness" I am speaking of. That's simply being good at what you do. The focus in classical martial arts is just different.
Unfortunately for the karate guys, they have stopped learning, too. The result is a bunch of karate guys who know there is more to their art which makes it a superior form of practice to MMA, yet they are not willing to work hard enough in the traditional system to learn it. The MMA guys see the uninformed, under-trained, misguided karate-as-a-religion practitioners caught in an ineffective and archaic method of fisticuffs as a bunch of guys in pajamas that would get their heads wripped off by even the most novice of MMA practitioners.
The cure? Simple. Everyone needs to get rid of their egos. Some people will say that MMA guys are the egotistical ones...with UFC, cage matches, sponsors embroidered over every inch of a pair of booty shorts, trash talk, and the brutality in the ring against another human being simply win at all costs for the big payday. It is a good point.
But, I think the karate guys are equally egotistical. There are more 10th degree grandmaster Soke Dr.s in the state of Tennessee than in all of Japan (sarcasm of course... I didn't actually count them). And not one of them has been to Japan! "Masters" and "Experts" hide behind their impressive techniques...against pre-arranged and highly orchestrated attacks from opponents who will flip through the air with a proper wink of the eye. There is a great attraction to the 8,000 sq. ft. facilities, black belt clubs, summer camps, and after school day care opportunities to pay off the Jaguar early. These disgusting practices certainly put these idiots at the top of the heap as well.
So, my advice is to follow the example of the REAL experts. Those who have been everywhere and done everything and can now express a well articulated opinion on all sides of the traditional vs. modern martial arts discussion. They're easy to pick out. They're the guys from both camps not bad mouthing other martial arts.
Youtube Ryu
If I have to read one more comment from an idiot who knows nothing about the subject matter he/ she is posting about, I am gonna... start a BLOG!
That's right ladies and gents, I am now going to vent my frustrations with all of the idiots on youtube and other forums who comment on subjects they know nothing about. I may tend to be a bit more crass than you may see me in the dojo, certainly not as humble or forgiving, but I think the expression of the alter-ego might do some people some good and can certainly help to voice the opinion of those with similar opinions.
That's right ladies and gents, I am now going to vent my frustrations with all of the idiots on youtube and other forums who comment on subjects they know nothing about. I may tend to be a bit more crass than you may see me in the dojo, certainly not as humble or forgiving, but I think the expression of the alter-ego might do some people some good and can certainly help to voice the opinion of those with similar opinions.
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