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<blogEntries>
<blogEntry id="3622">
	<title><![CDATA[Recovering from multiple injuries!]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I have begun my weight training for my legs.  The leg press machine has been good to me.  My leg presses are now at 500 lbs. and slowly climbing.  Before my ankle injury I was topping out at 1,350 lbs.

My incline bench is still strong at 385 and short of my 405 lbs.

Those are my only primary weightlifting exercises.

My alternate exercise is giant curls.

It is going to take a while.  My legs are feeling wobbly at my current poundage.  My left shoulder doesn't want to exceed my current weight.

My treadmill workout is limited to walking.  Running is out of the question.  Too much hardware and not that much bone.

My workouts at the dojo have been very erratic.  As soon as I feel funny, I stop what I am doing.  The thought of laying in bed for 3 months still lingers in the back of my mind.

***************************************************************

I have heard that maai should be 2 lengths.  I seem to find it is better to be at about 1 1/2 lengths.

The closer I am, the better things work.

***************************************************************

The current trend in law enforcement is to utilize younger instructors, rather than older instructors.  There is a growing belief, in law enforcement heirarchy, that younger instructors have more to offer.

The argument that older instructors have more experience, as well as training, means nothing.  Fresher ideas and younger instructors, bring more to the table these days.  The wheel has to be reinvented.

You must be younger, faster, stronger, have more stamina, etc...

I now believe that cunning, treachery, and deceit, combined with fighting skills, is the only choice left to me.

***************************************************************

I trained with a SHOCK KNIFE and was happy for the experience.  A shock knife, is a stun gun, in the shape of a knife.  The electrical shock can be made for a mild irritation or to light you up like a Christmas tree.

It ends the arguments about whether your technique worked or was foiled.

The uke can not lie, with a straight face, that he felt nothing.  Just look at his hair and see if it is standing straight up (maximum setting).

The SHOCK KNIFE is available to anyone with a legitimate reason.  This would include martial arts schools. 

***************************************************************

With all of my prior experiences, practicing martial arts, Aikido never caused me to dread going to class.

Some brands of Karate made me think about having my stomach used as a trampoline.  Judo had me wondering if I would land in a chiropractic position.  Stick fighting made me dread multiple knots on my forearms.  Kick Boxing had me worried that someone would accidently nail me in my cubes.  The list goes on...

Aikido never cause me to think about those hazards. 

***************************************************************

Aikido has taught me to be calm when entering into danger.  There is a split second, whereby, you are on the edge of danger.

When I pass under it, or around it, or into it, there is a moment of truth.

Fortunately, I have always succeeded.

I have always found a rush of adrenaline, when everything worked well.

I have learned to turn on or off my adrenaline through heavy weight lifting (I am lucky, if I can even reach 2 reps total).

My abs are the only thing that is semi-tense.  Everything else is very much loose.

***************************************************************

Although it was in January of 2009, when I broke my ankle, it has not healed.

I was practicing last night and this morning my ankle is now purple.  On my ankle area, where my metal hardware attaches to my bones, is still sore.

Old bones do not heal like when I was younger.

***************************************************************

My great workouts occur when I am in a deep zazen zone.  Before I know it, the class is over.  I don't seem to remember what happen with the time.  Things just flowed without me being aware of anything.  I just feel great.

***************************************************************

I watched a person perform what he called Combat Aikido.  His over-kill striking of a downed person, would not even hurt a fly.

Striking should be used to set-up your techniques.  I don't think his percieved death blow would be of any value.

I am a classical wood-brick-stone breaker.  His technique would only iritate my feelings. 

It is better to restrain someone with a technique, that would do joint damage, if that technique was required.  The more they struggle, the more it hurts.

Breaking a body part as a first option does not work for me.

***************************************************************

I was once a competitive Olympic Weightlifter and Powerlifter.

When lifting weights for exercise, you don't have to follow regulation lifting to become strong.  A good substitute bench press is a "lock out".

Lifting the weights off-of-the-rack and putting it back on the rack, is good enough.  The trick is the amount of weight.  Your arms are only traveling 6 inches to 9 inches (depends on your arm length and the bench rack).

You should be able to generate several hundred pounds within a couple of months.  It is more of a mental exercise than physical exercise.

Men have moved trains, buses, trucks, etc...  The mind is far stronger than you think.

***************************************************************

When I first started training in martial arts, I tended to "muscle" a technique, so that I could get it to work.

When I became a little more proficient, I would only "muscle" a botched technique.

When I truly understood the technique, I rarely had to "muscle" my technique.

***************************************************************

In my past, I have fought with people who had either a tremendous pain level, or, no pain level.

Joints or bones were broken on these people and it did not effect them at that time.  Some of them, didn't feel the pain afterwards.

The scarier category was a person who did not feel a thing afterwards.

He wanted to hurt everyone and saw personal pain as a weakness.  He hated those people who brought him into the world.

Fighting him required a choke hold to put him down.  

***************************************************************]]></body>
	<date>09-15-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3459">
	<title><![CDATA[Martial Arts Humor]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[/IMGR]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brB8ZZwanYI

Too bad the site went down.  It was vey funny.

I have finally healed and will be returning back to the gym & Dojo to start working out again.

I have recently recovered from a very bad broken ankle, in January, that required a lot of metal hardware.  It is now August.

In my past, I recovered from another broken ankle, 2 knee surgeries, a hernia repair of an old gunshot wound, 2 different broken ribs, a broken nose, broken knuckles, knife wounds, concussions, and the list goes on for the last 40 years.

I have great reservations on working out.  Young warriors like to test out the old & wounded warrior.  If they get me, they have bragging rights.  If they lose, it is no loss for them.  That is the current NYC mindset.

*****************************************************************

A little known fact in boxing is that the backfist is an illegal technique.  The reason for it being a foul has been lost in boxing history.  What I can say from personal experience, as a licensed boxing coach for 13 years, is that it has been a good harassing blow that has wrecked havoc on people.

It is up there, against a good spearing jab.  However, it is much easier to learn, and requires a lot less maintenance time when it is perfected.

*****************************************************************

I had another incident, with a UFC wannabe, who had a heads up on me.  That can be disturbing.  When no one knows anything about you, you always have the element of surprise.  It is something else, when they are prepared to take you on, and you don't know about their ambush.  You can't always practice 24/7 martial arts paranoia.

While facing me, he suddenly grabbed me in the street, with hands like a vise grip.  He anchored himself into the ground.  Turning my elbows were out of the picture.  I dove my hands into his crotch area and he released.  While I was there, I stuck my finger where a doctor usually tells men to cough.  He broke his anchor stance.

I now sent him airborne into a still existing mail box.  I never thought that a mail box could be dented with a human body.

*****************************************************************

I have finally come to the realization that I can no longer box as well as I did in my younger years.  The pain factor of giving and receiving has finally hit a limit.  I can't seem to practice karate or kickboxing because of my balance issue, joint issues, and impact control.

My body is now telling me that softer is better.  Hard martial arts is now a thing in the past.  I still want to work out, however, a hard work out is out of the picture.

I have to practice a gentler workout to avoid having my body parts disintegrate on me.  I feel like an Indianapolis 500 race car in an auto wreck.  My spirit is like a shark in a goldfish bowl.  

*****************************************************************

I once studied Wado Ryu Karate.  Master Hironori Ohtsuka once practiced Aikido in his martial arts training days.  One of his instructors was Shihan Kiyohisa Hirano.  I can say that I trained with both of them.  Master Ohtsuka died and Shihan Hirano is dying.

[B]Aloha All Instructors and Students of JIKC,[/B]

It is my sad duty to inform everyone of the very soon to be end of life of my best friend and teacher of life for the past 45 + years. You know him as Sensei, Shihan or Soke Hirano.  His life is coming to a close. He has succumbed to the ravages of diabetes and there is nothing further that can be done in Western medicine.

Shoko, Soke's wife, and I have talked to Soke and he wants his ashes spread at sea and a celebration of life of life to be held at the Waikiki Yacht Club. Over the past year or so, Soke and Shoko have joined Sensei Margaret and I for lunch every time we are on Oahu and he has enjoyed a mushroom burger and ice tea each time. When his health was better he loved to go sailing with me. When we were both younger, in the mid sixties, we swam at Ala Moana Beach several times a week after class. He loved the Ocean.

We have decided to remember his passing and his life accomplishments with two different pieces of memorabilia. One is a medal that commemorates his life and the other is a larger plaque which will be displayed in all JIKC Dojos. Any student or friend can make any donation to his family fund and receive this medal or with a larger donation receive this plaque. 

I will keep you informed of the situation as it progresses and tell everyone when the services will be held.

Our goal is, as always, to keep the spirit of Soke alive and the knowledge he has spread to all of us growing forever!

Osu,
Shihan Woodard

*****************************************************************

For a very brief time I had studied under Professor William Chow (now deceased) in Honolulu.  While at Mit's Gym, my old friend (John Carroll), had observed the Professor punching a 45 lb. weightlifting plate, and screaming, "kenpo kills."

We talked to Professor Chow and he told me about my fight that I had at the HIC (subsequently named the NBC).  He expressed his views about the better techniques.  We were both quiet.

After the Professor left, we laughed a bit.  He had great ideas, unfortunately, his techniques would be ruled as fouls with permanent physical damage.

He was a man who backed up his martial art in the street.

*****************************************************************

As a kid I also studied under Shigeru Oyama, who taught Kyokushinkai, at the White Plains Bowling Alley.  Masutatsu Oyama came to New York and taught for about a month.

His exhibition involving the breaking of blue stones was awesome.  He asked everyone, to bring anything into the class, that we wanted to see him break.  He broke everything. 

*****************************************************************

I find that my energy levels vary from day-to-day.  It takes longer to get my motor running.  When I am involved with training, I can last forever.  However, the next day, I pay for it.

A carefully regulated diet change is still ongoing.  Experimenting with various diets has been challenging.  Some diets should be classified as, "bathrooms should be within 6 feet."  Some diets should say, "you can develop kryptonite."

There is the thrill of training, and, never stop moving.  Once stalled, my legs develop rigidity.  Stretching has to be maintained throughout the training session.  This would be similar to dancers.

*****************************************************************

I recently heard a person saying that Aikido did not have any street value.

My prison experience tells me different.  There is a slight modification of the techniques though.

When prisoners fight, all of them charge you as a collective, similar to randori.  Instead of thrusting their weapons once, they choose to use a pumping action.

Study a prison riot on youtube and you will see that Aikido techniques have greater value than other classical martial arts.

Observe what happens when someone goes to the ground while fighting multiples.  The trick is to always be standing and mobile.

Kicking is only used when you are down on the ground.

Weapons are preferred when possible.  Wild flailing punches are the norm and not the exception.  Straight line punching is rare.

Fighting in the common areas or recreation yard gives you large areas of mobility.  Fighting in a cell box ends your mobility.

I still say Aikido works better in a prison fight.  

*****************************************************************

I am starting to feel really old.  My doctor found older wounds on my body that I had forgotten about.  An old bullet wound and another knife wound on my ribs.

The mind is an amazing thing.  My mind overflowed and kicked out old memories.  I guess it wanted to make more room for more injuries.

I must learn to move around my disabilities once again.

*****************************************************************]]></body>
	<date>03-16-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3411">
	<title><![CDATA[Life]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[In January of 1959, I started my martial arts training, after I was beaten up, for standing up against a bully.  At that time, people counseled me, to stand up to a bully.  It seems that they left out the part whereby the bully beats you up.

It is now January of 2009, and I am within a few years, from retiring from law enforcement.  At almost 59 years old, I am still fighting with young people, who can not hear or reason.

By default, Aikido has survived the test of time.  The other martial arts had a shelf life.  You don't see 90 year old boxers or wrestlers.  In Judo, in your 90s, everyone takes it easy on the old man.  Aikido however, doesn't have that competitive issue.  You can practice with an element of contained realism.

My fighting career has given me the insight, on what works, or doesn't work.  I have lost many friends and comrades, to vicious people, with an evil intent to harm anyone.

People have taken niceness as a weakness and politeness as a flaw.  I have still survived, for another day.

*************************************************************************

Last Wednesday, I fell on a sheet of ice, and broke my ankle.  As much as I tried to make a controlled fall, it did not work this time.  The ice made my controlled fall, go out of control.  I was moving far faster than I had anticipated.  It will take a couple of months, before I can walk, nornal again.

I now have a plates, pins, and screws holding me together.

*************************************************************************

My medical condition has forced me to no longer use my legs for kicking or striking.

*************************************************************************

For Aikido techniques to work effectively on the street, you need a lot of effective foot movement.  Whether my legs will withstand the constant turning and pivoting, is another question.

You do not stop a charging bull head on.  You must get out of its way.  The trick is to make the bull fall hard and heavy with a little help.

*************************************************************************

In a Dojo, training is controlled by legislation, court case law, litigation, insurance policy, and the expectations of the students.

There is always a push towards the street scenario under controlled conditions.

Why has BJJ done so well in the international arena?  Brazil is a country with a legal doctrine called "Assumption of Risk!"

If you get hurt, you can't sue, because you knew it was a dangerous martial art!

*************************************************************************

When people write about street fighting and theorize about it, that makes me feel, that they have not had many street confrontations.

It is understood that talking your way out of a confrontation is the first course of action, however, when a person wants your personal property, nothing is going to stop him.  I have seen people naked from being mugged of everything.

Criminals sense when a person is confident, however, they are in the business of getting what they want.  They want your valuables.

You must either be proactive or reactive.  The reality is, action is much faster than reaction.  Evil intent will prevail if it strikes first.  Anyone can make you do anything, that you don't want to do, if they have a weapon, and your companion is under a knife or gun.

************************************************************************

When a person plants his feet into the ground, there is no way you can easily throw him.

However, with 2 feet planted into the ground, you can easily strike him.

If a person is moving, that person can be easily thrown.

It is all about balance.  A moving person versus a person firmly planted into the ground.

************************************************************************

What makes a soldier's martial arts training, or, a law enforcement officer's martial arts training, so different from a classical dojo instructional format?

When compared to classical martial arts training, they will only spend a minute fraction of time, training.  They will now go into the world and apply their newly learned skills.

The foundation of their basic training is strongly based in practicality.  All techniques are basic, as basic can get.

They are usually highly motivated, because of the pain compliance factor.  If they do it wrong, and their opponent takes the high ground, their botched technique is going to hurt them immensely. 

************************************************************************

If Aikido is not considered a functional martial art, to apply in the street or real life, why train with it?  Would not a yoga class be better suited for those who do not see the application?

************************************************************************

There was a time in old Japan, when the carryimg of swords were legal, and fighting was not just martial arts theory.

When swords were banned, fighting became almost illegal, and old warriors were reduced to martial arts theory.

Old warriors had to make a living.  People wanted to fantasize about being a warrior, however, without the chance of being killed or maimed for life.

Watered down martial arts flourished.  Old warriors, without masters, could make a living.  The trick was to keep students from leaving your school.

Teach them everything under the stars, tell them it would take an eternity to master, and only the best warriors followed the path.

************************************************************************

There was an interesting blog that stated, fake instructors were making a good living with teaching Aikido, and couldn't even use the correct terms.

I would like to give that blog another side of the coin.  There are many people, in this world, who have a difficult time with martial arts' principles and concepts.  Once you complicate that with a language barrier, things can get lost in intellectual mystical land.

Although there are many people who have the term of art down to a science, not everyone understands them on the same level.

Sometimes, simple plain language usage (within reason) works better for a broader audience.  The more educated the audience, the more that would be expected of a blog.

I tend to prefer, when possible, to keep everything basically simple.  People who are not educated on the same level, will have a less difficult time understanding.

Everyone must remember, many years ago, many instructors could not speak English, and taught their language to students, via martial arts instruction. 

************************************************************************

I am going to commit a little martial arts blasphemy.  Real martial arts does not pay the bills.  Many years ago, it might have.

Currently, many people like the aerobics method of martial arts.  It is a great cardio workout.

It can not even pass the test of a ghetto fight, it will never pass a prison fight, and it will be a joke during combat.

But, it will make money.

************************************************************************

In my earlier years, I pounded my knuckles into deformity with Karate, and did a lot of professional boxing.  As time went on, I saw more openings for grappling techniques.  As I got older, I saw opportunities for grabbing.

During my career (nightclub & law enforcement), when fighting for my life, I used any technique in my tool box, that happened to be the better technique at that moment.  That included a fist, an open hand, a kick, a choke, a throw, a restraint, etc.

I believe it is up to the individual to have a good tool box.

************************************************************************]]></body>
	<date>01-09-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3384">
	<title><![CDATA[New Generation vs. Old Generation - Part 2]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[New Generation have done it once again.  They have started to look for technique flaws, before they have even developed a little skill, with any technique.  They tend to resist techniques being taught to them and tend to brag about the short comings of the techniques being taught to them.

Old generation has now resorted to full bore, elephant gun, tactics and techniques.  New Generation have been leaving foot prints on walls, floor, and on rare moments, ceiling.

The complaints have started to surface about the inferior techniques being taught to them, even though, they were thrown with the same alleged inferior techniques.

********************************************************************

When students look for the flaws, in the techniques that they are being taught, they will never learn.  They automatically think that a criminal is thinking along the same lines as they are.

This is not the case.  Criminals constantly practice their fighting techniques, until they work.

They do look for flaws.  However, they remove any movement that defeats their technique.  A student wants to defeat the technique all together.

********************************************************************

Students have correlated that if they do a specified number of repetitions, that they will achieve instinctive movements and instinctive techniques.

Training to develop instinctive movements and instinctive techniques, vary with every student.  A movement or technique must be natural, instinctive, and without thought.

This is the ultimate level of mastering a technique.

*******************************************************************

O Sensei was a combat army veteran, a street fighter, and a martial artist, who taught the way of harmony, and peace through Aikido.

He removed pre-WW 2 techniques, that would not get past the Occupational Forces scrutiny.

Perfection of character and soul was to be achieved through the practice of Aikido.  No competition training had merit and great value.  Tournament fighting was frowned on because it did not permit the perfection of technique.

Therefore, the perfection of character without competition, was an ultimate goal and achievement.

*****************************************************************

Did your technique taste blood, was the term that was used, during the Vietnam War, for martial arts techniques that worked.  Tons of sets and reps were not required once your technique tasted blood.

Normally, I would never mention it, however, now is as good as any, to tell it how it really was.  This was not a fully shared term of art.

*****************************************************************]]></body>
	<date>11-15-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3356">
	<title><![CDATA[Old Generation vs. New Generation]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I have found that the newer generations (X, Y, & Millenniums), do not like to follow old rules, and they tend to modify or create new rules for themselves, after they learn some basics.

Nothing is more disturbing than to have an Aikido class, degenerate into an MMA/UFC class, because of the newer generation's frustration or impatience with their progress.  They hold a strong belief that they can learn anything in under 2 hours tops.  The thought that some things in life, may take years to master, is alien to them.

I have personally found that not everyone wants to put in an MMA/UFC workout because of the pain factor.  Most normal people don't like pain.  MMA/UFC practitioners sometimes go overboard with the pain factor and not too many students return after undergoing joint surgeries.

Yet, it is this same group of students, who will try to revert to the very thing that they hated, that also medically retired them from MMA/UFC training.  They will to win at almost any cost, providing that it is someone else, is vitally important.

A softer martial art does not appear to be very strong for them.

****************************************************************************

There is a big difference between street fighting and UFC/MMA fighting.  There are some techniques that only work well when you fight.  There are also some techniques that only work well in the ring.

In the street, you have whatever the environment is in front of you, that will be your fighting arena.  In the ring, it is only a limited, and pristine fighting environment.

I have read blogs that jabs & backfists don't work in a street fight.  I believe that their application of the technique was wrongly executed.  These are just transitional techniques to get your hands on someone.  They are not really knockout techniques.  They are stunning and harassing techniques.

****************************************************************************

The knife hand strike is another valuable technique.

During the 1950's, older martial arts students used the heel of the knife hand, the length of the forearm bone, and a portion of the elbow as the striking surface.

Therefore, the striking surface was over 12 inches.  It was analygous to using your arm as a small sword strike.

If you used the middle of the forearm as the starting point, a person moving away from you or into you would catch some part of your 12+ inches of striking surface.

You did not strike horizontally and you did not strike vertically.  You struck the side of the neck on a 45 degree angle.  You compressed the nerves, arteries, and veins into the neck bones.

This is really a dangerous technique in that the neck bone and your forearm bone can damage nerves, arteries, and veins.  This would be the same as smashing a rock on a rock, with something soft in the middle.

******************************************************************

Many martial arts masters, were once combat veterans, in their own countries.

Many taught police departments and military personnel.

They imparted their knowledge, based on their training & experience, to people who would be utilizing their functional methods.

Getting closer to reality, depends upon the instructor, and what the students are willing to tolerate.

Kyokushinkai Karate developed a hard body pounding method of instruction.  Aikido struck a balanced harmony of this hardness, mixed with softness.  That knowledge was not mystical.  It required a state of mind, instinctive physical skills, and the X - Factor.

******************************************************************

In my long past, I once had a street confrontation that turned ugly.  I suffered some knife wounds fighting a criminal who had spontaneously attacked me.

My back stab, did not penetrate too deeply, because I moved as soon as I felt the blade dig into me.  The slash across my stomach came right after he realized that his back stab did not work.

Once I had faced him, my resolve to fight and live (not fight to win), took over.  I was able to block the next overhead stab, move, and disarm my criminal.  It was a modified Aikido technique.

The accepted karate technique, would have been a blocking strike to his forearm.  He was moving way too fast for me to pull that technique off.

******************************************************************]]></body>
	<date>10-04-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2996">
	<title><![CDATA[Real Life vs. Dojo Life]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I have heard from people, who have not had any real life fighting experience, argue about pure Aikido vs. Atemi Aikido.

They equate pure dojo training, as real fighting experience. There also seems to be intellectuals who have not fought in the real world, who have convinced many others, that you don't need to train for the real world.

Those with real life experience, are portrayed as not knowing Aikido, as well as not knowing real life fighting.

The real fight is within the Aikido world.  Did you learn to defend yourself and learn a lifestyle? Or, did you learn a lifestyle to defend yourself?

****************************************************************

Generally speaking, street fighting can be static and dynamic during the same incident.  People can be very large & slow, as well as, be very large & fast.  They can have no experience, or, they can have equal or better experience than yourself.

Bad guys generally fight in multiples.  There is no such thing as a fair street fight, a fair jail fight, or a fair prison fight.  An old prison phrase says, "we are not fighting by Marquese of Queensbury's rules, we are fighting by Marquese from Queens rules!"

Law enforcement officers, at a minimum, can use a gang tackle technique, whereby a dozen officers hit you from a 360 degree tackle.  It is not pretty or clean, however, it does bring people down to the cement.

Despite all of this, Aikido can still work within a street, jail, or prison environment.  The old man was still a good street fighter.

*******************************************************************

Irimi nage is a good street fighting technique against boxers and strikers.  Deflecting the punch or strike to his center, slipping your other hand under his striking arm, hooking his neck, and not stopping until he is stretched out like a flag in the wind, works quite well.

When deflecting a right punch with your left hand, you must start turning to your left, in a semi-circular pattern.  His right arm must be lifted near his arm pit with your left ridge palm.  A nastier impact technique is to use a right ridge palm on his throat.

The UFC has banned fish hooking.  Irimi nage is fish hooking.  Landing on concrete helps, and, landing on a fire hydrant works even better.  Most street people don't know how to fall correctly.

******************************************************************

Training for the dojo, ring, street, jail or prison, or a war, involves different states of mind.

The dojo involves instructions.  Everyone goes home alive.  In the ring, you test your instructions, to see if they work on a person from another dojo.  Every so often, someone is serious hurt with a career ending injury.

In the street, you will fight to defend yourself.  During your defense, you will either not be injured, or, you will suffer a minor injury, a major injury, become disabled, or die.

In jail or prison, you fight to survive, especially in a state without a death sentence.  The worst thing that can happen to a criminal, in that state, is a concurrent life without parole sentence.

In a war, you only want to live, and may be wounded or die, if you do not seriously wound or kill your enemy.

*********************************************************************

It is impossible, to not strike at least one of many assailants, in a fight for your life.  Striking does not mean, only punching.

Impaling strikes are superior for hit and run fighting.  This includes multiple assailants.  Impaling strikes are rarely discussed or taught, and, blend effectively with Aikido techniques.  An elbow becomes the equivalent of a car bumper and the speed of your legs gives your bumper collision force.

Short blows, are more effective than long blows, when in-fighting.  Crowding a boxer or striker, and then utilizing Aikido techniques, is the safer strategy.  Two hand and one hand palming (a/k/a popping) can still uproot people.

********************************************************************

The only way to test your Aikido, is to work out with other non-Aikido practitioners, within your dojo.  I wouldn't recommend going to another dojo.  Learn to spar with them.

Don't even attempt to kick them.  Use your feet to manuver.  Muhammed Ali used great foot work with his boxing.  Don't even attempt to punch them.  Use your hands to deflect, block, impale his kicks, punches, and strikes.  You have palming, forearming, and elbowing.

Don't forget to use your Aikido techniques.

********************************************************************

After years of watching and training, with many champions of different disciplines, I have grown to strongly believe that less is better.

Great Karate champions, only had 3 to 5 techniques that they used constantly, and practiced daily.  Great Judo champions, only had 3 to 5 techniques that they used constantly, and practiced daily.

Boxers use jabs, crosses, hooks, & uppercuts as offensive weapons.  Thai Boxers (Muay Thai) use punching, elbowing, kneeing, and kicking (shin & push-kick) as offensive weapons.

The list goes on.  It is not the great number of techniques that improves your street survival, but, the several strong techniques that can be applied to many different situations and circumstances.

*******************************************************************

I have observed in my past training & experience, that when a person negotiates a peaceful resolution, to a dangerous situation, that person's past comes into the equation.

Those people who were acknowledged warriors, could resolve many dangerous conflicts, because it was generally understood, that fighting was always on the table, and everyone knew that that warrior was capable of fighting as a last option.

Example: Genghis Khan & Attilla the Hun would come into a territory of conquest, and those under potential siege, would exercise a non-warfare diplomatic solution, or fight and die, along with the rest of their kingdom.

*****************************************************************

Grabbing someone, is not the only method of fighting, in the street.  Punching & kicking, are more likely to happen, when grabbing doesn't work.

Does your Aikido techniques work on boxers, kickboxers, shoot fighters, mixed martial arts fighters, street fighters, jail or prison fighters, third world mercenaries, etc.?

Fighting people who attack you with weapons is a strong feature with Aikido.  Ever practice with a straight edged razor, real bayonnet, military sword, etc.?

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The more I study about the history of Aikido, the more I realize that there are significant fragments of its history & techniques, taught exponentially different, by many of its practitioners.

The history of Aikido's origin & evolution around the world, has been a single tree that grew many different branches.  I don't think that the founder of Aikido wanted his art to deviate into many different branches.  I believe he wanted a stronger tree trunk.

There are many techniques that are characteristically Aikido.  There are also many techniques that deviated from his original vision.

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The problem with losing a street fight in law enforcement, is that it follows your career, and develops an unwanted reputation for yourself.

Your law enforcement peers and the criminal element know who is a good fighter or a bad fighter. You only have to lose one street fight and the criminal element will never let you forget it.

You will have more challenges as a loser, than as a winner. It is the law of the street, jail, or prison.

Winning does make a difference in law enforcement.

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The usage of a open hand ridge palm, instead of the heel palm, is a better weapon when striking the neck area.  It is a better tool when used behind the elbow, instead of placing the heel palm, on or near the elbow.

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The criminal element always has the time to learn how to defeat law enforcement techniques.  As a law enforcement technique fails, it has to be retooled, to adjust for its short comings.  When a law enforcement technique fails, and you survive, that experience can some times make you a disbeliever with martial arts.  Aikido techniques, as a percentage, have actually survived the street usage, over Karate techniques.

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The Aikido community-at-large has not taken too well with the Tomiki Aikido faction.  The linear Aikido faction vs. the circular Aikido faction have formed lines.  There was a time when Aikido had both linear & circular techniques built into the big picture.  Gozo Shioda practiced both linear & circular Aikido.  Review his exhibition tapes and you will notice that he blended both within his Aikido style.

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There was a time in ancient martial arts history, whereby all striking, grappling, throwing techniques, etc... were practiced under one banner.  Now, each category has subsets.  Ju Jutsu became Ju Jitsu, Aiki Ju Jitsu became Aiki Budo, and Aiki Budo became Aikido.

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I have noticed that people use their dojo practice, as a way to cheap shot each other, under the ruse, that they are adding realism to their training.  The nage and uke system has value, if you do not abuse it, and strive to improve your techniques.

Breaking a person's wrist, to show that a technique works, is not quite real life.  The trick is to see if you can use that technique, in the same manner, on someone who is not an aikido test dummy.

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In days gone by, during an old prison fight, there were so many prisoners fighting, that their tunnel vision stopped them from seeing 360 degrees around them.  Aikido techniques worked exceptionally well, because the prisoners were not prepared to be approached, from their blind side.

Using techniques, from their rear or side, works wonders.

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I had the pleasure of working out with a 6 ' 5 " & 380 lb. male, in Hawaii, who had no martial arts experience.  He played college football and only had street fighting as his martial art.  I used a modified ikkyo that did uproot him.  I pushed his elbow, almost touching his ear, and was able to get his foot off the ground.  I then ran him into the ground.  He was not a classical Uke and instinctively fought me throughout the whole process.  I still downed him.

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I have seen many exhibitions (videos) of Gozo Shioda and have seen him perform a rainbow of techniques.  He has foot sweeped people (resembling Judo), performed linear Aikido, classical circular Aikido, preemptive Aikido, Aiki-Ju Jitsu, Ju Jitsu, Atemi-Aikido, etc...

His Aikido represented the pre-WW 2 and post-WW 2 styles of Aikido.  Very few people have resembled his style after he died.

What is the direction of his school since his death?

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American football possesses several techniques, that have a strong similarity to Aikido.

Ball carriers avoid defensive tacklers, by using an Aikido turn.

While evading being tackled, ball carriers palm defensive tacklers, on their faces.

Ducking under a defensive tackler, just as he is about to tackle the ball carrier, is a favorite technique to avoid being constantly hammered.  The defensive tackler flies over the back of the ball carrier.  Quarterbacks use this technique frequently.

When in close quarters with a defensive tackler, a ball carrier might use a little elbow control resembling ikkyo.  The elbow is raised, almost touching his ear, and then shouldered to the ground.  This is usually done with one hand since the other hand has the football.  Your shoulder helps to substitute for the other hand.

The famous American football clothesline technique, which has broken more football players' necks, is irimi nage.

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The famous Gracie, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu family, has been having great difficulty winning all of their UFC, Pride, and MMA fights.

Since 1993, people began studying the flaws of BJJ.  A wrestlers sprawl has defeated leg take-downs.  Strikers are hitting harder with more knock outs.  Boxers are no longer in their element.

The once undefeated BJJ family is now fighting to maintain a majority of wins, instead of unanimous wins.

Aikido should be left with the self defense arena.  It is better to have street wins than MMA wins.  You can only win for so many years (if lucky) before someone finds the flaws.

Aikido already has Tomiki Aikido and this faction has not been fondly accepted by the Aikido community as a whole.  Let us not go into MMA Aikido.  Keep it within the self defense domain.

*******************************************************************

I recently read some disturbing blogs that Aikido Greats could not fight on the street.  Given the many aspects of fighting, the Aikido Greats could handle themselves quite well, in my opinion.

Law enforcement officers who have adequate training, happen to prefer Aikido techniques for street use.  Aikido techniques give you better control over prisoners.

Society doesn't like to see people punched or struck.  They accept grappling or Aikido techniques.

*******************************************************************

A properly executed boxer's jab and a properly executed martial artist's back fist has caused problems for most street fighters.

Both of these techniques are usually done with the lead hand, without any telegraphing, and the power usually comes from your fast moving body weight that does not stop at the point of impact.

The secret is to only use your knuckles (not your metacarpals), have a bent arm on impact, and continue walking passed your street fighter.  He has to be mowed down like a non-stopping lawn mower.

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Today I witnessed an Aikido technique, performed by a non-practitioner.  A mastadon of a man took a swing at his intended victim.

His intended victim, ducked out of extreme fear, resembling a quasi standing fetal position.  This elephant of a man flew over his intended victim's back and down a flight of stairs.

I believe that he hit every other step, with some part of his body, on the way down.  It hurt me, just watching him have a protracted crash landing.

********************************************************************

I read a recent article about BJJ and all fights end up on the ground.  This makes fighting appear to be strictly on the ground.

I have seen thousands of fights through out my 57 years of life.  Weapons or multiple people were the norm, rather than the exception.  Aikido had value for mutiples and weapons, rather than many other arts.

The only exception has been extremely strong and super heavyweight fighters who could knock people out with one punch.

Of that category, I have witnessed 5 fights.  In the 1970s, I once witnessed a powerful man take on about 2 dozen police officers and knock out half of them.  Night sticks broke on his tremendously large and strong body.  His muscles looked more like sinew.  All of his knuckles looked like they were stubby fingers.  He dented a car door when he missed punching a cop.

Another man was an accomplished 195 lb. prison boxer who destroyed all of the bouncers in a nightclub, along with everyone who wanted to help, and others who thought he was just lucky.  When everyone woke up, they all stated that they felt like they were hit by a truck.

****************************************************************

The question is; is it the person, or, is it the style?  What if techniques done correctly, actually work!

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Young criminals and juvenile delinquents of today, love to Thrill Kill, just to see what happens, when a person dies.

Law enforcement officers are aware of the juvenile mob mentality, and once turned on, is very deadly.

They tend to pick safe targets.  Old people, people who don't look like they can defend themselves, or their unacceptable peers.

These days young criminals and juvenile delinquents use the mob beating for gang initiation purposes.

****************************************************************

I once interviewed an inmate at the county jail and asked him why he fought so much.  His rapsheet indicated that he was a cop fighter.  After reading his rapsheet, I asked him if he ever beat up the dog catcher.  It seemed that that was the only category (police officers, parole officers, probation officers, conservation officers, water shed officers, parking enforcement officers, etc...), in law enforcement, that he did not beat up.

He hated everyone in law enforcement, never really thought about who he beat up, and was surprised when I displayed his rapsheet to him.  We talked about his fighting technique that got him arrested and incarcerated frequently.

He was the master of the sucker punch, false crack, cold cock, etc...  He would wait until his victim blinked, turned their head, or became slightly distracted.  It didn't make a difference whether it was a man or a woman.

He only had one technique in his tool box and it was a devastating bomb.

****************************************************************

I was watching another law enforcement video tape on gang initiations.  A group of young thugs were beating the crap out of a prospective member for 13 seconds.  It seems that everyone's fighting techniques were going out the window.  The kid getting pounded couldn't punch very well.  He moved better.  He did not stand still.  Everyone was having a tough time with him until he hit the ground.  It was a rare moment that Aikido techniques would have been ideal.

***************************************************************

Last night, I thought about the different environments that I have fought under, and never gave them very much thought until now.

I fought inside an old phone booth (me inside), on an open asphalt parking lot, narrow corridors in a brown stone apartment, in an attic full of stored furniture, in a swimming pool, in a crowded basement full of garbage, in an apartment filled with slippery magazines on the floor, on tiled floors soaked with baby oil, inside a dog kennel, inside a supermarket, on a street with snow up to my crotch, in triple canopy jungle, in a ground recessed chicken pit, in a boxing ring, on dojo tatami (hard straw), in a wrestlers ring (the spring of a mini-trampoline), and my thoughts still continue.

Falling down was inevitable.  What I landed on was somenthing else!  Knowing how to fall properly minimized my injuries.

Realizing that striking techniques by themselves were out of the question, and grappling, along with restraining techniques were absolutely necessary.

**********************************************************

I read an article on maai and finally figured out why people can't make their techniques (any art) work.  From my experience, understanding, and reading, they don't practice from a realistic distance.

Combat and street distance is an uncomfortable zone whereby someone has fully invaded "your space".  It is a natural feeling that most people have.  If I get too close to you (kissing range), you move backward.

People tend to practice at an arm length of each other.  Get closer.

**********************************************************

I read an article on Thai Boxing and came to the conclusion that the author missed an important part of Muay Thai training.  In 1972, during the Vietnam War, I trained at the Rerck Chai Muay Thai club, off of Soi 71, in Bangkok, Thailand when I wasn't working as a soldier for JUSMAG/MACTHAI.

Thai boxers started training when they were very young, striking very long leather bags, that were filled with fine beach sand, to condition their body parts (shins, knees, elbows, hands, shoulders, etc...).  As a result, their bones and joints grew larger and denser from all of this body part conditioning.  The leather bags were more forgiving on your skin.  Canvas bags acted like sand paper on your skin.

When you examine a Thai boxer, he is much heavier than he appears.  His joints are larger and his bones are larger (the parts he conditioned).  Not all Thai boxers are well rounded strikers.  Many tend to prefer their own specialty techniques.

******************************************************************

The classical issue of standing vs. ground work still haunts many people.  Fighting can be either or both during the same fight.  Preparing for a standing and ground fight is necessary.

Practicing Aikido while standing or on the ground is necessary for street applications.  Kneeling while practicing Aikido is one way of practicing ground work.  Aikido techniques require a little thinking outside of the box when it comes to ground work.

A major consideration while preforming ground work is to get back on your feet as soon as possible.  Multiple assailants can beat the best BJJ practitioner who is on the ground and doesn't have a back-up.  Transition techniques to get back on your feet are necessary.

*****************************************************************

After reading an article about martial arts in Burma and Vietnam, it brought back old memories.  Bando was an inferior Muay Thai.  Bando fighters had a low percentage of wins over Thai boxers.  That does not mean that Bando wasn't dangerous.

Vovinam was a Vietnamese martial art that had your classical striking and a little grappling.  I once saw an ARVN side kick a male western news reporter on his ribs and broke several of them.  He took a running start, a little jump, and nailed the reporter under his camera position.

High kicking was out of the question when fighting westerners.  Vovinam kicks were mid to low range.  When fighting in the bush, you can't kick high.  Too much vegetation to navigate around.  Vietnamese during those days weighed in from 95 lbs. to 130 lbs. (well fed) and they were any where between 4' 11" to 5' 5' (average).

The indigenious people of Southeast Asia prefered to use an edged weapon or a blunt force object when fighting larger westerners.  Their edged weapons were made from the leaf springs of automobiles.  They had their own version of escrima.

People from Burma and Thailand were physically bigger than the Vietnamese.  The physical differences in those days was quite evident to any observer.

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I spoke with Iraq & Afghanistan War Veterans (MP, Infantry, SF, & SOC) about their hand-to-hand combat experiences.  It seems that more Americans had grappling combat experience.  This was due to most of them learning grappling arts, later in their lives, and while in the U.S. Military.  Most of them never studied any fighting arts prior to military service.

Those who were strikers prior to entering the military service, made their own mixed martial arts of striking, combined with the grappling they learned from the U.S. Military.  The strikers hit their Iraqi fighters with more frequency, because they also, had a grappling background.

Edged weapons were more the norm with their hand-to-hand combat.

***************************************************************

I recently spoke to a Special Operations warrior about hand-to-hand combat in Iraq & Afghanistan.

Its seems that Special Operations warriors have had to fight multiple warriors with or without weapons.  Ground grappling arts could not be utilized because of attacking multiples.

One operator fought 5 men and another fought 4 men in close quarter combat.  Weapons were fired until they were empty.  Knives were used until they were unable to be extracted.  Hand-to hand combat involved striking, fish hooking, and throwing people into unforgiving objects.

*****************************************************************

A U.S. Navy SEAL is currently recovering from being gunshot 16 times from one encounter.  He also killed 4 hostiles.

What made him fight and live was a fighting spirit that many people talk about, however, not too many people truly attain.

This Budo spirit demonstrates a strong will and a love of life.  People in the Special Operations Community do not have a suicidal outlook towards life.  They wish to perform great deeds and live to do another one.

*****************************************************************

While at the V.A. Hospital, there were a lot of veterans being examined for various wounds, injuries, and diseases.

Their were several who had hand-to-hand combat injuries and saw their enemy coming at them.  One was fighting with his Haj when another Haj put a knife under his neck.  His intent was to take him alive.

He still had a visible scar under his neck.  He was lucky to have trapped the hand of the second Haj with the knife, twist & turn out, and reverse his situation.  By then, everyone came to his assistance and shot both Haj.

*****************************************************************

Aikido has value in a world of combat.  Edged weapons, blunt force weapons, grabbing & holding, multiple attackers, people charging you, are examples of what Aikido trains to defend against.

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Law enforcement instructors recently discussed the subject of being gang tackled by the criminal element.  The initial response was that most criminals do not practice gang tackling cops.

There were a couple of departments who decided to address this issue on their own.  It seems that, a little insight from Aikido, did provide a starting point.  To be honest, it was the only starting point that could be found, at this point in time.

Everyone recognized, that the purpose of gang tackling a cop, is to get control over his utility belt.  The officer has a gun, possible pepper spray, a nightstick, possible stun gun, keys to the cruiser, etc...  The officer is a treasure trove of an arsenal.

The subject is now on the back burner of thoughts.

*****************************************************************

A cop recently had the unfortunate luck of trying to arrest a person who did not want to pay a subway fare.

This person resisted his arrest by reaching for the officer's handgun.  The officer instinctively reacted by protecting his handgun via a police handgun retention technique.

This criminal now had his two hands free to effect an escape because the officer had one hand on his handgun.

This is a very effective criminal technique.

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A cop was detaining a person who was walking in between a moving subway car.  A struggle took place, the criminal was able to remove the officer's handgun from her double retention holster, and place it on her head.

The officer was able to move the handgun off of her head and the handgun discharged.  She was shot in the foot.  Other officers fired their handguns and she was shot by another officer via friendly fire.

The criminal was also shot numerous times.  She lived because she was able to move the handgun off of her head just before it discharged.  She was able to see this criminal start to squeeze the trigger of her handgun.

A little bit of technique, a will to survive, and a little bit of luck.

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A cop got into a fight with a capoeira fighter in New York City.  The capoeira fighter might have been good, however, there is no true way to know.

While he was doing one of his several cart wheel manuvers, he hit a small dog pile, slipped, hit his head, and partially knocked himself out.

He might have been a great fighter!

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A garden variety criminal with godly running speed screwed up.  He wanted to humiliate his pursuing cops by running backwards.

He tripped and fell to the wrath of a dozen officers.

He should have just kept on running.  His high speed running would have been an excellent self defense.

There was no cop in the world who could have caught him.  He had only running attire on and was not weighed down with a utility belt containing 20 lbs. to 40 lbs. of equipment.

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Many years ago, I met a man who developed biting into a martial art.  His technique was to clinch you, make believe he was doing either a one or two leg take-down, and then bite your genitals.

I saw his handy work one day.  His unlucky adversary tried to punch him on his head.  He ducked, clinched him, made believe he was doing a leg take-down, and bit his cubes.

This guy tried to punch him in the face from this position.  All of us who were watching this lopsided fight flinched when we saw his scrotum stretch, with every punch, until he passed out.

It was the first time I ever saw a puncher knock himself out from having his nuts stretched out.

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People can sometimes be very creative when defending themselves.  An intended victim decided to defend himself against a mugger.

His mugger had a large knife.  The intended victim picked up a large CO2 fire extinguisher, discharged it at the mugger, and froze the face of his mugger.  When his CO2 fire extinguisher was empty, the intended victim slugged his mugger with the fire extinguisher, and rendered him unconscious.

The mugger required serious hospitalization and the intended victim was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon.

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An accomplished martial artist successfully defended himself against a mugger.

Unfortunately, the martial artist's interpretation of self defense, was vastly different from the legal version of self defense.

After succesfully disarming his mugger, he beat his mugger into intensive care.

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I met an old man whom I knew as a teenager.  He had been a fanatical karateka in my teenage years.  Those days, everyone was scared of him, because of his abnormally developed hard hands and feet.

His knuckles were black and looked like stubby fingers.  He feet were black and deformed.  Years of punching & kicking concrete and steel walls finally caught up with him.

I saw a man who could hardly walk or grab anything with his hands.  Age caught up with him.  His strength and speed was radically reduced.

His martial art served him well until he aged.

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I decided to work out with a friend in a narrow hall way.  He is a 250lb. person and I am a 179 lb. person.  There was no room to move except front or back.

He did the classical sumo charge and knocked me back about 5 feet.  It seemed that my only course of action was to charge him, grab his hand, and manuver backwards.  A hybrid finger lock saved my soul.

It was obvious that my fighting strategy had to go back to the drawing board.

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Returned from medical care today.  Old age sucks.  Injuries have piled up, and will not go away, no matter how much positive thinking I give it.

Doctors and friends have recommended retiring while I am still alive.  Many have wondered how I lasted so long.  I believe it was my years of martial arts training, combined with my warrior spirit, that must be in my DNA.

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While preparing an ILEETA lesson plan, for LEOs attending my class, I know that they expect to walk out of my class, with something that they have learned directly from my instructions.

I guess a martial arts seminar would be the closest analogy.  The difference is that LEOs might not have had any prior instructions.  They are only certified instructors.

A miracle will take place between LEO instructions and martial arts instructions.  Not necessarily the same road.  I have done it many times in the past.  It is always 2 different roads.  Why?

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My LEO friends and I were exchanging street fighting techniques.  It is amazing, that many things that work on the street, are not generally taught to people.

I began to wonder how long this type of secrecy has gone on throughout history.  Do secrets die with the masters because they don't want to share?  Were we doing the same thing by not sharing our knowledge outside our little community?

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Martial arts techniques have been altered substantially to fit the needs of LEOs fighting NY streetfighters.  NY streetfighters have become street MMA fighters and pushed the bar a little higher for LEOs once again.

There is currently a ninja burglar in full garb running around NYC terrorizing people's peace of mind.  The martial arts has been good for at least one of its martial arts practitioner.  Stealthy theft!

Street fighting has pushed the definition of physical force and deadly physical force.

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A martial artist in NYC was mugged by 3 people.  A fourth person intervened and was stabbed to death.  No one knows who stabbed who.  Multiple knives were involved.

The martial artist used a fixed knife to defend himself, killed one mugger, and was stabbed by one of his mugger's knife.

Two dead, two wounded, and one mugger escaped.

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There are people who say that a fighting style makes a good fighter and others say a person makes a good fighter.

When others mentioned that a good technique and a good fighter, makes a good fighting style, there is still another line of thought.

Why is it, that criminals don't have a problem giving well trained martial artists the fight of their lives?

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A cop wake took place today.  He died because he lost control over his handgun.  It discharged during the course of his struggle to regain control of it.

After he regained control, other cops coming on to the scene thought he was a criminal who discharged his handgun, and shot him because he did not comply with their commands.  He was in plain clothes and off-duty.

His hand-to-hand or combative skills were not good enough to handle a homeless man with mental health issues.

A good cop with a heart of gold died.  Tomorrow we bury him.

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An interview with a criminal, who had a broken foot, produced a simple discovery.  He broke his ankle from BJJ practice.  It was amazing that he was learning novel ways of countering police arrest techniques.

He readily acknowledged that his BJJ techniques only worked on a one-to-one basis and multiples would cause problems for him because of his almost exclusive ground work.

An Aikido technique seemed to catch him off guard.  I am sure that he would not be caught like that again.

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In a street confrontation, an excited naked martial arts male absorbed 2 Tazerings, broke the Tazer gun, fought with the police officer, disarmed the officer's police baton from his control, tried to strike the officer with this baton, and was almost gun shot.

Three other officers arrived, he was gang tackled on to the ground, and his arms, along with his legs were handcuffed.

Whether he was on drugs, or, was mentally ill, will have to be determined.

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It is ironic that the martial arts techniques, that have worked successfully in the street & in combat, have been banned in varying degrees, with police departments.

Choke holds (a/k/a sleeper holds, rear strangle take-downs, sentry take outs, etc...) have killed more people than many other martial arts techniques.  The type of choke holds currently being used by the U.S. Military, has deviated from the Vietnam War era technique.

Many Police Departments have basically removed choke holds from their Use of Force policies.  It is too dangerous to use because it is readily capable of producing death.  It also produces a large number of wrongful death suits.

Another technique that worked successfully in the street & in combat, was irimi nage (a/k/a fish hook, clothesline, etc...).  The problem with this technique was that people were having their necks broken and/or developing brain damage from hitting their heads on the ground.

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Slapping has almost disappeared from the fighting tool box.  I once watched a very dangerous criminal slap cinder block into pieces.

On a drunken spree he slapped a horse and this horse's eye popped out of its socket.

He would slap people on the side of their necks, their faces, the back of their necks, and render them unconscious.

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I once watched a group of Asians get into a street fight in Saigon.  They started soccer kicking each other on their ankles.  A couple of the guys developed broken ankles from this type of kicking.

What made the difference was their shoes.  Steel tips, steel heels, and steel insteps built into their dress leather shoes.  Where the eyelets for shoes & boots go, were little animal heads laced to their shoes & boots.  Their version of a roundhouse kick could leave you with 3 or 4 lion head black & blues for shoes and about a dozen panther heads for boots.

I watched a Frenchman get into a fight on Tu Do Street.  He was once a French Foreign Legion Paratrooper who survived Dien Ben Phu and became a Vietnamese National.  At that time, I did not realize that he was a spy against the U.S. Military.

He did a unique kick that I forever labeled a French kick.  It started looking like a front kick, turned into a roundhouse kick, and ended up a side kick.  His shoes also were made of the same stuff as his Asian counter part.  What was also unique was his Aikido & Ju Jitsu skills.  He was restraining a "Saigon cowboy" who had just taken part in stealing his wallet.

***************************************************************

The criminals I have encountered, who really knew how to fight with a knife, usually carried their knives horizontally on their belts.

If grabbed from behind, a vertical scabbard would be very difficult to draw a knife.  They also carried more than one knife.

One person, that I remember, had a straight edged razor, a stilletto blade, and a bevel knife.  All small, all very dangerous, and all very sharp.

The straight edged razor cut people like a scalpel.  The stilletto stabbed through flesh like butter.  The bevel knife penetrated the skull.

***************************************************************

Fighting extremely large people, and using a martial art that only utilizes striking, would be a martial art doomed for disaster.

If your striking technique, is strong enough to fell an elephant, then I will apologize to you.  Otherwise, the elephant will win.

I have seen an elephant trip and fall.  He looked just like a human being falling down and tumbling all over the ground.

Aikido is an art that comes closest to felling an elephant.  It also works on elephant sized people.

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A criminal MMA/UFC wannabe attempted to ground and pound a cop.  Little did he know that the cop was good at street fighting 101.  When the cop hit the ground, he committed a UFC foul, and applied a finger manipulation against his assailant.

Because of the pain, the criminal hastily decided, to get back on his feet.  The cop then did a lightning left jab to his face, followed by a pepper spray, and a subsequent baton strike to his thigh.

Since it appeared to the cop that this criminal was no longer combative, he put away his pepper spray and baton.  While attempting to effect an arrest, a new struggle took place.

Lo and behold, the cop used an irimi nage on this guy.  The criminal fell down, banged the back of his head, and went to sleep.  Obviously, the new generation of fighters, are not learning to fall down correctly.

***************************************************************

Street fighting has gone through a radical change.  Lately, everyone seems to be going low, and for the one or two leg take down.  MMA/UFC has started a new trend with street fighting.  Fake to the head, or, try to hit the head, then shoot for the legs.

Fortunately, when they start charging me, when I can no longer see their feet, I start to pivot, and move.  This buys me a fraction of a second to reverse packman them.

MMA/UFC still fights by rules.  At last count, it is up to 32.  Aikido techniques are included, however, they are classified under different names.  Aiki Budo (pre-WW II) stuff is in order.

***************************************************************

An encounter with a criminal who had a little MMA experience has opened my eyes to a dark side.  A significant number of today's criminals, who are bodyguards, have become MMA trained.  The true count will never truly be known for some time to come.  These criminals either guard people or goods.  These goods have been drugs and human trafficking.

Fortunately, Aikido has been taken lightly, and that has been a good thing for myself.  The moves and techniques are still foreign to these fighters.  It is still a domain that has not been touched by criminals.  Too much time and practice involved for people who want instant gratification.

***************************************************************

There are many people who study MMA and have very little self discipline.  They can't seem to appreciate techniques that require a lengthy period of time to master.  Instant gratification and techniques that work right out-of-the-box is all these new breed fighters want to learn.

The mastery of anything requiring years, bows to techniques that requires minutes or hours to master.  These techniques place everyone equally on the same playing field.  Those who master techniques with a slightly higher degree of mastery will prevail over those people who want instant gratification because these techniques will fall outside of their main stream knowledge.

****************************************************************

I had a friendly encounter with a criminal who was an MMA/UFC fighter.  He was very strong and did not appear as strong as his physical appearance.  As MMA/UFC continues to improve, it will steal all of the best, from all martial arts.

It will be only a question of time, when someone decides to cross-train in Aikido, to carry it over to the ring.  Fish hooking or Irimi Nage is out.  However, there are other techniques ripe for the taking, if they decide to study Aikido.

Fighters are looking for whatever edge they can have, within the ring.  Judo has returned to MMA/UFC in its Sumo form.

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The criminal element has shifted his strategy once again.  The number of LEOs, have also shifted away from physically restraining this MMA/UFC element, and resorted to Tazers.

The near future appears to be shifting away from martial arts skills to Tazer skills.  It requires less training time and skills.

There are even a few cases of people who have survived the first Tazing and succumbed to the second tazing.  The bar has been raised.

I have personally witnessed people holding live wires with their hands.  One particular avante garde, new wave, MMA/UFC fighter tested himself on a 110 voltage socket and a 220 voltage socket.  The 440 voltage socket knocked him into the next century.

This new breed of fighters might be pushing the envelope in a direction that most people never thought about before.

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I had a recent friendly technique exchange with a friend who is still in the military.  His stand up game is superior to many people.  His ground game has improved enough that he only learns whatever it takes to get back on his feet.

While he was telling me about his fool proof methods, while he was on top of me (guard position), I reversed my position, and was on top of him.

Finger manipulations or finger locks still work on people who do not train, using these techniques.

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I saw myself on a video tape and finally realized what I looked like utilizing Aikido techniques in a street fight.

It appears that the gracefulness of my techniques only comes into play when I have made contact with my perp.  Prior to that moment, I look like an MMA/UFC fighter who is about to pounce.

I guess it will take many years to look graceful while utilizing Aikido during a street fighting.

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At 58 years old, Aikido is my choice of a martial art to practice.  The days of the traditional striking arts are very near an end.  Making people fall down when they attempt to strike you is more appealing these days.

The arthritis in many parts of my body is taking its toll.  My numerous war, law enforcement, street fighting, ring fighting, and dojo injuries make Aikido the only safe martial art to practice.

My recent attempt at boxing (my former love) clearly demonstrated that it was an art for those young at heart and in body.  The pain lasted weeks, rather than the usual couple of days.  It wasn't that I was being beaten, because I wasn't.  There is no way to box without getting hit.

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While sparring with a young warrior, he forgot the rules of aikido randori, and kicked me with a Thai kick to my leg.  It dropped me like a California red wood tree felled by a Pacific coast lumberjack.

He was sorry, however, I should have known better.  Frustration makes young warriors cheat by using techniques outside of the accepted rules.

I should have been more aware, of all techniques being used during randori, instead of aikido only techniques.

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I am going to say a bit of Aikido Blasphemy.  I find that there is no way to use pure Aikido in a street confrontation because of the great unpredictability of any street fighting encounter.

Atemi with Aikido is an essential bonding of street usable Aikido.

I had another uncooperative LEO student who wished to prove that I could not restrain him with an Aikido technique.  A backfist to his nose-groin-nose loosened him up for a nice Oshi Taoshi.

Nothing too fancy.  Maybe a little crude.  However, effective.

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There will always be old school martial arts (Traditional) that will survive new school martial arts (MMA/UFC).  New school martial arts involve instant gratification right out of the box.  Old school martial arts requires long term gratification.  New school martial arts is still stealing from old school martial arts.  Judo recently made an in-road with new school martial arts.

There are many old school martial arts techniques that will require time to master.  Body part conditioning requires time to develop.  Muscle memory requires time to remember old school martial arts techniques.

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The Aikido that many people aspire to achieve is something like the U.S. Constitution.  You strive to achieve excellance, however, you come up short of the expectations.

It would be great to have a pure Aikido street encounter, however, I don't think that the street criminals want to harmonize with me.

I still find that Aikido techniques work quite well in the street.  It is just a question of modifying techniques so that my uncooperating Uke will receive the full benefit from my techniques.

They do not fall high.  They tend to fall low.  Their landings are closely related to skid landings.  They don't really know how to fall.

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Falling backwards disorients most people.  That is why landings vary in regards to safe landings versus crash landings.  This is the reason why people have head injuries.

People falling forwards can see the ground and react much better.  Mostly hands or arms are broken.  This is where skid landings are more frequent.

Practicing with psychos should only be a rare encounter.  Practicing with a psycho can only produce serious injuries because that is what the psycho wants to accomplish.  There is no blending or harmonizing involved.

When you wish to practice with the psycho, maintaining calmness throughout the alternating Aikido Crash Testing Dummy Method, may be the only thing that gives you an edge.  Your skills have to be instinctive.

Losing focus in the midst of psycho training will get you hospitalized.  Next month, I will be going to the hospital for a little knee surgery.  I lost my focus with my very young and way stronger psycho partner.

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I have witnessed 3 separate Tazings, that had bad results, and have come to an unscientific conclusion.

These 3 Tazings clearly demonstrated that if you had a sinewy body, you were extremely stronger than average, you were emotionally disturbed, and on some kind of illegal drug, then Tazings would have little or no effect on you.

Tazing #1 - The first line shot into him had no effect, however, the second line shot into him (tandem) did work.

Tazing #2 - The one and only line shot into him, after being gang tackled by 11 police officers, only produced collaterally shocked officers who were in contact with his sweaty body, and a derogatory comment.  He stated, "it only made his ---- harder!"

Tazing #3 - Six separate Tazer lines were shot into him, as he picked up a medium sized motorcycle, in an attempt to throw it at the officers.

Unscientific Conclusion:  When fighting a Tiger, have a plan for his teeth!

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	<date>05-31-2007</date>
</blogEntry>


</blogEntries>