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Old 10-31-2011, 08:21 AM   #44
Walter Martindale
Location: Edmonton, AB
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 802
Canada
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Re: Being overly complacent as Uke

Quote:
Tim Ruijs wrote: View Post
Walter
I think I understand your point. At times I show the transition to 'fighting' technique to show what is important in the study (do) variant. My technique then becomes sharp, but also release the pin just in time. My students have come to know me like this and trust me in this.
The reason I said to continue with a wrong technique might be dangerous applies to the 'technique of pinning' if you will, not the entire technique. Allthough you should be aware at all times especially with beginners. They are unpredictable.
My approach to this is - yes, beginners are unpredictable partly because they don't know the proper movements, and partly because they don't realize just how little external force is required to cause a LOT of torque in a joint or a pair of forearm bones. So if I'm helping someone learn something, I get them to tap early - until they've been practicing for at least a few months, when I suggest that they provide a small amount of resistance and "take" a bit of loading in the pin so they get a bit of stretch (SLOWLY) and a bit of strengthening, because longer muscles have more contractile elements in series and are thus stronger, and providing resistance will also provide some development to thicken muscle fibres (again, adding more contractile elements)..

I don't really want to get into the "what if it's real" discussion - that's been flogged all over other forums, but every shihan I've seen, at some point has said that if it's "for real" you either give up your wallet or you defend your life with everything you have as you would against (say) a bear. I've heard said about fighting with a bear - if it's a grizzly, you play dead and maybe it will ignore you and wait a few days until you are a little bit rotten and more easy to slurp up.. If it's a black bear and you play dead, it will start eating right away, so, fight with everything you've got until you're unconscious, after which it won't matter. (I don't currently live in bear country, but in one of my university days summer jobs, I've been within 10 m of two black bear cubs and their mother - I'm SO glad the cubs didn't get curious and that they were going for the river....)
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