The metaphor of fascia

[Interloper]

Interloper, I don't believe there's anything new under the sun. I've presented some fairly out-of-the-box approaches to developing the fighty side of tjq, though, and those ideas were harshly rejected by almost every tjq peep I came in contact with. Fast-forward to the present and many of those ideas are now just 'common knowledge'. lol

It just smacks of dishonesty to see people I argued with now spouting off about the merits of those ideas as though they have a personal, experiential understanding (ownership) when they actually don't.

No, nothing is new when it comes to others taking credit for ideas that are not their own. I can imagine it's even more infuriating when those individuals were the ones who either blew off or rejected the ideas earlier. And as I said, there is at least one other innovative martial artist on these forums who is going through the same thing as you right now.

[Bhassler]

As a mentor of mine once said "I don't mind when someone steals what I've created because I can always create more."

The genius-- and the real benefit-- is not in what is being taught so much as in how it's being taught. To my mind it's fairly clear who's great, who's competent, and who's just a parrot...

[Interloper]

That is true, Bhassler.

[somatai]

As a mentor of mine once said "I don't mind when someone steals what I've created because I can always create more."

The genius-- and the real benefit-- is not in what is being taught so much as in how it's being taught. To my mind it's fairly clear who's great, who's competent, and who's just a parrot...

great post Brian

[SteveK]

Hi Tom,
I'm the one who wrote the TKRI blog post you quoted from on this thread. Thanks for reading my stuff. I don't really consider myself a "karate practitioner." I just practice martial arts.

My goal is to simplify things as much as possible to help folks get a "foot in the door," as you say. Your friend's teacher, Z, said not even one in a thousand will get it. I don't like those odds. I don't think it's a matter of get it or not get it. I like to think of it as a continuum of practice, in which we constantly strive to improve our body use and technique. It's not fair to say that nobody at my local club is actually playing golf, just because they're not as good as Tiger Woods.

Interloper,
The example of pushing a car is perfectly legitimate. I won't fall on my face, if one foot is forward. Obviously, I can't be "rooted," if my center of gravity is outside of my base. The passive process of the connective tissues absorbing shock is an integral part of so-called "internal" power. Of course, it can be supplemented by activating the muscles that contribute to the movement. Also, having the support muscles conditioned properly to maintain posture is crucial. But, the bottom line is we use the inherent elasticity of our frame to produce power by loading and unloading the muscle-tendon complex. Improving this "elastic strength" is the goal of modern plyometric training. A highly developed kinesthetic awareness helps accomplish this. It's what the Chinese call Yi, or intention. That's where the name Xing Yi Quan, or Form-Mind boxing, comes from.

My teacher in the Gao style of Bagua, Tim Cartmell, has as good a pedigree in IMA as anyone out there. And, he says that Jack Dempsey's book on western boxing is the best manual on the striking mechanics of Xing Yi. That's not a "superficial comparison." It's not productive to talk about all this "pie-in-the-sky" stuff. We all have two arms, two legs, and a head. And, nobody does anything without using muscle, somehow.

[Interloper]

Hi SteveK,
Thanks for your response. Perhaps where we most differ here is that, IME, I see the process of connective tissues directing and re-directing force as being an active process, driven by intent, and not just the passive absorption of the force through simple alignment. The human body is naturally structured to receive and absorb "shock" through the spine (and discs) and joints, but to produce internal power the body must be capable of doing much more than doing this and loading/unloading muscles and tendons in the conventional way used to push an inanimate object such as an automobile.

[BruceP]

Hey, Doc. First off, thank you for your candor.

I've never worried about people disagreeing with me. I think disagreement is fertile ground from which we grow and evolve. It also brightens up the room a bit, letting us see who's who.

My only beef is the dishonesty I talked about in my post to Interloper. All I do care about are the ideas we all share here. There is no greener pasture than the rum soaked fist as far as that goes. This place is a hotbed of ideas and paradigms that l really dig on. I don't believe people can own ideas as they pertain to MA. Nothing new under the sun and all that. So everyone is welcome to steal whatever meager offerings I put out there - or ignore if they so choose.

When someone's person or character is attacked as a tactic to discredit their ideas, that's bad enough. What's worse is when folks malign someone's knowledge or 'skill' in an art to the same ends. The worst of all is when someone does that and then about-faces with their stance on those ideas without considering the source from which those ideas arose. I'm not talking about the source being the originator, but the context and reality of the idea. Drives me crazy.

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to offer your views and comments. I appreciate it. A lot of your contributions here have given me a much broader perspective on certain things that l wouldn't otherwise consider if it wasn't coming from someone who's paid his dues above what most of us will ever have to pay. l doubt many would have the stomach for it.
Then there's the question of who would win in a fight between you and l. I don't know how well l'd do against your kungfu skills, but you could definitely slay me with your visual aids. Your picfu is feared over here.

[Doc Stier]

Hello Shooter:

I appreciate your candor as well. Thanks for the feedback. Like you, I don't need anyone's approval and don't care whether they agree with me or not. After all, everyone's an expert on the boards, eh?

Although comparing our respective martial skills would probably be quite interesting, and a lot of fun to boot, I am quite content to follow my own path of self-cultivation in these arts, and rarely feel any desire to seriously contest with others unless I am forced to do so in self-defense or to protect my family and property.

However, given your feedback, perhaps I should change my avatar to 'picfu sifu'.

Doc

[Doc Stier]

[SteveK]

Hey Tom,
I'm surprised you mentioned Helio and Rickson. Are you a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu guy?

Interloper,
You must know something I don't. My muscles only work in the conventional way.

[SteveK]

Tom,
True, everyone's heard of the Gracies. But, I'm not sure everyone recognizes the level of accomplishment in martial arts that Rickson reperesents. Several years ago, I asked Tim Cartmell if he thought his Bagua teacher could beat Rickson in a fight. He said it wasn't a fair question, because Rickson is "the best grappler on the planet." Also, Tim's BJJ teacher said Rickson's hips were "like water." I guess, that means you can't control his center, because he just "flows" into another position.

My BJJ teacher rolled with Royler and said he can't imagine anyone being better. But, Royler openly admits that Rickson's the best. The Gracies made a name for themselves in Brazil by taking on all comers, and Rickson was their champion. I think he must be the closest thing to Musashi in our time. By all accounts, his technique is flawless.

Some people like to speculate about whether Rickson could compete against today's top fighters, but it doesn't really matter. Even though Randy Couture lost to Brock Lesnar, most people would still say his technique is better. Fighting requires at least as much athletic ability as basketball. But, nobody expects Michael Jordan to compete, anymore. The reality is, technique has its limits.

Anyway, I didn't expect the administrator of a "kung-fu" forum to give Rickson props. You're alright in my book

[Wuming]

RIckson apparently is giving seminars now about "invisible jujitsu." http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f12/ricks ... le-944841/

[Felipe Bidó]

Anyway, I didn't expect the administrator of a "kung-fu" forum to give Rickson props. You're alright in my book

You'd be surprised

[Josealb]

Invisible Jujutsu...

"I will say there were no new techniques taught. It was simply refinement, extremely effective and subtle refinement, of basic techniques and concepts. For example, my scissor sweep is 200% more effective. My armbar is completely revamped."

Sounds like a principle based workshop. Nice.

[Doc Stier]

Invisible jujutsu . . . sounds kinda like internal gongfu. You don't see it but damn it hurts.

Sounds like the collection agency I used to use for my clinic....Ninja Collections, Inc. They were a seldom seen, but highly effective organization.