Hoy tuve clase     Ich hatte heute Klasse

Well lets see, I haven't posted in a while. Not much has changed, Spring semester has started up  so its back to Espanol und (y) Deutsch until May. Apparently we have three or more additions to the dojo, or so Shitai tells me. So we'll see how that goes tomorrow. Hope everyone is shiny. 

AAANNNND Yet another page page in the book Labeled "Martial Arts Diversity begins to turn.

For the past several weeks we have been incorporating the art of Escrima/Kali into our curriculum. I have to say after working with such weapons as the Bo, Jo, Katana, and Shuriken, the escrima sticks have to be my new favorite, (second only to my nunchaku...or course). The amount of coordination training you can receive from the escrima is quite amazing.

The main tactic behind the introduction of Escrima was to promote a healthy, and efficient variation to the classic hard block which we call a parry. Around three or so years ago, I was very very much the "Karateka". In the words of one of my instructors, I was too much the rock, and lacked to be the leaf. My stances were solid, my punches and kicks snapped powerfully, but tensely, and I was rigid. The "hard block" was a favorite out of my repetoiure. Over the years however, I gradually evolved out of my Yang habits if you will, in search of a more balanced, and harmonious outlook on the Martial Arts. The introduction to modern military defence systems such as Krav Maga, and MCMAP (Marine Corps Martial Arts Program) helps alot, primarily because they help you understand that as weapons/threats evolve, such as handguns, rifles, automatic weapons......Cars so must your fighting evolve in order to adapt to these new threats. Because we live in an age where almost anyone can obtain a gun or modern razor sharp knife....or the car...., relying on slow tense/powerful movements such as the traditional hard karate block can get you killed. Using a parry may not offer the damage a hard block can, but it does do the fudementally important thing: keeping your enemies' weapons away from you, be it a fist, knife, gun- muzzle,  dog, etc. Some people have asked me. Is it worth sacrificing power for speed? My answer is yes! Although this may sound like I'm lacking the whole yin/yang method thats really not my intention. Sometimes I like to answer the question like this."Its worth sacrificing power, for faster power"


***I'll add more to this later tonight, I have to go to class now!!***