You can give a gun to a trained cowboy but if that cowboy has a shaky hand under stress, the gun is of no use.
Conversely, if you give a gun to an untrained cowboy who can control his adrenal response in sticky situations, then this man will win every time.
On the street the ability to remain calm in addition to being the quickest to the punch, always wins.
I don't believe it's the fighting style that counts but the person using the style.
See, here's the REAL problem, Thrill. Here's what it all REALLY boils down to.
You care immensely about what others think of you.
You've repeatedly told me that you don't care what I think of you, as I'm a complete stranger to you. This would be a healthy way to approach this situation, were it true.
But it's not, is it?
You've told almost everyone here, at some point, that you don't care about their opinions. Why do you feel the need to reinforce that point, if it is indeed a point?
I've trained in 3 different styles of martial arts and done some weapons training, and you're trying to tell me what I can and can't do? lol
Sorry, Thrill, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to call you on that one. Taekwondo and Karate aren't compatible forms of training; even the most limber and agile of athletes find it difficult to adjust to the different stances required of each art. Taekwondo requires fluidity of movement derived from flexion and extension of the joints; Karate requires force derived from momentum. It's not impossible to practice both sports, of course: by analogy, I performed gymnastics and springboard diving simultaneously at one time. In one sport, you have to land on your feet; on the other, your head. Lost concentration, mix those two fundamentals up, and you're in some potentially seriously trouble.
But enough about me. Martial Artists are leaner than gymnasts (the REAL Martial Artists, I mean. The ones who compete, not the flabby ones who hang out at the back of the do jang during forms training and who don't even bother showing up to the fight classes. Recognize yourself here)? If you've trained in ANY form of MA, it must've been a helluva long time ago. And I happen to know plenty of fat people who've trained in MA. Without exception, they all suck. They're too slow. I've seen featherweights jump two weight categories in a tournament and kick the absolute shit out a fat competitor. Have you ever seen a fat champion? No? Take a look in the mirror and tell me if there's one staring back out at you. I'll bet there isn't.
Blah blah I'm whining about your life, because my life sucks so much
Oh, heeeeeeeeellllll no. Did you just invent a quote to attempt to undermine my criticisms of your own deficiencies? C'mon, Thrill: you're actually a good writer. You could've done better than that - shiiiiiiit, that doesn't even SOUND like something I'd say! That's just a variation of the old "GET A LIFE" that you resorted to earlier. But while we're on this topic, we'll examine your deficiencies further, since I've made the accusation that you care immensely about what people think of you. I owe it to you to substantiate this claim.
You claim a history of child abuse, a time of your life when you (justifiably) felt afraid and powerless. You were physically and emotionally abused by your mother, and you've now had to beg her to take you in because you ended up selected a man who was even worse than she was. That's gotta be humiliating (and don't pretend you didn't beg, Thrill. I remember well you stating that your mother was extremely reluctant to take you into her home).
So now, with most of your life drained away from you by drug abuse, domestic wastage (how else can we refer to your relationships?) you've got nothing left beyond this forum. Every time you whine about your mother holding a knife to your throat, you relive the experience, albeit in a blunted form, and you place yourself in the situation of the victim (c'mon, Thrill, you'd have killed your mother and claimed her life insurance if you were REALLY after revenge for her treatment of her, rather than just pleading her to buy you booze). But you can't be seen as the victim, can you, TK? Not the victim of your mother, nor your meth head boyfriend. So you place yourself on the hero's pedestal.
You don't belong there, Thrill Kill. You're no hero, and you know that, so you've cast yourself as a sociopath instead. Don't deny it: every time a poster requests the opinion of a "real sociopath" yours is the first response. You don't even have the decency to precede your bullshit with the obligatory statement that you're "not a sociopath, but...."
BTW, some day I'd love to hear about the other relationships to which you previously eluded. If you would be so kind, could you also oblige me with details of the injuries you sustained during the last fight with your boyfriend? The fight that you won, I mean. I'd be betting on a dislocated shoulder - that would account for the disability pension - but this is your story to tell, not mine. It would be inspirational to hear how you stood, flab hanging out, with a broken bone sticking through your skin or a limb dangling at an unnatural angle, to defeat the dragon whilst bearing the scars of the breath of his fire.
Krav (although half decent), along with most other martial arts is relatively useless on the streets. Controlling your rush of adrenaline, I'd say, is much more beneficial any day or night.
Obviously, being trained in Martial Arts myself, I have a great respect for all forms of it, but I agree with you here. MA is pretty much useless on the streets, because it requires that your opponent utilize the same discipline and honour that you yourself (presumably) are going to utilize yourself. Speed, strength, and sometimes the ability to use "props" if you're being overwhelmed are more important than explicit skill on the streets, no matter how ingrained that skill may be.
You can either fight or you can't. No amount of indoor tippy tippy can prepare one for the brutality of street combat.
Well said. My father taught me to fight when I was fourteen, there being no MA or boxing facilities within our vicinity. He was a head-kicker from the 80s, and he always said that fighters are born, and only then they might be "made" within the confines of a gym or a do jang.
"Krav (although half decent), along with most other martial arts is relatively useless on the streets."
I gathered as much when I tried to take it for a little bit. Much of the instructor's idea of self defense was practicing what I saw as lazy efficiency, shortcut lessons that teach bad habits meant for dumb foes. He and I... didn't see eye to eye (he claimed it was a good idea to train only one side, wtf). I was willing to write it off as a bad teacher, not a bad style.
It strikes me as a "hype" fighting style more than anything. It boasts pretty big.
"I've known fellas with zero fight training, but can keep their cool, to pulverise people who claim to be this Dan this and blackbelt that."
I've seen it too. Some stick too closely to lessons, assuming that combat combinations or forms are enough experience for actual combat. It risks making either predictable or rigid fighters.
"No amount of indoor tippy tippy can prepare one for the brutality of street combat."
Martial arts classes can still teach some useful lessons, but it's mostly art or sport by itself. Still helpful, but yeah, not enough by itself.
Wow! Thanks for that. I must confess I had not.
"One such aspiring samurai once received a black eye, deviated septum and a chipped tooth, all from a single shot. Something else my father had taught me was to hit diagonally down like chopping wood with an axe, not only to increase the power but also to increase the likelihood of hitting more targets"
My father taught me that very same technique, using the elbow. Like he said, and as I'm sure Steve Morris would agree, some fighters are made. My father was a born fighter: he received no formal training but was able to recognize my intrinsic potential weaknesses and advantages. He recognized that being female, my centre of gravity would be lower than that of a man but that as a gymnast, I'd have powerful deltoid, lats and trapezuis muscles. So he encouraged the use of elbows and he taught me to twist from my waist, rather than from my shoulders, when throwing a left cross. I don't consider myself to be a born fighter in the way that my father was and in the way that Steve Morris was, however: I just admire their tenacity. They got some serious balls!
Fucking awesome posts, Helena.
Have you heard of Steve Morris?
