Hi,
I'm putting together a website called http://www.Karate-Made-Easy.com, with simple traditional Karate self defense techniques and drills.
The site itself is an updated and co-edited version of Moja Rone's Super Karate Made Easy.
My goal is not only to show the traditional techniques, but complement them with techniques from other martial arts like BJJ, kickboxing, Kali, and others. It is a work in progress... and I'm enjoying doing it.
I hope you can benefit from it.
Regards,
Skinny Jeff
New Karate Website
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SkinnyJeff
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Mar 25, 2006 09:09
- Location: http://www.Karate-Made-Easy.com
New Karate Website
http://www.Karate-Made-Easy.com: Traditional and Modern Self Defense Techniques from Karate and other Fighting Systems.
I think my favorite part of your site was the following:
I can't wait to read Mr. Kurz's reply after he visits your site.
-Mark
So unless you have completely mastered every phase of Karate (whatever the hell that is supposed to mean), you should throw yourself at the mercy of your armed attacker.But I want to give you a word of caution: Unless you have mastered every phase of Karate, or another martial art, you should not attempt to defend yourself against a gun, pistol or knife threat.
Doing so may put your life at risk of injury or death.
I can't wait to read Mr. Kurz's reply after he visits your site.
-Mark
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SkinnyJeff
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Mar 25, 2006 09:09
- Location: http://www.Karate-Made-Easy.com
Your criticism is welcomed
mmelon,
There is always room for improvement for anything, including the way one conveys something.
What I meant was that it is not enough to read a book (or a website) with self defense instructions to be able to defend yourself effectively.
Some of the techniques in my site present dangerous situations, including defenses against knives, baseball bats, guns and the like. It would be foolish for anyone to read the instructions in the website and think that he/she is fully equipped to repel an attack.
The statement is meant to be a disclaimer. I don't want anyone getting hurt just because they tried the techniques. I offer no guarantee that the techniques will work. That is why it is better to have proper instructions from a martial arts instructor.
Understand this: the website is only a reference resource based on Moja Rone's book "Super Karate Made Easy". It is not a substitute for proper self defense instruction.
And yes, unless you are fully confident about your martial arts and self defense skills, it would be foolish for anyone to try to attempt to defend him/herself by trying to apply techniques after just reading them.
Alternatives? Well, one is of course... avoid confrontation. Another one is confronting the assailant. However, I do not endorse that avenue without proper instruction. You may. I don't.
That is a judgment call from your part. If you feel comfortable confronting an assailant, go ahead... but don't rely on the content of a website (mine or any other site) to take that course of action.
If you go to other websites that offer information products on advanced self defense techniques, you'll find the same disclaimer, but may be put in different words.
What would you suggest?
Thanks for your comments. I'll take them into consideration.
Regards,
Skinny Jeff
There is always room for improvement for anything, including the way one conveys something.
What I meant was that it is not enough to read a book (or a website) with self defense instructions to be able to defend yourself effectively.
Some of the techniques in my site present dangerous situations, including defenses against knives, baseball bats, guns and the like. It would be foolish for anyone to read the instructions in the website and think that he/she is fully equipped to repel an attack.
The statement is meant to be a disclaimer. I don't want anyone getting hurt just because they tried the techniques. I offer no guarantee that the techniques will work. That is why it is better to have proper instructions from a martial arts instructor.
Understand this: the website is only a reference resource based on Moja Rone's book "Super Karate Made Easy". It is not a substitute for proper self defense instruction.
And yes, unless you are fully confident about your martial arts and self defense skills, it would be foolish for anyone to try to attempt to defend him/herself by trying to apply techniques after just reading them.
Alternatives? Well, one is of course... avoid confrontation. Another one is confronting the assailant. However, I do not endorse that avenue without proper instruction. You may. I don't.
That is a judgment call from your part. If you feel comfortable confronting an assailant, go ahead... but don't rely on the content of a website (mine or any other site) to take that course of action.
If you go to other websites that offer information products on advanced self defense techniques, you'll find the same disclaimer, but may be put in different words.
What would you suggest?
Thanks for your comments. I'll take them into consideration.
Regards,
Skinny Jeff
http://www.Karate-Made-Easy.com: Traditional and Modern Self Defense Techniques from Karate and other Fighting Systems.
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SkinnyJeff
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Mar 25, 2006 09:09
- Location: http://www.Karate-Made-Easy.com
Crazyboy,
No offense taken. It is a valid question. And, no, I'm not a traditionalist. I see myself as an innovator... open to new concepts, without being bound by any particular martial art.
I started with TKD in my late teen years, then I practised Matsumura Patsai Karate in the past in Central America. However, I branched out to other martial arts later on: Ninjukai, Kick Boxing, and Wing Chun.
I'm thinking of practicing BJJ for ground techniques, but I have to be careful because I had a Motor Vehicle Accident in July 2000, and suffered whiplash. Thus, I have to look after my back and my neck.
I started the site on Karate because this art is the most widely known martial art. But I want the site to be a springboard for beginners to think about other self defense techniques, rather than becoming dogmatic about the art they practice.
I also want the site to be a reference resource.
There will be more content on alternative techniques later on... Just bear with me.
Regards,
Skinny Jeff
No offense taken. It is a valid question. And, no, I'm not a traditionalist. I see myself as an innovator... open to new concepts, without being bound by any particular martial art.
I started with TKD in my late teen years, then I practised Matsumura Patsai Karate in the past in Central America. However, I branched out to other martial arts later on: Ninjukai, Kick Boxing, and Wing Chun.
I'm thinking of practicing BJJ for ground techniques, but I have to be careful because I had a Motor Vehicle Accident in July 2000, and suffered whiplash. Thus, I have to look after my back and my neck.
I started the site on Karate because this art is the most widely known martial art. But I want the site to be a springboard for beginners to think about other self defense techniques, rather than becoming dogmatic about the art they practice.
I also want the site to be a reference resource.
There will be more content on alternative techniques later on... Just bear with me.
Regards,
Skinny Jeff
http://www.Karate-Made-Easy.com: Traditional and Modern Self Defense Techniques from Karate and other Fighting Systems.
Skinny, I'm impressed with your response. It wasn't what I was expecting.
What would I suggest? Putting pretty much what you just wrote above somewhere on the site. My objection was to the wording that attempting to defend yourself against a weapon would put you in danger. When someone pulls a weapon on you, you're already in danger! I think the wording just frightens people and makes them think that capitulation is the best option. I think that's a dangerous message to convey.
Avoiding confrontation is a wise strategy in many cases. My point is that if someone has pulled a weapon on you, I think the time for talking is over. It doesn't matter if you feel 'comfortable' with attacking your assailant or not; you've got to swallow that fear and take matters into your own hands. Will a beginner get cut by the knife? Probably. But if you move decisively, it will be little more than a flesh wound. Much better than letting the attacker decide whether they want to plunge the weapon deep within you again and again.
Really, I only read the 'weapon' and 'women' sections so I can't comment on the rest of the site. Regarding the 'women' section, my personal opinion is that if some man puts his hand on a woman's leg in a movie theater (Second Situation), her first option should be to yell at him to get it off. The embarrasement of being outed in a crowd will probably be sufficient. And there's always the option of moving seats. Reading your site, it sounds like you were advocating that she immediately begin injuring the guy. I'm all for empowering women and I believe that the biggest problem they have is in making the decision to use force, but that seems a bit unnecessary in that case.
I also take issue with your final statement "I encourage you to take women's self defense classes, to ensure you can protect yourself effectively." since I think most of those classes are crap (and I'd never use the word 'ensure' anyhow), but let's agree to disagree on that one.
-Mark
What would I suggest? Putting pretty much what you just wrote above somewhere on the site. My objection was to the wording that attempting to defend yourself against a weapon would put you in danger. When someone pulls a weapon on you, you're already in danger! I think the wording just frightens people and makes them think that capitulation is the best option. I think that's a dangerous message to convey.
Avoiding confrontation is a wise strategy in many cases. My point is that if someone has pulled a weapon on you, I think the time for talking is over. It doesn't matter if you feel 'comfortable' with attacking your assailant or not; you've got to swallow that fear and take matters into your own hands. Will a beginner get cut by the knife? Probably. But if you move decisively, it will be little more than a flesh wound. Much better than letting the attacker decide whether they want to plunge the weapon deep within you again and again.
Really, I only read the 'weapon' and 'women' sections so I can't comment on the rest of the site. Regarding the 'women' section, my personal opinion is that if some man puts his hand on a woman's leg in a movie theater (Second Situation), her first option should be to yell at him to get it off. The embarrasement of being outed in a crowd will probably be sufficient. And there's always the option of moving seats. Reading your site, it sounds like you were advocating that she immediately begin injuring the guy. I'm all for empowering women and I believe that the biggest problem they have is in making the decision to use force, but that seems a bit unnecessary in that case.
I also take issue with your final statement "I encourage you to take women's self defense classes, to ensure you can protect yourself effectively." since I think most of those classes are crap (and I'd never use the word 'ensure' anyhow), but let's agree to disagree on that one.
-Mark
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SkinnyJeff
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Mar 25, 2006 09:09
- Location: http://www.Karate-Made-Easy.com
Thank you for your comments
Mark,
I appreciate your honest comments, and I have taken your suggestions on board.
I have expanded the "disclaimer" part incorporating parts of my previous post.
In relation to women self defense training, I tend to partially agree with you. There is no way a person can be fully trained to effectively defend themselves in a 10 weeks (once a week) evening course using traditional methods.
However, there are 2 other ways of looking at this:
1. From the "Better than nothing" school of thought perspective: At the very least, a woman may apply one of the techniques (by chance, luck, instinct, or memory), and open an opportunity gap to save her life.
Granted, I believe the most important trend to develop in a person before she can defend herself effectively is that of her confidence which, in turn, will bring the ability to remain calm and focused at a time of an attack. That in itself is worth more than 1000 self defense techniques.
2. From the "At least it's a beginning" school of thought: At best, this approach could awaken willingness to continue studying and practicing a martial art, hence increasing her chances of learning to defend herself.
But, as you said in your last post, let's agree to disagree.
I just wanted to take the time to sincerely thank you for taking the time to check out my site and writing your views.
I'm deeply honoured and thankful.
Regards,
Skinny Jeff
I appreciate your honest comments, and I have taken your suggestions on board.
I have expanded the "disclaimer" part incorporating parts of my previous post.
In relation to women self defense training, I tend to partially agree with you. There is no way a person can be fully trained to effectively defend themselves in a 10 weeks (once a week) evening course using traditional methods.
However, there are 2 other ways of looking at this:
1. From the "Better than nothing" school of thought perspective: At the very least, a woman may apply one of the techniques (by chance, luck, instinct, or memory), and open an opportunity gap to save her life.
Granted, I believe the most important trend to develop in a person before she can defend herself effectively is that of her confidence which, in turn, will bring the ability to remain calm and focused at a time of an attack. That in itself is worth more than 1000 self defense techniques.
2. From the "At least it's a beginning" school of thought: At best, this approach could awaken willingness to continue studying and practicing a martial art, hence increasing her chances of learning to defend herself.
But, as you said in your last post, let's agree to disagree.
I just wanted to take the time to sincerely thank you for taking the time to check out my site and writing your views.
I'm deeply honoured and thankful.
Regards,
Skinny Jeff
http://www.Karate-Made-Easy.com: Traditional and Modern Self Defense Techniques from Karate and other Fighting Systems.
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strangedejavu
- Posts: 39
- Joined: Oct 21, 2005 22:35
I think if a situation goes beyond diplomacy and things get dangerous, a person is probably best off relying on his/her instincts. Everyone has some sort of fighting instinct. If a person has so much martial arts training that the moves have become instinct, then they'll be that much more effective. However, if they keep having to consciously think, "OK, this hand goes over here and this leg goes behind that and now I jump and break his coccyx and pull out his teeth..." then they're screwed.
Basically, I think both of you have good points. Just because you haven't mastered every skill in karate doesn't mean you can't effectively side kick an attacker. On the other hand, unless you really know what you're doing, you probably shouldn't use that flying spinning back kick either.
By the way, "ensure" is a perfectly cromulent word.
Basically, I think both of you have good points. Just because you haven't mastered every skill in karate doesn't mean you can't effectively side kick an attacker. On the other hand, unless you really know what you're doing, you probably shouldn't use that flying spinning back kick either.
By the way, "ensure" is a perfectly cromulent word.
I'm not sure my point of view is coming across well. Let me try to simplify. My personal belief is that you shouldn't get into a fight unless you are prepared to kill someone. We all hope that we won't get in a fight, but if someone pulls a weapon on you then you have to be prepared to end their life. Maybe you'll get lucky and the way the battle unfolds will be such that nobody dies. But when someone pulls a weapon on you, the sole thought going through your mind should be "I must destroy them." You can't be worrying "Gee, I haven't mastered karate. What do I do now?" What upset me was SkinnyJeff's awkwardly-worded disclaimer. Whether or not you have any skill is irrelevant at that point. Your life is in danger; you must do whatever you can to protect it. If it's a side kick, great! If it's shoving your thumb through their eyeball, then do it. If it's crushing their trachea and killing them through asphyxiation, then so be it. Don't fuss about your lack of skill. The main thing that is needed for "self-defense" is the willingness to kill someone.
Certainly, there's something to be said about building confidence. Someone who is confident is more likely to have that all-important mindset I talked about in the last paragraph. But I'm not a fan of instilling false confidence in someone. People need to understand that martial arts training, or enlisting in a self-defense course, isn't some kind of immunization against the disease of violence. That's one of my big gripes against self-defense courses. They play into the seductive notion that all you have to do is pay your fee and attend a few classes and you can "take care of yourself". They need to understand that it's never a good idea to walk alone at night, no matter how many self-defense courses you've taken or how many years of martial arts training you've been through.
If you're a woman sitting in a movie theater and someone puts their hand on your leg, should you kill them? I think not. If someone pulls a weapon on you on the street and you don't know anything about karate, should you kill them? Sure, if that's what's needed to neutralize the threat they pose. I think there's a perception that somehow you're going to be able to control the situation and limit the degree of violence. I think that's unrealistic. Don't strike someone to "stun" them or "teach them a lesson". Like the narrator says on "Power High Kicks with No Warm Up!": your kicks must never be superficial. That goes for all your strikes. Go for broke or don't "go" at all. Strike only when the situation is so bad that if you have to kill them that you'll be able to live with yourself afterwards.
-Mark
P.S.: Kudos on the Simpsons reference.
Certainly, there's something to be said about building confidence. Someone who is confident is more likely to have that all-important mindset I talked about in the last paragraph. But I'm not a fan of instilling false confidence in someone. People need to understand that martial arts training, or enlisting in a self-defense course, isn't some kind of immunization against the disease of violence. That's one of my big gripes against self-defense courses. They play into the seductive notion that all you have to do is pay your fee and attend a few classes and you can "take care of yourself". They need to understand that it's never a good idea to walk alone at night, no matter how many self-defense courses you've taken or how many years of martial arts training you've been through.
If you're a woman sitting in a movie theater and someone puts their hand on your leg, should you kill them? I think not. If someone pulls a weapon on you on the street and you don't know anything about karate, should you kill them? Sure, if that's what's needed to neutralize the threat they pose. I think there's a perception that somehow you're going to be able to control the situation and limit the degree of violence. I think that's unrealistic. Don't strike someone to "stun" them or "teach them a lesson". Like the narrator says on "Power High Kicks with No Warm Up!": your kicks must never be superficial. That goes for all your strikes. Go for broke or don't "go" at all. Strike only when the situation is so bad that if you have to kill them that you'll be able to live with yourself afterwards.
-Mark
P.S.: Kudos on the Simpsons reference.