Put “Head Hunters” On Notice!

I have decided to type my posts into a word processing document, thus having an original and giving Google time to work out the kinks in their “new” improved Blogger software. Errors have been rampant and there have been no improvements IMHO but we’ll give them a shot for now. That said I am re-writing the post that vanished as I was working on it last night. Hurry up Google – no one wanted the changes and support is not responding to inquiries! Having said that let’s get busy!

I spend a lot of time online keeping up with everything directed at e-commerce and all that it entails, such as reading a variety of current forum posts and coding websites. A lot of time gets spent doing research, and part of that takes me to the martial arts forums where members get as zany as in a SEO forum. Arguments and disagreements are rampant naturally, anywhere thousands of martial artists come to post their questions and opinions. I tend toward spending most of my time in the “Traditional Martial Arts” sections where knowledge seems to be on a much more even keel than say, “MMA” sections where Joe Blow could kick the c**p out of John Blow….and the threads go on and on. “My Dad can kick your Dad’s butt”! “No he can’t, yes he can, no he can’t yes he can….and so on!” Not my cup of tea at all.

While in one of the sections, one of the more active posters was a young 23 yr. old man who’s profile displayed him in mid-air while performing what appeared to be a jump spinning round kick with the right leg chambered to kick and the left about a foot from the ground and dangling. Of course this left his groin wide open and offering a HUGE bull’s-eye for any competent fighter to exploit. Further, leaving him exposed to being snatched out of the air and spiked about a foot below the floor by any competent grappler, be they Brazilian style, traditional judoka or a wrestler. He was “cruising for a bruising” as they say, since I’ve seen this happen many, many times. His profile said he was a “kick boxer”….hmmm? So I thought I’d drop him a line. If you ever read this “kick boxer” plz check your email or just read a copy that I’ll paste below – it’s important!

The E-Mail:

I looked at your profile and saw you were an up and coming martial artist. I also see that you reference yourself as a kickboxer. What kind of fighting is that exactly? You see, I’m a geezer – 30+ yrs as a student and teacher of martial arts. When I was a bit younger than you (21-22) I lived in Okinawa and got to watch and begin to try some pretty good stuff. Once back in the US, I decided to begin formal instructions in Okinawan karate. I found Okinawan schools (2) within driving distance and continued with that style along with other systems, which I began to add over the years. The only full contact fighting we could do outside our dojo was PKA style, in a boxing ring, no leg kicks, no knees, elbows, headbutting, or any Thai boxing goodies that I had trained in. Aside from all these restrictions, there was no grappling or submissions allowed, as in UFC – Pride – Vale Tudo etc.. All of my black belt students cross train in Muay Thai or Boxing and Gracie Jiu Jitsu or other Brazilian schools, in addition to completing their Shorin Ryu karate training. I have had a few “ground and pounders” too over the years – wrestlers all of their lives – from about 10 – 12 yrs old until finishing HS or College. Teaching them to submit an opponent, or escape and stand back up and strike – they were/are perhaps, more lethal than the Brazilian trained guys. Do you do any of this?Your jumping kick looks very nice and very strong but I hope you know it would get you hurt badly against a trained fighter – even a trained street fighter. Just thought I’d tell you, to save you the pain of getting counter-kicked in the “family jewels” by a decent counter striker. Or, worse yet, caught in the air by a grappler and power bombed about a foot below the ground. You do have a pretty kick though!! If I were your teacher I’d turn that into a “flying knee” and close that groin area up – plus they’re very unexpected and if you miss you’ll be ok – if you connect – well, they’re going to sleep! Good job! – plz remember – you seem like a good young martial arts student and I hope you’ll accept my good advice in the spirit of one martial artist to another.

End of Email

So here’s a shorter version of the “lost post.” Head Hunters – You’ve been served! What you choose to do about it is of course, up to you!

There are points in our lives when a wise man asks himself, for better or worse, “How did I get here?”, and consequently learns a life lesson.