[Tease T Tickle]

Originally Posted by li_siao_lung

most of the time you would not consider yourself being with the "weaker group". Yet, eventually as you reach that state of "enlightenment" in MA, humility enters and you realize that you are just like everybody else. You are not sure 100% of what you know,,,you have found the core of your ignorance. This is what my Shihan used to tell us.

I find quite the opposite true, but maybe that is the difference in our cultures. Many Americans (I might extend this to all Westerners) identify greatly with the victim. People place more stress on the hardships they live through than the accomplishments they have acheived, and everyone searches for their own flaws. Beautiful women think of themselves as ugly, athletic men think that they're too weak or too slow, scholars believe they know nothing at all. The martial arts has the tendency to bolster one's confidence and restore a sense of accomplishment. I don't think many black belts over here would be generally characterized with the term 'humility' but again, that may be our culture. Lastly, the philosophical self examination you hint at when you say that advanced students are no longer sure of what they know is simply not present in many modernized, westernized systems. In fact, I would be surprised to hear sentiments like that from anyone who didn't train in a very traditional art.

[lakan_sampu]

Humility,IMO, and not honesty, is the best policy. IMHO, after years and years of studying something, you realize that you yourself cannot be so sure about them. You cannot verify them exactly yourself because it is simply impossible to do so in a lifetime. Ergo, you return to what I refer as "ignorance" which is a state that you accept the reality that you know nothing 100% sure for you cannot verify it yourself. So, one becomes humble enough to accept them. You return to a sort of "beginner's mind" where there is more room for improvement. That's my thought.

[Tease T Tickle]

Originally Posted by li_siao_lung

blah blah blah saying the same stuff I said before. That's my thought.

I understand, and to a certain extent, agree with what you say. My post was simply illustrating that the things you are stating are your experience, and that many other people do not experience the same thing.

Unfortunately, most people will never gain a sense of humility, regardless of how many years they study in any given martial art.

[Tease T Tickle]

This was taken from Hengest's Q&A, I moved it here just to keep his thread on the topic of history and not become loaded down with psychology.

Originally Posted by Hengest

Why? To be honest with you mate, I'm not too sure about the why. I could possibly help you out with the where, how and when but the why is probably more of a psychology issue.

It is a good question though. Animal styles aren't just limited to the Chinese styles; they can also be found in Indonesian, Vietnamese, Burmese, Indian and African styles, among others, so it's obviously a fairly international practice. Perhaps our resident psychologist/philosophist can come up with some ideas. Des, any thoughts?

So, you're a human. One day you decide that you want to learn to fight. You try to learn from masters, you try to learn through trial and error, and after years of study you decide that you simply aren't good enough. One of the greatest talents of human beings is that we can learn through observation alone, and obviously we don't only observe other humans. So, you, the disillusioned warrior, take a walk and happen upon a mantis fight. You watch the way they use their forelimbs to capture, control and attack and you become inspired. You watch more, take mental notes, practice the forms and methods and you find that you can make it work.

Then somebody else, somewhere else, did all of this all over again with any number of other creatures, like tigers, serpents, birds of prey, etc. Of course, I'm ignoring the history of all of this, but it doesn't particularly matter which animal was emulated first, the same idea stands.

Logically speaking, humans are ill suited to combat. We don't have thick skin or tough bones, we don't have claws or fangs, we don't have natural camo or keen perception when compared to other animals. So, our 'natural' means of combat are lacking as all we can do is slap and tickle. If we see an animal using a particularly effective method of combat that doesn't necesitate a natural adaptation, we should emulate it to increase our own abilities. This is why fencers make their swords flit and flutter like butterflies, this is why certain fighters will change the shape of their fist to match the paw of a panther, this is why unarmed combatants the world over have adopted totem animals.

[lakan_sampu]

O I see your point....whew! that was a good explanation...thanks Des.

[Tease T Tickle]

Part of philosophy is making people think. So, here's an offensive "Golden Rules" set for football that I stole from Coach Hutchison on eTeamz. What I want if for you guys to dissect these and turn them into Martial Arts "Golden Rules." It's fairly easy, I think, but should still cause the gears to turn. Enjoy.

1. Force the defense to defend the entire field. NEVER allow a defense to crowd the line of scrimmage, stacking eight or ten men "in the box" because you are predictable in calling the run. NEVER allow the defense to flood the zones with extra defenders because you pass eight downs out of ten. The offense should attack ALL areas of the field and force the defenders to "stay at home" thus allowing the offensive coaches to create the basic two-on-one mismatches that lead to success for the offense.

2. Establish the Running Game: Force the defense to respect the running game, taking the teeth out of the pass rush, and you open up the passing attack.

3. Create a Mismatch at the point of attack: Design and run plays to outnumber the defense at the point of attack. Traps, Power Plays, Isolations, Leads, Options, Pick Passes, and a host of other plays can be used to create a situation where numerical or size mismatches can be exploited.

4. Minimize Mistakes: Turnovers and penalties are avoidable through sound practices and preparation. Few things in the game of football are as demoralizing as giving up a score while your offense is on the field. This momentum shift often changes the course of a game.

5. Physically Dominate the Defense: Being strong and physical on offense is not as important as it is on defense - it is MORE important. A dominant offense can break the other team down physically and mentally and control the ball AND the game.

6. Script the opening plays. The number of plays predetermined is not important, only that there is a set offensive game plan in place. These plays are usually a combination of the plays a particular offense has had success with and ones that are expected to produce results against a specific opponent. Using a script can also keep a team from getting "rattled" if the opening moments do not go as planned.

7. Improve the Offensive Line: The Offensive line is the heart of a good offense. Without a sound offensive line all other aspects of the offense collapse. An offensive lineman needs a combination of size, speed, strength, and, most importantly, intelligence. Regardless of how good the line play is, there is always room for improvement, and strengthening the offensive line play during the course of the season is key for post season success.

8. Take Chances: No guts, no glory! All teams find themselves behind at times, and in need of a quick score. It is necessary to practice the quick strike if a team wants to be capable of scoring quickly when the need is present. Throwing the Play Action Pass on first down 30-40% of the time is a good start (at least during the running of the script).

9. Be Disciplined. Know what it takes to be successful and prepare beforehand. Know specific responsibilities and duties and be sure to carry them out--especially when things are not going well, as this is when it is most important. Very rarely does an undisciplined, unconfident team have what it takes to overcome adverse conditions in an hostile environment. Players learn the necessary traits to overcome adversity in practice. Disciple can be rehearsed through substitution drills and special teams drills. Confidence can be gained through rigorous scrimmages and positive reinforcement.

10. Be Prepared. Staff and players should prepare for a specific opponent with a specific game plan. The coaching staff needs to scout the next opponent via proxy, video tape, or in person. Preparation for the next game begins at the final whistle of the previous one. There is no such animal as "game preparation." Game preparation is merely a reflection of the week's practice preparation.

[Tatsukage]

Interesting. You got one of those for more of a defensive outlook?

[Tease T Tickle]

Not right now. I haven't even looked at this thread in almost two years.

If you stay tuned, I can come up with something nice.