It’s always amusing when “know it alls” dismiss certain methods out of hand as being useless or “unworkable”. One “victim” of this line of thinking is the “cross arm” or “X” block (for lack of a better term).
We often hear phrases like the “myth of the X block”. Usually this catchy “hook” leads on to a diatribe condemning this technique in the strongest terms. Those who “know better” decry the “obvious” faults in this basic method and are more than anxious to point out the disastrous consequences awaiting anyone foolish enough to use it.
Let’s take another look at this:
For our example we’ll use the “standard” overhead X block against an overhand “ice pick” grip attack with a knife.
Now many “experts” will demonstrate how this “defense” can be “countered”. How the “defender” leaves himself open to any number of devastating “follow-ups”. One of the most commonly cited methods is the “ripping” slash that will severely cut the wrists of the defender. The attacker hammers down with his blade, the defender “cross arm” blocks and then the attacker rips down and back. Sounds good but is it REALISTIC?
Usually this is demonstrated by having Mr. Expert set up the scenario. The overhand stab comes in - the victim blocks - Mr. Expert shows how easily he can counter the attempted “defense”. Masterful. Real world? NO!
Why?
Consider the elements of real world violence.
The chance that either “party” involved KNOWS the ability or “training” of the other is very remote. So neither individual KNOWS before hand what the other will do, how the “victim” will react. A violent criminal attack is SWIFT, BRUTAL, and IMMEDIATE. The assailant is NOT looking for a fight, a duel, or a protracted engagement. He is counting on SPEED, SHOCK, and BRUTALITY. Think about this. If YOU were going to “off” someone, wouldn’t you do it in the MOST expedient manner? It would be ONE violent, powerful and swift attack. ADD to this RAGE, HATE, INTENT, and the DESIRE to commit mayhem and it should become obvious that the real world attack is NOT a “chess” game of move and “counter” move. If the assailant wants to “do” you he will attempt to accomplish this with ONE fully committed ASSAULT.
To mediate one’s attack in the real world is to invite failure! NO one is going to “half-step” in this regard.
The almost instinctive maneuver of the cross block is a SURVIVAL reaction. It is a convulsive gross motor skill designed to SAVE your life NOW. It is a brutal “attack” against the assault, NOT a passive “catching” of the attack.
The ruthless swift and brutal nature of the assault is designed to SHOCK and FREEZE the “victim”. The assailant is NOT thinking two moves down the road, HE IS THINKING NOW!
The victim who REACTS in kind, with a swift brutal and committed “defense” will gain a MOMENTARY advantage by this REACTION ATTACK.
SIMPLE PHYSICS: A body in motion tends to remain in motion. The assault was “intended” to succeed. The “failure” of this immediate assault will FORCE the assailant to make a CONSCIOUS decision after the initial “failure” of the attack! The “Oh SH!T” principle. Plan “A” failed, NOW WHAT. Certainly there may be a “counter” move or an attempted “follow up”, BUT IT WILL NOT BE SEAMLESS!
Only in the “training” environment do such seamless combinations of maneuvers “work”. And usually only when one party KNOWS what the expected “response” will be. Real life ain’t like that!
Let’s say I’m walking down the street and Joey Bag-a-donuts decides to ram a hunting knife into my neck or chest, well he doesn’t KNOW me from a can of beans, right? Does anyone believe that he will mediate his attack to the extent that he is considering MY response to his assault and then plans follow-up counters to my reaction? C’mon on. That makes NO SENSE. Unless he’s Kreskin, he has NO way of knowing what will happen after his initial attack. He’s NOT hedging his bets. He IS looking for the first strike/swift KILL.
The X “block” works for the purpose it was intended for. It CAN SAVE YOUR ASS! It must of course be chained to an immediate and violent attack, but as an “opening” gambit it serves its function well.
Also consider the contingencies of the real world. Many highly touted “defenses” include maneuvers that MAY very well be IMPOSSIBLE to pull off due to any number of unforeseen circumstances. I could put an individual in any number of scenarios that would all but eliminate ANY reaction other than the one we are discussing.
Charlie Nelson would often demonstrate a technique effectively only to have the bruised ego of the “know it all” respond with……”Ok, let me see you do that AGAIN”.
Charlie would respond……….”It only has to WORK ONCE”.
Carl Cestari began his study of the martial arts with judo at the age of 7 under the direction of Yoshisada Yonezuka. During the past forty plus years Carl has dedicated his life to studying the martial arts, hand to hand combat systems, history and religion. What makes Carl unique is his combination of martial arts, law enforcement and military and real world experience. Carl has been exposed to a multitude of people with a wide variety experience. The following is a list of some of Carl’s ranks and honors.
Shinan (Founder) Tekkenryu jujutsu
Ryokudan (6th degree) Koshinkai Karate under John Burrelle
Godan (5th degree) Jujutsu under Clarke of the World Jujutsu Fedaration (now defunct)
Sandan (3rd degree) Nippon Kempo under Narabu Sada
Nidan (2nd degree) Judo under Masafumi Suzuki
Shodan (1st degree) Judo under Yoshisada Yonezuka
Shodan (1st degree) Shukokai Karate under Kimura, Kadachi and Yonezuka
Shodan (1st degree) Daitoryu Aikijujutsu
Instructors Certificate- Charles Nelson System of Self Defense under Charlie Nelson http://www.thetruthaboutselfdefense.com
Tie together both of people’s predominating interests and you’ll unmask something termed a sportsbook wagers site. Well, what could feasibly be more creative… If you fancy a party of fanatics clapping in support of any given local players, and regularly bets will be pinned down accompanying the racket. Enthusiastic to catch some of the exhilaration, bystanders will often try to foreknow who is the likeliest to prevail in the upcoming meet. In the end, this evolves into a sociable little meet named sportsbook wagers site.
Conceded that it may easily sound dependency forming, but indeed sportsbook gambling is really only fun and to connect with one’s fellow sports buddies. You can risk a a smallish amount of kitty and yet enjoy yourself. Read on for various basic pointers to get started sportsbook gambling.
In order to wager, you will want to search for a sportsbook wagers site, i.e. a setup that accepts sportsbook wagers site. In the US, you can find no less than four states to do sportsbook gambling officially, but informally you may attempt it practically anywhere assuming you can discover a bookie *and* you are a legal adult. Many of the track-and-field events you can choose to wager on are pro including, to boot, college level basketball plus football, pro hockey and baseball, including, to boot, betting on both dog and horse racing. You can choose to risk money on the overall result of a game or fight, in what round any given opponent will be knocked out, and even whether a given tossed coin in a game or fight will come out either heads or tails.
The sportsbook setup will bank on statistical mathematics to assist you discern which players you deem is the likeliest to prevail. There’s the spread, meaning advantage pertaining to a weaker side anticipated to take a licking by x number points. Of Course, this is the odds maker’s practice of making antes possible for a sports book. E.g., a bettor will have the option of placing bets on a lineup anticipated to take a licking and and yet profit from the wager assuming the side goes down by x number of points.
Why don’t you check it out, and have lots of fun in the process… Just take care that you won’t get too enthusiastic and drain your total social security checks on a crotchet… Because else you just might catch yourself regretful for the rest of your life…
Picture this.. it’s a summer morning and you could completely open the glazing to let the heat spread through your house and fill your living space with natural light. Isn’t amazing to think of waking up to mild rays of the sun?
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Content is King If you provide great content online users will make sure that they can find your website. You can create a domain with hyphens, longer phrases and words. You don’t want to use the 67 character maximum allowed for domain names, but 15 plus characters is totally acceptable.
To make your domain name memorable, it should be a short phrase that describes your website, your products or your particular area of expertise. If you provide reliable, accurate information, web users can use bookmarks or type the phrase directly into a search engine to get back to your site. This means that you will have to really focus on getting your domain name listed on as many search engines and directories as possible.
The other advantage to creating a domain name for an informational site is that most surfers search by typing in phrases and entire sentences into the search engines. A domain name that uses all of the words of a small phrase or sentence will easily filter to the top of the listing and keep your customers coming back.
Hot tip: If you don’t trust the engines to help your customers find you on a regular basis, make it easy for anyone to bookmark your site with a reminder button on your home page.
Past life regression can often unearth the reasons why we have problems with friends in our present life or why we are concerned of certain situations. You have work colleagues around you in your current lifetime that you would have remarkably known before, now lets just imagine being capable to unearth what happened and what your relationship was to them at that time and remove blocks that plague you in your current lifetime and even find out talents and bring them into your current lifetime. Past lifetime regression is breathtaking.
When you are having a past life regression, also known as PLR, session you will go back to the lifetime you would most need to see about in your present lifetime. This is superb and may explain an enormous deal about your present lifetime and help you to move forward with your life with a greater understanding of yourself, your life and the girlfriends around you. Heal your current problems with Past Life Regression.
You might well also ascertain why you are the individual that you are, now that is super. If you adore nature perhaps you were once working as a farmer, if you like to travel maybe you were a gypsy. Instead of forgetting our strengths we should acknowledge them.
Every single experience is tremendous and unique. Others have visited places they had lived in before and knew where to go.
Here are the top ten most frequently asked questions regarding on Internet domain name registration:
Q1. Which characters are allowed in Internet domain names?
A: For normal ASCII domain names, the letters a-z, the numbers 0-9, and one special character, the hyphen or dash “-”. Note that domains cannot start or end with a hyphen. For the new tested IDNs (Internationalized Domain Names), the full range of Unicode characters are available. This allows nearly all of the languages on the planet to be represented within domain names, including Thai, Arabic, Lao, Hebrew, French, German etc.
Q2. How many characters can a Internet domain name have?
A: Generic domains (gTLDs) can have 63 characters in the second level, plus the top level domain, .com, .net etc.
Q3. How long can I register a Internet domain name for?
A: In most cases, you are allowed to register a Internet domain name for period of one to ten years. Longer periods are not currently allowed by the registry.
Q4. How long do Internet domain registrations take to make & process?
A: Typically ten minutes or so. Once you have chosen the name and paid the fee, most registration systems will register your name in near real-time.
Q5. Do I “own” a domain name I register?
A: Not really, it is more like a rental agreement. But importantly, you have the exclusive right to renew the agreement with the registry at the end of the initial registration period, so effectively you can keep the name as long as you want.
Q6. Why does my Internet domain name still show as unregistered in a WHOIS tool?
A: WHOIS tools are meant to show the nameserver / contact information for domain names held by a particular ICANN registrar. They are typical not updated in real-time and thus are not good indicators of current domain registration status.
Q7. How will I know if a Internet domain registration attempt has been successful?
A: WHOIS tool takes anything up to 48 hrs to be updated so can’t be relied on. A better indicator is whether you receive a confirmation e-mail from the domain registrar. You could also try registering the name again. By doing so, the registrar will do a “live” availability check on the name, which will indicate to you whether the name has been registered or not. This is not the same as a WHOIS look-up.
Q8. How long do domain names take to be active after registration?
A: Approximately 24 - 48 hrs, though because nameservers work as a distributed network, it can take up to 72 hrs or more before your domain name is accessible to all Internet users worldwide.
Q9. Can I register a Internet domain for later use?
A: There is no problem in registering domain names first, and using them later on. In fact, it is estimated that among 80% to 90% of all domain names are “idle”.
Q10. Can I get a refund if I make a mistake & register the wrong name?
A: Nearly all domain registrars operate a strict no refund policy. This is because they are charged a non-refundable fee by the registry to perform the registration.
John Leong is the webmaster at Internet Domain Registration Guide where you will find the latest news and information on domain name registration.
Many people today decide to follow a career in weddings.Becoming a wedding planner is actually something interesting and nice and it could truly be rewarding,if done in a proper way.A wedding planner career is financially and psychologically very rewarding indeed, and this explains why such high demand and interest in this career. As time goes by, it is very nice to see youngsters entering wedding agencies, instead of going to college or going after more traditional careers.
A wedding planner buildshis or her career, purely building a good reputation, delivering perfect weddings and making people happy.A wedding is a happy event, it’s an important day and it is fundamental that the wedding planner has the full trust of the couple who is getting married.This gives a tremendous power to word-of-mouth buzz,the most important marketing tool that a wedding planner has.It’s not easy to build a wedding planner career from scratch,but if things are done properly, it could be a wonderful journey.At first, probably things can be achieved only if collaborating with someone, who has done it before.But then, as experience is acquired.It is probably advisable to start your own firm and start to coordinate your weddings.
When you get to your final working hours you don’t have to take out your pension immediately. As a choice, you could well choose to suspend buying a retirement income until the age of 75 & if you do so you may well find you get an enhanced offer. It’s called income drawdown.
When you are aged between fifty and seventy five years old you are free to suspend the possession of your retirement annuity from your insurance corporation. Instead, you are able to remove as much as one-hundred-and-twenty percent of the retirement fund that could have been originally paid for by means of the Government Actuary rates, & leave the remaining savings invested for when you demand it. On your part, all you ought to do is to make certain that you purchase an annuity by the point you get to seventy-five.
Nevertheless, what would take place if you wanted to take the income draw down choice, and then passed away? If this did arise then your existing companion or those legally responsible would then get three choices: either receive a lump sum, following tax at 35%, or on the other hand keep on going with income removal, or getting an annuity with the financial investments. Your present wife or husband has until they get to sixty to put-off the possession of an annuity, but no benefits are payable in the intervening time.
Why get income drawdown? Well predominately because it could result in you earning an improved retirement settlement from your current pension by doing so. Secondly, you are able to decide exactly when you get the annuity, thus if you retire at a point in time when the annuity rates are considerable low, waiting could be a smarter option. If the residual funds mature as anticipated, then jointly with the reality that the annuity rates rise with age, you may ultimately be able to procure a larger pension than you might have secured originally. Find Independent Income Draw Down info at firstplacefinancial.co.uk.
Moreover, it also means that when you depart this world your next of kin or those responsible are secured economically, as they are properly entitled to the remaining stocks, as highlighted before.
Like all investments, there are hazards subsequently though. If asset performance on the remaining funds is below par, the extent of retirement salary provided can plummet. And it’s crucial to remember that there’s no promise that the pension acquired will ultimately be bigger than the figure that could have been obtained at the start.
I just got a position at a hospital, and I need to buy scrubs to wear while I am at work. Can anyone tell me where I can buy scrubs online? I would love to find out where I can go to get the best deal. I want to have enough of them that I can wear a different pair each day and do laundry just on the weekends. It would be nice if I could get them in cool colors or patterns, but my job requires me to have plain scrubs to match with those everyone else will be wearing.
I really need to get some more scrubs, and I was thinking that the easiest way to do this might be just to order them off the internet. Is it expensive to buy scrubs online? Can anyone recommend a good website where I will have a variety of different colors and styles to choose from? As long as I have to wear them, I might as well get something a bit different so that I don’t look the same as everyone else. Besides, I work with kids a lot and they like to see fun pictures on the scrubs rather than plain colors.
On the occasions you delivered the perfect strike; blocked without the need to think or performed a near flawless kata, did it feel difficult? Or did you get the sense it happened by itself? The ‘zone’ is a place where athletes describe this sort of experience. Studies suggest its a state of ‘effortless merging of action and awareness’. So what stops us from getting there? Factors such as stress or attempts to try harder can interfere. Often our efforts to train harder result in unnecessary muscular responses that prevent us reaching the effortless state of the zone.
How you perform a technique and how much effort you use depends on how you have done it before. The process of repeating a technique many times lays down the pattern at a subconscious level until it can be executed with minimal thought. But can you be sure that what you have learnt is the most efficient? Try these two experiments.
Experiment 1
1. Fold your arms and look to see which hand is tucked.
2. Now reverse the pattern, fold them the opposite way.
3. Notice the difference and your reaction to it.
The pattern in step 1 is your habitual ‘folding the arms’ programme that is activated without conscious thought and will feel familiar and comfortable. The pattern in step 2 requires some thought to achieve and will probably feel wrong, as this is different from your usual preference. This shows how strong the force of habit can be. Not only does it select the pattern of the movement in step 1 but also determines what feels right and wrong in relation to position and movement. There is nothing wrong with the pattern in step 2, but is it a move you would choose to do automatically? Probably not, because you will only perform movements that feel right. However, when you do what feels right you engage habitual movement patterns; those performed often enough to establish the habit.
Experiment 2
1. Sit on a chair and get ready to stand up.
2. Before you move, observe what preparations you want to make. Do you hold your breath? Do you push forward with the lower back and raise the chest? Do the muscles in your neck stiffen and pull back the head? Do you feel the need to push with your hands on your legs? Spend a little time to study this before attempting the next step.
3. Now try to stand up from the chair without doing what you have just noted (it may be necessary to ask someone to observe your actions to give you feedback). How far can you execute the move before one, or all of these patterns appear?
To successfully execute the last step can be difficult because the usual preparations you make are a part of your habitual ‘getting out of a chair’ program and are ready to go before you even begin to move. You would not attempt to start the move until the familiar conditions such as the sensation of muscle tension associated with the act are present. From a mechanical point of view the common actions mentioned in the second step actually reduce the efficiency of the movement. If your preparation and subsequent actions for this exercise are unnecessary, why do you do them?
Do the techniques of your martial art contain inefficient movements? Do they feel right because they are good or purely because they are a comfortable habit?
THE ZONE
It is my belief that our natural state is to be in the zone. Diligent practice of the martial arts can help us to experience this shift of consciousness. The zone is an altered state where things can happen with little or no perceived effort. In these moments our response appears to precede conscious thought and is executed near to perfection; right timing, right effort and entirely appropriate to the situation.
I am sure we have all experienced moments like this. For example, in one competition I scored ippon with a jodan mawashi geri to the side of my opponents exposed face. Afterwards my opponent congratulated me on my technique commenting he didn’t see it coming, to which I could honestly reply, “Neither did I”. I was only aware of the execution of the technique once my leg has started its recoil. Where had it come from? At some level my senses had registered the target, selected the most appropriate technique, fired it off, made the lightest of contact and started the recovery before I had become aware of it! This was probably my ‘finest hour’. But how can we be capable of such remarkable feats one moment and be totally incompetent the next - I lost the next round and was appallingly slow.
Whilst the patterns (techniques) residing at a subconscious level can be called upon with incredible speed and effectiveness, I believe this can only happen if we are in a balanced state. Another word for this is poise, this is not to be confused with posture. Poise is a state of totally appropriate activity, both at a muscular and ‘mental’ level. When we are in this state there is ‘optimum integration of the postural reflexes, consciousness and appropriate use of learnt patterns’. That is, we can get out of the way and let the processes just happen. Nerves, tension and stress will interfere with this process if we allow ourselves to react negatively to these situations such as stiffening the neck, an action that will impede the balance reflexes. Likewise, over-confidence has a similar affect of preventing the unity of self and action as, in my view, it will reduce our level of alertness and state of readiness. The ego really should be left at the door of the dojo!
So perhaps to heighten our chances of getting into the zone we need to focus on ‘being in the moment’. Only by being consciously aware of the moment or ‘the here and now’ can we ensure inappropriate muscular activity is not present in our actions. This takes time and involves going back to some very basic movements (pre-martial art techniques) such as everyday simple activities and zazen to experience a stillness and awareness that will help in more demanding activities.
Roy Palmer is a teacher of The Alexander Technique and has studied performance enhancement in sport for the last 10 years. In 2001 he published a book called ‘The Performance Paradox: Challenging the conventional methods of sports training and exercise’ and is currently working on a new project about The Zone. More information about his unique approach to training can be found at www.fitness-programs-for-life.com
