“Interrupt your opponent’s force before he generates it.”

“It makes no sense to train your solo forms in school with others. There are better way to train in school. Some CMA guys just don’t understand the difference between school work and homework.”

“If every training session you push yourself so hard that you hate to do it again than that will not be good. You should stop your training when you feel great and you still want to continue but you force yourself to stop. This way you always look forward to the next training section.”

“The opening that you can “see” may not be true opening. It’ could be a trap – raise guard to invite a kick, drop guard to invite a punch. The opening that you can “feel” will be the true opening. This is why one needs to build up bridge (making leg/arm contact) before futher commitment.”

“How do you expect a girl to go to bed with you if you never say ‘I love you’? You say ‘I love you.’ She says ‘I love you too’. Then you get to say ‘Good, let’s go to bed!’ That is using and then borrowing force. First, you give, then you take.”

“What’s my style? ……My style is the style that can beat the shit out of you!”

Miles had read it too and remembered the story about the “dinky little poke” which was this “secret technique” where a precise shot (aimed thru hit up thru chin to cerebullum?) would rattle the brain and cause KOs. The book also has a neat one about someone weaponized breath and one with a Kiai master.
[mind you in the book the guy gives a very powerful exhalation that stuns the consciousness of the author of the book, not this humming]

“The Tao Of Tai Chi Chuan – Way To Rejuvenation” by Master Jou Tsung Hwa

One night, as I practiced Tai Chi Chuan, I saw the crescent moon rise. Suddenly, I understood the connection Chang San-Feng made: the back of the hand is yang, the palm is yin. As the hand turns, a crescent of yang appears. We have two hands, so they must match one another like the relationship between the sun and the moon.

From this I was able to recognise that the pa kua, representing eight phases of cyclical change, is the key to the torso method in Tai Chi Chuan.

The master key to the art of Pa Kua is the circular arrangement of the eight trigrams. Practitioners may imitate circular walking, but they must understand the eight trigrams for their art to truely be “Pa Kua”. The master key to Hsing-I is the relation of the five elements in each movement.

But all of us, whether we train in martial arts or not, do battle daily with some of our worst enemies: depletion of energy, ageing, illness, aches and pains, lack of direction, lack of concentration, stubbornness, laziness, and other ailments and negative proclivities of the human condition. Against these enemies, MMAs can’t hold a candle to TMAs—particularly the internal martial arts. Anyone who doesn’t believe this should watch the movies Requiem for a Heavyweight or The Wrestler. Both are realistic portrayals of the toll that ring combat sports take on the human body and spirit. Or, if you need real-life examples, think of Muhammad Ali, whose Parkinson’s Disease was probably caused by too many blows to the head or Mickey Rourke, star of The Wrestler, disfigured and also the recipient of too many head strikes, forcing him to retire from the ring and return to acting (thank goodness!). Then afterward, watch any YouTube video of traditional martial arts masters in their seventies and eighties who move as if they are decades younger than their calendar ages. To put it another way, the “broken-down pug” is a well-known stereotype for a reason, but how may of us have an image of the “broken-down karateka,” or, even more ludicrous, “the broken-down tai chi chuanist?”

This guy (Morihei Ueshiba – founder of Aikido) is 85!

Here is a video with him using bokken and jo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i27obVRzIPc

The first level of practice is called “Icy Woman.” At this level we develop a root so that when pushed the opponent’s force is directed through our body down to the ground. As the Icy Woman’s structure improves she is able to keep this rooted quality continuously during dynamic movement. If played as a game, both people will try to keep even pressure on their opponent’s root. The moment the pressure is broken either partner can move to sever their opponent’s root. The game can also be won root-to-root. In this case each person uses a blend of twisting, wrapping, expanding and condensing to improve the integration of their root. Root against root, the better root will win.
…
The second level of practice is called “Watery Woman.” At this level it is necessary to become weak. If played as a game, the goal is to try and find some ice in your opponent. Ice is either structure or rootedness. The Watery Woman does not attempt to compete structure-against-structure nor does she try to uproot her opponent. She gives up rootedness and structure for fluid movement and weight. The Watery Woman sloshes her weight in and around her opponent, she only wins when her opponent makes a mistake–the mistake of becoming icy.
…
The third level of practice is called “Steamy Woman.” At this level her body becomes cloud-like. Empty and full at the same time. When the Steamy Woman meets ice or water in her opponents she simply floats them out of the way. Her mind is not on her body at all, but all around it at play with the elements of volume, momentum, and density. Inside a steam-like feeling moves around freely without regard to purpose or concept. Like a cloud, it has no agenda. Outside the game is played by the shifts and swirls of presence.

1.   Butting with the head.
2.   Eye gouging of any kind.
3.   Biting.
4.   Hair pulling.
5.   Fish hooking.
6.   Groin attacks of any kind.
7.   Putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or laceration on an opponent.
8.   Small joint manipulation.
9.   Striking to the spine or the back of the head.
10. Striking downward using the point of the elbow.
11. Throat strikes of any kind, including, without limitation, grabbing the trachea.
12. Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh.
13. Grabbing the clavicle.
14. Kicking the head of a grounded opponent.
15. Kneeing the head of a grounded opponent.
16. Stomping a grounded opponent.
17. Kicking to the kidney with the heel.
18. Spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or neck.
19. Throwing an opponent out of the ring or fenced area.

Wow, it’s like a Rosetta stone for defending yourself against an MMA-trained mugger.  In actuality, the above is a list of the fouls that the UFC  prohibits because they’re too harmful to the fighters.  I’ve been thinking about self-defense (as opposed to dueling) lately.  Some of the above goes beyond what’s legally acceptable for self-defense. But turn it around — how do you defend against these things? Hair pulling, back attacks, slamming into walls, and stomping are all standard procedure for crackhead muggers, street thugs, and other predators. The fouls later in the list are also thought-provoking:

20. Holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent. (using their clothing against them; grab their sleeves, collar, pants legs.)
21. Spitting at an opponent. (as a distraction?)
23. Holding the ropes or the fence.   (using the environment as a shield or weapon)
24. Using abusive language in the ring or fenced area.  (intimidation, psychological assault)
29. Timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury.   (elusiveness, trickery, running the fuck away like a smart guy)
30. Interference by the corner. (If you’re male, you’ll never get jumped by just one person.)

It’s interesting to track the evolution of the UFC rules.

(* I swear the UFC created rule #7 especially for Forrest Griffin; in his book he recommends a technique he calls “The Asian Dart”, where you… ugh, no, it’s too nasty, I’ll spare you the details.)

Achilles glared at him and answered, “Fool, prate not to me about covenants. There can be no covenants between men and lions, wolves and lambs can never be of one mind, but hate each other out and out an through. Therefore there can be no understanding between you and me, nor may there be any covenants between us, till one or other shall fall and glut grim Mars with his life’s blood. Put forth all your strength; you have need now to prove yourself indeed a bold soldier and man of war. You have no more chance, and Pallas Minerva will forthwith vanquish you by my spear: you shall now pay me in full for the grief you have caused me on account of my comrades whom you have killed in battle.”

http://classics.mit.edu/Homer/iliad.22.xxii.html
An interesting note is that Achilles is helped (cheats? no such thing) by Minerva who gives him a second spear, with which he overcomes the swordbearing Hector.

Two of Randy’s co-workers had decided to settle their differences with a little fisticuffs. The morning had started poorly and by the afternoon the little verbal barbs had escalated into full-on “F-bombs” going both ways. It had become personal and the fight was on. In one part of the client’s back yard the two squared off; on one side of the small patch of lawn there was Ed, a fifty-year-old U.S. Navy veteran, and on the other side, Don, a twenty-one-year-old buck just ready to go.

Randy said they squared off fists up like boxers and Ed threw the first blow: a steel-toed construction boot kick to Don’s right shin. Don went down as Ed just stood there and let the twenty-one-year-old get back to his feet. “That’s not fair! We’re boxing!” yelled Don. “OK,” said Ed, “We’ll just box now.” They squared up again, hands held up ready to box. Pow! Ed delivered the first strike again: another steel-toed boot to Don’s same shin. Don went down and didn’t get back up to continue the fight.

Ed, the fifty-year-old U.S. Navy man could have jumped on Don when he was on the ground, but he didn’t. There was no point in doing that; Ed had made his point and order was restored on the job site.

Ed had lied to Don, and Don foolishly believed him.

Rules…yeah.