Bakersfield
Well-Known Member
I took Go Jo Ryu Karate Do as a kid. Our Sensei was old school, only taught in Japanese. Our sensei taught us to only fight once cornered with no choice but to defend ourselves. The pleasantries ended there, lol. He taught us to use every lethal karate maneuver known to the Japanese. He would laugh and say if a fight lasts more than 10 seconds, your just dancing.my dad taught martial arts for my whole life, and one thing I've found out (the hard way, sorta) was that learning how to defend yourself, albeit an excellent way to build confidence, self esteem, etc, it tends to do the same thing as getting a car and making it faster..
that is, it's sorta human nature to see HOW fast your car is..
or in this analogy, how good one is at combat.
I got expelled from three schools, suspended countless times, juvenile battery charge...
It's a fine-line..
the other thing that sticks out in my head is the part in the movie "Friday", sorta scary..
"kids these days are too afraid of takin an ass-whuppin"
Self-defense is a wonderful thing to know, but unless you're really disciplined, it's almost a sure-fire way to get in trouble. especially as a kid..
EDIT- I did want to make clear that I wasn't implying that your advice isn't good advice, just that often times the people learning self-defense aren't doin it to defend themselves, rather to make themselves better at fighting.
fine line between the two.
The little that I know of you, i'm sure you are responsible about all of it, but I think you are a quasi old-timer like me, no?
annnnnd age brings wisdom and mellowness.. annnd much lower testosterone levels!
It was an incredible experience!
In the future I'd like to learn Wing Chun Kung Fu, after sparring with a friend who knew a little Wing Chun disabled me in seconds with my Karate.