Samurai sword-wielding Mormon bishop comes to aid of woman being attacked

Stickgrappler · at 4/30/2013 11:00:00 AM

Here are 4 animated GIF's I made of the highlights of Michael Bisping vs Alan Belcher fight which took place this Saturday night at UFC 159 in New Jersey.

Congrats to Michael Bisping for the win.

Enjoy!

Stickgrappler · at 4/30/2013 10:59:00 AM

It was way past my bedtime late Saturday night (technically Sunday morning) when I made the 'real-time' animated GIF of Roy Nelson's KO of Cheick Kongo. Last night, I finally had time to make the GIF's of the slow-mo replay. A tummy rub as a bonus!

Congratulations on the KO win Roy Nelson!

A tummy rub as a bonus GIF for you all!

Enjoy!

For other Roy Nelson-related posts, please check out:

Stickgrappler · at 4/29/2013 11:00:00 AM

This entry concludes my celebration of Jet Li’s 50th birthday, I’m posting the full movies of the Once Upon A Time In China series, probably his best known series.

These full movies are in Cantonese with Spanish subtitles – can’t find an English dub or English subtitles version. However, the workaround is to click the “CC” icon (Closed Captioning) and select “Translate Captions” into your language of choice. I checked the English subs and it seems pretty accurate.

Enjoy!

Happy 50th Birthday Jet Li!!

In case you missed it, here are some of the earlier Jet Li birthday series entries:

For more information, please check out:

Stickgrappler · at 4/29/2013 10:59:00 AM

Continuing my celebration of Jet Li’s 50th birthday, I’m posting the full movies of the Once Upon A Time In China series, probably his best known. Jet plays Wong Fei-hung, one of the most famous historical Chinese martial artists.

These full movies are in Cantonese with Spanish subtitles – can’t find an English dub or English subtitles version. However, the workaround is to click the “CC” icon (Closed Captioning) and select “Translate Captions” into your language of choice. I checked the English subs and it seems pretty accurate.

NOTE: Due to a falling out between director Tsui Hark and leading man Jet Li, Vincent Zhao Wenzhuo (aka Chiu Man-cheuk) took over as Wong Fei-hung in #4-5. Posting for completeness sake of the series.

Enjoy!

Happy 50th Birthday Jet Li!!

In case you missed it, here are some of the earlier Jet Li birthday series entries:

For more information, please check out:

Stickgrappler · at 4/28/2013 11:00:00 AM

Continuing my celebration of Jet Li’s 50th birthday, I’m posting the full movies of the Once Upon A Time In China series.

These full movies are in Cantonese with Spanish subtitles – can’t find an English dub or English subtitles version. However, the workaround is to click the “CC” icon (Closed Captioning) and select “Translate Captions” into your language of choice. I checked the English subs and it seems pretty accurate.

NOTE: Due to a falling out between director Tsui Hark and leading man Jet Li, Vincent Zhao Wenzhuo (aka Chiu Man-cheuk) took over as Wong Fei-hung in #4-5. Posting for completeness sake of the series.

Enjoy!

Once Upon a Time In China 4 (1993)

Happy 50th Birthday Jet Li!!

In case you missed it, here are some of the earlier Jet Li birthday series entries:

For more information, please check out:

Stickgrappler · at 4/28/2013 10:59:00 AM

Continuing my celebration of Jet Li’s 50th birthday, I’m posting the full movies of the Once Upon A Time In China series, probably his best known. Jet plays Wong Fei-hung, one of the most famous historical Chinese martial artists.

These full movies are in Cantonese with Spanish subtitles – can’t find an English dub or English subtitles version. However, the workaround is to click the “CC” icon (Closed Captioning) and select “Translate Captions” into your language of choice. I checked the English subs and it seems pretty accurate.

Enjoy!

Once Upon a Time In China 3 (1993)

Happy 50th Birthday Jet Li!!

In case you missed it, here are some of the earlier Jet Li birthday series entries:

For more information, please check out:

Stickgrappler · at 4/28/2013 01:17:00 AM

Yesterday at UFC 159, Roy "Big Country" Nelson fought Cheick Kongo. Although I didn't post my prediction of the winner of this match to my blog, I did post to 2 forums. I predicted correctly, however, most people, if they picked the fighter I picked would predict the same technique.

SPOILERS

Please do not read further if you hate spoilers and haven't watched the fight yet. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Here's an animated GIF I made from the UFC 159 - Roy Country vs Cheick Kongo fight.

UFC 159 - Roy Country KO's Cheick Kongo with an Overhand Right

Enjoy!

NOTE: 4/30/13 EDIT - Check out the slow-mo replay animated GIF's of this KO:

UFC 159 - Roy Nelson vs Cheick Kongo (Multi-angled slow-mo replays)

For other Roy Nelson-related posts, please check out:

Stickgrappler · at 4/27/2013 11:00:00 AM

In celebration of Jet Li’s 50th birthday, I’m posting the full movies of the Once Upon A Time In China series, probably his best known. Jet plays Wong Fei-hung, one of the most famous historical Chinese martial artists.

These full movies are in Cantonese with Spanish subtitles – can’t find an English dub or English subtitles version. However, the workaround is to click the “CC” icon (Closed Captioning) and select “Translate Captions” into your language of choice. I checked the English subs and it seems pretty accurate.

Enjoy!

Once Upon a Time In China 2 (1992)

Happy 50th Birthday Jet Li!!

In case you missed it, here are some of the earlier Jet Li birthday series entries:

For more information, please check out:

Stickgrappler · at 4/27/2013 10:59:00 AM

In celebration of Jet Li’s 50th birthday, I’m posting the full movies of the Once Upon A Time In China series, probably his best known. Jet plays Wong Fei-hung, one of the most famous historical Chinese martial artists.

These full movies are in Cantonese with Spanish subtitles – can’t find an English dub or English subtitles version. However, the workaround is to click the “CC” icon (Closed Captioning) and select “Translate Captions” into your language of choice. I checked the English subs and it seems pretty accurate.

Enjoy!

Once Upon a Time In China 1 (1991)

Happy 50th Birthday Jet Li!!

In case you missed it, here are some of the earlier Jet Li birthday series entries:

For more information, please check out:

Stickgrappler · at 4/26/2013 03:18:00 PM

One of the latest movies from Jet Li: The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate. This is the full movie in Cantonese with Chinese/English subtitles. The plot is a little convoluted but my family and I were entertained by the fights and CGI.

Happy 50th Birthday Jet!!

In case you missed it, I posted Jet Li's debut movie:

Happy 50th Birthday Jet Li! (Full movie – Shaolin Temple)

For more information, please check out:

Stickgrappler · at 4/26/2013 03:13:00 PM

Enjoy Jet’s debut movie, posted here in full, Shaolin Temple (1982) dubbed in English.

Happy 50th Birthday Jet Li! Many more to come!!

For more information, please check out:

Stickgrappler · at 4/26/2013 11:00:00 AM

Check out this compilation video clip of 30 throws by Ronda Rousey:

Throws honed from a lifetime of Judo. Flawless technique!

Enjoy!

In case you missed it, check out Ronda Rousey armbarring Uriah Hall:

MMA: Ronda Rousey armbars Uriah Hall (Ego and Chain Wrestling)

Stickgrappler · at 4/25/2013 11:00:00 AM

... Karate! Check out this quote from Georges St. Pierre when he was on the Joe Rogan Experience.

Here's the quote:

"That's what I use for my takedown, the shoot, that people see, it's zero wrestling. It has nothing to do with my wrestling. My wrestling is once I get that leg, I'll finish the takedown. But how I get in and out is because of karate. People are like, ‘no way, Karate, no.' And I'm like, 'yes.' Karate allows me to cut the distance and take the people down. I have a very good single, a very good double and very good penetration. It's because of my leg, the way I do it, and the timing is because of my karate. I wrestle, too, but my karate is primary. Before I started wrestling, I was a karate guy pure."

Check out the full interview:

In case you missed these related GSP posts, please check out:

Stickgrappler · at 4/24/2013 11:00:00 AM

You don't read about this every day!

April 23, 2013: Kent Hendrix, 47, draws his sword near his house in Salt Lake City. Hendrix, a Samurai sword-wielding Mormon bishop came to the aid of a woman who was being attacked in front of his house. (AP)

Samurai sword-wielding Mormon bishop comes to aid of woman being attacked

Published April 23, 2013

A Samurai sword-wielding Mormon bishop helped a neighbor woman escape a Tuesday morning attack by a man who had been stalking her.

Kent Hendrix woke up Tuesday to his teenage son pounding on his bedroom door and telling him somebody was being mugged in front of their house. The 47-year-old father of six rushed out the door and grabbed the weapon closest to him -- a 29-inch high carbon steel Samurai sword.

He came upon what he describes as a melee between a woman and a man. His son stayed inside to call 911 while he approached the man along with other neighbors who came to help. The martial arts instructor didn't hesitate in drawing the sword and yelling at him to get on the ground.

"His eyes got as big as saucers and he kind of gasped and jumped back," Hendrix said by phone Tuesday afternoon. "As he was coming through the fence, this is where I drew down on him and told him to get down on the ground," Hendrix told Fox13Now.com. He continued, "he was staring down 29 inches of razor."

The man ran down the street with the barefoot Hendrix and others in pursuit. Hendrix said he couldn't catch the man before he fled in his car, but he picked up ChapStick that the man dropped and memorized his license plate.

"I yelled at him, `I've got your DNA and I've got your license plate: You are so done,"' Hendrix said.

The suspect, 37-year-old Grant Eggersten, turned himself in to police an hour later, said Unified Police Lt. Justin Hoyal. He was booked on charges of robbery, attempted burglary, trespassing and violation of a stalking injunction.

Hendrix, a pharmaceutical statistician, was one of several neighbors who came to the woman's aid after she began yelling for help, Hoyal said.

The incident began just after 7 a.m. when the 35-year-old woman came out of her front door, Hoyal said. Eggersten was hiding behind her carport and attacked her, knocking her to the ground, Hoyal said.

He took her keys and tried to open the door into her house, Hoyal said. That's when the woman ran down the street calling for help.

The woman did the right thing by fighting back and calling for help, Hoyal said. She suffered minor injuries.

Hendrix, a bishop in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said it was the first time in 30 years of practicing martial arts that he's used the sword. He didn't swing it at the man, only showing him he had it.

He said he's proud of his 14-year-old son for alerting him and quickly calling 911. He said the family is still abuzz about the events.

"That kind of thing doesn't happen every day," Hendrix said. "Our neighborhood is a pretty quiet place."

A fourth-degree black belt in the Kishindo form of martial arts, Hendrix owns a collection of swords and weapons that he trains with, said his wife, Suzanne Hendrix. He has trained with the sword he used Tuesday for 20 years and keeps it by his bed.

"Some people have bats they go to," said Hendrix. "I have my sword."

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Copied from http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/04/23/samurai-sword-wielding-mormon-bishop-comes-to-aid-woman-being-attacked/

Stickgrappler · at 4/23/2013 11:00:00 AM

Long range Lameco ABC
Short range Inosanto ABC
Applications: Long range

force to force
follow to force
Gunting

Drill: 1-8 angles

Right handed
Left handed follow the same angles
Both hands together
right/left free lancing

Self defense: Knife in throat

Palm down strip
palm up strip

Deepest gratitude to Guro Ben Fajardo for the share.

In case you missed the earlier posts in this Lameco Eskrima series, please check out:

Stickgrappler · at 4/22/2013 09:52:00 AM

April 22, 2013 8:44 AM

BOSTON (AP) — Seven days after the Boston Marathon bombings, the city planned to mark the traumatic week with mournful silence and a return to its bustling commute.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has asked residents to observe a moment of silence at 2:50 p.m. Monday, the time the first of the two bombs exploded near the finish line. Bells will ring across the city and state after the minute-long tribute to the victims.

Many Boston residents were heading back to workplaces and schools for the first time since a dramatic week came to an even more dramatic end. Traffic was building on major arteries into the city Monday morning.

Authorities on Friday had made the unprecedented request that residents stay at home during the manhunt for suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. He was discovered that evening hiding in a boat covered by a tarp in suburban Watertown. His older brother Tamerlan was earlier killed during a furious getaway attempt.

“It’s surreal,” said Barbara Alton, as she walked her dog along Newbury Street. “But I feel like things are starting to get back to normal.”

In another sign of progress, city officials said they are beginning the process of reopening to the public the six-block site around the bombing that killed three people and wounded more than 180. The announcement came Sunday, a day when people could still watch investigators at the crime scene work in white jumpsuits.

Tsarnaev remained hospitalized and unable to speak, with a gunshot wound to the throat. He was expected to be charged by federal authorities. The 19-year-old also is likely to face state charges in connection with the fatal shooting of MIT police officer Sean Collier in Cambridge, said Stephanie Guyotte, a spokeswoman for the Middlesex District Attorney’s office.

A private funeral was scheduled Monday for Krystle Campbell, a 29-year-old restaurant worker killed in the blasts. A memorial service will be held that night at Boston University for 23-year-old Lu Lingzi, a graduate student from China.

City churches on Sunday paused to mourn the dead as the city’s police commissioner said the two suspects had such a large cache of weapons that they were probably planning other attacks.

After the two brothers engaged in a gun battle with police early Friday, authorities found many unexploded homemade bombs at the scene, along with more than 250 rounds of ammunition.

Police Commissioner Ed Davis said the stockpile was “as dangerous as it gets in urban policing.”

“We have reason to believe, based upon the evidence that was found at that scene — the explosions, the explosive ordnance that was unexploded and the firepower that they had — that they were going to attack other individuals. That’s my belief at this point.” Davis told CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

On “Fox News Sunday,” he said authorities cannot be positive there are not more explosives somewhere that have not been found. But the people of Boston are safe, he insisted.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his 26-year-old brother, Tamerlan, the suspects in the twin bombings that killed three people and wounded more than 180, are ethnic Chechens from southern Russia. The motive for the bombings remained unclear.

Sen. Dan Coats of Indiana, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the surviving brother’s throat wound raised questions about when he will be able to talk again, if ever.

The wound “doesn’t mean he can’t communicate, but right now I think he’s in a condition where we can’t get any information from him at all,” Coats told ABC’s “This Week.”

It was not clear whether Tsarnaev was shot by police or inflicted the wound himself.

In the final standoff with police, shots were fired from the boat, but investigators have not determined where the gunfire was aimed, Davis said.

In an interview with The Associated Press, the parents of Tamerlan Tsarnaev insisted Sunday that he came to Dagestan and Chechnya last year to visit relatives and had nothing to do with the militants operating in the volatile part of Russia. His father said he slept much of the time.

A lawyer for Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s wife told the AP Sunday night that federal authorities have asked to speak with her, and that he is discussing with them how to proceed.

Attorney Amato DeLuca said Katherine Russell Tsarnaev did not suspect her husband of anything, and that there was no reason for her to have suspected him. He said she had been working 70 to 80 hours, seven days a week, as a home health care aide. While she was at work, her husband cared for their toddler daughter, he said.

The younger Tsarnaev could be charged any day. The most serious charge available to federal prosecutors would be the use of a weapon of mass destruction to kill people, which carries a possible death sentence. Massachusetts does not have the death penalty.

Across the rattled streets of Boston, churches opened their doors to remember the dead and ease the grief of the living.

At the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in South Boston, photographs of the three people killed in the attack and a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer slain Thursday were displayed on the altar, each face illuminated by a glowing white pillar candle.

“I hope we can all heal and move forward,” said Kelly McKernan, who was crying as she left the service. “And obviously, the Mass today was a first step for us in that direction.”

A six-block segment of Boylston Street, where the bombs were detonated, remained closed Sunday. But Mayor Thomas Menino said Sunday that once the scene is released by the FBI, the city will follow a five-step process, including environmental testing and a safety assessment of buildings. The exact timetable was uncertain.

Boston’s historic Trinity Church could not host services Sunday because it was within the crime scene, but the congregation was invited to worship at the Temple Israel synagogue instead. The FBI allowed church officials a half-hour Saturday to go inside to gather the priests’ robes, the wine and bread for Sunday’s service.

Trinity’s Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III offered a prayer for those who were slain “and for those who must rebuild their lives without the legs that they ran and walked on last week.”

“So where is God when the terrorists do their work?” Lloyd asked. “God is there, holding us and sustaining us. God is in the pain the victims are suffering, and the healing that will go on. God is with us as we try still to build a just world, a world where there will not be terrorists doing their terrible damage.”

Near the crime scene, Dan and Keri Arone were pushing their 11-week-old daughter in a stroller when they stopped along Newbury Street, a block from the bombing site. Wearing his bright blue marathon jacket, Dan Arone said he had crossed the finish line 40 minutes before the explosions.

The Waltham, Mass., couple visited the area to leave behind pairs of their running shoes among the bouquets of flowers, hand-written signs and other gifts at a makeshift memorial on Boylston Street, near the police barriers.

“I thought maybe we’d somehow get some closure,” Dan Arone said of leaving behind the sneakers. “But I don’t feel any closure yet.”

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was tracing the suspects’ weapons to try to determine how they were obtained.

Neither of the brothers had permission to carry a gun. Cambridge Police Commissioner Robert Haas said it was unclear whether either of them ever applied for a gun permit, and the applications are not considered public records.

But the younger brother would have been denied a permit based on his age alone. Only people 21 or older are allowed gun licenses in Massachusetts.

Meanwhile, surgeons at a Cambridge hospital said the Boston transit police officer wounded in a shootout with the suspects had lost nearly all his blood, and his heart had stopped from a single gunshot wound that severed three major blood vessels in his right thigh.

Richard Donohue, 33, was in critical but stable condition. He is sedated and on a breathing machine but opened his eyes, moved his hands and feet and squeezed his wife’s hand Sunday.
___
Associated Press writer Meghan Barr and national reporter Allen G. Breed in Boston, and writer Michelle R. Smith in Providence, R.I., contributed to this report.

Copied from http://boston.cbslocal.com/2013/04/22/moment-of-silence-at-250-pm-to-mark-boston-marathon-bombings/

Stickgrappler · at 4/21/2013 11:00:00 AM

Pie-pie: broken strikes
Ikis X single strikes
H-L single strikes
H-L-H single strike
Babas - Backhand-forehand-low backhand- High forehand- Low backhand-High forehand, High backhand-high forehand
Heaven
Hit the baby H-L-H
Sumbrada roof 6
Combiata "Quick switch" 1-2 both sides
Combiata double elevator ride

Deepest gratitude to Guro Ben Fajardo for the share.

In case you missed the earlier posts in this Lameco Eskrima series, please check out:

Stickgrappler · at 4/20/2013 11:00:00 AM

Deepest thanks to Hock Hochheim for the find!

"You see Jerry, the problem with karate is that it's based on the ridiculous assumption that the other guy will fight fair!"
~ Jim Rockford "The Rockford Files"

After pouring soap on the floor and using a roll of quarters to knock a guy out that tried to karate kick him. (thanks to Tony Torres for finding this quote...)

There's a message in this methinks :)

Stickgrappler · at 4/19/2013 11:00:00 AM

Today marks the 44th Birthday of Shannon Lee! Happy Birthday Shannon! May this most blessed of days have everything go your way! Many more to come!!

Check out her action movie, Enter the Eagles:

Enjoy!

Stickgrappler · at 4/19/2013 08:00:00 AM

FBI released photos of Boston Marathon Bombings suspects. The man in the black hat is dead during a ~1AM shootout; manhunt for Supect #2 in the white hat is ongoing.

Police: One Boston bombing suspect dead, another on the run

By Michael Pearson and Ben Brumfield, CNN

updated 7:50 AM EDT, Fri April 19, 2013

(CNN) -- Police sealed off densely populated portions the Boston metro area early Friday after a violent night chasing the Boston Marathon terror suspects left one of the men and a police officer dead.

Police ordered businesses in the suburb of Watertown and nearby communities to stay closed and told residents to stay inside and answer the door for no one but authorities. The subway and Amtrak train systems have been shut down. Every Boston area school is closed.

"It's jarring," said CNN Belief blog writer Danielle Tumminio, who lives in Watertown.

Boston's public transit authority sent city buses to Watertown to evacuate residents while bomb experts comb the surroundings for possible explosives.

Police shot one of the men dead after a wild car chase through Watertown in which authorities say they hurled explosives at pursuing officers.

Police believe the men are the same ones pictured in images released Thursday by the FBI as suspects in the marathon bombing that killed three people Monday.

The men are shown in the images walking together near the finish line of the marathon.

The first suspect, the one believed killed by police, appears in the images wearing a dark hat, sunglasses and wearing a backpack. The second suspect, wearing a white cap, is the one who remains at large, police said.

That man has a name that is common among people from the North Caucasus, a source with knowledge of the investigation said Friday. That region includes the breakaway Russian republic of Chechnya.

Police warned Watertown residents to lock their homes and stay away from their windows and doors.

Federal, state and local law officers are swarming through the Boston suburb of Watertown, going door-to-door to track him down, said transit police spokesman Paul MacMillan.

Police officers in full body armor, carrying automatic weapons, flooded the area.

"This situation is grave." Massachusetts Police Col. Timothy Alben said. "This is a very serious situation that we are dealing with."

The violence began late Thursday in Cambridge, across the Charles River from Boston, with the fatal shooting of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer while he sat in his car late Thursday, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office said in statement. Police believe the bombing suspects were responsible for the shooting.

The same two suspects according to authorities, then hijacked a car at gunpoint in Cambridge. They released the driver a half-hour later at a gas station.

As police picked up the chase, the car's occupants threw explosives out the windows and shot at officers, according to the district attorney's office.

Officers fired back, wounding one of the men, possibly the person identified by the FBI as "suspect number 1," who is seen in the images released Thursday in a dark cap, sunglasses and wearing a black backpack.

The man died at Beth Israel Hospital. He had bullet wounds and injuries from an explosion, according to officials. The second man apparently escaped on foot.

A transit system police officer was also seriously injured in the incident and taken to a hospital. The officer's condition was not immediately known.

CNN photographer Gabe Ramirez arrived in Watertown as the chase ended.

"Police were in a standoff with the vehicle just down the hill," Ramirez said. They ordered one suspect out and commanded him to strip down completely naked before putting him in a patrol car, which did not leave the scene.

The man was later released and is not a suspect in the case.

But while the man was being held, FBI agents approached the squad car, and police ordered the man back out of the car. FBI agents questioned him -- still fully undressed -- on the sidewalk.

In an early phase of the lock down, a man could be seen lying face down on the street with his hands outstretched in front of him and his legs crossed. It is unclear whether this was the man who was arrested and ordered to undress.

CNN's Terence Burke, Dave Alsup, Carma Hassan, Jake Tapper, Drew Griffin, Steve Almasy and Chandler Friedman contributed to this report.

Copied from http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/19/us/boston-area-violence/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Stickgrappler · at 4/18/2013 11:00:00 AM

This season's The Ultimate Fighter had Ronda Rousey come on and give Team Sonnen a few pointers. Check her out vs. Uriah Hall.

Rousey's comments:

A lot of the guys I roll with, I call it "testosterone poisoning"—where I get a couple of [moves] on them and they try to rough me up back because they get frustrated.

[Team Sonnen] kept their composure and it's a quality that's very valuable in fighters. If you can't keep your composure in practice against some chick, if you're in a ring with some dude swinging at your head, you're not going keep your composure there, y'know?

Some comments on the vidclip from 2 friends:

Excerpted from Spladdle Forum on which my friend Joe Silvia aka "Ausgepicht" wrote on the Martial side of the vidclip:

She does something that EVERYONE should be doing. They even talk about it. Everyone knows it, but few actually practice it: chain wrestle. It's the whole point of taking up martial arts, isn't it? Using technique to overcome someone bigger, stronger, and faster. Otherwise, why take martial arts? The height of martial arts is being so far above your opponent technically that he is out of his/her element even if bigger, stronger and faster.

If your opponent is in a situation, where he doesn't understand the territory....you are chaining a,g,h,e and his experience is a,a or a,b then he's f*cked. You want to be Neil De Grasse Tyson discussing dark energy and actual equations in a class of 6th graders discussing the solar system.

We actively work on this stuff at Hematoma. We A,B,X drills, pioneer drills, exploratory drills, root drills, primary drills, and often I will present a problem to everyone and based on the PRINCIPLES they have been taught, they have to dialogue and play to find the solution. I may drop hints in the form of QUESTIONS, but don't really play a role. I want people to find solutions that work for THEM. I want them to develop sport reading and being attentive to the MOMENT not a combo they learned in a strict manner. I want to be alive.

Ronda excels at this. You think the solution is to power out of it, to smash and mush. This works GREAT against beginner's and intermediate fighters, but once your technique is chain wrestling is off the charts, the only solution is a technical one.

My friend "jonwell" wrote on the Ego/Social/Sub-conscious side of the vidclip:

She's REALLY GOOD, on any scale. And it's going to take guys a long time to figure that out. Uriah was very respectful in the interview but on the mat he still couldn't resist the jokes that I'm sure Rhonda has heard 1,000,001 times now. It's self effacing yes, and I know he meant no harm, but he and his coaches and the spot in general were all focused on the disbelief of what happened.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If Male Judo Gold Medalist And UFC Champion showed up and tore threw the TUF cast it wouldn't be worthy of comment, in fact it happens all the time. "It was great to train with George (or wev) cuz he's the best and he showed us some great stuff." It's an event when Rhonda does it because it's not considered normal for women to compete athletically with men.

And ya, like I said, I know he was kidding. But there's still a difference between the jokes you hear when Male Champion shows up and when Rhonda shows up. I'm not saying Uriah is a jerk or anything, he seems very nice and genuinely respectful. This is a comment on more deeply ingrained misogyny, something you don't even notice unless you look for it or experience it (like Rhonda obviously does when she talks about testosterone poisoning).

For related concepts see, "It's not racist to say that Asians are good at math because it's a compliment!" (It's still racist.)

Food for thought from both Ausgepicht and jonwell! My sincerest thanks to them for their insightful comments.

Stickgrappler · at 4/17/2013 11:00:00 AM

Here's another entry in my "The Balisong Knife in Movies" series. I'm looking to make Animated GIF's of any movie or TV show that has Balisong usage.

Today's Animated GIF is from the awesome Korean 2006 movie, City of Violence. My review forthcoming.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming ... "Leader" is flipping the balisong albeit not as smoothly as can be.

In case you missed previous entries in this series:

The Balisong Knife in Movies: Nice Dreams (1981)

More to come!

If you know of any usage of the Balisong knife in movies and/or TV, please let me know. Thank you in advance.

Mabuhay ang Balisong!!

Stickgrappler · at 4/16/2013 11:00:00 AM

The kukri knife (also spelled khukuri) can be reliably traced back to the 17th century, when the Gorkhas used it for cutting meat and vegetables, digging holes, hacking branches and other odd jobs. Some historians insist it dates back further — perhaps as much as 1,000 years, according to one temple drawing in India — but there’s a lot of disagreement.

What isn’t disputed is the existence of an early kukri knife that belonged to Drabya Shah, the king of Gorkha, in 1627. Why isn’t it disputed? Because that kukri knife lives in the collection of the Arsenal Museum in Katmandu, Nepal.

In 1742 Prithvi Narayan Shan became king of Gorkha. Although his army was small, he was ambitious, and in 1768 he became the first king of Nepal. His victory is attributed, in part, to the fact that his troops were armed with kukri. From that point on, members of the Nepalese military carried the feared fighting blades.

In 1948, Padma Shamsher Janga Bahadur Rana, prime minister and supreme commander of Nepal, wrote: “The kukri is the national as well as religious weapon of the Gorkhas. It is incumbent on a Gorkha to carry it while awake and to place it under the pillow when retiring.”

The Construction of the Kukri Knife

The kukri knife strategically balances weight, size and shape to complement the movement of the user. During the 19th century, Nepalese models of the kukri knife were made with a notch cut into the blade just in front of the handle. It’s been suggested that it was used to intercept enemy blades or to keep blood from flowing onto the handle, thus making it less slippery. Other theories refer to Hindu depictions of sex organs and representations of the cow’s hoof.

Because they were intended to be used hard, most historical kukri blades weren’t decorated, except possibly with some simple floral engravings along the spine or symbols from the armory where they originated. Better blades were hollow ground with one, two or three fullers (grooves).

The kukri knife comes in a variety of lengths, with the average being from 14 inches to 16 inches. The kukri knife can be up to 30 inches long, but such models are more ceremonial than combative. Example: At the Hindu festival of Dashain, large kukri knives are used to execute bulls. A one-stroke decapitation means good luck and well-being for the people in attendance.

The blades come in two varieties with respect to tangs. The rattail tang runs to the end of the handle, narrowing as it goes. The end is peened over to secure the handle in place. The other type has a full flat tang that extends to the tip of the weapon and is as wide as the handle, thus making it the stronger of the two designs. It uses steel rivets to attach the handgrip. A pommel plate or butt cap is usually fitted over the end.

Kukri knife handles are made of local wood — walnut, chandan or sisnal — or sometimes water-buffalo horn. Fancier models are made of brass, ivory or even rhino horn. In the distant past, handles were curved, but modern versions are usually straight.

The scabbard is made of two pieces of wood that are covered with leather derived from a goat, water buffalo or elephant. In olden days, the scabbard didn’t have any features that allowed it to be attached to a belt, which meant the kukri knife was usually carried stuck in its owner’s sash. Later, hardware was added so the weapon could be attached to a belt.

Located near the throat of the scabbard are two pockets that hold smaller knives, called karda and chakmak. The karda is a utility knife, and the chakmak is a blunt tool that’s used to sharpen the kukri blade and make sparks from a flint. Early scabbards also had a leather pouch for carrying a small survival kit.

How the Kukri Knife Is Used

The kukri knife can be used to smash, slash or stab. For smashing, the butt of the handle, the flat side of the blade or the spine is used. For slashing, the edge of the blade is used, and for stabbing … well, duh.

Because of the weight of the kukri knife, a moderate smack to the skull can cause dizziness or unconsciousness. The curvature and weight of the blade facilitate slashing to such an extent that even a weak stroke will slice the skin.

A stronger stroke can cut muscle and bone. A moderate-power stab can puncture the skin and sever blood vessels, while a more committed attack can easily cause death.

The Kukri Knife in Battle

The design of the kukri knife screams close-quarters combat, which is why the Gorkhas became enamored with it. Records from 1824 tell how a fierce hand-to-hand battle took place between a Gorkha unit under Frederick Shore and Capt. Frederick Young and a band of armed robbers who’d seized a fort at Koonja. The Gorkhas destroyed their enemies with their kukri knives.

When Gorkhas were given leave to visit their families, they naturally packed their kukri because of the dangers — both two-legged and four-legged — they inevitably faced on the way home. In one account, a man named Ajamlal Rai was on his way to Darjeeling when he was attacked by a leopard. The animal mangled his left hand, but he managed to kill it.

When asked how he escaped, he told an official he didn’t have time to unsheathe his kukri knife, but he gave the animal such a hard blow that the scabbard split open. Despite his injury, Ajamlal skinned the leopard and brought back the head, which he gave to the officer. He was financially rewarded for his bravery.

Fast-forward to the 21st century: The kukri knife is still used as a backup weapon for soldiers in war zones. It’s also carried by civilians concerned with protecting themselves on the streets. Even though much more advanced weaponry is available, the people of Nepal are still comfortable and confident carrying their kukri knife.

How to Get Your Own Kukri Knife

It’s no surprise that Cold Steel ^[2], with its reputation for razor-sharp blades of every possible design, sells several versions of the fabled kukri knife. Among the company’s current offerings are:

Gurkha Kukri in VG-1 San Mai III (steel) ^[3], 12-inch blade, Secure-Ex sheath, $699.99 (pictured above)
Gurkha Kukri ^[4], carbon steel, 12-inch blade, Secure-Ex sheath, $314.99
Two Handed Kukri Machete ^[5], carbon steel, 13-inch blade, 20.75-inch handle, $36.99
Magnum Kukri Machete With Sheath ^[6], 17-inch blade, Cordura sheath, $33.99
Kukri Machete With Sheath ^[6], 13-inch blade, Cordura sheath, $28.99

About the Author:

Shuny Bee is a freelance writer and martial artist who comes from Nepal. He now lives in Portland, Oregon. For more information, visit beemartialarts.com

Copied from http://www.blackbeltmag.com/

For further info, please check out author Shuny Bee's articles in Black Belt Magazine Jan 2013 edition.

Other entries in this Gurkha/Kukri Spotlight series:

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