The Beautiful, Deadly Dance

[Divine Justice]

I am a dancer.

When I say dancer, I don't mean that I am into ballet or that kind of stuff. I use the term loosely. What I mean to say is that I am a martial artist in real life. Specifically I have been practicing Shotokan-ryu for a little over two and a half years now (Shotokan-ryu is one of the four "main" divisions of Karate from Japan and Okinawa, although there are many forms), and I am also a freestyle practitioner of Kendo for two years (my parents gave me a bokken, or wooden sword, for Christmas one year and I have practiced with it daily ever since).

All martial arts to me are a sort of combative dance. One mustn't simply "perform" the techniques given to them. They must put everything of their being into every technique and movement while not tensing up. One must be relaxed while letting their ki flow out to defend against an opponent.

Please don't think I'm bragging, but my dojo isn't one of the types that is more about just building confidence rather than combat ability. At mine, it's the old ways of training. We train rigorously every time. We never do full contact strikes, but we do practice real life situations, train with weapons, joint locks, pressure points, and particularly dangerous techniques that are not to be used except in lethal situations.

There are no contracts, and there are no advertisements or chains of the dojo. My Sensei is not a "master", nor a tenth degree. Heck, belt color means nothing. In real martial arts, nobody is a "master", only a teacher.

My Sensei is very small and slender. You wouldn't think much of her if you saw her. However if you trained with her, she is tough as nails. I guess that's why I'm so fond of her and regard her as a true Sensei.

Please forgive me for being so long winded. I do hope I did not sound histrionic, but this is the true and most beautiful dance. It doesn't matter what form of combat it is. Combat is a dance. Karate, Taekwondo, Capoeira (which is literally a dance as well), Fencing, you name it, it's beautiful.

So now I ask my question at last: Are there any other dancers (martial artists) on the board?

[Circe]

Sorry, not me.

Good luck to ya !
:-)

[Spankofox]

I studied judo for a little while as well as Iaido, American Boxing and Muay Thai.
I do not study in a dojo anymore because I cannot afford it. However, I do train freestyle and with my friends who are also martial artists. From working with them I have learned some San Soo, Bok Fu, and Brazilian JuJutsu. I've never thought of the martial arts that I perform to be a dance, but perhaps thats because most of them are competative and theres always some guy trying to wail on me in practice. But I'm glad that there are other martial artists in the community.

[RobM]

I did Phillipino Kali for a while, almost a year added as an extra module to my Jeet Kwon Do. Kali is the thick fighting sticks. I did one and two stick combat and polearms - which are two handed staffs with a plastic spatula at the end for poking (A real weapon would have a sharp end, like Seung Mina's weapon from Soul Calibre).
That looked good to perform, there were these 30+ move attacks which involve making attacks with both left and right hands in looping spirals and attacking both legs, face, elbows, knee's and neck.

Jeet Kwon Do which I was a brown belt in (Fourth up from bottom, out of about Fifteen, I think) is the Bruce Lee style 'Way of the Interupting Fist' which he invented. So I had to leap around the room screaming his bird-calls while our sensei who was ominously known only as 'the Chief' nodded approval. I couldn't master that Bruce Lee leaping kick, sadly, but I'm good at sharp tugs so I trained a lot in the 'intercepting fist' parts where you catch peoples attacks and then pull them sharply around and make attacks from an oblique angle.

If you've ever wondered what JKD looks like, it's the style that Jann Lee uses in the DOA games.

[Spankofox]

Jeet Kwon Do huh? Thats pretty badass. I think I've seen Kali before, but I'm not exactly sure. But it sounds cool so I'll look it up.

[mushishi]

I don't want to sound like a smartass, but I'm pretty sure Bruce Lee's way was one without any style .(at least if you think about styles in the traditional sense) His philosophy was that you have to be open to everything but throw away everything that proves useless. (or something like that)
Anyone can follow his way. You just have to learn a lot then think about it and decide what to use and how.

I've been learning kung-fu for almost 10 years now (though with varying intensity), so I kind of understand what you mean by the dance.
I'd like to warn you about such thinking in real life situations though (may the time never come) . Fight is not pretty and it doesn't care about your mood or if you are ready.


"What has mood to do with it? You fight when the necessity arises - no matter the mood! Mood's a thing for cattle or making love or playing the baliset. It's not for fighting." Gurney Halleck (Dune)

My version is not so pretty. It says: "I don't care if I shit myself, I just don't wanna die."
Not very fitting for a dance I'd say. Don't think about pretty, I say, think about living. Even if it means not fighting.

Although some say no greatness can be achieved through normality.

[RobM]

Well, I don't want to make you sound like a dumbass, but you'll find your wrong. Bruce Lee created JKD.
Just google it.

[mushishi]

No prob.
Actually I have a book on Bruce Lee's life, so I think I'll reread it when I find the time.

[mushishi]

After a little (very little) googling
I found this on a site (the first actually)
BOOK: Jeet Kune Do Conversations
While the founder felt there should be no such thing as a "fixed" system or method of fighting, he did believe there is definitely a progressive approach to training.

Maybe I was really unclear, but this is what I meant when I said Bruce Lee had no style.
Some other stuff found there :


Jeet Kune Do is the systemized personification of the Bruce Lee fighting self defense system. It is a dynamic martial arts system designed to mold and blend with the individual martial artist. It has no strict rules, it has no strict disciplines. It's basic philosophy says to use what works. To mold the art to fit your body type and skills.

This way of thinking might seem natural to us, but we come after Bruce. Before him many believed in a "best way" (some still do).

"Use no way as a way, No limitation as a limitation."...Bruce Lee

Jeet Kune Do--the literal translation is "way of the intercepting fist"--was conceived by Bruce Lee in 1967. Unlike many other martial arts, there are neither a series of rules nor classification of techniques which constitutes a distinct Jeet Kune Do (JKD) method of fighting. JKD is unbound; JKD is freedom.

Freedom is not a style really is it? More like a philosophy.

[RobM]

Way to eat your words?
So you admit that he did invent the martial art I've been learning for a the last few years exactly like I said... rather than claiming I'm confused and wrong... but now your trying to tell me all about it. No offence, but I think it ought to be clear to you that I know more about it than you do ^^;;

Geez! Dude, I know what it is, I've been learning it! Unless your argument is that JKD is a mindset rather than a martial art you ought to just say "Yes, okay - I have learnt" or "Ah, he does have a system called JKD but not as I understood it. Now I understand, Rob." Even though it's obvious to everyone, you don't need to admit you are wrong to say that. Why exactly are you telling me (And everyone else) this?
I know what I've been studying 0.0 Thanks very much though.