# Mom, it was an accident in shop!!!



## Thesemindz (Feb 20, 2004)

I was wondering what kinds of drills you guys do to practice self-defense with handicaps. For instance, if I have a broken finger it will seriously limit the techniques I can perform with that hand. What if I have a limp? Or I'm on crutches? How about if I am wearing a doctor prescribed eye patch and can only see out of one eye? What if my arm is in a sling? Or I'm wearing a neck brace and I can't turn my head? Do you ever practice for these or similar scenarios? I know many of you practice for situations where you can't see or hear your opponent, how do you set up drills for these other situations? What if I'm in a chair? Or I'm wearing a leg brace? Yes, it's true that these situations don't happen often if we're healthy, but as a child I was occasionally on crutches for a week at a time due to twisted ankles, and of course, any number of injuries could be sustained during an altercation which could lead to a handicap. Do you practice for these emergencies? What if my hands are restrained in some fashion, either through rope or hand cuffs? 

I think the ultimate handicapped fighter would be the pirate captain. He has an eye patch over one eye, a peg leg, a hook for a hand, and a parrot squawking in his ear. And he has to fight on uneven terrain, even in the calmest seas. It would be nearly impossible to fight under these circumstances. No wonder they went extinct.

-Rob


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## littleyahiko (Feb 20, 2004)

Pirate captains might be a dying breed, but they are far from extinct my friend.  And I think they should be admired for overcoming adversity!


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## Black Bear (Feb 20, 2004)

Piracy these days tends to be of two kinds: there is the organized crime piracy where they hijack an entire vessel with the intent of obtaining the cargo and selling it. Then there's piracy where just a bunch of guys with a fast boat and guns will threaten a small vessel, usually one from a third-world nation, and go in, take money, valuables, and maybe a kidnappee or two, and get out. All it is, is robbery of opportunity on open seas. Folks are more vulnerable out there. I don't see how anyone can admire either kind. 

And yes, we train with handicaps, say a tied arm, partial blindfold, etc.


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## littleyahiko (Feb 20, 2004)

Black Bear said:
			
		

> Piracy these days tends to be of two kinds: there is the organized crime piracy where they hijack an entire vessel with the intent of obtaining the cargo and selling it. Then there's piracy where just a bunch of guys with a fast boat and guns will threaten a small vessel, usually one from a third-world nation, and go in, take money, valuables, and maybe a kidnappee or two, and get out. All it is, is robbery of opportunity on open seas. Folks are more vulnerable out there. I don't see how anyone can admire either kind.
> 
> And yes, we train with handicaps, say a tied arm, partial blindfold, etc.




Wait, now I'm confused, we were just joking right?  Like overcoming the adversity of the peg leg and stuff?  Am I missing something here?


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## Black Bear (Feb 20, 2004)

I guess I missed the joke. I don't find scumbags ripping off North African coastal fishermen and Vietnamese refugees, and raping their women, to be all that very funny.


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## littleyahiko (Feb 20, 2004)

Black Bear said:
			
		

> I guess I missed the joke. I don't find scumbags ripping off North African coastal fishermen and Vietnamese refugees, and raping their women, to be all that very funny.




I can understand that, but we weren't talking about those kinds of pirates.


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## Zepp (Feb 20, 2004)

Black Bear said:
			
		

> I guess I missed the joke. I don't find scumbags ripping off North African coastal fishermen and Vietnamese refugees, and raping their women, to be all that very funny.




Sheesh Black Bear, there you go again bringing reality into things!


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## Black Bear (Feb 20, 2004)

*pause* 

Oh. 

*pause* 

*leaves room*


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## Thesemindz (Feb 20, 2004)

Come on guys, I know all about real piracy, but that clearly isn't what I was talking about. Do your pirates have hooks for hands and parrots Black Bear? Really, relax a little. I think real pirates are evil scum too, but they don't wear funny hats and say "Avast ye maties! Thars gold dabloons in this booty! Any man left will be walking the plank and spending his gold in Davey Jones locker!" 

Besides which guys, we're getting way off topic here. Remember? Handicaps? Training for them? Like sparring with one hand behind your back? Or taping your fingers together and your fist closed to simulate an injury? Or fighting from a seated position?

-Rob


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## 7starmantis (Feb 20, 2004)

We don't do as much training in tie-ing ourselves up and all, but we do train several handicapped students. From deaf to missing limbs to mental handicaps. In our eyes, kung fu must be adaptable to any situation. We've even had a guy in a wheelchair study for a while. Its amazing the ways things can be manipuated and adapted to certain situations.

7sm


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## Black Bear (Feb 20, 2004)

Right, like... ARRRRR...


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## markulous (Feb 20, 2004)

Thesemindz said:
			
		

> Come on guys, I know all about real piracy, but that clearly isn't what I was talking about. Do your pirates have hooks for hands and parrots Black Bear? Really, relax a little. I think real pirates are evil scum too, but they don't wear funny hats and say "Avast ye maties! Thars gold dabloons in this booty! Any man left will be walking the plank and spending his gold in Davey Jones locker!"
> 
> Besides which guys, we're getting way off topic here. Remember? Handicaps? Training for them? Like sparring with one hand behind your back? Or taping your fingers together and your fist closed to simulate an injury? Or fighting from a seated position?
> 
> -Rob



Aww cmon I wanna talk about pirates more!  Arrrr, cursed be the land lubbers that took me gold!  We'll have the last laugh when we take their wenches and drink their grog! Grog grog grog! ARRRRRRRRRR!  %-}


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## Ceicei (Feb 20, 2004)

There was an article I posted somewhere (maybe arnisador remembers where) on MartialTalk of a wheelchair bound man who finally got his black belt. If that article can be located again, it is interesting to read how he overcame barriers to earn his rank. 
- Ceicei


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## Gary Crawford (Feb 20, 2004)

Great guys,this IS a great subject! Anyone who ever dreams about being attacked has the frustration of being handicapped.When we dream,we have the confides of what we are wearing when we go to bed and the confides of how much covers we are wearing when we go to sleep.That's why we don't do very well fighting in our dreams in the winter,we have too much restriction when we dream of fighting.In the summer if we dream of fighting,we do much better as long as we are not restricked by coverings.Anyone with a spouce in the same bed can confirm this.If you don't believe me,them why do most people who dream,dream that they are wearing pajama's or only underwear during their dreams?Or is it only ME!


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## Ceicei (Feb 20, 2004)

Maybe it's you?

I don't dream of wearing pajamas/underwear. It might be because I always wear sweatpants and a tshirt when I go to sleep (at odd hours of the night, sometimes one of my four kids tend to wake me up for various reasons). But I do know of others that do have those dreams that you mentioned. Maybe you have an interesting theory there...

- Ceicei


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## 7starmantis (Feb 20, 2004)

What if you wear nothing at all when you sleep, that shouldn't make you feel confined!! :lol: 

7sm


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## Black Bear (Feb 21, 2004)

I am in the process of purchasing the perfect bed. 

- 805 coil count nonflip silk-and-antimicrobial-fibre pillowtop mattress with body-moulding viscelastic foam 

- high-loft down duvet

- ultrasuede duvet cover

- 3-chambered down-and-feather pillow

- 400-thread-count Egyptian cotton sateen sheets, plus a change of satin sheets

All queen-sized--and I sleep ALONE. 

It will be the ultimate high-performance sleeping matrix. High-tech halcyon. It took me two weeks of purchasing, and the components are being delivered today. Screw pyjamas. I ain't wearin' nothin' when I sleep in that thing. Maybe silk boxers because of coliform bacteria, but that's it. 

But I haven't "fought" in sleep my bed in years. Not where I actually moved. Not that I'm aware of.


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## Tony (Feb 21, 2004)

A great post! Really makes you think! I sometimes wear jeans that are a little restrictive and it concerns me that I might not be able to do full extensive kicks! Whenever I go out with my friends for a night out I wear loose trousers so I don't restrict movement in my legs should I need to use them! and also I try not to drink too much alcohol when I do drink that is, which isn't very much!
I have also thought about the ways I could be restricted in a self defence situation! Its very hard to do any kicks with a sprained ankle or a dislocated thumb! I mean how would you defend yourself in a car, a crowded nightclub, on ice, while sitting down,in water, on a bus, train, a plane, a dark place? The list is endless because there are so many various scenarios, its like chess!


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## Thesemindz (Feb 21, 2004)

Tony said:
			
		

> I sometimes wear jeans that are a little restrictive and it concerns me that I might not be able to do full extensive kicks! Whenever I go out with my friends for a night out I wear loose trousers so I don't restrict movement in my legs should I need to use them!




Whenever I buy a new pair of pants I always do a lot of kicks in the dressing room while I'm trying them on to make sure that they won't restrict my range of motion. If I can't kick easily in them, I don't buy them. I always thought it would be funny to be a securtiy guard and see a guy on a security monitor doing roundhouse kicks and crescent kicks in the dressing room. At least I know that any pair of pants I wear to the club won't keep me from throwing down if I have to.

-Rob


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## Black Bear (Feb 21, 2004)

Thesemindz is correct. Though I'm not a fan of high kicks myself, not am I great at them, I will kick up my legs forward, backward, and to either side to make sure that the pants have a decent range of motion. If you have to move, then you can. I may not crescent-kick a guy in the head, but I may have to jump over a bar, climb through a window, etc. and I don't want my seat ripped and the wind blowing through. As for Tony's remarks about various locations, that's really a big topic for another thread.


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## Tony (Feb 21, 2004)

Thesemindz said:
			
		

> Whenever I buy a new pair of pants I always do a lot of kicks in the dressing room while I'm trying them on to make sure that they won't restrict my range of motion. If I can't kick easily in them, I don't buy them. I always thought it would be funny to be a securtiy guard and see a guy on a security monitor doing roundhouse kicks and crescent kicks in the dressing room. At least I know that any pair of pants I wear to the club won't keep me from throwing down if I have to.
> 
> -Rob



Hey Thesemindz I do that too when I'm buying new trousers! I guess something takes over! Its interesting how different trousers feel when you're kicking especially Kung Fu pants! totally different when you're not wearing trousers!


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## Thesemindz (Feb 21, 2004)

Tony said:
			
		

> Hey Thesemindz I do that too when I'm buying new trousers! I guess something takes over! Its interesting how different trousers feel when you're kicking especially Kung Fu pants! totally different when you're not wearing trousers!




Do you mean that if feels different to kick when you're not wearing any pants? I've always felt like my balance was just a little off when I did martial arts naked. It's like I am compensating for the extra weight of clothes that aren't there. Has anyone else noticed this?

-Rob


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