# What have you learned from animals re: martial arts?



## girlbug2 (Jul 16, 2008)

I "touch spar" now and then with my cat, a young male siamese mix. He is very thin, strong and wiry. He is also quite talented at sparring. We do this all in good fun -- in fact, I can hear him purring the whole time. Usually, he keeps his claws in..usually

At first I would do this as an extension of other play, but after a while I noticed that he was teaching me quite a bit about quickness and the art of waiting for the right moment to strike. I was also intrigued to discover that the "cat stance" referred to in Kenpo is a real thing that cats do to set up for striking sometimes!

My dh grew up with dogs and swears he has mastered the art of "dog fu" from "wrestling"with Aerdales. 

What have you all learned from animals that relates to your martial art?


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## Empty Hands (Jul 16, 2008)

girlbug2 said:


> What have you all learned from animals that relates to your martial art?



A crazy attitude is everything.


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## Xue Sheng (Jul 16, 2008)

ALWAYS keep an eye on BOTH paws... I mean hands.

I had a cat once that loved to fake... hold up the right paw... get your attention with it...BAM... hit you with the right.


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## Andrew Green (Jul 16, 2008)

girlbug2 said:


> What have you all learned from animals that relates to your martial art?



Playfighting (sparring) is done by every animal in nature, that behavior didn't evolve without reason


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## celtic_crippler (Jul 16, 2008)

Biting, clawing, and scratching work well in terms of SD.


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## Sukerkin (Jul 16, 2008)

For me, the major lesson I have taken from the animal kingdom when it comes to violence can be melted down to:

Look confident always, if necessary make yourself look big and scary, make an attack if you must but try to avoid a fight at all costs.


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## Kacey (Jul 16, 2008)

I love watching my dog wrestle with other dogs - they always look like they're having so much fun!  Some things I learned from watching him - never get mad... and if you do, get over it immediately; throws work best if you get under your opponent's center of gravity (my dog plays with a much larger dog - 150 pounds to my dog's 82), and gets under her front leg and stands up; then she falls down; be ready all the time; let the junior/smaller/younger win some of the time, because it increases their incentive; take regular rest breaks and remember to drink water when you do.


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## mook jong man (Jul 16, 2008)

Both of our cats like to hit each other with double and triple jabs.


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## theletch1 (Jul 16, 2008)

From watching my cat vs my dog... attitude, confidence and timing will carry you further than sheer size any day.


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## girlbug2 (Jul 16, 2008)

These are great lessons! Animals are the best


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## jkembry (Jul 17, 2008)

Kacey said:


> I love watching my dog wrestle with other dogs - they always look like they're having so much fun!  Some things I learned from watching him - never get mad... and if you do, get over it immediately; throws work best if you get under your opponent's center of gravity (my dog plays with a much larger dog - 150 pounds to my dog's 82), and gets under her front leg and stands up; then she falls down; be ready all the time; let the junior/smaller/younger win some of the time, because it increases their incentive; take regular rest breaks and remember to drink water when you do.




Thanks Kacey....Now to get out of my head and act like the dogs wrestling when I spar.


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## tshadowchaser (Jul 17, 2008)

I play fight with my cats all the time and have with every cat we have ever had in the house.
When I had dogs we would play in the yard and I learned the way the circle and attack the run  only to circle and attack and hold on. I also learned that when one went off in one direction he might come sneaking back from a different one.  And lest I forget, I learned that when sparring and the dog was out to make sure I kept one eye on him because he would wait till he saw his opening and attack while I was concentration on my sparring partner.
From watching wilder animal I have learned that fights are not always to the death but till one submits to the others superiority. However some times death dose occur in a fight.


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## Jin Gang (Jul 31, 2008)

Here's Shinobi, demonstrating the ground techniques of the black tiger style


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## kidswarrior (Jul 31, 2008)

Xue Sheng said:


> ALWAYS keep an eye on BOTH paws... I mean hands.
> 
> I had a cat once that loved to fake... hold up the right paw... get your attention with it...BAM... hit you with the right.


I think my old boxing coach must have learned from your cat. :lol:



			
				Sukerkin said:
			
		

> Look confident always, if necessary make yourself look big and scary, make an attack if you must but try to avoid a fight at all costs.


Yes, as you can see from the warrior princess, I have a live-in role model for how to look *BIG *and *scary. *She thinks she's a BIG dawg...till she gets around big dogs.  

But her reflexes are still better than mine, as she loves to demonstrate every evening when we play with her Tuggie.


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## MA-Caver (Jul 31, 2008)

Cats are natural born fighters it seems. One of my cats (I have no animals now) I used to flip over on to his back and he would use both of his hind legs to kick when I was trying to hold him down by the chest/neck area (ground fighting tech). 
I would playfully spar with one of my others and noticed the same patient waiting for the right moment. 

With my snakes (no, never sparred with them) I've observed the same waiting patiently, still, unmoving until BAM and then all over the rat/mouse before it could do anything and just hold on. 

True, many (animals) do play fight and it's basically training/practice for them. Bears do it, lions, deer, and many other animals. Insects however go all out to the death. They can teach a few things as well. 

Also size matters not, look at me judge me by my size do you??


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## hkfuie (Jan 3, 2009)

Kacey said:


> Some things I learned from watching him - never get mad... and if you do, get over it immediately;


 
Great point.  I love the dog whisperer and he says dogs live totally in the moment.  Often dogs' behavior problems are caused by their owners' attachment to traumas from the past, either traumas involving the dog or the owners' personal traumas.

It's a great discipline to live in the moment and that's one thing I think of often about my dogs.

And back to Kacey's point, when they disagree, or even fight, when it's over, it's over.  No grudges.  Boy could I learn from that!  Definitely.

Also, I have so admired that small dog's or cat's ability to stand up to the bigger animal and even intimidate the bigger animal.

Other than that, I have often practiced sticking and redirecting the nose of my dog who likes to lick.  We get into a battle of him trying to lick my hands and I try to deflect and redirect!


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## tellner (Jan 4, 2009)

I have meditated long on the lessons which animals have to teach in the martial arts. In particular, I have learned much from the Cane Toad:


Eat anything that is smaller than you are.
Poison anything that is bigger than you are.
Run away from anything that is bigger than you are which you cannot poison
Breed faster than everything else so that you have no enemies.


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## Rich Parsons (Jan 5, 2009)

girlbug2 said:


> I "touch spar" now and then with my cat, a young male siamese mix. He is very thin, strong and wiry. He is also quite talented at sparring. We do this all in good fun -- in fact, I can hear him purring the whole time. Usually, he keeps his claws in..usually
> 
> At first I would do this as an extension of other play, but after a while I noticed that he was teaching me quite a bit about quickness and the art of waiting for the right moment to strike. I was also intrigued to discover that the "cat stance" referred to in Kenpo is a real thing that cats do to set up for striking sometimes!
> 
> ...


 
I have a 19 year old Black Cat. And until the last 12-18 months she could hit people and leave a bruise, Most pulled their hands back and yelled OUCH!

I used to play with her and I called what she did "Kit-Cat-Do". I have also referrenced a previous cat I had growing up that also did this style. It can be very difficult for humans to learn.  Many come away with cuts and teeth markes and bruises as I mentioned. 

It does teach one reflex motion and to be relaxed.


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## Flea (Mar 3, 2009)

Of course, what works for animals may not always work for us ...

When my cat Dammit was a few months old, he developed the unsettling habit of climbing up the pant legs of my male guests.  They would always get the "ants in the pants" reaction, and Dammit would saunter off with supreme satisfaction.  Who's your daddy?  Say my name!!

Somehow I don't think I'd get the same reaction from my male friends if I tried that ...  :uhyeah:  Well, maybe my gay friends.


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## firerex (Mar 3, 2009)

i sometimes get on my knees and i have a lab and puppy and ill get them both really hyper and practice my blocking, of course not as hard as usual cause that will hurt them but hand open blocking


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## Hagakure (Mar 3, 2009)

Xue Sheng said:


> ALWAYS keep an eye on BOTH paws... I mean hands.
> 
> *I had a cat once that loved to fake... hold up the right paw... get your attention with it...BAM... hit you with the right.*


 

Funny, I had an ex like that. It was like play fighting with that girl from Police Squad/Naked Gun? She'd throw a left, then a right, then hit you with a third punch/slap. To this day I don't know how she did it. Her kung fu was most strong.

I had a cat that used to pretend as though he wasn't fighting, then when you'd go to stroke him thinking you were both cool, he became "that" cat, the one that RIPS your hand to shreds, then he'd casually walk off as though he had better things to do. He was a great cat, sadly deceased. His name was Woppit. He was also a beautiful Burmese cat, utterly inbred and mad as toast, if he were human, he'd have been ESN, or educationally sub-normal.

Ultimately, my lesson would be, to fight dirty, hit hard, then leave, as though nothing ever happened.


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