# Where does your training fit on the Macho Scale?



## geezer (Jul 9, 2017)

Yesterday I was training with a couple of guys. One had a freshly broken pinkie finger _which he declined to mention_ to me until about half way through practice when we were doing disarms ...and he kept dropping his stick and grimmacing.

Another nearly guy caught a stick in the eye doing drills. Later he mentioned that he did have safety glasses but preferred not to wear them. They _"looked dumb". _

This got me to thinking about the risks we take and the general role of _machismo_ in MA training ...even among the guys (and it usually _is_ the guys in my experience) who are _not _overly "macho" in their day-to-day lives.


Here are a few random thoughts: Since I coach a small group and can't afford insurance, so maybe I _should _require safety glasses whenever we are training? And maybe I should set an example, modeling the correct behavior, by wearing safety gasses myself. 'Cause the waiver we all sign is probably next to useless if I get sued. And getting hit with a suit is a lot scarier than getting hit with a stick!!!

....But on the other hand, if I do that, _I will look like a dork._ Er ...make that _more _of a dork.  At any rate it will definitely move me down on the Macho Scale. ....You guys know about the Macho Scale, right?

THE MACHO SCALE:


Menos Macho --------------------------------------------- Mas o Menos ----------------------------------------------Muy Macho
1---------------2---------------3---------------4--------------5--------------6 ---------------7---------------8 ---------------9--------------10

Let me give some random examples to start:

_Me?_ I'm a goof-ball. But I'm not a "fraidy-cat". All told, I'd _like _to think I'm around a 5. .._._that's _Mas o menos_. Macho is OK if you aren't a poser. You've got to be honest with yourself, and you have to balance it with common sense and concern for your students. I'd gladly drop down lower on the scale, ...you know, wearing stupid safety glasses, or whatever, if it helps my students train safely.  On the other hand, you do have to accept some risk. After all, FMA is a _martial_ art.

Then there's the guy I met at open training once, ...he's a body builder too ---super buff.  Anyway, he said that if you didn't train all drills with near full power with no padding or protection that you weren't learning properly.  That if you didn't bust up your fingers, etc. you wouldn't learn to respond properly to a real threat.

Maybe I'd rate him 6-7. I'd give him 8 if he actually _did_ suffer injuries instead of just inflicting them on his _students. 

_
And, of course, there's the_ Dog Brothers._ Total respect. Especially those who compete repeatedly and become a full fledged Dog Bro. And though I've never met him, _Crafty Dog_ Mark Denny seems like a standup guy and an accomplished martial artist, _*not *_like the jerk described above. I'd easily give any of those guys an 8 or better ...and in a good way.

Now, how about _these_ guys:






...I don't know. Just seems a little over-the-top to me. I'd give them a 9, but that's not necessarily an endorsement. Not something I'd want to do, even if I were a lot younger.

_So what's a 10?_

...Well, how about this guy. Carlito Bonjoc. Years back I attended a seminar with him:






Carlitos has _spina bifida_ which, I'm told, is a progressively deteriorating congenital condition where some of the nerves of the base of the spine are open and exposed. As a young man, Carlitos could walk after a fashion. He took up Serrada Escrima and became very good in spite of his physical issues.

When I met him, he was already basically confined to a wheelchair, but could hoist himself up onto a bar-stool and wedge himself into a more or less stable position braced with his extended legs. From that point he became like the calm eye of the hurricane, _mata sa bagyo, _raining blows down with lighting speed and accuracy. Amazing to watch.

During one hard exchange he became unbalanced and the bar-stool toppled. Carlto was sent crashing to the floor, right on his damaged spine. He went pale as a ghost and almost passed out. A couple of people ran to assist him. In a moment, he caught his breath, shook himself free, and with a fierce grimace, hauled himself right back up onto the stool and proceeded to continue with the demo.

That's a 10.


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## Buka (Jul 9, 2017)

Kind of brings us back to that marvellous, age old question. Who is muy Macho? Ricardo Montalban or Fernando Lamas?
Sorry, I couldn't resist that. 

I don't really train any more, just do some working out and teach. But I've seen some things in my day...

One that sticks out in my mind - in the eighties, I was refereeing a point tournament. Billy Blanks was fighting a guy and they tumbled to the floor, intertwined. They get up, go back to the line, Billy says to me, "hey, ref, will you fix my foot?" I thought he was referring to his safe-t-kick so I bent down and found - his big toe was twisted upside down. Toenail on the floor, pad of the toe looking right up at me.
I said, "Dude, I'm stopping this match, your toe is F'd." 
He says, "Just yank it and twist it back. Please?" Then he says - "but twist it THAT way." Had I twisted it in the wrong direction - I don't even want to think about that."

So I grabbed the damn toe, and don't ask me why, but I kiai-ed when I yanked/twisted it back into place.
Billy said, "Thanks. Let's go."
So I started the match again. He went on to win, win the heavyweight division, then win the Grand Championship. By the end his toe and front part of his foot were swollen up like a salami. He didn't care. I know it's only a toe, but, damn.

Not sure if that's macho or mental illness, but it still makes me wince when I think about it.


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## Tez3 (Jul 9, 2017)

geezer said:


> Since I coach a small group and can't afford insurance,



We require students to have their own insurance, common practice in the UK. We have instructor and public liability but students get their own.

A lot of people including myself have a high pain threshold so it's not machismo that makes them carry on training more that it doesn't hurt very much.


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## drop bear (Jul 9, 2017)

Yeah we have a guy who just trains through.

He also tells his wife he is working back late so he can do hill sprints.


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## drop bear (Jul 9, 2017)

Buka said:


> Kind of brings us back to that marvellous, age old question. Who is muy Macho? Ricardo Montalban or Fernando Lamas?
> Sorry, I couldn't resist that.
> 
> I don't really train any more, just do some working out and teach. But I've seen some things in my day...
> ...



Should have made his opponent do it.


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## Charlemagne (Jul 9, 2017)

This whole Full Contact thing in FMA is relatively new in the grand scheme of things.  The advent of stick based systems came later, but systems were originally about the blade primarily. I don't mean that to be a pejorative, just trying to explain part of the reason why you would have seen less in the way of full contact earlier in the history of FMA. 

Having said that, I _do_ see some value in going full contact, or at least hard contact, from time to time.  I've done it, and have some good pictures of the bruises to prove it.  Other than that, technical sparring will work fine.  If I have your timing, do I really _need _to pop you in the face for you to know I had you, or can I just leave the stick sitting right in front of your nose?  And to be honest, it is probably how people really trained before the development of modern protective equipment.  After all, they were farmers, etc. who had to go back and work, take care of their families, etc.  They couldn't afford to get injured in training.  I remember listening to a video where Leo Giron talked about that.  They did technical sparring with the sheaths from their swords, or just did it with the sheath on the sword itself.

As for the Sayoc video above, I like some of what they do, and have trained with some of the guys in that same video, but sparring that way with no protective equipment is just ignorant.  The art is supposed to serve you, not the other way around.


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## Xue Sheng (Jul 9, 2017)

I do taijiquan....so....is there a level 0...... I'm just a slow moving pansy.....


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## Blindside (Jul 11, 2017)

Charlemagne said:


> Having said that, I _do_ see some value in going full contact, or at least hard contact, from time to time.  I've done it, and have some good pictures of the bruises to prove it.  Other than that, technical sparring will work fine.  If I have your timing, do I really _need _to pop you in the face for you to know I had you, or can I just leave the stick sitting right in front of your nose?  And to be honest, it is probably how people really trained before the development of modern protective equipment.  After all, they were farmers, etc. who had to go back and work, take care of their families, etc.  They couldn't afford to get injured in training.  I remember listening to a video where Leo Giron talked about that.  They did technical sparring with the sheaths from their swords, or just did it with the sheath on the sword itself.



In respect to Dog Brothers, going to a Dog Brothers Gathering isn't a training method, it is getting into several fights.  I don't think the main purpose of a Gathering is for technical development, it is more about learning about facing fear of getting hurt and how you react under pressure.  I don't get adrenaline dumps in any normal training hall, I still get them (fortunately to a far lesser extent) 5 Gatherings in, and this is useful for me.  I have watched good technical kali/escrima/whatever guys resort to simple 1 and 2 slashes when under pressure and under adrenaline.  I watched a guy who can play all kinds of siniwalli tricks basically ignore his left hand for two minutes.  I have watched combat veterans who are normally aggressive on the sparring floor freeze up and become reluctant to engage.  I have seen guys trained under technical sparring methods repeatedly lose their sticks because they weren't used to the contact.  People do weird things under adrenaline, what the Dog Brothers do isn't getting into combat, but it is a not safe duel under limited circumstances.  Getting exposure to that adrenaline before a real fight can only be useful.   

The other thing I have learned about from Dog Brothers is about fighting different systems than my own.  Either through watching them fight or getting into fights with them, I have learned how other systems approach the fight, something that I could never do in my training hall alone.

Edit: adding below
I do think there is something about building physical and mental toughness that is important as a fighter.  If I had to pick who on random was the least tough between your average boxer, wrestler, or FMA player I would pick the FMA guy.  Wrestling and boxing develops and toughness as a matter of course, you can kind of skate by on the toughness scale as a FMA guy.  Me, I am just a technique geek that just gets into these fights to make sure this stuff works.


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## Charlemagne (Jul 11, 2017)

Blindside said:


> In respect to Dog Brothers, going to a Dog Brothers Gathering isn't a training method, it is getting into several fights.  I don't think the main purpose of a Gathering is for technical development, it is more about learning about facing fear of getting hurt and how you react under pressure.  I don't get adrenaline dumps in any normal training hall, I still get them (fortunately to a far lesser extent) 5 Gatherings in, and this is useful for me.  I have watched good technical kali/escrima/whatever guys resort to simple 1 and 2 slashes when under pressure and under adrenaline.  I watched a guy who can play all kinds of siniwalli tricks basically ignore his left hand for two minutes.  I have watched combat veterans who are normally aggressive on the sparring floor freeze up and become reluctant to engage.  I have seen guys trained under technical sparring methods repeatedly lose their sticks because they weren't used to the contact.  People do weird things under adrenaline, what the Dog Brothers do isn't getting into combat, but it is a not safe duel under limited circumstances.  Getting exposure to that adrenaline before a real fight can only be useful.
> 
> The other thing I have learned about from Dog Brothers is about fighting different systems than my own.  Either through watching them fight or getting into fights with them, I have learned how other systems approach the fight, something that I could never do in my training hall alone.
> 
> ...



I don't disagree with any of that.  I was actually speaking to my instructor about it this morning after a training session.  There is value in delivering real hits at full speed with precision, and there is value in knowing what it is like to take a hit and keep fighting.  Way too many martial artists, and FMA is full of these, can get to instructor rank and have never taken a real hit before.  That is a problem.


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## Tez3 (Jul 11, 2017)

Charlemagne said:


> can get to instructor rank and have never taken a real hit before. That is a problem.



It's also immensely funny when one of those meets a real hit!  I've seen it happen at seminars when those who don't get hit meet those who do.


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## drop bear (Jul 11, 2017)

Blindside said:


> In respect to Dog Brothers, going to a Dog Brothers Gathering isn't a training method, it is getting into several fights.  I don't think the main purpose of a Gathering is for technical development, it is more about learning about facing fear of getting hurt and how you react under pressure.  I don't get adrenaline dumps in any normal training hall, I still get them (fortunately to a far lesser extent) 5 Gatherings in, and this is useful for me.  I have watched good technical kali/escrima/whatever guys resort to simple 1 and 2 slashes when under pressure and under adrenaline.  I watched a guy who can play all kinds of siniwalli tricks basically ignore his left hand for two minutes.  I have watched combat veterans who are normally aggressive on the sparring floor freeze up and become reluctant to engage.  I have seen guys trained under technical sparring methods repeatedly lose their sticks because they weren't used to the contact.  People do weird things under adrenaline, what the Dog Brothers do isn't getting into combat, but it is a not safe duel under limited circumstances.  Getting exposure to that adrenaline before a real fight can only be useful.
> 
> The other thing I have learned about from Dog Brothers is about fighting different systems than my own.  Either through watching them fight or getting into fights with them, I have learned how other systems approach the fight, something that I could never do in my training hall alone.
> 
> ...



Fighting with bad intentions can be a big mental shift.


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## elder999 (Jul 11, 2017)

I started training Kyokushinkai when I was barely a teenager.

Where does my training fit on the "macho scale?" My seniors fought bulls and bears, bare handed,....so  somewhere between "mas a menos" and "muy macho." Even today..
Call it....Mas _Oyama.
	

	
	
		
		

		
			



_


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## Bill Mattocks (Jul 11, 2017)

My kiai is "Not in the face!"


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## Tony Dismukes (Jul 12, 2017)

Here's a story which helped convince me that I would never ever approach the upper end of the macho scale ...

It's about Kevin Randleman, back in his collegiate wrestling days, before he got into MMA.

According to Mark Coleman, Randleman was competing in a tournament, and partway through he got his jaw dislocated in one of his matches. Even though he won the match, the officials told him that he would not be allowed to go on to the next match with a dislocated jaw.

Randleman went to Coleman (who was his coach at the time) and asked Coleman to punch him in the jaw to knock it back into place. After Coleman sensibly refused to do so, Randleman got down on a mat, turned his head sideways, and slammed the side of his own face into the mat to knock his jaw back in to position.

He then went back out to win the rest of the tournament.

Think about it for a minute. Even if he didn't have top-notch skills. Even if he wasn't a physical beast, Would you ever want to fight someone who has that mindset?

Nah ... I'm a big old wuss and I'm happy to admit it.


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## Charlemagne (Jul 12, 2017)

Tony Dismukes said:


> Here's a story which helped convince me that I would never ever approach the upper end of the macho scale ...
> 
> It's about Kevin Randleman, back in his collegiate wrestling days, before he got into MMA.
> 
> ...



Yeah. No thanks. I don't mind getting it on once and a while in training, but there is almost no winning against a guy like that.


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## Monkey Turned Wolf (Jul 12, 2017)

Tony Dismukes said:


> Here's a story which helped convince me that I would never ever approach the upper end of the macho scale ...
> 
> It's about Kevin Randleman, back in his collegiate wrestling days, before he got into MMA.
> 
> ...


yeah, even if I outskilled and had better athleticism than that guy, no way am I winning that fight. I'm not going to dislocate someone's jaw, see them pop it back in, and just continue fighting them like nothing happened. At that point, I'll just hope I'm the faster runner.


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## Buka (Jul 12, 2017)

Not so God damn fast, fellas. Randleman, may he rest in peace, was indeed a beast.

And when a beast lays something like this on you....






There's no beating him. And yet....

But you go on thinking "I can't beat that guy". Go on now.


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## Jenna (Jul 12, 2017)

elder999 said:


> I started training Kyokushinkai when I was barely a teenager.
> 
> Where does my training fit on the "macho scale?" My seniors fought bulls and bears, bare handed,....so  somewhere between "mas a menos" and "muy macho." Even today..
> Call it....Mas _Oyama.
> ...


What kind of martial art do bulls and bears practice?


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## Tony Dismukes (Jul 12, 2017)

Buka said:


> Not so God damn fast, fellas. Randleman, may he rest in peace, was indeed a beast.
> 
> And when a beast lays something like this on you....
> 
> ...


Last I checked, I wasn't Fedor. I'm not sure the macho scale applies to cyborgs. Randleman was crazy. Fedor just looks bored while he gets thrown on his head and then beats you a moment later anyway.


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## Buka (Jul 12, 2017)

What was it he finished Randleman with, a Kimura maybe? Some kind of arm lock.

Tony, you got that in your arsenal, in spades I'll bet. And you certainly know the position game.

And don't get me wrong, I was a fan of Randleman, always enjoyed watching him fight. Just sayin'.


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## Juany118 (Jul 12, 2017)

I am a weirdo.  Example when the knives and sticks come out, even just for sumbrada or sinawali the safety glasses go on.  However when full sparring, if we are using the very lightly padded sticks, I will only put on light padded gloves and head gear, no body armor, forearm guards etc.  My personal view there is that padded stick + body armor means I feel nothing ergo I lose an incentive to defend as well as attack.  Each bruise is a reminder to me but it stops at me being willing to accept bruises and other minor injuries.


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## Flying Crane (Jul 12, 2017)

Didn't Topper Harley dip his fists in honey and gummie bears for an underground tournament?


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## drop bear (Jul 12, 2017)

Juany118 said:


> I am a weirdo.  Example when the knives and sticks come out, even just for sumbrada or sinawali the safety glasses go on.  However when full sparring, if we are using the very lightly padded sticks, I will only put on light padded gloves and head gear, no body armor, forearm guards etc.  My personal view there is that padded stick + body armor means I feel nothing ergo I lose an incentive to defend as well as attack.  Each bruise is a reminder to me but it stops at me being willing to accept bruises and other minor injuries.



Not especially. You need to protect yourself more in drills so that you can drill for longer.


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## Juany118 (Jul 12, 2017)

drop bear said:


> Not especially. You need to protect yourself more in drills so that you can drill for longer.


I'm not talking about the drills, though but full sparring.  When we do that we use rigid core sticks with a thin, not "cushy" foam outer.  Basically it's just designed to not break bone but they will bang you up.  Some of the people chose to wear the full Kali sparring tunic when we use them.  It seems to encourage all out attack because there is little sense of being hit.


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## JP3 (Jul 12, 2017)

Shoot.... I've gone all relaxed and complacent as I've slid through this last five years or so.... With what we're doing now, as in right now with the group I've got at the level they're at... I'd say I'm maxing out at a 2 on Geezer's macho scale. Very UN-macho, but at least we're out there doing it training session  after training session , week after week, so we're higher than a 1.

I'm trying to decide if the slam-bang, competition judo group I trained with for those years was worse... umm... I mean better... than the Muay Thai group I trained with.  One might think that the Thai boxing was fiercer, but I left class more exhausted, more endorphins after finishing up, more bumped-up and bruised in judo than I ever did during Thai boxing class.

At times, before a bout, or an upcoming big tournament, I'd give them a tie, max, of a session of about 8, but that was the height of it. Usually maybe a 6.


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## Juany118 (Jul 12, 2017)

geezer said:


> Yesterday I was training with a couple of guys. One had a freshly broken pinkie finger _which he declined to mention_ to me until about half way through practice when we were doing disarms ...and he kept dropping his stick and grimmacing.
> 
> Another nearly guy caught a stick in the eye doing drills. Later he mentioned that he did have safety glasses but preferred not to wear them. They _"looked dumb". _
> 
> ...


 Quoted your post to simply say one thing.  Carlitos is a BAMF, pure and simple.


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## Buka (Jul 13, 2017)

I was running a DT class back in 05. The former instructor, who I replaced a couple years before, stopped by. He was a Captain now, built like boulder, had an easy hundred pounds on me. Rudely interrupted my class to show something, and of course, used me as his example. I was to grip him by his shirt, he was to break the hold using sheer strength. Except I wouldn't let go no matter how hard, and how many times, he smashed my arm. Made him look silly. I know, stupid on my part, but I don't care.

Broke my arm [avulsion fracture] Fortunately, it was at the end of the day. Went to the ER, got a cast and a sling, went back to work the next day, and didn't miss any days, not one. The bosses wouldn't let me wear the sling, so I hooked my thumb through the buttons on my shirt instead. Under any other circumstance, ANY, I would have stayed home for a couple months, full pay, and I would have milked the hell out of that puppy. But not when it came from DT. That just wasn't happening.

It had nothing whatsoever to do about being macho. It had everything to do about being stubborn, and being righteous.


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## Tony Dismukes (Jul 13, 2017)

Buka said:


> What was it he finished Randleman with, a Kimura maybe? Some kind of arm lock.
> 
> Tony, you got that in your arsenal, in spades I'll bet. And you certainly know the position game.



Sure, I'm at least basically competent in almost any standard finishing move (striking or grappling). Some I'm even kind of good at.  That doesn't mean I'll get them to work against a world-class professional fighter who has much greater strength, speed, and endurance as well as almost psychotic levels of toughness and aggression. Likewise my positional game, while decent, is not at the level of a top (All-American, 2-time NCAA champion) collegiate wrestler. I'm a competent hobbyist BJJ black belt, not Rickson Gracie.



Buka said:


> It had nothing whatsoever to do about being macho. It had everything to do about being stubborn, and being righteous.



Yeah, I'm sure there's never any connection between being macho and being stubborn/righteous.


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## Buka (Jul 14, 2017)

Tony Dismukes said:


> Sure, I'm at least basically competent in almost any standard finishing move (striking or grappling). Some I'm even kind of good at.  That doesn't mean I'll get them to work against a world-class professional fighter who has much greater strength, speed, and endurance as well as almost psychotic levels of toughness and aggression. Likewise my positional game, while decent, is not at the level of a top (All-American, 2-time NCAA champion) collegiate wrestler. I'm a competent hobbyist BJJ black belt, not Rickson Gracie.



Competent hobbyist. Yeah, I can see that. Only doing BJJ for a dozen or so years now, right, I get it, made black belt, piece of cake.  Nothing before that. Oh, wait.....there were those _decades_ where you trained other arts. Just as a hobby, of course. You don't train other arts any more....oh, wait, you do.

Hobbyist. You can just quit, cold turkey, any time you want. I'll bet you could go on a two week vacation and not take or teach a class. Probably wouldn't even THINK about anything Martial related in those two weeks. Wouldn't once let your mind stray to what you might work on in class when vacations is over, not once have your mind wander to that foot lock you don't do particularilly well, or about footwork or this or that or the other thing.

Yeah....hobbyist, that's the ticket.

You Martial Junkie Dog


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## Tony Dismukes (Jul 14, 2017)

Buka said:


> Competent hobbyist. Yeah, I can see that. Only doing BJJ for a dozen or so years now, right, I get it, made black belt, piece of cake.  Nothing before that. Oh, wait.....there were those _decades_ where you trained other arts. Just as a hobby, of course. You don't train other arts any more....oh, wait, you do.
> 
> Hobbyist. You can just quit, cold turkey, any time you want. I'll bet you could go on a two week vacation and not take or teach a class. Probably wouldn't even THINK about anything Martial related in those two weeks. Wouldn't once let your mind stray to what you might work on in class when vacations is over, not once have your mind wander to that foot lock you don't do particularilly well, or about footwork or this or that or the other thing.
> 
> ...


Okay, a *dedicated* hobbyist.


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## Juany118 (Jul 14, 2017)

Tony Dismukes said:


> Okay, a *dedicated* obsessive.



Fixed it for you 

Tbh though would any of us be here if we weren't obsessive to some degree?


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## Gerry Seymour (Jul 14, 2017)

Tony Dismukes said:


> Here's a story which helped convince me that I would never ever approach the upper end of the macho scale ...
> 
> It's about Kevin Randleman, back in his collegiate wrestling days, before he got into MMA.
> 
> ...


Agreed. I'm not nearly that macho. I'd whimper, at best.


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## Rich Parsons (Jul 19, 2017)

Geezer,
0 or 5 or 9 or 12+
I like to train safe. - slow is smooth / smooth is fast
I also have done what you rated as a 9 . 
I have had broken fingers before and asked the doc about them and he said it would have to be re-broke and set to heal properly. I said coo I can take care of it. He freaked out thinking I was going to hit with a hammer myself. I explained it would break in class from strikes and then I would set and brace it with a finger frog/splint. --- I did that exactly about two months later. The person training with me fell to the mats - and he was out as I snapped the finger straight and then looked towards my bag for my tape and frog. 
I also was stupid and accepted a challenge from the PI in the 99 ish on the Escrima Digest , Live Blades to be used. I asked for Hawaii so my insurance would still work and that we could agree on a time good with us both. Before I could follow up they complained that it was not fair for me to set a location other than to come to them. They dropped it before I could reply the next day as the other members had replied it was more than fair, Crazy and stupid, yet fair. Their words. 
-----
I like to think of myself as a 0 though. I try not to be macho and go out of my way to make my size and movements non threatening or ... , and yet one can only do so much. 
So how would you rate the above? (* Other than silly or stupid  *)


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## Jenna (Jul 20, 2017)

Rich Parsons said:


> Geezer,
> 0 or 5 or 9 or 12+
> I like to train safe. - slow is smooth / smooth is fast
> I also have done what you rated as a 9 .
> ...


I see you as big softie level 0 most time yes?  Then what is it about the circumstance that would cause you to act at 9 or 12+ level occasional times?? What change or what is different?? x


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## Gerry Seymour (Jul 20, 2017)

Rich Parsons said:


> Geezer,
> 0 or 5 or 9 or 12+
> I like to train safe. - slow is smooth / smooth is fast
> I also have done what you rated as a 9 .
> ...


I can't come up with much besides silly and stupid, Rich.


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## Buka (Jul 20, 2017)

Back in the day, my wife would drive to the train station, commute to her full time job downtown, get out of work and reverse the process, drive to the dojo, work out as hard as anyone I've ever taught, and be the last to leave every night. She did it every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night, as well as a Saturday morning class. Other than a few minor surgeries, non Martial related, she never missed a class, not a single one, for nine years - until we went on our honeymoon.

I still don't know how she did that. Especially all banged up from training and sparring.


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## Rich Parsons (Jul 22, 2017)

gpseymour said:


> I can't come up with much besides silly and stupid, Rich.



Hey I resemble that !!


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## Rich Parsons (Jul 22, 2017)

Jenna said:


> I see you as big softie level 0 most time yes?  Then what is it about the circumstance that would cause you to act at 9 or 12+ level occasional times?? What change or what is different?? x



I do not like Bullies. 
I have put myself between others and danger before. Not as a LEO or Military, just local security and bouncing a place from criminal types and those who spend money while making is so families who leave early and do spend as much money would come occasionally. 
The 12 could be a special time in my life when I had little to worry about with no assets to loose and no people who looked to me as a caretaker. 
.
Most of the time, I am a 0 as you pointed out.


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## Hyoho (Jul 22, 2017)

Zero! The arts arts supposed to teach humility. If you dont have that? Best not label what you do as an art.


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## drop bear (Jul 23, 2017)

Hyoho said:


> Zero! The arts arts supposed to teach humility. If you dont have that? Best not label what you do as an art.



I am incredibly humble. In fact the first words out of my mouth are generally how humble I am.


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## Hyoho (Jul 23, 2017)

I unblocked you to see what you wrote. I dont know why I bothered.


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## Gerry Seymour (Jul 23, 2017)

Rich Parsons said:


> Hey I resemble that !!


I've resembled it a few times, myself. Where else do good stories come from?


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## geezer (Jul 23, 2017)

Hyoho said:


> I unblocked you to see what you wrote. I dont know why I bothered.



Er... maybe because that was really funny?  Dear me, humor can be such a difficult thing.


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## Hyoho (Jul 23, 2017)

geezer said:


> Er... maybe because that was really funny?  Dear me, humor can be such a difficult thing.


You obviously have not read previous posts on other subjects.


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## drop bear (Jul 23, 2017)

Hyoho said:


> I unblocked you to see what you wrote. I dont know why I bothered.



Thanks for sharing that. I dont block people as an act of humility. Everyone has an equal say. Not just the voices I want to hear.

Everyones opinion is at least considered and weighed on the merits of what they say.

That is just me of course.


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## drop bear (Jul 23, 2017)

geezer said:


> Er... maybe because that was really funny?  Dear me, humor can be such a difficult thing.



Yeah I am glad I can use humor in the gym. That my instructor isnt one of those types who take themselves too seriously.

Take your humility too seriously? Now there is a concept.


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## Gerry Seymour (Jul 23, 2017)

drop bear said:


> Yeah I am glad I can use humor in the gym. That my instructor isnt one of those types who take themselves too seriously.
> 
> Take your humility too seriously? Now there is a concept.


If I couldn't use humor in my teaching, someone else would have to make fun of me.


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## Jenna (Jul 24, 2017)

drop bear said:


> Thanks for sharing that. I dont block people as an act of humility. Everyone has an equal say. Not just the voices I want to hear.
> 
> Everyones opinion is at least considered and weighed on the merits of what they say.
> 
> That is just me of course.


I totally dig that way of being


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