# Greetings from Southeast England



## Ticklishchap (May 3, 2021)

Hello
Greetings from SE England!
I have just discovered this Forum and have joined to learn more about Martial Arts, traditional ones especially, both in theory and practice. I fenced a bit as a schoolboy (at my very traditional boys’ boarding school) but gave it up when I was conscripted into the Rugby team! This is a good time in my life to develop new interests and so I hope to learn a lot and find the Martial Art I wish to pursue more deeply.
Best wishes 
James


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## Brian King (May 3, 2021)

Welcome to Martial Talk Ticklishchap! Good luck with your pursuit.
Regards
Brian King


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## dvcochran (May 3, 2021)

Good day to you Sir and welcome to the forum. 
Tell us a little about your martial arts experience?


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## Rich Parsons (May 3, 2021)

Welcome to MT !


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## Ticklishchap (May 4, 2021)

dvcochran said:


> Good day to you Sir and welcome to the forum.
> Tell us a little about your martial arts experience?


Good morning Sir
Your question makes me feel a bit of an impostor as I am a complete novice as far as martial arts are concerned. I hope that in time I shall change that. The nearest I have come to it is a couple of years of fencing at school. I played Rugby (or Rugger as we called it) at school and college and was also in the Corps at both (the equivalent of your ROTC I think) and had some Army training. I continued with Rugby for a few years after finishing my education and since then my main sport (if it counts) has been long distance hiking. During the pandemic year I have been thinking about post-Covid activities, including sports, and I would like to decide upon  the right martial art and learn it. I like the combination of physical and spiritual involved. Therefore I have joined the forum to learn and ask questions. ...


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## dvcochran (May 4, 2021)

Ticklishchap said:


> Good morning Sir
> Your question makes me feel a bit of an impostor as I am a complete novice as far as martial arts are concerned. I hope that in time I shall change that. The nearest I have come to it is a couple of years of fencing at school. I played Rugby (or Rugger as we called it) at school and college and was also in the Corps at both (the equivalent of your ROTC I think) and had some Army training. I continued with Rugby for a few years after finishing my education and since then my main sport (if it counts) has been long distance hiking. During the pandemic year I have been thinking about post-Covid activities, including sports, and I would like to decide upon  the right martial art and learn it. I like the combination of physical and spiritual involved. Therefore I have joined the forum to learn and ask questions. ...


I feel this is a very solid approach. 
The common theme when people decide to get started in a MA is to audit what is close to you, regardless of style. If it is not reasonably convenient, affordable, and fitting with your lifestyle/schedule you will likely not stay with it. If you have a specific style there is certainly nothing wrong with trying it out first, assuming it is not far away from you. 
All the best and hope to hear from you here on the forum.


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## _Simon_ (May 4, 2021)

Ah welcome to the forum James, great to have you here!

Fantastic you're keen on getting into martial arts, yeah do a little research and see what interests you, and check out what's in your local area. But yes feel free to ask any questions here


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## Shatteredzen (May 4, 2021)

Ticklishchap said:


> Hello
> Greetings from SE England!
> I have just discovered this Forum and have joined to learn more about Martial Arts, traditional ones especially, both in theory and practice. I fenced a bit as a schoolboy (at my very traditional boys’ boarding school) but gave it up when I was conscripted into the Rugby team! This is a good time in my life to develop new interests and so I hope to learn a lot and find the Martial Art I wish to pursue more deeply.
> Best wishes
> James


Hello! The fencing believe it or not will help, you likely learned a whole bag of things, from posture, footwork, timing, etc that you may see pop up during your training, just take any new classes as a fresh start and don't try to draw too many inferences between styles until you start to gain some experience. If you are just getting into martial arts and don't know where to start, your local MMA, BJJ or Boxing gym is a great place because the skills you learn in boxing, grappling or MMA style martial arts will serve you well no matter where you go or end up. Which style you settle on may have a lot to do with what is locally available so I suggest shopping around your town and seeing what's out there, likely one or more gyms will kind of call out to you as a better fit, considering the time and energy you will invest, theres no harm waiting for that one that "just feels right".


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## Gyakuto (May 11, 2021)

Ticklishchap said:


> Good morning Sir
> Your question makes me feel a bit of an impostor as I am a complete novice as far as martial arts are concerned. I hope that in time I shall change that. The nearest I have come to it is a couple of years of fencing at school. I played Rugby (or Rugger as we called it) at school and college and was also in the Corps at both (the equivalent of your ROTC I think) and had some Army training. I continued with Rugby for a few years after finishing my education and since then my main sport (if it counts) has been long distance hiking. During the pandemic year I have been thinking about post-Covid activities, including sports, and I would like to decide upon  the right martial art and learn it. I like the combination of physical and spiritual involved. Therefore I have joined the forum to learn and ask questions. ...


Have you considered Iaido? There are many dojo in the South East  and some excellent teachers and I can point you in the right direction (I was secretary for the British Kendo Association and then Iaibu events officer)


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## Buka (May 11, 2021)

Welcome to MT, James. Nice to have you.

If you played Rugby, I think you'll do fine in Martial Arts. Rugy's nuts!


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## Hanshi (May 12, 2021)

Welcome to the forum, James san.  I concur with the idea of _shopping _around for something that feels just right for you.   Good luck on your search.


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## Steve (May 12, 2021)

Buka said:


> Welcome to MT, James. Nice to have you.
> 
> If you played Rugby, I think you'll do fine in Martial Arts. Rugy's nuts!


[Media]


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## Gyakuto (May 12, 2021)

I should say that in England, all boys were forced to play rugby in the bad ol’ days. I went to a school where the playing field used to flood regularly and the PE masters used to delight in making us play on it in a few centimetres of muddy water. I hated it (I was and continue to be a science geek). Once, I managed to keep my house-kit completely clean and free of mud. Seeing this, the teacher instructed me to run past him and as I passed him, he tackled down into the mud  and rolled about a bit. My bright yellow rugby top looked like a bear had use it to wipe his bottom upon! Budo is much cleaner...until the blood, pus and tissue fluid starts flowing.....


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## dvcochran (May 12, 2021)

Steve said:


> [Media]


Looks about right.


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## Steve (May 13, 2021)

Gyakuto said:


> I should say that in England, all boys were forced to play rugby in the bad ol’ days. I went to a school where the playing field used to flood regularly and the PE masters used to delight in making us play on it in a few centimetres of muddy water. I hated it (I was and continue to be a science geek). Once, I managed to keep my house-kit completely clean and free of mud. Seeing this, the teacher instructed me to run past him and as I passed him, he tackled down into the mud  and rolled about a bit. My bright yellow rugby top looked like a bear had use it to wipe his bottom upon! Budo is much cleaner...until the blood, pus and tissue fluid starts flowing.....


Haha... wait... pus?


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## Ticklishchap (May 13, 2021)

Gyakuto said:


> Have you considered Iaido? There are many dojo in the South East  and some excellent teachers and I can point you in the right direction (I was secretary for the British Kendo Association and then Iaibu events officer)


I shall send you a PM over the next few days - thank you very much for that.


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## Ticklishchap (May 13, 2021)

Buka said:


> Welcome to MT, James. Nice to have you.
> 
> If you played Rugby, I think you'll do fine in Martial Arts. Rugy's nuts!


Is that the voice of experience?


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## Ticklishchap (May 13, 2021)

Steve said:


> [Media]


This is very similar to the school I went to!!! I’ve seen the sketch before. The Monty Python Army sketches are hilarious as well.


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## Ticklishchap (May 13, 2021)

Gyakuto said:


> I should say that in England, all boys were forced to play rugby in the bad ol’ days. I went to a school where the playing field used to flood regularly and the PE masters used to delight in making us play on it in a few centimetres of muddy water. I hated it (I was and continue to be a science geek). Once, I managed to keep my house-kit completely clean and free of mud. Seeing this, the teacher instructed me to run past him and as I passed him, he tackled down into the mud  and rolled about a bit. My bright yellow rugby top looked like a bear had use it to wipe his bottom upon! Budo is much cleaner...until the blood, pus and tissue fluid starts flowing.....


I went to a boys’ boarding school, divided into ‘houses’, and my Housemaster was a Rugby fanatic. I wasn’t a star of the Rugger field (as I said earlier, we called it Rugger), but I was good enough to be chosen for. House team and play occasionally for the school as well. There were advantages in terms of prestige to being in the Rugger team as well as being able to get away with things I wouldn’t have got away with otherwise (although I was generally well-behaved and hardworking). There were occasional hazards as well such as injuries that could result in being ‘off-eccer’ for a few days or even a week or two (‘off-eccer’ was school slang for ‘off games’ - eccer was short for exercise!). The problem with being in the Rugger team was that it was a ‘life sentence’; I raised the possibility of dropping it when I was 16 and was told in no uncertain terms that this could not be considered. I therefore went on playing during my A Level (final year). My main interests were academic but looking back I don’t regret the experience - there was quite a lot of fun and good team work as well as the mud and rain!


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## Ticklishchap (May 13, 2021)

dvcochran said:


> Looks about right.


What you don’t hear (or smell) in the Python sketch are the inevitable explosive farts 💨. The diet at that type of school was high in baked beans, as well as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, etc., and eggs at breakfast. With several hundred boys the results were inevitable and a lot of gas was released during Rugger games!


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## Steve (May 13, 2021)

Ticklishchap said:


> I went to a boys’ boarding school, divided into ‘houses’, and my Housemaster was a Rugby fanatic. I wasn’t a star of the Rugger field (as I said earlier, we called it Rugger), but I was good enough to be chosen for. House team and play occasionally for the school as well. There were advantages in terms of prestige to being in the Rugger team as well as being able to get away with things I wouldn’t have got away with otherwise (although I was generally well-behaved and hardworking). There were occasional hazards as well such as injuries that could result in being ‘off-eccer’ for a few days or even a week or two (‘off-eccer’ was school slang for ‘off games’ - eccer was short for exercise!). The problem with being in the Rugger team was that it was a ‘life sentence’; I raised the possibility of dropping it when I was 16 and was told in no uncertain terms that this could not be considered. I therefore went on playing during my A Level (final year). My main interests were academic but looking back I don’t regret the experience - there was quite a lot of fun and good team work as well as the mud and rain!


I never played on a team, but practiced a few times with a local club in Seattle when I was in High School back in the 1980's.   A buddy of mine was in the club, and invited me out to "work out" with them.  As I recall, it was like 3 hours of running, a lot of colliding, some time explaining what a ruck is and how to do it, and then they all retired to the clubhouse to have a few beers.  I was wrestling at the time, so couldn't do both, but I've always liked the sport.


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## Ticklishchap (May 13, 2021)

Steve said:


> I never played on a team, but practiced a few times with a local club in Seattle when I was in High School back in the 1980's.   A buddy of mine was in the club, and invited me out to "work out" with them.  As I recall, it was like 3 hours of running, a lot of colliding, some time explaining what a ruck is and how to do it, and then they all retired to the clubhouse to have a few beers.  I was wrestling at the time, so couldn't do both, but I've always liked the sport.


Ah yes, the ruck. It used to be called a ‘loose scrum’. Beer wasn’t part of the way of life at boarding school but we drank a few beers after games at college (being a masochist perhaps and a creature of habit I continued with it for a time there). In the 80s I recall from visits to the US that the drinking age was 21 in many states - maybe WA was more libertarian?(!) Re. your point about wrestling it’s true that Rugby (Rugger) squeezed out other sports because of time pressure.


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## Ticklishchap (May 13, 2021)

_Simon_ said:


> Ah welcome to the forum James, great to have you here!
> 
> Fantastic you're keen on getting into martial arts, yeah do a little research and see what interests you, and check out what's in your local area. But yes feel free to ask any questions here


Thank you for such a warm welcome.👍


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## Steve (May 13, 2021)

Ticklishchap said:


> Ah yes, the ruck. It used to be called a ‘loose scrum’. Beer wasn’t part of the way of life at boarding school but we drank a few beers after games at college (being a masochist perhaps and a creature of habit I continued with it for a time there). In the 80s I recall from visits to the US that the drinking age was 21 in many states - maybe WA was more libertarian?(!) Re. your point about wrestling it’s true that Rugby (Rugger) squeezed out other sports because of time pressure.


At the time, it was 21 in most places, though in some (e.g., Idaho) it was 18.  We definitely weren't old enough to legally drink beer, but where there's a will, there's a way.

We just watched the six nations rugby tournament a few months ago.  The matches come on at crazy hours of the day here, but if you set the DVR, you can catch them recorded.


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## Ticklishchap (May 13, 2021)

Shatteredzen said:


> Hello! The fencing believe it or not will help, you likely learned a whole bag of things, from posture, footwork, timing, etc that you may see pop up during your training, just take any new classes as a fresh start and don't try to draw too many inferences between styles until you start to gain some experience. If you are just getting into martial arts and don't know where to start, your local MMA, BJJ or Boxing gym is a great place because the skills you learn in boxing, grappling or MMA style martial arts will serve you well no matter where you go or end up. Which style you settle on may have a lot to do with what is locally available so I suggest shopping around your town and seeing what's out there, likely one or more gyms will kind of call out to you as a better fit, considering the time and energy you will invest, theres no harm waiting for that one that "just feels right".


Thank you Sir. I’m sure you’re right about the fencing because of the emphasis on posture and careful action. It has a lot of martial art like qualities. That said, it is a long time since I fenced but I remember the rudiments of it.


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## Ticklishchap (May 13, 2021)

Steve said:


> At the time, it was 21 in most places, though in some (e.g., Idaho) it was 18.  We definitely weren't old enough to legally drink beer, but where there's a will, there's a way.
> 
> We just watched the six nations rugby tournament a few months ago.  The matches come on at crazy hours of the day here, but if you set the DVR, you can catch them recorded.


That’s interesting as I have tended to think of Idaho as a very socially conservative state; I could well be wrong about this. Two other things I know about it are that it was the birthplace of Ezra Pound and that it’s licence plates say (or used to say) ‘Good Potatoes’. ...

The Six Nations would have been on at strange hours for the West Coast, but I know that there is growing interest in Rugby (Rugger) in the US and it is played a fair amount in Canada.


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## Tez3 (May 13, 2021)

My two year old granddaughter goes to rugby tots in Suffolk. Watch out in a few years time. 😁


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## Ticklishchap (May 13, 2021)

Tez3 said:


> My two year old granddaughter goes to rugby tots in Suffolk. Watch out in a few years time. 😁


Very good luck to her. ... I have to be honest I have never watched the women’s game. I’m sure there’s a lot of talent I’m missing. Suffolk is a beautiful county; I used to go there sometimes for my work and I have friends there.


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## Steve (May 13, 2021)

Ticklishchap said:


> That’s interesting as I have tended to think of Idaho as a very socially conservative state; I could well be wrong about this. Two other things I know about it are that it was the birthplace of Ezra Pound and that it’s licence plates say (or used to say) ‘Good Potatoes’. ...
> 
> The Six Nations would have been on at strange hours for the West Coast, but I know that there is growing interest in Rugby (Rugger) in the US and it is played a fair amount in Canada.


Interestingly, if you go far enough to the right, you end up in a place where there is a lot of similarity with the extreme far left, too.  

Regarding the license plate, I think it still says, "World Famous Potatoes", but I may be mistaken.


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## Ticklishchap (May 13, 2021)

Steve said:


> Interestingly, if you go far enough to the right, you end up in a place where there is a lot of similarity with the extreme far left, too.
> 
> Regarding the license plate, I think it still says, "World Famous Potatoes", but I may be mistaken.


You’re right about the licence plate, I’m sure. Merely ‘good’ doesn’t sound enough somehow. At the risk of straying into politics/current affairs, we are finding that the hard left and hard right overlap in our current populist government: we have extreme nationalism and social authoritarianism at one level, and at another a strong emphasis on using the state to alter the economic balance and a cult of the ‘white working class’. There is an ‘anti-woke’ obsession (damaging ‘historic’ statues now carries stiffer penalties than certain forms of physical assault) but also aspects of political correctness, eg. a strong (white) feminist agenda. It’s worth remembering that Fascism didn’t define itself as a ‘right-wing’ movement but drew heavily from the left and often claimed to be ‘beyond left and right’.

Of course America has had a number of populist movements of its own. ... 😄


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## Steve (May 13, 2021)

Ticklishchap said:


> You’re right about the licence plate, I’m sure. Merely ‘good’ doesn’t sound enough somehow. At the risk of straying into politics/current affairs, we are finding that the hard left and hard right overlap in our current populist government: we have extreme nationalism and social authoritarianism at one level, and at another a strong emphasis on using the state to alter the economic balance and a cult of the ‘white working class’. There is an ‘anti-woke’ obsession (damaging ‘historic’ statues now carries stiffer penalties than certain forms of physical assault) but also aspects of political correctness, eg. a strong (white) feminist agenda. It’s worth remembering that Fascism didn’t define itself as a ‘right-wing’ movement but drew heavily from the left and often claimed to be ‘beyond left and right’.
> 
> Of course America has had a number of populist movements of its own. ... 😄


Yeah, should probably pull back from this stuff now.  Getting into politics is a sure way to get a thread locked up.


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## Ticklishchap (May 13, 2021)

Steve said:


> Yeah, should probably pull back from this stuff now.  Getting into politics is a sure way to get a thread locked up.


It’s become very toxic in both our countries. I seem to remember as a teenager reading something by William S. Burroughs called ‘Politics Here is Death’! Let’s stick to those World Famous Potatoes. ... and Rugger ... and Monty Python!


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## Buka (May 13, 2021)

Ticklishchap said:


> Is that the voice of experience?


As an observer, yes, as a player, no.

Fought in South Africa back in the day. There was an American Rugy team playing down there, our team ran into them at the buses headed to the airport to fly home.

We told them "We lost", (disqualified) they told us " we won!"

Wasn't hardly a mark on us. Half of them had black eyes, busted noses, scrapes and cuts all over. But they were all smiles and great guys.


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## Ticklishchap (May 14, 2021)

Buka said:


> As an observer, yes, as a player, no.
> 
> Fought in South Africa back in the day. There was an American Rugy team playing down there, our team ran into them at the buses headed to the airport to fly home.
> 
> ...


Just about every South African man I have ever met has been a Rugby player at some stage in his career! It’s remarkable that the American team won.
Out of interest, why were you ‘disqualified’, if I may ask?


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## Tez3 (May 15, 2021)

Ticklishchap said:


> Very good luck to her. ... I have to be honest I have never watched the women’s game. I’m sure there’s a lot of talent I’m missing. Suffolk is a beautiful county; I used to go there sometimes for my work and I have friends there.


My daughter is in Newmarket, her husband works for Godolphin, we see him on the television a lot 😀


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