Well, I tuned in to ESPN2 tonight, hoping to see something worthwhile during the ISKA program. Lo and behold, it was a repeat of the last hideous forms competition I saw.
You hear or read about stories of the old martial arts masters, whose kiai would stop men in their tracks and cause birds to fall from the sky. When those kids on the ESPN show did a kiai, I either wanted to laugh my @$$ off or puke in disgust. They seem to have the opinion that the longer and louder the kiai is, the more effective it is. WRONG. At least the way they do it. It's like they're all constipated and are desperately trying to get their Ex-lax to work for them.
Saw a bo 'kata'. I'll call it a form...I don't want to insult the word 'kata'. The bo was literally nothing more than a glorified toothpick. It was too thin, too short, and too light. If you can't use the real weapon, why bother? Virtually all of the 'techniques' done in the form were all flash and no substance. About as useful as screen doors on a submarine.
I've heard of one account of a forms competition years ago where a young girl shamed all the older male competitors by using a full-sized naginata for a form, with more heart and spirit than all the other competitors combined. Where are these people now?
When is the last time you say a weapons competitor use the real thing? Every bo I see is one of them pathetic toothpick jobs. The nunchaku are skinny, worthless pieces of scrap. The kama are flashy, lightweight, and useless. I saw one fool using a katana in a form that looked like something off of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movies' cutting room floor.
I could go on all night. Maybe I'm just a bitter old man.
:cuss: :angry: :soapbox:
We now return you to your regularly scheduled forums.
Cthulhu
You hear or read about stories of the old martial arts masters, whose kiai would stop men in their tracks and cause birds to fall from the sky. When those kids on the ESPN show did a kiai, I either wanted to laugh my @$$ off or puke in disgust. They seem to have the opinion that the longer and louder the kiai is, the more effective it is. WRONG. At least the way they do it. It's like they're all constipated and are desperately trying to get their Ex-lax to work for them.
Saw a bo 'kata'. I'll call it a form...I don't want to insult the word 'kata'. The bo was literally nothing more than a glorified toothpick. It was too thin, too short, and too light. If you can't use the real weapon, why bother? Virtually all of the 'techniques' done in the form were all flash and no substance. About as useful as screen doors on a submarine.
I've heard of one account of a forms competition years ago where a young girl shamed all the older male competitors by using a full-sized naginata for a form, with more heart and spirit than all the other competitors combined. Where are these people now?
When is the last time you say a weapons competitor use the real thing? Every bo I see is one of them pathetic toothpick jobs. The nunchaku are skinny, worthless pieces of scrap. The kama are flashy, lightweight, and useless. I saw one fool using a katana in a form that looked like something off of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movies' cutting room floor.
I could go on all night. Maybe I'm just a bitter old man.
:cuss: :angry: :soapbox:
We now return you to your regularly scheduled forums.
Cthulhu
I mean c'mon... it's TEXAS!!!!
