From:	Kevin White <kevw@*****.CO.UK>
Subject:	Re: Martial Arts
Date:	Mon, 19 May 1997 15:06:40 +0100

David Buehrer wrote:
>
> [8<.. MA Concentraiotn examples]
>
Unfortunately, the flaw which I see in this is that if you concentrate
more in offensive manouvers your skill in defense does not diminish.
That is like saying if you concentrate in shooting rifles your skill
with pistols diminishes.

> So, as I see it you can learn all the aspects of an unarmed combat
> style, or you can focus on the defensive or offensive aspects. If
> you spend all your time practicing strikes, and only a token ammount
> practicing blocks, then you'll increase your attacking skill faster
> (less karma) but you'll have poor defensive skills.

This is very true but I would suggest that in SR terms this was
specializing in the offensive components of a particular style
(concentration). In the main martial arts are taught as a balance
between offense and defence. I admit that some styles ephasise one or
the other but this does not mean that they neglect to teach students how
to defend against attacks. Indeed I would suggest that any teacher who
didn't teach his students how to defend themselves from the attacks they
are learning would be negligent since what would the student do during
kumite.

> And from my
> limited experience I have seen people do this. There's usually at
> least one person in the dojo who nobody can lay a hand on (not
> counting the teacher :), and then there's the guy (or gal) who's a
> flury of attacks.
>
Again this has some truth to it but I would suggest that this does not
arise as a result off the style but as a consequence of the individual.

> Okay, now will all the people with extensive RL experience please
> tell me where the holes in this are? Thanks :)
>
Just to clarify I have extensive RL experiense with quite a wide variety
of martial arts over the last 10 or so years.

Diamond