What is it about groin kicks? Is it merely instinct to both protect our testicles and target those of an opponent? Or is it a deeper psychological projection of emasculation? - At our old Tae Kwon Do school, one of the guys was sparring with a little guy named Pablo. Pablo was a Mexican national champion. Well, the other guy had his leg held high in a round kick and Pablo accidently kicked him in the nuts. The guy was not wearing a cup, and Pablo blew out one of the guy's testicles. Ouch... Read Full Story

Dave at Formosa Neijia asked the other day if we were taking pieces of the 88-movement San Shou form and using them something like one-step sparring drills. Here is such an example; it's "parting wild horses mane" vs. "wave hands like clouds". This is directly out of the San Shou form and is run either as a one-step self-defense technique or as a form done in a repeating loop. The loop allows us to concentrate on form and footwork, and the unified movement necessary in partner training... Read Full Story

People have occasionally tagged me as being a "Doom-and-gloomer". Actually, it's more that I feel that this corrupt system is in need of a major re-boot. More than thirty years of supply-side Reaganomics has been the greatest upward transfer of wealth in the history of the country. This money doesn't just vanish into thin air, one guy profit's off another's loss. You would think people would have learned from the Savings and Loan crash under Reagan-Bush in the eighties. When Ronald Reagan... Read Full Story

I laughed my ass off ! From The Wall Street Journal (Hat Tip to James Keating at MAAJAK) Everybody Is 'Cane Fu' Fighting At Senior Centers, So Watch Out Older People Get Healthful Exercise And Learn to Wield a Ready Weapon By JENNIFER LEVITZ July 12, 2008; Page A1 CENTERVILLE, Ohio -- The St. Leonard retirement village here has a whole new way of thinking about recreation: Bingo has made way for cane fighting. "Down on top of the head and up between the groin!" urges instructor Debra... Read Full Story

I get a kick out of how many people are reading Dojo Rat on Government computers; - NASA, Department Of Justice, Dept. Of Agriculture, Veterans Administration, Forest Service, Naval National Information Center... Read Full Story

Recent Practice Previous Practice This last weekend I went to train with my instructor Michael Gilman, the focus was on the 88-movement fighting form. Michael always goes into great detail and the form evolves in efficiant and dynamic ways. It was also a great three-hour workout. Later, back at the Dojo we made another video, this time with a different partner who is learning the form from us. This is the most difficult form I have ever tried to learn, and it is very difficult to teach... Read Full Story

Ha,ha,ha * 7-14 VISITOR ANALYSIS Referring Link No referring link Host Name zc783044d.ip.fs.fed.us IP Address 199.131.4.77 [Label IP Address] Country United States Region California City South San Francisco ISP Usda Office Of Operations Returning Visits 0 Visit Length 0 seconds VISITOR SYSTEM SPECS Browser MSIE 6.0 Operating System Windows 2000 Resolution 1280x1024 Javascript Enabled Navigation Path Date Time WebPage 14th July 2008 05:38:42 No referring link dojorat... Read Full Story

I have had a visit from the U.S. forest service about the abuse of citizens at the Rainbow Gathering. In the past, I have had many visits from soldiers at VA hospitals, and places such as the Naval National Information Center. Good for them. On the Eve of my reporting of the abusive raid at the Rainbow gathering, I see that the U.S. Forest Service has been looking in. No doubt for a defense about a lawsuit. VISITOR ANALYSIS Referring Link No referring link Host Name za6077b14.ip.fs.fed... Read Full Story

Family Traveling To Rainbow Gathering (D.R.)- While the Police become increasingly more militarized, The military is increasingly becoming a domestic police force. Remember the stories of private mercenaries from Blackwater confiscating firearms from homeowners after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans? There are many videos on YouTube that document the Rainbow's case for random harassment by authorities that escalated to this scene where the U.S. Forest Service and Sheriff's department shot... Read Full Story

I picked this gem up at an interesting Blog "China Rises" (LINK), by Tim Johnson: "China Rises" is written by Tim Johnson, the Beijing bureau chief for McClatchy Newspapers. He covers both China and Taiwan". This is an interesting read for China watchers, and Johnson writes with a depth of knowledge not often seen in papers in the U.S. McClatchy has proven to be the most reliable source for International news, and "China Rises" is no exception. Topics range from the upcoming Olympics... Read Full Story