stslavik

5,694 reputation

1250

bio	website	ocbujinkan.com
	location	California
	age	31
visits	member for	1 year, 3 months
	seen	yesterday
stats	profile views	41

I'm a web developer, IT consultant, and programmer with a property management firm in Orange County, CA. I also teach and train in Bujinkan Ninpo Taijutsu.

A lot of my side-projects end up rolling into my work life, and feel that the experience I've gained with web development, Ruby, Qt, C/C++, Java, etc. may actually be of use to somebody.

I've recently joined the Martial Arts private beta, and will be answering questions on there with regularity.

Oh, and I really hate when people tell me, "No, it can't be done." You're wrong; It can, it should, it will, so shut up and watch me.

Nothing is true; everything is permissible.
- Hassan-i Sabbah (حسن الصباح‎)
Ruler of Alamut, Founder of the Hashshashin.

	5,694 reputation	bio	website	ocbujinkan.com	visits	member for	1 year, 3 months
1250 badges		location	California		seen	yesterday

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Feb 6	comment	Why are firearms not part of the martial arts world? There's not much in English. The best resources for an introduction to relatively unknown arts were a series of videos produced in the 80s for the Japanese education system called *Nihon no Kobudo*.
Feb 6	comment	What is the oldest documented Eastern Martial Art that is still practiced? Indeed. I never said that it was true, after all the scrolls are said to be handed down from some aspect of Amaterasu or something. The Japanese love their folklore, however, and many, many arts have fictional/mythological characters included in their lineages.
Feb 6	comment	Which muscles do I use to stand? @Rophuine: In attempting to maintain topic, I can point you to Kono Yoshinori (甲野善紀) as the martial artist from whom I first became acquainted with Nanba as an aspect of kobujutsu. As for Nanba, the best online resource is here. Beyond that, I can only say research anatomy.
Feb 6	comment	Does ninjutsu qualify as a martial art? The -jutsu does not, in and of itself, make for a martial art. Further study of the Japanese language will show other cases where -jutsu is used to describe other skills (saiminjutsu means hypnosis, and taijutsu only means body skills, which can apply to the skills used by a prostitute or a baker in their day to day lives just as easily as a martial artist; the very reason that we describe our art as ninpo taijutsu or budo taijutsu)
Feb 3	comment	Training Body Reading Without Sparring It's funny... What you called "playing ninja" was how I first learned blind-fighting. That led to, after a period of time and successful performance, donning a blindfold and having to perceive the sounds, feelings, etc. around us.
Feb 3	comment	Why are firearms not part of the martial arts world? @RobZ: I notice it tends to be a rather unknown skill set. Not quite as rare as, say, tosuijutsu (combative swimming), but surprisingly under appreciated.
Feb 3	comment	Which martial arts focus on self defense? @Sardathrion: Not all competition need take place in tournament format. Randori and free-sparring can serve adequately if properly trained.
Feb 3	comment	Why are firearms not part of the martial arts world? The Merriam-Webster dictionary amusingly defines "several" first as "more than one", then "more than 2, but fewer than many", then "being a great many"... I think they need to re-evaluate their definition :D
Feb 3	comment	What's the best way to stop a nose bleed quickly? Hmmm. Follow up question... Is this a nose bleed from trauma or a naturally occurring bleed? The reason I ask is because if it's one caused from the exertion of the class and climate of the room, preventative measures may be appropriate as well.
Feb 3	comment	Why are firearms not part of the martial arts world? Plus figure in traditions of the culture your studying (The Japanese love, for instance, to claim mythical figures in their lineages) and the average education level of the society from which the art developed. Sociology of martial arts is quite fascinating :)
Feb 3	comment	How do you prepare for the stress of a real self-defense situation? @Swift: Sorry mate, but you're not helping your case. Most MMA/UFC fighters statistically have middle-class backgrounds, having learned martial arts in their youths at no small cost to themselves and their families. The whole "growing up on the streets" thing? Promotional hype, akin to boxers having their hands registered as lethal weapons and santa claus delivering presents down chimneys. Though I do agree they're more likely to have an effective capability of handling themselves in a dangerous situation than Bruce Lee.
Feb 3	comment	Why are firearms not part of the martial arts world? "A lot of martial arts trace their lineage back to times that predate firearms." Some, but not a lot... Late 12th c. to early 13th c. saw the adaptation of firearms in the form of handheld cannons in China; these were introduced to Japan in the 15th c. as was jujutsu. Most martial arts aren't as old as people like to think; even if they were founded at that time, they have evolved further than that origin. Likely, the reason you see this less is the oppression of civilian martial artists in Communist and Post-Imperialist societies.
Feb 3	comment	What are good exercises for strengthening knees to hold stances better? @SeanPatrickFloyd: You think that's long, you should see my other answers ;)
Feb 3	comment	Why are firearms not part of the martial arts world? I have a problem answering this with such a short answer, so I'll post it in comment and others can run with it if they so choose: They are and have been for a very long time – for example, Seki-ryu Hojutsu is a kobujutsu school dedicated to musketry (or gunnery, which tends nowadays to carry a connotation of artillery) as are other schools listed here.
Feb 3	comment	Training Body Reading Without Sparring @slugster: Really, it's not so difficult as picking up drills for it. Make it natural, instinctual... De-focus to widen your perspective, and make focusing the secondary act. You'll have less headaches as a side-effect.
Feb 2	comment	What's the difference between Internal and External martial arts? @CuinnWylie: No problem; I have a personal issue with things being explained in metaphysical terms when purely physical and logical explanations will suffice.
Feb 2	comment	How do you prepare for the stress of a real self-defense situation? @Swift: The simple fact that you equate either Bruce Lee or Pro MMA fighters with self-defense is not only disturbing, but extremely telling.
Feb 2	comment	Do ninja follow the bushido? Since I feel that @Sardathrion did an excellent job of nailing some of the major points with his answer, I won't detract from them by posting my own. I will add that the Shoninki admonishes the ninja of Kishu-ryu from being amoral or dishonorable, reminding them that they are not thieves or murderers, but that they serve a purpose. It's not that some ninja weren't "bad guys", but this is true of all groups in society, even the supposedly moral and just samurai. Much of their perceived morality stems from their rank under confucianism.
Feb 2	comment	Does ninjutsu qualify as a martial art? @michelemarcon: As would I. There's quite a bit of misunderstanding surrounding ninja.
Feb 2	comment	Going up on the ball of the foot for a front snap kick Interesting. I'm curious to see if there's a reason for the differences. My shidoshi used to kick our feet out from under us if we raised up on the ball during a kick...