An active imagination

[tmanifold]

As well as being a martial artist I am also a bit of an amateur writer. So I have a bit of an active imagination. I constantly have keep my head in check when I think of self preservation scenarios. So the other day I was thinking about my two favorite targets, the groin and the throat. They compliment each other so well,hit one the other opens up and vice versa. So I am thinking about this and my brain got ahead of me again....well this is how it went down in my head:

The idoit in front of me is still going on about how he is gonna kick my ***. Frankly it is starting to annoy me.
"So we are gonna fight and kick my ***, is that about right? I ask with what I hope is an air of casual indifference.
As so as his mouth opens in an affirmative, my left hand whips out, the web between my thumb and forefinger connecting solidly with his trachea. His hands fly to his throat in some primal attempt to hold everything in place. As his back arches backward while he gasps for air, I step foward, on an angle, in a dep stance reminescent of Zenkutsu-dachi. I exhale forcefully as I fire my fist towards his groin. My verical fist lands flush on his sacred member and he pikes faster than an Olympic diver. As I step back, he crumples to the ground like a marionette with its strings cut because, unlike Pinnochio, he was a real boy.

Ah martial arts fantasy, isn't that why we all started?


Tony

ps. I didn't know where to put this so Mods move it if it is in the wrong place.

 

[AvPKenpo]

I must say you have a very active imagination........:boxing:

Thanks for the post.......brings a smile to my face, after a long day of staring at a cpu screen.

Michael

 

[Bob Hubbard]

I'm speachless....

 

[Wertle]

nice nice, so where are the short stories to go along with it, hmm? Don't lie, I'm sure you have them. I want some short stories!

 

[J-kid]

Good work

 

[MartialArtist]

What? If I had a fantasy fight, I would be fighting a band of 60 ninjas. I would be like the Shaolin monks in the movies. Every time you try to punch or kick me, your hurt yourself. You try to grapple, I overcome you with super power. Then with flick, you fall 100 feet back.

 

[tmanifold]

Originally posted by MartialArtist

What? If I had a fantasy fight, I would be fighting a band of 60 ninjas. I would be like the Shaolin monks in the movies. Every time you try to punch or kick me, your hurt yourself. You try to grapple, I overcome you with super power. Then with flick, you fall 100 feet back.

Those are my fighting dreams.

Seriously, I just think like that some times. I have a real complex for that kind of stuff. Maybe too many movies. It is a real struggle for me to keep my thoughts realistic. Yet I am kinda dualistic in that regard. Those of you who have read through me website realize my veiws on combat aren't like that. Maybe it is just they way I want combat to be, complete with inner monologue.


Tony

 

[Roland]

it can be done!

Most of my best learning was when I could totally imagine something happening.

I know I HAVE a form or technique down when I can picture the whole thing in my head, from start to finish, with no interuptions.

Nice little piece you wrote there, hope you continue!

You should see Martin Wheeler's little movie he just made, wrote, produced, directed & stared too.

Ed Parker Jr. pointed out a few years ago that most top martial artists had some hidden other talent in some other art as well.

 

[Bod]

I'm horribly disappointed!

Where is the action taking place?
What does the villain look like?

What does the hero look like?

Where is the girl with big Kahunas?

p.s. When you see a fight don't you hear the sounds too? Please describe the sounds the girl with the big kahuna makes. No just kidding I don't want to be banned from the forum.

 

[Nightingale]

hehe... my fantasy fight would be something out of Xena or Relic Hunter...



ps...if ya haven't seen relic hunter... saturday afternoon... UPN. well worth the watch... for the ladies, it has action and romance.... for the guys...it has Tia Carrere.

 

[tmanifold]

Originally posted by Bod

I'm horribly disappointed!

Where is the action taking place?
What does the villain look like?

What does the hero look like?

Where is the girl with big Kahunas?

p.s. When you see a fight don't you hear the sounds too? Please describe the sounds the girl with the big kahuna makes. No just kidding I don't want to be banned from the forum.

well I just wrote the action scene. For background I was in a bar surrounded by his buddies. It ended with me getting behind the bouncers before his buddies attacked me. I would have wrote more but I really wanted to end on that Pinnochio line.

Hey thanks for all the good feedback,

Tony

 

[Aikikitty]

I liked the Pinnochio line! It made me laugh.

Robyn
:yinyang:

 

[MartialArtist]

It the dream doesn't have ninjas, it's a bad dream

 

[tmanifold]

Man this wasn't even a dream. This was where I had to drag my head back from while thinking on a serious martial topic. Now dreams that is a whole different story. Maybe in a little bit I will post a writing from one of my dreams.



Tony

 

[tmanifold]

Alright, there was some talk of other writings, So I have another. Many people took my first one as a dream to show the difference I have written a scene from a dream I have had a few times. It is kinda of long so I will break it up into two posts. This one was harder to write becuase it wasn't the result of a burst of inspiration but here goes:

I walk in to the tavern with the cowl of my cloak pulled up over my head and my cloak obscuring the sword I wear at my hip. As I enter, I quickly scan the room. I see the usual inn crowd, a few people drinking quietly, in groups or alone, as well as a few of the more boisterous patrons. A group over in the corner seems a bit more tumultuous than the rest; I may have to watch them. Reaching the bar I raise my head and signal to the bartender for a drink. I pay, then I collect my drink and move over to the wall to relax and observe.

The tavern is a simple affair with a bar at one end and some tables scattered around a fairly open center. At the moment the center is occupied by a young man engaged in an excited and animated retelling of a recent amorous adventure. Most of the patrons are engaged in quiet discourse amongst themselves. I sip my drink and let the cold beer wash away the desert that has been masquerading as my throat, when I hear a cry from the corner. It seems the group in the corner is getting even more raucous than before. The yelp was the effect of a serving girl’s smacked seat. She scurries on past and seems no worse for the exchange, so I relax anew.

I am about to move towards the bar to get my second drink when the group in the corner acts up again. This time one of the group has the struggling serving girl on his lap while his buddies roar in drunken laughter. I glance at the bartender but he is a small timid looking fellow and he appears to be in genuine fear of this unruly gang. I could sit here and ignore it but why?
I rise from my seat and casually stroll over to what I have started to call the quarrelsome quartet. They look up at me as I reach their table.

My hood obscuring my face, I summon up my best Clint Eastwood voice, “I think it is apparent that the lady does not share you feelings. Why don’t you let her go? I am sure someone of with your obvious……good looks should have no problem finding another.” My voice is dripping with so much sarcasm that I am surprised that I’m not standing in a puddle of it.

Mr. Handsome spits on the ground by my boots, “Why in ‘ell should I give a rat’s **** what you think? Why should I do what you say? Huh?”

I pull back the hood of my cloak, so he can see the grin on my face, “Frankly, my friend I’m hoping you don’t.”

The man across the table from Mr. Handsome stands up, and up. Jesus, he’s large. He walks around the table while I look for the trembling glass of water. Reaching me, he looks down at me and jabs his finger in my chest repeatedly.

“You better go sit down, little man. Or I’m fixing to do somethin’ real bad.”

I look at the sausage that is causing my chest to concave then back up at Godzilla. Man, that hurts my neck.

“You sure are big. I mean, damn, I wouldn’t have a hope in a fair fight.”

He grins back at his buddies. Idiot.
I smile up at him, my voice barely above a whisper, “The problem is… I cheat.”

With that my right hand whips out, grasps his finger and wrenches it back as I pull it down to my center. The snap is drowned out by Godzilla’s sudden scream. His face now down at a human level, I twist my hips forceful and smash a left elbow into his temple. I use the rebound to pirouette back to create some distance, my cloak flowing out around me. I return to a solid stance as the others start to move.

Two of the remaining three move, a balding fellow with a big ears and bad teeth, and Mr. Handsome. Mr. Handsome pushes the serving girl off his lap as his buddy Prince Charles charges me. Princes Charles looks like he wants to tackle me. So I hit him with a chair. Idiot. Now it’s me and Mr. Handsome.

Mr. Handsome is taking his time, it appears he is smarter than his friends. He brings his hands up in a boxer’s stance, his back hunched over and his chin down. I bring my hands up as well, palms out. With one hand, I gesture for him to come here and I smirk, my eyes cold. He leads with a tentative jab, which I parry dismissively. He jabs again; I slip it and smack his face before skipping back out. Mr. Handsome is getting red in the face and he comes on more aggressively this time. The jab is stronger, so I slip it. The cross that follows almost connects but I parry it in time. He jab, crosses, again. I slip both. He is beginning to fall into a pattern. I slip his next jab and when the inevitable cross comes, I snap my head forward. My forehead smashes into his fist and Mr. Handsome jumps back, shaking his injured fist.

Before he can regroup, I charge him. I sweep my cloak out in a wide arc as I spin, disguising the heel that follows it. At the last second, Mr. Handsome gets his arms up to block, so instead of breaking his jaw, I only knock him back a few feet. I pursue, relentless, intercepting his punch by smashing my forearm in to his bicep. Grabbing his neck, I fire a knee in to his stomach and stomp his thigh as I push him away. This time I wait for him to get up, for him to come to me, I want to prolong this a little.

Mr. Handsome is limping a bit but he isn’t done yet. He leads with a low side kick, which I step over, then follows with a hard jab. I lean away from the jab and fire a front kick to his mark. The toe of my boot penetrates between the ribs and he bends over, gasping for air. The second my front foot hits the ground my rear shin crashes in to the back of his thigh, driving him down to one knee.

I am about to land the finishing blow when, behind me, I hear the sound of metal sliding from leather. I quickly launch into a spin, my hand reaching for my sword hilt. As I spin I see the fourth of their group charging me, dagger aimed at my back. My spin places me out of the line of attack and I catch the extended arm between my hilt and my forearm. My other arm reaches out and catches his collar. We jerk to a halt, the naked blade of my sword resting on his neck. A tiny rivulet of blood disappears down his shirt.

We pause there a second, like a freeze frame, nobody moving. Then the door to the tavern bursts open and the city watch rushes in. My sword is back in its sheath in an instant, my cloak covering it again. As the watch commander begins to clear the bar, I put my cowl up and blend in with the crowd trying to force its way out the door. Once outside I disappear down a dark alley, on my way to more fun.

This was a much harder thing to write but I hope you enjoy it. This is what my dreams are like. And yes I know it is full of anacronisms but since it's my dream I guess it can work.

Tony

 

[kenposcum]

Neat stories. For awhile, I wrote out scenarios to flesh out my Kenpo techniques, similar style. I too fancy myself a writer, I try to do contemporary horror...with varying degrees of success.
About dreams...I think this is interesting. Before I studied, I would have dreams in which a physical confrontation was imminent...I would stand by, frozen, as the assailant beat me, robbed me, or whatever.
About two years later (orange/purple), I would have the same sort of dreams, but now, I could MOVE! Sadly, to no avail, and I lost.
About two years after that (blue/green), I would emerge victorious in my dreamland battles. In my dreams, I battled Asian gangsters, crazed college students, bikers, etc. I mowed through my opposition like a human scythe.
Now, about three years after this revelation, I began having dreams in which I was attacked, but rather than maiming or killing my attackers, I would subdue them, using gentle locks and throws, and even a gun disarm in a recent post-apocalyptic wasteland dream-mare.
It has been a peculiar subconscious journey, one I see paralleled in my own treatment of life and my study and perspective vis-a-vis the arts.
Anything similar out there?:asian:

 

[tmanifold]

Personally I haven't lost in a dream in years. I don't have nightmares anymore either. I decided a long time ago that it was my dream and damn it I won't lose in my own dream.

tony

 

[bscastro]

Neat stories, but I think there are some other things that are important about imagination.

I think a lot of people just go through the motions with their practice of techniques. I think if we actively try to imagine and visualize what we are doing that we will do much better in our learning.

I most important place I try this is in shadowboxing. I really try to imagine a hulking guy trying to hurt me. I think I watch people sometimes shadowbox and I can see them thinking, "okay, jab, cross, hook...okay, now let's throw in front kick, cross, hook, cross...etc." That's one level but I think if people apply their imaginations to their practice, their skill will rise dramatically vs. if they didn't.

With regard to dreams, I am always fighting to a standstill in my fights, but I never finish them. I usually wake up, but I always have the feeling that I was struggling to keep it even. Thinking back (it's been a while since having a fighting dream), I'm never losing, but I can't say that I'm winning either.

Bryan

 

[Bod]

I have those same dreams. Sometimes me and another guy are going at it hammer and tongs, breaking bottles on each others' heads, whacking each other with shovels and so on, but he's not getting hurt.

Then I realise that I'm not getting hurt either, and I wake up.

As for visualising techniques, I usually sit at my desk visualising wher the other chap is as I throw him, how he is countering me etc. I work through the technique. Sometimes as I practice I imagine throwing my partner, just to get my knees bent lower and to bring my arms in where they are strong etc. I asl otry to visualise how I am looking from the outside perspective, so that I can correct my technique.

I rarely imagine using these things in a confrontation.

 

[kenposcum]

Yeah, visualization! No matter what I'm doing, man, it's all about visualization!
In my Kenpo practice, I find that it is easiest to "see" the attackers during technique practice. Contrary to what I expected, it is easier for me to "see" what's going on during free shadowboxing and not during kata. I try to get the pictures in my head so crisp and sharp that I can "hear" screams, the snap of bone, "feel" my opponent crumbling to the ground, and "see" not just his anatomical positioning but his look of anguish as the life slips out of his body...sick, but important.
With this kind of training, you can sort of steel yourself not to let up on the bad guy until victory is secure. I mean that it HELPS, not that it's the be-all end-all.

Strange about the dreams...I always win now, but back in the day, I got hurt or killed in my dreams continuously.