Ferocious Fighters of Shih Tzu Fu

[geezer]

I was watching my ridiculous dog, a Shih Tzu, tear into his favorite chew toy, a stuffed duck damn near as big as he is. He pounces onto it, grabs it in his jaws, and growls and snarls viciously and shakes it furiously side to side, like a shark. At that instant, in his own little head, he's a fierce wolf brining down a caribou. He's the man... er... Dog! You know, the big Shih T. (if you catch my drift). Anyway, its totally hilarious.

Then, my wife comes in and says, "Look at that silly thing. It's just like you and your martial arts practice!" She was trying to be funny, but it really got me thinking. Now there are a lot of very serious, bad-*** dudes who train and actually have to use their martial arts in the real world. You LEOs, bouncers, security specialists and soldiers know what I mean. And there are plenty of others who really go full-out for sport... like UFC fighters and boxers for example. But, what about the rest of us? I mean, I train seriously, but not excessively. And I'm an average, middle aged guy. I'm not a cop or anything like that. I'm a high school teacher for godsake. I haven't been in a real fight for... geez, must be decades. And the longer I train, the less likely it seems that I will have to use this stuff. I just don't hang out in rough places and I don't make as many stupid choices as when I was young. So, is it all a fantasy? Am I really just like my goofy little dog? How about the rest of you?

How many of you are really just practicing "Shih Tzu Fu"???

 

[Guardian]

I was watching my ridiculous dog, a Shih Tzu, tear into his favorite chew toy, a stuffed duck damn near as big as he is. He pounces onto it, grabs it in his jaws, and growls and snarls viciously and shakes it furiously side to side, like a shark. At that instant, in his own little head, he's a fierce wolf brining down a caribou. He's the man... er... Dog! You know, the big Shih T. (if you catch my drift). Anyway, its totally hilarious.

Then, my wife comes in and says, "Look at that silly thing. It's just like you and your martial arts practice!" She was trying to be funny, but it really got me thinking. Now there are a lot of very serious, bad-*** dudes who train and actually have to use their martial arts in the real world. You LEOs, bouncers, security specialists and soldiers know what I mean. And there are plenty of others who really go full-out for sport... like UFC fighters and boxers for example. But, what about the rest of us? I mean, I train seriously, but not excessively. And I'm an average, middle aged guy. I'm not a cop or anything like that. I'm a high school teacher for godsake. I haven't been in a real fight for... geez, must be decades. And the longer I train, the less likely it seems that I will have to use this stuff. I just don't hang out in rough places and I don't make as many stupid choices as when I was young. So, is it all a fantasy? Am I really just like my goofy little dog? How about the rest of you?

How many of you are really just practicing "Shih Tzu Fu"???

LOL, allot of folks look at what we do as funny, but you made a point by saying you have not been in an altercation in a long time. It's nice to have if you need it though.

My wife doesn't look at it as funny, I taught her and she knows exactly what she needs to do in order to protect herself, we've gone over it and over it and I've been her practice dummy LOL and she knows what will hurt and not hurt.

I would say that little pup would look funny though ripping into that thing, he's king of his domain.

 

[Xue Sheng]

:lol:

Hopefully I am

 

[bluekey88]

I've had that thought from time to time...although not quite with that imagery

It's all good. I enjoy what i do...much like your pooch there. if others get some amusement out of watching me...all the better

 

[kaizasosei]

Hey! Like it has been said here before, it's not the size of the dog in the fight.....

dogs are such good beings. If only people could be as honest and playful yet brave as most dogs are.

j

 

[Aiki Lee]

I'd rather have the skills and never need them, than need the skills and never have them.


fighting is just a part of martial arts anyway. My teacher's teacher said it best when he said martial arts are about building a stronger more effective person. The goal is to simply be better than what you are in everything you do. At least that's how I see it.

 

[Stonecold]

The training you do is for you. We train to keep our minds and body active, we train to have peice of mind, beat stress & because we have a warrior within. Some of us have put ourselfs in harms way and had to test our skill. Others have never needed to. You say your a high school teacher, that can be a dangerious job, and I'm sure you use some part of your training everyday. Maybe not the forcefull part but the mental awarnes & control your training has showen you. Dogs & cats play that way because of instinct. Thats how they train to hunt & kill so they can eat . Most of us have lost our survival instinct, our training helps us awaken them. So to all those who mock us I say you do your thing, I'll do mine, and when you need me I'll be there.

 

[mozzandherb]

My mom has a shih tzu and she is a crazy dog. She will take on any sized dog any time even though she's, well, small...haha. A little bit of a schizoid personality I would say, but I love her,,,her name is Chi-Chi.
As for me, well I had dreams of being a UFC fighter, but wll settle on my training now strictly in TKD for the Worlds and Pam Am games. But unlike my moms dog I dont think I be as reckless abondoned as she is, she is a crazy dog, I wish sometimes when I do fight that I had her craziness..lol

 

[StrongFighter]

For most people, That probably never will happen but ...

All it takes is one.

If you were on a plane vacation with your family and a terrorist is in the middle of the aisle trying to take over the plane ?

What if you were re-fueling your family car and 2 Hells Angel scouts pulled up at the gas station on their way to fight the another biker gangs like the Pagans and you see these 1% patches, mean looking sunglasses and you act nervous.

What if that crackhead was downtown begging for money and he has killed people before in the 'hood. He hasn't been caught yet and today is your day to be attacked ?

Just some of the possible sudden violence scenarios that could be realistic.

It is better to be a strong martial artist who is a good person that lives in peace and only fights if absolutely necessary.

Like I said, all it takes is just one. That is what you train for. Of course some people train for health reasons. That is good at the same time, learning good self defense.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

As a recent newbie to martial arts training, and in my middle age as well, I have had that same discussion with myself. Here are my reasons for doing it.

1) Self-defense skills do no harm if you have them and don't need them, but if you need them and do not have them...

2) Self-defense training implies increased physical activity with the potential for good physical conditioning, increased muscle mass and density, better cardio-vascular health. My dad died at age 61 from a major heart attack. I'm 48.

3) I know myself. I have signed up for gym memberships and never gone. I've tried aerobics and found myself intimidated and bored, not to mention overwhelmed. I hate running, and walking is something I really have to persuade myself to do. Punching the snot out of a practice dummy or trading blows and blocks and sparring - that's fun.

4) Being part of a good dojo is being part of a family that sucks you in and keeps you interested. They care if you're there or not, and you care if they are there or not. You look for each other, you help each other, you care about each other. Get that at Gold's Gym? Not me, anyway.

5) Self-discipline is good. If you can do it in a dojo, you can do it in other areas of your life. Like a muscle, those skills atrophy if not used. Because I go to the dojo twice a week like clockwork, I also find it easier to run the vacuum cleaner when it needs it - if that makes sense.

6) I feel great! I was a little down the other night, had to drag my butt into the dojo. You know the feeling. I left on an endorphin high, feeling great and wanting to go 'whoohoo!' and if you know me, that's just not me. I like feeling like going 'whoohoo!'. It's cool.

7) Chicks dig scars.

 

[Blindside]

"But dogs got personality, personality goes a long way."

How do animals train for fighting? They play from the time when they are pups/calves/kittens/whatever, and when they play they hold back, its in- class sparring, they don't go all out because they can injure themselves, and in the wild, that is a bad thing. That chew toy? Think of that as a heavy bag, you can go all out because you know you won't injure the target. Better yet get someone in a redman/fist suit to give you a better target to play against. Your dog isn't living a fantasy, somewhere not really too deep is a killer, he is just practicing.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Your dog isn't living a fantasy, somewhere not really too deep is a killer, he is just practicing.

And biding his time. Bwahahahaha!