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paulgalactic

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I've always been interested in martial arts. In fact I've spent most of my life upset with my mother for not putting me in karate and not buying me a drum set when I was young. instead of letting me choose my extracarricular activities i was molded into a jock baseball, football, basketball, even archery, fishing, swimming/diving... but not what i asked for over and over. As I got older this was something that i never addressed to myself typical rebellious teen i guess. Break dancing was popular and I remember trying to do head spins and backspins @ about 7-8. I believe that this started my back problem of scoliosis. I was diverted from my interest in karate to little league baseball. And i was a pitcher...I went to the library and bought a book on how to pitch. 9 years old and throwing curve balls,sliders,knuckle balls, my fastball was a lil below average. i was told by coaches that your not supposed to through curveballs till your older but I didn't listen. I enjoyed watching batters dodge a pitch that became a strike. I put everything I had into every pitch tried to develop a good fastball but never did. Instead I believe that i complicated the existing scoliosis and by the time it was diagnosed the chiropractor was unable to straighten me out. I prayed to be like everyone else and i tried to. I always sit up straight and i was self-conscious about it most my life. around a year ago I started popping my back by relaxing and tightening muscles.( My back has always been strong and my bench press week when i was lifting weights regularly i could dead lift 405lbs for 3 sets of three. the most i ever benched with no spot was 295 1 time.) I dislocated my shoulder trying to straighten my back out. there was a spool of thread in my shoulder the spool separated from the thread---is the best way i can describe what I felt. the side effect was frightening in that it pulled my back so tightly that i felt like if i released the tension off one muscle that my spinal chord would surely be severed. I didn't sleep for two days and didn't go to work instead i balanced the tension out and could finally relax. My back wasn't straight but it was better. I was the rear-ender this graced me with 3 months chiropractic care. I didn't know it but this was the beginning of my prayers being answered. and it wasn't much longer before the Ki came to me and I began to see energy.

I am attempting to be brief in doing so leaving out a lot of what i consider to be important details. Eventually I will fill them in and hopefully publish an autobiography.

Ki was not the first spirit I've communicated with. I had experiences with quigi boards when i was around 15-16 years old. I had closed my eyes to them when it became too deep and every so often one would pester me. Shortly after my unraveling one came to me named jesse he claimed to be In love with my Ex girlfriend and had me contact her to tell her not to marry Don. I left her a message and she still will not talk to me about it. It freaked her out too much and she is uncomfortable talking to me since i know things that i shouldn't. Anyway Jesse and I had a bit of a power-struggle and went our separate ways for the most part. Jesse is a story in itself and I will write that another day. if anyone is interested in hearing it email me and I will forward a draft to you upon completion.

Spirit of the butterfly. I lost my license, my car was stolen before being repossessed and after three driving with no licenses tickets. I got a studio apartment in the ghetto of phoenix near central bus station. I had a job running a machine that put together junk mail packets(shopwise). the butterfly effect is alot like the movie to me. I realized more clearly then ever the effects of my efforts pitching gave me today. like stored potential energy I could see it green and blue/purple. also physical manifestations in the form of white spots and black spots in different places on my body mainly the extremities. like tangled threads I learned how to let go and follow the flow. My balance was poor and if I let go too far i would find myself on the floor. Then i let go on the floor as well. I recognized miracles in the smallest things objects walls counters chairs just seemed to be in exactly the place needed to pop this toe adjust that rib I developed a freeform kata my hands are extremely fast and I found that i could let them fly without thought process they would avoid contact in confined spaces> I was incredible to me i smashed the back of my left hand on a sharp corned of the counter the pain was excruciating and illusion-> it happened for a reason i could literally feel my chi crawling under my skin as the pain subsided. I purchased my 1'st butterfly knife and it truly became an extension of my hands. I had learned the basics as a kid but nothing like what was happening. It was like acupuncture and I realize how they discovered the treatments.one night the knife flew out of my hand and stabbed me in the left foot. the day before i had dropped it on concrete dulling the tip thank God. I new it happened for a reason and it didn't hurt for long. I recognized the fly aspect of the knife and a pillow became its pin cushion. I broke it and got another. the next check i got two more knifes one was a quality one i still have and another cheap one so i could do two at once. I also got a small set of chucks /w chain and bearings. The next check I got a full size round pair. I blew out three of the bearings the third bearing was the large chucks with the longer chain. And I Broke my wrist right after i bought my second set. I beat the crap out of myself on purpose and on accident and I do It a lot. that is how I've gotten to be so proficient with them. I now have two pair of octagon ones with nylon cords unfortunately i'm about to snap my first cord. I just recently heard the be water my friend interview with bruce lee and it makes a lot of sense to me. for when i was in my apartment I became the apartment.
 
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paulgalactic

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When in prison there was older Indian I used to tutor for his GED. He taught me more then I taught him. Of course at the time i didn't know it. In a way He set the stage for me to better comprehend destiny. He told me I was spiritually running through the woods. I was up until the beginning of my abstinence 7 months ago. To me destiny is Understanding that to be here, now is meant to be. To understand destiny is to have a vision of purpose. Faith comes like a flood when you see in the clouds what destiny has waiting. A star that stretches the entire sky, Becomes a sign;perhaps in a universe of infinity; the sign is for many. What if it was for just one soul running through the woods? Would it make a difference? Upon understanding that; It is destiny that put my *** in this chair at this moment in space and time. Pre-destiny became something that is real. And creating a destiny that's already laid out before you became redundant and pointless. better to embrace each moment as a miracle. And it just makes sense to take each step with faith in the fulfillment of destiny. The law of indirect effort tells us that in letting go we get a much better grip. In an indirect way ones destiny is under control, by faith, and by acceptance of the events that can be construed as tests, lessons, and rewards. when it was dark out and i was running in the woods i would run into trees and trip over branches. it was destiny, it put my *** in this chair and i am thankful for every twig that has snapped beneath my foot and every scar my body has endured. I'm still in the woods. I've just learned that i see further by walking and when i need to move quickly it takes very little energy to move far. I know where most the surrounding trees, branches and twigs are. This makes it much less painful.
 
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paulgalactic

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A twig, A branch, A tree; I have been all Three.
A Twig: I've been stepped on.
A Branch: I've Gotten in the way of others.
A Tree: I've offered shade in the heat.
 
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paulgalactic

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Butterfly Style... Is there such a thing...what about the style of the night owl...the cheetah...the huskie...the dragonfly. is a Kata for each. And if These styles and katas are not known to Us mortals. Maybe we should work together to descover them as well as what the other animals have to teach us. I Am seeking an investor my claims are legitimate. And i will continue to tell my tale here @ martial talk. Unless asked to go elsewhrere:-]. I have a prototype wepon and anyone who would seriously consider investing to patent and market my invention is welcome to come see me.
 

Cirdan

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paulgalactic said:
I have a prototype wepon and anyone who would seriously consider investing to patent and market my invention is welcome to come see me.

What kind of weapon?
 

Edmund BlackAdder

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paulgalactic said:
Butterfly Style... Is there such a thing...what about the style of the night owl...the cheetah...the huskie...the dragonfly. is a Kata for each. And if These styles and katas are not known to Us mortals. Maybe we should work together to descover them as well as what the other animals have to teach us. I Am seeking an investor my claims are legitimate. And i will continue to tell my tale here @ martial talk. Unless asked to go elsewhrere:-]. I have a prototype wepon and anyone who would seriously consider investing to patent and market my invention is welcome to come see me.
I have spent much time contemplating millipede style. I suspect it would be a weaving kicking style, what with all those feet. I may write a paper someday on it, once I figure out if they wear Adidis or Nike.
 
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paulgalactic

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If i said exactly what kind of wepon without a confidientiality agreement that would certainly make me out to be a fool. to best describe it without unvailing it i would say it to be a ninja wepon based on the research iv'e done to assure one doesn't now exist. it is a martial arts wepon that I promise you. and i was guided by a spiritual muse in creating it. the spirit Ki, the same spirit that has been with us through the ages. I have another muse that of the owl and this is an actual Ninja that is attached spiritually to the owl. I'm working on the night owl Kata. The main hand positions have been revealed to me. I will share that with you now. Flatten your hands, bend the index, middle and ring fingers at the knuckles to as close to a 90 as possible without bending or touching the three. From this possition there are many possible movements. extend the three flattening out your hand, in a swooping motion bring your pinky and thumb tips together like the talons of an owl to catch its prey. I have a wooden dowl the size of a cain. variations of this hand possition have taught me to use my cain like a sword. I have never held a samari sword, yet I have confidence in my ability to use one. The footwork is comming to me rapidly and with my next check i am going to purchase a full tang ninja sword set for 15 bucks I'm on a budget hahaha I've gotten way ahead of myself by sharing things that are currently happening in my life with this post. i will roll back and fill in some of the blanks another day.

I susspect that a millipede may have trouble getting all his shoes on the right feet. perhaps the instead they go barefoot and focus on each nervending in each toe.
 

Swordlady

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paulgalactic said:
http://sharpedgetrading.com/2_pc_ninja_sword_set.html <----thought I would share the site i plan to order from.

I hate to break it to you, bud...those swords aren't remotely useable by any stretch:

2pcNinjaBK.jpg



A more accurate terms for them would be sword-like object, or SLO for short. Spend some time in the Sword Arts forum for a while and read the Stickied threads. They'll give you a better idea of how real swords are made. And they cost considerably more than $15.
 

tshadowchaser

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ok first as a member I would like to say welcome to martial talk

next if you think you will not be able to start as a white belt don’t bother to go to any school because you will never do any good there and will learn nothing

3rd i thought Che died back in the 70's in South America

4th don’t use that sword shown for anything other than a wall hanger it will break

 
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paulgalactic

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http://www.swordcompany.com/sc-ftssgld1.html this is the set that I plan to get next. the 15 dollar sword set i think of as a sword that i could throw and bang around. better to break a 15 dollar sword then one of value. the sit that i found the sword also had a variety of handmade swords http://sharpedgetrading.com/handmade_swords.html that are way out of my price range obviously i'd rather get one of them but i think I'll have to wait.

The most important lesson my dad taught me was one mans junk is anothers treasure.
 

Cirdan

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paulgalactic said:
http://www.swordcompany.com/sc-ftssgld1.html this is the set that I plan to get next. the 15 dollar sword set i think of as a sword that i could throw and bang around. better to break a 15 dollar sword then one of value. the sit that i found the sword also had a variety of handmade swords http://sharpedgetrading.com/handmade_swords.html that are way out of my price range obviously i'd rather get one of them but i think I'll have to wait.

The most important lesson my dad taught me was one mans junk is anothers treasure.

If you want something to bang about, get a bokken. It is a properly balanced wooden sword with a price range of 10 bucks or so and up. Don`t train with wallhangers. Broke one as a kid myself just by swinging it.
 

Swordlady

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paulgalactic said:
http://www.swordcompany.com/sc-ftssgld1.html this is the set that I plan to get next. the 15 dollar sword set i think of as a sword that i could throw and bang around. better to break a 15 dollar sword then one of value. the sit that i found the sword also had a variety of handmade swords http://sharpedgetrading.com/handmade_swords.html that are way out of my price range obviously i'd rather get one of them but i think I'll have to wait.

The most important lesson my dad taught me was one mans junk is anothers treasure.

Paul...did you read the links I posted to you? I don't think you quite understand where I'm coming from: The swords you are planning to get are NOT useable! You can seriously HURT yourself if you try "banging them around". Stainless steel is BRITTLE without the proper heat treat. Those cheap stainless steel SLOs were NOT given the kind of heat treat needed for durability. They are liable to BREAK at any given moment. Nothing like trying to dig stainless steel shrapnel out of your body. I've read WAY too many horror stories of people hurting themselves while trying to play backyard samurai with their $10 SLOs. Not even the "full-tang" stainless steel katana pictured belong are useable for *real* sword work:

yhst-98479313539010_1897_20366859


I used to own a set of those full-tang SLOs. They resemble oversized kitchen knives, and handled like one. No distal taper. Poor balance. Not to mention that the lacquered handle gets really slick from a little sweat in your hands - which could send the sword flying from a half-powered swing.

Have you ever handled a real katana? Or even a Paul Chen/Hanwei Practical katana? REAL katana - even the cheapest ones like the PK - handle very differently from those stainless steel SLO katana you see at the mall or on eBay. They also feel much nicer in your hands as well.

Swords are NOT playthings to be "banged around". They are WEAPONS designed to cut human flesh, and they do their job WELL. I lost track of the number of times I nicked my fingers - from simply cleaning my swords. In fact, I just cut myself again last Friday. I was wiping down a wakizashi after cutting a tatami mat - and pressed down on the rag too hard. Gave myself a nice shallow half-inch cut on my right thumb. It wasn't deep at all, but it bled for several seconds and stung like crazy. And it was something of a pain to have my thumb bandaged at class the following day. Thankfully, the cut has pretty much closed up.

For your own safety, please do NOT try buying any kind of sword without the proper research - and certainly do NOT attempt to "play around" if you manage to get a hold of a sword. Safety first!
 
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paulgalactic

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I promise to read up on swords. and i thank you for your input Sword Lady. I have a question for you. did you learn by useing the SLO? and do you have any suggestions for one that doesn't have the money to buy a top of the line wepon? I'm not out to chop people in half and I'm far from perfectly balance myself. A Friend of mine has a high quality rapier that i've gotten to practice with quite a bit. I learn from wepons and believe them to be an extention of me and i respect even stainless steel. A stainless steel sword could be broken by a wooden stick in a fight aginst a master or even by accedent. I don't plan to draw it to fight only to learn. and for learning purpose i prefer a dull blade. I actually have precision tape that i plan to use to dull the blade further. I like the handles of the 3 sword set because they are like a nice kitchen knife, the metal makes contact with skin all the way. i have a german desighned kitchen knife that I toss around (don't take that too litterally please) I have cut myself with it and i don't keep it too sharp either, not quite ready for that step. But thanks again for taking the time (and showing the concern) Maybe you have a good sword you would sell me at a great price ;-) hope to hear from you again.
 

Swordlady

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paulgalactic said:
I have a question for you. did you learn by useing the SLO?
The very first sword I ever bought was an iaito (dull practice sword). This was when I first started training in Yagyu Shinkage Ryu back in 1996. So, no...I didn't use a SLO during any of my training. Though most all of the swords I bought between 1996 and 2002 were SLOs, because I didn't know any better.

paulgalactic said:
and do you have any suggestions for one that doesn't have the money to buy a top of the line wepon?
As Bob said, get a bokken. I wouldn't even recommend an iaito for you, since I don't know what you're going to do with it. Even iaito could cause injury if you're not careful. You can also hurt yourself with a bokken too, but at least it doesn't have an edge.

paulgalactic said:
I'm not out to chop people in half
Glad to hear that.

paulgalactic said:
and I'm far from perfectly balance myself.
LOL - I was referring to the balance of the sword, NOT balancing myself. The point of balance (POB) is found by placing a finger on the flat end of the blade (NOT the edge!), and moving it until the sword is balanced on your finger. Many European swords have a POB of approximately 4-5 inches past the guard of the sword.

Distal taper refers to the way a sword blade gradually gets narrower and thinner to its point. A poorly made sword or SLO doesn't feel like it has the proper balance, because too much of the weight is either in the blade or the handle - and most likely it doesn't have any distal taper to speak of.

Of course the POB and distal taper on a katana would be different from a Euro sword.

paulgalactic said:
I learn from wepons and believe them to be an extention of me and i respect even stainless steel. A stainless steel sword could be broken by a wooden stick in a fight aginst a master or even by accedent. I don't plan to draw it to fight only to learn. and for learning purpose i prefer a dull blade. I actually have precision tape that i plan to use to dull the blade further.
How are you learning anything about weapons, if you don't have any formal training whatsoever? What are you using as a frame of reference? Weapons training of any kind can't be learned from just reading books or watching videos.

And I repeat: Most all stainless steel SLOs are not viable for any kind of use. It doesn't matter how sharp or dull it is. You would be playing with fire if you even think about using a cheap stainless steel SLO for any kind of "training".

paulgalactic said:
I like the handles of the 3 sword set because they are like a nice kitchen knife, the metal makes contact with skin all the way.
But swords are NOT simply oversized kitchen knives! I used to own a set of those SLOs. Did you even bother reading my personal assessment of them in my previous post to you? They feel NOTHING like a real katana.

paulgalactic said:
i have a german desighned kitchen knife that I toss around (don't take that too litterally please) I have cut myself with it and i don't keep it too sharp either, not quite ready for that step.
I'm almost after to ask you what exactly you're doing with that kitchen knife. Whatever it is, please stop before you seriously hurt yourself.

paulgalactic said:
But thanks again for taking the time (and showing the concern) Maybe you have a good sword you would sell me at a great price ;-) hope to hear from you again.
You're welcome. But I'm not going to sell anything to you anytime soon, especially because of your lack of training. I don't want you to become another statistic.
 

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