Master Al Case' Matrix Martial Arts

Tez3

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Oh right, when you said us non americans needed a translation from the california/movie speak. Totally missed that. Threw me when you said OP though cause the thread was started by TaiChiTJ asking for people's opinions on the video he provided. I blame global warming for all miscommunication


Sorry I meant the Original Poster as opposed to original post, my mistake, I posted further on too where I said I didn't understand what he was talking about. As I said I think I'm supposed to pay to find out.
 

Supra Vijai

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methinks my forum speak is lacking, I always thought OP meant original post/poster - as in the person who physically started the thread. So it's more about the subject matter raised?

As for paying to find out, I'm sure Mr. Case will be on here when he's able to and reply. He's done it twice already when he really didn't have to so I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt and saying he's just been really busy over the holidays and is now sorting things out offline.
 

Tez3

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methinks my forum speak is lacking, I always thought OP meant original post/poster - as in the person who physically started the thread. So it's more about the subject matter raised?

As for paying to find out, I'm sure Mr. Case will be on here when he's able to and reply. He's done it twice already when he really didn't have to so I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt and saying he's just been really busy over the holidays and is now sorting things out offline.

I find it's the time differences too, you'll be just getting up as I go to bed. People can't always be online at the right time to answer questions etc.

Of course when I'm on nights I'm the same time as you lol.
 

Rayban

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Off topic.... but on topic.

How do you find a correlation between Boolean Algebra and MA?

-Boolean is a logical programming language described by logic gates.

-MA (IMO) is a journey of self discovery achieved through training, practicing and striving for perfection.

There is a connection between Boolean and learning in a sequential and logical manner, but in MA learning a technique is 5% of the art.

Once you learn the movement you train it and practice it. With time and with subtle adaptations you then (if not straight away) learn the principle of the technique.

This is how I learn MA, but I'm just curious how Boolean plays anymore then a "I do this, then this, then this...etc" role.


Sorry Supra, I hijacked it back from you and Tez :)

You can have it back if you want.
 

Flying Crane

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Off topic.... but on topic.

How do you find a correlation between Boolean Algebra and MA?

-Boolean is a logical programming language described by logic gates.

-MA (IMO) is a journey of self discovery achieved through training, practicing and striving for perfection.

There is a connection between Boolean and learning in a sequential and logical manner, but in MA learning a technique is 5% of the art.

Once you learn the movement you train it and practice it. With time and with subtle adaptations you then (if not straight away) learn the principle of the technique.

This is how I learn MA, but I'm just curious how Boolean plays anymore then a "I do this, then this, then this...etc" role.


Sorry Supra, I hijacked it back from you and Tez :)

You can have it back if you want.

I don't know anything about boolian algebra, and this was one of my questions as well.

My take on it is, if you can work in terms like "boolian algebra", and quasi-scientific notions and whatnot, it makes you look really really smart to the uneducated.
 

Supra Vijai

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Hijack away! We pretty much hijacked this thread to form global friendships while waiting for Mr. Case's reply so it's only fair someone takes it back onto the topic lol

Again it's probably best to wait for Mr. Case to reply as this is his course we are taking the liberty of discussing but in terms of a logical sequence of learning in this context, I think it works quite well. If you take a look at the website it says that the focus is shifted to the mechanics of the techs rather than the spiritual/philosophical backing or at least that's what I'm getting from the following quote:

I want you to think on something. Aikido is fantastic, but it is founded on religious principles. And this slows it down, makes it significant,and provides a long path.But if you look at it logically,that shouldn’t take away the profound spirituality of the Art! It should just speed it up


Purely based on that, I would guess that Mr. Case is offering a course that is simply the mechanics - I do this, then this, then this - and not the history or principles of why. He doesn't claim to teach the history or the why either, just the techs themselves with the onus being on the students to fill in any gaps if they so desire. If I may, I'd also like to refer you to a thread called 'The Hobbyist vs. The Serious Student'

It's not quite the same but it explores the distinction to a very slight degree between someone who is attending classes for fun, fitness and a social activity as opposed to someone wanting to absorb the art in it's entirety.
 

Rayban

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I don't know anything about boolian algebra, and this was one of my questions as well.

My take on it is, if you can work in terms like "boolian algebra", and quasi-scientific notions and whatnot, it makes you look really really smart to the uneducated.

Exactly!

"Big unknown words make smart"

I actually use Boolean pretty much every day in one form or another and its pretty specific to electronics. You can get a logical method of learning out of it, but you kinda need to have that before you can understand it O_O.

And this would be where sooner or later someone who knows will correct you :)
 

jks9199

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OP is contextual; it may mean original post or original poster.

It seems Mr. Case has some interesting ideas. I'd like to hear more about his approach without the buzz words that don't seem to be used in their typical definitions. For example, Boolean Algebra is a term of mathematics, and while I get the idea that there can be some use of truth tables to categorize or sort physical movements... I don't see how to tie the two together here.
 

Cirdan

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Fourth, check out the other vids on youtube.
I'm one of the few people in the world who can put out a candle
with a punch from over a foot away. The vid is on youtube.

I bet Bruce Calkins and Ashida Kim could do that also..
What is it good for anyway?
 

jks9199

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Birthday parties? :D

Blowing out candles with a punch can demonstrate speed and snap, as it only works if you can put that punch out there fast and with enough explosiveness to create the gust. It's also an exercise for focus.
 

Bruno@MT

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The boolean algebra thing is a cute way of proving / showing which response goes with which attack, at what moment. It is an intellectual breakdown of the technical side. And as such it has some merit and I can perfectly believe that an experienced practicioner would need no more than 80 minutes to explain a diagram that covers all possible attacks and their responses.

What this does not do is give you any of the physical development that 40 years of practice does. Your muscles, tendons, and bones will still be undeveloped. It also does not give you coordination, balance and reflexes. And it does not ingrain the movements into your muscle memory. It does not provide the psychological training or the experience to deal with adrenaline.

So after watching that DVD and 'understanding aikido', you'd still need 40 years of time to develop your mind and body to the point where you actually have 40 years of experience.
But at least you can feel confident that your skills are 'matrixed'...
 

mook jong man

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Check this out , after only 80 minutes of boolean algebra training I was able to do this.


matrix_matrix_117_1-300x231.jpg
 

Tez3

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Reckon the England cricket team have been doing Boolean training? :flame:
 

mook jong man

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Reckon the England cricket team have been doing Boolean training? :flame:

Don't you bloody start.

They've been doing something thats for sure , just been way to good for our blokes.
England have totally outclassed us.
We need Warnie to come back out of retirement and play again , if we can drag him away long enough from his mobile and texting Liz Hurley that is.
 

Supra Vijai

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Don't you bloody start.

They've been doing something thats for sure , just been way to good for our blokes.
England have totally outclassed us.
We need Warnie to come back out of retirement and play again , if we can drag him away long enough from his mobile and texting Liz Hurley that is.

Umm with all due respect, would YOU stop texting Liz Hurley to play a game of cricket in 40 degree heat? I wouldn't and I'm Indian! lol ;)
 

mook jong man

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Umm with all due respect, would YOU stop texting Liz Hurley to play a game of cricket in 40 degree heat? I wouldn't and I'm Indian! lol ;)

You've got a point there , Liz Hurley is absolutely stunning.
Don't know what she sees in Warnie though , the mans as thick as a brick.

Although he does look as though he's had a bit of work done dont you think ?
Every time he's on tele I have to turn it off because looking at his new dazzling white teeth with the naked eye nearly burned my retinas out.
 

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As fascinating as cricket may be -- maybe we can stick to Al Case's approach to MA here?
 

Tez3

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As fascinating as cricket may be -- maybe we can stick to Al Case's approach to MA here?

We are waiting for him to post answers to our questions and to explain what it is, we can't discuss what we don't understand.

And on the subject of cricket surely this matrix thing isn't sport specific so if it were that good first class cricketers, athletes, soccer and American footbal players etc etc would all be doing it? In that case wouldn't we have heard of it before? If it wewre martial arts specific why wouldn't those of us who had been around a while have either heard of it or worked it out for ourselves, somebody would have before now surely?
 

Chris Parker

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As JKS has asked, let's look a little more at Mr Case's approach here. I've spent the last hour or two going through hsi previous posts and threads to get a better idea of his method of communication, as well as his blog (as suggested by Mr Case on the first page here). And I'm afraid to say that I'm seeing a growing number of issues and misunderstandings of martial arts which appear to have lead him to the approach he's using, including thinking that it's something new.

There are frequent reference to martial arts being "jumbled up", taught in no particular order, with the hope that you will eventually be able to make sense of it all. That appears to be the central reasoning for this whole "matrix" idea. Unfortunately, it's just not the way things are... at least, it's not the way that they're designed. Every art that I have come across has it's own form of structure, but it definately has structure. In karate you learn one kata after another, each building on skill sets and tactics from previous ones. Japanese systems are incredibly systematic in their teaching methods and structural format. Aikido teaches one movement at a time, in fact their naming method indicates the order of progression (ikkyo, nikyo, sankyo...). Chinese systems are structured in that the student is taught as their skill, talent, and dedication dictate. Again, forms are followed in the correct order for the same reasons. Same with Tae Kwon Do. And so on, and so on.

So if Mr Case doesn't think that martial arts have any structure, I can only think of two possible explanations; either he wasn't told, or he didn't realise. If the former, then that is the fault of his teachers. If the latter, well, that's his misunderstanding.

There are threads in the "Articles" section such as one on combining Wing Chun and Aikido, in which the feeling I get is that Mr Case seems to think that all martial arts should be based in the same principles and ideas, a generic "martial art" kinda thing. That, of course, is not the way they work. So his issues in attending an Aikido class, and acting in a karate fashion before trying to apply Wing Chun to it in some way, and then saying that it "takes an extreme common sense to put arts together". No, it takes a lack of understanding to try that in the first place, trying to force them together without understanding the reasons for them to be different in the first place. That article can be found here: http://martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=84090

There is also one about reaction time which, honestly, seems rather odd at least. I think he's getting at the concept of Koteki Ryuda within the Japanese systems, however the description (stating that reaction time is one of the biggest "scams" foisted upon martial artists) seems to imply that any art that looks at a reactionary response (defence after an attack is launched) is incorrect. While, strategically, waiting is not the best option, Mr Case does seem to again miss how martial arts are designed to work (starting with basic block-and-counter methods, and moving on to more advanced tactics as time and skill improve).

When we go to the aforementioned blog, there are quite a few things that indicate to me that, despite his 40+ years in the arts, Mr Case appears not to have developed any real understanding of any of the various systems he has experienced. This includes such things as his "Reasons that you should Matrix your Martial Art", which contradicts itself, as well as contradicting how a martial art works, and in fact, what a martial art is.

Here are 8 reasons you should Matrix your Martial Art.
1) Make your art logical
2) Get rid of lame techniques
3) Streamline your Art
4) Learn up to 10 Xs faster
5) Turn on your intuition
6) Learn entire arts
7) Make all arts into one art
8) Find out the truth of the martial arts

If we look at the above list, numbers 2 and 3 indicate removing aspects of your art. Now, if the art is completely understood, then I can go with that... provided the reasons for the "lame" or more "cumbersome" aspects of the art are there in the first place. But of course, if we are removing aspects, how are we achieving number 6, learning an entire art? The first thing we did, without knowing why things were there, was remove bits that didn't seem to make sense. Number 6 also contradicts number 7, making all arts into one... as as soon as you do that, you remove the aspects that make each art seperate, and complete. And as for finding out the truth of the martial arts, I am increasingly less convinced that Mr Case can actually deliver on anything close to that, as there are too many issues with his understanding from the evidence presented.

This is further evidenced in one of the blog entries, where Mr Case describes his learning Karate initially from a book. This is accompanied by a short clip about some bunkai on Pinan Five, in which I can see very little Karate, in posture, use of legs and hips, movement in striking, and so on. Amongst other clips was one entitled: Cool Knife Disarms! The disarms shown lack realism, the attacker lacks any realistic response or attacking methodology, and they are, sadly, far from "cool" to my mind.

In short, Mr Case, although he seems rather successful in his sales endeavours (if his stats and testimonials are halfway true), however the target seems to be people who want a short-cut, and are frankly not well-versed. And while I can appreciate the marketing methods he's employing, the product itself seems to be rather lacking.

Al, I say all of this not to offend, but to offer an honest appraisal of the way your product is presented, as well as the way you present yourself in these forums and on your blog. I hope you take it in the way it was intended.
 

stone_dragone

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Not to resurrect a year dead thread, but I have just purchased one of Mr. Case's programs out of curiosity and will review it and let folks know what I think first hand.

I figured for the cost of a dinner out, if I can learn three things that I didn't know, then the $ and time'll be worth it.

I'll let y'all know.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

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