Skill limits

[BKSB]

My involvement with Kenpo goes back to the dark ages of '68.
I have my personal heroes past and present that I have always
looked for inspiration and renewed vigor. But I am also aware
that I must constantly bust my butt to maintain a level of
superior mediocrity. My younger years were spent testing myself
in the seedier parts of a town where the women have more toes
than teeth , getting into the usual honktonk brawls to keep my
head from getting ahead of skills. When asked how good am I
after three decades I reply that over time I've dished out and
had my head handed to me. You'll always take this guy, lose to
that guy..but it's the unknown entities we train so hard for.
Here are some words for self evaluations that have always
driven me onward..SAN QUENTIN, JOLIET. SING SING.
Man's got to know his limitations..But he doesn't have to keep them.

 

[GouRonin]

When asked, I always respond, "It depends on what you are trying to take away from me."

As for fighting, well, every dog has it's day, and you'll never know when you'll be the dog or the fire hydrant if you get my drift. So never bite when a growl will suffice.

 

[Rob_Broad]

Many times skill is limited by how much a person is willing to learn. To me the biggest limitations have been my body, my mind is willing to absorb everything, my body has its own ideas.

When asked how good I am, I usually tell people I am just abeginner and I would not be worth their attention. this usually offsets them enough that if they had thoughts of testing me out they let it go.

 

[Cthulhu]

Bruce Lee used to answer that question with something like:

If I tell you I am good, you would think that I am boasting; if I tell you I'm no good, you would know that I was lying.

Of course, I'm not Bruce Lee, so I don't answer with that

You could always answer with a fortune-cookie type answer: I'm better than I was yesterday.

However, since I've never been seriously asked the question, I ain't got an answer

Cthulhu

 

[Kirk]

I've only been seriously studying for about 5 months now, and
I've been asked twice already .. "have you ever had to use it?"
Which makes me wonder for those of you who have been training
a long time ... was there an actual point where you FELT effective?

I asked one of the black belts at my school, and he said he felt
effective at yellow belt, and then suddenty at brown belt he felt
ineffective again, because of going over the numerous types
of possible attacks, the reality of it all hit him, and he wasn't
sure what he'd do if attacked.

 

[Cthulhu]

Once you reach a certain level, you literally don't know what you'd do if attacked. The only way you would know is when you were attacked. Your training would take over, and hopefully your response would be appropriate and effective. Afterwards, you can say what you did for a certain attack at that time, but you can't honestly know what you'll do unless actually attacked.

We had a guy that hung around the gym and used to pester us with rather immature questions as we were leaving (how he got in the U.S.A.F., I'll never know). Anyway, he was one who would always ask, "What would you do if I did X? If I did Y? If I did blah blah blah?"

We pretty much ignored him and went to our cars.

The only way to really find out is to have that person do whatever they asked. If they asked what would you do if someone threw a haymaker at you, then tell that person to throw a haymaker at you. Also tell that person that they probably won't like being on the receiving end of the answer However, even then, it won't be a 'true' response, because you know an attack is coming, and probably what the attack is as well.

Here's the perfect answer for when somebody asks what you would do if so-and-so: "Sign up for classes and tell me what you'd do after three years of training."


Cthulhu

 

[BKSB]

The thrust of my thread was well hidden albeit unitentional,
we train for years, yes my abilities have increased, but what
I was suggesting is the reason we have our heroes in the arts is
for the specific reason that they are head and shoulders above the the majority...applying the generic bell curve to the martial artist population. A second and more harder edged point was
we train our butts off, bleeding and bruised both in the studio
and out in the streets dealing with ALTERCATIONS of differing
degree....But would we walk out of serious prison time battling
to stay alive and self respect still intact day in day out.