And now for something really different..

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Scott Danziger
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And now for something really different..

Post by Scott Danziger »

Well maybe not so different from some silly things we have seen. During my many travels through the net I find some strange sites. As in the page of that weird guy in Florida we laughed/were concerned about a while back, here I found an interesting "Ninja". Of course I added the page to the bizzare and beyond catagory. Please read his $10,000 challenge. I'm curious what true martial artists think.

<a href="http://interlink-bbs.com/AshidaKim.html">Ashida Kim Homepage</a>

Actually much of the site some bizarre statements. This is a small sample from his $10,000 challenge. (cut & pasted)

"I am the Ninja, himself. I come from the nowhere, I go to the no place. I have no magic power. Anyone can do the things I do, if they but know how. I am a professional soldier and fighter. I have videotape, press clippings, and receipts to verify this claim, should it become necessary in open court. As such, I am forbidden by law and convention from engaging in personal combat, since my hands and feet are considered lethal weapons. "

Take it from there.

Scott


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david
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And now for something really different..

Post by david »

Scott,

Kim does have a couple of books out. I know there is controversy regarding his authenticity. Frankly, I don't follow the "ninja" world. Something about running around in black, learning ambush and assination techniques don't turn me on. Having said that, I am sure their overwhelming focus on weaponry use and training has real life applicability.

Like everything else in the martial world, the black dress crowd have their splits. I converse with a couple of guys from the Bujinkan (which kim is denigrating). The "Booj" folks sounded like they are more along the lines of traditional koryu these days. Lots of work with various weapons and jujitsu techniques for empty hand. A guy I grew up with the old neighborhood studys with one of Stephen Haye's students and Hayes is affiliated with Hatsumi sensei (or used to be). This guy stands by his training. He is a tough and skilled kid. So I tend not dispute the efficacy of his training. There is a Bujinkan school out in San Francisco which I hope to check out someday.

The ninja/bujinkan folks are a lot like the FMA folks. Heavy emphasis on weaponry over empty hand practices. They consider themselves "warriors." As such, they never leave home without a complement of weaponry. For that matter, the carry their weaponry at home as well.

As for Kim, I find his stuff much less plausible than what Morris' puts out. Then again, not training with either, I don't really care one way or another.

david
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Bill Glasheen
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And now for something really different..

Post by Bill Glasheen »

The ninjitsu crowd is one that some find fascinating, and others consider to be a big yawn. It used to be that having the word "ninja" or the name "Bruce Lee" on the cover of Black Belt was considered de riguer for getting the pre-adolescent/adolescent crowd to buy lots of magazines. Whatever. It's a reason why I stopped even looking at the magazine. Different strokes....

Actually, this web site is better than many I have seen. He does indeed claim no magic!

Now for the entertaining side of things. Hey, we around here have been looking for this web site that someone alerted me to about a year ago. It was a spoof on such pages. It was designed to get the gullible really pissed off and writing viscious mail back. Then the organizer of the web page would post these hate mail, and rate them with a number of monkeys that would be shaking their heads in disbelief. It referred to death challenge matches and rules of engagement, and asked that the challenger supply the after-death-match refreshments. What a scream! Anyone remember this page? Can you give me the listing?

--Bill
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Scott Danziger
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And now for something really different..

Post by Scott Danziger »

Funny thing about that Zen Chi Fa site is he came to me. He asked me to post his web site on my other Martial art page <a href="http://members.aol.com/scotttd/ma1.htm">Quality Martial Art Sites</a>. When I visited the site I laughed my ass off. I knew it right away to be a parody.

The site is <a href="http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Stadium/2477/">ZEN CHI FA</a>

The reason I posted the above was that the claims and the posturing appeared, to me anyway, unprofessional. The mask bit, the challenge, etc. I do not know Steven K Hayes but from what I read and heard about him he is a serious and respected martial artist. He doesn't go around in a Ninja mask making challenges. If one took Jeet Kun Do, dressed in a Bruce Lee outfit from one of his movies, posted similar claims of superiority and being the true heir of Bruce Lee, would that command respect or ridicule.

Sorry I'm rambling and I hope I have made a point. At least from my perspective. If you check out the Ninjutsu listings on the link page you'll see this has nothing to do with that art. It's just that something struck me that was similar to this guy...
<a href="http://www.nekodo-karate.com/">Neko-Do Karate</a>. From this site:
Attaining a Black Belt at the age of thirteen in 1974..... At present, Grandmaster Gallego is the founder on Neko- Do systems of self defense of which he holds a Tenth Degree Black Belt. Remember him?

Anyway, that is why I asked, I'd like to know what real martial artists think.

Scott



[This message has been edited by Scott Danziger (edited 04-27-99).]
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