Peregrino

Hmm . . . just another typical *RJ* post. I mean, someone made the connection earlier, right?

Just shove the answer up your ass until there is no difference! How do you give you a foot massage to a ghost limb?

OHHHHHHH, THE CORK'S OUTTA THE BOTTLE NOW! http://www.boingboing.net/2007/12/19/japan...ef-cabinet.html

When is "work" not a four-letter word?

Introduce them to the music of WHAM! Yoda, are Wham albums available in South Carolina Wal Marts?

He's just another collaborator in . I too have signed on, and now attire myself accordingly. Our Lords Above only accept the finest of us peacocks, in the tradition of the greatest "Mack" Daddy of them all, Agent 007 (shown here in his "Gunwitch" phase). And ah, here's some more noise , though it's not the joyful kind. D'oh! Another failed utopia. Pass the soma.

Yeah, they call themselves "Tao Jews" and use a strange Spanish spelling-style--like wannabe teenage hipsters. Sounds like Baghwan/Osho with a Latin twist. Of course, that's no endorsement of any kind of Waco-style government-instigated massacre! To paraphrase Yor, the Hunter from the Future, "When will weirdos and thugs learn to live in PEACE?!"

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/searc...n-gaye_creation

I still haven't seen enough evidence to conclude that Aikido is "the best" martial art, whether in competition or self-defense, but I'm glad your Aikido has served you well. I appreciate Aikido from the Jeet Kune Do perspective when it comes to combative techniques ("absorb what is useful, reject what is useless") , but I think more than anything, it has tremendous value as a form of moving meditation. On another note, I wouldn't be too hasty in dismissing the value of the competitive experience, whether that of a contemporary MMA fighter, or Ueshiba himself. After all, Ueshiba only came to enlightenment after he had gone through the "cocoon" phase of developing a strongly defined personality. He had to develop his ego first in order to transcend it, and competition, for those given to self-reflection, can be a VERY effective means of reaching this end, as Frank Shamrock is apparently discovering now. (Or, to take a more everyday example, I once had a PE teacher who had retired from a much-heralded athletic career to become one of the most spiritual people I've ever met. His classes went sooooo far beyond just "getting in shape." Despite having what could initially appear to be a gruff manner, he had a genuine sense of service and a genuine sense of compassion for ALL his students, not just the athletic stars.) I think Lozen once said elsewhere that she found a lot of Aikido guys to be very passive-aggressive. I wouldn't be surprised if that's true in at least some cases. Men (especially men) who don't have that ego-developing experience like Ueshiba are often full of resentment. They haven't transcended their aggression, they've just suppressed it, and it can come out it in some ugly ways. I've also noticed this among some New Age men who are into energy work. At any rate, I tend to be suspicious of people who claim they've jumped to the top of the spiritual pyramid and reached a state of desirelessness, if they haven't had much experience of actually chasing their desires and attaining at least some of them prior to their supposed enlightenment. Those who have intensely pursued their goals are in a position to judge what efforts have been or still are worthy; such people--again, if self-reflective--are less likely to live with bitterness, regrets, or any kind of second-guessing about the course they took in life. Just my two cents worth. I think anyone who does the requisite "inner work"--no matter what the undertaking--can become balanced, i.e. develop strength of character (not to be confused with unchecked egotism) and peace (not to be confused with *suppressed* egotism). Hope this makes sense--I'm posting in haste. Hmm . . . Would you say that Aikido helps you to post with more poise, Cameron?

Isn't that how Morihei Ueshiba found his way? He was the equivalent of an MMA figher in his day, initially placing great emphasis on tremendous physical strength and an aggressive fighting style, taking on all comers, and living to WIN! WIN! WIN! Still, he felt deep down that something was missing, and began to dedicate himself more and more to internal cultivation . . . Until he had his great realization, meditating Buddha-like under a tree, and went on to found Aikido. I don't know if Frank Shamrock will ever become an Ueshiba-like figure, but he has definitely evolved. He's neither a one-dimensional fighter nor a one-dimensional person. In a recent interview he also highlighted the importance of meditation, reading, and SERVICE in his life . . . And he also said he's quite skilled at sewing! So of course an internal art like Aikido has tremendous value, though I think Aikido alone isn't enough to be a complete fighter, as martial arts continue to evolve. However, I think some aspect of that internal cultivation is still essential for full development, including for people who do MMA or train in "hard" styles.

Here's something for inspiration! http://www.contortionhomepage.com/gloss3.html It doesn't actually tell you how to do the full lotus, but it did introduce some new terms to me, such as "oversplit." Incidentally, at my best on the Hurley rack, I achieved an over split of 225 degrees, but my more immediate goal these days is to get back to 180. PS Actually, I found some advice here on training for the full lotus--could be helpful: http://forums.vsociety.net/index.php?topic=4932.0;wap2 http://forums.vsociety.net/index.php?PHPSE...pic=4932.5;wap2 And I'm sure this article, "How to Grow a Lotus" (scroll down--it's the second on the page), is excellent, but unfortunately, the pictures aren't showing on my computer! http://membres.lycos.fr/zenmontpellier/Lotus-english.html Attaining a comfortable full lotus (i.e., one I can easily hold for an hour) is now a major goal for me too, though I think ankle stability is crucial, so I want to do all I can to make all the muscles and tendons involved as strong as possible. PNF contractions themselves will have a strengthening effect, but I'll need to do more calf and shin work (e.g. curling a dumbbell held between my feet) as well. I believe (unlike Kurz, apparently) that it is possible to have ankles that are both very flexible and strong.

Call me a spiritual glutton, but is it possible to do both, but shifting the focus more from one to the other from time to time as your schedule and needs permit? My BJJ instructors also have black belts in Hapkido, and they often throw Hapkido joint locks (which come from Aikido) into our training. Of course, the principle of movement is different when you're actually throwing and rolling. I myself want to complement my BJJ and MT (yes, the typical MMA combo) training with Tai Chi. Hope to find time for that in the future, even though the MMA-type-stuff is still top prioirty. Still, I can't knock the so-called "soft"/internal arts. Frank Shamrock is an explosive striking and grappling machine, but he said he's recently discovered the benefits of tai chi, along with lots of stretching and massage, to make him more integrated as both a martial artist and a human being.

Some people do get injured, but that's becuase they don't actually follow his very thorough instructions and precautions--like people who started out stiff as a board trying to do the signature side split in suspension after just two weeks! Kurz's method is definitely much faster than static stretching methods, but it still must be done rationally--one of the reasons he recommends some form of strength training (whether with weights or bodyweight) to develop joint integrity. I find dynamic flexibility is indeed the most useful in daily life and the easiest to maintain, though I think even martial artists can benefit from the kind of "static active" flexibility (e.g. standing while maintaining one leg in a high raised position). Kurz says that's only necessary for gymnasts or wushu stylists, but I think it's also great for developing balance for other activities such as surfing or grappling. Also, I have to make another respectful divergence from Kurz and take a line from Pavel Tsatsouline. For all Pavel's marketing excesses, he does make a convincing point that you should work on developing at least *some* static active flexibility while developing dynamic flexibility--again, for the sake of joint integrity. Mind you, Kurz is still the stretching MASTER for me, but I think he needs a little tweaking. With regards to the rubber guard, there are some great highlights of its effectiveness on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b4nqem6LmA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDz1jeWWJIk (An inspiring "pee-wee" example!) (Bravo demonstrating it himself) Also, here's a clip of Eddie Bravo demonstrating his lotus mastery and talking about its application to BJJ: Can't get enough of the rubber guard! There are so many important reasons to stretch, but it's a real bonus that the right amount of flexibility will surprise the heck out of opponents in grappling situations, and give you loads and loads more options than you have with just the traditional guard.

Hi OR, I don't think the stretch machines do much to isolate the glutes, though it might be possible by varying the position (the seat back is adjustable). I do a series of glute stretches apart from splits training. For me, groin stretches, whether the side split or butterfly position, have helped me towards the lotus. I find my main hindrance to doing the lotus for extended periods of time are my ankles and knees. In order to loosen up the ankles and knees, I find the "chill dog" stretches in Eddie Bravo's book _Mastering the Rubber Guard_ are very effective, though these can be found in traditional yoga books, along with lots of others. (Bravo accentuates the full lotus position because it is similar to the very high rubber guard he uses when grappling.) As with other areas of flexibility, I believe joint integrity is very important when working to loosen up the ankles. Recently someone twisted my ankle pretty roughly while I had him in the rubber guard, but I've found some rehab exercises and plan on incorporating regular calf and shin strengthening exercises into my regime. For some reason Kurz is dismissive of the need for lotus-type flexibility, but here again I would disagree with him, because besides its centrality to yoga, Eddie Bravo has shown that lotus mastery can be quite helpful in martial arts! OK, sorry if that seems tangential, but I'll get back to you when I have a straight answer re: stretch machines and glute stretching. PS I've applied PNF contractions to good effect for glute stretches, but am only now easing into their application to ankle stretches. Eddie Bravo claims there are no bones to break when working the lotus, but I do want to avoid any strains. Still, I think PNF can work for ankle flexibility too.

I didn't put this in "Off Topic" since I consider stretching to be such a fundamental practice for physical and emotional well-being. I know some yoga traditionalists think stretching machines go against "the spirit of subtle realization," but I think you can combine yoga postures and intense, machine-assisted PNF (isometric) stretching in a most complementary and harmonious fashion. Recently I've been doing a lot of yoga, but I still don't feel complete unless I do the PNF, which really *strengthens* your muscles in elongated positions (and leads to faster increases in flexibility than static stretching). Still, just one more ingredient seems to be missing to get me back into full side splits--a stretch machine! By combining Kurz's PNF method with the use of a Hurley stretch machine (a model originally called "The Rack," but later marketed less sensationalistically), I have attained full side splits over different periods of my life. (Kurz himself has dismissed stretching machines for his own dogmatic reasons, saying, "We never used them in the old Soviet Bloc, and there's no reason to make use of them now." However, I always found that combining his method with the machine was better for both strength and flexibility than just focusing on either element.) Now that I've discovered the Hurley machine is still available, I can't wait to strap myself in again! http://www.hurleystretcher.com/ Since leaving my last Hurley stretcher behind in a move some years ago, I tried other machines with less impressive results. I have also managed to attain full splits at times without the machine (e.g. when I was studying abroad during my college years), but man, it is SO much faster to combine the PNF with the ol' rack! Another benefit I've found in the Hurley stretcher is that it's easier on knees than trying splits from an upright position with the hips rotated forward. Also, since I tend to need concrete data in order to motivate me to progress, I LOVE the way these machines tell you exactly how many degrees you're stretching, so your goal-setting can be that much more precise as you shoot for daily, incremental progress. There's also an extra "fine-tuning" gear that allows you to increase up to 15 degrees more from the locked position as your muscles adapt to the stretch. Finally, the isometric contractions come easier in this position than in the upright splits position, making machine-stretching a great way to increase adductor strength, and a real aide in developing a freaky-deaky BJJ "rubber guard"! OK, I'll breathe deeply now, but please don't take this a a cheesy paid endorsement--I'm just a stretching geek, and when something really works, I like to shout it from the rooftops!