Thanks your your replies to my question. They really helped me get my head around some issues that I had been wondering about with respect to how the DB operates.
@Guide Dog. "Again, not to be a "tough guy", but to be in that elite number, and be able to bring that self-discovery to my life, my family, my classroom (I teach high school), and my martial arts students."
Top flight attitude, man. I really respect and share your ethic in this regard. I think that it is often misconstrued that folks fight to "beat the other guy" or to "be tough". For me it was always about finding and testing yourself against the best opponent (and friend) that could be found. Sort of a journey where you find out many unexpected things about yourself through fighting. The fight is not as important as what you take away from it (especially the win/loose part). Think it is similar, if not identical, to religion in that regard.
Your post reads as though the whole thing worries you....I mean...REALLY worries you...
"Even with a light stick, ribs and arms will break" you wrote WILL break, not MAY break...
Then you wrote "...the incapacitating target of the upper hip..."
Incapacitating ? Really ?
If you believe that the human body is that weak, then in my opinion, your experience will mirror your belief. I myself am only about 72 kilos and not that sturdy. At the last Gathering, I had bruises that swelled up considerably. But I never let all that worry me. My only concern is being able to fight at the next Gathering, and doing well enough for me to be happy with myself.
In short, I do not believe that the human body is weak; it is capable of feats that are borne in dreams. It does however have some structural limits. And no, the thought of injury does not particularly concern me. As Guide Dog pointed out in his constructive reply, adrenaline takes care of most immediate pain issues, leaving only the problem with blows that are hard enough to injure or cause a shock-like response. Other injuries heal with time. I am more curious about how injuries are managed to the point that you can continue to train, assuming you fight one or two days a week. Not to mention how many three-weapon masks you go through in regular training
.
In reading your reply, I think you might have some presumptions regarding experience in this matter. In fact, my experience does mirror my beliefs (and the reverse is true) on this issue. Power generation to accomplish what I described is simply not a problem. Your experiences in not being able to generate it may mirror your belief that it is not common or possible (certainly not my problem). And yes, a well placed blow to the hip will put you in bed (as in can't rise) for about a day. So I consider that incapacitating.
And to bjung; your response really helped me get my head around the subject. Your description of the general ethic was quite clear. Thanks for that.
Anyway, thanks again for the replies. While our experiences may differ in some regards, I do respect all you insights and perspective. Hope to meet some of you in the future.
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