User:Xanthine/notepad

Meteor Guide
http://www.karateforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=15897&sid=1c3df965df43ec7570395609c7fd1d58

One of the principles is, don't assume. What you assume a rigid weapon will do, a chain will not. It will not cooperate with you merely because you opted to start, or stop. It will not abide by your actions, merely because you decide to thrust or parry. Chains follow their own agenda, that of cooperating with the laws of physics.

Chains are weapons you must cooperate with, and expect it to cooperate with you. You cannot lead it, but you can show it the way, and it will go along, until such point as there is something disrupts your actions, such as that of an immovable object, or obstacle. When wielding the chain, don't consider merely the shaft... or the length of the chain, but the end point as well. Realize that the end point will travel beyond a linear trajectory, and continue until centrifugal force, and the limitations imposed by the length of the chain, as well as any shortening of the chain posed by obstacles (be it your leg, hip, arm, or your opponent's leg, hip, arm), disrupts it by providing more variables to contend with.

Some basic attack concepts, in basic English:

Throw - A weighted chain can be thrown, with the end point serving as the stone, and the held end serving as the anchor. A throw is an exceptional attack, being that it is linear, and very unpredictable. It can be performed from a point where the stone is held in hand and thrown to the target, or laid at the floor to the aft, and then the chain is pulled with force and speed towards the intended target.

However, it must be realized that because the distance of the stone is limited by the length of the chain, and that of your arm, as well as your forward momentum, one should prepare for retraction. If you miss your target, the stone will pull back towards you (recoil) after it has reached its apex.

Depending on how you manage to 'cooperate' with the chain, you can either cause it to not pull back (not recommended, as it puts your stone dead in front of your assailant), or to have it retract back towards you.

If you opt to have it come back towards you directly, it is best to have it return to the 'same' side. But, beginners will find it 'easier' to have it return to the 'opposite' side (sides being side of your body, whether it is back to your hand, or back to the floor and to the aft, is dependent on the degree of force initially used, and the amount of cooperation you are maintain with the stone).

Grab - A chain can grab, by wrapping itself about the object. In being able to effect this, it is recommended that you throw the stone with a slight curve 'in the chain' from the onset. The stone itself is thrown slightly off and towards the outside of the intended target. The slight circular return basically causes the stone to come back at a trajectory slightly askew of its initial flight path. In doing so, once the 'chain' encounters the object, the stone will proceed to wrap itself about it.

To ensure the 'grab' is a lasting one, assuming this is your intent, the angle of the throw must be upwards, which will encourage the stone to fly over the chain as it circles the target object. In doing so, the stone will eventually rest over and across the chain, creating a somewhat sturdy, if temporary, hold.

If your intent is merely to spin the targeted object, as you would do in the case of attempting to disarm, or scar, without getting your chain entangled, then the throw must be done at a horizontal trajectory, or slightly downward, to ensure the stone, when encircling the targeted object, does not wrap 'over' the chain.

Whip - Throwing the stone is in many ways similar to what you would effect with a whip, except for the effort at maintaining motion. Striking and pulling back. Snap forward, snap back. Whipping encorporates both linear striking and circular motion. Watch Indiana Jones in the "Temple of Doom" for some good entertainment.

Slam - As odd as it sounds, this is probably one of the most powerful attacks that can be commited with a chain. A wide arc from your aft, over your head, and to your fore. A vertical strike, downward. Very powerful and very hard to counter, but reasonably easy to dodge or sidestep. This action can be repeated a multitude of times, bouncing off the floor, over your head, and back onto the assailant. I've heard it called, "storm from above." An apt description.

Swing - Hey, you know you gotta have the swing. A very basic swing from the side, horizontal attack. As the slam is vertical, the swing is horizontal in application. But, don't be fooled by the simplicity of this attack, because it is extremely hard to control. Whether you make impact, or not, the stone will respond, either by wrapping itself about the object, richocheting off the target back to you, or missing entirely and continuing on its horizontal circular path... again back to you.

The mistake a lot of practitioners make is to practice without ever actually impacting objects. While they end up learning how to maintain control (cooperation) with the chain as it comes back around in a swing, it gives absolutely no insight into how to deal with a richochet that is oftentimes unpredictable in its recoil actions. That is why it is essential one practice the swing both freely and against a stationary object (punching bag, for example). Learn to capture the richochet, cause the stone to perform a small circle outside of your inner zone, and once again allow you to strike your assailant.

Plenty more. There are the various blocks and traps, the shortened strikes, wrapping and entanglement, spins and figure eights, replication of many of the 'nun-chaku' moves by bouncing the chain off limbs, torso, and even other objects (walls, etc) for unpredictable angles of attacks, and extending a multitude of techniques through the chain, including locks and holds.

edit: a training utility i emphasize, is to practice with a leather jump rope, wooden handles. Although far too long, in comparison to the length of a manriki-gusari, the extra length of a jump rope helps to encourage proper technique. It needs to be noted that a manriki-gusari is much shorter (around 2' in length), and thus much faster in application. The margin for error, in turn, is also much smaller... and thus the chance for serious injury, much higher.

Mysteries

 * Bloop
 * Globster

UFOs

 * Brown Mountain Lights
 * Carson Sink Case
 * Green Fireballs
 * Black triangles
 * Strange matter

Urban Legends

 * Black Eyed Kids
 * Chupacabra
 * Noppera-bō
 * Barong (mythology)

Events

 * Canneto di Caronia fires
 * Dawn chorus (electromagnetic)

Sayings and metaphors

 * Boiling frog

= Firespinning scavenger hunt =

Coloured Flames

 * iodine
 * chlorine

Spark Heads

 * Ferrocerium
 * Swedish Firesteel

= Martial Arts =
 * http://www.fightingarts.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/15851302/an/0/page/0
 * http://www.dragonslist.com/discussion/archive/f-16.html

Bruce Lee Training Video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1417808943864224921&q=bruce+lee