<mtfester@netMAPSONscape.net> wrote:
> [...] I saw a 4 minute delay while refs huddled trying to decide
> which person to award a throw to (my opinion; if you don't know
> immediately, it wasn't an effective throw.) I see constant sloppy
> defensive technique on the mat because the rules bail you out of
> a bad situation, not because you've done something to fight out of
> it. Etc.

Well, if there are several judges and they (unanimously or by majority)
decide that a certain situation should be judged "this way" when the
rules say "that way", there should be a certain degree of discretion as
well - but if certain rule are _commonly_ disregarded by players and the
judges let them get away or encourage this, then those rules are no
longer rules - and the right thing would be to change them. And if
judges _arbitrarily_ apply or disregard rules, then the judges should be
changed. :-) And it is, of course, natural that rules would be refined
from time to time, anyway...

> > It's a personal thing: i am interested in seeing skill and discipline at
> > work, and rules applied accurately, and i am really only interested in
>
> A happy medium would be nice, but these are both, ultimately, combat
> sports.

Right. Thus there is training toward skills that allow the practitioners
to inflict damage while tournament rules would nicely serve the purpose
of restricting certain moves so that such damage is not attempted. And i
also think that fairness is an important aspect of proper training in
any sport (including combat sport) - but i imagine not everybody shares
that view... :-)

> > arts that do not intrinsically cause damage to the contestants (even
>
> Judo will hurt you faster and more seriously than any sport I know of
> (other than perhaps mountaineering/rock climbing.) In the words of the
> sage "Gravity's a bitch."

Sure.... as we all know, any sport or activity, if not done right, can
hurt or kill the practitioner or others. Isn't one aim of judo training
to get people to develop the right attitude toward gravity and to larn
how to fall in ways that avoid damage?

> I don't do punching sports because I'm too pretty to get hit.

You see! ;-) And then think of the not immediately visible damage to
brain, testicles, eyes, etc.

> > In any case, i am glad to meet someone like you who encourages his
> > offspring to learn a MA - although i regrettably don't have such skills
> > (well, at least not physically), i think that _all_ kids should get some
> > training as a matter of course: it does a lot for self-esteem, social
> > graces, safety, and health (fitness) consciousness.
>
> Actually, I didn't encourage them into it.

OK... but since you have been doing it yourself and frequently exposed
them to it, that's enough "encouragement" (if you had really not wanted
them to even see what you were doing you would have hired a baby sitter,
i am sure) - in my case, not practising any of these arts myself, i
would have to be a bit more pro-active toward such "encouragement", but
i would certainly take my chidren to any activity i am engaged in myself
- if it was something that should be hidden from them, why would i do it
anyway?

Regards: Al

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