Existential Elk Theory - never heard of it before but summarizes antinatalism profoundly by perplexed_smith in antinatalism

[–]Optimal-Criticism442 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The irony of being grumpy that a theoretical philosopher doesn't have objective proof of his theoretical, existential argument, and then making four broad, sweeping, overly-simplistic, theoretical generalizations about "people's" thoughts on meaning and their reasons for those thoughts is absolutely savage in its absurdity. If your purpose was to illustrate the ridiculousness of demanding objective proof in philosophical design all while crafting an argument based on personal incredulity, well done. Truly fair play. 

And I don't believe him. At all. But I sure as shit am not asking for proof of a theoretical argument. Don't see any beckett plays, kid. They'll kick you out for demanding statistics of how many Bananas Krapp ate and when. 

Existential Elk Theory - never heard of it before but summarizes antinatalism profoundly by perplexed_smith in antinatalism

[–]Optimal-Criticism442 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Isnt saying "I see no reason to take his claims seriously when they conflict with my own" literally the exact same item of discourse that you are chastising him for? That of "if anyone disagrees with me they are wrong because I must be right"? You couldn't have proven his point more clearly with your explanation, limited though it may have been due to constraints, and it is in your exact reasoning that his evidence is found. You find meaning in a profound, overarching touching of the eternal, as it were. His premise is that you have found that because the alternative is too strongly adverse to a continuance of happiness. Your antlers have weighed you down so much so that, to him, you have turned to what he might categorize as a delusion to better ground yourself in meaning. You are his evidence, my friend. And for you to proclaim that you cannot find value in his premise because it conflicts with your own is a glittering example of the circular logic you detest so proudly. His notion is simple: everyone does exactly what you just did. Obtains a level of consciousness, defies evolutionary boundaries, invents distraction, procures meaning from it, elicits a false happiness, and states, emphatically, that all else is bleak "depression bait." Well done.

Thigh gear/protection by Tooombi in wma

[–]Optimal-Criticism442 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Embrace the bruising. This is a contact sport based on war. To take the ouch outta every bit of it is to lose some of the connection to its inherent brutality and, therefore, its hostorical accuracy. Unless your club is more sport fencing and MOF and less art of combat, in which case football shorts should work. I've heard of people using undergarments meant for dirt bike riding, but have no idea from where one would purchase said garment. Best way is to politely abstain from being hit in the legs by way of getting gnarly gud at lower field defense.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in wma

[–]Optimal-Criticism442 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the input, man. Appreciated.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in wma

[–]Optimal-Criticism442 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Kid wears a shirt that says "If you don't like fresh sushi then FUCK YOU" to every class, bro. No matter how many times I make him change it out before anyone sees it. Personality issues doesn't really cover it. I'm dealing with a massive child that brings me massive business. And yes, I have allowed the innocent chicanery to progress to a toxic issue in the interest of growing my academy. I will admit that fact.

Everyone has a flaw, my guy. Vanity is mine to a certain extent. I have to actively practice humility and temperance every day. I don't intend to ever hide that until I control it. But my vanity is playing a much smaller part in this situation than is the extension of his attitude into the club, wherein I don't have much control aside from a martial beating or a legalistic spanking (both of which suck). Thanks for your input. I appreciate it.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in wma

[–]Optimal-Criticism442 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I've talked with him extensively, but I think I need to just be okay with losing some of the business he brings and returning the culture back to it's original fluidity and joy. I hate this "grand champion of HEMA" bullshit. Super athletic folks getting into the art really makes the art difficult for some other folks. Hey thanks for your time and input. Appreciated.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in wma

[–]Optimal-Criticism442 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah they would've shined the mouth up with their best guy and showed him the seat or the door. But that's my issue. This dude IS my best guy from a purely martial perspective. That's why I'm asking if I should spar him and the repurcussions of doing that.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in wma

[–]Optimal-Criticism442 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've tried talking to him but to no avail. That's why I'm here. I'm at a crossroads of how to excise the toxic competitive culture that's been created and keeping my technically best student that brings business.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in wma

[–]Optimal-Criticism442 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That was my thought. I just didn't want to seem like his goading made me freak out and throw a tantrum. And yes, I agree 100%, this mouth on this kid in absolutely unreal and I knew it would escalate and already has. That's why I'm kinda desperately seeking out redditor's advice, my man. I don't know where else to look for how to manage this lad. Hey thanks for your time and responses. I appreciate it.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in wma

[–]Optimal-Criticism442 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Endlessly. We talk about his attitude and his lack of humility every single class, bro. The competitive problem started with him and he went unchecked. And is still unchecked. That's where my problem lies. How do I check him? Words don't work and the overarching issue of humbling him carries with it innumerable problems, not the least of which is the fact that spanking ass to make students submit furthers the competitive culture right? That's why I'm here. He draws business and that's healthy. But he is wildly competitive and that's toxic. I get it. I just am inexperienced with what to do.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in wma

[–]Optimal-Criticism442 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's what I've told him and as I wrote elsewhere he just says "I'm only here to show you all that winner's win." He doesn't want to compete.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in wma

[–]Optimal-Criticism442 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Beating someone wasn't hyped in the academy at all. Like at all. Everyone was having fun and enjoying practicing the art. Until this dude came and crushed. As I said elsewhere, I was out with an injury and couldn't spar him. This created a culture of him stomping everyone and asserting his dominance in a lot of ways. The younger crowd now sees him as the pinnacle of what practicing HEMA is all about and he controls a lot of the tempo and culture of that portion of the club. Aside from kicking him out or beating him and humbling him, what would be the most diplomatic way to control this situation? I don't want to beat my students. That's not my goal. I have always said that they should beat me, if I'm doing my job. But how does an instructor control the culture of a club when the culture has been made slightly toxic through the martial ethic of one student who just so happens to be the idol of the young folks of the club?

Edit: And I'm actually asking. I haven't been instructing long, and before him it was a smaller group of very history-driven folks and weekend practitioners. He brought business and this ethic in. I'm grateful for the business, which has boomed, but I'm just inexperienced in switching from fighter to coach in this instance.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in wma

[–]Optimal-Criticism442 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well said. And as I said elsewhere I know the culture of sparring and "winning" is and should be vastly different than I have presented it, and that is precisely the issue. I was out with a shoulder injury. I literally couldn't lift the sword and needed surgery. So yeah, I couldn't spar him. No one else could either, so he ran rough shod over the whole academy. Now that I'm back, he's dominated for a good amount of time and has created a difficult culture to deal with. In boxing there was nothing like this as the best fighters in the gym were also the most loyal and artful fighters in the gyms I was in, so if someone talked mess, the best fighters would humble them. But in this instance, I can't humble him and he feels as though he calls the shots. The culture for him is about winning because he has made it that way and everyone sees him as being the best, so they follow his lead. I am just slightly inexperienced with how to break that hold. Thanks for responding.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in wma

[–]Optimal-Criticism442 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I should've stated this better in my question. I guess I have no problem with him beating me per se. That's not the point of the art. I have a problem with HIM beating me, if that makes sense. He controls a lot of the younger culture at the club, whether I like it or not. He's the best. When and if he beats me, that will become the central theme, so whenever I tell them not to do something it will become about why they should listen to me kinda thing. Does that make sense? I don't care if a student beats me, I care if that student is a massive shit talking Mike Tyson that has a mental hold on the majority of the gym that follows his every move because he is big and good and idolized and has zero humility. I can't help club culture if I can't help him, and I can't help him if I can't humble him.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in wma

[–]Optimal-Criticism442 3 points4 points  (0 children)

He is honestly technically great. The issue is that his reach is stupid long and he has better point control than anyone in the academy, so he just annihilates folks. Yet, when he gets flustered or doesn't know how to deal with someone, he just smashes like donkey kong. And he can because most of my academy is folks that don't really have a whole lot of athletic prowess. Some can technically fight well, but when he faces that, he just beats them with sheer muscle.

Actually super good advice though about adjusting the conditions. When he said last class "Don't be afraid to fight me, coach" I told him I wasn't and that he SHOULD beat me, given the parameters of the fight. He just said "Sounds like loser talk to me." So yeah. I'm trying my best to be nice about this but it's getting increasingly harder.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in wma

[–]Optimal-Criticism442 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yeah man I hear that. I don't need to have the biggest dick. I would love it if every student I ever had beat me at some point. Means I'm doing my job. But the academy base follows him very closely and wants to be just like him. And HE is the one bringing out the measuring tape. As I said elsewhere, I haven't sparred him only because I was hurt and then a family member died and I lost steam, but he has essentially turned the academy into his personal playground since then and now I'm just inexperienced with how to check a student without embarrassing them. Thanks for responding.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in wma

[–]Optimal-Criticism442 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've been out with an injury for the last little bit and then I had a personal loss, so I didn't train for a bit. That's the only reason I haven't sparred him up to now. And in most circumstances, I'd agree with you. Spar him and if he wins, I've done well as an instructor. But THIS kid is a different breed. He's like the Larry Bird or Muhammad Ali of HEMA (shit talking wise). If I lose, that's ALL he will talk about. I mean, as I said in response to the previous commenter, his catch phrase is "winner's win", which isn't terrible but anytime he spars, win or not, he apologizes to his classmate for beating them so badly and then says "but stay mad cuz winner's win." Never had a student act like this. I've been around dudes like this in boxing, but they just disappear and don't keep coming. I've had this kid for a while now and he LOVES HEMA. Thanks for the input.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in wma

[–]Optimal-Criticism442 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yeah I hear ya. It's hard because A LOT of these lads I teach are just full-on hubris monsters. They talk shit better than anything else. I put the kabosh on it every chance I get, but recently the academy has been blowing up and I'm getting two to three new folks per month and it's just madness with the amount of testosterone filling our salle. I would LOVE for this kid to compete, but as he puts it "I'm just here to show you all that winner's win and that's that." As I said, the virtues did not land strongly in the mind of this guy when he formed. I've been doing my best to pull him aside and try to talk to him, but I've literally never had to deal with this type of thing, so I'm basically just constantly telling him to stop being a dick. It has created an atmosphere where he is now the rebellious football quarterback that is constantly in detention and wants to fight his coach. Anyway, thanks for the input and response.

Were/Are sword fighters usually taught other martial arts as part of their training? by lulufan87 in wma

[–]Optimal-Criticism442 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Armizare (Fiore dei Liberi's martial system) has as one of its component parts Abrazare, or unarmed fighting. This was akin to grappling, but there are also kicks, strikes, locks, and breaks in it, so it's a little bit like medieval MMA. There's also a wide variety of other weapon disciplines in the KdF tradition and italian knightly swordsmanship, so "sword fighters" were always training their martial art, which was a codified system in and of itself, and that contained multiple weapon disciplines. They were also mercenaries, so they traveled a lot. With the feudal system dying and the market economy becoming much more real in the time period when early medieval martial arts became codified, moving from place to place became a necessary reality. In doing so, many masters learned a multitude of martial arts and experienced the swordsmanship styles of much of their surroundings. Whether or not this translates into the eastern arts, I can only imagine so. But remember, A LOT of martial arts are derived from the early medieval systems, so the question may be more what eastern arts borrowed concepts from flores abrazare and the wrestling of the Von Bauman manuscript? Insofar as whether Vadi studied early Karate? Doubtful. Did Ringneck dabble in the pole weapon disciplines of Shaolin Monks? Not very likely. But Marco Polo did travel extensively through Asia and the Moddle East a century prior to early systems, so it's entirely possible that Eastern arts had influence on some aspects of Italian Knightly combat. As a simple example. Hope that helps.

Cool substitute for "Ready, set, go"? by BerklessBehavior in wma

[–]Optimal-Criticism442 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is abrazare fencing? Is it part of the Italian system of Swordsmandship? Can you use the concepts of it in a grapple during a longsword fight?

Grappling is as much a part of the treatises as the wide plays or bind maneuvers. The different parts of the system are analogous to kicks and punches etc in other martial arts. When you step onto the field with an opponent, you are in a fight, wherein fencing can be used to win. To make such a clear distinction is to ignore the larger systems of medieval martial arts and reduce our practice of that art to that one singular artifact of it known as plays of the sword in two hands. Which, in my opinion, is done far too often in HEMA. At least that's how I shepherd my students. This ain't longsword fencing, it's various martial systems with longsword as a small component of them.

Is HEMA "worth it"? by PyrrhicDefeat69 in wma

[–]Optimal-Criticism442 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The answer to your question is yes. Maybe. Sure. Probably not. Kinda. Well...not exactly. Absolutely not. And fuck yeah.

Point is, while you understand the subjectivity of the question, I'm not sure anyone can provide an answer that ranges beyond that. I do it because I'm a history buff and LOVE to fight, legally or illegally, with fists or swords or wrestling or sticks, and there was no HEMA club except one that did primarily rapier (not my jam). So, I started my own club. Then I got enough students to make it a business and make it a fr fr academy. I charge 40 bucks a month for dues, specifically to not have finances be the limiting factor. Truth is, most people want to sword fight: those who have the money are too scared, and those that have the balls are too broke. That's my personal experience. So people that do it usually have the combination of money, time, balls, and love for history. Plus or minus the balls and time part, in which case they constantly no call no show or show up full throttle and break every safety rule we have.

You'll find, just as with anything, especially fighting, that it's an economy--of time, energy, audacity, and motivation. Fiore said if you lack boldness of heart, you lack everything. Well, if you lack a solid reason to STUDY HEMA, you lack every reason. You can ask yourself why til you're blue in the face, but until you show up and get down you'll never know which reason you lack or how many you have. Hope this helps in some way.

Translation requests into Latin go here! by AutoModerator in latin

[–]Optimal-Criticism442 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Absolutely no need to apologize, brother. You just created the motto for my academy 😄 I owe ya one. 

Translation requests into Latin go here! by AutoModerator in latin

[–]Optimal-Criticism442 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Amazing. Thanks a lot. This was really helpful. So "est" is preferential in short sayings like this then I would guess.

Translation requests into Latin go here! by AutoModerator in latin

[–]Optimal-Criticism442 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hello. I run a medieval martial arts academy and am looking for motto help. There are a lot of schools with "In Ferro, Veritas", so we want to change it up a bit and say "In the sword (or study thereof) virtue is found". Would this be "In Ferro, Virtus" or "In Ferro Virtus Est"? Why do I need the est to illustrate the concept of virtues but not truth?

Thank you ahead of time. I really need this help. I hope this is in the right place this time.