As promised......   So..... who studies/studied what, how long for, what application (sport, fitness, defence, just like hitting stuff?)....     Tell all!!!!                                                                                                                                                                             

ok... here goes...   Studied Ki Sui (Shining Water) - cross between Shotokan & Kyokushinkai, and competed at various levels until lower limb injuries forced retirement.   Still weapons train but only privately... currently studying longsword techniques of Johannes Liechtenauer.                                                                                                                                                                             

Origami (paper cuts are a bitch though) lol                                                                                                                                                                             

lol, HR - go on then, say something in Origami.... I was actually married to an asian girl called Feng Shui - it was one of those re-arranged marriages. We started up a bonsai business together and it was so succesful that we had to move to smaller premises.... Unfortunately I invested in her fathers origami business but it folded and we split up shortly afterwards...                                                                                                                                                                             

Will it never end?!   Fer pity's sake!             Yeah OK... so I'm just sulking cos you beat me to it TC!                                                                                                                                                                              

One of the doormen I used to work with was ever so keen to teach me some Russian form of "grappling"...   Aye, right...   That's what they call it these days, is it?                                                                                                                                                                                

...of course this is a recognised self-defence method... now shut up and keep sucking....                                                                                                                                                                             

*chokes*   *ahem*                                                                                                                                                                                 

What's this then Wannaba stuck for words                                                                                                                                                                              

As if I'd speak with my mouth full?         *dagnabbit... was fighting the urge SO well until that point*                                                                                                                                                                             

Haha Now come on your a womem so multitask   God im BORED                                                                                                                                                                             

Spent a decade in Go-Kan-Ryu for fitness mainly before being attracted by the "correct" arts and moving to Shorin-Ryu and the BCA.                                                                                                                                                                             

Ok Tee Cee Fluent Origami. Fold, Re Fold, Reverse fold, Turn Inside Out, Double Fold, Triple Fold, OPPS SORRY THATS NOT ORIGAMI THAT's Sex innit? Can't remember been toooo long lol.                                                                                                                                                                              

I used to have to do Judo at school.... well, not at school... after school... the idea being "self defence" as there had been a couple of attacks on girls walking to the station...

Hated it.

It hurt and I'd either cry or force myself not to cry and give myself a migraine.

*ahem*

Never saw the point... as if an attacker would wait for you to say "Hang on a minute - you've got to come at me like *this*"

I've only ever been attacked once and I fought dirty... bought myself enough time to raise the alarm and then I sat back and watched him being beaten to a pulp... I'm not usually into violence, but that man deserved every last punch and kick after what he tried to do to me... :o)

If I hadn't regained consciousness in time to bring some dirty fighting tactics to the scene, it would've ended up a whole different story...

could be last tango in Clapham if i aint careful!!could use the butter for the bruises i spose! or a nice corned beef sarnie!!                                                                                                                                                                             

*chortles*   It's quite easy to avoid a pasting from me TM... all you have to do is remember not to throw me at a wall so I get knocked out... and then see if you can remember not to attempt to rape me.   Not that tricky.   Obviously slightly too tricky for the scrote in question though!                                                                                                                                                                             

*scribbles notes... no throwing at wall..... no attempted rape....*   GOTTIT!!!   I am glad you are safe and got to see instant justice served....                                                                                                                                                                              

lol, HR - sounds like sex to me! (legs folded in half... on knees.... begging for it....)   ..although it has probably all changed since I last tried it....     edit: that is in response to HR's previous post about origami and nothing to do with Wannabe's post about her assault!!                                                                                                                                                                             

I fought dirty... bought myself enough time to raise the alarm and then I sat back and watched him being beaten to a pulp...   My instructor also teaches Womens' Self Defense classes... oddly enough, that's not very different from the basis of what he teaches them!!   We're taught to fight dirty anyway, whether it's with weapons or without - In a proper fight, especially these days, people won't give you any leeway, so you give them none either. Maximum damage wherever you can, though the primary focus is keeping safe in the first place.   Safest place is miles away. Getting there is the next step!!                                                                                                                                                                             

Being one to always try to take something positive from every experience, no matter how negative the experience may seem at the time, it actually did me sort of a favour...   One of the things that many women fear the most about being attacked (myself included) is that you might go into "rabbit-frozen-in-headlights" mode, rendered unable to even attempt to defend yourself through fear, or even to call out for help.   So at least I stopped having that fear... I learned that I will do what I can to defend myself when it counts, which actually boosts the confidence considerably... I was only 16 when it happened, but I can remember it like it was yesterday... I'm so glad I didn't have to remember something considerably worse in such vivid detail for 24 years!   At the risk of sounding dreadfully sexist ;o) I would say that a sizeable majority of females would not be able to better most males in a "fair" fight, so the only option to defend yourself, if attacked is to fight dirty... and hope you beat your attacker to it! So I guess it makes sense to teach that in self defence classes.