Memoirs of a Bullied Kid • Hacker News Board

Re: Memoirs of a Bullied Kid

#121

Post by btilly » Mon, Oct 11, 2010, 8:53 AM UTC

Psyonic wrote: post #120

loewenskind wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Too bad you weren't able to use your superior intelligence to learn BJJ (there was no way to know which martial arts worked when I was growing up). If he got you down and suddenly his arm was broken and he didn't even see how it happened I bet he would have left you alone.

Very possible, but now the requirement is you have to fight back and win, not just fight back, which is probably asking a bit much in some cases. Some kids that get bullied even have handicaps, so this probably won't work for them.

In my case I had a significant coordination problem which did NOT help.

Re: Memoirs of a Bullied Kid

#122

Post by bootload » Mon, Oct 11, 2010, 10:43 PM UTC

Confusion wrote: post #91

bootload wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"... But son, as soon as someone puts their hands on you, they've crossed a line. Fuck them up. It's the only thing these vicious freaks understand. They're wild animals. They make violence on you, you need to show them that you're the stronger, bigger animal. When someone attacks you maliciously for no reason, you need to impose your will on them. ..." And the first girl who uses an indirect asymmetric attack? This…

I agree with feral's reply: I think you have never actually tried to use Aikido in a real hand-to-hand combat situation, let alone with the intent to prevent harm. I'll tell you what will happen: you will get your ass kicked spectacularly, because actually applying those techniques in the wild is incredibly hard and it gets much harder after the first punch that connected with your nose. If you are going the way of f…

"... I think you have never actually tried to use Aikido in a real hand-to-hand combat situation ..."

Correct, do you know why?

Because I leave the "ego" at the door & understand if you have got to the a point where you have to fight you have already lost. cf: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/3497187984/

"... A hard punch on the nose is the best start of any fight ... "

I'd say ambush is the best way. This the secret about fighting - real fights don't happen by accident. They are in fact orchestrated. An ambush where the victim won't see it coming, numerically outnumbered and the odds stacked against them. You are in for a beasting, possibly killed.

But most of what we know as fighting is two people bumping into each other, registering fear in each others faces, letting the ego get involved and things escalate from there. This is avoidable and the type of situation I'm referring.

Re: Memoirs of a Bullied Kid

#123

Post by bootload » Mon, Oct 11, 2010, 10:43 PM UTC

feral wrote: post #75

itistoday wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just want you to know, I really appreciate your post and for mentioning Aikido. Of all the martial arts I know, I find it to be the most profound and wise in its philosophy. There is also the interesting practice of Tonglen that I was recently introduced to. It is a meditation technique (endorsed and practiced by the Dalai Lama), that teaches you how to train your mind to effectively and healthily handle the issue of…

Profound and wise, and less than optimally effective. Its a little like the bullying problem in microcosm. In theory, Aikido is wonderful and beautiful and the right way to solve the problem. But, fundamentally, trying to block and redirect someones attacks away from you without doing violence to either party is a much riskier strategy than striking back. Its just much harder to do right. In practice, if you do end u…

"... In practice, if you do end up in a serious fight in which your physical well-being is at risk, you want the most effective strategies, that have the lowest risk of going wrong, and that's not Aikido. ..."

That is a weapon situation, a situation you avoid at all costs. There is only one outcome. Read my reply to @Confusion.