Posted on 12/03/2009 10:58:00 AM PST by Pavegunner72
I think Seagal was friends with Harry Lee, possibly due to a past appearance in one of the Metairie area Mardi Gras parades. His autographed photo in on the wall of the Royal China restaurant on Veterans Blvd near the Orleans Parish line. That was one of Lee's hangouts after his own family's restaurant closed. So, Seagal knew Sheriff Lee, gained weight like Lee (well, not quite), then portrayed a Jefferson Parish lawman. LOL! I have gotta see this.
FWIW, it's Jefferson Parish; or, Dah Pah-rish, if you're local.
"Da' Parish", as a reference to Jefferson, is unique to Uptown New Orleans (which abuts Jefferson). Everywhere else in the New Orleans area, that expression refers to Saint Buhnawd, er, *Bernard* Parish (a much different place). ;-)
My favorite Segal movie moment is when he watches a dog get thrown out of a car in a garbage bag...then shakes his fist at the guy who did it from a block away...standing next to his running, open doored, pointed in the right direction cop car. “One day! One day I’ll see you again!” Hey buddy, you see him right now. You’re staring at his tail lights. And you’re a cop. And you’re next to your cop car.
And of course, at the end of the movie he sees the guy and recognizes his “Kill ‘em all and let God sort ‘em out” bumper sticker on his car. You know, the puppy thrower was one of those typical right wing hillbilly transplants that drive around on the streets of Brooklyn throwing dogs out in public. You could tell by his haircut and mode of dress. And bumper sticker. Or at least that’s what the director thought.
Mine wasn’t as easy to describe as the cake moment. But it is unintentionally hilarious.
He looks like he’s been hitting the beignets on breaks!
Ah yes; you are correct. I’m not originally from NOLA, and still struggle with the language barrier!
An official explanation for the lack of competition in Aikido is that this particular martial art is based on harmony, and competition is the antithesis of its primary objective. Although this is certainly valid, a brief review of the derivation of Aikido from older martial art forms will show that there is also a very practical reason for discouraging Aikido trainees from going at each other flat out.
An interesting little book entitled "Judo, Appendix Aikido", by Kenji Tomiki (the founder of the above referenced Tomiki style of Aikido), which was published in 1956, includes a chart showing classes of "Judo" technique. These are classified into two main categories, "Aiki techniques" and "Randori techniques".
The Aiki techniques are described as a "system of techniques in the applying of which it is considered most ideal not to be seized by the opponent", and include "Kansetsu techniques" (bending or twisting joints) and "Atemi techniques" (attacking vital points).
The Randori techniques are described as a "system of techniques to be applied by seizing hold of each other", and include grappling techniques and throwing techniques.
Although Tomiki considers Judo to include both classes of techniques, he writes that "practice in these techniques of attacking the vital points and bending or twisting the joints is not to be carried on by means of contests as in the case of the randori techniques, for from the nature of those techniques it is attended with danger".
Different martial arts focus on different aspects of applying and controlling force (karate emphasizes atemi, judo emphasizes grappling and throwing, etc.). In general, however, if a martial art is to provide a forum for competition which minimizes the possibility of death and serious injury, the forum must necessarily include rules which prohibit the more dangerous techniques. This was implemented in the case of judo by allowing only randori techniques in contests.
Aikido went in the opposite direction from Judo. To quote from "Traditional Aikido", by Morihiro Saito, Vol. V, "It is a well-known fact that matches are prohibited in Aikido. This is because Aikido has inherited a number of lethal techniques from its Founder, which render matches too dangerous an exercise, and also because the art purports to place no restrictions on every conceivable movement. If the rules are set and dangerous techniques are excluded from the matches, Aikido undoubtedly will lose its raison d'etre. If matches are to be held, all the techniques will have to be scaled down to those consisting mainly of Atemi or the contestants will have to either stake their lives or wear protective gear. A question also arises whether the form of the competition should be limited to empty-handed techniques or should also include the use of weaponry.
See y’all next week Saints fans.
When washed-up former second-rate action movie stars produce a “reality show” about themselves, they have jumped the shark so far they land in a different ocean.
I watched it. The patrol portions were lame, but I found the akido and marksmenship instruction interesting.
His Akido and shooting ability is no BS.
seconded.
Steven Seagal’s head always looks like a loaf of bread with eyes.
LOL!!!
The other cool thing was how easy it was for him to walk and move again. If you've not had a serious orthopedic injury, you don't now what "cast disease" is. The muscles in a limb atrophy very fast when it's immobilized in a cast. If your fingers are similarly immobilized, your hand will come out nearly paralyzed after only three or four weeks. Recovering the use of any such limb requires a great deal of physiotherapy or occupational therapy, as the case may be. I speak from direct personal knowledge, having had a broken ankle and a broken wrist and that very type of atrophy.
All that is well and good...
But claiming that you are prepared to defend yourself after learning to dance with a willing partner is like believing that you’re prepared to shoot dimes out of the air from 25 yards because pointed your rifle at them and made bang bang noises.
Without competition, how exactly was Aikido developed? How do you know what works and what doesn’t? Imagine if no boxer had ever actually fought/sparred another one...instead they choreographed each taking turns landing knockout blow after knockout blow...do you think its science would be so sweet? “Awww man, I bet once I really do that to someone it’s going to huuuuuuurt!” Of course not.
Mastering a bunch of moves/concepts that get their first trial when your life may depend on them seems like a good recipe for disaster...and seems to have a rather steep learning curve. After one of their guys gets beat up because he tried to make a 300 pound man’s fist “flow” through his teeth, does he come into the dojo and tell everyone hey guys, we need to do away with the double hand grab?
But it’s cool that it’s do deadly it can only be used when you need it. Aikido practitioners must rack up an impressive body count, if only by the sheer volume of numbers training in it. Every encounter must be deadly, right?
Just something I found in response to your question.
I was unaware myself that there are no “formal” competitions in Aikido.
Watching some of the “sparring” and having had a couple of the “moves” demonstrated on me, it seems quite an effective art to me.
To each his own.
Sparring competition is limited to beginning techniques, at most intermediate -- block, punch, kick, throw -- in almost any category of martial arts. People with a jock mindset will never, and can never, advance beyond that, or understand anything about martial arts beyond the basics. Sad, but true.
As far as Seagal, his martial arts are real and impressive, but his acting is real bad B-movie style. I quit watching any of his movies when he started talking like a faggot.
Would you mind sharing where you found video of Aikido sparring?
Sparring and a demo are two very different things. But I’d like to see what you’re talking about.
Segal has a few Aikido training films on YT he’s for real.
Sparring is limited?
By who? I wasn’t aware there was a sparring authority. Here I was thinking it was two guys going at various speeds practicing their fighting skills with each other, whatever they may be. Who wrote the book on what moves may be practiced during sparring, anyway?
But you say “almost any” category of martial arts is limited to 4 moves during sparring? If you say so. You are aware that boxing is a martial art, aren’t you? Or are you under the impression that there are only 2 moves in boxing...blocking and punching? How do you beat a 19 year old Tyson? Easy, you just block and punch...lol. Or maybe you could use your “throw”(singular) on him...you know, one of the three moves you learn in sparring.
I guess you’re just too enlightened for me, Master. Do you believe in Ki, then? Could you show me some advanced voodoo some time...something really good that my mind could barely comprehend. You know, like some of the really advanced moves that you learn in your once a week lesson in a strip mall dojo. Subway smells good, doesn’t it drive you crazy? And man, those girls that work at that postal store are cute! But seriously, I thank God every day for my jock mindset...because it prevents me from pretending that I have some type of Vulcan Death Touch, learned from Bill at the Forest Hills shopping Center...one that is so deadly it must never be used.
I’m still curious why every Aikido demo involves choreographed moves and a willing partner. Don’t you guys ever go half speed, with some actual sparring?
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