[David Wright]

To Eskrimador1 and Skorenzy, good posts!

To both, as I mentioned in my way too long post, SCARS is a distilled (IMO) system that takes the best (scientific) of many styles, codifies them, makes them more easily teachable and duplicatable, and presents it in a (IMO) much better package. As I get older, (and you two will experience this to some extent if you haven't already) my back is getting worse, and there are many things from Karate, Judo, Aikido, Kung Fu, and all the other great stuff that I can no longer execute faithfully. SCARS fills in the gaps.

Skorenzy, the refences were not a challenge to the Gracies but to a fuller understanding of what is happening here. First of all, Jerry and his team went to Brazil to study with the Gracies and observe first hand, from the originators, how grappling was done the right way. The folks at SCARS had nothing bad whatsoever to say about the Gracies or the way they were treated when they were studying there. They consider them friends, and their visit was a cordial exchange of ideas as I recall.

As I remeber it, the Gracies start out holding in a "high" position to, for lack of a better term, encourage the combatant to do likewise. Then, while you're in a realitively high position, they dive and take you down.(I know that is a simplistic description, but for brevity, it serves the purpose here)
I will have to check my notes from the class, but there were several things that the Gracies would not let you do when sparring. Without making this post extra long, some of these things, IMO, would surely limit what could be done to you. Well, to be fair, when someone was trying to take me down and really try to hurt, cripple or kill me, there wasn't any rule book or referee. Am I making sense? Right. I know they were reasonably trying to reduce injuries, but when it also substantially changes the combat equation, then we don't have an acurate picture of combat. Right?
Just as a quick example, if I were allowed to do a real eye gouge (I'm talking popping the eye completely) or crush your larynx( I mean really crushing it),or, ouch, crushing one of your balls while wrestling around, it would change the equation. It's like having someone shooting at you with Simunitions versus an inanimate paper target.

There are moves (several) in SCARS that prevent someone getting you into a knockout situation. As a funny aside, The first time I tried to prevent someone tackling me, I had a brain hiccup, got run over by this speeding bullet nicknamed "Little Tony", and was knocked out along with a good whiplash.(in class)

Anyhow, as mentioned in some of the tapes and covered in detail in the class, a lot of stuff that one might presume would "beat" SCARS, are things that, when somewhat proficient in SCARS, one would not find themselves in. Aha! True, someone who is HIGHLY skilled in martial arts would keep you busy, but part of the system is "luring" them,if you will, into complancency.(some moves, not all) That is on the tapes, but you have to watch closely for it. It works even if your agressor is anticipating you doing something. Some of this stuff is happening on a subconscious level, and works regardless.

I remember someone asking Jerry during a break about Steven Seagal and his relatively
high level of skill. Jerry indicated that someone with a skill level of Seagal could take care of themselves, even without SCARS. That's what is so great about these folks.
They are so different from the "my conjones are bigger than yours" group that one finds so frequently in many martial arts crcles. When someone in class ( some very, very skilled in Kung Fu and other arts) would have a question or doubt the validity of SCARS, the instructors would patiently go over the particulars, to the student's satisfaction, with out talking down to them, or making them feel stupid. What a difference. All science and techniques without the macho BS.

Eskrimador1, as to efiiciency and jabs, you'll have to look at the current tapes in detail. One picture is worth a thousand words. The SCARS system assumes reduced efficiency in a real battle, and makes it part of your effective battle plan. I type too much on these posts as it is, and to get into the details would answer your questions, but bust the bandwidth, I'm afraid.
Or, better yet, if you don't mind, e-mail me directly with a phone number, and I will be glad to answer any questions to any level detail that I am educated at on the SCARS system. All of these questions are legitimate ones, and they are answered wsith SCARS.

Please e-mail...

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David H. Wright
Bring this man a
goat and a bowl of fruit