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GUNS N' ROSES Bassist DUFF MCKAGAN Talks Mental Health, Love, Sobriety And Martial Arts
For Mental Health Awareness Month, musician, author, composer (GUNS N' ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER) and mental health advocate Duff McKagan joins Dr. Marc Brackett on a new episode of "Dealing With Feelings". The pair discuss Duff's....
Kids, husband & I are going for our #karate belt testing this afternoon!
Youngest is aiming for orange belt & the other two are aiming for their blue. Husband & I are currently unranked although we have been in class for two years so... it will be nice to see how our sensei ranks us.
There's a photography technique I use that I never see anyone else do so it's time I share it. I use it to capture action shots of people... typically dancing.
Most people would handle these situations by zooming in, spraying and praying, or being exceedingly patient for that ONE shot to materialize.
Those strategies were too unreliable for me so I learned to move with my subjects.
I pre-focus the lens for a set distance, wide-angle, full manual, and set the camera against my cheek. I move the camera only by moving my feet. If my subject twists, I twist. If they step toward me, I step back so they stay in focus.
Because I’m not using any viewfinder, my peripheral vision is good. You immerse yourself in the scene. When it feels right you shoot blind. With practice, your shots will line up.
You obviously will need good balance and confident footwork for this. I'm reaching back on years of Shaolin Kung Fu. If you've done dance or martial arts, you can get the hang of this.
Movement strategies have always been a key asset in my #photography techniques.
I was a physiotherapist and did #MartialArts. Understanding how humans moved was a chunk of my life. I developed camera techniques to leverage that background.
I use my legs to position the camera. This isn't "zooming with your feet." It's more like being a human tripod or camera rig. Putting your whole body into the camera makes it easier to keep the lens steady, get set, and then reset for unexpected action happening.
Here's a shot a friend took of me taking a photo with other photographers. I'm the guy in the classic Kung Fu/Tai Chi "horse stance" squat.
Which one of us three is best situated to quickly react if something exciting happened off camera? Much of the way I shoot comes from classic Kung Fu... questionable for fighting, but great for photography.
I'm not suggesting you need to learn Kung Fu to be a better photographer, but to be physically creative with movement strategies you already know.
Shameless promotion: "Solo Martial Blues", a one-player #martialarts#ttrpg now funding on Crowdfundr. This game has to fight to exist. If you want a solo martial arts game to be a thing, please join the fight here: https://fnd.us/solo-martial-blues?ref=sh_dCLT6b
Several years ago I had a katana. The story of how I got it is funny.
One day I come home, my former wife sees me with the legitimate Japanese katana hanging on my shoulder and she asks me where I got it from or if I bought it. She replied: "Let's say they gave it to me." How is that? She says. And I tell her the story.
I was in a tournament helping with the organization but not competing. A very stupid guy who was drunk was hitting people with the katana sheath. When I approached he tried to attack me. One of the teachers supervising the event looked on. I look at the teacher to see what he says and he tells me quietly and laughing: "give him a good beating." At that moment the drunk drew his katana and swung at me. To my surprise it was not a practice katana, it was a very well sharpened and good quality katana. I easily beat the guy because he was very drunk, but I got angry and beat him up. He asked me not to hit him anymore. At that moment the police arrived and detained him. When they asked him about the katana he said that it was not his (to avoid responsibility). Then the policeman asks "whose is he?" I tell him "it's mine." The scared guy says "yes, yes it's from the lord." The guy was arrested and I had a new katana.
I had it as a decoration at home for a few years and used it in a couple of demonstrations and lent it to a friend a couple of times. Years later I sold it when I didn't have enough to eat and I lived almost on the street and the money saved me for several months. You never know where life is going. 😅
I've been thinking I would like to get back into practicing martial arts and would love to maybe host an informal group so I have people to practice and learn with! I practiced Taekwondo and Judo for over a decade, once upon a time, and used to teach back in my early 20s....but I am really out of practice and out of shape, so I need folks I can feel comfortable exercising and learning with.
I have a space in my garage and could easily get some mats and a punching bag. I would host and teach for free, and would be happy to adapt what we do to anybody's accessibility or disability needs. Not a sure thing yet, but would there be anyone interested in these parts?
Interesting article about the #CDrama The Ingenious One and the "martial arts" genre aka wuxia, which is a unique genre to China. How wuxia is slowly reappearing and how #xianxia drowned it out for a while.
Hallo #cccamp23 ! Smol reminder that in a little over an hour, @aura and myself are organising a #martialarts get together.
Meeting is 15:30 next to the Eventphone tent.
Come if you want to learn, share, have a bit of a workout (bring water!! #drinkmorewater) or just be a curious observer. We will find a shady spot and take it from there.
Inspired by a classic of martial arts literature, S. L. Huang’s The Water Outlaws is available to buy in DRM-free ebook format direct from the publisher, Solaris Books.
How Bruce Lee-inspired series gave Hong Kong actor Jason Tobin a second life (www.scmp.com)
A Bruce Lee fan from childhood, Hong Kong actor Jason Tobin took a hardscrabble 25 years to land a leading part in Warrior