Klington
17-10-2004, 03:11
The cost to train in Klingtons Dojo is $20,000 Per person, and another $150,000 per year, unless your a 10000 Islander, then it is free.
The Store:
Yeah thats right we are opening up a new training school! It will make your soldiers true warriors.
The Classes Include:
Hand to Hand Combat:
Tae Kwon Do:
Taekwondo is the Korean national sport martial art, and is also one of the world's most commonly practiced sports. In the Korean language, Tae means "kick or destroy with the foot", Gwon means "punch or smash with the hand or fist", and Do means "way or art". Hence, Taekwondo is taken to mean "the way of the foot and the fist."
Taekwondo is popular throughout the world, and the World Taekwondo Federation's form of Taekwondo is currently an Olympic sport. While some forms of Taekwondo have received criticism for not teaching enough street-effective techniques, this has more to do with commercialization, rather than with any inherent flaw in the art itself: one of the reasons Taekwondo is so popular is because of its effectiveness as a form of self-defence.
Taekwondo is famed for its employment of leg and jumping techniques, which many believe distinguishes it from martial arts such as Karate or Kung Fu. The rationale behind this is that the leg is the longest and strongest weapon a martial artist has, and kicks thus have the greatest potential to strike without retaliation. Despite this, hand techniques, and at the higher levels, some grappling and anti-weapon techniques are taught and emphasized (which techniques are taught vary from instructor to instructor). Taekwondo was designed to be effectively employed regardless of a person's sex, height, weight or age, making it popular with people of both sexes and of all ages. The five tenets of Taekwondo (courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, indomitable spirit) show that, like any martial art, Taekwondo is a mental discipline as well as a physical one. An example of the union of mental and physical discipline is the breaking of boards, which requires both physical mastery of the technique and the concentration to focus one's strength.
Karate-Do:Karate or karate-do is a budo art, a Japanese martial art introduced to the Japanese main islands from Okinawa in 1922. Karate emphasises striking techniques (i.e. punching and kicking) over grappling. Karate training can be divided into three major parts, kihon, kumite and kata. Kihon is the basics. Kumite means sparring and develops from well defined forms to the free form named randori. Kata (ÐÍ) means forms and is a fight against imaginary enemies, it is a fixed sequence of moves.
Kenpo:Kenpo or Kempo ( lit. fighting method) is a category of mixed martial arts that have a basis in Karate, that incorporates Shaolin Kung Fu and/or Kickboxing to make the art more technically complete.
It is believed that Kempo follows much of the same path Kung Fu takes, but in order to shorten the amount of time to train a person, methods from Karate were used as the basis to quickly allow a person to learn the basics, and techniques. As it often takes 10 to 20 years of continuous effort to master one form of kung fu, Kempo practitioners often can be black belted in around 3 to 5 years, depending on the instructor.
Normal Karate usually has linear attacks and blocks, or straight moves with power meeting power with the accuracy with power being more important then learning separate techniques. Kempo emphasizes more circular moves, such as the hook, or the uppercut as main attack methods. Kempo has more grappling moves, and throws than Karate. Both Karate and Kempo use katas, but Kempo katas tend to have more techniques to them, with an emphasis on multiple hits.
Kempo draws some stances and training techniques from Kung Fu, but changed them to shorten training time. Where some Kung Fu beginning artists can be expect to hold stances for an hour or so, Kempo beginners tends to require less time in holding the stances, usually between one to fifteen minutes. Whereas some Kung Fu practitioners use methods like pushing rocks, Kempo uses modern calisthenic techniques like push ups to build up strength.
It is believed that for people short on time that only want a sample of Kung Fu, and Karate, Kempo is a good art to learn.
Judo: Judo (Japanese) is a martial art, a sport and a philosophy which originated in Japan. Judo was developed from Jujutsu, and was founded by Kano Jigoro in 1882. The sport became the model of the modern Japanese martial arts, gendai budo, developed from old koryu schools.The focus in judo is on throwing techniques (nage-waza),with groundwork (katame-waza),also a major component. Nage-waza is divided in two groups of techniques, standing techniques (tachi-waza),and sacrifice techniques (sutemi-waza), Standing techniques are divided in hand techniques (te-waza), hip techniques (koshi-waza),and foot/leg techniques (ashi-waza).Sacrifice techniques are divided into those in which the thrower falls directly backwards (ma-sutemi-waza),and those in which he falls onto his side (yoko-sutemi-waza).
The groundwork techniques are divided into: attacks against the joints (kansetsu-waza), known in English-speaking countries as "leg-" and "armbars", stranglehold (shime-waza),and holding techniques (osaekomi-waza).
A kind of sparring is practiced in judo, known as randori, meaning "free practice". In randori, players (known as judoka) may attack each other with any judo throw or grappling technique. Striking techniques (called atemi-waza) such as kicking and punching, along with knife and sword techniques are retained in the katas taught to higher ranking judoka (for instance, in the kime-no-kata), but are forbidden in contest (and usually prohibited in randori), for reasons of safety. Also for reasons of safety, chokeholds, jointlocking - and the sacrifice (sutemi) techniques, which can be very spectacular, are often subject to age and/or rank restrictions; in the United States, one must be 13 or older to use chokeholds and 17 to use armbars.
In randori and shiai (tournament) practice, when an opponent successfully executes a chokehold or jointlock, one "taps out" by gently tapping the mat or one's opponent. When this occurs, the match is over, and the tapping player has lost, but the chokehold or jointlock ceases. Because this allows a merciful exit to the match, injuries related to these holds are quite rare.
Tai Chi:
T'ai Chi Ch'üan, Taijiquan, Tai Chi Chuan, or commonly Tai Chi or Taiji(literally supreme ultimate fist),
is a Nei chia ("internal") Chinese martial art which is known for the claims of health (especially stress management) and longevity benefits made by its practitioners and in some recent medical studies. T'ai Chi Ch'uan is also known as a "soft style" martial art.
T'ai Chi is best known as the slow motion routines groups of people practice every morning in hundreds of parks across China and, increasingly, other parts of the world. In T'ai Chi classes one is taught awareness of one's own balance and what affects it, awareness of the same in of others, and appreciation of the practical value in one's ability to moderate extremes of behavior and attitude at both mental and physical levels.
T'ai Chi Ch'üan is called an art of moving meditation that is nowadays sometimes considered a form of alternative medicine by Westerners. While its practitioners have historically considered it primarily a style of martial art, T'ai Chi theory and practise is indeed largely formulated in agreement with many of the principles of traditional Chinese medicine. Besides the general health benefits attributed to beginning and intermediate level T'ai Chi training, many therapeutic interventions along the lines of TCM are taught to advanced T'ai Chi students in traditional schools. T'ai Chi Ch'üan as physical training is characterized by its requirement for the use of leverage through the joints based on coordination in relaxation rather than muscular tension. This coordination is seen to improve balance, flexibility, stamina and to open the circulation.
The study of T'ai Chi Ch'üan involves three primary subjects, in the following order:
Health - an unhealthy or otherwise uncomfortable person will find it difficult to meditate to a state of calmness or to use T'ai Chi as a martial art. T'ai Chi's health training therefore concentrates on relieving the physical effects of stress on the body and mind.
Meditation - the focus meditation and subsequent calmness cultivated by the meditative aspect of T'ai Chi is seen as necessary to maintain optimum health (in the sense of effectively maintaining stress relief or homeostasis) and in order to use it as a "soft style" martial art.
Martial art - the ability to competently use T'ai Chi as a martial art is said to be proof that the health and meditation aspects are working according to the dictates of the theory of T'ai Chi Ch'üan.
Hand To Hand(Continued):
Kung Fu:
Kung fu or gongfu is a well-known Chinese term used in the West to designate Chinese martial arts. Its original meaning is somewhat different, referring to one's ability in any skill, not necessarily martial. Many consider wushu a better term for Chinese martial arts, as it translates directly into "martial art."
The Chinese term was first known to have been reported by a Westerner, French Jesuit missionary Jean Joseph Marie Amiot, in the 18th Century and later widely popularized in the West by famous film martial artist Bruce Lee. There are various philosophies around the term kung fu, suggesting a deeper meaning. The following is an example of such a philosophy:
For a process to truly be kung fu, the following three elements must be present:
Motivation
Self-discipline
Time
Motivation is the basic driving force, and without it, kung fu can never be reached. It means both interest and the will to do something; a person who is forced to do something is not truly motivated. A motivated person, on the other hand, has interest in learning: they have a goal.
It is important to make a difference between various kinds of motivation: A person can be motivated to do something, because if they do not they will be punished. Money can also lead to motivation, because you know that doing something will give you more money. However, the motivation kung fu strives for comes from an interest and an inner desire to learn and develop, in which the goal is not an external gain, like avoiding punishment or earning money, but an internal one, with the only reward being knowledge, skill, strength and wisdom. This motivation can be inspired, but not controlled, by other people.
Self-discipline is closely related to motivation, but refers to the effort and patience required to actually get something done, and to get past obstacles that might appear on the way towards one's goal. While motivation is the mental state of wanting to do something, discipline is required to put motivation into action: A person might want to do something very much, but lacks the required amount of discipline to get started. Without this, motivation will lead to nothing.
It is true that a competent instructor can assist a person by providing discipline, helping that person to get past obstacles. This is good, but will not last forever, and in the end, it is always up to the person herself to put her thoughts into action.
Time is essential for finding one's motivation and self-discipline, and to actually accomplish something by making use of them, but motivation and self-discipline are also important to make a person willing to put time into accomplishing her goal: to prioritize.
In later stages, once motivation and discipline have become an integral part of a person's life, it is important not to stop spending time on practice. This is said to be a very important aspect of kung fu: Many ancient Chinese philosophers and martial artists consider time the most valuable commodity in a person's lives, as time cannot be replaced. It is said that one should use time wisely, and that, to get the most out of life, must practice kung fu in every activity. By finding interest in and putting effort and time into every action, one will make the best use of time, and live a happy and productive life.
Sword Techniques:
Kendo: Kendô is the martial art of Japanese swordsmanship, developed in the 16th century to unify a large number of different techniques. Since 1975 the concept of Kendo has been stated as "to discipline the human character through the application of the principles of the Katana". Kendo is therefore self-discipline while Kenjutsu is the actual techniques of fighting.
Taught using "swords" made of split bamboo (shinai) and extensive protective armour (Bogu), practitioners are called kendoka. Kendoka also use bokken (wooden swords) or katana and wakizashi (long and short steel swords) to practice set forms known as kata. In modern kendo competition, there are two types of attacks - strikes and thrusts. Strikes are allowed against only certain areas on the body - the top of the head, the right and left sides of the body, and the forearms. Thrusts are only allowed to the throat. However, since a wrongly done thrust could injure the neck, thrust is often left out at the starting level and introduced later.
In matches, points are only awarded when the attacks are done firmly and properly to the allowed targets with good control and a yell (in Japanese) corresponding to the part of the opponent that is being targeted. For example, if the opponent's head is the target, an accompanying cry of "Men" should be bellowed. For an attack to the wrist, "Kote" should be shouted. For an attack to the trunk "Do", and for a thrust at the opponent's throat "Tsuki" should be shouted. The first to score two points wins the match.
The International Kendo Federation (IKF) has members in 44 countries. The international championships are held every three years since 1970, when the IKF was founded.
Iaido: Iaido (or Iaijutsu) is the art of drawing the katana, cutting down the opponent, flipping blood from the blade, and then re-sheathing the katana in one fluid movement. The emphasis is on drawing the sword and attacking as quickly as possible. Starting positions can be from combative postures or from everyday sitting or standing positions. Practitioners could expect a surprise attack at any time, and the ability to react quickly from an everyday starting position was considered essential.
An original date of 1200AD has been claimed, but some time during the late 15th or early 16th century is more likely. Most modern schools consider a samurai called Hayashizaki Jinsuke Minamoto no Shigenobu (1546 - 1621?) as the originator of iaido. Not much is known about his life, and some scholars doubt his existence as a historical figure. The two largest schools of iaido that are practised today, Muso Shinden Ryu and Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu, both claim a lineage starting with Hayashizaki.
While not a hard and fast rule, frequently the word iaido is used to refer to the modern self improvement oriented form taught by the All Japan Kendo Federation (AJKF) and other iaido associations while iaijutsu is used for the older, combative techniques of the koryu. The word iaido itself was coined by Nakayama Hakudo in early 20th century. Before that various other names like battô, battôjutsu, or saya no uchi were used instead.
The most important part of Iai, sometimes called the 'life of iai', is Nukitsuke. This is a very quick draw accomplished by drawing the sword out of the saya (scabbard) while drawing the saya itself back. The blade can be brought out of the scabbard and used in a slashing motion very quickly using nukitsuke.
Kenjutsu: Kenjutsu is a classical Japanese martial art, a koryu budo. There are many different schools, with the objective to teach efficient use of the Japanese sword in combat.
The practice largely done in the form of kata, and also by actual cutting and thrusting of the blade against water-soaked rolled mats and bamboo poles. The practice tool is either bokken (wooden sword) or shinken (real swords such as katana, tachi, etc.).
Some ancient sword schools still exist, such as Tenshin Shouden Katori Shinto Ryu, Kashima Shinto Ryu, Kashima Shin Ryu, Hyoho Niten Ichiryu. As in other koryu arts, belt colour is not used to show the practitioner's ability. Instead of grades, licences such as menkyo kaiden are given.
Modern budo arts derived from traditional sword work are kendo and iaido.
The Philosphical Ideals of The Warrior(The Way):
Bushido: Bushido (Way of the Warrior; Japanese) was the warrior code of the samurai. Bushido was a strict code that demanded loyalty, devotion, and honor to the death. Under Bushido, if a samurai failed to uphold his honor he could regain it by committing seppuku (ritual suicide).
Bushido is an internally-consistent ethical code. In its purest form, it demands of its practitioners that they look effectively backward at the present from the moment of their own death, as if they were already, in effect, dead. This is particularly true of the earlier forms of Bushido or budo. Of later forms, traditionalists would scoff, "they reason with staying alive kept clearly in mind."
There are seven virtues associated with Bushido:
*
Gi - Rectitude
Yu - Courage
Jin - Benevolence
Rei - Respect
Makoto - Honesty
Meiyo - Honor
Chugi - Loyalty
Chivalry:
Chivalry refers to the mediaeval institution of knighthood, and especially the ideals and that were associated with it, or have become associated with it through literature. It was often also associated with ideals of knightly virtues, honour and of courtly love.
Chivalry was in essence a warrior code propagated by the Church. The Church intended to make the mounted soldiers of the Middle Ages into Christian knights who would protect society instead of ravage it.
The word comes ultimately from the Latin caballus, or "horse". The French chevalier and the English cavalier derive their names from the same word. The intention, in all these cases, is to distinguish the aristocratic knight on horseback from the peasant infantryman walking with his pike and the artilleryman dragging his vulgar machinery.
In war, the chivalrous knight was brave in battle, loyal to his king and God, and willing to sacrifice himself. Towards his fellow Christians and countrymen, the knight was to be merciful, humble, and courteous. Towards ladies above all, the knight was to be gracious and gentle. The idealized relationship between knight and lady was that of courtly love.
Book Studies:
Sun Tzu's Art of War:
The Art of War was a Chinese military text written during the 6th century BC by Sun Tzu. Composed of 13 chapters, it has long been praised as the definitive work on military strategies and tactics prior to the collapse of Imperial China. In many East Asian countries including China, Korea and Vietnam, it was part of the syllabus for potential candidates of military service examinations. Various translations are available and are used by some European military institutions, for instance, in Germany before World War I.
Verses from the book occur in modern daily Chinese idioms and phrases, such as the last verse of Chapter 3:
"So it is said that if you know others and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know others but know yourself, you win one and lose one; if you do not know others and do not know yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle. "
This has been condensed into the modern proverb:
If you know yourself and know others you will win a hundred times in a hundred battles.
In recent times the book has gained widespread popularity among managers wishing to compete in the cutthroat world of business. It has also crept its way into sport, with Australian cricket coach John Buchanan handing out excerpts from the book to his players before a match against England in 2001. At the same time this use has been criticized by many scholars of Chinese history for using the Art of War as a source of fortune cookie-like proverbs and not seeing the general coherence of the text.
The Art of War was recently made into a Chinese television series of the same name.
A Book Of The Five Rings:
The Book of Five Rings was written by Miyamoto Musashi. It is considered a classic treatise on military strategy, much like Sun Tzu's The Art of War.
The five rings are Ground, Water, Fire, Wind and the Void. Each ring represents a different aspect of strategy, and by mastering all five rings, it is supposed that you make yourself invincible in combat. Although to members of the Hyoho Niten Ichiryu it is merely a manual of technique and philosophy.
People Studies:
Patton:
George Smith Patton, Jr. (November 11, 1885 - December 21, 1945), was a leading American general in World War II.
A great study On a great general.
Hannibal:
Hannibal Barca (247 BC-182 BC) was a military commander of ancient Carthage, best known for his achievements in the Second Punic War in marching an army from Spain over the Pyrenees and the Alps into northern Italy and defeating the Romans at the Battles of the Trebia (218 BC), Lake Trasimene (217 BC) and Cannae (216 BC). After Cannae, the Romans refused to fight him in pitched battles, and gradually captured all the strongholds he had gained in Southern Italy. An invasion of Africa by the Romans under Scipio Africanus in 204 BC forced Hannibal to return to Africa, where Scipio defeated him at Zama (202 BC).
Following the end of the war, Hannibal led Carthage for several years, helping it to recover from the devastation of the war, until the Romans forced him into exile in 195 BC. He went to live at the courts of foreign kings - first Antiochus III of the Seleucid Kingdom. In 189 BC the Romans, having defeated Antiochus in a war, demanded that he turn Hannibal over to them and the general fled again, this time to the court of King Prusias I of Bithynia. When the Romans demanded that Prusias turn Hannibal over in 182 BC, he committed suicide rather than submit.
Hannibal is often ranked as one of the best military commanders in history, alongside Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Friedrich II and Napoleon.
Alexander the Great:
Alexander the Great (late July, 356 BC–June 10, 323 BC) was King of Macedon; With the warring and divided city states of Greece already united under his father, Alexander conquered Persia, Egypt and a number of other kingdoms, all the way to the center of India. The conquests, their rapid spread of Greek culture, and the mixing of Greek culture with more eastern cultures ushered in the age of Hellenistic Greece across several continents.
Images:
Karate:
http://people.howstuffworks.com/gif/karate-fight-2.jpg
http://people.howstuffworks.com/gif/karate-fight-10.jpg
http://www2.eng.cam.ac.uk/~dkk20/images/karate/other/kick.jpg
http://thomas.nilsen.com/photos/tobeyoko.jpg
Kung Fu:
http://www.kungfuclub.it/pix/massmatt.jpg
http://www.cs.tcd.ie/Benjamin.Jung/Gallery/China/slides/Kung-Fu.jpg
http://www.greatestcities.com/7415pic/914/CP4914.jpg/Kid.jpg
Judo:
http://www.britishblindsport.org.uk/images/judo.jpg
http://www.quantico.usmc-mccs.org/sempfit/judo.jpg
http://worldjudo.org/images/John%20Buchanan%20Judo%20.jpg
Tae Kwon Do:
http://www.chostkdcenter.com/home_bk.jpg
http://www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/Union/TaeKwonDo/photos/highKick.jpg
Tai Chi:
http://www.taichifinder.co.uk/catalog/images/silksuit.jpg
http://www.superiormartialarts.com/taichi2.jpg
http://www.jtaichi.com/Images/Chen%20Style%20Tai%20Chi%20I.jpg
And for those who think tai chi is a wussy art:
http://www.yongquan.org/demo2003/slabs_2.jpg
http://www.shaolinchowka.com/shaolin-kung-fu-gallery/van/3.jpg
http://www.yellowdragon.co.uk/gallery/martialarts/demo/images/iron-s.jpg
Kendo:
http://www.karatebushido.com/pictures/photos/kendo-action.jpg
http://stockholmkendo.com/img/cover_kendo_1.jpg
http://www.seyo.org/nikkei/kendo.jpg
Iaido:
http://www.jccckendo.com/iaido/imgiai/Ohmi_Cut.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~bjshibata/images/aikido-iaido/aikido-iaido_swinging.jpg
http://www.shingen.com.au/shared/iaido-03.jpg
http://www.berkeleyaikikai.org/images/Shibata-iaido.jpg
Kenjutsu:
http://www.niten.org.br/KEN/IMAGES/camerawenzel5.jpg
http://my.name-services.com/60901/tamura3.jpg
http://www.mbdojo.com/hvstameshi2.jpg
http://digilander.libero.it/savonakendo/irk/yagiushingan.jpg
Wilderness Training/Woodsmanship:
Tracking: The ability to observe things and to use them to pinpoint something in the wilderness. This could be used to find someone, follow something, or discover if someone is in thea area, also used to discover traps.
Trap Making:
The knowledge on how to make simple traps to damage an enemy/protect yourself and to alert you when someone is coming.
Camouflage:
Camouflage is the method which allows an otherwise visible object to remain indiscernable from the surrounding environment. Examples include a tiger's stripes and the fatigues of a modern soldier. Camouflage is a form of deception.
Successful camouflage became an essential part of modern military tactics since the increase in accuracy and rate of fire of weapons at the end of the nineteenth century. The first recorded large-scale use of camouflage was during World War I.
Shelter Making:
The ability to make shelters out of your surrounds and offer protection to yourself and a suitable base of operations, the shelter making techniques are taught so that the shelters blend in with there surrounding and will not be noticed as easly.
Urban Areas:
Lockpicking:
Lock picking is the art of unlocking a lock without its intended key. Locksmiths are trained in lock picking. The tools for lock picking are usually different for each type of lock and can sometimes be improvised from common items, such as hair pins or safety pins. Some people enjoy picking locks because it has hack value and doing so is fun to them.
Usually it is possible to bypass a lock without picking it. Most common locks can be quickly and easily opened using a drill, bolt cutters, or a hydraulic jack, or the hasp, door, or fixture they are attached to can be cut or broken. A lock that offers high resistance to picking does not necessarily make unauthorized access more difficult, but it will make surreptitious unauthorized access more difficult. Locks are often used in combination with alarms to provide layered security.
People Studies(Continued):
Oda Nobunaga:
A very important daimyo during the 1600's in Japan
Katsu Kaishu:
A very important character in modern japanese history
Gustav II Adolf:
"The father of modern warfare" important 30-years war leader
Erwin Rommel:
Brilliant strategist, who unfortunately was born in Germany
Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan:
Mongolian Khans that governed the largest empire ever
Yusuf Ibn Ayyub Salah al Din:
Kurdish war leader from Tikrit, Iraq. More known as Saladin, recaptured Jerusalem from the crusaders. Saddam Hussein have claimed to be related to this man.
General Training:
Boot Camp:
The process has been described by Canadian military historian Gwynne Dyer as a form of conditioning in which inductees are encouraged to partially submerge their individuality for the good of their unit. Dyer argues that this conditioning is essential for military function because combat requires people to endure stress and perform actions which are simply not present in normal life.
The nature and extent of this conditioning varies from one military service to another. Some systems of training seek to totally break-down the individual and remould that person to the desired behaviour. Other systems attempt to change the individual to suit the organization, whilst retaining key elements of the recruit's personality. The differences between the two approaches are often subtle.
Standard uniforms are issued and recruits may have their heads shaved in order to make their appearance as uniform as possible. Also, the haircut is a mildly traumatic experience to increase unit cohesion. Recruits are generally given a service number.
It is common that recruits are instructed in "drill": to stand, march, and respond to orders in an unquestioning manner. Historically, drill derived from 18th-century military tactics in which soldiers in a fire line performed precise and coordinated movements to load and fire weapons. Although these tactics are now obsolete, drill performs a psychological function which is to inculcate the response to commands but also to train the recruit to act unhesitatingly in the face of real combat situations. This includes not only commands to engage in combat in which the soldier is putting his life in danger, but also commands to disengage when military necessity demands. Most military commentators argue that this condititioning is essential for military function because without it, a military unit would likely disintegrate under the stress of combat, becoming merely an armed mob.
Trainees are usually subjected to rigorous physical training, both to prepare for the demands of combat, and to weed out the less able or motivated. This also builds morale for the remaining recruits who have met the physical requirements.
Army and Marine recruits are trained in basic marksmanship with regularly assigned weapons, field maintenance of weapons, hand-to-hand combat, first aid, protective equipment usage, and basic survival techiques. Navy training focuses on basic seamanship, and skills such as firefighting, basic engineering, and signals. Air Force training might cover subjects such as aircraft recognition.
According to legend, trainees are secretly fed saltpetre to suppress their sexual urges. One explanation of the origin of this legend states that the soldiers were employing a folk etymology and substituting the word "Soft" for "Salt" in "Saltpeter." A reduction in sexual urges does actually occur, but it is caused by fatigue related to training.
At the end of basic training, the recruit is usually either posted to an operational unit to gain experience, or to another training establishment for further specialist training. Some services also present a badge or other award to denote completion of recruit training. The United States Army typically issues the Army Service Ribbon while the United States Air Force presents the Air Force Training Ribbon.
Sniper Training:
The traditional definition of a sniper is an infantry soldier especially skilled in field craft and marksmanship who stalks and kills selected enemy with a single aimed rifle shot.
The word originates from the snipe, a game bird difficult for hunters to sneak up on.
In the last few decades the term 'sniper' has been used rather loosely, especially by the media in association with police precision riflemen, those responsible for assassination, any shooting from all but the shortest range in war and any criminal equipped with a rifle in a civil context. This has rather expanded the general understanding of the meaning of the term. It has also given the term 'sniper' distinctly pejorative connotations. This explains the increasing use of alternative terms, especially for police snipers such as counter-sniper, precision marksman, tactical marksman and precision shooter.
Training is of paramount importance for snipers. A well-trained sniper can compensate for poor equipment. Military sniper training tries to teach a high degree of proficiency in camouflage and concealment, stalking and observation as well as precision marksmanship under wide operational conditions.
Snipers are generally volunteers accepted for sniper training on the basis of their aptitude as perceived by their commanders. Sniper trainees typically shoot a couple thousand rounds over a number of weeks. The training teaches core skills of camouflage, concealment, moving tactically over terrain, observation and rifle-shooting under varying conditions. Military snipers may be trained as FACs (Forward Air Controllers) to direct military air strikes, in artillery target indication and as mortar fire controllers.
Snipers are trained to squeeze the trigger straight back with the ball of their finger, to avoid jerking the gun sideways. The most accurate position is prone, with a bipod supporting the barrel, and the stock's cheek-piece against the cheek. Sometimes a sling is wrapped around the weak arm to reduce stock movement. Some doctrines may train a sniper to shoot between breaths or even between heartbeats to minimize barrel motion.
The range to the target is measured or estimated as precisely as conditions permit. Laser rangefinders may be used. At longer ranges, the bullet drop is estimated from a chart which may be memorised or taped to the rifle. The sights are adjusted accordingly. Shooting uphill or downhill can require more adjustment, either by "holding off" by eye, or "dialing in" to the scope. The slant of visible convections near the ground can be used to estimate crosswinds, and correct the point of aim. The point of aim is in front of moving targets. Anticipating the behavior of the target helps place the shot.
http://hn.afnews.af.mil/Photos/NationalTrainingCenter-A-O.JPG
The Store:
Yeah thats right we are opening up a new training school! It will make your soldiers true warriors.
The Classes Include:
Hand to Hand Combat:
Tae Kwon Do:
Taekwondo is the Korean national sport martial art, and is also one of the world's most commonly practiced sports. In the Korean language, Tae means "kick or destroy with the foot", Gwon means "punch or smash with the hand or fist", and Do means "way or art". Hence, Taekwondo is taken to mean "the way of the foot and the fist."
Taekwondo is popular throughout the world, and the World Taekwondo Federation's form of Taekwondo is currently an Olympic sport. While some forms of Taekwondo have received criticism for not teaching enough street-effective techniques, this has more to do with commercialization, rather than with any inherent flaw in the art itself: one of the reasons Taekwondo is so popular is because of its effectiveness as a form of self-defence.
Taekwondo is famed for its employment of leg and jumping techniques, which many believe distinguishes it from martial arts such as Karate or Kung Fu. The rationale behind this is that the leg is the longest and strongest weapon a martial artist has, and kicks thus have the greatest potential to strike without retaliation. Despite this, hand techniques, and at the higher levels, some grappling and anti-weapon techniques are taught and emphasized (which techniques are taught vary from instructor to instructor). Taekwondo was designed to be effectively employed regardless of a person's sex, height, weight or age, making it popular with people of both sexes and of all ages. The five tenets of Taekwondo (courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, indomitable spirit) show that, like any martial art, Taekwondo is a mental discipline as well as a physical one. An example of the union of mental and physical discipline is the breaking of boards, which requires both physical mastery of the technique and the concentration to focus one's strength.
Karate-Do:Karate or karate-do is a budo art, a Japanese martial art introduced to the Japanese main islands from Okinawa in 1922. Karate emphasises striking techniques (i.e. punching and kicking) over grappling. Karate training can be divided into three major parts, kihon, kumite and kata. Kihon is the basics. Kumite means sparring and develops from well defined forms to the free form named randori. Kata (ÐÍ) means forms and is a fight against imaginary enemies, it is a fixed sequence of moves.
Kenpo:Kenpo or Kempo ( lit. fighting method) is a category of mixed martial arts that have a basis in Karate, that incorporates Shaolin Kung Fu and/or Kickboxing to make the art more technically complete.
It is believed that Kempo follows much of the same path Kung Fu takes, but in order to shorten the amount of time to train a person, methods from Karate were used as the basis to quickly allow a person to learn the basics, and techniques. As it often takes 10 to 20 years of continuous effort to master one form of kung fu, Kempo practitioners often can be black belted in around 3 to 5 years, depending on the instructor.
Normal Karate usually has linear attacks and blocks, or straight moves with power meeting power with the accuracy with power being more important then learning separate techniques. Kempo emphasizes more circular moves, such as the hook, or the uppercut as main attack methods. Kempo has more grappling moves, and throws than Karate. Both Karate and Kempo use katas, but Kempo katas tend to have more techniques to them, with an emphasis on multiple hits.
Kempo draws some stances and training techniques from Kung Fu, but changed them to shorten training time. Where some Kung Fu beginning artists can be expect to hold stances for an hour or so, Kempo beginners tends to require less time in holding the stances, usually between one to fifteen minutes. Whereas some Kung Fu practitioners use methods like pushing rocks, Kempo uses modern calisthenic techniques like push ups to build up strength.
It is believed that for people short on time that only want a sample of Kung Fu, and Karate, Kempo is a good art to learn.
Judo: Judo (Japanese) is a martial art, a sport and a philosophy which originated in Japan. Judo was developed from Jujutsu, and was founded by Kano Jigoro in 1882. The sport became the model of the modern Japanese martial arts, gendai budo, developed from old koryu schools.The focus in judo is on throwing techniques (nage-waza),with groundwork (katame-waza),also a major component. Nage-waza is divided in two groups of techniques, standing techniques (tachi-waza),and sacrifice techniques (sutemi-waza), Standing techniques are divided in hand techniques (te-waza), hip techniques (koshi-waza),and foot/leg techniques (ashi-waza).Sacrifice techniques are divided into those in which the thrower falls directly backwards (ma-sutemi-waza),and those in which he falls onto his side (yoko-sutemi-waza).
The groundwork techniques are divided into: attacks against the joints (kansetsu-waza), known in English-speaking countries as "leg-" and "armbars", stranglehold (shime-waza),and holding techniques (osaekomi-waza).
A kind of sparring is practiced in judo, known as randori, meaning "free practice". In randori, players (known as judoka) may attack each other with any judo throw or grappling technique. Striking techniques (called atemi-waza) such as kicking and punching, along with knife and sword techniques are retained in the katas taught to higher ranking judoka (for instance, in the kime-no-kata), but are forbidden in contest (and usually prohibited in randori), for reasons of safety. Also for reasons of safety, chokeholds, jointlocking - and the sacrifice (sutemi) techniques, which can be very spectacular, are often subject to age and/or rank restrictions; in the United States, one must be 13 or older to use chokeholds and 17 to use armbars.
In randori and shiai (tournament) practice, when an opponent successfully executes a chokehold or jointlock, one "taps out" by gently tapping the mat or one's opponent. When this occurs, the match is over, and the tapping player has lost, but the chokehold or jointlock ceases. Because this allows a merciful exit to the match, injuries related to these holds are quite rare.
Tai Chi:
T'ai Chi Ch'üan, Taijiquan, Tai Chi Chuan, or commonly Tai Chi or Taiji(literally supreme ultimate fist),
is a Nei chia ("internal") Chinese martial art which is known for the claims of health (especially stress management) and longevity benefits made by its practitioners and in some recent medical studies. T'ai Chi Ch'uan is also known as a "soft style" martial art.
T'ai Chi is best known as the slow motion routines groups of people practice every morning in hundreds of parks across China and, increasingly, other parts of the world. In T'ai Chi classes one is taught awareness of one's own balance and what affects it, awareness of the same in of others, and appreciation of the practical value in one's ability to moderate extremes of behavior and attitude at both mental and physical levels.
T'ai Chi Ch'üan is called an art of moving meditation that is nowadays sometimes considered a form of alternative medicine by Westerners. While its practitioners have historically considered it primarily a style of martial art, T'ai Chi theory and practise is indeed largely formulated in agreement with many of the principles of traditional Chinese medicine. Besides the general health benefits attributed to beginning and intermediate level T'ai Chi training, many therapeutic interventions along the lines of TCM are taught to advanced T'ai Chi students in traditional schools. T'ai Chi Ch'üan as physical training is characterized by its requirement for the use of leverage through the joints based on coordination in relaxation rather than muscular tension. This coordination is seen to improve balance, flexibility, stamina and to open the circulation.
The study of T'ai Chi Ch'üan involves three primary subjects, in the following order:
Health - an unhealthy or otherwise uncomfortable person will find it difficult to meditate to a state of calmness or to use T'ai Chi as a martial art. T'ai Chi's health training therefore concentrates on relieving the physical effects of stress on the body and mind.
Meditation - the focus meditation and subsequent calmness cultivated by the meditative aspect of T'ai Chi is seen as necessary to maintain optimum health (in the sense of effectively maintaining stress relief or homeostasis) and in order to use it as a "soft style" martial art.
Martial art - the ability to competently use T'ai Chi as a martial art is said to be proof that the health and meditation aspects are working according to the dictates of the theory of T'ai Chi Ch'üan.
Hand To Hand(Continued):
Kung Fu:
Kung fu or gongfu is a well-known Chinese term used in the West to designate Chinese martial arts. Its original meaning is somewhat different, referring to one's ability in any skill, not necessarily martial. Many consider wushu a better term for Chinese martial arts, as it translates directly into "martial art."
The Chinese term was first known to have been reported by a Westerner, French Jesuit missionary Jean Joseph Marie Amiot, in the 18th Century and later widely popularized in the West by famous film martial artist Bruce Lee. There are various philosophies around the term kung fu, suggesting a deeper meaning. The following is an example of such a philosophy:
For a process to truly be kung fu, the following three elements must be present:
Motivation
Self-discipline
Time
Motivation is the basic driving force, and without it, kung fu can never be reached. It means both interest and the will to do something; a person who is forced to do something is not truly motivated. A motivated person, on the other hand, has interest in learning: they have a goal.
It is important to make a difference between various kinds of motivation: A person can be motivated to do something, because if they do not they will be punished. Money can also lead to motivation, because you know that doing something will give you more money. However, the motivation kung fu strives for comes from an interest and an inner desire to learn and develop, in which the goal is not an external gain, like avoiding punishment or earning money, but an internal one, with the only reward being knowledge, skill, strength and wisdom. This motivation can be inspired, but not controlled, by other people.
Self-discipline is closely related to motivation, but refers to the effort and patience required to actually get something done, and to get past obstacles that might appear on the way towards one's goal. While motivation is the mental state of wanting to do something, discipline is required to put motivation into action: A person might want to do something very much, but lacks the required amount of discipline to get started. Without this, motivation will lead to nothing.
It is true that a competent instructor can assist a person by providing discipline, helping that person to get past obstacles. This is good, but will not last forever, and in the end, it is always up to the person herself to put her thoughts into action.
Time is essential for finding one's motivation and self-discipline, and to actually accomplish something by making use of them, but motivation and self-discipline are also important to make a person willing to put time into accomplishing her goal: to prioritize.
In later stages, once motivation and discipline have become an integral part of a person's life, it is important not to stop spending time on practice. This is said to be a very important aspect of kung fu: Many ancient Chinese philosophers and martial artists consider time the most valuable commodity in a person's lives, as time cannot be replaced. It is said that one should use time wisely, and that, to get the most out of life, must practice kung fu in every activity. By finding interest in and putting effort and time into every action, one will make the best use of time, and live a happy and productive life.
Sword Techniques:
Kendo: Kendô is the martial art of Japanese swordsmanship, developed in the 16th century to unify a large number of different techniques. Since 1975 the concept of Kendo has been stated as "to discipline the human character through the application of the principles of the Katana". Kendo is therefore self-discipline while Kenjutsu is the actual techniques of fighting.
Taught using "swords" made of split bamboo (shinai) and extensive protective armour (Bogu), practitioners are called kendoka. Kendoka also use bokken (wooden swords) or katana and wakizashi (long and short steel swords) to practice set forms known as kata. In modern kendo competition, there are two types of attacks - strikes and thrusts. Strikes are allowed against only certain areas on the body - the top of the head, the right and left sides of the body, and the forearms. Thrusts are only allowed to the throat. However, since a wrongly done thrust could injure the neck, thrust is often left out at the starting level and introduced later.
In matches, points are only awarded when the attacks are done firmly and properly to the allowed targets with good control and a yell (in Japanese) corresponding to the part of the opponent that is being targeted. For example, if the opponent's head is the target, an accompanying cry of "Men" should be bellowed. For an attack to the wrist, "Kote" should be shouted. For an attack to the trunk "Do", and for a thrust at the opponent's throat "Tsuki" should be shouted. The first to score two points wins the match.
The International Kendo Federation (IKF) has members in 44 countries. The international championships are held every three years since 1970, when the IKF was founded.
Iaido: Iaido (or Iaijutsu) is the art of drawing the katana, cutting down the opponent, flipping blood from the blade, and then re-sheathing the katana in one fluid movement. The emphasis is on drawing the sword and attacking as quickly as possible. Starting positions can be from combative postures or from everyday sitting or standing positions. Practitioners could expect a surprise attack at any time, and the ability to react quickly from an everyday starting position was considered essential.
An original date of 1200AD has been claimed, but some time during the late 15th or early 16th century is more likely. Most modern schools consider a samurai called Hayashizaki Jinsuke Minamoto no Shigenobu (1546 - 1621?) as the originator of iaido. Not much is known about his life, and some scholars doubt his existence as a historical figure. The two largest schools of iaido that are practised today, Muso Shinden Ryu and Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu, both claim a lineage starting with Hayashizaki.
While not a hard and fast rule, frequently the word iaido is used to refer to the modern self improvement oriented form taught by the All Japan Kendo Federation (AJKF) and other iaido associations while iaijutsu is used for the older, combative techniques of the koryu. The word iaido itself was coined by Nakayama Hakudo in early 20th century. Before that various other names like battô, battôjutsu, or saya no uchi were used instead.
The most important part of Iai, sometimes called the 'life of iai', is Nukitsuke. This is a very quick draw accomplished by drawing the sword out of the saya (scabbard) while drawing the saya itself back. The blade can be brought out of the scabbard and used in a slashing motion very quickly using nukitsuke.
Kenjutsu: Kenjutsu is a classical Japanese martial art, a koryu budo. There are many different schools, with the objective to teach efficient use of the Japanese sword in combat.
The practice largely done in the form of kata, and also by actual cutting and thrusting of the blade against water-soaked rolled mats and bamboo poles. The practice tool is either bokken (wooden sword) or shinken (real swords such as katana, tachi, etc.).
Some ancient sword schools still exist, such as Tenshin Shouden Katori Shinto Ryu, Kashima Shinto Ryu, Kashima Shin Ryu, Hyoho Niten Ichiryu. As in other koryu arts, belt colour is not used to show the practitioner's ability. Instead of grades, licences such as menkyo kaiden are given.
Modern budo arts derived from traditional sword work are kendo and iaido.
The Philosphical Ideals of The Warrior(The Way):
Bushido: Bushido (Way of the Warrior; Japanese) was the warrior code of the samurai. Bushido was a strict code that demanded loyalty, devotion, and honor to the death. Under Bushido, if a samurai failed to uphold his honor he could regain it by committing seppuku (ritual suicide).
Bushido is an internally-consistent ethical code. In its purest form, it demands of its practitioners that they look effectively backward at the present from the moment of their own death, as if they were already, in effect, dead. This is particularly true of the earlier forms of Bushido or budo. Of later forms, traditionalists would scoff, "they reason with staying alive kept clearly in mind."
There are seven virtues associated with Bushido:
*
Gi - Rectitude
Yu - Courage
Jin - Benevolence
Rei - Respect
Makoto - Honesty
Meiyo - Honor
Chugi - Loyalty
Chivalry:
Chivalry refers to the mediaeval institution of knighthood, and especially the ideals and that were associated with it, or have become associated with it through literature. It was often also associated with ideals of knightly virtues, honour and of courtly love.
Chivalry was in essence a warrior code propagated by the Church. The Church intended to make the mounted soldiers of the Middle Ages into Christian knights who would protect society instead of ravage it.
The word comes ultimately from the Latin caballus, or "horse". The French chevalier and the English cavalier derive their names from the same word. The intention, in all these cases, is to distinguish the aristocratic knight on horseback from the peasant infantryman walking with his pike and the artilleryman dragging his vulgar machinery.
In war, the chivalrous knight was brave in battle, loyal to his king and God, and willing to sacrifice himself. Towards his fellow Christians and countrymen, the knight was to be merciful, humble, and courteous. Towards ladies above all, the knight was to be gracious and gentle. The idealized relationship between knight and lady was that of courtly love.
Book Studies:
Sun Tzu's Art of War:
The Art of War was a Chinese military text written during the 6th century BC by Sun Tzu. Composed of 13 chapters, it has long been praised as the definitive work on military strategies and tactics prior to the collapse of Imperial China. In many East Asian countries including China, Korea and Vietnam, it was part of the syllabus for potential candidates of military service examinations. Various translations are available and are used by some European military institutions, for instance, in Germany before World War I.
Verses from the book occur in modern daily Chinese idioms and phrases, such as the last verse of Chapter 3:
"So it is said that if you know others and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know others but know yourself, you win one and lose one; if you do not know others and do not know yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle. "
This has been condensed into the modern proverb:
If you know yourself and know others you will win a hundred times in a hundred battles.
In recent times the book has gained widespread popularity among managers wishing to compete in the cutthroat world of business. It has also crept its way into sport, with Australian cricket coach John Buchanan handing out excerpts from the book to his players before a match against England in 2001. At the same time this use has been criticized by many scholars of Chinese history for using the Art of War as a source of fortune cookie-like proverbs and not seeing the general coherence of the text.
The Art of War was recently made into a Chinese television series of the same name.
A Book Of The Five Rings:
The Book of Five Rings was written by Miyamoto Musashi. It is considered a classic treatise on military strategy, much like Sun Tzu's The Art of War.
The five rings are Ground, Water, Fire, Wind and the Void. Each ring represents a different aspect of strategy, and by mastering all five rings, it is supposed that you make yourself invincible in combat. Although to members of the Hyoho Niten Ichiryu it is merely a manual of technique and philosophy.
People Studies:
Patton:
George Smith Patton, Jr. (November 11, 1885 - December 21, 1945), was a leading American general in World War II.
A great study On a great general.
Hannibal:
Hannibal Barca (247 BC-182 BC) was a military commander of ancient Carthage, best known for his achievements in the Second Punic War in marching an army from Spain over the Pyrenees and the Alps into northern Italy and defeating the Romans at the Battles of the Trebia (218 BC), Lake Trasimene (217 BC) and Cannae (216 BC). After Cannae, the Romans refused to fight him in pitched battles, and gradually captured all the strongholds he had gained in Southern Italy. An invasion of Africa by the Romans under Scipio Africanus in 204 BC forced Hannibal to return to Africa, where Scipio defeated him at Zama (202 BC).
Following the end of the war, Hannibal led Carthage for several years, helping it to recover from the devastation of the war, until the Romans forced him into exile in 195 BC. He went to live at the courts of foreign kings - first Antiochus III of the Seleucid Kingdom. In 189 BC the Romans, having defeated Antiochus in a war, demanded that he turn Hannibal over to them and the general fled again, this time to the court of King Prusias I of Bithynia. When the Romans demanded that Prusias turn Hannibal over in 182 BC, he committed suicide rather than submit.
Hannibal is often ranked as one of the best military commanders in history, alongside Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Friedrich II and Napoleon.
Alexander the Great:
Alexander the Great (late July, 356 BC–June 10, 323 BC) was King of Macedon; With the warring and divided city states of Greece already united under his father, Alexander conquered Persia, Egypt and a number of other kingdoms, all the way to the center of India. The conquests, their rapid spread of Greek culture, and the mixing of Greek culture with more eastern cultures ushered in the age of Hellenistic Greece across several continents.
Images:
Karate:
http://people.howstuffworks.com/gif/karate-fight-2.jpg
http://people.howstuffworks.com/gif/karate-fight-10.jpg
http://www2.eng.cam.ac.uk/~dkk20/images/karate/other/kick.jpg
http://thomas.nilsen.com/photos/tobeyoko.jpg
Kung Fu:
http://www.kungfuclub.it/pix/massmatt.jpg
http://www.cs.tcd.ie/Benjamin.Jung/Gallery/China/slides/Kung-Fu.jpg
http://www.greatestcities.com/7415pic/914/CP4914.jpg/Kid.jpg
Judo:
http://www.britishblindsport.org.uk/images/judo.jpg
http://www.quantico.usmc-mccs.org/sempfit/judo.jpg
http://worldjudo.org/images/John%20Buchanan%20Judo%20.jpg
Tae Kwon Do:
http://www.chostkdcenter.com/home_bk.jpg
http://www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/Union/TaeKwonDo/photos/highKick.jpg
Tai Chi:
http://www.taichifinder.co.uk/catalog/images/silksuit.jpg
http://www.superiormartialarts.com/taichi2.jpg
http://www.jtaichi.com/Images/Chen%20Style%20Tai%20Chi%20I.jpg
And for those who think tai chi is a wussy art:
http://www.yongquan.org/demo2003/slabs_2.jpg
http://www.shaolinchowka.com/shaolin-kung-fu-gallery/van/3.jpg
http://www.yellowdragon.co.uk/gallery/martialarts/demo/images/iron-s.jpg
Kendo:
http://www.karatebushido.com/pictures/photos/kendo-action.jpg
http://stockholmkendo.com/img/cover_kendo_1.jpg
http://www.seyo.org/nikkei/kendo.jpg
Iaido:
http://www.jccckendo.com/iaido/imgiai/Ohmi_Cut.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~bjshibata/images/aikido-iaido/aikido-iaido_swinging.jpg
http://www.shingen.com.au/shared/iaido-03.jpg
http://www.berkeleyaikikai.org/images/Shibata-iaido.jpg
Kenjutsu:
http://www.niten.org.br/KEN/IMAGES/camerawenzel5.jpg
http://my.name-services.com/60901/tamura3.jpg
http://www.mbdojo.com/hvstameshi2.jpg
http://digilander.libero.it/savonakendo/irk/yagiushingan.jpg
Wilderness Training/Woodsmanship:
Tracking: The ability to observe things and to use them to pinpoint something in the wilderness. This could be used to find someone, follow something, or discover if someone is in thea area, also used to discover traps.
Trap Making:
The knowledge on how to make simple traps to damage an enemy/protect yourself and to alert you when someone is coming.
Camouflage:
Camouflage is the method which allows an otherwise visible object to remain indiscernable from the surrounding environment. Examples include a tiger's stripes and the fatigues of a modern soldier. Camouflage is a form of deception.
Successful camouflage became an essential part of modern military tactics since the increase in accuracy and rate of fire of weapons at the end of the nineteenth century. The first recorded large-scale use of camouflage was during World War I.
Shelter Making:
The ability to make shelters out of your surrounds and offer protection to yourself and a suitable base of operations, the shelter making techniques are taught so that the shelters blend in with there surrounding and will not be noticed as easly.
Urban Areas:
Lockpicking:
Lock picking is the art of unlocking a lock without its intended key. Locksmiths are trained in lock picking. The tools for lock picking are usually different for each type of lock and can sometimes be improvised from common items, such as hair pins or safety pins. Some people enjoy picking locks because it has hack value and doing so is fun to them.
Usually it is possible to bypass a lock without picking it. Most common locks can be quickly and easily opened using a drill, bolt cutters, or a hydraulic jack, or the hasp, door, or fixture they are attached to can be cut or broken. A lock that offers high resistance to picking does not necessarily make unauthorized access more difficult, but it will make surreptitious unauthorized access more difficult. Locks are often used in combination with alarms to provide layered security.
People Studies(Continued):
Oda Nobunaga:
A very important daimyo during the 1600's in Japan
Katsu Kaishu:
A very important character in modern japanese history
Gustav II Adolf:
"The father of modern warfare" important 30-years war leader
Erwin Rommel:
Brilliant strategist, who unfortunately was born in Germany
Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan:
Mongolian Khans that governed the largest empire ever
Yusuf Ibn Ayyub Salah al Din:
Kurdish war leader from Tikrit, Iraq. More known as Saladin, recaptured Jerusalem from the crusaders. Saddam Hussein have claimed to be related to this man.
General Training:
Boot Camp:
The process has been described by Canadian military historian Gwynne Dyer as a form of conditioning in which inductees are encouraged to partially submerge their individuality for the good of their unit. Dyer argues that this conditioning is essential for military function because combat requires people to endure stress and perform actions which are simply not present in normal life.
The nature and extent of this conditioning varies from one military service to another. Some systems of training seek to totally break-down the individual and remould that person to the desired behaviour. Other systems attempt to change the individual to suit the organization, whilst retaining key elements of the recruit's personality. The differences between the two approaches are often subtle.
Standard uniforms are issued and recruits may have their heads shaved in order to make their appearance as uniform as possible. Also, the haircut is a mildly traumatic experience to increase unit cohesion. Recruits are generally given a service number.
It is common that recruits are instructed in "drill": to stand, march, and respond to orders in an unquestioning manner. Historically, drill derived from 18th-century military tactics in which soldiers in a fire line performed precise and coordinated movements to load and fire weapons. Although these tactics are now obsolete, drill performs a psychological function which is to inculcate the response to commands but also to train the recruit to act unhesitatingly in the face of real combat situations. This includes not only commands to engage in combat in which the soldier is putting his life in danger, but also commands to disengage when military necessity demands. Most military commentators argue that this condititioning is essential for military function because without it, a military unit would likely disintegrate under the stress of combat, becoming merely an armed mob.
Trainees are usually subjected to rigorous physical training, both to prepare for the demands of combat, and to weed out the less able or motivated. This also builds morale for the remaining recruits who have met the physical requirements.
Army and Marine recruits are trained in basic marksmanship with regularly assigned weapons, field maintenance of weapons, hand-to-hand combat, first aid, protective equipment usage, and basic survival techiques. Navy training focuses on basic seamanship, and skills such as firefighting, basic engineering, and signals. Air Force training might cover subjects such as aircraft recognition.
According to legend, trainees are secretly fed saltpetre to suppress their sexual urges. One explanation of the origin of this legend states that the soldiers were employing a folk etymology and substituting the word "Soft" for "Salt" in "Saltpeter." A reduction in sexual urges does actually occur, but it is caused by fatigue related to training.
At the end of basic training, the recruit is usually either posted to an operational unit to gain experience, or to another training establishment for further specialist training. Some services also present a badge or other award to denote completion of recruit training. The United States Army typically issues the Army Service Ribbon while the United States Air Force presents the Air Force Training Ribbon.
Sniper Training:
The traditional definition of a sniper is an infantry soldier especially skilled in field craft and marksmanship who stalks and kills selected enemy with a single aimed rifle shot.
The word originates from the snipe, a game bird difficult for hunters to sneak up on.
In the last few decades the term 'sniper' has been used rather loosely, especially by the media in association with police precision riflemen, those responsible for assassination, any shooting from all but the shortest range in war and any criminal equipped with a rifle in a civil context. This has rather expanded the general understanding of the meaning of the term. It has also given the term 'sniper' distinctly pejorative connotations. This explains the increasing use of alternative terms, especially for police snipers such as counter-sniper, precision marksman, tactical marksman and precision shooter.
Training is of paramount importance for snipers. A well-trained sniper can compensate for poor equipment. Military sniper training tries to teach a high degree of proficiency in camouflage and concealment, stalking and observation as well as precision marksmanship under wide operational conditions.
Snipers are generally volunteers accepted for sniper training on the basis of their aptitude as perceived by their commanders. Sniper trainees typically shoot a couple thousand rounds over a number of weeks. The training teaches core skills of camouflage, concealment, moving tactically over terrain, observation and rifle-shooting under varying conditions. Military snipers may be trained as FACs (Forward Air Controllers) to direct military air strikes, in artillery target indication and as mortar fire controllers.
Snipers are trained to squeeze the trigger straight back with the ball of their finger, to avoid jerking the gun sideways. The most accurate position is prone, with a bipod supporting the barrel, and the stock's cheek-piece against the cheek. Sometimes a sling is wrapped around the weak arm to reduce stock movement. Some doctrines may train a sniper to shoot between breaths or even between heartbeats to minimize barrel motion.
The range to the target is measured or estimated as precisely as conditions permit. Laser rangefinders may be used. At longer ranges, the bullet drop is estimated from a chart which may be memorised or taped to the rifle. The sights are adjusted accordingly. Shooting uphill or downhill can require more adjustment, either by "holding off" by eye, or "dialing in" to the scope. The slant of visible convections near the ground can be used to estimate crosswinds, and correct the point of aim. The point of aim is in front of moving targets. Anticipating the behavior of the target helps place the shot.
http://hn.afnews.af.mil/Photos/NationalTrainingCenter-A-O.JPG