Karate Styles

Jon Sloan wrote:

Chair, table, box, whatever - It doesn't matter what, as long as it's stable and helps you reach your goal. A 'base' or 'platform' if you will.

Personally I’d opt for a suitable ladder (I was heavily involved with safety policy and inspections at my old place of work ;-) as the other things mentioned are not designed to provide stable support for human weight. No doubt that some people use things that are not designed for the job though … and that may work, it may result is severe injury if the item gives way.

Back to the analogy, be sure to use tools designed for the job. Sporting methods, artistic methods, aesthetic methods should not be mistaken for combative methods. You may get lucky and they will work … but there’s the ever present risk they will fail when used in an environment they were not designed for. Stick to tools designed specifically for the job an you’ll be much safer and effective.

Jon Sloan wrote:

It doesn't matter whether you switch the power off at the wall first

As someone who worked as an electrician for 17 years, I can confirm this is right … because a light fitting can still have a live feed even when switched off! This is due to a widely used wiring method called “loop in lighting”. You can still get a shock from the fitting even when the light is switched off. Electricians know that. However, most people incorrectly think you are safe when the light is switched off; even though there is a very good chance the fitting will still have a live feed.

Also, if an “amateur” wired the light, they could have switched the neutral (easy to do if you don’t know what you are doing, but very dangerous and against regulations) and hence the light will switch on and off OK, but a live feed will be ever present in the bulb holder. I’ve came across that a great many times.

Back to the analogy, you need to ensure that the person telling you how to change the bulb fully understands the problem before you accept their solution … otherwise you’ll be the one to get blasted when it turns out they did not fully understand the problem ;-) Does the person telling you how to defend yourself really understand the issues? Is the solution based on experience and training from the experienced? Or are they guessing based on how they think things work?

Jon Sloan wrote:

so long as you don't stick your fingers in the socket to see if it's still live

Not the best way to test if something is live ;-) But there are other advisable and perfectly safe ways. It is good practise to test whether something is live or not with a meter before working on it. It will probably come as no surprise to know that electricians get electrocuted more often than anyone else. This is mainly due to the fact they spend every working day working with electricity. When they are electrocuted it is normally because they ignored their training and made an incorrect assumption. For example, “I have switched this off and therefore it will be dead. I don’t need to test it because I ‘know’ it is dead … AHHHHHH!” On the couple of times I got shocked it was because I failed to test and had made such an assumption only to fond the item in question was not wired as it should be or as the diagrams showed. If I’d tested to see if it was live, I would not have got shocked.

Back to the analogy, ensure that your conclusions are based on testable facts, not assumptions … no matter how “logical” those assumptions may seem.

Jon Sloan wrote:

What matters is that you have a solid platform to stand on and that the old dead bulb comes out before the new live one goes in. And you weren't electrocuted in the process

Totally agree. That is measuring by effect and is what, in my view, all training – that claims to be effective – should be measured against. The method used should be endorsed by someone who fully understood the issues, was not based on false assumptions, should be testable, and can be shown to have achieved the desired result.

One of the other key issues raised by the joke (that I first heard from Kris Wilder) is that for every 1 martial artist changing bulbs, there are another 99 martial artists (who are not changing bulbs) standing around saying they are doing it wrong ;-)

All the best,

Iain

I agree, its not a nice feeling to have electricity running through your body, I once worked as a "Roady" for a band and the used 500Watt lights etc and I requested the get new ones as these were dangerous. I had to "fiddle" at the back of the Light to get the lights working, I was stood on a wooden chair, with trainers on, and felt the "charge" running thorugh me but it took me a few seconds to "programme" my brain to make my hand release the wires, that's when I felt the jolt. Woooowww!!! I had stuck up hair and stuck up........... well it made me realise something. I told the band to by new lights or I wont set them un again for them again. Hence I'm not a "Roady" anymore.

As for a Health and safety issue (not including the foolish idea of "fiddling with the lights"), I'm glad I was stood on a wooden chair not a metal ladder. Also, I am actually too heavy at 20 stone for most ladders as they have a 15 stone max weight on them.

Jon, I do understand your point regards this and tends to fall in line with my thread "Karate Purists"

Nice chatting with you

Black Tiger wrote:

As for a Health and safety issue (not including the foolish idea of "fiddling with the lights"), I'm glad I was stood on a wooden chair not a metal ladder.

That’s why we electricians prefer to use ladders that are made from non-conducting materials.

Black Tiger wrote:

Also, I am actually too heavy at 20 stone for most ladders as they have a 15 stone max weight on them.

What was the safe working load of the chair? My bet would be that it does not have one, because it is not designed to be stood on and will have been more unsafe than the ladder (which was also unsafe in the circumstances). It’s always better to use tools designed for the task at hand … and that applies to combat every bit as much as to the work of craftsmen.

The old saying of “It is a bad craftsman that blames his tools” needs to be balanced against the fact that a good craftsman won’t use the wrong tools :-)

Black Tiger wrote:

Jon, I do understand your point regards this and tends to fall in line with my thread "Karate Purists"

It can do. But those who wish to stick to the idea of a “pure style” can still be “changing bulbs” effectively. The problem is when they are not, and the notion of “purity” is given priority over “effect” i.e. “OK, so I got electrocuted and plunged the whole building into darkness … but I did it exactly as sensei said! And I don’t care that they changed their bulb without incident … it’s still wrong!”.

It remind me of a cartoon I once saw when one guy is saying that another school has very poor technique.

A second gent responds, “What are you talking about? They threw you all over the place when you fought them!”

“Indeed they did”, replies the first guy, “but with inferior technique!”

All the best,

Iain