JohnASE

Ha! This thread is all about the Lakers! Game 7 starts in about an hour. I predict the Lakers will win! Not really going out on a limb here. Things are looking pretty good after game 6. The Lakers should dominate in the paint, especially if Perkins is still hurt. Kobe should have a good game, as usual. Most of his bad games are still pretty good. Hopefully, Fisher can stay aggressive and stay out of foul trouble. Fisher's my kind of player. Lots of heart. Gotta go home and watch the game now!

Demos sound like a great idea! A customer of ours was allowed to pass out flyers at his local theater. My opinion is that anything that stimulates interest in martial arts is good, and I hope this movie will do so. There will always be kids who come in and want to learn how to jump off roofs or be Power Rangers or Ninja Turtles. Many will be disappointed, but some will enjoy the real martial arts that they discover. Regarding the movie, someone said they called Jaden's character a karate kid because he trained in some karate before moving, much like Daniel LaRusso did before moving to Reseda.

Cheap rubber knives run about $3.50-$4. They're straight, plain, tanto style. The blade is pretty floppy, and they're pretty short. There's also a hunter style rubber knife that's larger and stiffer. It's shaped more like a bowie knife. I'm not sure how much they are, but they're more. A wild guess would be in the $9-$12 range. Wooden tanto knives run about $5. They look like short, guardless bokken. I've seen wooden hunter style knives, but I don't have any idea what they cost.

OT: Are you still in the Valley? For some reason, I thought I remembered reading you were far away. I grew up in Hollywood, but I'm in the Valley now. Our business, ASE Martial Arts Supply, is in Chatsworth.

I <3 L.A.! I've lived in Los Angeles my whole life and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. There's so much diversity here and so much to experience! I know people who have gone surfing and skiing on the same day! There are theme parks, theaters, museums, movie studios, great shopping, and great food. Within a 40 minute or so drive from my house is downtown L.A., Malibu Beach, the desert, mountains, and farmland. If I remember correctly, and I might not, my high school had kids from over 60 different countries. I've been fortunate to have friends from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds. Oh, and do I need to mention the great weather? Of course, there are downsides, too (crowds, crime, smog), but much of that can be avoided, depending on where you live. It's not for everyone, but I love L.A.! Where do you live, mycoolgirl?

I don't believe men and women are opposites, nor do I believe that "sport" and "budo" are opposites. Both pairs have much in common. I believe that everything in life is a game. You play by rules, and you win or lose. With budo, you might win or lose your life, and the rules you compete under are determined by yourself, your opponent, and your environment, rather than by a committee. WKF kumite is different from NBL sparring which is different from MMA which is different from boxing which is different from budo, but to me, they're all sports with different rules and different stakes.

Most of our uniforms tend to run on the wide side. I think the only thing we carry that runs narrow is the Tokaido Ultimate. They're pretty pricey though. If you'd like another KI uniform, although I don't remember them as being particularly narrow, KI's website is http://www.kiintl.com/ or, in your state, NY, Discount MA carries them. http://www.discountmas.com/kikaun.html

I know someone who brought in an instructor of a different style to help teach. The new instructor was experienced and a previous school owner himself. Mostly, he taught beginner students, but he also helped with some of the business side of things. It didn't work out in the long run, because the new guy was really over qualified for the position. The amount he could be paid wasn't commensurate with his experience. My guess is it'd be hard to find someone with the skills to help you that would want to switch styles unless you paid really well. Doesn't seem worth it to me for the few times you'd find him useful. I think it'd be better to tough it out until someone comes up through your ranks. In the meantime, being upfront with your students about missing the occasional class makes sense. Maybe they can come in anyway and work out on their own. You might still need someone to supervise but not necessarily teach.

Yeah, I know what you and George mean. Too many characters with too many side stories. As far as writing style, my wife thinks Jordan gets bogged down describing too much minutia. I agree to some extent, but I enjoy it anyway. From what I hear, Robert Jordan passed away and left his notes with his wife, so she could have the series completed. Not sure how it's going to turn out, but I'll give it a shot.

Off the top of my head, Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card. It's a great story if you don't mind mixing children and violence in a Sci-Fi setting. Loved The Black Company! Haven't read it in a decade or two. Couldn't get through The Silmarillion. It was to dry for me back when I was 15. I'm a Sci-Fi/Fantasy geek, so I have a lot of faves in this genre, mostly from when I was younger. A few are The Wheel of Time series, The Belgariad seeries, the Blue Adept series, the War World series, oh, and the Myth Adventures series. The last one is pretty silly, but sometimes, I like silly, weird stuff.

It might be racial snobbery, but like many stereotypes, there might be some basis in fact. I'm not saying that they're "automatically going to be superior" or that I think they even have an advantage, but there might be factors that could lead reasonable people to make such assumptions. Assuming we're talking about traditional Japanese arts and their offshoots, a high proportion of the top ranks are Japanese nationals. How many non-Japanese are there at 8th Dan or higher? Not due to some innate natural or cultural advantage, but just that not as many non-Japanese have been training for 45 or 50 years. Also, the policies of many Japanese organizations make it difficult for foreigners to attain higher ranks, if for no other reason than they need to fly to Japan to test or have testers flown to them. Whether or not it's intentional, policies like this will contribute to a disproportionate number of higher ranks being Japanese. Also, what Japanese national karate-ka is a Westerner likely to come across? Someone giving a seminar? An international level competitor? Often, someone of above average experience or talent. In some parts of the world, you might be unlikely to meet Japanese karate-ka other than a Demura or a Kanazawa or a Higaonna in town for a seminar. If the karate elite are mostly Japanese, isn't it understandable that the rank and file would think Japanese karate-ka are better on average. Oh, and a non-Japanese person speaking English with a Japanese accent is just wrong! Now, having said that, I've found that Japanese native speakers with poor English language skills often understand English better if spoken with a Japanese accent.

It depends on your new school. Some would be okay with it, and some would not. I'd guess that most would prefer you not do it. Definitely don't wear it to a tournament, and I'd avoid wearing it to official functions. Patches can be removed, but it often leaves discoloration or pinholes. A new patch can be sewn over this if the new patch is large enough and shaped correctly. Here's an ugly solution. At some tournaments, you're not allowed to wear any patch, so people will cover their patches with tape. It's pretty obvious, but it satisfies the rules, and it might satisfy the etiquette of your dojo.

I took judo as a kid. Learning how to fall has helped me immensely throughout my life, especially in other sports. Of course, trusting yourself to fall correctly is easier than trusting someone to throw you correctly.

Never heard of a double thick belt, but Hirota is a highly respected brand in Japan.

For the record, we've bought lots of stuff from Tiger Claw over the years and are happy with their service, value, and quality. I can't be much help here. I know a little about a few competitors brands, but not much, at least not in standard rank belts. I've done a bit more comparison with black belts. Our standard ASE belts might work for you. They're pretty dense, so they're a little harder and heavier than the average belt, but they're not particularly thick. They're not thin either though. They're about 1 5/8" wide. Most belts are 1.5" or 1.75", so ours are in between. Shipping one belt alone would be relatively expensive, especially if you're in a rural area or have us ship to a residence. UPS charges extra for that. If you're interested, send me a PM, and we'll discuss details. We don't have belts listed on our site. I started to type info about other brands, but I deleted it. I'm not really familiar enough with them to give reliable info. Sorry.

As you can see, rates can vary. If you're converting to US$ from something else, our experiences can be greatly different from yours. Not all metropolitan areas are created equal. Beverly Hills and Hollywood are very near each other, but average incomes and real estate prices are worlds apart. Having said that, many schools around here are around $100/month. [edit] Forgot to mention. I'm in a suburb of Los Angeles.

In general, I agree with Sycron. Kyokushin is usually heavy on contact. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule. One Kyokushin instructor I know had a kids class that he dialed down. If you only have two choices, don't assume anything. Like the others said, check out the two dojos. The particular style is often less important than the individual instructor and how he runs his classes. Taking a class would be nice but you can learn a lot by just watching a class, ideally the class and instructor that would train you.

We bought some belts from Tiger Claw years ago. We have a few squirreled away in our warehouse. I just went to look at them. I can't guarantee they're the same today, but there's a good chance. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. They're about 1.75" wide, rather thin, and soft. The stitching looks pretty straight. The ends are folded and sewn rather than heat sealed or surged like some cheap belts are. Overall, I'd say the quality is okay, and the retail price listed on their website is pretty good, but if you need thick, these aren't for you. I'm a little surprised that you're concerned about the price of a color belt. Tiger Claw's website lists $5.25, and that's pretty cheap, but other belts aren't much higher. Most companies retail them for under $10. You should easily be able to find a thick belt in that price range. On something this cheap, don't forget to look at shipping cost. Some companies charge $10-$12 minimum for shipping. Most instructors supply belts to their students. Buying for several students at once saves a lot on shipping, and instructors usually get discounted prices.

Interesting point. Many people don't have broadband. I can't imagine how long it would take loading some ads. It could really bog down your experience. Oh, and I almost never see ads. If they're particularly intrusive, I might see them and make a point of not buying their products. I can only think of one instance where I an ad actually worked on me. A local theater was putting on a musical-comedy parody of Fellowship of the Ring called Fellowship!. I HAD to check it out. It was pretty funny. Silly, of course, but good fun.

When I first found Google Street View, I panned down and you could actually see part of the car and equipment. I just checked again and just saw street, although it is kinda blurry where the car should be.

I want to say "karate" is a Japanese word and using it to describe a non-Japanese art is wrong... but I can't. I don't think it is just a Japanese word anymore. Like others, I've seen Tae Kwon Do, Tang Soo Do, and even Hapkido schools with "KARATE" signs, but even newpapers and TV news programs use "karate" in much the same way. "Karate" has become generic. If the general population wants to use the word like that, I can get onboard. Things aren't as clear within the martial arts community though. I'd be concerned about a TKD guy that would answer "Karate!" if another martial artist asked him which style he does. He should know better. Kenpo isn't a Japanese style, but they often call themselves Kenpo Karate. I have no problem with that. I know they're not a form of Japanese karate. Maybe they shouldn't have called themselves "karate" back in the day, but they did, so that's how they're known now. What are we supposed to do, insist that they be called Kenpo Wu Shu? Blade96, I can understand how your sensei feels. He wants to protect Japanese tradition. If everyone calls themselves "karate", the word loses it's meaning, but the meaning has already changed. Of course, the Japanese language changes all the time, too! I remember one friend from Japan living here went for a visit after being gone for about a decade, and her old friends had new slang. She couldn't understand a lot of what they were saying. The funny thing was many of their new words were converted English words, but they were pronounced differently, so she didn't recognize them at first. She told them "No, that's not how you say it!" But, there, that was how you say it.

Most double (top and bottom) mouthguards have small breathing holes. They're said to offer better protection but make it harder to breath. Not sure if you can pant with one. Some have bigger openings. The Brain Pad (formerly known as the Jaw Joint Protector) is a double mouthguard with extra material between the top and bottom teeth. This creates a sort of cushion between your jaw and the rest of your skull. When you get hit on the jaw, it kind of cushions the blow. This is an oversimplification, of course. See their webisite for details. Also, because there's more material between your teeth, the breathing hole is made bigger. You can clench and breath. Here's their site. http://www.brainpads.com/ Oh, and as far as chewing through mouthguards, I don't know how hard it's supposed to be, but I remember hearing about someone coming out with flavored mouthguards a while back. It sounded like a great idea to me, but I heard kids would chew through them in no time flat!

Martial arts snobbery is not uncommon, and it's not just an MMA thing. Traditional stylists are guilty, too. Most serious martial artists are passionate about their art. They train hard. They feel their time is well spent. They know their art is good. It's not much of a stretch from "My art is great!" to "My art is better than yours." Now, that's not the same thing as saying "Your art is worthless." or "I can't learn anything from your art." Maybe the guy you met was closed minded about martial arts. Some people are. Or maybe he just got defensive when some drunk started trashing his passion. Maybe he mistook your attempt at intellectual discourse as a personal attack. I don't know how intoxicated you were, but maybe you mistook your attack as an attempt at intellectual discourse! Anyway, I think it's normal for people to think their martial art is better than others, but I think most are capable of discussing the matter with a relatively open mind.

This is a tough one to make happen, but it's a good point. I know of a dojo like this. All men. Various nationalities, but many foreign born. Not all middle-aged, but I don't think they have any young men. All have trained together for many years. It's only natural for a new person to feel excluded, especially if it's a woman or kid. If such a dojo wants new blood, they'd have to make a special effort to make newbies feel comfortable. I hope people have suggestions for you, but can you find out from the people who quit, either before or after? If the former students will honestly let you know why they quit, that'd be your best source. It might be hard to talk to them, so maybe you can get some info before they leave. Since many leave within the first month, maybe talk to new students after a couple weeks, and see what they say? What do they like and not like about the school? Are their expectations being met? What were their expectations? This is just a thought I had. Anyone have any experience with this or other thoughts?

Wow, a 10-fold jump in displacement!