JohnASE

The first few organizations mentioned are specifically Shotokan, right? The USA-NKF and AAU Karate are more like NASKA and NBL where they oversee tournaments for different styles, but they're all traditional Japanese/Okinawan. Their tournaments are more like traditional Japanese tournaments. They're both national organizations with local chapters. In case anyone's interested, here are their sites. http://www.aaukarate.org/ http://www.usankf.org/ I see nothing wrong with having traditional divisions in open tournaments as long as the rules are defined, even if they're not as traditional as they could be. i know a guy who was disqualified in a traditional division of an open tournament for doing a kata that was too long as defined by traditional division rules. The funny thing is it wouldn't be too long where he usually competes and wins, at traditional tournaments. Maybe there shouldn't be a rule like that, but also any athlete should know the rules he's competing under. Speaking of rules, I thought I'd seen a rule for a traditional division of an open tournament that limited the number of kiais in a kata. I'm thinking two. Might have been 5 or 6 years ago, so I could be misremembering.

Satin and silk belts are obviously more shiny, but they shred/fray more quickly than a cotton belt as a rule. This is mainly about the outside of the belt. The inside material of a satin and cotton belt is often the same, given the same brand, so overall durability is also usually about the same. It's just how quickly the outside wears. Satin is often more expensive than cotton, and silk is often more than satin. If you want your black belt to stay black longer, avoid satin or silk. If you like the tattered look, consider it. Eosin Panther has been around a long time and has a great reputation, but your name, shorin, leads me to believe you're from an Okinawan style, and many Okinawan and Japanese karateka prefer Okinawan and Japanese brands for gis and belts. I've seen people recommend Kuroobiya, but I have no experience with them myself. Hirota has an excellent reputation. I hear that their gis are very popular in Japan. They are very nice. I would guess that their belts are good quality, too. The one you linked to seems to be on their low end and is probably okay, but I would guess that it won't compare with their high end products. This is just a guess, but it might have fewer lines of stitching and a lower thread count on the covering material, or maybe the inside material is different. I'm not saying you wouldn't be happy with it. Just a couple of my thoughts.

It depends. If someone is instructing you, I'd say go with what they like. Different people have different preferences, and your instructor can advise you on which will go best with your training. Here are some options off the top of my head. MATERIAL-Some of the materials available are white oak, red oak, ash, rattan, aluminum, graphite, and waxwood. I would guess red oak is the most commonly used. It's pretty tough for the price. I don't know if it's really oak, but it's label says 'Red Oak." It's fairly heavy but not so much in thinner diameters. White oak is very durable and very heavy. We used to sell great white oak bos but had problems with our source, so we discontinued them. Ash is durable for such a light weight wood, but it typically costs more than red oak but not as much as white. Rattan is very light, fairly tough, and can be pretty flexible, but it shreds eventually. Rattan with the skin is more durable than skinless, but usually not as straight. I don't know much about aluminum, graphite or waxwood. SHAPE & LENGTH-Straight is a bit heavier than tapered, and this difference is magnified because the weight of a tapered bo is much less at the ends where you really feel it when you spin the bo. Both straight and tapered are available in different thicknesses but this varies according to material. Red oak seems to have the most variety. I've seen it from about 3/4" or 7/8" to about 1 1/8" or 1 1/4" in both straight and tapered. Some tournaments have minimum weight requirements and some require straight bos. The length should be about your height or a little longer, but most bos are only sized in 1' increments (4', 5', 6'), so finding the right size can be tough if it's not custom made. Some are available in 6" increments (4', 4.5', 5', 5.5', 6'). Most people just make do with what they can get. I'm not too familiar with wu shu, but they seem to use longer bos. I've seen waxwood bos available at about 7' or so. To finally answer your post, in your case, I'd recommend a 6' bo. For doing forms with something heavy, I'd recommend a thick, red oak, straight bo. White oak is great if you can find it and afford it! For something light weight and durable, rattan with the skin might work for you, especially if you're whacking things with it. Nothing will last long if your targets are posts, but it might not be too bad if you're hitting heavy bags, although I don't think any bo will put up with hard hits on anything for very long, especially not light bos like you asked for. Got into a little more detail than I"d planned. Hope this helps!

An important point in sensei8's story is that he intentionally belittled the boys' technique by comparing them to girls, and girls were IN THE CLASS. In doing this, he UNintentionally insulted and offended girls in his care, AND their mothers. Personally, I'm not surprised they were offended, and I think they were right to bring it to his attention. It was good of him to apologize, and it sounds like he's a better man for the experience. Now, I'm not saying I think everyone needs to be politically correct all the time. I've been known to throw out an inappropriate joke or two, but only among friends who wouldn't be offended. There are things I can say to my buddies that I wouldn't say to my wife! I think it's all about context.

Jean-Jacques is what I think every martial artist should strive to be-skilled yet humble, and a very nice guy. I don't know him well, but for the maybe 14 years I've known him, people have always had good things to say about him and his brothers. I haven't heard from him in a while, but we used to have a customer who was deaf and the chief instructor of his school. I'm not comfortable giving out details, not that I really have any, but he taught for many years, and might still be teaching as far as I know. I see nothing that would keep a deaf person from teaching martial arts. Many can speak well and read lips. I can see how communicating could be more difficult, but a lot of people have trouble understanding Japanese senseis too!

This has been in the works for a while. Glad to see it's moving along. Takes place in Beijing? Is it being shot in English? Three month shoot? That's seems pretty short. I'm a little disappointed that it doesn't take place in Reseda again, as I live nearby. Oh, well, I'm sure it'll be well written and relatable. I just hope all the elements work well together. From what I understand, Jaden has been training in martial arts for quite a while and has been focusing on kung fu recently. Should be good.

Many colleges have karate clubs on campus. You might want to see if yours does. If not, maybe you could start one! Assuming the IOGKF allows shodans to teach on their own. Anyway, here are a few that I would recommend (in no particular order). Golden Eagle Shotokan http://www.goldeneagleshotokan.com/ Enshin Karate http://honbu.enshin.com/ Colorado Budokan http://coloradobudokan.com/ Den Wa Kan http://www.karatedenver.com/ All these dojos are run by high ranking senseis with reputable credentials. I don't know anyone's policy regarding training karateka from other dojos and styles. Before starting, I suggest you make sure this is okay with your old sensei and your new one. Good luck!

Mizuno is a trusted brand, and I've heard their head gear are widely used in Japan. I'd guess it's a vinyl covered head gear with maybe a polycarbonate shield. In the US, there are cheaper versions of that type of head gear for sale by many vendors. At ASE, we have some, but most of our customers have switched to Macho. Macho makes both clear shields and metal cages (grids) that fit their Dyna Heads and Warrior Heads. These are not recommended for full contact, but should be adequate for most point sparring needs. AAU Karate is requiring the Macho Warrior Head with Warrior Shield for kids at their tournaments. As far as clear shield vs bars vs cage, like others have said, there are tradeoffs. Bars (kind of like catchers masks) can create blind spots, but clear shields can fog up. Metal cages can be a bit heavy, and on open face head gear, they put that weight forward which can be uncomfortable. Both cages and bars are probably a lot stronger than shields, but that's just my opinion. No numbers to back it up. With any of these, fit is important. If your head gear is too loose, whatever protection you have can get pushed against your face. And use a mouthguard! One of the main functions of a mouthguard is to keep your teeth from clacking against each other causing them to crack. Shields and cages aren't much help against that. Oh, and pricing. Off the top of my head, I think the suggested retail for Macho Dyna Head is around $32 and Warrior is around $44. Shields for either cost an extra $50, and cages are around $72 extra. I assume some vendors will discount off the suggested retail. Vinyl heads of various brands with clear shields or bars seem to run somewhere around $60 to $70 complete. Hope this is some help!

This might not be quite on topic, but a customer of ours, Kyoshi Anthony Marquez, runs Possibilities Unlimited International, a non-profit organization with this mission statement: "Inspiring individuals with physical, developmental or emotional challenges to empower themselves to develop their full potential through the study and practice of Martial Arts and other Adapted Practices." I believe the primarily deal with "specially challenged" children. If anyone is interested, their website is here. http://www.puionline.org/ Their 7th Annual Specially Challenged Martial Arts Championship is coming up on August 8, 2009, in La Verne, California, which is in the Greater Los Angeles area. There's a flyer and registration packet on the website.

I understand referring to Tae Kwon Do as a sport martial art (my apologies to those who are familiar with the non-sport content of TKD [like joint locks] that is often not emphasized), or else it wouldn't (couldn't?) have been accepted by the Olympics, but Tang Soo Do, and my art, Soo Bahk Do, specifically separate themselves from Tae Kwon Do. As martial arts, how are they not karate, since there's been such a heavy Japanese influence on them? Even the Pinan/Heian, or Pyung Ahn to the Soo Bahk Do-ist, series is incorporated in them. I do see that you mentioned country of origin, John, but how are they not another of the many facets of "empty hand" (originally "China hand")? The reason it bothers me a little is that I feel it's inaccurate, and inaccuracy bothers me. Like the OP, I think the use of a Japanese word suggests that it's a Japanese art. I accept that the general public doesn't care whether it's Shotokan or TKD, but if someone were to ask a TKD instructor which martial art they teach, I doubt they would answer karate, even if that's what is says in their front window. And the ones that would, what would they say if a Korean asked them, or another martial artist? I think it all depends on context. Personally, I know I can be a little anal about using correct terms, so I make an effort to be flexible. As a car guy, it bothers me when people refer to Mustangs as "sports cars" even though it's no where near the classic definition of a sports car. People often use "centrifugal force" when they actually mean "centripetal force." Most people don't know or care what the distinction is, and most people understand the intended meaning. As I see it, language changes over time, and if enough people want a word to mean something other than it used to, then that's what the new definition should be. Isn't that how even works for Webster's Dictionary?

If anyone wants to see it, it originally aired on Monday, but has been replaying on VH-1. It looked like mostly boxing, but New York did some kicking too! I'm not sure she was supposed to. It was recorded at the House of Champions in Van Nuys, California. HOC teaches various martial arts, including kenpo, boxing and kickboxing. the owner, Mark Parra, trained New York's opponents, and Cecil Peoples was the ref. Oh, and Mia St. John trained New York. She still looks great! The fight was a joke. It's not a serious show. For those not familiar with it (which I wasn't until Cecil told me about this episode), it's a reality show in which a woman named New York tries out various jobs she's totally unsuited for. I think she first caught America's attention as the one who was spit on on Flavor Flav's "Flavor of Love." Don't watch it for martial arts content. It's mindless entertainment. I enjoyed it, but that could be because I know Cecil and Mark.

I don't know how it is in the rest of the world, but here in the US, it seems that "karate" has become a generic term for stand-up striking types of martial arts. As I see it, language changes over time, and that's just a new use for an old word. Yes, that inaccuracy does bother me a little, but it's like people using brand names to represent a category of product. Kleenex and Google come to mind. If you ask someone for a Kleenex, no one ever answers "Sorry, I don't have a Kleenex. Would a Kirkland facial tissue do?" I don't blame TKD or TSD schools for calling themselves karate. Strictly speaking, they're not karate, but what's the difference beside country of origin. There are things that make them different from any Japanese karate, but there are vast differences between Japanese karate styles as well, especially if you include Okinawan styles. If a dojang wants to market itself as a karate school, I don't mind... much. I would hope a journalist would be more accurate, but in college, I was taught to write to your anticipated audience. If the journalist's audience thinks all striking arts are karate, is it his responsibility to enlighten them? I tend to think so, but my wife, who IS a journalist, would probably disagree. She'd probably say that the distinction isn't pertinent to the story. I guess what I'm saying is that it depends on the context. There are times when the correct word would be important, and times where the less accurate but widely accepted word would work better. I understand that not everyone is as anal as I am, and if they want to fly fast and loose with their word choices, I can roll with it.

The WKF (World Karate Federation) requires one competitor to wear red gear and the other blue. I heard they chose not to do red and white because they thought white would be harder to see against a white gi. But they were also trying to get into the Olympics, so I'm sure the red and blue used by other sports had something to do with it. At open style tournaments (NASKA/NBL type), I've had top level competitors tell me they wear white punches and kicks so their scoring strikes are easier to see against the black and multi-colored uniforms you often see there. Of course, this is all hearsay. The article marie curie linked to has me intrigued. I'd love to see the data! I think a Macho sales rep once told me that red was their most popular color because some organizations required red. We sell way more black though.

It depends on how the logo was applied. I assume you're talking about dipped foam gear. Most are stamped with some kind of ink. If it's a single color logo, this is probably the case. I've tried cleaning gear with a chemical cleaner of some kind, and the logo came off. I don't remember what I used. I think I was rubbing it with a rag that I had sprayed the cleaner on. If it's a decal or some kind of digital printing, I don't know what to try.

That's crazy! That guy should have his license revoked! Those cones could mess up a car or kill a biker! I jumped past a bunch of scenes, but it looked like he forced at least one bike into the dirt. At the end, it showed some of the vehicles that were held up. In California, if you have more than a few behind you, you're supposed to pull over and let them pass.

I'm a big sci-fi geek. I've probably seen just about every Star Trek TV episode, but I could have missed one or two of the movies. I enjoyed it, but not as much as I had hoped. Maybe my expectations were too high. I went after hearing others raving about it. It had some great elements, and I liked how they didn't feel the need to stick with established Star Trek plot lines and how they explained the inconsistencies, but I thought some things didn't work very well. It was good though. For me, it was definitely worth going to, especially since it plays better on the big screen than it would on my little TV. It was around $50 for me, my wife, her son, and our snacks!

Never heard of them, but they sell martial arts gear and mountain bikes? Do they ship mountain bikes for $4.99? Shipping policy states that most items will be shipped within 72 hours, but some might take much longer. At least they state it straight out. Most items are shipped from their warehouse in AZ, but looks like they have some things drop shipped from other suppliers. They mention PA which is probably AWMA.

Dipped foam sparring gear tends to tear along creases. To increase longevity, try not to crease your gear. Let me rephrase that. DO NOT CREASE YOUR GEAR. It creates weak points. When you put it in your bag, don't wrap the straps tightly around the foam. With headgear, don't squeeze it flat to make it fit better. What some people do to avoid wasting space is to stick the hand pads partially inside the headgear. That'll help the headgear keep its shape. FYI, Rival has been discontinued. Back when Macho made all Dyna and Warrior in the US, they introduced Rival as a less expensive, China made alternative. Now, Dyna and Warrior are both made in China, and Macho brought the price of Dyna down to where Rival was while eliminating Rival from their product line. There is still some new Rival and US made Dyna and Warrior out there, but Macho isn't making any more. By the way, I agree that Macho's dipped foam is among the best. There's some pretty poor quality gear out there. Paying 2/3 the price for something that lasts 1/3 as long is not a better deal. As a Macho distributor, I might be biased, but we sell Macho because we like it and our customers like it.

Cool Guard bras and inserts are available separately. You didn't say what size bra you have, but the XL inserts should fit in either the XL or Large bras. They're not recommended for the Medium bras. I assume the pockets are too small. Sometimes, women will buy extra bras for a single set of inserts so they don't have to wash them every time they work out.

Good point. I know of many instances where a student has brought a new product to the attention of an instructor. Exploring knowledge beyond your schools walls is an important part of growth as a martial artist, but I think that it applies more to the experienced student. I suppose when I recommend taking advantage of an instructor's experience, I'm mostly recommending it to the beginning student and even intermediate students. They're the ones taking the biggest risk if they experiment with their purchases. Do they need WTF approved gear to compete in WTF tournaments? Are dipped foam hand pads allowed at traditional Japanese karate tournaments? Can you use WKF approved shin guards at a USANKF event? Few high ranking karateka even know the answer to that last one! Oh, and I'm not saying I have all the answers either. Sorry. I agree, then I sound like I'm refuting. Exploring on your own is a good thing. Find things out for yourself! But learn what's going on in your school first, and use that knowledge to explore other things.

If you don't purchase from your school, don't ask them to exchange stuff for you if it's the wrong size! Just heard this from a school owner who sells sparring gear. A student found a better deal online for the same brand, so he purchased it. When it arrived, it didn't fit right. He could exchange it but didn't want to pay the shipping costs, so he asked the school owner to exchange it for him with the school's local supplier! Now, this is a service they happily provide WHEN THE STUDENT PURCHASES FROM THEM, but I think asking them for a favor like that, after going around them to get the gear, is just rude! I always recommend purchasing from your school. Instructors can guide a student in more than proper techniques. They are also experienced at purchasing equipment. Yes, sometimes you pay a little more to take advantage of that experience, but I believe there is a much higher chance of your being happy with your purchase.

For those who haven't heard, Nishiyama Sensei passed away on November 10, 2008, following a battle with cancer. He was one of Shotokan's all time great senseis and will be sorely missed. His memorial has been scheduled for November 30 at Hompa Hongwanji Temple in L.A.'s Little Tokyo. I've heard rumors of a separate event for karateka, as not everyone who wants to attend would be able to fit in the temple. People are expected to fly in from all over the world to pay their respects. The ITKF website has links to the press release for his passing and his memorial service announcement. http://www.itkf.org/

Puppy classes are a great idea when they're available to you. I have friends heavily involved in the dog world (competition and training), and they swear by them. Not only can you learn stuff, but it's a great way to socialize your dog, to people and other dogs. Sorry I don't have any specific advice. When they talked about training, I guess I tuned them out more than I thought!

Hi Kalania, I don't think your weight should deter you from joining any program you like. When you said you were severely overweight, I imagined you'd be heavier than 200# and 5'4". I had a friend who started karate at about your weight but 5'6". It was tough at first, but he lost weight very quickly. Your mileage may vary, as he was training about 5 or 6 days a week. As far as which dojo I'd recommend, like everyone else said, you can't tell much from the websites. You really should check them out in person. Since you're interested in adult and kids classes, you might want to check both out. See what kind of vibe you get there. You mentioned how expensive NE is. They offer MMA and kickboxing in addition to karate. They might have lower rates if your interested in only part of that. And most schools will have some kind of family discount. You might want to ask about it at any school you're considering even if they don't mention it on their website. Oh, and as far as TKD goes, yeah, stocky with short legs doesn't make you their ideal body type, but if you like the school, I'd say go for it. One thing that is important in most TKD programs is flexibility, but I'd imagine that you'd have plenty of time to work on that before they required you to do a full splits or anything like that. Good luck!

I know several instructors that have ordered belts for their students to use this way. I think I heard somewhere that this was bad form, but most instructors seem flexible. Some companies will sew two shorter belts together to make a longer one. This leaves a noticeable seam in the center, but it should be covered by the knot. Of course, this costs more than a regular belt, but it's not too bad. Since you use Stone for weight, I assume you're not in the US, so I can't recommend anyone to you. Sorry.