JohnASE

I've always played sports! Most of my adult life, I've played a game called wallyball (volleyball with walls). It's played on a racquetball court. You string a net across the middle and put a team of 2 or 3 players on each side. The rules are pretty similar to volleyball with additional rules about using the walls. I've played in leagues and traveled to tournaments, although not very far. As a young adult, I mostly played racquetball and beach volleyball. I played baseball from Little League through high school and football in high school. I've never been a big sports fan. I'll watch something from time to time, but I rarely go out of my way to do so. I'd much rather play than spectate.

Just like anything else, everyone's experience is different. Would training in martial arts benefit most people in mind, body, and spirit? I believe so. "Spirit" seems to be the most questionable one. In my opinion, the sense of family and community that you get from being part of a dojo is good for ones spirit, or at least that's the ideal. Obviously, not everyone fits into every group and not every group will feel like a family, but I would bet that most do for most of its longtime members. A dictionary definition of spirit includes "the nonphysical part of a person that is the seat of emotions and character; the soul." A good martial arts instructor should help develop and strengthen a student's character, if for no other reason than to reduce the chance that the power being taught will be misused.

I don't really know who's famous and who's not, so here are a bunch of people whose paths I've crossed. Fumio Demura, Takayuki Kubota, Tadashi Yamashita, Hirokazu Kanazawa, Shojiro Koyama, Morio Higaonna, Eihachi Ota, Emil Farkas, Cecil Peoples, John Hackelman, Benny Urquidez, "Mouse" Krasnoo, George Kotaka, Jean Jacques Machado, Gene LeBell. The longer I think, the more names I come up with, but I should be working. I'm sure I've left off lots of good people.

If you're looking at a couple hundred units or more and want to import, you can probably get a factory to do a production run. If you're not familiar with foreign factories and your customs and duty regulations, you might want to process the order through a local uniform vendor. It'll cost you more money, but save you headaches. There are many pitfalls to ordering volume from overseas. Oh, and expect your money to be tied up for somewhere from 3 to 6 months for production and transportation, plus whatever time you need to sell the product.

Ha! That's not un-MA! At ASE Martial Arts Supply, we've had many ministers as customers. Aren't there two martial arts stereotypes, the aggressive guy and the humble guy? Cobra Kai and Mr. Miyagi? I think the latter is actually more common.I've known so many martial artists from all walks of life, that I don't think anything is really un-MA, so I'll just list a few things that I'm into. I'm a car guy. I love sports cars. I'm using the classic definition of "sports car" here. It should be small, light, and good handling. Most are 2-seaters and convertible is a plus. A Mustang is not a sport car. They have decent handling, but are too big and heavy. I love to drive, but don't wrench much. My wife and I own an electric bicycle store, so I spend a lot of time working on and riding bikes. Ebikes are great! I've been meaning to start a thread to tell you all about this, but haven't gotten around to it yet. I love to read, mostly sci-fi/fantasy. That goes back to when I was a kid. I've done plenty of geeky things. I did comics and Magic the Gathering (like Zaine mentioned), D&D, and video games. When I say "did", I mean obsessively. In my early 20s, I remember getting blood blisters from game controllers. Most of that was decades ago, but it's still me. Oh, and on the athletic side, I play a game called wallyball. Basically, it's volleyball played on a racquetball court. You string a net across the middle of the court and can hit off the walls (hence, wallyball). You usually play 2-on-2 to 3-on-3. You bump, set, and spike in a rhythm similar to beach volleyball, but faster, since the court is so much smaller.

In case you haven't heard, Netflix has "The Real Miyagi" and the "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" sequel. "The Real Miyagi" is a documentary on Fumio Demura, who many of you know was the martial art double for Pat Morita in "The Karate Kid" movies. You might not know that Morita based his portrayal of Mr. Miyagi on Demura Sensei. I haven't seen the movie yet, but it has been well received. If you don't have Netflix, the DVD is available for purchase. It should be easy enough to find if you search. I watched "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny". It was OK. Didn't love it. My wife fell asleep. It was released on both Netflix and in theaters in the U.S. on the same day. I'm glad I didn't spring for IMAX. I'm sure the visuals would've been great, but I don't think I would've felt like I got my money's worth.

Is this directed to me? Sorry for not replying sooner. There are any number of suppliers that carry 45mm wide belts, especially if you want black. Here, in the U.S., they're often listed as 1 3/4" wide. Embroidery shouldn't be hard to find either. We embroider a lot of 45mm wide Tokaido belts. Did I see you post that you're not in the U.S.? We're behind the times and haven't gotten around to setting up international sales. If you tell us where you are, maybe someone can recommend a vendor.

Thanks, everyone! My health is fine. Blood pressure is a little high, but nothing serious.

Assuming this is an accredited university, I don't think this major is stupid. It's use is limited, but so are many others. If you get into it and find you don't have an affinity for it or don't like it as much as you thought, you can always change majors and/or transfer. The curriculum is a little light on the business stuff, but it's a major in MA studies, not running a MA school. Like you said, you can always minor in business. Some of my customers started their own martial arts schools young and chose majors accordingly. The two most common majors are business and kinesiology. Most didn't complete the programs though. Running a business while going to school is tough. Most of them dropped out but focused on their businesses and did well anyway. In my experience though, most martial arts instructors don't make a living from it. For many, it's more of a hobby than a career. Martial arts is kind of like music. A few stars make good money. Many are studio musicians who can make a living doing what they love, if not always the way they want to do it. Many do it because they love it, and if they can make a little extra money, they'll take it.

Interesting thread. I've often thought about what characteristics a women's gi might need. Ties or velcro are a good idea. I've had women tell me they like one gi or another because the way it's cut has the lapel naturally cross over at a higher point than others. I don't recall which gi they were talking about though. If you don't want a tie, that might be a good feature to look for.

This probably doesn't warrant an intro thread, but I wanted to say hello again anyway. I hope everyone's been well! I used to be around KF all the time, but I let other things get in the way and haven't stopped by in months. Over a year ago, my wife and I opened a new business. I'm only there 2 or 3 days a week but I'm still at ASE Martial Arts Supply 4 days, so the two keep me pretty busy. Even so, I'm going to make an effort to not let so many of my other activities, like visiting here, fall by the wayside. My doctor says I should make more time for exercise and get more sleep, too. I'm trying to manage things a little better and spread myself around. So far, so good!

Of course outcomes matter, but then what does this mean? It could be "It's not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game." or it could be "You often learn more from failure than you do from success." or maybe "Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it."One of my favorite quotes goes something like this... "You should meditate for a half hour per day, unless you are too busy, in which case you should meditate for a full hour."

I know a guy who founded a school in a retail location at 17 years old. His parents helped with the business stuff, and his instructor helped with the martial arts. He focused on teaching and training. Over the years, he grew as an instructor and businessman, and his school has thrived. When he opened, we wasn't ready to be a chief instructor, but with guidance, he was able to make it work. Now, I think he must be about 30 years old, and he seems particularly good at running a school. Regarding Houston, I seen no problem with his being a blue belt. In his system, that's seems to be an instructor rank. I would assume he's proven himself at his sensei's dojo. He might be lacking the experience and maturity to run a business well, but I'm sure he'll have help and support from his family and his organization. How many of us who have started businesses were ready at the beginning? Being an old dude, I'd probably avoid the place if I had a reasonable alternative, but if I had a 13 year old kid, I might send him or her there.

I was a fan, back around 1980. Listened to the Dr. Demento radio show on KMET in Los Angeles. I remember some of his stuff playing during the early years of MTV. I missed a lot of his later career, only catching a song here and there. Still funny, but I'm not as much into it as I was.

If you compete, or train with those who do, you should probably use what's required at the tournaments you attend. If not, I'd suggest discussing it with your sensei and those who would be on the receiving end of your punches. There's a safety issue. Also, it depends on your style. If you include take-downs in your sparring, 16oz boxing gloves might be awkward, or if you do fairly hard contact, dipped foam won't cut it.

This might be true for more advanced students, but at the OP's level (one belt above white), I would assume he'd been taught some basic strikes and blocks, a couple of kata, and some dojo etiquette. In general, for a beginner, I'd say that most Japanese and Okinawan karate styles would be pretty similar to what he'd been exposed to. I'm not very familiar with NYC, so it's hard for me to make specific recommendations. Off the top of my head, there's Miyazaki in Bayside and Thomas Casale in Brooklyn. They're both Shotokan. I think Miyazaki has a few dojos around the area under him, so if Bayside isn't close, maybe one of the others is.

That sounds a lot like kata training!

FYI, the extra curled, extra puffy WKF mitts were a thing for a while, but I think it's not anymore. Some are still in circulation. We still have some in our stock. The WKF had stipulated that they be made that way for a while, but they must've had complaints (We sure did!), because the last couple shipments of Tokaido WKF mitts were flatter and wider, like the old ones.

Pat Johnson was the martial arts coordinator for The Karate Kid. He trained in Tang Soo Do in Korea and taught at Chuck Norris' school in Sherman Oaks, California. Pat Johnson brought in Fumio Demura to double for Pat Morita. Pat Morita based his portrayal of Mr. Miyagi on the persona of Fumio Demura.

Obviously, there is no clear cut definition. McDojo means different things to different people. That's why I don't like its use. It's a slur with no real meaning. Also, it gets close to the "my martial arts is better than yours" argument. To me, most of the things mentioned in this thread could be signs of a McDojo, but are separate from the definition of a McDojo. In my opinion, Judodad_karateson is closest. The essence of a McDojo is the lack of nutritional value in the menu, metaphorically speaking. Sometimes, that'll mean promoting undeserving students. Sometimes, that'll mean flash over substance. Sometimes, that'll mean programs focused on retention more than instruction, including contracts and higher numbers of belts to keep students motivated. I've spoken with many instructors, students and parents associated with schools that would be considered McDojos, and most of love what they do and value the teachings, just like people at non-McDojos. Maybe their students wouldn't do as well in a tournament, or more importantly, on the streets, but they learn to set and achieve goals, they learn discipline, they experience camaraderie, they learn confidence, and they have fun, just like people at non-McDojos. By the way, before the term McDojo caught on, schools like this were called "black belt factories". The definition was a little different, but the sneer was about the same.

"... it's always too late... it's always a bad time, just do it anyways." I like that.My mom is still taking Tai Chi, pretty much once per week, but my dad bailed after the first class. My grandmother isn't training, but she's still going strong at 100 years old. She still doesn't need a walker. Her place is two stories, and she goes up and down stairs every day. She's amazing! I wish I could say it's because of martial arts. Oh, well, maybe when my mom turns 100!

Nicely told. Is it true?

The WKF has been trying to get into the Olympics since before they were called the WKF. A lot of their modern rules were developed with that in mind. I don't recall hearing them called "Olympic" rules either, but I'm not surprised by it. I'm not sure how strong the WKF is in Australia, but there are many karate tournaments here in the USA that don't use WKF rules. Some use "modified" WKF rules, but many are completely different. There are whole national organizations, not just small clubs, that don't use WKF rules. The WKF has been almost in the Olympics for a long time, and if/when they do get in, karateka will likely flock to them in droves, but as of now, their dominance is far from complete. They'd better push hard for 2020, because if karate doesn't get into the Tokyo Olympics, people will think they'll never get in, and I'd bet membership will drop way off. Sorry to go so far off topic. Nice kata!

Hi JR. I just replied to your message and popped by the forum and found this thread. Sorry I didn't see it earlier. Glad to hear Shureido USA will cut a gi for you. I hadn't heard they do that. I'd guess they have someone here who does it. Having one customized in Okinawa and sent by itself to the USA would be pricey. I'm sure they'll do a good job. Quality is very important to them.

I'd go for it. It does sound like the pros outweigh the cons. Badmouthing can be a bad sign, but hard feelings between neighboring dojos isn't that uncommon. The dojo being welcoming is a good counter to this. If she's accredited, I assume she's not too far of normal. And it sounds like you can manage the fees. It's commonly spelled "Hayashi-ha", a branch of Shito-Ryu founded by Teruo Hayashi.