JohnASE

I think that's a great idea! ps1 might be right about the market being small, but it might be large enough to be worth doing, especially if that's what you found with dance. I know that if I'm shooting something, I'm not paying as much attention to the event as I'd like. I might pay someone to do it for me. I also agree that rank testing is probably your best event. It's usually pretty crowded, but I can think of many instructors that would allow it, especially if it minimizes parents stepping all over each other trying to set up a shot of their kids. Of course, rank testing at the lower ranks might occur too frequently to pay for each one. Another event you might look into are small karate tournaments. Some people run small competitions in their karate school, usually with one to three schools participating. I'd imagine they usually only use one ring, so covering the event might be easier than a big event with multiple rings. The upside is that more people will be involved. The downside is that they often run all day long, so it'll take a lot more time to shoot and edit. The Ozawa Cup karate tournament in Las Vegas sells a DVD of their finals competitions and demonstrations. The event usually runs from about 10am to 5pm on one stage. They produce something like 4.5 to 5 hours of content which they sell for $25-$35, mostly to participants and their families. I don't know how many units they sell, but they've continued doing them for maybe 9 years now, so I guess they're moving enough to make it worthwhile.

Maybe it's my computer, but I can't see melting. I agree with Kevin that it looks like it got caught in something. Maybe it's easier to see what you see in person. I doubt Juka would intentionally label something as cotton if it weren't. Not enough gain for the risk, and Juka's been around for a long time. They have a reputation to protect. A gi could get mislabeled, but poly/cotton is typically used in lighter gis, much lighter than Juka's 12 oz Emerald. In the Juka/Dragon line, you have to go down to 7 oz to find a poly/cotton gi. I'm not saying there's no way that you have a poly/cotton gi, but it doesn't seem likely in your situation.

If I remember correctly, satin can be made of silk or a synthetic fiber (e.g. polyester or rayon). With respect to belts, I think most people say silk when it's a silk satin, and they say satin when it's a synthetic fiber satin.

I would not consider parkour a martial art. It might have roots in martial arts, but I think it has moved away from the martial aspect. I don't know for sure, but I would doubt that many parkour practitioners do it to learn how to avoid combat. What gets trickier for me is whether karate aerobic programs are martial arts. I suppose that depends on the program.

This is tougher than it looks at first glance. For those who don't know and didn't do the math, 5 cm wide is 2" and 360 cm long is close to 142"! Very few companies carry 2" red belts, let alone ones that are 12' long. IcemanSK is right. Eosin Panther has one on their website. The block and bars sound similar to what kenpo does. I'd guess that can take care of that for you.

We have several customers in the Chicago area. Most are shotokan though, and I'm not sure which dojos are near you. One very successful shotokan group I know of is Illinois Shotokan. They have locations ALL over the Chicago area. The head instructor is also the President of the USANKF. I don't know much about their program, but you don't get as big as they are without a lot of happy students.

Juka's reputation is good, but I don't have any first hand experience with them. The Silver and Emerald are made of the same material, so between the two, like still kicking said, choose according to which works best for your body type and your preference. Tournament cut typically has shorter sleeves and pant length but also longer jackets, as is the case with the Emerald. These gi are a little more expensive than I was thinking for you, but as long as you take care of them, they should last for many years. I'd imagine that the quality of our brands is similar to that of UK companies. I'd bet we use many of the same factories in Asia. Just about anything made in Japan is expensive, and Tokaido is no exception, but Tokaido also has many products produced in China that are excellent quality.

Don't forget caravans! Some of my favorite Top Gear BBC episodes involved caravans. But I think gearbox and bump start are pretty common here in the US, too.

I don't think you need a special gi for your test, but if you're getting serious about training, a 2nd gi would be a good idea. Since you're a relative beginner, I'd recommend a good, solid, everyday, heavy weight gi. I think it'll be the best bang for your buck. I'd stay away from the high dollar tournament gi until you're more advanced. I'd suggest something in the $50 to $80 range, 11 oz to 14 oz. If it gets particularly hot in your dojo, you might want to start with something around 12 oz or less. Actually, I recommend you talk to your sensei about this, and purchase through him/her if you can. They can help you get the brand, cut, material and style of gi that is right for you and your dojo. Then, when you have more knowledge and experience, you can purchase on your own. I heard a sensei complaining yesterday about students buying their own gi. He also teaches Shotokan. One of the parents of a beginner bought her kid a black gi. Most shotokan senseis would not allow black. Buying through your sensei prevents this type or less obvious types of mistakes.

Linkin Park, 311, Sublime. Ice Cube, Snoop Dog, LL Cool J. The Eagles, Rush, The Cars.

It's funny you mentioned "The Karate Kid" movie. Fumio Demura, the head of Genbu-Kai, was the karate double for Pat Morita in the old movies. Back on topic, wherever you train, you should probably be doing a fair amount of practicing at home anyway. You don't need much room for working on basics. Kata is tougher, but there are ways. In class, they show you how to do something, then at home, you do it over and over. If you're doing it wrong, they'll correct you in class. Self-motivation can be tough though. I don't know what to tell you. If you want to improve, you have to do the work. Maybe if you made friends in the class it would help. You could work out together in off hours, or at least help motivate each other to do it. I don't think training at a college should be much of a disadvantage, even if you have large classes. More personal attention is better, of course, but again, you're still going to have to put in the time. I'd guess that part of what you want to get out of karate is discipline and the ability to set goals and accomplish them. So, go do it!

I agree with the above posts. First, I strongly believe it's more important that you choose based the specific dojos and senseis than the styles. Second, I think Isshin Ryu stresses speed over power more than the other styles you mentioned, and that seems to fit your criteria better.

I'm a car guy. Love 2-seater sports cars, especially old ones. Right now, I have a relatively new one, a 2005 S2000. Used to live near Mulholland Drive in the Hollywood Hills and drove the twisties just about every day. Now, I live in the 'burbs and rarely see a curve. I'm interested in electric vehicles and have put in a lot of time planning various DIY projects. I have a short commute, so I don't need long range. I'll start with something small, like an electric bicycle. There are some great kits out on the market. Maybe I'll do a motorcycle, reverse trike, or car later. Then again, maybe manufacturers will put out something reasonably priced before I get around to that. Tax credits are available to help defray costs of approved new purchases, but they're still pretty pricey. Also, I play a sport called wallyball. It's like volleyball played on a racquetball court where you can hit the ball off the walls (wall-y-ball). We string a net across the middle of the court and play 2 or 3 players per side. It's pretty fast paced. Wallyball is to volleyball kind of like racquetball is to tennis. Other than that, I watch too much TV, read fiction, and play old computer games.

It's amazing that people can get away with selling these uniforms as 'Tokaido' when they aren't really made in Japan by Tokaido. I respectfully disagree. If you take a look at the homepage of the Tokaido Japan website, you can see they also provide WKF Approved Kata & Kumite gis distributed by Tokaido International. I can assure you that here in the U.S. we (thebudostore.com) distribute 100% authentic Tokaido products. Very true, the Tokaido gi's that you sell are not knock-off's but the gi's that you sell are made in China by a company that is licensed by Tokaido to manufacture their gi's. They are not made in Japan by Tokaido. Only those gi's with the following models, NST, TSA, TAW, KTW, SAW, AW, BW, and SAB, are made in Japan by Tokaido. Not to say that the gi's made in China are not as good, for all I know they may be better but they are not the same as the ones made in Japan. That is all. The problem is with the use of the words "real" and "copies". We sell Japan-made Tokaido gi and belts as well as China-made. Both are real, just different. Our company helped develop and market some of the China-made Tokaido gi for the US market. I never heard why we were included. Maybe, partially, because we're Japanese-Americans. I personally came up with the names for the Tsunami, Kumo, and Kaminari models. As I understood it, we did so with the full support of Tokaido in Japan. Back then, I remember my father meeting Sugiura-san, the founder of Tokaido, and more recently, Sugiura-san came by our booth at the 2011 Ozawa Cup in Las Vegas and thanked us for representing Tokaido and carrying their products. At least that's what I thought he said. I don't speak Japanese, and his English wasn't too good. The China-made gi are far from knockoffs. They were designed to be different. The Japan-made gi tended to be cut too narrow for many westerers. The China-made gi were cut more full, and, of course, they have a much lower price point. Different labeling and packaging were used to minimize confusion with the original gi. Back on topic, we used to sell Shureido and were very happy with the quality. I don't think you'll get a definitive answer on which is better. People come down on both sides. Primarily, I'd make my choice based more on features. One feature, as others have mentioned, is that Shureido are cut more full than the Japan-made Tokaido gi. Both are available in a number of models. Don't know about now, but Shureido used to have a more bluish tinge. Secondarily, I'd base my choice on place of purchase. Can I order one or the other through my sensei? If not, which can I get more easily from a reputable vendor with an adequate return policy? Good luck with your purchase!

We've been dealing with them for a lot of years and have never had a problem. From what the OP said, it sounds like they dropped the ball on that one. It doesn't sound like they treated him fairly, but from what I hear, most others have had good experiences. Like us, they're a small business. I don't know who the OP spoke with, but it wasn't some nameless customer service rep, it was probably one of the owners. It's in her best interest to keep customers happy. For whatever reason, she seems to have thought she was in the right and stuck to her guns. Nobody is perfect, but they do care about customer service.

Excellent example of the lasting impact an instructor can have on a student! You really bring your posts to life!

I have a customer or two that were awarded PhD's in martial arts. I don't remember who gave it to them, but I don't think they were credible. It was not the group linked above. When I found out about it, a couple years ago, I remember looking into them. I think much of their criteria for a degree was not their curriculum, but time spent studying, training in, and teaching martial arts. Sounded sketchy to me, but I didn't really look into it that closely, and I might not be remembering it clearly.

I've been watching Franklin and Bash, too, and speaking of new lawyer shows, the first episode of Suits was pretty good.

To me, "karate" is a Japanese word that should refer to a Japanese art, but it means different things to different people. To the general public, I think it has become a generic word for martial arts, or at least the striking arts. I can't tell you how many schools I've seen with the word "karate" on their signs that were TKD, Tang Soo Do, or even Hapkido. If people who practice similar arts from other countries want to use the word because the public understands it better than the name of their style, I'm okay with that. It's inaccurate, but generic words have to come from somewhere. It's like when people say "Kleenex" for facial tissue or "Band-Aid" for adhesive bandage. You know what they mean.

Great story!

One of my favorite TV shows back in the day was "Kage No Gundan" aka "Shadow Warriors".

The cotton shortage is worldwide and not just for gis. The cost of t-shirts and anything else with cotton in it has gone up in price. Last year, crops were flooded in Texas, Pakistan, and China, so supply went down at the same time that demand went up. Cotton prices tripled! I hear supply is recovering, but seed supply is now low, so who knows what prices will do.

I suppose. The latest iteration of the show IS growing on me. I like the dynamic between the Doctor, Pond, and Rory. I thought the new cast and crew started out slow, but they seem to be hitting their stride. I'm not sure why I don't like the current Doctor as much. He seems less sure of himself, less carefree, more nervous, maybe? Anyway, I do enjoy the show. It's one of the few that my family always watches together.

YES!! I did! Another of my favorite movies is "36th Chamber of Shaolin" aka "Shaolin Master Killer". He's hardly aged at all.

Ha! I recognize The Avengers! And American Dad and Family Guy, of course. I watch a little BBC America from time to time, but I don't recognize the others. I enjoy Top Gear and Doctor Who, although I thought David Tennant was much better than the current guy.