sensei8

Hopefully, at the end of reading this OP, one might see why I placed this topic in the "General Martial Arts" forum. This October 18th, I've been in Shindokan Saitou-ryu for 51 years! I've earned a Kudan, as well as a Hanshi! I've crossed trained since I became a JBB in 1970, and submerged myself even more so in cross training ever since 1977. I earned a 6th Gup [Green Belt] in TKD under Grandmaster Young Ik Suh while I was in high school. I wanted to learn to kick above the waist because Shindokan kicks are only waist down. Shindokan utilizes 15% of kicks in our curriculum, and for the most part, our kicks are to disrupt ones base as well as for premeditated strikes. Shindokan teaches grappling, and not just a slight notion, the curriculum is quite encompassing when it comes to grappling. I can hold my own on the floor; I'm quite comfortable on the floor/mat. Shindokan utilizes Te Waza in 85% of our curriculum. This is because of our brand of Tuite and Kyusho-jitsu. In short, Shindokan is a striking art more than anything else. My hand speed and dexterity has been labeled by other MAists as somewhat "uncanny" and "unnerving". I've developed over these many years quite a punch...quite a kick. Other MAists say that I kick "like a mule" and I punch with "a deliberate penetration". In short, many that have shared the floor with me, both in Shindokan and those outside of the Shindokan circle, say that I've "got mean skills"! Yet, after 51 years in Shindokan Saitou-ryu and a quite an indepth cross training regime, I still feel incomplete; as though something is still missing. Shindokan is an effective art, however, like any MA, it's limited. Shindokan is like having a nice steak to chew on, but it still needs some steak sauce to give it some nice flavor. OK, now that I've thrown out some background, and patted myself on my own back, let me get to the question at hand. This question has been floating around in both my mind as well as in my heart. What MA would YOU suggest that I learn? After that... Would this desire best serve my MA betterment to do private or group lessons? Listen, in my own heart, I'm not all that and a bag of chips, I know that; I'm limited, but aren't we all. That drives me, and that drives me crazy!! I hated to seem like a braggest about myself in this OP, or at any time because that's not me; I'm as humble as I can be. No matter the style of the MA, except Shindokan, I'm a beginner; I wear that badge proudly!!!!!!!!!!! I've cross trained for over 28 years, but that's indirect learning as opposed to direct learning; like Shindokan, that's direct learning. Sure, I've acquired some knowledge these past 28 years, but, I've gotten the ice cream, but no whip cream or cheery at the top...if you get my meaning. I'll ALWAYS be a student of the MA!! I can relate to these words... "If I tell you I'm good, you'll think I'm boasting. If I tell you I'm not that good, you'll know I'm lying." ~ Bruce Lee Before anyone implies, directly and/or indirectly, I'm not comparing myself to Bruce Lee. Yet, I'm complete in my totality as a MAist! Your thoughts, I welcome them!! Please be as frank and blunt as you can, if you must, just be honest!!

Glad to hear that you're doing much better and that you're able to return to the floor!!

Solid post!! To the bold type above... How does a student, new to the MA, know that their receiving poor instructions?? I suppose, it'll be more of a gut feeling, more than a tangible intuition.

Or ineffective until the practitioner makes them effective. How effective is nukite? Not effective at all unless you condition your hands and know where to strike and not strike with it. Or is it effective, but the practitioner makes it ineffective by not conditioning and striking wrong targets? Which came first, the chicken, or the egg? I agree! The practitioner is at the core, one way or another!!

Directly, no! Indirectly, yes! What I do like about Yamane-Ryu is their exclusivity of the Rokushaku Bo, and if one wants to be proficient with a bo, Yamane-Ryu is a way to go. And I LOVE the Bo more than other Kobudo weapons.

Personally, I don't feel that I need religious studies (or religion for that matter) to make me a better person. I lead a fairly active lifestyle and have a good diet, so I don't need exercise classes. Haven't been to many seminars but the ones I have been to did nothing for me. Most importantly however, I do not live a life where my primary need is knowing I can defend myself. I live in a safe area within one of the safest countries in the world so for me, Karate hasn't been for that purpose either. I do however enjoy and thrive on the acquisition and honing of skills. In other words realising the more comprehensive meaning behind Budo. Remember, styles of Karate like Shotokan are Japanese in their structure (rather than Okinawan) - and as a result, the focus and the values are different. K. Solid post!!

If you really need to know: -Just clear your mind of "thinking" -Forget identifying" any specific technique. (clear your mind) -Forget blocking.(clear your mind , less things to think about) -LOOK Straight into your opponents eyes. -relax -when ANYTHING( i mean ANYTHING MOVES) punch as fast and hard as you can(TO THE STOMACH as i think you do not have control and accurate as a white belt to punch to the head) going forward with your weight. DO NOT THINK! Trust your body. You will develop a "feeling/anticipation " overtime(decades). Solid post!! Study your opponent' Study yourself Make a plan Carry out the plan Don't second guess yourself, and as Maybetrue has said...TRUST YOUR BODY!! Spar until the wheels fall off and then some. Try not to go backwards; but to angle to the side or forward, but that alone will take time to develop. Therefore, spar, spar, spar, spar, spar, spar, spar....timing is a developmental thing that's acquired while sparring until the wheels fall off. Be proactive in your training, and not just with sparring! Basics have to be right on before they can be effective. You're a white belt, so expect things to be difficult, but with training and the watchful eye of your instructor, things, IN TIME, will start to make sense and fall into place. If you're not sparring a lot, you'll never do well in any competition, and worse of it all, you'll never be able to effectively defend yourself. Confidence comes IN TIME; the more one does something, the easier it becomes, and the better the practitioner becomes. You'll be fine!! Train hard, and train well!!

The practitioner makes the techniques ineffective. The techniques within any given style are effective until the practitioner makes them not. Imho!

That's great new; glad to hear it, chiliphil1!! The only thing left to do is to... Train hard!!

Thanks for the compliment, for the record anybody can call me Lex in any post, it is my real name. If you grew up watching superman like I did it will become very apparent where Luther comes from lol Will do Lex!! Thanks!!

this is like asking why you can't play Dire straights Romeo Juliet 's guitar part by mark Knopfler as someone with 2 months of learning the guitar ! Don't worry about kumite ,first spend your time practice the basics of movement from one place to another in different stances and how to punch and block while going forward and backwards , this should take you good few months then start thinking about how to do it against someone else and that would take a life time ! Solid post!!

Nnnnnnooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!! Hopefully you'll be able to fix your laptop soon!!

Thank you very much sensei8. This video was not liked very much in the wing chun community but thank you for liking it.. If I may ask...why wasn't this video liked in the WC community?? Hopefully it's not because you gave some WC secret away. If it is, well, imho, that was quite narrow minded of them because the MA is for EVERYONE. We no longer live in days where this would be a true concern!!

As with any MA technique; Shu Ha Ri encapsulates them, thereby it defines them as well!!

The word "Whatever"; boils my blood!! I've others, but this one tops the list!!

You make some valid points, that's for certain! I'm a firm believer that the MA is only as effective as the practitioner, and not as the style. Thank you, Luther unleashed, for sharing the video, as well as starting this thread.

Noah, Others here might not be aware of where this event took place! Could you please tell KF members where this was held! Thanks!!

10000% TRUE! the only problem i have is that a lot of instructors are feeding the "magic pill" of style to magically become a "killing machine" and being able to defend oneself with a one hour seminar ,NO TRAINING and watching videos of someone else highly trained in a ring and saying "see it works". OUCH. Solid post!! Time oversees all things in the MA; nothing's overnight and/or that easy!

Btw, Maybetrue, you're not gloomy, imho!! You're just stating what you believe!! I respect that!!

Most traditional Karate schools tend to base their syllabus on Kata. This may be hard to grasp (particularly as a newbie), but you need to stop trying to make a lateral connection between what you are currently practicing and self defence. The pedagogy of any Kata based system (and not just Karate) is a layered approach to learning the system itself. By this, I mean in your particular dojo, you are there to learn Shotokan, in a Shotokan way by using Shotokan kata etc. etc. BTW, most of us have a tendency to assume Kata are just the like of Heian Shodan etc., but actually, Kata is anything that is pre-arranged (including pair work and Basics (kihon). In this respect, strictly speaking - in Karate there is only Kata and Kumite. The Pedagogy of systems like Shotokan is there to realise "Shu Ha Ri" i.e. the journey an individual takes from Kata (fixed practice) to Kumite (free fighting). And as I tell folk who enquire to come and train at my dojo... If you want to learn self defence - go to a self defence class. K. Solid post!!

Solid post!!

I firmly believe that it's not the style that's at fault for the "hindrance", but of the practitioner themselves. I've no problem putting blame where I believe it belongs, and the blame belongs to the practitioner, and not with said given style. Imho!!

To the bold type above... I fit that category, and by that I mean, I'm of the "OLDER HIGHER RANKS", yet, I sincerely believe that I've not done more damage or any damage to the MA. I've not made any excuses and/or any short cuts during my 51 years in Shindokan; I believe that my integrity remains untainted, and that my students, as well as those that I've had the pleasure of sharing any given floor, can attest to that. Being clumped in with those that have made you feel the way you do feel about older higher ranks, makes me feel ashamed. Ashamed because I can only speak for myself, and in that, I can't speak towards those who've done the injustice that can be found in any given MA. Just a "GENERALIZED" statement. into comparison to "Kid" black belts . Kids just train and could care less about "politics". I have seen a lot of really bad,sad and outright "UN-MARTIAL ART" behavior by higher ranking BB's which really makes me sad and disappointed. PS: Hate to say this, but the Higher rank demographics end up having a higher percentage of bad behavior ..... ouch. You have to admit, just by reading posts, you kind of get the feeling of which members are students, instructors and experienced instructors. I guess becoming a higher ranking instructor a person will have to deal with all the politics and less than fun part of Martial Arts. enough gloom and doom. Martial Arts is great. The positives far outweigh the negatives. Generalized...ok...fair enough! Does your Sensei fit in the category of being an "OLDER HIGHER RANKS"?? In Shindokan, not all older higher ranks deal with the day in and day out operations of our governing body, but just with their own daily operations from their own dojo, and even that, some only sit on a testing cycles panel from time to time...they too, just want to train without the politics. I do agree, that I too have seen the older higher ranks have damaged the integrity of the MA by, for example, rank gouging; they can't be satisfied with the last rank that their Sensei bestowed upon them through a testing cycle. No, they want to be that Judan/Soke and so on and so forth; their MA resume looks like a shopping list of "look at me...aren't I impressive!?!?!?!". That to me is the sadness that's been a cancer to the integrity of the MA.

Thank you, Danielle. Yes, all in all, I had a good birthday!

Well... I got cake and ice cream, and time with family, both near and far! I got a new chess set! The pieces were made out of Ivory, resting on top of a cherry redwood board, and it shines like glass. Pieces were 5 inches tall, with the queen being 6 inches tall, and the king was 7 inches tall. I also got a new Yankee hat as well as a Jeter Jersey. I also got a Mans Crate that's called the Legends Of Baseball; the glasses were of...the New York YANKEES. That Mans Crate comes in a wooden crate with a small crow bar, but the nice thing about it is that it came in a duck tape cocoon...took me forever to free the crate from that diabolic cocoon. Best of all...my sister was released from the hospital earlier that day, and was able to attend. Went to dinner at the Dave and Busters; eat my fill and played billiards and a lot of video games. Then to end the night, my wife and son took me to the movies to see The Martian; pretty good movie, imho. Yeah, it was a good birthday!!