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If it'll increase your MA betterment, than train in both if you're able to train in both at the same time! They both aren't alien to one another, so I believe you'll be fine cross training in them both!!

Solid post!!

A very solid article through and through! A clear and definitive look at brown belt. Those who are approaching brown belt will get a lot of intent from your solid points, and, those who are already a brown belt can appreciate the intent as well! Even though it's been a million years ago for me, you hit a homerun with each and every paragraph!! Even though I've been training over 50 years, I can vividly remember each and every rank; some more challenging than others!! Well done!!

Of course Shindokan is Karate-do, but that's not how I read the poll, and yes, I took the question literal. Shindokan is NOT Japanese, and Soke would roll over in his grave if I took that stand. Stubborn or dumb of me to read into the poll question? Maybe, but I stand on my reasons for my first post. You and I are kindred spirits through our style; this I'm proud of!!

After you open your school, will you still be a LEO?? Yes. I'm doing the school part time. I'm keeping my cop job. Cool!! I wish you much success in both passions!!

I couldn't answer the poll question because the style I train in isn't listed!

Welcome to KF; glad you're here!!

Oohhbhh...I like the link and the info!! Thanks, Patrick!! Cowboys VS the Colts; both 10-4. The Cowboys running game might suffer with Murray's left hand not being 100%. The Cowboys are favored by 3, but we all know that can dwinde at any time! GO COWBOYS!!

Congrats; well deserved!!

Double promotions are rare, and they should be! Congrats; well deserved!!

Solid post!!

I'm partial to Century; I've a few ironman gi's; I love them through and through!!

Great discussions here!!

This is a good analogy.Solid, both!! Dare I say it? Proof is on the floor!! There, I said it.

Solid post!!

Worth repeating...solid article; through and through!! Sorry to sound like a broken record, however, I don't choose the technique but the situation at hand chooses for me; hence, it'll be automatic! Therefore, I do not hit/choose, it hits/chooses all by itself. For me, these natural responses, or actions, came into being through years of training. I see attacks in slow motion, more now, than before! And IF I choose of my own choosing, then I choose the right tool(s) for the moment, and it's not out of curiosity, but it's from an acquired process built through rigorous training these past 5 decades!! Am I someone to be reckoned with? No!! I'm the furthest thing from it!! I'm familiar with my short-comings!! Thanks for the article, Alex!!

Alex, another fine tutorial; right to the heart of the matter!! Driving the hips or pressing down? Again, I find myself repeating my answer to your question(s)... It depends on the situation at the very moment; both can be advantageous per the very moment at hand, imho!!

Interesting application; solid tutorial, as always!! Thank you for sharing it!!

After you open your school, will you still be a LEO??

A very solid book review, Noah...I throughly enjoyed reading it! Mr. Lowry isn't a stranger to martial artists, no matter the style practiced; he lives the Way unlike any other MAist around today, imho!! I have this book, and imho, it speaks towards ones personal and professional betterment!! What inaccuracies did you find??

This post was originally published as an article in a dedicated KarateForums.com Articles section, which is no longer online. After the section was closed, this article was most to the most appropriate forum in our community. I received this book for free from Tuttle Publishing, who contacted Patrick with the offer. Thank you, both! There are martial art books, and then there are martial art books. Very few of them are written with the definitiveness, through and through, of Karate: The Art Of "Empty-Hand" Fighting" by Hidetaka Nishiyama and Richard C. Brown. This well written book of books has stood the test of time for well over five decades. The true test of any martial arts book, in my honest opinion, is that whenever you stumble across it, purposefully or mistakenly, it'll be tattered, dog-eared, covered in notes and well-worn by the book's owner - but totally dust free! This book continues to captivate and mesmerize both the martial artist and non-martial artist alike with its earth shattering peek into two worlds: Shotokan and the martial arts. While these two worlds are separate entities, they find comfort in one another by sharing information willingly: both for unswerving critics and for untold scores of martial artists. Initial Discovery I first came across this jewel of a book back in 1965 when I was a wide-eyed and impressionable yellow belt. Albeit, I wasn't even a practitioner of Shotokan; I'm a Shindokan practitioner. Nor was I a student of Nishiyama Sensei, Brown Sensei and/or any other Shotokan sensei. I didn't even know what Shotokan was; nonetheless, I became quite intrigued. The craziest thing about how I came to receive this book back then was that my sensei, Dai-Soke Yoshinobu Takahashi, bestowed it upon me as a means of helping me to train at home. The core if both Shindokan and Shotokan is similar - however, that's where the similarity ends. The first penned scribbling done into my copy were those of my sensei as he noted reminders of differences that needed to be followed without any ambiguity. Shindokan stances, for example, are much more upright than those of Shotokan. I strongly believe that this book is a virtual fountain of knowledge - and not just for Shotokan practitioners. The authoritativeness of its authors can be surely be felt by readers, from page to page and chapter to chapter. The Authors So much has already been written about Hidetaka Nishiyama; volumes after volumes exist without any unqualified fanfare and/or exaggeration. I have no direct intimate knowledge about him; just undulated impressions about him that I've formed through everything I've read and/or heard about him from those who had the distinct pleasure of learning from him. This includes those who trained with him as his peers and those who handled him. I believe that I've come to know him through these mutual connections. I suppose I can only speak as a fan from afar concerning Nishiyama Sensei; highlighting the power points of his lustrous, unblemished career in the martial arts. More importantly, as a karateka whose dedication towards karate-do is unmistakably geared to increase his betterment daily. Permit me to offer you this, as it appears on the back cover of this book: To whet the appetite and curiosity, I present to you with some additional links to consider: Hidetaka Nishiyama's official websiteWikipedia: Hidetaka Nishiyama "Nishiyama: The Legacy of an 'Eternal Student' article by Shaun Banfield Video interview conducted by Walter Bera Combat Karate International FederationSadly, Nishiyama Sensei passed away, after a long battle with lung cancer, on November 7, 2008. I was not able to find much in my research about Nishiyama Sensei's co-author, Richard C. Brown, other than what was provided on the back cover of the book: On every search I attempted, I was connected to Nishiyama Sensei and this book they both had collaborated on. I even contacted the JKA in the hopes of being directed to where I might be able to find information about him; alas, I was denied any access or information. If anyone, after reading this book review, happens to have any information about Richard C. Brown, it would be greatly appreciated by those here at KarateForums.com. 1960 At the time of publishing of Karate: The Art of "Empty-Hand" Fighting, Nishiyama Sensei carried a Godan (5th dan) rank in Shotokan. In 1961, Nishiyama Sensei moved to the U.S.A. and, shortly thereafter, he founded the All American Karate Federation (AAKF). This book is in its 80th printing; an unheard of milestone, especially with it being a martial arts book. 251 pages of pure dynamite rests between its covers, waiting to unleash the unbridled contents that await its readers. This book, in my humble opinion, is primarily a study of kihon (basics). It also taps into kata (formal exercise) - one kata can be found, Heian 4 - and kumite (sparring). It briefly touches karate's origins, training and equipment. Side note: Heian 4 is performed in this book by (none other than) Hirokazu Kanazawa Sensei, who is considered worldwide as one of the most technical masters of kata! The authors provide many fine examples of karate's self-defense applications through over 1,000 photographs. These photographic demonstrations highlight not only Nishiyama Sensei, but also two equally renowned instructors: Teriyuki Okazaki and Hirokazu Kanazawa. Both of whom offered their assistance in the making of this epic book. Side note, more for grins and giggles: you can see a photograph depicting kumite on page 118. The karatekas are Nishiyama Sensei, on the left, executing a side kick/block, directed towards Kanazawa Sensei, and Kanazawa Sensei, on the right, executing a roundhouse kick towards Nishiyama Sensei. In other words, simultaneous attacks/counter-attacks. This very photograph was used in the manufacturing of a very famous patch, which has been around well over 40 years. It was around when I was a child and can still be purchased today. 22 Chapters The 22 chapters found within this book are divided into 3 separate parts: introduction, basic techniques and their practice and karate as self-defense. The bulk of the material can be found in Part 2. Here is the full chapter listing: What is karate?A short history Essential principles Organization of karate techniques Training methods Calisthenics Striking points and vital points Stance Posture Body shifting Hand techniques Foot techniques Techniques in combination Formal exercise Sparring Throwing Techniques Defense against holding Defense from floor-sitting position Defense from chair-sitting position Defense against knife attack Defense against attack by club Defense against pistol threatAnd to put a cherry on top of the pie, the book adds an appendix that discusses karate equipment, including 3 pages on the makiwara and 1 page each on the following: the hanging heavy bag, punching ball, body stretcher, dumbbells, iron geta (clogs), heavy club, pulley, and mirror. Final word Can one learn karate from this book? Yes! Why not? However, I'm not a proponent of learning any martial art entirely from any written book without the guidance of a qualified instructor to provide effective, qualified feedback. That said, the authors have provided for this scenario: What this phenomenal book has, that many martial arts books don't have, is constant reminders to "avoid these mistakes." This is one of the many reasons that so many martial artists have found value in this work. Throughout the entire book, they consistently highlight shortcomings to avoid, essentially bringing a qualified instructor right into your home. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to any serious martial artist and to those who are just curious about karate. Its price is quite nominal, making it more than an affordable addition to your library, but also as a means of measuring ones betterment. To know your enemy is to study your enemy. Thusly, to know the martial arts is to study all forms of the martial arts - either partially or completely. This exciting book meets that requirement without any ambiguity. I believe that this is the bible of Shotokan and, if it's not, then it should be, in my opinion! Often, books of this type find themselves being improved upon for one reason or another. This book remains unchanged since 1960; to me, this proves its worthiness in its parts as well as in its whole. Add this book to your collection or library and see for yourself; I assure you, you will not be disappointed! Buy the book: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk (KarateForums.com receives a small commission on any sales generated through these links).

Yes, I've been paying attention to Murray, his listed on the injury report as DNP...so, day by day!! This is the time that the Cowboys start to fall apart, and they miss the playoffs... Hopefully history will take a vacation this year! I never vote the Chiefs out until the fat lady sings...she's not even warming up yet!! GO COWBOYS!!

There are far to many avenues to transition into....and going backward, by choice, isn't one of them, for obvious reasons.

Academic requirements for any grade is important to all practitioners of any style, imho!! Technical knowledge is only a portion within the context of any syllabus; a sliver of the pie, and nothing can satisfy more than having the whole pie. In Shindokan, all levels are required are required to know Shindokan's history. Of course, the lower the level, the smallest details are required, and in that, the younger the student, the same goes for the history details. As rank/level increases, so does the exacting details of Shindokan history. The length of the essay depends on rank, and our Academic Team decides the length as well as the topic/theme, especially when Senior rank is concerned. Ranks from Godan to Hachidan, require explicit knowledge that goes beyond our Densho Scrolls; intimate knowledge!! The higher the Senior rank, the more the academic solvency is expected. Speaking of academic requirements, Shindokan students under 18 years of age are required to carry a 'C' grade in school, hence, no passing grade...then no testing cycle!! Great topic, btw!!

If I've not said this before, let me say it now!! I've only a 6th Gup in TKD under GM Young Ik Suh, and this topic/thread is dynamite through and through! Gives many TKD practitioners a lot to think about from each form you cover!