sensei8

To borrow from Jim Kelly..."If it comes, I won't even notice it...I'll be to busy looking good." Whether this comes off in a grin-and-giggle way or not, the point is that I don't worry about it, nor do I want to be a proponent of it. You act like a victim...you'll become a victim. You act like a winner...you'll become a winner. You act like you're going to lose...you'll lose. I believe in my complete totality as a martial arts and the core of that doesn't even come from my parents...no...it comes from my Dai-Soke and what he instilled within me across the board. I've never, to my memory, sprouted that off to my students and/or the student body and/or to anyone within the Hombu. Try to hurt me...someone's going to lose and I'm going to do everything within me to make sure that the loser of our fight isn't going to be me!! I understand the political approach and mindset of it, but I don't want to have anything to do with it because it can only invite something bad. I'll let others who are proponents of that mindset believe to present their arguments to/for those who subscribe to that like mindsets. For me; no thank you.

Very nice...very solid!!

I don't see how belonging to a country is relevant or fair, Martial Arts has no boarders, no divides just brotherhood in Budo, this has saddened me friend Imagine... okie dokie

Imagine if training reached a final conclusion Imagine if the USA owned the MA Imagine if children weren't allowed to practice/learn the MA Imagine if kata was thought about in a respectful way

Playing devils advocate...[i'm a staunch proponent of ShuHaRi] Doesn't the concept of ShuHaRi eventually depend on one to have a deliberate thought?

Understanding hips as to its relationship to power is paramount to consistently developing that necessary power at any given time. In a split second, an unbelievable amount of things must take place and they must take place correctly, or any karate technique is mute. We can talk/teach about hip transition and the like as far as to the who, what, where, when, why, and how until the cows come home, but any technique(s) suffers because of the unprepared karateka, both Kyu and Dan. Is the technique(s) and/or the style surrounding the use of ones hips flawed? No, imho, I'd say that it's the karateka that's flawed. Flawed in putting the pieces together and making sense of the entire process. Some questions to ask oneself: >Does the hip drive?...and when? >Does the hip push?...and when? >Does the hip thrust?...and when? >Does the hip stall?...and when? >Does the hip stay level?...always? >Does the hip snap?...and when? What does the hip mostly depend on? Is everything within any said technique, from start to finish, unloaded like a domino or at the same last moment? For most karate styles, a kick, for example, has a four count: Up, out, back, down. For the essence of power, when, during this four count, is the hip activated? Sometime a karateka must ask questions, no matter how futile and/or how frustrating it might be in conquering and revealing effectively consistent hip movement. You are either pushing or you are damaging your opponent.

From time to time I'll read/hear someone spout their disdainful feelings about the MA. This scornful person usually gets nothing from me in the term of an argument because for the most part my words would only fall on deaf ears; a tree is a tree for a good reason. "The martial arts is dead!" Really? Courts say that the next kin must be notified, and I'm the next kin and nobody notified me. Where's the death certificate? If the MA is dead, then what is it that lives within me that keeps changing me one technique at a time!! The MA is dead...uh...no it's not. The MA is alive and well!!

Our actions, as MAists, mostly depend, imho, that our technique(s) are automatic; without restricting thought. "He who hesitates, meditates horizontally."~ Ed Parker "I do not hit, 'it' hits all by itself." ~Bruce Lee With not much of an premise... How much does the subliminal affect the quality of ones technique(s)?

Type of MA Instructor that I don't want: >An instructor that lacks substance >An instructor who insists his/her way is the only way I've started by listing two...your turn...

Type of MA Instructor that I want: >One whose instructions challenge me >One who sees my value beyond rank/money I've started by listing two...your turn...

Well, I was excused from jury duty, BUT, I've been rescheduled for sometime in September. If my wife is still unemployed, I have to submit paperwork to support my wanting to be excused then. I thought jury duty was an honor, but if I'm being FORCED, then it's no longer an honor to serve. Sheech.

RIP Brandon!!

WOW!! Very impressive and very motivational!! Thanks for sharing Danielle!!

Solid post!! Btw, I'd like to welcome you to KarateForums.com

While I don't like/appreciate what Nick and Nate do, in their given venue, what they're doing is quite smart. Why? Brand Managing is all they're doing, and if what they're doing is working, than imho, it's smart marketing. They're the "bad guys" of MMA, and it works. Floyd Mayweather is today's Boxing's "bad guy" and it's working for him all the way to the bank. Brand Managing is very important no matter the business!! No Brand Managing = no money!!

Solid post!!

Shotokan is most definitely a "Japanese" style. While Shotokan is of Shuri-te lineage, it has been heavily influenced by mainland Japan and as such is distinctly different from Okinawan styles in both kata and focus. Moreover, Gichin Funikoshi has had no influence over any of the Okinawan Karate styles and there are many, many styles on Okinawa. Solid Post, OSU!!!! Ditto!!

I bought this DVD from Kanazawa Sensei. Excellent DVD. However, imo, there are slight differences between Kanazawa Sensei's "flavour" (eg skkif and the people who studied under him) of Shotokan and Enoda Sensei's "flavour" (eg JKA and the people that studied under him). As for the fighting stance of Shotokan karate, see . Weight bearing 50/50 between back and front.To be honest, I would strongly recommend training under an instructor to get a better feel of the art. Solid advice!! Stance in your provided video link is zenkutsu dachi even though their stances are more upright and even weighted.

Great advice!!

Congrats jaypo!!

Bad habits are quite difficult to break, if not practically impossible, if left uncorrected properly.

Solid post!!

Solid article across the board there Ed. I thank you for it. Makes one think about ones surroundings when taking a casual walk or when walking to/from the house/car and in/out of public buildings, and what one can find and use should on have to. I surely don't just walk without looking at/for the availability of "weapon(s)" lying on the ground and the like. Great article Ed!!

Congrats and well deserved!!

IMAGINE Imagine the martial art that you’ve trained in means everything to you. Imagine the martial art that you’ve trained in means nothing to others. Imagine that your martial art is all that you’ve ever known. Imagine that your martial art is, according to others, unknown; insignificant. Imagine what the martial arts world would be like without ranks. Imagine what the world would be like without the martial arts. Imagine what the martial art world would be like if styles got along. Imagine the world wide martial arts association existed as it governed in totality. Imagine that the martial arts world without its legendary masters. Imagine that the legendary masters don’t respect the martial artists of today. Imagine the collective minds of the legendary masters condemned politics from its beginning. Imagine the collective minds of today’s masters authorized the politics of today. Imagine that your style of the martial arts teaches only effective techniques. Imagine that those effective techniques lack the freedom of honesty expression. Imagine the vehicle of the martial arts simply just ran out of gas; going nowhere. Imagine that today, every martial artist just simply walked away; today was their last training day. Please, if you would honor yourself, others, and me, add your own line(s) and paragraphs to this Unending poem. Full of everyone’s thoughts from all walks of the martial arts. This poem is for us; martial artist one and all. I prostrate before each and everyone here at KF because of the respect I have for you; my family, as well.