sensei8

I hear what you're saying Montana, me, being 54 this October. Funny thing about "being in a class with a bunch of oldies"...you've just described any said meeting at the Shindokan Hombu in which all participants are from the upper echelon, in which I'm part of. We have enough people that we could run our own Bingo and/or Bridge game. The rest of your post was SOLID; I couldn't agree with you more...and I like it!!

Thanks for the info. I'm wondering though...it's not 4th of July or anything like that, so this must be true. Again, thanks for the info Patrick.

Wait until you reach 50...scheeh. But serious, what you're planning is quite ok across the board. Keeping in motion is always much better than not!! Good luck and let us know how's it going.

Solid post Alex!!

Traditional weapon Kata's and the like are important to developing and honing the needed skills to any said weapon, and that needed skill is CONTROL. One must control the weapon in and out while transitioning from one posture/stance to another. Now, while XMA weapon Kata's are, imho, for flash, the practitioner wielding said weapon must STILL control the weapon. Peel away the XMA flash, the weapon within any said Kata is still a weapon. Worthy of respect. Respect any said weapon before the weapon loses respect for the practitioner. Remember, the weapon and the body must become one, and to become one, control over said weapon is paramount. Next time, try to watch a weapon Kata for the beauty of the weapon, and it's possible that you'll see the weapon and the practitioner are in deed...one!!

I second Brian and Alex. I was a JBB when I started to learn TKD. I truly enjoyed sitting in the last row as opposed to the front row. I relished the anonymity because only the GM and his senior BB's knew of my JBB in Shindokan. It gave me an opportunity to learn/absorb TKD without others looking at me with a judgemental scowl. It was a blast, as both Brian and Alex have already pointed it out. Enjoy and train hard!!

Imho, Complete anything is an illusion because the completeness would be dependent on the skills/knowledge of any said practitioner/karateka. IS THE METHODOLOGY/IDEOLOGY OF KARATE COMPLETE? Then again, that completeness might then be dependent on the skills/knowledge of the founder of that said style of karate. Possibly, the question above is what should be asked; one that might or might not ever be satisfactorily answered.

Would this be akin to... Study your opponent Study yourself Make a plan Carry the plan out ??

Each and every style of the MA has its pros and cons across the board. NO style is without its own flaws, and there are a few shared elements in karate, so such, that karate wishes these unfavorable elements weren't associated with any karate. Howbeit, this same thing could be said for any said style of the MA. Karate has its "flaws", this I don't deny. But to lump every style of karate in an unfavorable light, imho, is unfair. Shindokan is old school Okinawan karate; our Soke and Dai-Soke were born/raised in Okinawa, and in that, our Soke and Dai-Soke did cast away as many imperfections associated with karate so that the "old" can meet up with the "new/current" to remain a viable entity without discarding its traditional Okinawan roots. I believe in Shindokan, and if you had a moment to experience it, I'm sure you'd believe in it as well. Ask Brian his honest opinion since he's had an opportunity to experience it, albeit, if his exposure to Shindokan was only a very slight glimpse of it.

I'm at loss for words at the moment.

I'm not a 100% sure, but Brian, bushido_man96, researches Medieval Combat. Possibly he can answer a lot of anyone's questions.

In the words of Locutus of Borg..."Sleep...Sleep, Data" Sleep is the best cure when one is suffering from fatigue. As MAist's, we're always encouraged to train/work through the fatigue...Shugyo...suck it up, but that can lead to mistakes and mistakes can cause injuries.

Karate has NOT lost any value in my honest opinion!! Karate is still quite viable across the board. Perhaps it's only viewed as valueless by the masses that aren't experienced in karate for whatever reason(s). I'm a karateka, and I've been a karateka for many, many, many years; therefore, me, being a karateka, I've no value at all...none whatsoever!! Not only am I a karateka, but I'm a traditional karateka, and have been my entire life, and now, because of that, now, I'm irrelevant, of no use.

More often than not, practitioners of the MA aren't too keen on having someone outside of their style teach them anything, no matter if it's the rage of the page or not. It's hard to get participants in the same "room" that aren't of the same methodology/ideology/style UNLESS, imho, you're very well known throughout the MA world. The MA world has many more unknowns than those that are known.

What MA camps have you been to? What do you look for in a MA camp? What's the average, if there's such a thing, price for attending a MA camp? These questions will suffice for starters.

Thanks Brian!! My grip has served me very well all of my years. In closing, I'm sure that there might be a lot of things that we worked on together those two productive days that we've missed the mark in describing/explaining ourselves in any said technique; I guess, one had to have been there to appreciate it.

I'm no beginner, and I've been doing a pre-pivot ever since 1981; that's 30 years and it's served me more for the good than for the bad. I don't concern myself with telegraphing...because I just don't. That pre-pivot, the way I've been doing it doesn't add another technique. I've learned the proper way to kick along time ago, but because of my injury, I had to relearn how to kick/support with the guidance of my Dai-Soke, and imho, he's worthy of my listening to him. If you had been with Brian and I those days, you would've seen it first hand and you would've understood the way I pre-pivot more.

Yepper...because...the proof is on the floor!!

Funny thing about the pre-pivot...I never thought that I was doing that. Brain pointed it out to me during our training session...it was another AHA Moment for me. See, I injured my right knee in 1981 that required surgery/rehab. I practically had to relearn how to kick with my right leg as well as how to support left leg kicks. I took quite some time, but with the help of my Dai-Soke and many of my fellow Shindokanist peers, I was able to kick/support again without losing any key elements, like balance, for example. Nowadays, if I'm not careful, I'll throw out my right knee. I'll blame that on my getting old and not wanting to admit that I'm getting old. Again, thanks Brian for pointing the PRE-PIVOT out to me!! I knew I kicked more differently than my fellow Shindokanists, but I just never gave it a lot of thought into it.

First of all...Welcome to KF!!!!!!! Secondly, from what I was able ascertain from it's website, and I'm happy to see that you've already made plans to visit this dojo. I'd encourage you to watch a few classes, not just one, before making a decision one way or another. It's very difficult to decide anything from just checking out the website. Proof is on the floor, that's why I'm encouraging you to visit this dojo more than one time. You've already a general awareness of what to expect, as well as an ability to garner what's right or wrong and what looks strange and what looks normal from your prior exposure to karate when you lived in Japan. I wish you luck, and let us know how the visits went and what you've decided on.

In order to find the apex at the top of the power curve, a practitioner needs only to remember one important thing... Don't release the hips early or late!! Don't think about it, just feel it... Now, go practice until you find your apex, then keep practicing to commit it to your muscle memory.

Aha...now I know...thanks...I'll go wipe the shame off my face...if I'd only put those two posts together that spoke about just that, I would've known...doh!!

Ooooo...you're going to hate me...who's Sr?

Welcome to KF!!!!!!!!!!

I've no thoughts at this time because I'm still laughing to hard...ROFL!!