BDPulver

Its actually a bit complicated without showing you in person. there's different breathing techniques for every aspect of Karate. but all are the same it depends on what what is doing. Meditation is when you concenttrate on the technique of the breathe. In through your nose done to your stomach area and slow exale through your mouth. Kata's are a little different. Depending on the kata depends on how you should breath. Take kusanku and sanchin. Two unique katas but different ways of breathing due to the moves. We always worked on breathing drills for as long as I can remember and this was before I became shodan. But one great way to help with breathing is running or bike riding. Try to concentrate on breathing through your nose and out your mouth even when you need to breath heavy try to steady it so its always the same.

I did fencing in grade and high school and loved it for its diversity in combat. it can teach you how to approach a target and look for openings. Along with there are 3 types of swords in fencing. I wish I could find a school here in the part of KY I live in but no go.

Let me ask this (and i dont want to seem like I am coming off too harsh) but is there a reason to train?? We train to avoid confrontation. If you are looking for a fight to test your skills then you are no better then the person/s on reason why we take up the martial arts. I took up MA to protect myself against a bully but after a while it became a passion. I'm at the point where my instinct will take over for survival then to test my skills out. If I did that I would be NO better then the bully that use to accost me. Alot of us take MA for different reasons, some for self defense, others for better understanding of fighting and still others for that path of enlightment (in general terms). If you want to test your skills out I would suggest looking for a full contact tournament but there you have rules to worry bout but its as close as your gonna get. When I teach I always tell my students to avoid fighting at all cost cause there is only a loser on both sides. I'll get asked why to study and its simple really, you will have tools in that one situation, that one instance where you just might need it.

welcome to the forums

Lupin1 that vaguely sounds like how my sensei does promotions.

Ditto, happy Turkey Day all

I can go on bout all my rank gradings but the one that will always stay ingrained in my memory is my shodan. was July 89. there was 4 of us being tested. We had kinda did it the old fashion way. it was a 48 hour test with a guest black belt i think he was a 4th or 5th dan. But it was alot of running, working in the river (stream to you southern boys ) and doing alot of mental activity. Occassionally being taken to the side by one of the black belts to work on kata and/or kumite. mental activity was working on the stairs of awareness. started it with us building the foundation (i think the next group filled it in). After all that was done, we were given each a paper and to write an essay (my sensei was a english teacher still at this time ) and to write what we thought being a black belt ment and if we thought we where ready for it. I even remember saying I had doubts if I was ready for that. After we were done with that then we grouped together to do a kata together then seperate along with forming a self defense drill with just 2 of us then all 4 of us. Ceremony with speech from sensei and presented with our belts by the respected black belts that wore them. that was pretty much it.

Well being a jugde occassionally when i happen upon a competition/tournament. You 3 have a solid and good working team there. Solid performance, good strength, insink movement of all. Its good for someone like me to jugde other styles cause I'm not familiar with what I see. So I when I jugde team I know I have to put it on a different scale then say individual. I saw some minor hestitation but nothing that would be caught by the untrained. I remember way back doing a team kata we had maybe 15 mins to practice. Our sensei kinda told us we needed a couple more for the adult team. We placed I think 2nd with hardly any practice at all.

good one. that is gonna take me a bit to comtemplate.

in my younger days of learning MA i too wouldve gone with techniques. but.... After many years of practicing, studying, working with other practicioners, delving into techniques to find the multiple meanings I'm going with experience... brian

very well done, good job =D

I was about to add something till I saw DWX post. we had a student who had the same condition where there feet didnt turn right even though everything else was perfect. He mentioned the condition to me ages ago. but worked with it. made shodan then nidan then eventually sandan before retireing cause it started taking its toll i think. cant remember exactly friend told me he stopped going to classes.

wow, I dont even know the answer to that one on the first woman to take isshinryu. I'm part of the IWKA - Isshinryu World Karate Assosciation I'd have to look up my notes on the other 3.

i can say not every school tests the same way. almost sounds like one of our classes. But congrats non the less and im sure you'll will do good.

yup agree with you bushido. Think its why I started carrying a mini tac light. Its big enough to fit in the palm of my hand has a push button on bottom. And the light, oh god talk bout bright. You shine that in an attackers eyes you have a good enough time to either a) run to a more public place or b) subdue him without hardly any harm.

since i'm prone to seizures (till doctor feels he has them under control) I use a milspec push button flashlight that fits in the palm of your hand. I will carry a krambit from time to time but I found that flashlight works wonders.

it kinda reminds me of the movie forbidden kingdom with jackie chan and jet li. in it the kid goes to jackie if he is gonnna learn these special name techniques when jackie goes to him why do you need to learn if you already know so much. In that, yes watching a video and learning a technique from someone is actually two different things. We are only here to help though and can give you our wisdom. Growing up I tried TKD but didnt like it. I started buying black belt mags and thought that since i took some classes i could do the moves in the mag. Also, when they had a program on TV (mind you this is back late 70s early 80s) there was this thing called black belt theatre. at the end of every movie (I think they showed 2 flicks) there was a training session. I figured I was learning MA adequately from this till i got my butt handed to me. It was this time in 84 when my mom asked me if I want to take real classes and thats how i got into isshinryu ever since. I was 14 at this time. Now fast forward, my hanshi has said if we said something being aired or in print and have the experience we can pretty much figure out how its done now since as a black belt we have the knowlegde of hip placement, body move, punch/hand orientation etc... This is where a beginner or one that has not taken a class will only hurt themselves or find out the hard way that they been doing it wrong all along. Also, I practice our basic pihan regularly. it might be boring but it takes all of our basics buts them together to form a basic kata we teach our beginners. Until you realize how the moves are, placement of your hip and hands, is your head bobbing too much, stuff like that is being ironed out we will keep you at that lvl for a while till you are ready to learn the first kata. I will apoligize in advance if i seem to be coming off a bit harsh but Ive been there and know the hardship and headaches one gets without proper knowlegde.

I wish I was more help to you. Not familiar with him or his website. Generally I frequent this one http://www.weaponsconnection.com/ had a friend get some sai's from there and he loves them.

thats one ive been looking at also jeff, unfortunately i dont know anyone that has one to comment.

had a good response with story and hit wrong button so Ill just go agree wholeheartdly with this quote I remember reading back in the day. Must practice basics to get good at kata, without basics there is no Karate.

sounds like your doing something wrong when you are home practicing. but since you said you dont get when you warm up I'd do that first. What I found to help when I practiced was taking a chair (folding,high back.....something without wheels) and first try to get the cocking part down. The kick would come after i was happy i cocked the leg up and chamber it so I could practice rolling the hip. but go see your instructor and just ask him if your doing it right first.

no idea why. never heard of that site to be honest either. What I can tell you is only reason i can think of is Tatsou took aspects of the other arts to make isshinryu. That is only thing i can surmise.

Welcome. I've been a with isshinryu close to 30 yrs, been studying martial arts for 30+ yrs. One of things I can tell you isshinryu5toforever is the politics in isshinryu. There are bout 3 organizations in the US off the top of my head. I'm part of the IWKA. My teacher has hosted the World isshinryu tournament few times. He has tried and succeeded bringing the other organizations together for these. but, i have heard that there is always conflict within cause of what this person was taught to what that person was taught. But the aliveness is there its the economy that we are all facing. some are having trouble affording classes. Last time I called my best friend who still trains cause i live in a different state he tells me who is still there and who has left. I have had problems just trying to start a school here. Most want that black belt fast. Others want to be the next MMA star. and still others feel other forms of defense ie. gun, is much better. Its actually got me thinking of just moving back home sometimes. but then I see the problems of the area i live in where i have been giving in to my stubbornness and to just keep trying. Right now i'm just ramblin' away though.

Well, i'm on of those few instructors that think all techniques can be lethal if done correctly but with intent (to either harm or incapitate). It's not a poll I myself could really answer though. Have always been told the two most dangerous people in the dojo also is the white belt and black belt. The white belt cause they are not sure of the technique you are teaching them and will usually cause harm to themselves. The black belt cause they have ran through the drills to perfect the techniques and should know what is needed to more or less incapitate the said attacker(s). So to not teach all techniques wouldnt make sense to me. But as I said what is and what isnt considered a lethal technique?

I'm gonna agree with sensei8 and add this. I come from a "traditional" school in that we were always drilled that one must practice there kihon to become better at kata/kumite. Kata helps the practitioner on moving, balance control, thinking in retrospect. Occassionally when we did drills we would also take certain parts of a kata and use them paired up. Kumite gives the practioner that feeling that everything they have been trained and drilled is being used against a opponent finally. But if they dont practice they become lax in there techniques and it looks sloppy same with kata. So in that practice.