NievesOSK

Working out with Steve Muhammed (Sanders) in Ohio. The man is amazing. If you don't know who he is, he's the guy that Jim Kelly shook hands with in the beginning of the Bruce Lee Movie, Enter the Dragon. He's also known to be a very good fighter. If you see any of Wesley Snipes pictures where he's being escorted by an older dark gentleman with no hair, that's Sijo Steve. Sijo works as a body guard for many stars and politicians. Osu.

According to what's been passed down, in the old days, students were given a very small amount of material to begin their training with. I.E.-Practicing Naihanchi (Shorin/Shuri Te traditions) or Sanchin (Uechi Ryu) for a long time along with some basic kicks, blocks and punching techniques were used to develop a student's basic understanding of the art they are training in. What I have found from recent experience is that maintaining a small amount of katas with dynamic techniques and keeping the curriculum "basic" for the beginners would actually be better for their development than subjecting them to a large number of techniques. Will students get bored? Most certainly. That's where varying the drills using those basic techniques will take some of the "oh gawd, not gedan barai, choku-tsuki again!" blues away. Thankfully my master instructor has allowed me to participate in the changes to improve our karate system. Pretty exciting times that allows us to remove unnecessary and redundant techniques/kata (i.e.-no need for Taikyoku Shodan, Nidan, & Sandan when Fukyugata Ich achieves the same results). Osu

Tai Chi is a martial art. It's kind of like Wu Shu or XT Karate in today's world. Many current practitioners train for the sake of sport and/or health, not real street fighting. The roots of Tai Chi are it's martial applications and there are practitioners out there that can fight using Tai Chi form and application. As far as what you are looking for, why not try them all? I agree that MT will give you the best fitness results, but do what you like and feels best for you. BTW: MT will give you the quickest result for application on the street. Great fitness, nasty fighting art. Osu. I think that you should start off with the Muay Thai , that would get you into shape in no time. Then after you have doen say 6-8 months of that and your body is more leaner, you should go and take the other 2 clases. As Tai Chi is not much of a MA it is still vital to keepin clear mind.

From their website: Our karate system is unique; a combination of Aikdo, Hopkido, Isshinryu, and Ju Jitsu on a strong Tae Kwon Do base. Sounds like a psuedo TKD school.

When I stated slip past, I meant as part of a parry, not as meeting force on force. It is easier, at least from my experience, to redirect as part of a parry instead of trying to do a full block. Parrying allows me to redirect the attacking arm where I want it to go then initiate the lock. As with all things martial arts related, it is better to see than explain. Osu.

Very cool. I have seen this in action. It's amazing the various ways of maximizing the power of punching. Maximizing power isn't just done with the movement of the hip, but the body as a whole (based on your statement above, I have to assume you already know this). Driving the body forward and tensing at the last possible instant maximizes damage. Thanks for the "reminder" on the two ways of punching above. I am still young enough to deliver strikes in the first method so I don't really practice the down angle. It is something to practice for use in my later years. Osu.

As stated, all of the above listed blocks have their place. It would depend on the circumstances. Ideally, one would not want to take the full brunt of the attack. You would want to redirect and slip past the attack while simultaneously countering with a return technique. In my studies, I have found the word Uke to mean "to receive" not necessarily to "stop". Receiving and redirecting the attack so you are in a position for a counter-attack is the bases for old school Tuidi (IMO). Parrying, striking/locking, throwing, breaking the offending limb, etc. The philosophy I teach in my class is as follows: Evade Counter Strike Immobilize Incapacitate When one can do all in a counter-attack sequence and do it well, the fight ends quickly. Osu.

No, it's not unique. It's actually used a lot more than you think. I was told it has it's basis in eastern cultures (Japan/China). Not just for rank certificates either. For official documents, correspondence and the like. Yes, we use it in our system. It legitimizes the rank and confirms "lineage". Osu. Wow, that's unique.

I go to other master instructor training often enough that I guess you would consider me one of those students that go to other dojos. My master instructor is 63 years old. Although he can still defend himself, he doesn't have the "spunk" he once had. I train with men my age or younger to push myself further in my art. He knows I visit other schools and encourages it. I have never asked for rank and do not 'teach' in those classes. I am the student in those settings and maintain an 'empty cup' attitude. It has certainly made me a better practitioner and helps me better understand the strengths and weaknesses of not only my art but others as well. Osu.

ADHD is a subjective 'diagnosis'. I will leave it at that. I can say good Karate training is great for teaching kid's focus and discipline. Osu.

Osu.

In northeastern Ohio we have a lot of people visiting various dojos. Some dojos actually have open fight nights that are fun. Granted we pound, but in most cases there is 1) an understanding that you stepped on the line and should be ready to defend, 2) you are not going to get killed or beat to a pulp. Of course, there is always the one... About 2 months ago a guest TKD black belt came to our school to spar on a Saturday. I was actually in Columbus area competing and didn't get to attend. I found out from my master instructor and my wife that he took it to all of our advanced children ranks and our adult beginners...and was cocky about it. Ever since then I have been itching for him to come back. Well this past weekend I was called on the floor to test for my Yondan. My MI has done this to me the last 3 testings. No advance notice. So, I am always ready to test. One of the dojo mottos is: "every day is a test". Indeed. I digress... This TKD was on our panel and was asked to spar against me. Joy. His first move was the typical back fist reverse punch combination many point fighters use. Both blocked. He had a look of shock that I neutralized his speed and stopped his attack cold. Then I proceeded to tear him apart. Chudan, Judan, Gedan kicks, punches, etc. all broke through all of his attempts to hit me. He hit me twice (once with a kick to the head and another time with a backfist). After those two strikes, I changed my guard to a more upright Okinawan position from my usual boxer's stance and he didn't adjust. Other than that, in the 5 minutes we sparred, he didn't touch me. I could see it in his eyes that he couldn't figure me out. The coup de gras came at the end when he attempted a high kick, I did a circle block under his leg+caught his leg with my forearm and shuffled forward him while sweeping his base leg. I finished with a down tsuki to his jaw. I am adamant with students and peers about being humble and honorable about one's Martial Arts. But this one of those times where I was beaming and told my MI, hell yeah that felt good. Osu.

Watch: Sandairyu from Uechi-Ryu Perform: I actually enjoy Tensho/Rukusho. It's really a dynamic form and my body feels good after doing a few iterations. In tournament, probably Chinto or Kusanku. Kanshu from Uechi Ryu gets honorable mention as well. Osu.

Ms. Heather, I would very much like to speak with you RE: Your program. I am attempting to do what you are doing in Alabama. The model I wish to use is similar to the Kick-start.org program in Texas but I would be interesting in talking to you about how you run yours for ideas. Look forward to hearing from you. Osu. E. Samuel Nieves.

So you have a leaky faucet in your bathroom and want to just abandon the house? Do you really want to continue training with Mr. Head? And Mr. Chief is the problem? Ever heard the maxim: the pen is mightier than the sword? Put the problems down on paper. Have all black belts that feel the same sign the letter. Hand deliver it to the Head when he arrives. If it means you can't talk to Head unless you attend the seminar, then pony up the cash between the lot of you and have one person do the delivery. You can decide if you want to CC the Chief or not. Be prepared for political fall out and drama soon after though. If you truly believe in fixing the problem, then fix the sink and don't worry, be happy. Hasta.