joesteph

There's an article that quotes Gichin Funakoshi as having said, “Karate ni sente nashi.” In karate, there is no first attack. It's title is "Law of Self-Defense: Doctrine of Unclean Hands," and starts off with a firearms case. It then moves to the Funakoshi quote, and goes into the martial artist as being held to a higher standard under the law. The URL is: http://www.blackbeltmag.com/peter_hobart_law_of_self_defense_doctrine_of_unlean_hands/archives/709 It offers a link to another article, "How Your Duty to Retreat From a Threat Can Limit Your Self-Defense Rights," and a quote from the article says, "Pennsylvania is a retreat jurisdiction. In 1996 its Superior Court found that: 'Although a person is afforded discretion in determining necessity, level and manner of force to defend one’s self, the right to use force in self-defense is a qualified, not an absolute, right.'” The URL is: http://www.blackbeltmag.com/archives/645 Of the two, I found the second article more on-target to the concerned martial artist.

Because other members of society view it that way, and the views of society, its norms, are internalized. The black belt, at least in American society, symbolizes reaching your goal. Most people are not martial artists, and when the person who reaches that first dan level discovers how much more responsibility goes with it, s/he may need the emotional support of others, but others might not be supportive; they do not understand or appreciate the concept of different dan levels. Spending more time, meaning a continued commitment to scale the dan levels, is generally appreciated only by those truly involved in the martial arts, those who are devoted, and with career and family life included in one's responsibilities in life, it isn't easy to be able to add (or continue) commitments. Yours is a perfectly logical question to ask, Adonis, as you recognize all that one had to have invested of him- or herself to earn that black belt. It's that there are, IMHO, other, non-martial art factors that weigh in.

At home: Ki Cho Hyung Il Bu Ki Cho Hyung E Bu Ki Cho Hyung Sam Bu Pyung Ahn Cho Dan All hyungs done correctly at home. At the dojang: Class, which included the hyungs, two of which I committed errors in while performing. Grappling included in this class.

I've found that when we do blocks according to the dictates of the individual art, such as, as my art and belt-level utilize, one-step sparring, or drills that are exercises in combining called-for blocks and strikes, I do what the art calls its way, and this is as my instructor taught me. In sparring, I have been admonished for using what blocks I know from another art; I respond by remembering to perform within the confines of the dojang what the approved blocks are. In an actual situation, I would not be using those blocks. I learned how to use open hand blocks and was once quite good at them. I learned how to soft-block (as I call it), from slapping the strike to redirecting it. A posting I had read elsewhere in the forum had a reference to trapping, and I responded to having practiced smothering, but now that I have kept an eye out for trapping in postings (and in videos from Expert Village that I hadn't watched in a while), I realize that I had been doing a bit of trapping (the opponent's kicking leg) in the past; if I had the opportunity, I would practice it again. It's not taught in my art at my belt level; I believe it's taught at dan level only. My instructor is now setting aside class time to incorporate what is not in the art; to my knowledge, Soo Bahk Do does not involve grappling, and that has been included in three of my last four classes. I applaud this, but wish the sparring were different, as it's geared towards what is tournament-ruled, and the tournaments are non-contact. Then again, from what I've observed, I don't know other adult members of my dojang who would do contact, so I cannot fault my instructor. However, when limited (be it blocking or striking), you begin to think--and react--only in terms of what is permitted, and while this sparring is better than no sparring at all, it's almost as though it's something done with a caveat within my mind. I say that it's excellent to study different arts; reach a high level in at least one; think of other arts to study as well when appropriate, and determine how far you find you can go while still being proficient in the first art; obey the rules of each art; incorporate what you individually find useful as best you can until it is internalized.

I don't have the background/cultural knowledge that Josh has, Chikara, so when I saw the first part of this question, I wondered about how it could be answered. I'd always thought that Ninjutsu took from other martial arts to form itself, not that it would have been the root of other arts. I think that Bushido Man's answer goes back to the antiquity of Ninjutsu: I wonder if Ninjutsu didn't influence other martial arts over the years, as practitioners of those arts had to deal with Ninjutsu's adherents, and one way to defeat your enemy is not only to know him, but to learn from him.

In class, I like the joint locks and block & strike techniques the best. At home, I enjoy beating up BOB the most. I use free time at the dojang, just before class, to practice hyungs at a more moderate speed, feeling the body movements being done more precisely, my body balance so much better, and my focus, my concentration, on a better mental plane. I think I learned these feelings from doing Taiji years ago; it never left me.

I found an online video that refers to what Abernathy does with the downward motion of the high block, Bushido Man. The first segment has the opponent going down; there's also a segment against a large opponent: http://www.blackbeltmag.com/kelly_mccann_armdrag_takedown_technique/videos/135

+1 thats pretty much how I throw mine. IF I want to hit the stomach I chance levels and drop lower so I can still punch straight with my head covered. I'd thought about dropping down to shoot straight ahead, Adonis, but was concerned about a kick. I guess if you've got your hands and elbows in the right place, it's a sound move--and a surprise to your opponent who discovers you've "disappeared" right before his very eyes.

Thanks, Shinta. I imagine every dojo/dojang gets one of these individuals at some point.

At home: Stretching exercises for the legs Ki Cho Hyung Il Bu Ki Cho Hyung E Bu Ki Cho Hyung Sam Bu Pyung Ahn Cho Dan Class at night--rather a spirited one

Even though sparring is limited to non-contact at the dojang where I train, tallgeese, my instructor pointed out flaws in my punching technique to me--and I had been trying to be more boxer-like in terms of jabs and crosses. I did some at-home shadow boxing, and when I sparred, it was true that we circled around--it wasn't linear at all. Since we can kick as well, it shows the benefit of karate, that you've got four weapons in sparring (and even more in a real-life situation).

I know what you're saying, Moriniuk, about fitness and padwork, but not self-defense techniques. There are quite a number of cardio-kickboxing classes in my area, and my karate is non-contact, so I was looking for a place to blast away at heavy bags and similar full-impact targets. There is a place I can drive to, but the sessions are "boot camp" in style with its exercises before hitting the targets, which is not what I want, and yet there are testimonials to all the weight that both men and women lose while working out there. The sessions are an hour long, which I discovered to be too much for me in terms of cardio, just as a cardio-kickboxing class was the same amount of time, but a half-hour would have been plenty. I would love to find a place that concentrates less on the exercises and more on the blast away at full impact, both in kicks and punches, and once a week would be fine for me as I already take karate. Incidentally, during karate class tonight, we not only did work we needed to practice for our upcoming test, we also did self-defense blocks and punches, was well as takedowns. Perhaps tomorrow we'll be doing joint locks again. This is where karate can supplement kickboxing--doing what you would not be doing in a kickboxing class.

The points you're making are definitely sound. The constant practice of a movement interpreted in a narrow sense, when it actually has broad applications, renders it either viewed as outdated or just a movement you do in a kata/hyung without thought--and so unconsciously dismissed. Every application of a movement, such a the high block, need not be studied all at once, but we profit when we're introduced to even a few practical applications. It even gets us thinking on our own about other uses we might not have been shown--and it's a good thing to think creatively.

This sounds like what I try to do, tallgeese, although when in motion, especially if in a circling motion instead of a linear one, it does break down a bit--but I think that's expected. If there's a split-second break in the sparring, I try to recover, to get back into that stance. A loose stance, even if you're doing non-contact as my instructor has us do, can have you looking at someone's knuckles two inches from your nose, or someone's foot saying hello to your ribs. It's both "on guard" and "ready for action."

I wonder if this is the same, unknownstyle, as when someone says s/he does a "skip," "hop," or "slide up" side kick? (I've also heard these referred to for the front kick.)

I've noticed on the Korean flag, Josh, that the symbols above the Um-Yang are heaven on the left, and water on the right, while the symbols below are fire on the left (opposite water) and Earth on the right (opposite heaven). I didn't think twice about heaven above and Earth below, but I'm used to thinking in terms of "fire and water," not "water and fire," and I wonder if the principles of where one associates water and fire, upper body and lower body, didn't work their way into the Korean flag. A caution against too much power exerted by the upper, such as by hand techniques, as opposed to dropping the center to maintain a rooted position before committing power, makes me think of the second line in the Sip Sam Seh, in which the waist is where the power is. You have to have a lowered center and be rooted to harness that power, not be "top heavy" with emphasis/power and so be unbalanced. This reminds me of Taiji. It also reminds me of, when performing hyungs, that to keep balance while turning, there's a right way to keep balance, and a wrong way of committing the body and so experiencing imbalance. I can't say that she has spoken exactly like this, Josh, but my instructor's teacher visits our dojang every so often and teaches a class. She places a great deal of emphasis on proper breathing, as well as relaxation and tension (such as to have the limb to be used for block or strike start in a relaxed state, then fire it off--the "tension").

Late last night: Ki Cho Hyung Il Bu Ki Cho Hyung E Bu Ki Cho Hyung Sam Bu Pyung Ahn Cho Dan Today before class: Same hyungs, done 2X Class with my children

We were going over certain block and strike combinations last week, and the fellow I usually pair up with was having a coordination problem linking the two. My instructor, a woman who's reached fourth dan, had me work with her with him looking on. She's a trained fighter; I sincerely respect her martial art prowess; doing the block was no problem; when I had to do the strike, a ridge hand that I'd been practicing and have down pretty well, I looked at her and paused. Then I let the ridge hand fly in its arclike motion, stopping about an inch short of her neck with the required "Kihap!" I know I wouldn't have paused with the man I usually pair up with, nor another male adult student I'm sometimes paired with, because I haven't paused in the past when it came to strikes. Do other men in the forum find themselves hesitant when doing striking movements against a fellow woman student? Have you had that in the past but it's since disappeared? Never really disappeared? Mine is done non-contact; what about dojos/dojangs where there is contact? She reviewed a takedown move with me and other students only the week before; I wasn't uncomfortable, and there was a joint-lock finish. Was it because it was a strike? Do the women members of the forum generally find the men hesitant? Hesitant at first? No, not hesitant at all? Just to clarify: I'm not speaking about creating single-sex classes; I'm referring to pausing or hesitation on the part of the men.

The presentation was a very enjoyable one, Andrea; it had a bit of everything included, which is a crowd pleaser. As you said, it's karate sport, but that can be the fun part of it, especially if you're younger. You mentioned that you practice karate as self-defense, which means that your instructor balances the two. Many other schools could take a page from your instructor's book. Speaking as a man in middle-age, one of the reasons adult men may be interested more in self-defense other than time (although you're right to mention time as a factor), is that we realize that we're more likely to be targets, or less likely to be capable of defending ourselves, than we were when we were younger. Those who prey on others are cowards, looking for whom they perceive to be the easiest targets for a robbery, and the gray hair and balding scalp (as I have) can be interpreted as a target in their minds. I think this is why the assistant instructor at the dojang where I train has worked on certain street applications/variations with me. How long did it take for you and your team to prepare for this demonstation, Andrea? It must have been months.

Are you referring to physical benefits from the kihap, Josh? My instructor's teacher is big on balancing tension and relaxation, and she's maintained that the kihap given in our hyungs work to release tension from the body at the times selected in those hyungs.

I'd like to reach red belt in my art, Soo Bahk Do, which is one step away from dan ranking. Then I want to see my sons grow up to surpass me to achieve the dan rank.

I had to pass that link on to a good friend who's an English teacher in my school. She'll love it.

Welcome to the forums, SilentHunter.

Moves with stealth . . .

You're standing by principles you believe in, principles you want to instill in your daughter. This is the mark of a good parent. You're very lucky your daughter is respectful of your feelings and talks with you about her actions. There are parents who are at odds with their children, parents who wish their children would explain to them, confide in them, as Kinzie did with you. You were angry but, as an adult, knew the right way of doing things. Your daughter doesn't have the same experience in life as you do, and she was now able to witness you putting your beliefs in the system into practice. You role-modeled in the right way. I think not only do we all believe her, but realize that she had to make an instant decision as to how to deal with this bully. It's not always easy to know what to do, and sometimes in dealing with such a situation, "things happen" that we hadn't intended. But she was not the instigator here, and that's important. Thanks for sharing this with us, USCMAAI.