joesteph

A benefit from studying other martial arts, or at least aspects of other arts, when you've got a good foundation in at least one.

An excellent article, Cleung. When my marriage ended, my life changed drastically. My two children, in the autistic spectrum, were recommended for karate by a specialist, and I decided to have them give it a go; it was the best decision I could have made for them. I eventually began to study at the same dojang, and my own mental/emotional state improved significantly. Just tonight, we did something different at the dojang. I've been assisting on Mondays and Wednesdays, my boys' karate days, but this time I'd been asked by our instructor not to participate, that she might gauge how the boys are disciplined without me on the dojang floor. The boys displayed good behavior, but asked her if I could do karate with them again, which she agreed to. It felt so good that my sons had asked for me!

A friend of mine who studied Isshinryu years ago told me then, Josh, that the Japanese word "kiai" was the word for scream. "Scream" or "shout," it's the same thing; we're just using a non-English word as a battle cry. I remember reading that martial artists from a good dojang will not be startled by a kihap, because they've heard it--and bellowed it--repeatedly. It's a suitable way to startle an attacker in a real-life situation, especially if you sound, well, insane. Who wants to fight someone that they think is crazy? Screaming and attacking your opponent(s) has a better shot at driving off the enemy than fighting back alone.

Welcome to the forum!

Have you checked out the official web site: http://fushinryukarate.org and clicked on links, or gone right to the links web page: http://fushinryukarate.org/links.html According to the web site, the founder is over eighty years old and still teaches in Japan.

When I was practicing right crosses (from a hands held high position) to "feel" what Z was referring to--the greater the twist of my body, the greater the extension of my right arm, the lifting of my right foot on the ball of the foot, even the turning of the shoulders--I could feel a tightness in the left hip area, that that was the "fulcrum" Z was describing and what I had envisioned in his explanation. When I did the right cross with a focus on the spine, Bushido Man, I didn't reach as far, and didn't feel it in the left hip, although I committed less of my body into the punch, allowing me to retract more rapidly if I wanted to, for a follow-up strike.

This stepping the back leg in front of the front leg is how we do a roundhouse kick "with step" in Soo Bahk Do, and how Grandmaster Son demonstrated his side kick in his book Korean Karate. But in Soo Bahk Do, to do a side kick "with step," we have the back leg step behind the front leg, and the twist when chambering and firing is a lot like a back kick. I wonder where most schools that incorporate a side kick "with step" have the stepping foot placed, in front of the front leg or behind it?

Actually, Zanshin, I think this explanation can be seen in the mind's eye. The reader can envision the difference between the opposite hip (like a swinging gate) as opposed to the spine as the fulcrum. I can't say I'm familiar with the term Hiki-te, but a reader can follow the greater power alluded to by using the opposite hip rather than the spine from your body mechanics explanation.

I wondered this myself. I can do the second, with the body facing forward and then pivoting, but not if I want to step and then do a side kick (longer range). Oddly, though this movement is new to me, I found it easier for body balance.

What I like about this, Vladko, is that the presenter realizes that many (most?) people don't have that ideal flexibility that we're frequently told "keep doing stretching" to attain, when we're doing all that our bodies can. It's funny that we're most often told to use the ball of the foot for a front kick, and with me, the flexibility of the ankle and toes is such that it's more natural for me to go with the heel, feeling the flat of the foot against the target as ball and heel make contact. I imagine it's not the way to break boards, but I'm more concerned about self-defense, meaning a human opponent, not a pine board.

It's like having MMA on the battlefield; literally hand-to-hand combat. Interesting, Adonis, that it says ended with gun shots, which can mean, as I interpret, unarmed fighting over who gets the weapon, or unarmed fighting until one of your fellow soldiers shoots the enemy soldier.

Then wouldn't you be only about a foot from the attacker, Waza, and the block is actually a "forearm smash" against the attacher's upper arm?

Are you saying, ShoriKid, that at one point you form an "X" with your forearms in front of your face? It seems to be that way for a split second, then the forearms separate, with the inside hand being brought back down.

I agree, Tiger. One of the social studies courses I teach (on the high school level) is philosophy, and we concentrate on thinking for ourselves. The others are psychology, sociology, and history--all of which you touched on in your posting.

Tallgeese, your emphasis with this move focuses on mobility while using it, as opposed to block and then move. Tiger, your emphasis is clear: combine this block (like other blocks) with an immediate counter-attack.

I wonder if the "monogamy" we're examining in our day is something that has its roots in another time, even an extended period of time within the past, definitely in China, and possibly in Japan as well. Didn't students live with their martial arts teacher in the past? Wasn't it like a family, with the teacher (I'm avoiding saying "instructor" here as too contemporary) as a kind of father-figure? Wasn't it so that students did not actually pay a tuition in these circumstances, but provided for themselves and, every so often when deemed appropriate, offer a gift to their teacher, something that he could live on, as a token of appreciation for all they've learned from him? This family-type atmosphere would form a family-type bond of loyalty; to study with another teacher would mean leaving the family, and it could have been passed down in altered form that studying under another instructor is being disloyal to him and the martial arts "family" he heads.

What you're saying here, Josh, is very much like a conversation I had had with my instructor. She stood in front of me and imitated someone having a disagreement with me, someone who's talking with her hands. My arms were by my sides. She then started to shoot out one of her hands from chest level, demonstrating that the individual talking with his/her hands may have been setting me up. All I really had in my arsenal in that case was the "high" block that was actually a rising one, to move up my body and defuse/deflect the sucker punch hand. The idea wasn't to weakly raise my hand, but to be conditioned to strongly raise my forearm in order to protect myself. It wasn't what we learned in class; it's more like a "street" example. But what she showed me does follow what you've referred to. BTW, I also realized it'd have been better for me, in that situation, to have either had my hands clasped hand-over-hand in front of me, or unclasped and up at chest level, palms facing forward.

I've heard the high block also referred to as the rising block, and it seems to be a karate standard, especially in kata/hyungs. If it's in other arts, I'm not aware, but it might be in some. A book will have a photo of the martial artist in a front stance, his blocking arm--say the right arm in this case--having risen from his lower abdomen (from the left lower corner there) straight up over his head, his forearm at the appropriate angle, and he can see straight ahead without obstruction. A photo of the martial artist utilizing the block often accompanies the photo of him performing it, and it may be one of blocking a punch, stopping a club-wielder at the arm (i.e., anti-weapon), or both photos might appear. I've had a discussion now and then about the use of this block against a punch, particularly against a taller man. The using force-against-force argument is one that can't simply be dismissed; it can be that the punch will skim over and hit you right in the face (forehead?), and if it's a taller opponent, the chance of it happening increases. Is it useful against a punch? When I took a special course, Street Survival, the instructor taught us an odd--but not unsound--use of this block. Imagine someone is behind you, but at a 45 degree angle from your right shoulder. He grabs your right shoulder with his left hand, pulls you 'round, and strikes you in the face with a right cross. The Street Survival instructor had us practice bending forward at the waist, in a sense "dipping" our heads down, when being pulled 'round. At the same time, while looking in the direction of the pull, the right arm would be raised in this bent-over position to block the incoming punch. If we stood up, we would have performed a "high" block from a nonstandard position. When we practiced it, it worked every time in that bent-over posture. Do you find the high or rising block useful against an unarmed opponent? Have you used it in the kata/hyung traditional manner? Untraditionally?

I didn't realize that Hangul is a letter system. When you stated that 24 is the smallest number to be divisible by exactly eight factors, DMx, it got me thinking to solve it (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24), and as you stated, eight is an important Asian number. There was a book called The Celestine Prophecy that was popular back in the '90s. One of its thought-provoking claims was that there are no coincidences.

My Soo Bahk Do instructor's teacher is a petite woman, Chikara, I'd say about your height, 5'-5'1". She did not become a fifth dan because someone gave it to her; she worked for it and was encouraged by her own instructor--Grandmaster H.C. Hwang. I don't know if what you study is actually a man's style, or has been taught in such a manner that it appears to be that way. The latter suggests looking into the mind of your instructor and, while we can't read thoughts, we can go by the behavior exhibited. Behavior includes the words that come from someone's mouth; anyone can say something once and not really mean it, but a pattern of behavior, in this case repeating the negative on a regular basis, betrays the thoughts. Frankly, Chikara, I say he wants to you to act in the role of how he himself views women. He likely harbors a fear of his own about women; he may consider the martial arts "the last bastion" of masculinity; you are a threat to him and continue to threaten him every time you return for class. Leaving his school would actually give him a sense of relief; he has caused the world to adjust to his distortion. The reason you left, he will justify, is not because of the art or his behavior, but that you have two X chromosomes, and he has an X and a Y. All men don't think like this. There must be a tremendous number of women who study the martial arts under a male instructor and experience encouragement--genuine support, not lip service because it's politically correct. My instructor is a woman--fourth dan; she is also a trained fighter. I respect her. The assistant instructor is a man--second dan. I find nothing "unnatural" about this in that she put in the hard work hard to achieve her higher ranking/position, and none of the men in the dojang even bring it up. I understand you are studying in another school, Chikara, which I assume to be another art style. Is your instructor a man? Do you find acceptance by your new instructor? Respect from your fellow students? Encouragement? Camaraderie? If the answer is yes, you've found an excellent dojo for martial art growth. Are you still studying in the old dojo where your self-esteem is always on the line? You've got nothing to prove by staying there. While we speak of studying martial arts for self-defense, these arts are also a sport activity to be enjoyed. You've got more guts than I do, Chikara, putting up with the negative climate of that first dojo. I'd have said "Goodbye!" to that first one a long time ago, and embraced the second one with a hearty "Hello!"

I did weight-training for two decades, Eric, and martial arts were a complement, but not an equal focus, though I had times of higher MA activity. That said, there are particular benefits to using free weights and the Bowflex. Bench presses give you that forward power. When you bench press, you can even forego direct shoulder and triceps work, since while benching you are mainly using the pectoral muscles (so it's a chest exercise), and the anterior (front) deltoid and the triceps are both greatly involved, meaning the shoulder and the largest, most straightening-out-the-arm, muscle of the upper arm are both working. While it is obvious that so much time should not be spent on weights that your MA training is affected adversely (time, soreness), other concerns may not be so self-evident. Take care regarding shoulder work if you choose to do it. You don't want to do an amount, with MA training, overworking the joint and giving you tendinitis there. If you do decide to do shoulder work, do the military press, not the behind-the-neck press, with a moderate weight, and refrain from lateral raises. Lateral raises have your arms moving in a way that, though the dumbbell weights are not heavy, leverage puts greater pressure on the shoulder joint than you realize, and you can, again, increase your chances of suffering from tendinitis. If you wish to do triceps work to supplement your MA training, one of the best exercises (supplementing bench pressing, too) is triceps kickbacks. They are more "natural" to the body than overhead triceps presses, in that the dumbbells start off at the point of least resistance, then grow in resistance as you move your arm through the arc to the finish point. Overhead triceps presses, as they begin at a point of great resistance, can contribute to developing elbow problems. Squats are an excellent builder of the quadriceps, and martial artists want to increase the power of their kicks, but take care to use strict form and be careful about the amount of weight used. Strict form will mean evenness of descent and ascent, and not going down more than the upper legs parallel to the floor. If you decide to stop just above parallel, you are safeguarding your knees. In a choice between using greater weight or more reps, since this is to supplement MA training, go with more reps. Remember, too, that squats involve the back through the downward pressure of keeping the barbell in place; no one wants a bad back due to too heavy a load or bad form. I've found leg presses better than squats to build up the quadriceps--and so kicking power. You have less to be concerned about regarding pressure on your spine, and leg presses are simply safer in that you've eliminated the danger of falling with a weight across your shoulders. There is no strain on the knees at a parallel to the floor change-of-direction point. The advantage of focusing more directly on the quadriceps should be self-evident, and you will find you can handle more weight or go for more reps safely. I used to train at home with both weights and the Bowflex, and did not use the latter for bench presses or arm work, but for back work (there's a tower available for lat pulldowns) and leg presses.

You know, Waza, that's a good observation that I didn't even think about until you mentioned it; we take it for granted. It can be a response to the original question or stand alone, as something to be considered in itself.

Will you be learning joint locks and takedowns at this dojo? These are not, to my knowledge, taught in kickboxing classes. You will be introduced to kata, or "forms," in the new martial art, as well as sparring (contact or non-contact depending on the dojo), in which you will apply your skills to a moving, rather than stationary, target, and that moving target (your sparring partner) will not be limited to linear motion, but circling will enter, too. There is a caveat here, inAbsentia, that karate involves a commitment to the art. If you mean by "in conjunction" a supplement to kickboxing, I don't see that workng well. If you mean a true commitment to studying the art, which takes time in the dojo and often practice at home, then so long as you have time for both (like taking a "double major" in college), then don't hold yourself back. If you have the time and the desire for both, go for it.

At home: Stretching exercises Boxing BOB Ki Cho Hyung Il Bu Ki Cho Hyung E Bu Ki Cho Hyung Sam Bu Pyung Ahn Cho Dan Class at night

I don't really care for, as I interpret some postings, "take it like a man" and "give it back as hard as you got" approaches. The right way is supposed to be, IMHO, to speak with the person first; if no satisfaction is reached, then speak with the instructor. If you've knowingly signed up with a school that prides itself on how rough it is (like hiring a bodybuilding trainer known for "animal workouts"), then there's no recourse other than to follow the concepts I've referred to in the first sentence or choose to leave. But if that's not what you signed up for, and there's been no evidence that that's the kind of dojang it is, then what I've stated in the second sentence applies. After I'd been tutored in Isshinryu by a friend, and we did a lot of contact, I signed up for TKD that was non-contact, meaning dan members as instructors, and my friend hadn't reached dan level in his art. I would now be attending actual classes in a dojang, learning hyungs, and doing non-contact sparring with different people. We did what I call the "sitting duck" practice moves, that you throw the lunge punch and remain in place while your partner practices blocks and counters. As a white belt, I was paired off with a black belt that I still call a bully. He struck hard at my outstretched arm with knife hands and palm heel smackdowns as blocks, hitting the bones just right to give me a good sting before his non-contact punch. I switched my punch from the twisting fist to the vertical (thank you, Isshinryu), and his blocks lost their sting. He was doing the same thing, but hitting a different area, one that could take it. I'm not supposed to have to do that, accommodate his lack of control; what of others who didn't know this "trick"? Before we switched so that it would be my turn, I began to tell him off. I wasn't yelling, but my voice was firm and it carries. I told him right out that I didn't care for knife hands and palm heels (which I lifted an arm up to show him with my hand what each one looked like) as blocks, and that the (I call it a "soft block") approved block was what we were supposed to be using. (It was a block using the back of the wrist.) The instructor came over and jokingly said to me that he would pair me off with someone who was "less of an animal." I told my instructor no. I was fine. I clearly remember saying, "I'm not afraid of him" while looking the dan member in the eye. The instructor said something to the effect of OK, walked away, and now it was my turn. I did every block correctly, according to what was considered the correct way (the back of the wrist), and while I did throw punches, all were to his face; I also did spearhands to his eyes, and "joint knuckle" spearhands to his throat. He likely wondered where I'd gotten this knowledge, and I wasn't offering him info about my previous MA tutoring. At the end, I received no apology (of course), but he never bothered me again. (Easily accomplished, as we were never paired off again.) I fault the instructor here. (There was a second instructor, his wife, but she worked individually with students; he handled the "en masse" instruction.) I believe this dan member had gotten away with bullying all along, but others were either intimidated by his size (big fellow) or his rank, or were too reserved to speak with the instructor. Was the instructor never aware? When it was obvious that the black belt was using my arm and therefore me, a white belt, as his personal punching bag (and I am no one's punching bag), it would have been correct to take the dan member aside and speak with him, or speak with him in front of me to remind the both of us about exercising proper control. I still stand by speaking with the individual first; then, if no satisfaction is reached, approach the instructor--who, if a true professional, applies the rules of the dojang to the problem at hand.