furry_Homeboy

I used to try to practice basics every day, but eventually I began to get kind of tired of it honestly and found myself struggling to keep up with it. I feel that you must do whatever it is that motivates you and keeps you going. I try to practice kata for at least 10 minutes three times a day. It goes by quickly that way, it's refreshing whenever you do them and it keeps everything fresh. One note is to consider how important what you practice really is. Afterall, it is not the technique which is truly important. What is outside is merely a reflection of the inside and so you can practice anything to improve your spirit, mind, body, etc. When you improve what is inside, then other techniques will reflect that improvement no matter what the techniques may be. We learn the techniques to improve our spirit, minds, and bodies, but then in the end we must let go of the technique in order for true technique to arise. So I my opinion, it don't worry so much about what you practice, just practice and do whatever will keep you motivated and moving.

Oh wow, I guess I didn't realize this thread is more than a year old.

I also agree with what everyone has said, but also I want to make sure you realize that martial arts training does not have to be expensive. If you look around enough you will be able to find schools that are not very expensive. They may not have buildings or an actual physical school, but they may still be at least just as qualified instructors. Some teachers may make exceptions if you let them know that you are having financial issues and may help you continue training. Also, it's important to remember that the ultimate goal of the martial arts is not physical improvement or gaining the power to defeat others, but rather spiritual improvement or improving yourself. As famous master Gichin Funakoshi said, "The ultimate goal of karate lies not in victory or defeat, but rather in the perfection of the character of it's participants." At some point, our progress starts to slow and the only way our technique improves is by changing our mindset. Physical improvement only goes so far, but it is what is inside that truly counts. When you can no longer improve your physical technique, improve your spirit. Everyone can utilize their unique qualties to become proficient in the martial arts but each person will also be different. If you are still worried about technical proficiency and physical prowess, then keeping in mind that you can become proficient even while being underweight, or overweight, "too old", etc., however you will be different than somebody else. I remember one of my senseis telling me about how they once had a similar crisis of doubt. She is a small woman and when she was learning her instructor was a strong man. She felt she would never be able to develop the amount of power and strength that he exhibited and so expressing this concern to him he said that it's probably true, but someday she will be so quick that it's won't matter. Everyone has unique strength and weaknesses. Good Luck and never give up. As long as your are having fun, nothing is ever wasted. Find the path that you feel is right for you. We all have unique paths. Remember "do no seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise, but rather seek what they sought."

What does Shu-Ha-Ri mean? Also, it is only natural that katas will vary both in teaching and performance. Seeing as each person is unique, it is sometimes more appropiate to teach somebody a different kata first, or a teacher may be more capable of teaching the katas in a different order than a different teacher who has a different preference in order or method. Not to mention that through time each person who performs the kata slightly different may then pass it on to somebody else who then performs it even more slightly different, but so long as the essence of the kata or just some form of practicality is still there, then there is nothing the matter with this. The school in which I study we perform a number of katas slightly different than other schools. For example, our Heian Yodan, or Pinan Yodan, is different than the way you would see it usually performed in a diagram or most books. It is still obviously Heian Yodan, but there are differences evident. One last thing to note is that there are many possible bunkai for each kata movements and depending upon what you imagine in your mind's eye is going on for each movement, then the kata will appear slightly different. Change is natural.

I think it's really hard for a lot of us to figure out where we would be if not for our martial arts. So many of us have become shaped or at least heavily influenced by them. I began practicing karate right around the time I began to go through adolescence and so it helped guide me and still does through those years of adolescence. It was a major influence during the years where I began to shape my identity and figure out who I am. Of course though I still am going through similar stuff since I'm 17, but not quite as much as before. I honestly feel good about the place I am in right now.

I haven't thoroughly researched and checked everything on this subject but anyway, at the school in which I learn karate, we have a kata similar to Sanchin, with an emphasis on breathing and somewhat "slow" movements. But anyway, i was wondering this once as well. My understanding of it is that it is not dangerous, but can be. If you do not breathe as you do the movements, but rather simply attempt to tense your muscles as much as possible and hold your breathe, you can possibly raise you blood pressure. It has something to do with something called the Valsalva Maneuver where someone holds their breathe and tenses their muscles in some manner (wieght lifting, going to the bathroom, Sanchin, etc...). I have actually read that a number of people die on the toilet due to raised blood pressure while unknowingly performing the Valsalva Maneuver. (To put it politely, but bluntly, it's quite common to perform it while defecating.) However, if we are focusing on the issues of the Valsalva Maneuver, then the important thing is that deep breathing while exerting/tensing your muscles is essentially the "anti-vasalva maneuver". So if you do Sanchin with the focus upon the breathe, I do believe that it is actually verygood for you as it will also teach you to continue to breathe deeply even while your muscles are tense, which will hopefully lower your blood pressure if you take that practice into your daily life. Though I don't practice the Sanchin Kata, I still like breathing katas and am going to continue practicing them. Still the choice is yours. The ultimate test though is what your body is telling you. Listen to it.

If such a style exists, then that is awesome, and I'm glad the people protecting us are so well trained. However, those types of things aren't really what I'm looking for in a martial art. However, as we all study martial arts for different reasons, so I can't speak for everyone. Food for though: Gichin Funakoshi's 9th precept was "Karate is a lifelong pursuit"

Of course I'm no expert on this subject, but I do think that it's possible for someone to die from one or few hits (though not that it's something that should probably be promoted). However, I also think that it's not very likely, but I can't really say what the absolute answer is. Anyway, one of the reasons I have heard for the delayed death, or death touch techniques of old times past, was the poor medical care in areas such as China. Granted, the strikes were probably precise and well performed, but also many people didn't have access to medical care. Complications could arise from a strike. If someone had their liver damaged by a powerful strike, or some other organ damaged, then without proper medical care, their injuries could worsen. Just a thought though, and everyone's allowed their own.

It's amazing to think that without the many practitioners throughout the world, a martial art cannot exist. The people are the martial art and the martial art makes the people as well. The two fuse into one. Both separate and one.

Perhaps the phrase "never strike first" is metaphoric. The first strike could be offending the other person, or doing something to anger the other person. If the other person starts the confrontation through aggressive behavior/actions, then they have metaphorically already thrown the first strike, and you can react accordingly. I think perhaps not throwing the first strike means not doing anything to unnecesarily begin a fight.

I've actually been intending to make one for about half a year now. I have the materials, though i think i need a new post since the one I was going to use has a knot in it. But anyway, I've never actually made one, but for a standing up makiwara, the way we were planning to make one was to take a 4 inches by 4 inches by 7 or 8 feet post, then taper it to one end so that one end is about 1/2 an inch in depth when standing upright. Then dig a fairly deep hole until the makiwara post is about shoulder height (so the hole may be around 2-3 feet), and place a brick behind the post at the very bottom, and one in front of the post near the top of the hole. These can be substituted with pieces of wood, or something else, but the purpose is to keep the makiwara from moving in the ground. Then you fill the hole back in, sometimes gravel is used to keep water from getting trapped by the post and rotting it, however what we were planning to do is use a pressure treated post. Then you can put on any kind of padding you want. Another nice and simple method that I have heard works very well (this is what my sensei did) is to take a normal plank of wood (fairly long again), then just stick it in the ground (dig a hole) without tapering it or anything else, although it probably is a good idea to do something to keep it from moving. What i have heard works very well is to use concrete and just poor it in the hole, however this isn't neccesary if you don't wish to use concrete. Then again, apply padding, I have also heard that it can be a smart idea to tilt the post slightly forward so that you can hit the post with the proper part of your knuckles. As for padding, there are many many options. You can take a towel or t-shirt, bundle it up real tight and tape it to the post with duct-tape or something else. What I am thinking of doing is to take a pair of kneepads that don't have plastic on them (which I believe can be found at hardware stores such as home depot or lowes) and place that on the post. If you want it higher you can slide it up, or slide it down to make it lower. There is also the traditional way of taking straw, then wrapping it with a rope. This way would be interesting, but probably not neccesary. Foam can also be used, or rubber, or anything else you want. Good luck building it!

Thanks for the information. That's fascinating. Kitagawa sounds perhaps not cruel, but extreme, and very interesting. I don't believe the Chonan Kata is related to the Channan kata. A rough explanation of the Chonan kata is that it's almost always in horsestance with a few side steps and an emphasis on punching. I believe I-Hon kata also came from Kitagawa. Do you by anychance know what that name means? If it helps, the I-Hon has a very large emphasis on the movement of the breathe. The name "first born son" is interesting, though i wonder why that name was chosen. Perhaps since it's one of the first learned katas, though maybe not also. Any ideas?

I thought it would be fun if we could just say any martial arts (meditation included) related joke (preferably clean). To start off, A pizzeria was run by a monk. A man walked in and said, "Make me one with everything." So the monk said that would be 15$. The man handed the monk a twenty dollar bill. After a minute he asked where his change was, to which the monk responded "Change must come from within."

Can you imagine how many more things you learn when you do something that is tough for you? It's what you learn on the inside and how you feel that truly count. Another note, consider that a hundred years ago, people didn't have access to many different martial arts. For example, in Karate people of all body types pursued it. There were those who were large and muscular, those perhaps a little too large, those average, those long and lanky, short and thin, etc. Anyway, people of all body types have learned to thrive within a single martial art. The point is, you can work with your body type, and pursue any martial art. The art does not make the person, the person makes the art. Your taekwondo will be different than somebody elses, but that doesn't make it worse, just different. Perhaps saying too much on this post, an example would be two of Gichin Funakoshi's teachers. On one hand, Azato told him to think of the hands/feet as swords, while his other teacher Itosu was described as barrel chested and said that one must condition their body to take a powerful blow. Both studied karate, and in fact were great friends, but had quite different methods of karate. All arts change to each unique person.

Form versus emptiness is a very interesting topic. What is truly important is what's on the inside, and that has no form, but without form, then the emptiness has no more meaning. They both thrive off each other, but when one is completely gone, then the other cannot exist. Yet, even despite this dual existence, it's interesting to see how we practice techniques, or form, over and over again so that we can let go and have formless form. Or in other points we reach the proper spirit and empty ourselves of all form just so we can truly allow the form to arise on its own. I'm not sure if I stated any of that properly, but the words aren't the essence.