Lupin1

New Mexico

Yeah. That's my problem. The only dojo near here is a McDojo I have no intentions of giving my money to that still about a 45 minute drive. The nearest Isshinryu dojo is about 2 to 2 1/2 hours away, so that's out of the question. Otherwise I wouldn't bother with the DVDs. I let you know how it goes. I'm going to try to learn the whole thing from the DVD in the next two weeks and then I'm going to my old school once or twice over Christmas, so we'll see how my DVD learning holds up.

Hi. I just restarted karate a year ago next week (has it been that long already?) and I'm a 5th kyu in Isshinryu. I'm only 23, so I can't comment too much on the age thing, but I would tell you to have fun with it. If it's not fun, what's the point?

I think I read somewhere that based on the style and the Miyagi history, the closest style is Goju-ryu.

I'm not all that big into football, but sometimes I have to pretend out here because everyone else is huge into it, but I was pretty happy that the Pats smashed the Jets yesterday.

Why take a punch if you don't have to? Who cares if you think you're a tough guy who can "take a punch". What if that one punch happens to hit just the right spot to do some serious damage?

Haha. For a second I thought you were fighting a little kid. Until I looked closely at his reflection in the mirror.

I just started trying to learn my next kata using a DVD. It's a lot harder than learning it in person because I have to self correct (I have to think "wait. This isn't working. Why isn't this working? My left foot is here it needs to be here, etc" instead of someone just saying to me "hey-- put your left foot here"). I hope I can get it. It is apparently the first "hard" kata, so we'll see.

I think I'd be very bad at the whole "deescalating a fight" thing. If someone did that to one of my little sisters I'd be on them like white on rice in a glass of milk on a paper plate in a snowstorm...

Yeah, but people who are top of the science field are learning new things every day, but people wouldn't think to call them beginner scientists. Ok. I caved and looked "beginner" up in the dictionary and it said "one who is just starting to learn or do something". I think I would put this under the category of just starting to learn. Everyone continues learning their entire lives, but a beginner is just *starting* to learn it. Which is why I would argue that black belt is the cutoff for beginner. Once you get your black belt, you're no long just starting to learn, you're capable enough to be full on learning. That's why I said that was objective. You can have some schools where a black belt means you've been studying with them for two years and attended X number of classes where other schools you need to study for close to 10 years and be almost an expert in the martial arts before they'll give you a black belt. Usually, though, black belt is the point where you have all the basics down and are ready to start on the down and dirty details.

But what about the person that DOES have to line up with him? Idk. This seems more like something that the sensei should talk to the guy about and have him stop as opposed to just telling people not to line up with him. Someone is going to have to line up with him, which means someone's going to get abused.

I think it's just a matter of time before the game developers create a more realistic system. Yes, Wii would NOT be the ideal system for this to come out on and probably not kinect, either. But if they put out a more accurate body-sensing system, they should totally do some kind of training system-- like how they have the ones where you have your own personal virtual trainer and they keep track of your fitness stats and stuff.

Some guy in my class made everyone these small wooden dowels from broom handles. I tried to make my own, but it was too small. They stick out just a few centimeters from each side of your hand and he drilled a hole in the center for us to wrap twine around them to give a grip. They're about the size of a roll of quarters, which the guy said in the Marines they used to bring with them to bars to use as weapons. Apparently they're based off of some piece of fishing equipment people used as weapons in Okinawa. We trained with them for a few weeks and I still have mine sitting on my bedside table. Even though it's just a small piece of wood, I do question the legality of it just enough not to want to carry it around.

Well, as I said, I think my very general (although somewhat objective, I'll admit) basis is kyu ranks=beginner, dan ranks=beyond beginner (maybe intermediate). But again, it's all semantics.

Idk. I like the idea that everyone still has a lot to learn and I love the humility in that sort of thinking, but the word "beginner" still means someone who's just starting and at some point someone needs to stop starting to practice martial arts and needs to start actually practicing it. I think that everything up to black belt is a beginner and after that, while you're still just touching on everything there is to know, you're beyond the beginning and getting into the meat of study. It's all a matter of semantics, though.

Yup. You're my age flipped. I'm the youngest in our adult class, too. In fact, the first few weeks I was there one of the instructors assumed I was much younger than I really was. He was shocked when I told him I had driven myself and he kept telling me things like "if anyone at school messes with you, you can do this....". Which I didn't even think to correct him on, even though I should, because I'm a teacher and so when I hear "anyone at school" it doesn't set off any bells in my head like "hey, this guy thinks I'm in high school even though I graduated with my Bachelor's a year ago...". He eventually figured it out, though, when some of the kids in the kids' class started telling him I was their teacher.

I know this is a bit of a taboo subjet among women and so I hate to point it out, but I think you're older than me. It's still fun, though. Probably because we both started around the same time (while, I restarted). Good luck! I'm sure you'll rock this test the same way you rocked your yellow belt test!

That reminds me of that old gameshow I liked to watch on Nikelodeon where the kids were transported into a video game and had fly on a magic carpet and avoid monkeys throwing bananas and stuff.... Nick Arcade. That's what it was callled.

I don't usually talk about it with people. I don't know why, but it feels akward to me-- like discussing religion or politics. Probably because I assume they'll throw out some stereotype that will put down martial arts, which I care about, and I don't like people putting down things I care about, which is why I tend not to talk about those things with people unless I know they're coming from the same place (hence why I talk martial arts just fine with other martial artists).

Awwww. I don't know why, but for some reason I find it so fun following your journey up the ranks.

I'd just like to point out from experience that this can be dangerous.

Nice to meet you!

Woo-hoo! Go 5'7''ers! Of course, I still had to shorten my gi pants by a good seven or eight inches... And I like them to touch the floor (I know some people who hem them up to high on their ankles.

I don't know.... I certainly breathe hard after a few rounds of DDR.

I feel comfortable there, if not a little annoyed at how they always seem to bring up the fact that I'm female. I don't think it's discriminatory. It's just the way they did it for 10 years before a woman showed up and wanted to train with them and they didn't think to change they way they do things for one girl who's only there two months a year. And I don't really mind it, even if it is a bit annoying that the guys are standing around having (usually) interesting conversations that I would love to join in, but I need to run out of there before they all start getting naked. I feel like I'm missing class bonding time. But then, that would happen whether they got changed in the classroom or went downstairs to the locker rooms by the gym, so it doesn't really matter.