evergrey

I think I know who Dobbersky is talking about! Does his dojo name start with a "C?" If so, he feels that the martial arts have progressed DESPITE all the high protocol, instead of BECAUSE of it. He does see it as a sport. He saw some pretty nasty abuse meted out with the "it's tradition" excuse. At his dojo, there is no bullying allowed, and everyone treats one another with respect. Big egos and the bad behavior that comes with them are probably discouraged as well, judging by what I know of him. Enshin doesn't really have kata- is it soulless? There IS a spiritual side to kata, if one looks for it and accepts it... if one incorporates it into one's training. It has a purpose... but I don't think kata is absolutely necessary for one to follow the budo of karate, and I certainly don't think it's needed to become a good FIGHTER. Does it help? For some people, yes, for others, not so much, from what I've gleaned. I'll get back to you on this in eh... 10 or 15 years. :}

I think that kata is one way to connect to the Way, but it is not the only way. In karate, every action we take, in class and out, can be a step along the path to the martial Way. OSU

OSU

OSU, I think the term you're looking for is "Asian," heh! It really depends on the family. I've heard of plenty of dojos in Japan and Okinawa that were less budo oriented than some in the West.

Awesome when you have students who really want to be there, and really appreciate it!

Oh yeah I'll play some Juno Reactor from time to time!

Oh, well when I'm at home I listen to stuff like Depeche Mode and Florence and the Machines, or some sort of metal or epic movie soundtracks. At open sparring last Sunday they were straight up playing Gangnam Style though, LOLOL! Oppan Gangnam Style! *thigh kick* OSU!

There is some talk about making Kyokushin an Olympic sport. I hope that it never happens! I think that the rules and level of contact would get terribly watered down, and turn into point fighting. That would not accurately represent the style, in my opinion.

Congrats!

OSU, thank you Darksoul. It is something that happens as one ages, when one has many friends that one cares for a great deal. I suppose I could work towards becoming colder and more callous, but to me it isn't worth it. Better to lead with my heart, I think. Yes, it opens me up to pain, but it also opens me up to so much love and joy and wonder. OSU

Glad you are going to be okay! Right now what's bothering me? A friend had most of his tongue removed- cancer- and has to go through chemo soon. He has a wonderful voice. Another friend is being 5150d against her will, and sent to a psych ward that is scary and not safe, and possibly will be as traumatic as being at home, but she is also suicidal and I am so worried for her. My beloved's uncle has cancer, and about three months to live. A friend of mine who lives on the other side of the planet, but who is a sister in Kyokushin, just lost her Sensei. She has been devastated since he died. A rough blow for her and her students. I wish I could teleport so I could hug her for a long long time. A friend with multiple sclerosis married a man who, once they got married, turned out to be abusive and negligent. He doesn't care that she's sick and in pain and getting worse- if she doesn't wait on him hand and foot, he yells at her for hours and makes her sleep on the couch. MS can get worse with stress, so it's life-threatening for her, this treatment. I am not a violent person (outside of the fighting ring) but I want to go beat the tar out of this man I've never met. I've got my own personal problems, but they are nothing compared to these things, honestly. It's all a matter of perspective I guess, for me. I wish I could heal everyone I love, and make things better for them. So many friends looking at possibly being homeless. Wish I could take them all in, too. hey, thanks for making this thread! It kind of helps to talk about this stuff. OSU!

OSU, good on you! That's the way to do it. You don't have to like him, but you took the high road and did the right thing! Remember: The first great accomplishment is to achieve the power to destroy. The second, much greater accomplishment is to possess that power, and to have the will to choose not to use it.

Haha, I got one of those for my birthday! Instant humility generator, lol! OSU!

A bull did. But just once. Sosai then fought 64 of his cousins to show the bull he got lucky. Haha, oh yes, the bull. I think the number was 52 though. That's what Cameron Quinn's book said anyway, which Sosai signed off on.

Low kicks, yes... to the knees, to the groin. Head kicks? Haha no! Mawashi Geri is great for tournaments. Not so great for a street fight. Yoko Geri? (Side kick) ehhh mine is terrible high. I would use it low to someone's knee though. Mule kick, I might use in the right situation. Generally, the more practical and devastating, the better.

Very nice! My Shihan trained under Sosai when he came and visited, especially in the early years, and he learned a lot from him. Shihan of course thinks very well of Sosai. I asked, "did you ever get to spar with Sosai?" "Yes. Yes I did." "Oooh fun!" "Not really." "Well... at least you got to learn a lot from it, right?" "I learned that he could beat me up." LOL. Well it's Mas Oyama. Around here, Shihan has a long standing reputation of being an amazing fighter. Even in his 60s, I've seen him pick people apart with complete ease. Exquisite timing, amazing power, lightning-fast speed, and he always knows EXACTLY where the end of his fist is. But still, against Mas Oyama? He couldn't win. Could anyone?

For me, the person is the one I train with regularly. :}

Sosai Mas Oyama > Don Buck > Gary White > Michael S Dunn II > Me. :} Though I am also trained by Gary White, and he was also trained a bit by Mas Oyama, but really if we're going by absolute primary instructors, the above is my lineage.

Solid post, Jissen! OSU! Hey BOB! I showed your picture to my Sensei just now. I said "yeah see... there's something about him, the way he holds himself, the energy he has, that says "why yes, I do have decades of experience." I wouldn't challenge him to throw down and see who's the bigger dog!" Sensei looked at me, straight faced and said "I would." "You... would?" He nodded and said "Yes. From 25 yards away, with a loaded 357 Magnum. That's the only way I would." LOL! He just added that he wouldn't really want to throw down with you, as you're too nice of a guy. ;} Nothing but respect here, from both of us! I really hope we can meet up in person and play and learn sometime! OSU!

Done. :} I wonder if it's biased of me to want a "knockdown karate" sub-category? Haha, probably!

Yes, it is symbolic of taking them out for sure with a final strike. There are some tournaments where the actual final strike is required to score a full knockdown. I suppose it was more common decades ago to actually execute the final strike: my sensei taught me to always actually finish it off with a final strike. He was out of the game for about 23 years, and my lineage was really "old school" before that as well.

...BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Exactly! Genetics, medical issues you don't know about... you never know. My Shihan isn't slender, and he has a little bit of padding, and someone who didn't feel his body would maybe think he was pretty overweight under that dogi... but actually it's just a fairly thin layer of cushion over an UNGODLY amount of muscle. Like, he doesn't even feel human! Heh, like Mr T, I pity the fool who would think he was easy pickings or slow... That illusion shatters as soon as someone says "hajime!" Then suddenly the thought switches to "OH GOD SO BIG SO STRONG SO FAST, HE'S COMING RIGHT FOR ME-" and that's in like a 10th of a second because then there is no more time for thinking. Heh.

OSU! It's not so simple with metabolic failure, believe me. I have absolutely done the careful calorie counting in the past. :} Didn't work, even going down to 600 calories a day! Trust me, truuuuuust me, pretty much any suggestion you have has been tried. I know what works and what doesn't, though "works" is kind of relative. I'll put it this way- a lot of people with serious metabolic failure end up in mobility scooters. I'm not letting that happen. Fighting it all the way. For normal people with normal bodies, yes, controlling calorie intake very much works, especially when you're young! For people with certain serious medical conditions though, it really, truly, is not that simple, heh! OSU!

OSU Sensei8- No way would I challenge you on the mat! Some kumite for fun and mutual gain, sure, but I'd never say "you better prove yourself to me!" Haha I can tell by looking and by the knowledge you've expressed that you'd take me to pieces. Mass is a force multiplier. Someone who is heavy isn't always unfit, doesn't always run out of breath easily, isn't always "weaker" either. It's really a case-by-case basis. I'm not an instructor... yet. I am also severely overweight, due to metabolic failure. Chances are high that I will be overweight when it comes time to teach, too. I also lift weights three times a week, swim once or twice a week, work out in a hard Kyokushin class at least twice a week, sometimes more, train and practice outside of class at least a few times a week, and ride horses whenever I can. I eat a very careful diet where everything I eat or drink is very carefully measured and planned... except water, which is mostly what I drink. I just have a ton of water. I've seen a lot of people who are a lot lighter than I am and who look to be in WAY better condition on the surface not be able to keep up with me. Do I need a lot more work? Oh sure. I have asthma, chronic knee and back problems, and yes, the 100 pounds of extra weight I carry around DOES make a major difference in how much I can do. I am sure I could do even more without it. But it's not because I am lazy or sloppy. It's because I suffer from metabolic failure, and have some chronic injuries that don't let me train the 5 hours a day I would prefer to train. Am I slow? Eh, not as slow as you'd think, heheheh. Am I easy to beat? Not for most people who are in the kyu levels at my dojo, with a couple exceptions who have serious hard training experience before joining here. I'm just a 6th kyu myself... My point is, don't look at someone's weight and automatically assume that they are rubbish with no discipline, grace, or skill.