Kirves

"I can give you some tips for dieting if you're interested." in a McDojo with an overweight instructor.

In the style I study, the "basic" stances are exaggerated versions of those used in real fight. Exaggerating them while training teaches you to keep the balance low and stance strong even when you are in the heat of an adrenaline rush and forget all such details. If you always went very low, chances are you'll go an inch or two down for balance (as you should) when the u-know-what hits the fan.

Great. If that's what you want to do, then by all means do it. Any one style can offer a lifetime of study to try mastering it. Sure, but you must understand that it will take a lot longer than if you cross trained. And when you eventually become a great fighter, you still may be a bit less great than you would've been if you cross trained. But if these shortcomings are acceptable by your standards, then good luck and enjoy your journey!

My opinions wary from time to time, depending on matters such as who I fought the last time, how much sleep did I get last night, how is the moon aligned to the planet Mars and so on...

Welcome to the bunch! Yeah, tell us what style of karate is it.

Welkome!

If you pick up an art like Muay Thai (a.k.a. thai boxing) you will be knocked out many times. If you pick up an art like Kyokushin Karate, you will be knocked out some times (someone said head shots aren't allowed, that meant with hands or elbows, kicks to the head are allowed and sometimes KO happens from kicks). If you take Taekwondo, your frequency of being KO'd will drop again dramatically as they use helmets, and pads and often aren't allowed to punch the face (depends on the rules though). So, it really depends on the art and style you choose. PS. To make it harder to KO you, strengthen your neck muscles. They are your brain's safety belt, if they are stronger, your head and brains will move less and KO will happen less frequently.

Well, I don't know if it'll help you train, but some great info on history and styles of wing chun can be found at http://www.wingchunkuen.com/

Guitar_lover: it is often practised to the front, but I have never used it or been taught any bunkai without a turn.

A very famous budo expert Donn F. Draeger once said that if he had to pick either a karateka or a judoka to assist him in a street fight, he'd pick judoka. And he is a man who's been there, done that and seen it all as far as Japanese arts are concerned. (He wrote many revered books on Japanese arts, he was an expert on hoplology, he got very high ranks in judo, karate, jujutsu/bujutsu and so on.) As said earlier, if the fight sticks to punching/kicking range, then karateka has the advantage, if it goes up close, then judoka has the advantage. It is my humble opinion that it is a bit easier to force the range to grappling than it is to force it into staying at striking range.

Those who say karate is better for conditioning obviously havent tried to roll on the ground for an hour and a half. Wrestling and ground grappling is grueling work. Very very tough.

Here is another interesting article on how training was done in mainland Japan some time ago: http://www.hpo.net/users/atansley/training.html

Yeah, if you have time to think something sexual in a dojo during a fight, there must be something wrong with the training (or fighters).

Are you sure Kashima Shinryu has San-Shin...

I don't know if that's a typo or misunderstanding on the website, but shurikenjutsu is the art of throwing weapons.

Shaolin was the origin of several Chinese -based styles (like karate of Okinawa is based on Chinese arts and so on), but not all arts in the world as some seem to claim. Also, the source of the Shaolin arts is a mystery. Some claim Boddhidharma brought some arts with him, some say he just told the monks to start exercising. One of the most logical stories goes like this: 1. Boddhidharma told the weak monks to exercise 2. The monks started doing yoga among other things 3. The monks started learning martial arts from all the passing and staying warriors in the temple 4. The monks became experts as they learned from so many people among the years and decades 5. Eventually the temples became known as sources of martial arts expertise But this, as any, is just a theory among others. As there aren't enough records giving exact historical facts.

Usually morote-zuki is actually applied to behind. You kinda turn into it, if you get my meaning. It is a sort of a panic move, when you notice at the last second that someone is rushing you from behind. You turn into him, lock your zenkutzu dachi completely to secure the foundation and thrust the morote-tsuki with full power into his solar, groin or throat/face area. The effect is akin to him running into a wooden log (assuming you got the foundation right).

It does have some fighting kata too, for example Santo Tonko-no-Kata of Togakure-Ryu shows how to escape from a fight.

Oh, thanks. I haven't seen any Pride events so I didn't know they allow grappling.

Eye well come u!

A friend of mine wears contacts without problems. Ask your sensei for suggestions too. It is good to make sure he is aware of you possibly wearing contact lenses in case of an accident.

I think morote-tsuki can be even more powerful when correctly performed. But yes, reverse punch is a cannon with proper hip action.

There's a good book on the subject of speed training by Loren W. Christensen.

Shuriken-jutsu is the art of small bladed throwing weapons in traditional Japanese bujutsu styles. In China darts were often used, but in Japan usually blades (straight or flat square like) and small knives, even nails were common. http://www.buyubooks.com/gifs/covers/10095.jpg