Kirves

Good point. Point sparring is an excellent training method, when combined with other methods, such as contact sparring, mits, bags, you know - the whole package. But if point sparring is usually the only kind of sparring you do, your training is lacking.

It takes two zen masters. One to change the bulb, and one not to change it. Okay, only funny if you are into zen proverbs.

After reading too many books on zen, I can nowadays only speak using metaphors! PS. How many zen masters does it take to change a lightbulb?

Or maybe the move was just so obvious!

all Hapkido founder's Daito-ryu claims have been doubted all round. Daito-ryu Honbu has a list of all students for over a hundred years and his name ain't among them. He also claimed to have gotten master certificates and have lost them, but again, his name is not in the Honbu dojo list of the certified men. And how come he never went back to get new certificates? Also people who did study there, seemed not to know the man. So, it is not a fact but a claim. Some believe it, some don't, noone has proven it true (or false).

I agree with every word, but why do I need karate for doing this You don't. Karate (or budo in general) is just one of the vehicles by which one can learn zen. Basically, anything involving long term commitment to hardship, taking responsibility of one's own life plus those of others (in karate you do this by performing deadly techniques on your fellow people and they must trust you and you must trust them to not hurt each other), plus several other similar traits, can be a vehicle of zen. Karate happens to be one we like. You could just go to a buddhist temple too, but they take a differing road to the same goal. Basically, you want to go to the top of the mountain to enjoy the magnificent view. Most people are accustomed to try to find the shortest or fastest route, wether it is the highway or the mountain train. What zen tries to teach is to take the long route and just start going. Learn and enjoy the trip instead of just focusing on the goal and searching for the fastest way. When you focus on the journey, even though you know it is not the easiest possible, you will learn more about yourself, your travel companions, the country side around you, the climate and the mountain itself. When you finally reach the top, you are much wiser and more knowledgeable person than when you began. And when you look down to see the view, and the mountainside, you notice the people who were searching for the fast track are still down there, searching for they'll never find it. If they find a faster track, they won't take it because they'll figure there's one even faster around the bend. They never reach the goal, nor will they enjoy the search either. If you think of the mountain as a metaphor for your life and the world you have around you, you may understand my point.

If you follow the budo philosophy, then you are supposed to try and make yourself a "better person" everyday for the rest of your life. You should try to avoid hurting others and solving issues with violence. This is the "short version". If you want the long version, read some of the books written about budo. There are numerous books about it, yet none of them can explain it throroughly, you must live it not read about it. I always liked Chuck Norris' book "The Secret Power Within". It gives a glimpse as to what it might be to live budo. But yet cannot explain it.

Exactly. When I said that they mix the two arts "because they go well together", I meant that the two arts share several common principles. For example, the trapping range is handled with strikingly similar concepts and techniques.

It's just sad that often the people spending their money on that crap are the teenage kids.

This is a bit difficult question... First of all, the Okinawans did not stress zen or budo philosophy with karate (uchinadi, toudi, whatever). Budo as such is purely a Japanese (mainland that is) thing and got added onto modern karate styles during the last century. That is when karate-jutsu ("Chinese hand method") became karate-do ("Empty hand way"). There are several schools that still teach karate pretty much the "old way". Yuishinkai Karate-Jutsu is relatively new organization but it's goal is to teach karate with the older "jutsu" mentality. Seibukan Shorin-ryu Karate-Do teaches karate mimicking the exact way Chotoku Kyan taught it, thus it is very "old-school", non-competitive kata-bunkai style of school but has taken the budo philosophy into it's ideals too. It all comes down to where you go to study karate. These two were just samples. I know some Seibukan students and instructors and I know they are the real deal. Okinawans did stress the need for good behaviour and being a man with a moral spine. They called this being a bushi. While bushi literally means a warrior, it wasn't used in the same context as in the bushi-era of mainland Japan. The Okinawans thought a bushi was a Gentleman, a good person of good nature, helping others and being a generally good example for others to follow. One thing is certain, too many karate styles have lost the bunkai-skills and knowledge almost altogether. Many styles teach dozens of kata but either no bunkai, or very limited and superficial bunkai only, most focusing on tournament kumite. Sad.

Hmm... Interesting, who'd win if Proctor and Chris were to fight? Both seem to have their own version of "The Ultimate Unstoppable Move ". So which one would win in a fight? Geesh, at least Vunak isnt' saying you can beat anyone, including all trained fighters, with his weekend course!

Also, try drilling pre-set sequences with a partner. For example, first he attacks with a jab/cross combo and you counter it. Then do another drill where he attacks with jab/kick and you counter that. Then combine the drills so he randomly attacks with either combo and you do the apropriate counter. And figure your way from that on, creating more drills. To learn to spar, you need to practice stuff with a live partner so you get the timing right (can't do that with solo training).

Tere, tere! Yeah, nice to see someone from the same neighbourhood around here!

In Leung Ting's Wing Tsun, they also mix a certain style of Escrima with it, because their methods go so well together.

Hi, I haven't hear of many Kuk Sool schools in Finland, so I guess it's free game. Here's a linkpage with links to most of the martial arts schools in Finland, just click on Helsinki and see the available schools (also check out Espoo and Vantaa as they are next to Helsinki): http://koti.mbnet.fi/budo/kaupunkilista.html

I believe there's a good reason why children can't get driving licences or buy guns. They aren't mature enough, and that's a psychological fact. If we assume that this kid is a genuine black belt (and not a McDojo victim) then he has been given a lethal weapon to carry around when he's not mature enough to have that responsibility. There's a reason for children usually being awarded junior ranks instead of real black belts, you know. Now that he's a black belt, should he be allowed to start his own school? Found his own style even? Would you let your child be taught martial arts by this 8 year old? Would you want to be taught self defence and martial skills by a small child? Just some things to consider.

How does he practice his karate? What does he do for the hour per day?

Yes, maybe I was a bit melodramatic. But I think someone who has both: - years of martial arts training - adult life experience is someone who can try to live, breath and teach budo. You asked about mastering budo, I don't know about mastery, so can't comment on that. A black belt should know proper technique, shouldn't he? At least how to do the punch that was taught in the first lesson, right? (The black belts in that dojo don't).

As is most budo. Budo is essentially Japanese (moodo is Korean). And in Japanese tradition, budo is fairly modern. It was preceded by bushido and it's ilk. Gendai budo (modern budo) that is preserved by karate, aikido, judo and alike, is just as you said: mostly watered down martial arts. Excactly my point: no 8 year old can understand budo enough to live it and teach it to other students of the martial arts. Shotokan is budo and not bujutsu. It has never been bujutsu. Hey, this happens when we discuss topics. I think Shotokan is budo and nowhere near bujutsu. And I think this 8 year old knows less about stuff than the incompetent adults posing as uke in the clips. None of them should have black belts. Just my humble opinion. Feel free to trash me.

Yes bad technique from the adult students. Too bad for any black belt even on a "bad day". If someone's taking pictures of you, those mistakes are unforgivable for a black belt. Korean styles know budo as moodo (mudo). So taking TKD is no exception. But this is just my old-fashioned opinion.

Last time I checked, Shotokan was a budo art. A child won't understand budo, definitely can't live a budoka life.

If you don't believe it, here's what BBC said about it: http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/uk/newsid_3034000/3034513.stm

Well, once a dude came at me, obviously trying to reach and grab, I round kicked his left thigh quickly twice with my right shin, he winced in pain, nearly falling down. Then he cussed a bit and gave me the finger while mumbling something and limping away. Yees, all kind of pad and mit work is great. But hard contact sparring is necessary too.

Yea I saw that too. I hate that kinda crap. A karate black belt should be a role model, a person living like a true budoka, even when life shows it's worst. How can an 8 yr old be a real budoka?

I've used the low shin-roundhouse kicks from Gensei-ryu (a kick identical to Kyokushin's) and they worked. It's also about how you train; intense full contact sparring and karate works just fine. Too bad most people don't train that way. So, find a good school with that kind of training. And I'd suggest a style with low kicking. Kyokushin is good, as are any of it's offshoots (Ashihara is the most "street-defence" oriented, but Seido and the other ones are fine too).