xo-karate

My daughter needs some information about BMX and unexpensive living near Ventura or Santa Barbara. She wants to come to practise BMX for few months. Does any one live around that area? Know something about BMX? Please contact me hannu.leinonen@jao.fi Sorry for Off Topic question

Background for my question about learning from internet is: 1) I have learned to play golf with help of internet. I started few years ago and play a hcp of 11 at the moment. (And won vocational teachers national championship this year. - Not a very serious event, but still...) 2) I started to study judo from internet - still learning ukemis. (Going to BJJ dojo for a basic course at the same time.) When I started to learn about Judo, I stumbled on "kuzushi" and started to wonder how to use it in Karate ( I have had 1 kyu over 30 years:-). So learning Judo from internet affects my Karate - or atleast gives ideas to try in sparring. --- and I have been getting better or more confident with my ukemis after 5 practise sessions. (Better but fare from good enough - some one wrote that 3 years would be needed to get good enough in ukemis. I just have to manage with what I can do before I am good enough So looks like one might learn very different things. One thing is surtain - you do not get feedback from internet to your technique... unless you send a video on youtube and ask for it:-) This is what many golfers do, but I have not seen it with MA.

I have no motivational problems about hitting a heavy bag:-) I think it is interesting to start learning new techniques, but it would be very difficult to keep up the interest for - say three years. In my first message I did point out that I think that training with a teacher is better. Question is CAN you learn from internet and WHAT would it be - or even WHO can? Don't read this as an only possibility. Some one allready answered that a textbook is a good add on for learning - so for what could internet be used?

About tieing a judo belt - if you do it correctly, it will stay on. If you tie a judo belt like a karate belt, it will fall of during randori. So one can learn little things like words, history, and tips on technique from books and internet. One can learn them corretly or falsely. (This does ably to coaching too, but a good instructor will give feedback and but you on the right track. Can you get feedback otherway - like hitting a heavy bag or a makiwara? Or training with a partner? Maybe even using a video camera - like I do with my golf swing:-)

Hi ps1, i tryed paired walking and when partner did not know what to do, breaking balance was nothing like the video in youtube. Ofcourse it can be that I just could not do it right. I am very open for ideas:-)

Hi Andym, so I did not learn to tie a Judo belt? Or do you mean that tieing a belt is not martial arts? I do agree that just by reading you can not learn. BUT what if learning would be like getting ideas from internet and testing them with your partner and reflecting on what happened?

I've been searching internet for drills and exercises for kuzushi. 1) I've found where is a series of videos like paired walking. 2)In Tai Chi there is push hands http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XALpOmuQR88. 3) Maybe one hand balance wrestling? 4) Maybe over all balance exercises ( for keeping - not loosing balance Any ideas?

Golf season is ending. Some weather forcasts estimate that we might have snow next weekend. It might close the courses in Jyväskylä. BUT it's time to go to off season and that's when Martial Arts kicks in:-)

First comment is often that to learn martial arts, get a good coach - sensei, soke or what ever your teacher is called. I believe that most important asset in learning a martial art is a) teacher and b) your fellow students and ofcourse your will and stamina to learn. BUT.... Can you learn from internet: a) what can you learn? b) who can learn? Today I learned how to tie a judo belt - I've been tieing a karate belt for 40 years, but judo is different. What would it take to learn a technique - I think that for ukemis there are a lot of good instructions... Why could you NOT learn? What do you NOT learn?

10/8 -1 mile run - ukemi drill for 15 minutes - light stretching and - 1 mile run. (10/9 18 holes of golf

This is interesting. The connotation of the word "budo" in finnish means martial arts (Japanies). In english it looks like meaning the life style of a martial artist - way of living? Also BJJ is "Judo"? Just development of the "style" has developed in a different direction. (Or is there a political issue?) So throwing, pinning, grappling, etc - could also be called: a) Ju-Jutsu b) BJJ c) Grappling d) Judo (I have a "political issue" on this:-)) Or I could call it XO - it's what I call everything... (But for the actual "teach Judo to your self" -project. I went to a dojo yesterday and did different ukemis: mae, yoko, usiro - ending at the tatami and also standing up. And waiting for my first book, which is "Judo - teach yourself")

Thanks ps1 for your comments, Finnish Judo Association is very strong and it wants every one that does judo to be a member (and pay a fee to them). So practising "Budo" or "Ju-Jutsu grappling" might not be a straight confrontation. BUT I do like the idea of being honest - and there isn't anything that anyone can do about it - if I practise Judo - and do not graduate any ranks or claim to be anything else than what I am.

One thing I like about Judo (or think I like about it - as I don't really know it ) is that the art it self teaches you what technique works. When you fall down and it hurts - you have a problem with your ukemi:-) When you cannot throw your opponent - you have a problem with - maybe breaking balance or direction of throw or the actual technique. If it does not work - your doing something wrong. Ofcourse it needs a lot of work to figure out the right way, but it's the journey that counts not the end:-) This might be a very interesting experiment - I think I will go for it. Try to teach Judo to my self - maybe I'll need to call it Budo, just not to make judokas angry. Basically it's ukemis, grappling and throws anyway. I think that getting a self learning study group rounded up will be a big challenge. Learning judo alone would be hard.

http://www.youtube.com/user/LeinonenHannu#grid/user/804501FC20C2643D I've made a playlist about different ukemi - not all are Judo.

I've been training Han Moo Do and start Ju-Jutsu. Both have practises at the same place - and there is a big mat also. Karate dojo is a at a different location - it has a "tatami" - kind of rubberish and not very soft, but there is some extra mat on the side - not the big ones but still could be used. Thanks brickshooter - we might use them to get ukemis right - just in the beginning. (If it is nessessary ... I don't know how well students from other martial arts can do ukemis. I need some exercise even though we did a lot of take downs and sweeps in Han Moo Do - it's not he same as throws.)

Thanks ps1, Sounds a good plane: a book to study from, but a lot of pre-training like breaking a fall and kuzushi. ( And lot of kata type of training.) For randori - a think that grappling - could be introduced earlier - maybe like kesa katame and escapes from it? I agree about the belts - it would be too arrogant to start giving belts to your self:-) Maybe also selection of the members of study group? Ex martial artist? JuJutsu - aikido - BJJ or some other background where you have learnd ukemis would be good.

Just a thought - and I know this is difficult. If you were to learn judo by your self - or in a small study group wtih hardly any knowledge of judo - how would you do it. What would be the curriculum? Would you start with a book - and compine youtube videos with it? Learn ukemis and kuzushi first? Maybe start with grappling (katame-waza / ne-waza)? Follow belt ranks and use it as a curriculum? (Yes - I know that lot of you will say that you just would join a local club or find a good sensei... but what if...)

I'm 53 - so a youngster compared to 54 or 58... I was at a match training thursday and we had some reaction drills. Getting up from laying at your back and some techniques and a short sprint - types of things. AND I was not the last everytime! (And I have artritis on my hip and all most no muscles on left leg due to disc problems in my back I have been holding a 1 kyu for 33 years. So I've had a brown belt before others at the session were even born... seriously... Training martial arts as a senior in a relative small place (120 000), means that you will not be able to practise with same age group as we are offered so many styles and arts. So it's very much about your own attitude. One just has to accept that one is not the fastest and can not do the things as could before.

belt rank system can be a good system as it gives small intermediate steps and some kind of time frame to follow. And it kind of tells what to expect from your training partner. System could be made better if we grow with our goals. Getting a black belt cannot be a final goal - it's more like first step of starting to study (Writes a person who hasn't a black belt - just 1.kyu for 33 years:-) Ok - our goals change - and should change - and the system would be even better if it could make the change of goals confortable - kind of let you feel like you can grow old with the system.... (I read a news article about some 60 + ladies who got black belts in Hong Kong - it was Taekwondo - I think...)

I went to the karate sparring session and it turned out to be "an open mat" with players from ju-jutsu, karate and mma. (This might sound like the same what I was proposing - and it is, but variation on students skills was too big.) From kids with yellow belt to back belts with competition experience. BUT it's a start and there was maybe 2 - 3 same size players. About insuries - yep - turned a joint from my toe. Minor thing, but irritation to walk with - and sweeped and assibarai to opponent and he hurt his knee. (Assibarai was not to high - tatami was rubberish and he did not fall. Maybe I did it too light.) So it was "normal" insuries, but something to watch out for.

Thank for supporting feedback. To sum it up: 1) Liability - insurance (maybe standing Judo should not be one of the first events:-) 2) Select carefully players and make ground rules 3) Start small - one or two clubs ( about 10 players?) 4) Maybe some instruction or tips from "host" for the beginning I'll start spreading the word and see if anyone is interested. (I'm going to a karate sparring session just in one hour. I'll have a chat with one or two possible canditates - first time for me so I don't know whos going to be at the dojo.

Just a very raw idea: What if I would found or start a club for just sparring? Boxing, grappling, karate - maybe even judo. It would be mostly sparring, but different arts on each session (practise). It would need some protective pads - but maybe we can work it out with other clubs... What will be the biggest difficulties? Should I start working with multible clubs to arrange an "open sparring night" so that people can visit different clubs - or invite every one away from their regular dojo/ring? (Every dojo in our area has an "open" training time at their gym - so it could be possible to negotiate a "visitors pass" to free training and arrange it that way too.

When I started karate in 1973 we got a certificate for each belt starting from yellow I did get a certificate for 4th dan - from internet - but I am still using my 1 kyu belt in training. Or what ever is needed... For Han Moo Do 8. kup( yellow belt) - I did not get any certificates. I think it was nice to get a cool certificate with Japaneze written all over...but we need to get over the belt ranking system - it's helpful, but not the goal.

Just to keep on learning and doing different exercises I started Judo. I am also doing Karate and if I have time some boxing. Program is 2 times per week Judo, two times Karate, maybe once boxing and two times gym and some aerobic or interval jogging ( maybe three times per week.) It adds up to too much training for a person over 50 years ( or I just might be able to do it - as Judo is easy in the beginning:-)

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