Wastelander

I've had a Tokaido, and known many people with Shureido gi, and they are certainly cream of the crop. That said, Ronin and KI/Mugen make some very good heavyweight gi that are more affordable. My Sensei has actually taken a real liking to his KI/Mugen, even more than his Shureido.

Hello everyone, Over the weekend, we hosted our very first webinar, ever! It was held online via Skype, and it worked out pretty well. Online training definitely has its limitations, but in this format we were able to see how the attendees were doing with the techniques, and provide immediate feedback, just as we would do in person. We took an hour to cover 2-4 applications for every sequence in Naihanchi Shodan. Of course, there are many more ways to apply the kata than just what we worked, but I think we gave everyone enough variety that they can find useful material for a wide array of personal approaches. Here is just a small selection of clips from the session:

Welcome to the forum! Pretty much any martial art can be tailored to your personal needs. Of course, there are some limitations, but by and large, you should be able to just go check out the martial arts schools in your area and see which one you like best. Oh, and don't shy away from Shorin-Ryu because of the intensity you remember--it's always more intense for college kids than for older adults

We do not have standard applications that students must know and demonstrate as part of their tests, although my previous style did. As it stands, we teach a variety of applications for every movement, and different people pick up different applications depending on their body type, the body types of their partners, and their personal preferences. In tests, we do "spot checks" for applications, rather than having students demonstrate applications for the entirety of a kata. Basically, after they have performed a kata, we will ask them how they would apply a certain movement or sequence from that kata. We do that for a few sequences in each kata, typically. Now, in my previous style, there was a standard set of applications that was required for each rank. More than that, you had to demonstrate those applications in several ways--being attacked randomly in the kata, being attacked for every movement in the kata, verbally explaining every application while demonstrating it, and non-verbally instructing someone how to attack you while you perform the kata. This was done for every kata that you learned, for every rank. At brown belt, they did start adding "hakai" (destruction) applications, which was basically just making you pick a spot during the regular bunkai demonstration to do whatever series of finishing moves you want on one of your attackers. They never did any real personalized applications, beyond that.

It looks as though you and I have been doing a martial arts discipline for the same length of time (since 2010) and I too will hopefully be testing for Nidan this year. Good luck to you! I've been in my current style since 2010, although I've been in martial arts since 2006. Good luck to you, too!

Welcome to the forum, and welcome back to martial arts!

Taekwondo dobok are basically a baggy v-neck longsleeve shirt, and many manufacturers make "female cut" uniforms. Most female karateka I know who have trouble with the gi coming open just sew it shut.

Our testing is always open to spectators. Parents like to watch their kids, and sometimes friends come along, too. For adults, their families tend to come and watch, as well. We see the dojo as a family, so we also have other students come just to watch their dojo-mates test. I think it's good for these things to be open, because it takes away some of the mysticism that can sometimes build up when talking about testing.

Spear hands are generally better used for other things than fingertip strikes, but there are certainly ways to condition them. You can fill a bag with mung beans and hang it up for striking, or make a taketaba (bamboo bundle) for striking into with your fingertips and thumb. Those are my two preferences.

Over the course of his lifetime, and following his death, Taika Oyata had some students break away from him, or be kicked out, for a variety of reasons. Oyata had the RyuTe name trademarked, and copyrighted all kinds of material, so most of those students had to use Ryukyu Kenpo/Kempo for the name of what they teach. Oyata taught a lot of very good material, and so do his students. Putting politics aside, there may be some variety in methodology and quality among the students who left his organization, but the core should be the same.

How long is the bag? For a 6ft Thai-style bag, I like to have it 4" or less from the ground. That gives me the most striking area, and I can set a tire around the base so I can work stomps as well. For a shorter bag, though, I just make sure that the striking area starts at head level.

Welcome to the forum!

Welcome to the forum! I hope you find a good dojo!

My friend, Michael Nguyen, put together this great video comparing karate techniques and kata movements with MMA techniques, to showcase a side of karate that most people aren't aware of. As someone who regularly points out these connections, and has even used many of these examples to do so, I can really appreciate it! I thought it was a very cool video, and thought that some folks here might like it, as well.

1. Lose about 20lbs 2. Compete in a grappling tournament (I failed to do that last year, and it was one of my goals) 3. Pass my Nidan test 4. Keep improving, in general!

Welcome to the forum!

When I was training in Shuri-Ryu, we were taught the kata first, and then as soon as we had the pattern memorized, we started learning the "official interpretation" of the applications. At the time, I was never shown anything more than these "official interpretations," in their various forms, and they were essentially the same kind of material you see in JKA bunkai demonstrations. In our Shorin-Ryu dojo, however, we will teach applications along with the kata. Obviously, we don't show applications for the entire kata right off the bat, because that would be overwhelming. We tend to start off with the pattern, and show applications for any parts of the kata that a student has trouble understanding how to do. This often helps them perform the movement properly. We also teach applications as self defense on a regular basis, even if we don't explicitly connect it to the kata, although we usually do.

Welcome to the forum!

We have a Facebook page for our dojo, for business purposes. We post photos and video clips of classes and events, as well as posting about our schedule, upcoming special events, belt tests, etc. There are also deals on lessons that we post, occasionally. You can also use Facebook Ads to get more people to see your page, provided they don't have AdBlock turned on.

I've been interested in hojo undo, but piecing videos together isn't working out well. Is strengthening exercises the main focus of this book? Yes, the book covers a variety of exercises with a variety of tools, which you can build. All of the exercises are specifically connected with kata movements, as well.

Motobu-Ryu (Udundi) isn't practiced by a very large group of people, but it definitely has some interesting material. From what I understand, they do teach some kata, and they also practice weapons and traditional Okinawan dance. You can find some more details at these sites: http://okkb.org/karateandkobudo/stylesandschools/motobu-ryu/okinawamotobuudundi http://www.motobu-ryu.org/motobu-udundi/technical-system/ (you will need to use Google Translate)

Michael Clarke Sensei's book actually provides instructions on how to make your own hojo undo equipment. It's kind of like a rite of passage

Wado Heretic provided you with some good suggestions. Aside from that, since you are a Goju-Ryu practitioner, I would highly recommend that you research hojo undo (supplemental training). If you search for them, you can find videos of Higaonna Morio Sensei teaching a variety of stretches, warm-ups, and conditioning exercises. I also highly recommend this book: http://www.amazon.com/Art-Hojo-Undo-Training-Traditional/dp/159439136X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1448904860&sr=8-7

Gekisai isn't part of my organization's curriculum, but many people in the system practice it, and several other Shorin-Ryu systems call it Fukyugata Ni. This video is a simple padwork drill I've been playing with for the mae-geri/age-enpi-uchi/uraken-uchi/gedan­-barai/gyaku-tsuki sequence. While we only recorded one iteration of the drill, there are several ways it can be altered to suit the people practicing it. Of course, there are more ways to apply these movements, but this drill is used to highlight and develop the striking applications, specifically.

Congratulations, everyone!