Wastelander

I do enjoy seeing these drills. I see similarities between this drill and some of the ones seen over in the Wing Chun posts, too. We did a flow drill together, didn't we, Bob? I don't recall what it was called, though. It was kind of like a sticking hands type of drill, I think.Interestingly, you can do this same drill as a sticking hands drill, but I am not very good at it

That's a pretty dramatic height difference, and I imagine it will come with a dramatic difference in reach. Personally, I would get in as close as possible, keep pressure high, and work in the clinch. With someone that tall, their center of gravity will be pretty high, so I would dump them with sweeps whenever possible. That said, collar ties might be tough to get on somebody who is 10" taller than you, though. I've never been at that significant of a height/reach disadvantage since I began training.

Welcome to the forum!

We don't have it posted on our website, but it is on our fliers and we don't try to hide it or run around it when people ask over the phone, via email, or in person. Honestly, I don't really like that it isn't on the website, but I understand why it's done that way.

Yes, the "punches" in the video are really just for flow, since they come smoother, and in a straighter line. The drill can also be done from a more boxing style 1-2-1, although not all of us practice it that way--it's up to the individuals doing the drill. As you said, though, it's really more of a skill-building drill than a practical application drill.

I've found that most people who have been involved with karate in the US for a while have come across, or at least heard of, my Sensei's Sensei--Eddie Bethea, Kyoshi, Hachidan (8th Degree Black Belt) of the Shorin-Ryu Shorinkan. Every year, around this time, he flies down from Indiana to attend the annual Cal-South Shorinkan Camp. When he does, he stays with my Sensei, and teaches a few classes at our dojo. He is a kind, fun man with a lot of knowledge, and if you ever get the chance to take a class with him, I highly recommend it! This year, I recorded the class he taught for our teen and adult students, and I put together this little montage of what he had us working on--if nothing else, you get to see him throw me a couple times During the class, Sensei Bethea had us work on a technique from his Naihanchi Shodan yakusoku kumite (promise sparring) drill. He took a moment to explain how and why he developed them, and I was able to upload that video, as well. The camera was rather far away from him, so it is difficult to hear in places, but I added Closed Captions to the video to get around that issue. I thought it was an interesting little discussion.

Welcome to the forum!

Welcome to the forum!

Honestly, I was surprised by the move, but I don't agree OR disagree. They decided that what he did reflected poorly on the image they want to portray, and that's really an evaluation only they can make. If I were in their shoes, I probably wouldn't have pulled the sponsorship. Then again, if I were in their shoes, I wouldn't be sponsoring Jon Jones to begin with.

Very cool! I didn't realize that the Netherlands had their own National Karate Day!

Congratulations!

I've tried a variety of mouthguards, including a few different Shock Doctor models. Without a doubt, the best thing I ever did, with regards to mouthguards, is getting a custom-molded one. Gladiator Guards made mine--you order their kit, make a mold of your teeth, send it back, and then they send you a custom mouthguard. It's pretty pricey, but not as much as getting one from a dentist. The nice thing about Gladiator Guards is that they keep your mold on file, and will make you more mouthguards at half the price if you need replacements.

I've been dealing with a strange health issue that causes me to feel motion sick and incredibly fatigued for the past year. So far, I've seen 8 doctors and still don't have an answer as to what it is, or how to fix it. This has made me miss training, and I have had to reduce the intensity of my training. I've also had to cut out weight training almost completely.

My wife has no interest in it, whatsoever. Every now and then, she'll want to hit something, or she'll ask me about a specific self defense scenario. That's the best I can ever get

There was a time when I spent 14 hours a week at the dojo, on top of 40 hours of work. My wife (who was my girlfriend, at the time) put up with it for about a year . These days, I typically spend 6-9 hours at the dojo every week. Every now and then, I'll be able to sneak in another hour or two. I don't feel like this is enough training, but you do have to strike a balance. It's important to train at home when you do have a chance, though, to supplement your dojo training. My best improvements typically come after I get a correction at the dojo and then work on it at home.

In my dojo, we occasionally work a parrying/deflection drill that we call "Figure-8's" due to the motion of the hands during the drill. This is a skill-building drill, rather than a directly-applicable fighting drill. To begin, your partner will start feeding you continuous, straight punches to the face. As the person doing the drill, you start with a cross-body palm block (eg. your right hand palm blocks their right hand punch). To deflect their second punch, you roll your elbow over it, and then you can bring your hand back across with a sword/knife hand block to deflect their third punch. At this point, you simply repeat the drill with your other hand. I made a short video illustrating the drill: At the end of the video, I show an example of a joint lock you can work into from this drill. You can actually work in a wide array of tuidi-waza, once you are comfortable with the flow of the drill. In addition, this drill can be made more advanced by employing both hands for each parry, or by sticking to the punches after you deflect them.

Kicking fast with weights is bad for your joints and connective tissues, so you should only do slow motion kicks. If you want to do fast kicks, get some resistance bands and use those, instead. Normally, I always recommend starting with the lightest weight available and working up. In this case, your instructor has some, so you can try his/hers and see how they feel.

Ours is the largest Shorin-Ryu organization in the world, and they don't provide seals, or even recommend where to get them. Every dojo is free to make their own certificates, and most of them just use a computer for that entire process. The organization does supply certificates from Okinawa, signed by Nakazato Sensei, upon request, though.

Heavyweight gi definitely have more pop to them than lighter weight ones. I only use 14oz and 16oz, myself, but more for the feel and the durability than the sound. Brushed cotton does tend to pop less than canvas, because the fabric is softer. The snap comes from the stiffness of the fabric, as far as I can tell.

We did our part, and ran through Naihanchi Shodan 100 times! I have to say, somewhere around 60-70, I started to feel kind of like Jell-O!

I would just train in shoes. I realize it isn't necessarily "traditional," but it is practical. I'm sure shoes wouldn't slide so much on gymnasium floors, since those floors are intended for people to run around on them while wearing shoes.

I'm extremely bad at math and, therefore, physics. That said, I'm pretty sure the power of strikes is supposed to be measured by Impulse, not Force. Force is just part of the formula for Impulse. http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/impcal.html#c1

Congratulations, Alex! I Liked and Shared the Facebook page, and Followed the Google+ page! Good luck!

Spears really interest me, but I haven't really delved into them too much, aside from learning a little nunti. The closest to "focusing on" a weapon I have gotten lately is refreshing my kama kata, and learning a little Italian longsword.

It sounds like you've already made your decision to switch, and it sounds like a very reasonable decision. As much as you may like your current dojo, and the people in it, you are not beholden to them. Your karate journey is personal, and you should do what makes the most sense for you. If money is an issue, then it makes sense to train somewhere that is going to cost you less. If more training times are desired, then it makes sense to train somewhere that can accommodate that. If a wider variety of approaches is desired, then it makes sense to go somewhere with multiple instructors. Enjoy your training, wherever you decide to train!