Wastelander

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!

As Kanku65 said, there is probably dye trapped in the other person's washing machine. The only thing you can really do is keep washing it in your machine, and hope for the best. Bleach is a last resort, since it weakens fabric. I had to spot-bleach a blood stain a few months ago, and that spot has already become a thumb-sized hole.

I'm sorry for your loss--it can be hard to cope with losing someone who was influential to you

Ah, I see. That does make sense, I suppose, but I've never heard it called by that name. Everyone I know just includes those exercises in "hojo undo."

sensei8 and Harkon72 have given you some good advice. The only thing I would add is that a backfist isn't really intended to be a fight finisher, for the most part. It's a GREAT technique to set up other techniques, though! It hurts quite a bit, and doesn't require a great deal of force to do so. If you're using it in that way, you aren't as likely to injure your hand, either, since you aren't putting as much power into it as you possibly could.

As far as I'm aware, Aiki Jujutsu is largely focused on standing techniques--usually against a fully-committed attack. There are plenty of techniques and concepts that carry over into grappling on the ground, but the way Aiki Jujutsu and BJJ are trained are quite a bit different. Also, you aren't often confronted with a fully-committed attack in MMA, as you are in a sport fight with a trained opponent. They will typically try to set up their strikes in combinations, instead.

I have never heard of the specific phrase, "hojo undo tai." My guess would be that it is either referring to the body you develop through hojo undo, or it is referring to hojo undo that works every part of the body.

Congratulations! You earned your Rokudan the year I was born! My Sensei's Sensei will actually be celebrating 50 years in the Shorinkan sometime in the next few years, I believe.

"The Way of Kata" is a must-have for people interested in self-defense-focused karate, in my opinion. I also recommend "Bunkai-Jutsu" by Iain Abernethy.

There is definitely a lot to this one! In my opinion, John Titchen has put together the best program for pressure testing martial artists in self defense scenarios. Sensei Titchen has done a great deal of research on how attacks occur, and then has his students reproduce this situations. He uses Spartan Armour, because you can still feel when/how you've been hit, and you can still move freely, unlike the bulkier REDMAN and BULLET suits. He has put up quite a few examples on his YouTube channel, but this one is a quick overview of his approach: Unfortunately, we don't have the protective gear necessary to do this kind of training, safely, with a high level of contact. We do occasionally do these types of drills, and sometimes do "self defense sparring," but the contact tends to stay at about 50% power. When we work our self defense techniques, beginners learn to do them without any resistance. Intermediate students start to encounter some resistance. More advanced students typically put up quite a fight. Obviously, with any new material, even the more advanced students will start with a lower level of resistance and work up. Working against a resisting opponent, who is trying to hit you, is key. When we spar, we typically spar with about 50% power on our strikes, for safety. Some strikes, like leg kicks, we put more power into. Many of us spar MMA-style, with grappling (takedowns, joint locks, chokes, etc.) allowed. We also allow pressure point attacks, strikes to the groin, and simulated eye attacks (place the fingers on the eyes and push lightly). We don't consider a 1st degree black belt to be an expert, and we don't expect them to be able to deal with all comers. That said, they should be able to hold their own in contact sparring with other 1st degree black belts, and they should be able to defend themselves against an unarmed attacker of a similar size. Perhaps more importantly, they have to have the resolve to keep fighting. In our belt tests, after going through all the fitness requirements, the forms, the techniques, etc., the last thing you have to do is spar all the people who are administering your test. They are better than you, they are going to push you to your limit, and you are already exhausted.

Typically, I would say that we average a 10:1 ratio. Some classes are smaller, though.

The fact that your partner was smiling at you afterward tells me that he didn't take it personally. Besides, it's just a bloody nose--that isn't any sort of serious damage, and some people get them very easily, so you may not have even hit him all that hard. We have a teen student who gets bloody noses just from pressure against his face during grappling. You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, as they say. In other words, try to let it go! I'm sure your partner is fine, and doesn't hate you If it makes you feel any better, I DID knock someone out in friendly sparring when I visited my old dojo last year. It was in front of his entire Advanced Class. I felt terrible, but he didn't hold it against me, and no lasting damage was done. People are more resilient than you would think.

What kata are being run by your competition? You should be comparable to them, so if they're all running Pinan kata, then Pinan Shodan is fine, if it's your best kata. If they're running Seisan and Passai, then you'll probably need to step up.

I have a bad knee (completely dislocated it twice) but it has been improved by my karate training. Of course, we don't do such low stances as Shotokan, or as much air-kicking. I actually do know someone who switched from Shuri-Ryu (very similar to Shotokan) to Matsumura Seito Shorin-Ryu, specifically because of his knees. If you love Shotokan, and your instructor is willing to let you modify it to fit your limitations/health, then stick with it. If not, then you may need to switch. In the end, though, it's your own decision.