Wastelander

Yep, that's why I do bare-knuckle (well, recently I've taken to wearing hand wraps, I consider it impolite to bleed on punching bags that don't belong to me) heavy bag work at the sports centre nearby once or twice a week. I'm still trying to think of more ways to harden my knuckles themselves (heavy bag only helps to get technique right). The knuckles will harden some with the heavy bag work. You could look into some makiwara training, or some smaller hanging sand bags to build them up, as well.Am curious to listen more Are you wanting to learn more about hand conditioning, in general, or the use of makiwara or maize/sand bags, in particular?

Since we cannot train with 100% realism, it stands to reason that we also cannot compete with 100% realism. Anything that is not 100% realistic is going to develop expectations based on theory or experience that may not be accurate. This is something we have to keep in mind when we train or compete, lest we become complacent. When you're great at hitting pads, or have great success in competition, you might feel that you are fully prepared for self defense, even though you are not. Of course, if you only ever practice with a compliant partner, and never hit pads, you'll be even worse off. Personally, I'm not fond of competition--winning doesn't give me any sense of accomplishment, losing makes me feel terrible, and I'm very non-confrontational. I will say that competition certainly has benefits, though! Dealing with someone who is fighting back and resisting you, developing a sense of distance and timing, being forced to perform under pressure, etc. I really do think that the key to avoiding complacency is maintaining an understanding of the limitations of your training and competition. Unfortunately, many instructors don't seem to foster this understanding in their students.

Oh, man--we must not do Shorin-Ryu, either, then! All the instructors at the dojo have brought their own past training and experiences with them, and it's become a very blended system. The core is Shorin-Ryu and, while many things have come from other arts, it all connects back to Shorin-Ryu. I'm not fond of the creation of styles and sub-styles. Often, this is completely redundant and done primarily for political reasons. There are thousands of styles and sub-styles out there, right now, and a lot of them teach almost the same material as the other sub-styles in their branch of martial arts. To me, a new style would have to be fairly significantly different from not only the core art of the creator, but significantly different from similar existing styles. That's a pretty tough bar to reach.

I'm afraid I don't know of any, personally. You would probably have better luck asking a senior instructor of your style, like Bruce Heilman Sensei. They would know a good number of people in your lineage, and where they live.

Welcome back!

Much appreciated! According to pictures, I got an 8.75, an 8.91, and an 8.79 on the scorecards.

I was a yonkyu (4th kyu) in Shuri-Ryu, at the time, but I started learning kobudo around rokkyu (6th kyu)--they encouraged everyone to learn kobudo. A bo kata was required to earn sankyu (3rd kyu), and you had to pass proficiency tests with bo and sai to test for shodan. I had already passed my proficiency test with the bo, and narrowly failed my sai test, by the time I competed in this tournament.

I am always highly skeptical of "secret" or "inner circle" material, particularly when it includes kata that are claimed to be incredibly old. Hakutsuru and Channan are their own cans of worms, and while I'm not terribly familiar with Wanduan (I've seen it in one of McCarthy's books, and it's been discussed a bit in some other forums), it's looking like a similar situation. There tends to be a lot of political strife mixed in with these, as well, and I try to stay out of that when I can. I will say this--if it really is that old, and really does come from Five Ancestor Fist, then you should be able to send a video of it to an experienced instructor of Five Ancestor Fist and they should be able to recognize the material. Not necessarily the exact form, but the way of moving, the postures, and the possible applications. If they don't, then it's likely either a modern creation, or it's been changed so much over time that there is little of the original material left.

Thanks! That's actually a purple belt, and this was back when I did Shuri-Ryu. In that style, purple belt is the yonkyu (4th kyu) rank. I definitely didn't have much room, and you can see me adjust my stepping during that sequence so that I wouldn't run into the judges. I didn't think I got too close, but obviously the judge who put his mouthpiece in thought I did

In the first two years of my karate training, and all throughout my active judo training, I competed. I never liked competition--I'm a VERY non-competitive, non-confrontational person--but I did it, anyway. As my interest in practical karate grew, the competition aspect just lost my interest. Back then, I also used to practice kobudo, but that interest faded around the same time. When I was competing, I had a few pictures taken, but not many, and almost no video. When I was going through photos, this morning, I stumbled across one video, though! It's of me competing in the Weapons division of the 2008 Midwest Regional Championships outside of Chicago. Honestly, I'm pretty embarrassed about it, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to share it, anyway

I do this, every now and then, and my instructor teaches it fairly regularly to our competitors. If you get the timing right, you can actually make them think they blocked the strike. I really see it as more of an entry into close-range techniques, but that doesn't actually matter in point sparring.

Thanks for the feedback! I wouldn't say I approach pressure points as a "naysayer," exactly, but I am an eternal skeptic. I just take the "better safe than sorry" approach, I guess . Perhaps, once I've amassed as much experience as you have, I will change my tune. Until then, though, I will train to expect the worst and hope for the best!

This post was originally published as an article in a dedicated KarateForums.com Articles section, which is no longer online. After the section was closed, this article was most to the most appropriate forum in our community. Most, if not all, people involved in martial arts have heard of pressure points in some fashion - kyusho, dim mak, poison hand, death touch, etc. There are entire books and DVD series on the subject, and a wide array of seminars where you can "learn the secrets of pressure point fighting." On the other hand, there are huge numbers of combat sports competitors, martial artists and scientists, who believe that there is no such thing as an effective pressure point. It is a controversial subject but, as is usually the case, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. This article will briefly cover how to approach pressure points in a practical manner. What Are "Pressure Points"? What most people call "pressure points" are really more accurately described by the terms "vulnerable points" or "weak points." They are places on the body that are more susceptible to injury, or the introduction of pain, than the rest of the body. An example that everyone is familiar with is the "funny bone" point — the spot where the ulnar nerve passes through the elbow and is unprotected by muscle. While many of these points are nerve-related, there are also many that are not, including the knee joint, the iliotibial band, the liver, the carotid sinus and the temple. It is necessary to learn where pressure points are on the body, what effect they can have when attacked and how they should be attacked. The Effects of Pressure Points When used against a healthy, non-resistant person, quite a large number of pressure points can be effective, and studying their effects can be very educational. Some points can cause a temporary loss of consciousness or motor control, some can cause the legs or arms to weaken, some can cause pain, some can cause muscles to cramp, some can cause breathing inhibition, and some can cause vision disruption. All of these points may also be more susceptible to certain types of attack, such as striking, pushing or rubbing. While the locations of these points can be found in books and diagrams, much practice is required to get a feel for where they are and how to attack them to get the greatest effect. It is important to remember that not all of these points will work on everyone, and they will work even less often when used on a person who is resistant and fighting back. For this reason, it is important to focus on training pressure points that you can safely and reliably access in a self defense situation, that produce the desired effect a majority of the time. Incorporating Pressure Points in Training While there are a great number of pressure points on the body, only a small number of them are likely to be readily accessible in a fight. These are generally points that do not require you to be behind your attacker and do not require them, or you, to be in any awkward or unnatural positions in order to access them. They should also not compromise your defense; utilizing both of your hands to attack the pressure points while your attacker has one or both hands free, for example. These criteria will allow you to keep your training focused on practical targets, and your exploration of their effects should have taught you how much force is required when attacking them. This means that, in your training, you can strike, push or rub the vast majority of the pressure points available to you, at a level that is safe, while still receiving feedback. Some targets, like the eyes, may require protective gear for safety reasons, but most will not. The Reality Pressure points cannot be relied on to end a fight and should not be the only attacks that you use in your training. You might miss, the attacker may not be susceptible to a particular attack, or factors like cold, layers of clothing or the influence of drugs might diminish the effect. The successful use of pressure point attacks should be treated as extra credit, rather than the end goal or you can end up in deeper water when you try to use them. When training, it is helpful to incorporate pressure points, but to train as if they will fail to produce their intended effect. This will help keep you grounded in reality, as non-compliant training will quickly reveal the unintended consequences you may face when utilizing impractical pressure points. If you consistently fail to affect a point in training, or you consistently end up on the losing side of your engagements when using a point in training, then that point should be dropped. Martial arts training is meant to be a process of constant improvement of self and of technique, so evaluate yourself and your material as objectively as possible, as often as possible.

Congratulations!

Congratulations!

GKR is a touchy subject. From what I understand, they often hire instructors who have trained in other arts, so a big problem is consistency in instruction. Some of the instructors have a solid martial arts background, and are very good. Some have just a couple years of experience, and are not. In the end, if you like the instructor and enjoy the training, that's good enough. If it isn't realistic/practical enough for you, then you can always do some research and find somewhere else to train.

Here is another way of looking at it: If you didn't know they were supposed to be jodan, how effective were the kicks at the level they were thrown? If the form was good, and the speed and power were there, then it's probably just a flexibility issue. I know some people who physically can't kick to their own head height, but you wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of one of their kicks thrown with ill intent. There are some things I don't worry too much about when I'm evaluating skill levels of martial artists, and being able to kick to head height is one of them. For what it's worth, I suck at hook kicks and crescent kicks. If I were being evaluated by my ability to throw a hook or crescent kick, I would rate quite poorly!

That's the way we do it, yes. That said, I have also trained at a judo club that promoted based almost entirely based on competitive performance. I was told when I started training there (as a green belt) that I knew more than enough material for a brown belt, but I would have to be beating brown belts in competition to be promoted from green to brown. I'm a perpetually bad competitor, so that never happened

The "meaning of rank" is really a tricky subject, because every instructor has different ideas of what constitutes a yellow/green/black/etc. belt ranked student. In addition, standards aren't always "standard," because instructors will make exceptions for a variety of reasons. For example, people with physical disabilities may not be able to spar well, or execute some techniques correctly, but they have put in the work and studied hard to learn about the things they can't physically do. Conversely, some people with great amounts of physical talent may be promoted due to their effectiveness in training or competition, despite having limited knowledge.

It hasn't happened to me, personally, but I've seen it happen several times. I always recommend that people wear compression shorts under their gi bottoms, and compression tops under their gi tops. They wick moisture away and reduce gi burns, if nothing else, and have the added benefit of covering you up if your pants rip or come off.

That is a good tutorial--thanks for sharing! I learned that transition from side control to kesa-gatame in judo, but we never went back to side control from there. sensei8 - As he mentions in the video, he isn't actually pulling his opponent's tricep. If it's done the way I was taught, you're actually locking their elbow to your stomach, so it's actually the turning of your body that pulls their tricep. Kind of like if you're working tuidi--the locks are difficult/impossible to make work if you're just using your arms, instead of your body. Does that sound about right?

But it didn't leave ink spots in your gi, did it? No, it didn't. Of course, the area you would write it on doesn't really come in contact with the rest of the gi.

From the descriptions of tegumi by Nagamine, Funakoshi, and others, I would say that Shima bears very little resemblance to it. Many of the sweeps and throws found in Shima probably come from tegumi, but the fact that tegumi was not restricted to a belt grip, and included groundwork and submissions, means there is very little left of it in Shima. I have actually had some discussions with people who have done extensive traveling and training in Okinawa, and they said that Shima and tegumi are separate. According to them, Shima is a popular sport, and many judoka compete in it. If you go to smaller villages, which do not have organized Shima competitions, you can find them still doing tegumi. These peoples' descriptions of it match those of Funakoshi and Nagamine--it sounds pretty much like no-gi submission grappling! As far as the value of this, I think it is fairly evident that it has great value for the karateka. Many Okinawan karate masters cross-trained in tegumi, and recommended their students cross-train in grappling arts like judo, once tegumi declined in popularity. That, in my opinion, is where the Okinawans got their grappling training from.

When you're taking punches to the body for conditioning, you need to have a partner you can trust, who has control. Start light and work up to higher levels of power--be sure to communicate to your partner so they know when to stop increasing the power! Also, I do work on conditioning the entire core, but I recommend palm heel strikes to the liver and spleen, instead of punches.

I know of several martial artists who have had severe ankle, knee, and hip injuries that required surgeries to fix. They didn't let it stop them--you just have to stop long enough to heal. When your doctor says you can start training again, start slow.