Wastelander

Glad to see some people using small-surface strikes! Mostly, I focus on keiko-ken (ippon-ken with the index finger knuckle), but I do work the others, as well. I just find keiko-ken to be the most effective, for me. Holding myself in a plank position on them (on a mat!) has really helped strengthen them, and I've been hitting the maize bag with them a lot, as well.

In one of the karate study groups I am a part of, we recently had a discussion about applications for the nami-gaeshi (returning wave) movement found in Naihanchi, as well as some versions of Passai, Kusanku, Seisan, and more. I decided to set up my camera and quickly run through the first 10 applications I could think of. There were more, but they were too subtle to show in such a short video. 1. Ko-Soto-Gari (Minor Outer Reap) 2. Ko-Uchi-Gari (Minor Inner Reap) 3. Step-Around Throw Entry 4. Kick/Sweep Avoidance 5. Hagi-Uke (Shin Block/Kick Check) 6. Fumikomi-Geri (Stomping Kick) 7. Kansetsu/Yoko-Geri (Joint/Side Kick) 8. Mae-Geri (Front Kick) 9. Suki-Geri (Shovel Kick) 10. Hiza-Geri (Knee Strike)

We have recently been discussing toe kicks (a small-surface strike) here at KF, and then someone asked me, on YouTube, about another small-surface strike (the extended-single-knuckle fist). It seems to be the in-thing right now! I'm curious as to what types of small-surface strikes you all practice/use, outside of the toe kick, and how to train them? For a bit of clarity, a "small-surface strike" is pretty much any strike that utilizes a very small striking area. Some examples, other than the ones above, would be oyayubi-uchi (thumb knuckle strike), washide-uchi (beak hand strike), and nukite-tsuki (spear hand thrust). Ryan Parker Sensei wrote a great blog post about small-surface strikes, if you're unfamiliar with them: http://ryukyuma.blogspot.com/2013/04/small-surface-strikes-structurally.html

My state is so much easier than all of yours' . I can own and carry any weapon that isn't restricted by Federal law, and I can own and carry those, too, if I have the licenses to do so.

I am in the dojo 2-3 days a week, for 3-4 hours at a time. I always go through at least one or two kata every day, and watch videos or study reading material every day. Periodically, I will do more intense workouts on the days I'm not at the dojo.

In my experience, yes, it hurts significantly more to be kicked with the toes than with the ball of the foot. I've had it done to me twice, and it felt like being stabbed--and he doesn't dedicate a ton of time to conditioning them! With shoes on, you make the kick that much easier to do, and that much more painful.

It's a very interesting article--thanks for sharing! I've actually heard of the same type of thing occurring with karate on Okinawa, and in Japan. People are forgoing karate practice in favor of a number of other activities, including MMA. I think it's a very sad cultural loss. At the same time, I think that those who study traditional arts can learn from the pressure testing of MMA and re-energize their teaching/training methods.

This gets a bit into martial arts politics, which certainly isn't my area of expertise. I would say that if your student signed a waiver at this other dojo, then there probably isn't anything that can be done, from a legal/insurance standpoint. Pain from a kick to the ribs isn't exactly an unusual injury in martial arts. That said, I do think the instructor was out of line, regardless of whose student he kicked--a light or slow kick would have illustrated the same thing, and not taken the student out of training. In the end, I think it's really up to the student. If he wants to keep training there, then you should probably talk to the instructor. If he doesn't, then he should just stop going and let that do the talking.

I will train with a mild cold, but I'll excuse myself from partner work. Anything more serious, though, and I will rest, instead. Exercise can actually make you feel a bit better if you're a little sick, but there is a point where you're just wearing down your body's immune system too far. Listen to your body!

I know that there is a Shorinkan dojo (the organization I'm a part of) over in Shelby, but that's not very close to you. It looks like the York Branch of the YMCA has a Shorin-Ryu program, which might be a little more reasonable, but it still isn't all that close. Since she has done Shotokan, Shorin-Ryu will be fairly similar, and might be easier for her to transition into. It looks like you have a Hayastan MMA gym in your area, and the instructors there also teach karate--looks like Kyokushin, which is based on Shotokan mixed with Goju-Ryu. There is also a school called Toma Dojo, which teaches a solid traditional style called Uechi-Ryu, but that will be very different from her Shotokan experience.

Welcome aboard, officially!

Congratulations!

Kyokushin karateka will be quick to tell you that "osu" (sometimes spelled "oss") is a contraction of the words "oshi" and "shinobu," making it translate as "to push and endure." From what I understand, though, the phrase existed in the Japanese military prior to that, and it was considered very rude outside of the military. As far as I know, it was just a crude affirmative grunt. It stands to reason that Mas Oyama put a "meaning" to the word to try to make it more acceptable, but I could certainly be wrong. We don't use it in Okinawan karate, but every now and then you'll hear someone use it because they picked it up from someone who doesn't know better.

I'm a fan of communication whenever possible. I would talk to him and explain that you'd like to keep a low profile, for now.

There is a long-standing misconception that muscle "bulk" causes slowness and inflexibility. Fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are the muscles you need to be explosive and strong, are the largest type of muscle fibers in the body, and therefore the bulkiest. What causes slowness and inflexibility is lifting slow and not doing enough/any stretching. After adding barbell squats and deadlifts to my training, as well as working with a heavier (150lbs) heavy bag, my kicks definitely got stronger.

Welcome to the forum!

Our system includes tsumasaki-geri (toe-tip kick), but we don't emphasize it much. Chibana Chosin, the founder of our style, actually cracked a wall in his dojo with it, at one point. As has been mentioned, it used to be the primary method of kicking with front kicks and roundhouse kicks. My Sensei can use them pretty effectively to the body--it feels like you're being stabbed. In addition to the Uechi-Ryu method, and the Shorin-Ryu method, I have seen some Goju-Ryu karateka working it. Garry Lever Sensei has a video, somewhere, showing him toe-kicking a medicine ball propped against a wall. Of course, Chinese arts, and Savate, wear shoes and make liberal use of toe-tip kicks. Outside of that, UFC fighters Katsunori Kikuno and Erick Silva have been known to use toe-tip kicks to the body pretty effectively. I have a hard time with them, so as much as I would like to be able to use them, I can't make much progress. I've damaged the big toes on both my feet so severely that even kicking with the ball of the foot hurts quite a bit. This damage also makes it very difficult to bend my toes properly for the Uechi method of toe kicking. My second toe is also long enough that crossing it over my big toe for support for the Shorin method causes the nail of my big toe to cut open the bottom of my second toe.

Having only been practicing for a fraction of the time that you have, I can't really relate. My own "awakening" occurred after two years of training, when I moved and had to start training solely on my own. My new Sensei had me keep wearing my brown belt from my previous style, since my basics were solid enough, and just had me train in his material up to that level so I could test in my new system. It sounds, to me, like you have found something truly worthwhile! I'm sure that your previous training gave you basics, reaction speed, and timing that will carry over. Other than that, though, it can be helpful to try to forget what is no longer useful. Best of luck, and enjoy your training!

Congratulations!

Class-time is for learning new material, refining material that you've been working on, and doing partner work. Repetitions of everything but partner work can (and should) be done at home. Two hours of class per week isn't ideal, but it's sufficient if you are doing a lot of training at home. Whenever you have a chance to get more class-time, though, you should take it--seminars, private sessions, special classes, etc. For what it's worth, I attended 13-14 hours of classes every week for the first two years of my training. After that, I moved to another state and had nowhere to take karate classes, so I started attending 4 hours of judo classes every week for about 2 years, while practicing my karate solely at home. Now, I teach 3-5 hours of class a week, attend 2-3 hours of classes for myself to learn, and practice every day at home. I found that to be a good balance, for me, but everyone has to find their own way.

The medical clearance is already handled by the state athletic commissions, but I suppose it doesn't hurt to double-check. I do think the background checks are a good idea, since the UFC has already had to release fighters after criminal or racist activity has come to light. They would save themselves the trouble if they just didn't sign them to begin with. It makes good business sense.

Congratulations!

Welcome to the forum!

I'm far from a master of KishimotoDi, but I'll do my best to answer your questions! 1. This system traces back to "Tode" Sakugawa Kanga, so we know that Naihanchi has existed at least since his lifetime. Unfortunately, we have no written documentation that explains where the material came from before that. It is most certainly possible that Sakugawa, in his capacity as a Satunushi, would have traveled to China and been influenced by the martial arts he saw there. I am aware of several theories about the origins of Naihanchi, but none of them actually fit very well, in my experience. Lately, there have been many claims that Naihanchi came directly from a Chinese form called Daipochin, but I don't see a connection between them. Honestly, the closest I have seen is some Northern Long Fist material, and even then I have never seen a form that looks like it would have been an ancestor to Naihanchi. More likely, it was a combination of Okinawan and Chinese methods, and never came directly from a Chinese form, to begin with. 2. No--all power generation in KishimotoDi is done by twisting at the waist, dropping at the knees, or stepping into your attack. Unlike what we consider "traditional karate" today, there is no "koshi" used to drive techniques. While this runs counter to what we have always been taught, it is quite clearly stated in old writings by Motobu and Mabuni that twisting at the waist is the method Naihanchi is intended to use. It takes some getting used to! The system is much "softer" than modern karate. 3. The one-knuckle strike, to the best of my knowledge, was the favorite striking method of Kishimoto Soko, whom the system is named for. For application, it doesn't actually matter what striking tool you use, because they look at it like the tip of an arrow or spear--what tip you use is dependent on what your target it and how it is being protected by your opponent. As far as the applications I have been taught, so far, the ones that utilize the one-knuckle strike are almost always following sticky-hands-type limb control, and they are almost always targeted at the pressure point on the upper-lip below the nose, or at the eye. I hope that helps!

A heavyweight karate gi will stand up to fairly regular light grappling for a while, but it will eventually start to tear. Mine seem to last about 2-3 years. If you're being cost-conscious, I would go for a single-weave judo gi. They tend to be cheaper than karate or BJJ uniforms, and will last quite a bit longer. They just don't look/feel as nice when you're doing kata.