Wastelander

Welcome to the forum, Luther unleashed--it's always nice to see another martial artist from Phoenix here! I would wholeheartedly agree with your recommendation on how to approach finding a school, but there is a bit of a caveat; you have to know what "good" looks like . When I found my current instructor, I had already been training in another style of karate, as well as judo, for several years, so I knew what to look for. I didn't even know what rank my instructor held for months after I started . Your instructor isn't one that I've heard of, but it looks like you guys are out in the West Valley, so that isn't surprising. We're having some seminars and an open sparring event at my dojo over the next month, so if you guys are interested, we'd be happy to have you over!

This is, quite honestly, a very complicated and touchy subject. Since I am a man, I can only make educated guesses and pass along what I've been told by female martial artists. There seem to be two primary reasons that more women aren't involved in martial arts: 1. They have been conditioned all their lives to believe that hitting/wrestling/fighting/sweating/etc. isn't feminine, and therefore isn't something they should be doing. 2. When they do decide to try doing those things, they are made to feel uncomfortable about it by men and women, alike--even those that they train with. Both of these are societal issues, really, but I feel it's vitally important that every individual that is aware of it should be working to change their behavior. One person at a time, this is something that can be changed.

Well, by definition, "endurance" and "stamina" are synonyms and mean the same thing. Some people in the exercise industry will say that one is cardiovascular and one is muscular, but none of them seem to agree on which is which. The term "body conditioning" usually refers to the process of conditioning the body to take impact (punches to the abdomen, kicks to the legs, forearm smashing, etc.). If you're referring to the term "conditioning" in terms of fitness, though, then I would say that is the process of becoming accustomed to a particular activity at a particular level of intensity. In that case, you're looking at specialized exercises and routines that are meant to specifically improve your performance at a given task.

My old dojo strongly recommended/quietly required students to purchase all martial arts uniforms and equipment through them. To be fair, though, they had a wholesale discount and ended up charging the same price as what you would pay online. My current dojo will gladly order equipment/uniforms (same deal with the pricing) but doesn't require it.

Pull-ups are an excellent exercise for building strength in the arms and back which, in addition to being important for muscular balance and posture, are vital for clinchwork and grappling situations. I try to do some variation of pull-ups every time I work out--and there are many different variations to try that will focus on different movements and muscle groups. My current favorite is the kettlebell clinch pull-up.

In our case, they wear an Oreo belt (black with a white stripe down the middle).

We use a jun-shodan rank for students under the age of 18 (must be at least 14) if they can pass a proficiency test proving that they know the material necessary for shodan. This is partially because many teen students that young can't pass the adult test, and partially because they aren't typically mature enough as people or as martial artists. When they reach 16 years of age, my Sensei will consider testing them for shodan, but they will have to pass the same test as an adult student. ETA: Oh, I almost forgot--there is a 1 year minimum time between ikkyu and jun-shodan, and from jun-shodan to shodan. For adults, who don't get jun-shodan ranks, the wait time is 1 year minimum between ikkyu and shodan. During all of that time, students are certainly expected to be helping around the dojo in a number of ways.

Traditionally, they were made with rice straw rope. There are a couple places that seem to sell pre-wrapped rice straw rope makiwara pads in the UK, but that's it. I did find a supplier in China willing to ship rope anywhere, but it's very expensive. I made mine out of manilla rope, although hemp would have been softer.

Your kiai is important for a number of reasons, not the least of which is giving you a boost in power--a university studied tennis players, weight lifters, and martial artists, and discovered that vocalizations (grunting, kiai, etc.) increased power by about 7%. That 7% could be huge, if you needed it! On top of that, it helps ensure that you are breathing properly, helps you focus your intensity, and can actually unsettle an opponent. When it comes to not wanting to kiai in front of people, it can definitely be helpful to remember that everyone else is doing it, as JawD mentions. In addition, everyone else is paying attention to what they are doing, not what your kiai sounds like! Stop thinking of your kiai as something you "have to do in kata," and instead think of it as "a useful tool." Practice your kiai every time you want to get extra power in a strike or block.

I regret not starting training earlier in life, of course, since I didn't start training until I was 18! I also regret not finding my current instructor sooner after moving to Arizona--for two years, I continued practicing and studying karate at home, while training in judo at a local club, before I found him. If it weren't for those two things, I feel like I would be so much further along. Then again, we can never know for certain what would have happened if things had been different. Perhaps, if I had started sooner, I would have become indoctrinated in a style of karate that doesn't fit me now? Perhaps, if I had found my instructor sooner, I would have stopped training in judo sooner and not gotten as much out of it.

It is certainly a tragedy, but to say that MMA fighters aren't athletes is a bit silly--they're in better shape than people who make a living doing nothing but being athletic! The comparison to gladiators isn't fair, either, although they were also great athletes and about 90% of them lived to retirement, which isn't as bad as history class made it out to be. In any case, more people die playing football and competing in boxing. I will say that, in almost every instance of a death in MMA, there has been some sort of underlying cause. I noticed in the article that he lost his previous fight. Did he sustain a brain injury in that fight, and was it recent? If so, then that could explain how this happened. We may never know, of course, but I do hope his family gets answers.

Congratulations, and thanks for your contributions to the forum!

Having seen some videos of PTK (and related arts) forms, as well as their applications, I actually see a lot of parallels with karate. I, personally, suspect that karate kata originally looked a lot more like the forms of Indonesian martial arts, and have been made more formalized and rigid over time. I could be wrong, of course

That's great to hear, Joppe! Thanks for the update!

My Sensei has higher standards than most in our organization seem to, so as long as I tried my best, I think I would be just fine. Besides, what's the worst that could happen? Nakazato Sensei isn't going to kick me out of the organization and ban me from training if I fail the test, after all. If I failed, I would just keep on training and test some other time.

When I practiced Shuri-Ryu, kobudo was taught as sort of a sister-system in the curriculum, in a rotating style. Instead of belt ranks, they tested you on each weapon, individually, and gave you a patch for each test you passed to certify that you were ranked with that weapon. Passing all six would earn you the rank of Tasshi in the Shuri-Ryu kobudo system, and the right to wear a black gi. I passed the test for bo, and I passed everything but one requirement in the test for sai (impractical weapon manipulation--which is the most ridiculous requirement, in my opinion). At the time, I had learned three bo kata and two sai kata: Shushi no Kon Sho Shushi no Kon Dai Donyu no Kon Nicho Sai Sancho Sai I also learned the basics for kama, tonfa, nunchaku, and jo. At one point, I took a jo seminar, and learned 5 jodo kata (they are short) but absolutely hated the material, so I didn't keep up with it. During my time in Shuri-Ryu, I also practiced a branch of Shinkage-Ryu iaijutsu that my teacher learned during his visits to Japan over the years. I learned all four of the tachigata (standing forms) for that system, and one of the kneeling kata, but there are two other three other kneeling kata, and some wakizashi and partner kata that I never got to learn. When I transitioned to Shorin-Ryu, I got to learn a little more about trapping/locking/sweeping with weapons, which was interesting, but I have been completely focused on my karate. I did learn on kama kata, Nakaima no Kama, and started to learn a nunti kata that comes from a family system, but it's long and complex, so I've forgotten it, now.

SteyrAUG definitely gave a great explanation of how to avoid a lot of problems during training! In addition, there are plenty of accidental injuries that can occur, even when your attitude is good and everyone is doing their best to train properly and the sensei is giving proper guidance. Hawkmoon mentioned a few--I would say, by far, the most common injuries (unless we're counting bruises) are going to be jammed/twisted fingers and toes! If you do a lot of sparring/grappling, then black eyes, bloody noses, and split lips are going to be fairly par for the course, as well. Thankfully, these are all very minor, and barely register on the injury scale. The jammed/twisted fingers and toes can sometimes end up as broken fingers and toes, but that isn't the end of the world. One warning I will give you is that, if you work any grappling techniques (and you should), then it's important to keep joint injuries in mind. Joint locks and throws can be pretty rugged, and can effect joints you don't even think about if you're not accustomed to them. Broken bones heal stronger than before, but damaged joints will never be the same.

Welcome to the forum! I think we may have actually crossed paths elsewhere on the internet, judging by your username.

I see that you practice Goju-Ryu. I am not a Goju-Ryu practitioner, but as I understand it, they subscribe to the same belief I do about hikite--it is used for what it says (pulling). When I explain it to people, I ask them how they do rows when they exercise. Everyone is built slightly differently, so everyone has a different zone of strength for pulling in a row. That is where you should pull to in hikite. Normally, that will not be to your hip, but closer to your lower ribs/chest.

Welcome to the forum!

Ahh, sorry, I missed that part. I've never heard of an organization being awarded an honorary rank. I'm honestly not sure how that would even work?

I've heard of it happening, from time to time. My Sensei was actually given an honorary Godan certificate by a man that he highly respected before that man passed away. He keeps that certificate in a frame at home, but doesn't claim that rank, or really even tell people about it. Since he didn't test for it, he doesn't consider himself a Godan.

I do, and have for quite some time. The link is in my signature block Thanks for setting up a topic for this, Patrick--great idea!

That is really something for your doctor to tell you. If they tell you that it's okay to put weight on it, but not expose it to impact, then you'll probably have to stick with hands-only sparring until it heals.

I use so many online resources that it isn't really feasible for me to list them all, and how I found them . Forums, blogs, and Facebook groups are at the top of that list, certainly. Since we're all on KF, already, I'll list some of my favorite online resources that I use, in no particular order: Ryan Parker Sensei's Blog, YouTube Channel, and Facebook Groups: http://ryukyuma.blogspot.com/ https://www.youtube.com/thecontemplative2 https://www.facebook.com/groups/501758733240876/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/160114070866098/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/457739570935457/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/271652302979441/ Iain Abernethy Sensei's Articles, Podcasts, Forum, and YouTube Channel: http://www.iainabernethy.co.uk/articles http://www.iainabernethy.co.uk/audio-list http://www.iainabernethy.co.uk/forum https://www.youtube.com/user/practicalkatabunkai John Titchen Sensei's Blog and YouTube Channel: http://johntitchen.wordpress.com https://www.youtube.com/user/jwtdart Matthew Apsokardu Sensei's Blog: http://www.ikigaiway.com/ Angel Lemus Sensei's "One Minute Bunkai" YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/Oneminutebunkai Paul Enfield Sensei's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/GKCgoju Stephan Kesting's GrappleArts.com YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/StephanKesting Dan Djurdjevic Sensei's Blog: http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/ Mario McKenna Sensei's Blog: http://www.kowakan.com/ Giles Hopkins Sensei's Blog: http://goju-ryu.blogspot.com/ Mike Clarke Sensei's Blog: http://shinseidokandojo.blogspot.com/ Jesse Enkamp's Blog: http://www.karatebyjesse.com/ Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu's Blog: http://8limbs.us/ Patrick McCarthy Sensei's Blog: http://irkrs.blogspot.com/ Victor Smith Sensei's Blog: http://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/ Kris Wilder Sensei's Podcasts: http://www.martial-secrets.com/