Wastelander

I focus on the chest, but I'm sure to be visually aware of as much of my opponent's body as possible. Focusing on the eyes is fine if you are sparring/fighting someone who is relatively inexperienced, but an experienced fighter will notice eye contact and look at one target to get you to react so they can attack the resulting opening.

When I first started training in martial arts, I was told that lineage only matters in martial arts and music . I do think that lineage is somewhat helpful, but only to a point--if you are claiming a certain lineage, then you should be able to prove that, but if you are simply claiming to provide good training, then you can prove that "on the floor" (sorry for stealing your motto, sensei8). All that said, I do think that studying the lineage of your art can be very interesting. I also believe that it is important to know where your art came from. A while back, I discovered a website called the Martial Arts Lineage Project, which actually supports that idea. It's actually pretty neat--you can map out your entire lineage like a family tree, and if people in your lineage have already been added to the database, then you can just connect to them and have that section automatically completed. If you have a complicated lineage, it will chop it down into a smaller, summarized family tree, but it's still cool. Here's mine: http://www.malineage.com/martial-artists/Noah-Legel

At this point, there are only two things you can do to improve your sparring: 1. Spar more 2. Stop "losing"/trying to "win" Since it's still new to you, any advice we could give you about distancing, feints, combinations, etc. would be lost on you once you bowed in. You need to get more comfortable with it, and that means doing it more. I also noticed that you said you "totally lost," which isn't true--you can't "lose" in sparring, because it isn't a competition. Sparring is a learning experience for both parties.

This is the website for the organization that runs the competition: http://ec-random-attacks.com/

I don't think that any competitive karate sparring format is really ideal for improving self protection skills. All of them have their advantages and disadvantages, and each of them is excellent at what they do. Since real self defense scenarios occur at a wide variety of ranges, and include everything from strikes, to grappling, to weapons, it doesn't really help to specialize. Kudo/Daido-Juku is probably the closest thing we have to ideal in the karate world, at the moment, and it's still far from perfect. MMA-style sparring, in general, is a bit better but still has its flaws when it comes to a self defense perspective. Of course, all we can do in the dojo, if we're being honest with ourselves, is get as close as we safely can. I think that if you thoroughly drill and spar in all ranges/types of fighting, then you will be decently prepared. Doing things like John Titchen's DART simulation training, or high-stress competitions, can also help immensely when it comes to dealing with the adrenaline dump and emotional response.

Welcome to the forum!

As I said, it certainly has its flaws! It would be nice for it to be more realistic, with attackers that resist and don't stop after one attack, but I don't know how you would do that in a competitive format without having designated 3rd party attackers. I suppose that would be a viable option! Still, I think the rules could be worded in such a way that it promotes more realistic techniques over flashy ones. While I'm not personally a big fan of karate competition, I do think that this at least gives people who are something that they can work on that is closer to what karate actually is.

When discussing practical applications and training, I don't typically discuss karate competition, because the standard competitive formats for karate simply don't fit our idea of what karate is. That's why I was quite intrigued when this video came up in my Facebook feed today: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10200571820351079 When I watched it, I was skeptical of the "random attacks" claim, since the competitors seemed to be teammates, so I checked out the website. Apparently, there are 40 "approved" attacks that this organization uses, and the referee picks one at random for the attacker to execute, which the defender then needs to deal with (without knowing what attack was chosen). Reaction time and technique effectiveness seem to be the key criteria for judging. I, personally, think this seems like a fun/interesting competitive format. Even more importantly, though, it will promote the practice of effective, practical karate, because if people want to win (and, let's face it, people like winning) they will have to explore and drill practical self defense techniques. It certainly has its flaws, as all things do, but from the looks of it, I think it's much better than the competitive formats we currently have in karate. What do you all think?

If it makes you feel any better, my left leg kicks used to be weaker than my right leg, and now they are just as strong, if not stronger. I'm afraid I don't have a magic pill for that, though--it just took LOTS of practice! The heavy bag is your friend. Kick the stuffing out of it

I've played with it, a little, but it's not really my thing. Cross-training is definitely a valuable experience, though. Glad you enjoyed it!

Welcome to the forum, Jill! Feel free to use the search function to see if we may have covered material that is relevant to you, and you are welcome to ask questions!

It's really up to personal preference, mostly, although some instructors and competitive organizations might have their own guidelines. Personally, I think the jacket hanging to your knees is way too long, but you will have to shrink it with hot water and a hot dryer to see how it really fits. I think if it's much longer than mid-thigh, it's probably too long and should be sent back for an exchange. Where you tie on your gi pants is also up to you, because people are shaped differently. I know I have to tie mine around my hips, because there is just no way they will reach my waist. On the other hand, I know several people that have to tie them at the waist because they will be swimming in their pants if they tie them lower. If they fit well enough for you to move uninhibited, then they are in the right place.

I wasn't worried about it at all--my Sensei and I have discussed this sort of thing before, and he has the same guideline as your organization regarding black gi and black/white combinations. Since I'm an Ikkyu, it isn't a problem. Our organization requires a white gi with Shorinkan patch on the chest, or a brown gi with Kokusai Rengokai patch on the chest, and optional dojo patch on the left sleeve for formal organization functions. They don't really care what you wear in your own dojo.

I have always worn a white gi in karate, or a natural, unbleached gi for grappling. Unfortunately, white clothes have a tendency to look dingy and nasty after years of sweat, blood, and dirt have been ground into them! My everyday gi is fraying and starting to develop some holes, but it's still functional, so I didn't want to throw it away just because it looks gross. In my dojo, anyone with a brown belt ranking, or higher, can wear a black gi, so I decided to dye mine black and let it live out its usefulness that way. Before dying, my "white" gi wasn't really white anymore: http://s28.postimg.org/l233v9we5/belt_test_portrait.png After dying, two washes with vinegar, and a tumble in the dryer: http://s17.postimg.org/6l33d5rgv/karate_gi_dyed_black_2.jpg I left my dojo patch on, hoping the synthetic fibers wouldn't take the dye and I could save myself the time of removing it and sewing it back on, but it ended up taking the dye: http://s22.postimg.org/ixmucr701/karate_gi_dyed_black_dojo_patch.jpg I took my organization patch off, because I knew it would take the dye and be ruined, and the organization only sends a certain number overseas, so I couldn't guarantee I could get another one for a while: http://s27.postimg.org/71n6mu1ir/karate_gi_dyed_black_shorinkan_patch.jpg As you can see, the synthetic stitching and lapel filler didn't take the black dye, at all, and remained white. The cotton also took on more of a "dark charcoal" color than a pure black. I think it has character!

This clip has been famous among kickboxing and Muay Thai circles for quite some time. Just a couple weeks ago, Buakaw's gym posted a video on Facebook that kind of made fun of it, and it was great. You see Buakaw get very angry, and he beats on a bag in the gym, but that doesn't do the trick, so he stalks out to a field of banana trees and furiously...waters them

Congratulations! Keep it up!

We teach some simple applications very early on--either while we are teaching the kata, or once the student has memorized the pattern, depending on the student's learning style. We start everyone with the three Kihon Kata created by Chibana Chosin, so the applications are quite straight-forward, anyway, in the beginning. From there, though, we get into the Naihanchi and Pinan kata series, which gets into more effective stuff. Our dojo is highly focused on kata and its application.

I can't watch YouTube videos at work, but I assume that's the video of Buakaw kicking down a banana tree. Buakaw is a beast.

Welcome to the forum!

As wagnerk says, it's very difficult to trace martial arts back to an origin. That said, it is my belief that systematized fighting methods have existed since the birth of civilization, which would place the origin of martial arts somewhere in Africa or the Middle East. In truth, I don't think it's all that important where martial arts originally came from--as long as you can trace the lineage of your art several generations back, that's probably good enough.

Every instructor approaches Shorin-Ryu a bit differently, so I couldn't tell you what the style, as a whole, focuses on. I haven't worked with Sensei Stolsmark personally, as of yet, although he'll be visiting my dojo in March and I'll have a chance at that time. From what I know of him, I would expect kata and partner drills to be favored over kumite. I could be wrong, though. Your best bet would be to visit his dojo and ask him, and explain what your goals are, if that's what you are interested in. For what it's worth, you can mention that one of Sensei Poage's students referred you . Again, though, if you already like your instructor and dojo, there is no reason you can't modify your Shotokan and stay there.

Shorin-Ryu does tend to be less strenuous on the legs and back than Shotokan, by nature, because we do not use such deep, low stances, and how high you kick is generally up to you. That said, if your Shotokan instructor isn't bothered by you adjusting the techniques of Shotokan to fit your body, then you might as well do that--you did say you enjoy it, after all! I know it's difficult, but if shortening those stances and lowering those kicks keep you involved in your training, then more power to you! Now, all that said, I'm guessing the Kobayashi-Ryu dojo you are talking about is Sensei Stolsmark's dojo? There aren't too many "renowned" Kobayashi schools in Wisconsin, and since I'm part of the same organization (Shorinkan), it wasn't hard to guess . I'm sure you would get excellent training with Sensei Stolsmark--he is a very knowledgeable and well-respected instructor, with quite the sense of humor. If you can adjust Shotokan to work around your injuries, and you enjoy it, then stick with that. If you decide that you want to make a switch, I'm sure you'll be happy with Shorin-Ryu, as well. In the end, it's completely up to you!

Glad we could help! Please come back afterward and let us know how it all went!

Welcome to the forum! To answer some of your specific questions, I will say that Kyokushin is widely recognized in the karate world, but there are MANY organizations that govern it, which can get confusing. Goju-Ryu is also widely recognized, but I couldn't tell you whether there will be contact sparring or not--there SHOULD be, and old school Goju-Ryu will likely have contact sparring, but not all schools do it. Koshinkan is actually a karate organization, rather than a style, and is meant to preserve some old styles of karate like Kojo-Ryu. While the material of the Koshinkan might be good, there may be some unusual things that they do, it won't be recognized widely, and there likely won't be contact sparring (although I could be wrong on that). To address your questions more broadly, I would say that your best bet will be to visit all three schools. Sit down with the instructor, talk to him/her about what you are interested in and what you would like to accomplish. Watch some classes--primarily ones you would be attending if you joined--and then try some classes. You should get a feel for which school/instructor you like best, and that's the one you should join. Regardless of styles and predefined preferences, your gut reaction to training with people is the best way to find out what you should practice

Congratulations! All of the senior grades (brown belts and up) are allowed to wear a black gi at my dojo, but it isn't considered a significant thing. I think it's neat, though! When I trained in iaijutsu, there were no belt ranks, so they judged rank by the uniform--first you earned the hakama, then the indigo keikogi, then the right to wear a wakizashi. It definitely has a way of making you feel special. Now that I think of it, I should probably switch to a black gi--my white ones always end up looking dingy and gross from sweat and blood