Wastelander

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

We actually have a very extensive list of recommended books here on KF that might be helpful to you: http://www.karateforums.com/martial-arts-research-library-vt8082.html

I can't see the web page that sensei8 shared, since I'm at work at the moment. I will say that the word "goshindo" simply means "way of self defense" and has been used to describe a wide variety of martial arts systems. The word "goshin-jutsu" ("art/science of self defense") gets used much the same way. Your mileage may vary greatly on the material presented.

Wrestling is a big part of MMA, these days, but MMA is not wrestling. I did wrestling in Junior High and absolutely hated it, but that was because of the other people on the team and the coaches, more than anything else. In my MMA fight, I actually fought a wrestler and got taken down early in the first round, but after that there really wasn't a whole lot of wrestling going on. Every fight is different, and the only way to know how you feel about it is to try it.

"Etiquette" is quite a broad term, I think. Did you have something specific in mind? We expect everyone to be respectful, bow on and off the mat, bow in and out of class, and bow to their partners before and after working with them. We try to keep the kids in the habit of saying "yes, sir" or "yes, ma'am" (as appropriate), but we sometimes forget to make them keep it up. Those types of things are fairly standard etiquette in most dojo, I think.

According to UK crime statistics, the most commonly reported attack on women was a right handed grab to the upper right arm, which was then used to control the woman and drag her to another location. This is some serious stuff, but I noticed that not a lot of self defense techniques that are openly shared seem to address it. I made a quick video showing the technique that I teach for this scenario:

Splint the finger until you can get it checked out by a medical professional. Sometimes, what seems like a broken bone actually isn't, and what doesn't seem like a broken bone actually is. It's best be be sure!

First of all, welcome to the forum! With regard to your question, I'm afraid it's a little to vague to give you a more specific answer than the ones you've already been given. Proper training over time will develop the technique, speed, power, and composure under pressure necessary to defend yourself. Hopefully. I will be honest with you--there is no martial art that can guarantee you will overcome a larger attacker 100% of the time. The best they can do is give you a much better chance than you would have without martial arts training.

I think that most KF members have probably seen Enter the Dojo by now, but for those who haven't, it is a satirical web series that makes fun of martial arts through an over-the-top character called Master Ken, the founder of Ameri-Do-Te and an 11th Degree Black Belt. Since this is a family-friendly website, I won't go into any details, and I will give this warning before you get any further: Enter the Dojo contains content intended for mature audiences! As part of a promotional effort for their 3rd Season, Enter the Dojo came up with the idea to challenge real martial artists all over the world to record their own performances of Master Ken's "Thrust of Freedom Kata": A lot of people at my dojo thought it would be fun, and took up the challenge:

Congratulations!

Lately, I have been seeing a lot of tameshiwari (breaking) videos in my Facebook feed. This inspired me to try breaking cinder block caps and a coconut for the first time, and it reminded me of an old video I recorded of the first time I broke four flat-stacked boards. In the spirit of sharing the fun, I present those videos to KF! (I had only been training for 9 months, and had the flu, so it took me a while to psych myself up for the break--loud kiai warning!) (a single cap, then two flat-stacked caps) (surprisingly easy--used relatively light dropping palm heel slaps)

Whichever one teaches you techniques that you can make work under pressure, and then pressure tests you. Some martial arts programs are best used for personal enjoyment and development, some are best used for fitness, and some are best used for self defense--it's up to you to decide which one you want, and evaluate your options. The unfortunate problem with most "self defense" courses is that they are often not consistent--usually a class or two a week for a few weeks, and then you're done. You have to keep up with your practice for the rest of your life if you want to be able to use what you've learned for the rest of your life. That's a definite edge that traditional martial arts classes have over the ones specifically labelled "self defense."

Happy New Year, and welcome to the forum!