Wastelander

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!

Do you have any equipment? Without equipment, kata, kihon, shadow boxing, and calisthenics are going to be the biggest items on the menu!

Welcome to the forum!

The same injury recently happened in the NBA, I believe. Honestly, I think this is actually a GOOD thing for the sport--any publicity is good publicity, after all. You had an event that was considered by pretty much everyone to be a good, entertaining event, there was a high profile women's fight on it that brought with it some controversy, and then a very high profile fighter received a devastating injury that got spread around the internet. People I know who don't know anything about the UFC or MMA knew about Silva breaking his leg on Monday. That kind of exposure will only help them in the long run.

My Ikkyu and Nikkyu certificates from Okinawa are in this frame, which is displayed on a corner shelf in our dining room: http://s21.postimg.org/o22tsaxk7/Ikkyu_Certificate.jpg I've never framed any other certificate. My Shodan certificate will someday be put in the frame, above.

The filmmaker lives and trains here in the Phoenix, AZ area--I'm actually friends with him on Facebook . Between the content of the film and the fact that he's local, I pretty much had to support him! I'm hoping it gets funded, because I think it's a very worthy project!

To ShoriKid's point, I believe that Kano Jigoro founded judo at the ripe old age of 22.

I'm not aware of any formalized kata for the chi'ishi, but it's entirely possible that certain instructors teach specific sets of chi'ishi exercises in a particular order, and that could be considered a kata, of sorts. You can check out hojo undo videos that Jundokan instructors have put on YouTube to get some ideas.

My Sensei is 28 and a Yondan, but many people have assumed that he is a Godan or Rokudan based on how he moves and teaches--he is always sure to correct them. I suspect his Sensei will test him for Godan in the next year, or two, which gives him the possibility of reaching a "master" rank by the age of 30, but just barely. Judan rankings before the age of 50 baffle me, and even then I would expect some extreme circumstances to have occurred.

I'll talk to him and see what he can do--PM me your details!

My suggestion is a bitter pill to swallow, I'm afraid--you should go talk to your instructor and explain how you feel. This will have one of three effects: * He realizes how oversensitive he has been, and tones down his outrage, making it possible for students to peacefully engage with both schools. * He doesn't care about how you feel, and things stay the same. * He gets offended that you would feel that way, and kicks you out, too, or finds ways to make training unpleasant so you will quit. Out of those three options, I see only one that justifies staying where you are. Still, that's better than your current situation, because as it stands you are sitting at Option 2, and don't have any other options.

Congratulations! I actually know somebody from Sweden--he teaches Taido and KishimotoDi in Lund.

The man who started my karate journey (I trained with him for 6 months before he moved) actually lives in the Gurnee area. He is friendly, good at making class fun, and a good teacher. He used to teach out of a church community room, but I'm not 100% sure if he still does that. If you are interested, I could get the two of you in touch?

The semantics of "traditional" martial arts have been debated endlessly, and I'm sure they will continue to be debated for as long as I am alive. As far as I'm concerned, if you are teaching material that has been passed on from a previous generation, then it is traditional, because a "tradition" is defined as "the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice." Unfortunately, that makes just about all martial arts traditional .