Wastelander

I hear that a lot as well. Mostly it's a lot of enthusiasts who just love that period of time. You see a lot of scholars and people who just like to swing faux swords at each other (for good reason, it's a lot of fun). You have a a handful of EMA people and fewer WMA but from all reports it's a great time. I've heard it's an absolute blast! As an amateur leatherworker and bladesmith, I've been involved with some SCA people a bit and done a little research. Heck, I even considered building my own 15th C Japanese kit and participating in the local SCA group .

Society for Creative Anachronism. They have some really fantastic armorers involved with them, and a lot of there events look like a ton of fun. From what I gather most of the fighting done in the SCA is largely either from people with EMA experience or people with no training that have no formal training and just did lots of research and sparring. There are definitely some fencers involved, though, and that helps bring in some traditional WMA rapier techniques.

Congratulations to all the winners!

I don't have any personal experience with it, but I find it interesting and have done some research on the techniques that are generally taught. Apparently, a lot of the work of reconstructing those WMA styles was done by people with EMA experience, using that to build on the written manuals that still exist. I found that to be particularly interesting.

I don't know, for certain, what you are referring to by "the 360 defense," as I don't train in Krav Maga, but I think I have an idea. Krav Maga wasn't developed for fighting kickboxers, it was developed to fight insurgents and soldiers as a hand-to-hand complement to the IDF's weapons training. Yes, keeping your hands down can leave you open to combinations of punches, unless you have good footwork and head movement. Generally, though, an insurgent or soldier ambushing you before you can draw your weapon is going to be attacking you with a weapon, not their fists.

Thank you for all your contributions!

Welcome to the forum, and welcome back to karate!

Oh, I completely missed the question about supplementary exercise! I highly recommend researching hojo undo (Japanese for "supplementary exercise") to find out more about it--there are some excellent books and videos out there on this. Any material from Garry Lever Sensei or Mike Clarke Sensei would be solid. In addition to traditional hojo undo, I work the battle ropes and follow a strength training program (Stronglifts 5x5), with a few extras thrown in. Kettlebell clinch pull-ups are my newest fun addition that I found online.

Welcome to the forum, and to karate! Oyata Sensei's system has a lot of good, interesting stuff in it--stick with it!

I've never heard of "Adavisum" before, but Goju-Ryu I have--where do you train? I train in Scottsdale, if you want to stop in for some cross-training someday. With regard to your question on the cost of the test, it sounds fine. I've heard of Shodan tests costing as little as nothing, and as much as $500, but the average range seems to be between $100 and $200.

When I read this article on McCarthy Sensei's old blog, a couple years ago, it was definitely a huge eye opener for me. It's good to see it getting passed around, again!

That was a wonderful talk--thank you very much for sharing!

Well, I'm a little hesitant to comment on this topic because I think my view may seem a little severe, but I feel this should be said; he isn't ready to test for Shodan. If he hasn't been sparring very much, and when he does spar he is too afraid of being hit to use what he knows, then he isn't ready for training with other black belts. There is no shame in this, but it must be recognized. I know that it seems like he has put in a lot of work over the past year to reach his Shodan test, but that training was not wasted because it has still made him a better karateka. It won't hurt him to wait a few more years to test--he's only 10 years old, so he has PLENTY of time. You say he is a good karateka, which means that by the time he is really ready, he will be a GREAT karateka! Take your time and introduce him to sparring situations where he can't run away (trap him in a corner, or tie your belts together) and where he is going to get hit. This will need to be a very gradual process to acclimatize him to the stress and pain he will experience. Maybe in a few years, he will have overcome his fear and hesitance in kumite, and by then he will be an even more knowledgeable and skilled karateka for the experience.

Hello everyone, I did some video recording on Saturday, and finally got a few clips edited and uploaded to share. The first is an application for the one-legged turn (a jump, in some styles) in Kusanku/Kanku. The technique is a throw found in Okinawa Shima (a grappling sport in Okinawa that descended from tegumi) and Sambo. This video simply shows the throw in isolation, without setups or distracting strikes, and I set my partner down lightly to avoid injury, so the landing doesn't match the kata like it would if I slammed him. The second video is for the kata Wansu/Enpi, where you sink into a horse stance and execute a low block, then shift into a front stance and punch. In the version I learned, the punch is done as a keiko-ken-tsuki (Phoenix eye fist punch), and I carried that over into this application. I demonstrate it as a defense against a shirt grab with a punch to the head, although it can be done from the grab before a punch is thrown, and if you sink into the arm enough you can actually turn them enough to prevent the punch. It's hard to see in the video, but I aim my keiko-ken-tsuki for the brachial plexus or vagus nerve, depending on what is available to me. The last video isn't a kata application, exactly--it is a quick explanation of a "side-step" uchi-mata (inner thigh throw) performed in conjunction with a shoulder lock (which can be found in Naihanchi kata).

In that case, your instructor should be familiar with some of the techniques listed here. That said, there are some throws (single leg, double leg, body lock, and suplex all come to mind) that are really best learned through wrestling, and since you're going to be in High School you should definitely either join the wrestling team, or ask someone on the wrestling team to help you out. I understand that some people just don't fit into a wrestling team (I was one of those people), so if that doesn't work for you, I still highly recommend finding a club/school/gym that focuses specifically on a grappling art.

First of all, welcome to the forum, Michael! As far as your question goes, I'm afraid we can only be of so much assistance--it's always best to learn takedowns from a qualified instructor, both to learn to do it effectively AND to learn to do it safely. If you have the opportunity to cross train at a local judo/JJJ/BJJ/Sambo/wrestling/etc. club, I highly recommend it! That is going to be the best way for you to learn grappling, because there are just too many subtleties to be able to learn properly without an experienced instructor and partners. That said, I would be happy to suggest techniques to ask about when you go to those places! Double-Leg Takedown Single-Leg Takedown O-Soto Gari (major outer reap) O-Goshi (big hip throw) Deashi Barrai (advancing foot sweep) Ko-Soto Gari (minor outer reap) O-Uchi Gari (major inner reap) Ko-Uchi Gari (minor inner reap) Hip Spring (as done in Sambo and Okinawa Shima, not the same as the "spring hip" throw in judo) Sumi Gaeshi (corner reversal, a sacrifice throw to the front) Tani Otoshi (valley drop, a sacrifice throw to the back)

I had one of my younger brothers make one in his High School shop class for me--it looks somewhat like a torii gate, but with two rods spanning the gap between the two columns, and the belts wrap around the rods and tie in place. My parents still have it, and it has all of my old belts on it except for my white belt (I use that for visiting other schools), my green belt (my judo rank), and of course my brown belt, since I'm still using that .

I have bought and worn quite a few different gi for different reasons, and they have ranged from less than $60 to more than $100. In your specific price range, I only own one gi, and it was given to me--a KI Intl. brand heavyweight gi. I can say that my more expensive gi have held up better for longer, but this one is still serviceable (despite being discolored and frayed) after several years of service. In the end, the more expensive gi is a slightly better buy, but not by much, and then only if you know you are going to be training for the rest of your life. If you have just started training, it doesn't make sense to spend $130+ on a gi when you can buy a $25 lightweight one while you figure out if you like martial arts. After you decide you like it, a gi in the $60-$100 range is a rather reasonable choice, as it will probably last you 3-5 years (depending on how hard you train). If you love training, then a $130+ gi is probably in your future .

I assume you're referring to the clips of knockdown competitions where people get knocked out by the jumping spinning hook kick to the head? As mentioned, above, the way the video is edited makes it difficult to really break things down. That said, I think I can still address your question, which is whether the kick (or maybe the styles being shown?) is any good, and whether it represents "real karate values." That kick is certainly flashy, but it also works quite well when it lands, and due to the rules in knockdown tournaments it is reasonable to throw such a kick. I, personally, wouldn't throw it in self defense, where the floor isn't padded and my attacker might have friends, nor would I throw it in MMA where my attacker could turn the tables on me with grappling and ground-and-pound. That doesn't mean it is a bad technique, though, and I certainly wouldn't say that the knockdown arts being shown are "lame." As for "karate values," I'm afraid it's hard to say. There are certainly karateka out there who find knockdown competitions (and MMA, for that matter) to be appalling. I'm not one of them. To me, competitions like this are about testing your spirit as much as testing your technique, and I certainly think that is part of what makes karate great--the fact that it forces you to face your own weaknesses and fears in a way that makes you feel both empowered and humbled after you have overcome those adversities.

Usually, the black belt with the white bar is a Jun-Shodan or Shodan-Ho ranking, which would be a "Junior Black Belt." Sometimes, though, I have seen that used to denote a "Shidoin" title. The black belt with the red bar I have also seen used for people with a "Shidoin" title, but some people also use it to denote "Renshi" level instructors.

I have certainly had them, but I'm afraid I haven't kept note of when they happen, or what they are about--they all blur together like trees in a forest for me . I really do wish I could remember individual instances!

I tried to follow your format, but it was a little awkward for some of our stances, so I hope this makes sense: || - Heisoku-dachi \/ - Musubi-dachi \_/ - Hachiji-dachi |__| - Naihanchi-dachi \___/ - Shiko-dachi |_ - Shizentai-dachi _/ |_ - Zenkutsu-dachi _ _/ ^ - Neko-ashi-dachi _/ |_< - Kosa-dachi

Happy birthday to the forum!

Glad I could help! The bamboo I used for the taketaba is, indeed, used for staking plants. I would use the whole stalks instead of the split ones, if you can find them, though.

Lol, I think quite a few people have leather straps come to mind when they think of things like this. Whipping can condition the skin, but these tools are for impact, so they also condition the muscles and bones. After taking the above photo last night, I took the taketaba to the garage and gave it a little more character: http://s16.postimg.org/gguh273f9/tetsutaba.jpg