Wastelander

Okinawan karate masters of old were well-known for their grip strength. You can't control someone if you can't hold onto them, so it makes sense that this would be very important. Of course, it also indicates strong fingers, hands, and forearms, which would allow you to hit harder and with a wider variety of strikes.

I would leave now, despite what the contract might say. If you do decide to stay until November, definitely keep every note they leave you. I also recommend making an incident journal--write down the date and time (or as close to the time as you can remember) of everything they say/do that is hurtful and offensive, and write down what they said/did. I would also try to get someone to write a letter that they have witnessed these things happening. Once you have that, take all of it to your instructor's organization and his teacher, if at all possible, in addition to filing a report with the police.

It's hard for me to say, because I like a lot of kata for a lot of different reasons. If I had to pick the one I enjoy doing the most, I would say it is probably Seiunchin. I originally learned a version of it from my Shuri-Ryu instructor that was very similar to the Shito-Ryu version. I have since worked it a bit with Japanese Goju-Ryu people, and have modified the way I do it.

Welcome to the forum!

Hi Dianna, Hanshi Doug Perry's website has some historical information on our style that might be beneficial to you: http://shorinryushorinkan.com/ There are some videos on YouTube of Shorinkan kata being performed, but I can't think of any off the top of my head that go over terminology. Much of the terminology is going to be similar to other styles, but sometimes terminology is different depending on who is teaching it.

Welcome to the forum, Adamantis! Aikido and karate are certainly quite different from each other, and can blend well together, but there is also a lot that could conflict. Karate employs joint locks that can be very similar to Aikido, but they tend to be used differently and that could cause some confusion. The footwork may also mix you up. I have also found that Aikido people sometimes have a very unusual idea of how a strike or kick should be done because of the way they do attacks in that art. I think that, after a year of Aikido, you will probably be able to cross-train in karate and benefit from it. That said, it will be important for you to go into the karate dojo with shoshin--a beginner's mind. Forget Aikido while you are in the karate dojo. Approach your karate training as if you have never done a martial art before. Then, when you are back in your Aikido dojo, you can experiment with incorporating karate into what you do. Later, as you become more comfortable with karate, you will be able to bring your Aikido into your karate training. Over time, they may even blend together entirely. Enjoy your training!

I can't either, but we were taught how to use it properly . It sounds like Ruben has skipped all the way to conditioning like Morio Higaonna without proper training, which is dangerous to say the least.

As two completely unrelated martial artists that I know have both said recently--you can't hit things hard if you never hit things! Hitting thing, like the heavy bag, is vital to developing power. In the process, you will certainly strengthen the structure of your strikes, which means you can transfer more energy (power) into a target without the structure (wrist, elbow, shoulder, etc.) collapsing. That does not, however, build full-body strength. You need to be lifting, or at least doing intensive body-weight exercises, in order to really get stronger.

As Kuma said, there are certainly benefits to conditioning your hands for striking, but that is something that you really need proper guidance for. Without the right tools, technique, and knowledge, you can damage your hands beyond repair. I highly recommend that you seek out a reputable traditional karate instructor in your area if this is something you are interested in. While pretty much all karate styles include it, Okinawan Goju-Ryu is probably the most consistent branch of karate when it comes to incorporating body forging into their training. Chinese stylists who train and teach iron palm would also be a good option.

Welcome to the forum, and welcome to karate! I hope you enjoy your time in both!

Another interesting and enigmatic topic from sensei8! I suppose it isn't fair for me to answer this question, because my right arm is about an inch longer than my left . I will give it a shot, though. Two arms are "longer" than one in the sense that you will cover more distance with your entire body in order to bring both arms to bear than you would if you just used one--it makes your attack longer, essentially. Conversely, one arm would be "longer" than two, in the sense that the body does not need to travel as far to bring it to bear, since one arm can be extended in one direction further than two at once. Of course, if you are simply trying to span a distance with your arms, two arms are always going to be longer than one.

Thanks, Patrick! He was out for quite a while, and was transported to the hospital after the fight. I looked into the gym he was representing to see if I could contact them, but they don't seem to exist so I wasn't table to. My wife tracked down his girlfriend on Facebook and saw that the Tuesday after our fight she had changed her profile picture to a webcam photo of the two of them together, so as far as I know he is fine.

Congratulations on the progress! I also noticed a decline in my endurance when I started lifting--I think that is pretty normal. I recommend continuing with Stronglifts until you no longer increase your strength, and then look into a more advanced routine. For endurance, I'm afraid I am not one to recommend running--it's very hard on the body, and (at least for me) its endurance benefits don't really carry over into karate that well. If you can, I would say that swimming is a better option for endurance than running. Personally, though, I would recommend adding an intense bagwork session between lifting and karate training, or after karate training. What I typically do is Tabata-style bagwork, so I will throw hard and fast combinations on the bag for 20 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds, and then repeat that as many times as I can. Every session, try to get in one more set of 20 seconds. If you have a partner, padwork can be done the same way and is even more intense because you can move around a lot more. Doing all of this, plus karate, in a single day is going to leave you exhausted that day and sore the next. Get lots of sleep and eat lots of clean food, and you will improve!

The Wood Database is a great place to look, in my opinion--it's where I looked up information for my custom bo when I decided on an octagonal 6'6" bo made of Ipe. Purpleheart: http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/purpleheart/ Yellowheart: http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/yellowheart/ For bo durability, I go by the Janka Hardness, which is basically a measure of how hard it is to dent the wood. For hitting two sticks together, you want something that isn't going to dent easily, because that weakens the fibers of the wood and leads to chipping and breaking. Purpleheart has a rating of about 2300, while Yellowheart is at about 1700. By comparison, the Ipe my bo is made of is rated around 3600, and I have still managed to dent it. That said, my bo has broken three non-tapered oak bo so far

I would definitely ask your sensei, but I, personally, would start with the bo as well. It is easy to apply karate body mechanics to it, it feels fairly natural, and the grip changes are a good introduction to weapon manipulation.

Until this year, I had only ever done bodyweight exercises for strength. Starting in January of this year, I began a powerlifting routine and, although I haven't been 100% consistent, I have definitely seen results. I also haven't gotten slower, although my endurance has gone downhill a bit. I lift every time I go to the dojo (we have an Olympic weight set), and I stick to compound lifts as much as possible. Squats, overhead press, bench press, barbell row, and deadlift are my primary lifts, although sometimes I mix it up a bit. I also still do pull-ups and dips, and I should probably be doing more push-ups. @ Howard: Greatly increasing your high-protein caloric intake and the amount of sleep you get will go a long way toward improving your recovery after heavy lifting. There are supplements, such as BCAA's and glutamine, that are intended to assist recovery, but those things are in high-protein foods as it is. If you have trouble sleeping, taking a melatonin supplement can help, and I have heard good things about a supplement called Blackout, but you have to be careful about finding the appropriate dosage for yourself. Be sure to check with your doctor before taking any supplements, of course.

Don't worry too much about trying to prepare for training--the training prepares you by its very nature. Learning to count in Japanese is fine, as is learning some basic dojo etiquette, but trying to memorize terminology or movements will actually only cause you problems. Once you get on the mat, you just need to worry about what you are being taught right then, and everything else will come with time

You are most certainly not too old to start training! Welcome to the forum, and welcome to karate!

As Rateh stated, it's all well and good to say that people shouldn't sign contracts or pay more than $60 a month, but in some areas that just isn't a possibility. Where I am from, for example, martial arts schools are considered a "sports training facility" and are required, by law, to have contracts. Where I currently live, you aren't going to find martial arts training for less than $90 a month, with the exception of some judo or programs run out of the YMCA. What you really need to do is find a school with an instructor that you like that teaches good material in a format that works well for you. You shouldn't worry so much about the style you practice as its effectiveness (do the techniques work under pressure?), it's comprehensiveness (covers striking range, clinching range, and grappling) and how well it is being taught (for you, personally).

Check out all of the martial arts schools that you could possibly attend in your area, watch classes, talk to the instructor and some students, and try out some classes. Train at whichever place you like better. Your build has nothing to do with this decision

I couldn't tell you how she does it--it almost looks double-knotted, but I don't know how you could possibly double-knot a belt that thick.

We have all students under the age of 18 wear the usual dipped foam head/hand/foot gear and a mouth guard, and we highly recommend groin protectors but parents seem to ignore that. They are also restricted to light contact unless they are sparring adults, and then the adults still only use light contact on the youth students. Adults can wear that type of gear if they want, but most of us use MMA-style sparring gloves, groin protectors, mouth guards, and whatever combination (or lack thereof) of shin guards or foot gear they want. We don't hit as hard as Kyokushin people in sparring--I would classify our kumite as "medium contact"--but we do hit hard enough that you can end up with bruises, bloody noses, or black eyes even with the protective gear. We also incorporate sweeps, throws, takedowns, joint locks, chokes, and general grappling in our sparring, so we spar on a padded floor. While I understand where you are coming from, I don't think there is really anything gained by a lack of protective equipment. Generally, if you spar without protective gear, you will either pull your strikes more or you will end up with lots of injuries in your dojo. Neither of those is really beneficial to training--the more you pull your strikes in training, the harder it will be to overcome that in a fight, and if you get injured in training you might have to stop training for a while, or you could even get in trouble with your employer. In my mind, traditional karate training was done with control instead of protective equipment because they didn't HAVE protective equipment. Until Mabuni Kenwa introduced it, anyway: http://www.shitokaihonduras.org/historia/kumitemabuni.jpg

Sensei Ahrens has a good reputation--I hope you enjoy your training with him! If you have any questions about the style, our kata, our techniques, etc., feel free to send me a PM and I will help out however I can.

Welcome to the forum, and welcome to the Shorinkan! I am a student of Shorinkan Shorin-Ryu out here in Arizona. Is your dojo run by Sensei Ahrens, by any chance? I haven't met him personally, but I know him through Facebook and my instructor knows him.

The Shureido lasts a long time, if you take care of it--it's hard to argue with success. The Ronin uses thicker fabric (16oz canvas) that feels tougher, but I've only used it a couple times because I haven't gotten it hemmed, so it's hard for me to say how it stands the test of time. Even if it doesn't last quite as long, though, it might be worth it due to the price difference. I have noticed Ronin has raised their prices quite a bit over the past few years, though.