Wastelander

Well, I can't see Flickr images while I'm at work, so I don't know what you look like. If you are in the dangerous range of body fat percentage, then I would say you need to gain some weight. Other than that, it's entirely up to you--don't worry too much about "bulk," though. It sounds like you want strength so, if I were you, I would focus on measurable results (how much weight lifted, how many times) and ignore how much I weigh or how bulky I look.

Welcome to the forum!

The shovel kick, or oblique kick, is probably my favorite traditional karate technique that has recently been used in MMA. It isn't a finishing technique unless you land it just right, but it is great for stopping forward movement and causing pain. So far, it's only being used by a couple fighters, but I think it is starting to catch on because it has been showing up in fights more often lately.

Don't worry about the age gap--you can learn something from every training partner. Enjoy your training!

They say that stepping on the mat for the first time is the hardest step in your martial arts journey. I would argue that stepping BACK on the mat after an extended absence can be even harder. The things holding you back are all in your head. You're afraid that you might be thought less of for your absence and current physical shape, or that you'll be called upon to perform in the same way you did before you left. You have to remember that you are not the first person to come back after a long time off, and you won't be the last. They will welcome you back with open arms, I'm sure, and they will help you get back to the level you should be at.

Welcome to the forum! You mention that you have some experience, and we would love to hear about it!

Sorry about that--he said "finalize," not "complete," but they mean the same thing, to me. If you "finalize" something, then you have completed it. Regardless, I do know that there used to be a Shorinkan dojo in Houston, but it has closed. I'm not sure whether the instructor moved, or if he is still in the area, but asking local martial artists may give you a lead. You can check with the Shorinkan, of course, but since they still show the dojo on their website, they may not know.

You could contact the Shorinkan (Nakazato Shugoro's organization) and ask about him. I'm part of that organization, but I've never heard of him. His biography is disconcerting to me because it talks about "completing" his training by studying Shorin-Ryu. There is no such thing as "completing" karate training, and it looks like he may have done all this bouncing around so he could found his own style. I would definitely check with the Shorinkan regarding his credentials and knowledge. Competition records are not really relevant, in my opinion, and neither are movie credits.

Judo is fantastic for staying on your feet, slamming your attacker on the ground if you get tangled up, and defending yourself on the ground if you end up there. Unfortunately for judoka, people don't just grab you and never throw a punch in the real world. The karate that most people learn is fantastic for defending against strikes and hitting people really hard/fast. Unfortunately for karateka, people don't just throw punches and never grab you in the real world. If self defense is your goal, you really need both a striking base and a grappling base that you can work together.

I generally recommend to anyone practicing a striking art to also do some cross-training in a grappling art of some kind. For me, it was judo, and it has worked out very well for me. You said you enjoy your art, your training, and your instructors, so I don't see why you would need to completely drop it. I do think that a grappling art would benefit you, though, because you will learn valuable self defense skills and pressure test them against resisting opponents. Cross-training, while keeping Tang Soo Do as your core art, sounds like the best option, to me.

You may have to ask around at the dojo you do have in your area to see if they know anyone teaching Shorin-Ryu, if you're that dead-set on a style, because they might be teaching out of their house. Then again, they may not be teaching anywhere, anymore, and you'll have to take a look at what you do have available in your area.

Beef jerky will work fine, but it's loaded with sodium, so be sure to drink extra water.

Congratulations and thanks, Heidi!

Welcome to the forum!

Last week I was sent to the Los Angeles area for work, and since it was going to interrupt my training I knew I had to do something other than hotel room kata. I looked around at the martial arts schools in the area, and ended up contacting a Japanese Goju-Ryu (Seiwakai) dojo in Santa Monica. The person running the website was a student of the instructor there, but no longer lives in the area himself, so he sent me his sensei's contact information and I was able to arrange to train with them. http://s22.postimg.org/pcosxp1i9/Noah_at_World_Budo_Arts.jpg Myself (white belt) with Vassie Naidoo, Shihan, and his students. I enjoyed working with Vassie Naidoo, Shihan, and all of his students--they train hard, they are friendly, and they have strong karate. They also share their dojo with a Kyokushin group (several of the Goju-Ryu students cross-train with the Kyokushin group, as well) and I was able to meet some of them, too. I left with an open invitation to return, and I gave them an invitation to train with us if they are ever in the Phoenix area. If anyone is interested in more details about the training session itself, I'm putting it up on my blog. I just wanted to share a good experience here about karate bringing people together

I eat something small before I start my weight training and don't eat again until after karate is over. That said, I don't have the gaps in between that you have. Maybe you could throw a protein bar in your bag to snack on?

I know Iain Abernethy has some videos of applications for Enpi/Wanshu, so those should be easy enough to find on his Practical Kata Bunkai channel on YouTube. John Titchen has this one for the opening sequence: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAhe_yfjYbk This guy made a whole series of videos on his applications for Enpi, and there are definitely some interesting ideas and concepts explored in them--here is the playlist:

Not sure if you were asking me or the OP. In my system we have a total of 19, which is way too many, in my opinion. This is the list of kata, in the order they are typically taught in my system: Kihon Ippon Kihon Nihon Kihon Sanbon Fukyuu no Kata Naihanchi Shodan Naihanchi Nidan Naihanchi Sandan Pinan Shodan Pinan Nidan Pinan Sandan Pinan Yondan Pinan Godan Passai Sho Passai Dai Kusanku Sho Chinto Kusanku Dai Gojushiho Gorin

My instructor requires his students to know every kata in our system before he will even test them for shodan. Our Gojushiho tends to be taught somewhere around 3rd or 2nd kyu, typically. It's a very awkward kata, for me, so i feel your pain.

I'm not terribly fond of nunchaku, but I learned to strike with them on a BOB dummy wearing kendo armor. The follow-through is really the key to not hitting yourself, I found.

The only time I've ever trained on a beach was on a trip to Hawaii, and I discovered that there are random chunks of coral and volcanic rock hidden in the sand that will attack you. Also, salt water has a unique stink to it when it soaks a sweaty gi!

Congratulations!

Well done--congratulations!

I really see plyometrics as supplementary exercise for when you don't have access to weights. If there are any days where you would normally be training but don't have weights available, I would do plyometrics then. The only plyo exercises I really do are burpees and plyo push-ups, and I only do them on the days I don't do bench press or days we do them in class.

This schedule definitely looks better. I lift before karate--just make sure you're staying hydrated! As far as speed goes, as long as you do your lifts quickly you will promote fast-twitch muscle development. Remember that the weight may not move quickly if it's heavy, but if you are trying to move it fast, that's what counts.