Wastelander

Interesting! So, in ShorinKan you don't actually follow an embusen as such, you move only forward and backward? Your technique is neat, tidy and powerful. Impressive. Don't criticise yourself, had you not said anything, I wouldn't have noticed! OSU For the three Kihon Kata (the other two are very much like this one--the second has you punch to face level going forward and do a cross block and low block going back, while the third has you high block going forward and cross block going back) we do just go straight forward and straight back, and Fukyu no Kata is much the same but you turn around to go back the way you came. They are really just formalized floor drills to get new students used to practicing some basic techniques in sequence in the air while visualizing what they are doing. After those we put them through the "real" kata, so to speak. As far as criticizing myself--I'm afraid that's just how I am. Still, it does mean I can work on the problems that I find and do my best to fix them

I remembered this thread when I got to the dojo yesterday, so before I did anything else I made sure to record the first kata in the Shorinkan curriculum to add to this thread. I'm stiff and my right side seems to have had an issue (dropping the last punch and the blocks aren't in front of the shoulder) but otherwise it isn't too terrible. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZP_Dr1jBpE&feature=youtu.be

In Shorin-Ryu, without the hips your body is disjointed, off balance, slow and weak. I think this applies to all martial arts, for the most part, though.

Very cool, Ev! Thanks for sharing!

Children will tend to do those types of things--even if you explain how they should treat their uniform, they will either ignore it or forget it. The only thing that can really be done is to be consistent with enforcing discipline and protocol over time, and it must start from Day 1 or it is incredibly difficult to reign things back in. I say that you should talk to your instructor about getting into the teen or adult classes if you are bothered by the behavior you are seeing in the younger students' classes. As long as you are focused and disciplined and respectful there shouldn't be a problem.

I'm with Evil Dave and JusticeZero--sexual preference has no bearing on how skilled a person is at martial arts and teaching them.

Ohhhh, there's one down in Gilbert, AZ. I'm tempted to invite them to our open sparring event

In Okinawan kobudo we have a spear called a nunti (or nunte bo) as well as a very short spear and shield combo called rochin and tinbe, and in some Japanese arts you can find yari or naginata. These are the options you might be able to find for spear kata, but I don't believe any of them are typically included in Kyokushin. You could certainly call around to Okinawan karate dojo and see if they also teach kobudo and would be willing to let you drop in and learn about any spear kata they may have. Not all Okinawan karate instructors also know kobudo, and not all of the instructors that know kobudo know spears but it's worth asking if you're interested. I know my Shorin-Ryu organization, which has a kobudo branch as well, has a dojo in Livermore. If I recall correctly it would be a bit of a drive for you, but if it's something you only do two or three times to learn a kata and some basics it might not be too bad. I know that several of our system's dojo have karateka from other styles come in just for kobudo, so I wouldn't think they would have any issue with you coming in. http://www.livermorekarate.com/ And there is also this dojo that might be closer (I can't quite remember where you live) although I don't know much about them other than the fact that they mention kobudo on their website: http://okinawankaratesanfrancisco.com/main/

While I agree with the general concept of these three categories (although I do know that some people get upset when you assign animal characteristics to humans) but I think Evil Dave is correct. I know martial artists who are NOT capable of violence, despite training in techniques designed to inflict violence. As a matter of fact, I actually got into a discussion on a martial artist's blog about that very thing.

If you are committed to training barefoot, then just do as Evergrey says and train barefoot on the concrete. I used to do that and it just helps build up callouses over time. That said, if you are practicing self defense of any type, then why wouldn't you want to wear shoes? The past few times I have worked out on concrete I have worn shoes--it doesn't mean you aren't doing karate anymore just because you put shoes on. I would also like to point out to you that many karateka of old seem to have worn their footwear while training outside: http://webs.ono.com/shotokankaratedo/albums/Funakoshi%20Yoshitaka/album/slides/FUNAKOSHI%20Yoshitaka%20-%20makiwara%20001.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Funakoshi_Makiwara.jpg http://shotokankaratedo.es/images/MOTOBU_Choki_makiwara_01.jpg

Thanks for posting this--I've read through some bits and pieces of old European martial arts manuals and I always thought that the grappling looked very much like a mixture of judo and wrestling. In seeing the techniques applied in those videos, I can definitely see the resemblance--I saw koshi guruma, tsuri goshi, kata guruma, osoto gari, ko-uchi gari and many more throws that exist in judo, as well as techniques like the suplex and high crotch lift that exist in wrestling. All that said, I think it is really interesting to see how grappling developed all over the world and still came up with very similar techniques. After watching those videos, I do have a question. Do you know if the people who developed these modern interpretations of the grappling found in those manuals had any grappling experience or did they start from scratch using the books?

I believe OP is referring to the ranks of Nidan and Sandan, not the Pinan/Heian series of kata. As for the original question, I have never heard of dan rankings being assigned meanings as you have described. I have obviously heard that shodan is the beginning of your training, but never that it means "beginning" or that yondan means "honesty". It almost sounds like your instructor (or their instructor before them, or your organization) has arbitrarily assigned meaning to the dan ranks and either expect you to know them or figure them out. The closest thing I can tell you is that I have heard of sandan being referred to as "the fighting rank" in judo because that seems to be the rank a majority of skilled black belt judo competitors seem to hold.

It might matter, and it might not. People get very angry about McDojos, in general, but just because they hate them doesn't mean they aren't right for somebody out there--just like lots of people hate McDonalds but they still sell billions of cheeseburgers. Some "McDojos" actually DO teach effective arts, and do it well, but because they are trying to make money off of it they get the McDojo label. The dojo I first started training at was a commercial dojo--the instructor had his main school and two satellite locations run by black belt students of his, and there were fees for testing and belts and extra classes, and there were contracts (that part was actually required by the government, though)--but they taught (and still teach) solid technique, and they teach it very well. I have moved on to a different style and different training methods and concepts, but it worked very well for me at the time and I loved it. Some McDojos, however, teach ineffective arts or they teach them very poorly. If you want some exercise, build some self esteem and maybe learn some cool tricks then this is perfectly fine, so long as you are willing to pay for it. That's all a lot of people want out of martial arts, so this works for them--there is no contact, typically, so there is very little risk of injury, pain or discomfort, and they get to do some neat looking stuff while they exercise and have some fun. I will admit that I hate McDojos that are out there to make money AND teach ineffective martial arts--in my opinion that is simply fraudulent and gives martial arts a very bad reputation--but I understand that, for some people, it meets a need. I also understand that if you are a good instructor and you teach good martial arts, then you are free to do everything you want to make money at it if people are willing to pay for your instruction. McDojos will always exist, and we can choose to constantly be angry with them and try to tear them down, or we can simply focus on our training and accept it.

Thanks! We are having another one of these on August 25th, so if anybody from the forum is in the Phoenix, AZ area that day you are welcome to stop by!

I have never had any luck with Everlast, and neither has anyone else I know. These are the gloves I use--they are durable, comfortable and have considerably more padding than standard MMA gloves (7oz, I believe) because they are intended for sparring. As for headgear, I use this because it is durable, comfortable and affordable, but I rarely wear headgear because I find that I actually get hit in the head more often when I do. I don't wear foot gear anymore, but when I did I always just used the dipped foam stuff like Macho. A couple people in my dojo are trying out some new sparring shoes that are basically just padded wrestling shoes, and those might be a good option. When it comes right down to it, though, you need to get gear that you can use in whatever competitions you want to engage in. If they only allow you to use all dipped foam gear, then that's what you need to buy. If they require K1 style gear, that's what you need to buy. If you aren't going to compete, then get whatever your instructor says you should get.

We have two black belts under the age of 18, and both of them are 14 (they were just promoted in May) but they are jun-shodan so they have the black belt with the white stripe down the center. At 16 they will be old enough to take the adult shodan exam.

Ronda Rousey is always entertaining, and Roy "Big Country" Nelson really seems like a fun guy.

I have been using Fighter Fix for a while and I like it. It's a Thai liniment, not a Chinese one, but it makes your muscles feel better if they are sore and seems to help with my bruising. I bruised up my middle knuckle on the makiwara Saturday morning and the bruise is just about completely gone already, and I'm the kind of person who usually keeps bruises for a week or more.

I "skipped" the first belt in Shuri-Ryu because when I went to test they kept calling up people by what they were supposed to know and I kept getting up because I knew the material. In the lower kyu grades I see absolutely no problem with skipping belts if you know the material. Once you get within two or three ranks of shodan I think it should stop, because your training should involve more mental aspects that need time to develop.

I like that...I just might get some to try...thanks!! No problem! Make sure you get the compression fit Heat Gear.

I wear UnderArmour under my dogi--it wicks away my sweat so I cool off better and it acts as a rash guard when we work grappling techniques.

Interestingly enough, my instructor was just talking about this on Wednesday, and he's not even 30 years old yet. He mentioned that a TKD blackbelt who trains with us commented on his hook kick, specifically, and said that my instructor doesn't do it the way that blackbelt does it. The main difference he pointed out was the he kicks the foot out to the side, then hooks it across to the head, which is the way pretty much everyone learns to throw a hook kick to the head, but my instructor brings the kick straight to where it needs to be with no "cocking" motion, so to speak. He elaborated by explaining that the ideal thing is to fine tune your techniques over time so that they become as efficient as possible, which will end up making the motions smaller, faster and more direct as well as being easier on your body as you age. He demonstrated the differences between the way chudan-uke is taught and how he does it, as an example, and explained that he is still working on it and will be for as long as he can still train.

Try washing the area with vinegar before you shower.

I guess I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around what you are having an issue with--so the problem is that you are afraid you will break your hand when you counter your opponent coming in? I have yet to do that, and I just spar with gloves and no wraps, but I also routinely practice striking without wraps and I am used to tensing my hands on impact. If you want to work on countering your opponents using straight techniques but are that worried about hurting yourself then you can throw them a bit lighter, or stop them short, because your opponent is coming toward you. Just work on controlling where your punches stop--for example, you can practice pushing the heavy bag away from you and then counter punching it when it comes back at you, which will give you some feedback on how hard you have to hit to make it stop.

All that he did in that video is control his kick so it slapped a little into the surface of the bag without following through. It certainly looks cool for movies and it works fine for controlling your techniques when you're worried about your sparring partner, but kicking someone like that in a kickboxing match will probably just annoy them. The same "slapping a little into the surface" idea can be applied to punches, too--turn your body and whip the punch out, then stop it when it hits and pull it back--but I really don't know why this is the thing you WANT to do when you are doing kickboxing. Light- to no-contact point-sparring karate will tend to make you good at that, though, if that's all you're wanting. A quick YouTube search and I found this guy--the way he explains it will give you a quick, whipping punch without putting much weight behind it (he does put weight behind it, just not nearly as much as Peter Consterdine) if that is closer to what you want: