Wastelander

I understand what you are trying to do and I know you're getting irritated by people not replying in the way you want, but the concept is flawed--many of the techniques in kata were intended to be used in multiple ways so to specify that "this is the one and only way to use that technique from that kata" isn't going to work. Take the low block/high block combinations at the end of Pinan Shodan, for example--the very same movements can be used to: Block a kick, break someone's grip on your wrist, strike someone in the groin or bladder, dislocate someone's elbow, catch a kick and break the ankle, or throw someone (depending on the move prior, of course) and then you can follow that up by blocking a punch, breaking someone's grip on your shirt, striking with the forearm/elbow, or break someone's grip on your wrist from behind you--and those are just the examples I can think of off the top of my head as a kyu-ranked student. In other words--to say that there is only one application for a given movement is to cut out a very large section of your art and would be similar to saying that there is only one way to remove a bottle cap. All that said, it is possible to form "standard bunkai" to a degree, but that is usually reserved for dojo curriculum to make it easier to teach and grade people. My dojo back in Illinois, for example, has standard bunkai for every kata that everyone has to know, but it is very base level bunkai. A block is a block, a kick is a kick, a punch is a punch, a throw is a throw. It isn't until you've been training for a couple years that you start getting introduced to other ways of using the very same or very similar movements so that you can apply different bunkai. This is a good way to teach beginners solid, standard applications for basic techniques but it doesn't do much for the more advanced students. If you are wanting to come up with a list of standard applications then I think the only way for you to really do that is to do the most basic level application for each technique but even then there are some techniques that will be open to interpretation. I don't think it's going to be very easy for you to get a general consensus from people on one use for each technique because different people are going to apply it differently, so the closest you will get is the "a block is a block, a strike is a strike" method.

I live somewhere warm and it hasn't hampered me any. Then again, I've modified my grips on my go-to throws to not require clothing

I'm pretty sure I would stick with Shorin-Ryu and Judo. I've considered trying an amateur fight with just the training I have (Shuri-Ryu basics, ongoing Shorin-Ryu training, Judo and a couple JJJ techniques) but I haven't committed to it as of yet.

I saw this posted on another forum last night. As someone born and raised in Illinois, I have to say that I agree with MasterPain on all counts, including the "thoughts not agreeable with forum rules" portion.

I tend to find that when I spar with my strong side forward I have two problems--primarily I get drilled in the liver, which is not fun at all. The other weakness is that it leaves me very open to my opponent's strong-side strikes, but I tend to do well enough defending that unless I'm sparring my Sensei or another blackbelt of similar experience to him.

I switch back and forth, but I tend to favor strong-side forward (right side, for me). My right hand is faster than my left and, even though I train both sides, it is also stronger than my left. This means that I have a seriously mean jab/backfist/ridgehand/lead hook and I have more body weight available to put into my weaker, slower hand to make up for its deficiencies. So I guess I'm saying that yes, I do follow the same principle that Bruce Lee laid out--I just don't do it all the time. Sometimes I like to have the most powerful punch possible, and that's going to be weak-side forward.

In most schools you would both be receiving punishment because, as JusticeZero said, they don't want to think about these things very hard. Hopefully it was caught on video, but if not then you definitely need to at least have your parents on your side. Good on you for defending yourself.

I have heard that some people get a little irritated if you ask for their credentials over the phone, but I've never experienced it, personally. My instructor will gladly tell you who taught him and what his training history is, and that has been the case with all my instructors so I wouldn't think any legitimate instructor would withhold that information.

Your styles listed are heavy with grappling, but it sounds like you're getting a karate-style gi--why not get a judo or BJJ-style gi? That said, either one would be a fine brand, although I think Ronin may come out cheaper.

I would recommend Judo (heck, there is already a branch of Kyokushin that combines the two) because of its ability to teach you about grips (both on clothing and the body), body movement, takedown defense and throws. Just make sure that the dojo also trains newaza (groundwork) on a regular basis because otherwise you're only getting half the art. What tallgeese says about complimenting a standing art with a standing art is half-correct (and I mean no offense, tallgeese), and I personally believe that the groundwork taught in Judo (and I will admit that a great many Judo dojo do not teach enough groundwork, unfortunately) is plenty for self defense--it is simple and effective, particularly if you have an instructor who doesn't mind teaching the techniques that have been removed from Judo competition that are still effective (neck cranking techniques and leg locks, primarily). That said, there is some pretty cool stuff the BJJ world has come up with that you would be missing out on, and you would certainly become a better groundwork technician in BJJ, but I feel that most BJJ schools are the opposite of many Judo schools--too much groundwork and not enough standing grappling and throws/sweeps.

It sounds like your Systema instructor sticks to realism and as long as you make it clear that you want realistic training he will probably give that to you--just because you are training in an art that contains "mystical nonsense" in some branches doesn't mean you have to believe it or practice it. Karate includes concepts of ki meridians and I don't believe in that beyond the basics of how nerves work, and it doesn't change the fact that I learn how to defend myself effectively.

Does your instructor have a website? Not the bounce gym one, but one specifically for his Systema classes? I find Systema to be interesting and it has some useful and interesting concepts, but sometimes it looks like sloppy Jujutsu/Judo/Sambo and Karate techniques. I'm glad you like it and I'm interested to hear how it goes (I know that Steve Wildash's blog on his Systema training shows some good stuff, so its out there to be found) and I would also like to see videos if your instructor has any.

In general, this is the best answer possible. If society were to collapse so completely as to make you justified in fighting the police then you would still be out-manned and out-gunned unless you happen to have a large gun collection and lots of friends and you all train group combat tactics together.

Kata, to me, is a blueprint. On the surface it teaches you how to perform the techniques of your style--or how to build a house, to follow my analogy. The finer points, however, are something that must be learned along the way or the blueprint makes no sense (bunkai to kata).

Exactly--I said "anything but wine is out" meaning that any alcoholic beverages that aren't wine have very little value to you, health wise, and any alcohol in excess is bad. I also totally agree with the rest of the above post.

The only way to find your limit is to reach it, really. For muscular endurance I would say you can do pushups until your arms won't move anymore and that's the limit of pushups you can do, and you can do situps until your abs won't clench anymore and that's the limit of situps you can do, and you can do squats until your legs give out and that's the limit of squats you can do. How you apply that knowledge to your training is up to you. As far as avoiding injury, your muscles will save you from yourself. Your muscles will seize up and give out when they have reached their safe limit--you can push past this but you are going to be doing more damage to your muscles than is healthy. Stretching of muscles and tendons is a completely different matter. To increase upper body and punching strength, do pushups (fast ones), rotational abdominal exercises, run up stairs and punch a heavy bag. STOP SMOKING, make your diet rich in protein, fruits and veggies (carbs are okay, but don't go overboard), don't drink alcoholic beverages without benefits (basically anything but wine is out) and do not drink more than a glass a day.

This is typically the method I use if anyone catches my kicks (although that doesn't happen too often, thankfully!) and it helps me get into clinching range where I can throw people, so I rather like it when that happens

*Do you find the 270 degree turn easy/difficult for you to learn? --It isn't that it is difficult to learn, but it is certainly difficult to get it right. Controlling your body in such a turn can be difficult and changes depending on how you are using the turn. *Do you consider the 270 degree turn an effective/ineffective tool in the martial arts? --Depends on how you see it being used. I see it, typically, as a way to throw someone, redirect an attack, control an opponent or evade an attack. In those situations I find it useful. *Do you consider the 270 degree turn an effective/ineffective tool only used in Kata? --This question seems to be a combination of the prior question and the following question, so see those answers. *Do you think that the only time you’ll ever use the 270 degree turn is in Kata? --I regularly use 270 degree turns in sparring and self defense drills. When I throw someone I have to turn my body as far as possible--yes, the throw initiates at about 180 degrees, but my head keeps turning at least 270, which forces my body to follow. When I apply a joint lock to control an opponent to the ground, I sometimes do not need to turn 270 but sometimes I do, and sometimes even further, but the idea is the same. I also use a 270 degree turn in conjunction with dropping my body, to break free of striking exchanges in sparring. Certainly there are more uses for the turn but at this point in my training, those are my uses for it.

For working target placement it works fine, but it is nothing like hitting a human body OR a heavy bag--it doesn't move like a human body, despite being shaped like one, and the "skin" on it tends to stick to your skin when you punch it, which gets pretty uncomfortable. Also, the body is much firmer than a human body and the head moves around quite a bit but isn't as hard as a human head.

I honestly think that the question you ask is one that does not have a clear answer. Karate is an empty-handed fighting art of Okinawan origin, but I think that is the closest to a definition that you will find. I think that the name has very little to do with effectiveness, cohesiveness or passed-down curriculum--all of those things are going to be different between different organizations, styles, schools and instructors.

Demonstrating techniques and randori, typically. Many Judo dojo have test curriculum and you can ask what techniques they will focus on for your test, but others focus primarily on randori and shiai--I know my last Judo instructor based promotions almost solely on how you do in competition.

Blue belt is right above white in BJJ, if I remember correctly, and I think it would mean he would have about 3 or 4 years of training, depending on how rigorous his instructor's testing was and how good he is. As long as he is still training with a higher ranked practitioner I don't see any problem with you training with him--do you really think you're going to catch up to his 3 or 4 years of experience before he learns any more from his instructor? You might as well give it a try.

I can get long-winded when discussing martial arts, regardless of how often I've been able to make it to the dojo lately . Out of curiosity, have you checked out this dojo: http://www.ohiomartialarts.com/home.html The head instructor is Sensei Hurtseller, who started in Shuri-Ryu karate and my Sensei back home knew him (and backed him up during a few scuffles, if I remember my stories correctly). As I understand it, he is a good martial artist and instructor but broke away from the official style of Shuri-Ryu because what he does now is more a conglomeration of all of the things he's learned over the years. The basics you've learned in Shorin-Ryu should translate just fine into an open environment such as that, and I suspect that Sensei Hurtseller may have some Shorin-Ryu friends he could put you in contact with. Good luck!

Exactly! I hope you can find a place to train but, if you can't, you can always try to reach out to martial artists in your area to see if you might be able to form a little "club" where you can meet up on weekends or afternoons and practice together, just to keep you going

I trained heavily (14 hours per week in the dojo, plus training on my own) in Shuri-Ryu before moving to Arizona. My Shorin-Ryu Sensei tells me that I still look like a Shuri-Ryu guy practicing Shorin-Ryu kata, but my form is very good . Your experience would indicate that you should not attend that dojo--you will need to adapt to the differences between styles, but the idea of simply "forgetting" it is ludicrous and no martial art is "the best art" so they seem to be propagandists to me. A style should be molded to the practitioner in the same manner that a practitioner is molded to a style--both have to give a little--but I've found that koryu and koryu-esque arts (I'm including Ninjutsu in that simply because, in my opinion, it is simply a specialized form of Jujutsu) do not believe in the idea that the style should mold to the practitioner at all. You would be better off finding another Okinawan style--even if it isn't a branch of Shorin-Ryu you will still find that a lot of the basics will be the same.