Ueshirokarate

Time to go visit a physiatrist.

You need to take a step back. What are your goals with your routine? What is your time frame to achieve them? Anyone can throw a program together for anyone. However, the right thing to do is figure out where you are, where you want to go and when you want to get there. After that, a program can be designed. Personally, I am not a big believer in doing isolation work on your arms unless they are very weak compared to your upper body. Quite honestly, I think you would be much better off building a weight training program around compound movements such as squats, pull-ups, bench press, etc. Looking at your sensei's bio, I don't see any formal training in athletic training. You would be much better off seeking out a CSCS, SMAC or CMMACC to assess you and your goals to design a program. There is no substitute for education in conditioning science, it is not the same as martial arts experience.

No way I can speak for your style or sensei. I can say that the katas in Matsubayashi Ryu have been exactly the same and in the same order since the system was founded. Incidentally, in Matsubayashi Ryu, not only does the order of kata closely resembles that found in Shito Ryu, the katas we share with Shito Ryu also closely resemble one another. The only commonality to the Matsubayashi and Shito Ryu lineages is Anko Itosu.

Yes, it makes your point more clear. Yes, the order of kata was put in place by the respective founders of each system based purely on their judgement. That said, while they may appear similar and share a common name, each one of those styles has katas that differ greatly in numerous ways. There is no way I could walk into a Wado Ryu school and do kata the way I do in a Matsubayashi Ryu school. Furthermore, a green belt in one system may or may not be equivalent to green belt in another. For all I know, a green belt in Wado Ryu may be years ahead of a green belt in Matsubayashi or Shito in some things and visa versa. Heck, this varies from school to school in most systems. Each sytem, teacher and even student puts different emphasis on different things. To me, you are trying to compare oranges to apples when you compare katas or belts from one system to another.

I invite you to train with me sometime if you are ever in the NY area, as I would love to show you how we use traditional kata and why we value it so much. No doubt we can teach one another something.

Same in Matsubayashi Ryu, the katas are mostly placed in order of complexity and difficulty starting with Fukyugata Ichi and ending with Kusanku. They are also far from arbitrary. Moreover, don't dismiss the Japanese influence on Okinawan and Chinese arts. I also believe there was enough influence to go around. These were all sea faring nations that traded heavily back and forth for a very, very long time.

I don't think kata is excessive at all. In fact, any repeated series of movements one does is a kata and that holds true if all you do is jab, uppercut, right hook kick and do it over and over again and if this is all you do, it will still take years to master it. Kata allows the practitioner to work on a number of things at once. In fact, I am certain that kata is about the most streamlined way one can train karate. Okinawan styles of karate hold that kata is karate. We train kata extensively. We pull apart all the techniques, analyze various applications for these techniques and drill them. Kata not only works the techniques, but it is used for conditioning purposes. Think of it this way, you simultaneously work foot work, cardio, balance, fight techniques, etc. In my view it is the single most valuable and most efficient way to train the most things at one time. I suggest that those who disagree with me, probably have a huge disconnect between kata and real world fighting. There are many, many styles where kata is misunderstood, denigrated, dismissed, etc and if done, it is only done out of tradition. To each his own I suppose, but with my experience, no one is going to convince me that there are more efficient ways to teach and learn pure Te (the Okinawan stuff).

It takes years and years to get good at any form of fighting.

Nothing specific, just thought a discussion about the would be interesting.

From a purely martial arts training aspect, kata trains your total body to strike, deflect, get inside, get around, throw, grapple, etc. In Okinawan based styles, they say kata is karate. I would argue that since karate is from Okinawa, that if styles don't value kata, they may call themselves a karate style, but are they? I spent years doing traditional Matsubayashi Ryu katas and per-arranged sparring. I often wondered if I was missing out just doing this the traditional way. I recently started to play around with light sparring and I have to say that I am amazed at how well I do at it. Don't dismiss the old way of doing kata over and over and over again for years on end.

Yoga is the mother style for most of us. It is no coincidence that the warrior position is virtually the same as zenkutsu dachi. That said, I sure wouldn't want it subbed for a regular class more than maybe once a year.

You should do your stretching at the end of class and on off days. It is helpful to warm up and you can do this by simply walking a bit, taking a hot bath or some exercise that heats up the body. Take it slow, you'll get there if you do so and are disciplined. Anyone can become flexible if they do so.

There is a nasty little secret that you only find out when you really start studying bodybuilding. Growing muscle size requires that you eat at a caloric surplus. A caloric surplus will also make you gain fat. This is the reason why bodybuilders go through bulking and cutting cycles. When they cut, they do everything they can to hold onto the muscle they worked hard to get, including eating a lot of protein and ingesting casein protein at bedtime. You can lift to your hearts content, but if you are on a diet (caloric deficit) you will still lose muscle. If you want to do some bodybuilding (and it sounds like that is your goal), then read up a bit on the practice of bulking and cutting. No need to fight reality or reinvent the wheel.

Seems to me, that your average layperson just understands black. They don't understand that black just means you have some what mastered the basics and are really just starting your journey, if you will. Clearly the meaning of the dan ranks is very dependent on the system you train under. In some systems, Nidan and above are gained through politics or your perceived value by the higher ups, while in others they are dependent on more objective criteria. The best way for you to explain it, is based upon your individual system. You may wish to tell someone, that there is no objective standard to judge a Nidan in your system to a Yondan in another. You also may wish to tell them, that there are some schools that take two years or less to achieve black and some where it takes six to eight years. They may not get this, but I believe the only one who can really judge the meaning of a rank is the person who holds it. Would you agree?

You don't teach varying levels of force depending on the situation? Someone tries to take your lunch money, so you crush his treachea?! I'm all for having a lethal or maiming option for the rare occasion when it would be needed, but to have no other response pattern is irresponsible. What's wrong with snapping a guys neck for taking your chewing gum?

I've watched a few. Martial arts as a sport has never really been my thing, but here where I live, it's something that I'd estimate 70% of the population is into with maybe 20% participating in at least amateur bouts. From what I'd heard, Pride was superior to UFC during its time. Still IIRC, when Pride was rounded, UFC had already "reformed" to suit the politicians protesting it.Watching any sport has never been my thing. I find it boring as heck for the most part. However, I do like to turn on UFC sometimes to analyze what they are doing. Does it have application in the real world? Is that technique in a kata, etc. I often ask myself, if biting was allowed, would BJJ be nearly as big as it is?

There are only eighteen forms in the classic Matsubayashi Ryu system (we also have Ueshiro's Fukyugata Sandan and Wax's Oyo Tan Ren). Fact is that with new students joining all the time, you really practice the Fukyugatas so much more than any other ones. This is ok as they work your muscles for your other forms. You go through the Pinans and higher and you are repeating many of the same movements you do in the Fukyugatas. Yes, there slight differences in hand and body positioning, but fundamentally you are swinging your arms and legs in the same manner, so in a way you are training higher katas when you do the basic ones. I believe Nagamine knew this and that is why his system is as it is. What I think is important, is to always do kata as if you are actually fighting someone, whether half speed or all out. I think it is also important to take several techniques out of kata and fully understand how to use them and practice their use in sequence with other techniques (somewhat like yakusoko kumite) At the end of the day, it is a martial art and should be trained to use in a real fight.

Mr. Miyagi popped into my mind when I read your post. Pass fail no matter, only training matter. You are correct: It doesn't matter. The only reason I wish to advance in my system, is to be able to officially train more advanced stuff.

By the way, are you using at dit da jow? A quality mix is amazing. That said, I think you are getting hit too hard. The point is to train, not beat up each other.

Any practitioners of either of these styles of Kobudo?

And that is sad. Black belt is just an acknowledgement that you have mastered the basic techniques. To me, when you reach black belt, you have built a house. Why would you spend all those years building a house and then walk away from it when it is done. I also find that the more I study martial arts, the less I feel I know. In our system, you are no where near done the journey. You still have the following katas to learn and master: Rohai Wanshu Passai Gojushiho Chinto Kusanku Seems like the beginning of a much more challenging and exciting journey than the one through the kyu ranks. Totally agree my friend, I always find the grading syllabus gets in the way of learning sometimes. I tell my 1st kyus that a Mudansha has to be told what to do but a Yudansha already knows what they need to do without being told by Sensei. I find it in comparison to taking Driving lessons, you do all the training take all the tests get your licence then never sit behind the wheel of a car again - it just wouldn't happen! To me the written tests are not required because it doesn't make the writter any more in tune with the martial art they are studying. I point my students to the Forums and if they want to use the time to create articles discuss the ethos of Bushido then I am happy for them too I like that analogy. To me a black belt is a white belt who learned enough to train themselves and now have the discipline to do so. Yes, it is useful to have a higher rank critique them and fine tune things, but they, having enough of a foundation, should be able to watch a kata video (a good one obviously) and teach them-self the form with reasonable accuracy.

And that is sad. Black belt is just an acknowledgement that you have mastered the basic techniques. To me, when you reach black belt, you have built a house. Why would you spend all those years building a house and then walk away from it when it is done. I also find that the more I study martial arts, the less I feel I know. In our system, you are no where near done the journey. You still have the following katas to learn and master: Rohai Wanshu Passai Gojushiho Chinto Kusanku Seems like the beginning of a much more challenging and exciting journey than the one through the kyu ranks.

I agree with kuma. There are those with misconceptions about weight training. Higher reps work best for legs, calves and forearms (i.e. 20 rep squat program), but I think your program is just way too much volume. If you are recovering from an injury, you should be working with a qualified physical therapist on a recovery program. That said and generally speaking, you are far better off working with heavier weight and lower reps. Most high rep programs are a waste IMHO and are still around due to misconceptions by those who advocate them. As I said in an early post, determine exactly what your goals are and design the program around those goals. Also, most of us do a tremendous amount of endurance type training in our martial arts classes. As such, most of us would be better off just sticking with basic compound lifts such as deadlift, squat, benchpress, dip and the good old fashioned pull-up when it comes to traditional weight training.

There is so much you can do to enhance your training for karate. In my opinion, it really should be done with a plan over a year. You need to peak around tests or competitions and plan out cycles of training with specific goals and timelines. There are literally hundreds of different ways you can supplement your training, from sprints to plyometrics. For pure strength training, I typically avoid weight machines and focus on heavy compound lifts with barbells such as the squat, deadlift, benchpress and pull-ups. I took my CMMACC certification course to better understand how to train for martial arts. If any of you have any specific questions, feel free to pm me. I could talk for hours about training for martial arts.

What is everyone's thoughts about a yoga studio or health club? I have such an itch to open a club, but I am only an Ik Kyu and you aren't really a teacher until you are 3rd Dan.