brickman

I am not certain that blanket comments should be made about either style...it is up to each teacher what he decides to teach.....OR more likely what he is good at. We do not (for instance) block with our palms inward all the time in Shorin ryu....in our bunkai we do grab....etc. So P.A.L.'s comment would not apply to the style we do...apparently it does to his.

My first tournament was when I was a blue belt (we were not allowed to compete until that time)....I did well there 1st in weapons....2nd in kata and 3rd in fighting.....there were 20 people in the division. The second tourney I went to was the old Budweiser tournament held at the Shrine auditorium near Columbus (Ohio) International Airport....lots of guys there. The competition was awesome. Those were some of the last days of guys just beating the crap out of each other.....kind of a last man standing attitude. I got three places there also.....two firsts and a third. Never really did well at fighting til I was a little older and quit caring about kata so much......lol. Hope my sensei doesnt read this.

Know a few former Buckeyes (for those around the world who dont know college football...that is the Ohio State University....buckeyes). I am distant cousins with Daniel Boone of frontier fame.....my great (xalot) grandfather's brothers were Lord Mayor of London and the other was Archbishop of Cantebury who was in "office" when the King James version of the Bible was written.

Some very interesting ideas. I am laughing as I read this because of the vast difference of opinion. Guess the only way to settle it is to meet at high noon with or without hightops on...lol. In all seriousness though.....I find it interesting that the termed "non-bouncy" guys say they have no muscular tension. I always assumed that any movement involved musular tension in some fashion. As in moving from potential to kinetic energy. And the release of muscular tension was the start of kinetic energy. Perhaps we are all just reading too much into what the others are saying. I know who I think are the best fighters I have ever seen.....and none of them bounce and they all hate tournaments as a measure of martial arts, but they all get a kick out of them because they are so funny to watch. But they all move with great efficiency, etc. And yes my sensei does the Naihanchi katas...all three of them.....and says we should all do at least the first one 100 times a day to learn how to move. BUT....he is also the one who taught us how to fight for tournaments......it is soooo much easier to mess someone else up when you get into their timing by bouncing.....IF you can fight that way. I will also add that you also need to be in very good shape to fight that way....It is also my "expert" (and I use that term as a joke) opinion you need to be able to fight both ways.

Most international fighters...esp. those from Europe fight with bounces. The reason is...as mentioned before...timing...or messing up timing. Bouncing has no place in real life fighting, but in sport fighting it does. Plain and simple.....now...the question becomes...what do you mean by bouncing? How high, etc. That is where the rubber meets the road. Remember, when we are talking about really good competitions we are not talking about who hits harder, etc. It is about who moves the fastest with the cleanest technique. Also, in many of those competitions the point very often goes to the guy who is moving IN (and appearance of speed...someone standing still does not appear to be faster...etc). I realize most people consider it a game of tag and it really doesnt mean much in real life....but it does give you a certain amount of speed.....only if you know how to use it correctly and if it works for you. I would also like to point out the phrase "so and so got caught flat footed".....wonder why that phrase came about...it must have some meaning? I would also like to ask a question for clarification. When those of you fight (those who said they dont "bounce") do you not take a step in or back to hit or block? If you do take a step do you do so with your heel down?

Lucky, I guess I made a wrong assumption. I was assuming we were talking of people of "equal" ability or talent. Guess I should have said "all things being equal....." I have been hit by many people who thought they could punch and have only ever been hurt by three guys....1. My sensei. 2. A guy from Arkansas, Sensei Ward (dont know his Japanese name). 3. A sensei from California....his name eludes me right now. In all those cases I was sparring someone much better than I will ever hope to be....and they all kicked my butt! So...even after my sensei broke my nose (he told me it was my fault) I got up and said....well teach me what I did wrong.....my sensei just smiled and told me I was crazy and to go home. His wife later told me that he did not think I was a very good kicker (they suck) and that my punches were good, but the one thing that set me apart from all his other students was that he had seen me take many wicked shots and still come back for more. He (and I believe it is the same with all oriental teachers) admires my heart....my willingness to keep coming back. There is nothing greater to someone than that.....a strong "heart". I have seen guys who had better punches and kicks than me....but once you blew through one of those and hit them....it was all over. AS the post above states....they become victims because they lack heart.....for all you "Rocky" fans....the Eye of the Tiger.

one thing makes a great fighter. It is not technique or finess.....it is heart. By that I mean it is the guy who refuses to quit. How many of you will hit a guy as hard as you can ten times and have him keep coming back? What about 20? What about 30? Eventually he will wear you down. IT is because of his unrelenting pressure on you to take him out of the fight. You might say it is his hatred of losing that makes him great. I have seen guys like that....people who will have bones broken in a fight and keep going simply because they hate to lose....It is my opinion that most point fighters are not that way....they lack a certain toughness...for lack of a better word.

Any karate system is good for what you are looking for, in terms of goals. It also depends on what physical aspects you agree with or not...go check out some different schools and get a feel for what it is they do. As far as bowing.....it is a sign of respect. It has nothing to do with shintoism or anything like that....if you are talking about kneeling, etc. look at it as a way to focus on what you have just learned....to relax the body and help with concentration. Again, it has nothing to do with religion....or I should say....it is only as religious as you make it.

I started because a friend of mine talked my dad into it (he needed someone to car pool with). I do it for physical fitness and stress relief/anger management. I have been doing it for nearly 20 years. I am now 32 and love learning new things....or teaching things I have learned to younger people. I believe my sensei has sons who have done well both nationally and internationally because I was there to help them along. He told me when he first asked my old sensei for me to become his student that I was never going to be a world champion, but I could definately help make one. It is fun to spar guys who are THAT good...through all my injuries, etc. over the years it is my commitment to those guys that keeps me coming back. Also, I am a diabetic so it is good for the health aspect also.

killer, I see....just goes to show the fundamental differences in styles. Both have the same words....but slightly different meanings. Very interesting concept. Thanks for the info.

what are the tournament rules? what is legal? are you more comfortable countering or attacking?

Killer, I said Sen-no-Sen which is the shorin ryu concept of what you are saying. There is another concept of the Sen idea too...therefore i said the name of both. I agree with what you said above though.....if you are really really good at fighting, you "know" when someone is attacking and choose the time to react (based on that reaction it is EITHER go-no-sen or sen-no-sen). We call that timing.....the question is when do you attack? how do you want to attack? what is your purpose? are there more than one person?? It is like that scene in "Last Samurai" when Tom Cruise is attacked on his way to get Sokumoto (sp) out of confinement. The answer to those questions is the answer to which sen you use.....I do not know if anyone teaches both ideas anymore....well I do know at least three people who teach it.

engineering guys....which law of Newton's states an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by a a greater or equal force?? or something like that? that will explain the one about closer stance and being on the "toes". I would love to fight a guy with his heels down.... Gotta know when to hold'em....gotta know to fold'em. Same with when to move from the front of the foot to the back of the foot. generally the lower you are (endurance) helps you when you are fighting....and with the foot thing. It will all make alot of sense to you later on.....

our dojo starts at 100/month and goes to 125 (if you want to fight) 150 with weapons thrown in and then 200/month to take extras not related to belt testing (such as point fighting class, grappling, cardio class). The last two are in effect for three years then the price goes down to 75 per month and 50 per month respectively for the rest of your training years with that dojo. The 200/month "class" cost about 6 dollars per class. the 150 is about 8. We figure people pay lots more for music lessons so....

I know this doesnt belong on this forum. But since it is the 63rd anniversary of Pearl Harbor....stop and remember why you are able to live your life as you will on your own terms. Thank a vet for your life and say a prayer for those souls who died as boys and didnt have the opportunities you do. I know I am grateful to all my family members who have served this great country since the Revolution......

I run on the road long before I dance under the lights- M. Ali My body could stand the crutches but my mind couldnt stand the sideline. M. Jordan Do not pray for easy lives, Pray to be stronger men. - JFK Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.- JFK (With this being the 63rd anniversary of Pearl Harbor) I hear that West Berlin is militarily untenable-and so was Bastogne, and so, in fact was Stalingrad. Any danger spot is tenable if men- brave men will make it so. JFK (Remember those who died as boys defending your right to live your life your way....)

any John Wayne movie Last Samurai Remember the Titans Indiana Jones movies Star Wars movies

as I am not big on the ENGLISH spelling of Japanese words I will do my best....but the idea here is between go-no-sen and sen-no-sen...both are attacking...but in different ways. So, in essence you are just waiting for the time to be right in both. I too used to think that blocks were just that.....but they are attacks. If someone says a leg block does not work....then they have the wrong idea.....it is not a block per se...it is an attack. And done correctly a very effective one at that. Having said that, it must be noted that one must MOVE in order to block a kick effectively.

The more you practice the better your "reflexes" will become. Try and find the best fighters you can and practice with them 2 or 3 times a week...start out at 10 or 20% speed and then work your way up to around 80%. What you are referencing here is not reflexes.....it is timing. That only comes with practicing with people faster than you. I used to drive 100 miles one way to workout with such people.

try hairspray....always worked for me.

im about 20 pounds overweight due to two surgeries (going on a third)...but still can go the whole class plus spar full go for about 45 minutes at the end of the day.....bad for me but good for everyone else. Guess it depends on your perspective.

also the matsumura kata is different in shito ryu and shorin-ryu.....so be careful you dont learn the wrong one.

i have never seen a video of it....in fact i dont think many people know Matsu. Passai....I know it...learned it from my sensei. Good luck

a_modern_production, that is a wise choice...he knows what he is doing and goes out of his way to learn more from people who can teach him new things, etc. He also (i believe) is the only person to have been a national champion in the USA in every weight class in AAU in fighting and kata....(you may want to check me on that). He is also a nice person. If you need any help or have questions, let me know....I will see what I can do.

try minakami sensei....he is pretty good. He has helped me out a few times in the past. His style is shito-ryu.