Sideburns

Sparring not only the instructor, but also the entire dojo . Why does that not surprise me coming from a Kyokushin practitioner .

Well when I first started out in the MAs, the Internet did not exist and the only way to find a school was through the yellow pages . However, things have changed, and I only use the Internet to search for schools. However, I have found several schools that show up in Google searches, but have no website. These could be great schools, but no body will know this because they don't advertise.

I met a guy at a local dojo I was trying out and we started having a conversation about searching for a new school. He used the term "e-bigoted" to illustrate that he only visited schools that had an Internet website, therefore excluding ones that did not. I guess I was just as guilty of this as he was. My flawed logic was that if a school took the time to have a professional-looking website, perhaps the instruction might be good. Of course, that is not always the case. I would be interested to know why some schools choose not to have a website. In this Internet age, I can only assume that by not having a website, the school is missing out on recruiting new customers (i.e. students). Is it because some school owners do not want to spend the time or money on a website and use the old tried-an-true method of making people actually come to the school? Or do some school owners fear public scrutiny through the Internet?

The stepping in front of the kicking leg was the way this kick was taught at this particular Shotokan school. I also encountered it in a Shotokan book I bought right after I began taking classes at this school. Not having any previous experience in Shotokan prior to this, I just assumed that was the case for Shotokan in general. I don't know for sure. Perhaps someone more versed in Shotokan can eloborate. In any rate, it hindered me greatly so I ignored it and performed the side kick by stepping behind the kicking leg. I never used the horse stance outside of kata. During sparring, I preferred a more natural upright stance to perform the kick.

Tell me about it. Sometimes it felt like I was going to tear my knee up. However, that was probably my only complaint about a particular Shotokan technique. Is it safe to assume that this way a performing a side kick is common among Japanese/Okinawan karate styles or just Shotokan in particular?

It sounds like this sort of thing was more common 30-40 years ago when the MAs were less accessible then they are today. Like in your situation Montana, your school was by word of mouth. So a couple of local bonehead tough guys show up looking to prove some point.

For example, I was initially taught to use a stepping side kick in TKD from a horse riding stance. If I were to strike using my left leg, my body would be bladed toward the target with my left leg in front. I would then step with my right leg crossing BEHIND my left leg, chamber my left leg and then thrust at the target. The Shotokan method was essentially the same, except I was instructed to cross IN FRONT OF my kicking leg. This felt awkward and I never really got the knack for it. Consequently, when I sparred in Shotokan, I fell back on my previous training.

I am reminded of a story my former TKD instructor told about dojo challenges. He explained that a guy walked into his school one evening between classes and asked him if his TKD was effective. My instructor stated the guy then challenged him to a fight right then and there and began throwing punches at him. Needless to say, my instructor claimed he smacked the guy around a little bit and the guy left with a couple of extra bruises. Has anyone ever witnessed such challenges?

Sorry to hear that. For me, I guess it was several things that made it enjoyable. First, I was much younger than I am now. I trained with several people who were close to my age and size so sparring was always lively. I had instructors who drilled us in kata, pad work, etc. until we were all sweating and gassed. The closest I came to the atmosphere of my original school was the TKD school I trained at for a few months. My biggest complaint about that place was the lack of sparring and pad work. I got to spar the first week I was there, but never again after that. Which was a bummer because I bought brand new gear that I never got to use.

Coming from a background in TKD, when I briefly trained in Shotokan, I really disliked its stepping side. I preferred the TKD stepping side kick because I could generate much more power. Getting used to a different way of performing one of my favorite kicks was difficult. Anyone else feel the same?

Being new to this forum as an active member, I thought I would start off with an fairly innocuous question to get some differing opinions. A little about my MA background: - 3 years training in a TKD/generic karate mixture where I earned a brown belt (2nd kyu/gup if I remember correctly) - During that time, I also took some Aikido and Judo classes that were taught by the same instructor as my TKD/karate - I had a layoff of 12 years where I did not train - Trained for a short time at a straight TKD school and a short time at a Shotokan dojo - Took a free intro class at an Isshinryu dojo After about 12 years away from MA, I started training at a TKD school near where I lived at the time. I really enjoyed it and a I was able to shake off the rust pretty easily. There were many similarities to my first school, but also glaring dissimilarities. Unfortunately, I took a job transfer so I had to cut my training short after about three months. Since relocating, I took a free lesson at an Isshinryu dojo and trained for a few months at a Shotokan dojo near my work after trying numerous schools in the area. As good as these subsequent experiences were, none of them could compare to my first school in which I trained. Perhaps my rose-colored glasses are thick . None of these other schools seemed to have the energy and spirit I had previously experienced. I was looking for hard training, but was unable to find it. Every once in a while I would get a good workout, but not on a consistent basis. I missed the hard sparring and hard drills. So I ask you all, was your first time the best???