jaypo

9th kyu- Heian Shodan/Senshado Shodan 8th- Heian/Pinan Nidan, Senshado Nidan 7th- Heian/Pinan Sandan, Muay Thai Sho 6th- Heian/Pinan Yodan, Geri Shodan 5th- Heian/Pinan Godan, Geri Nidan 4th- Naihanchi Shodan, Senshado Sandan 3rd- Naihanchi Nidan, Senshado Yodan 2nd- Naihanchi- Sandan, Senshado Godan 1st- Bassai Dai, Passai Dai Shodan- All katas above, Jion, weapon of choice Nidan- All katas above, Chinte

Welcome! Hope you find some helpful info. here and have fun contributing to the discussions!

I have seen some slight envy with younger students at our club. One, in particular, constantly feels the need to "prove himself" when training with advanced students. He's about 10 yrs old, and if we're performing, say, Naihanchi, he brags about being able to do it easily just so he's allowed to performt the kata. However, he can't, and he doesn't grasp the entire concept of the kata. But he's one of those kids that always knows everything. You know the kind, huh? I'm ultra competitive, but I choose to compete in MA against myself. I feel that I am better than most in my club, but I don't feel the need to proclaim that to anyone! I choose to try to help them become the best that they can because it helps me to become the best that I can.

I remember when someone was interviewing Uriah Faber, an MMA fighter, about Brock Lesnar who had a habit of turtling up when he got hit hard. Uriah said that he thought Brock needed to spar more and take a lot of hits to the face to get used to it. Much like Kensei's response above. The only way to get used to being hit is to get hit! I also think that she needs to take a different approach to sparring. She needs to mentally approach it as a learning tool. Getting hit is a byproduct of it! I know this sounds kind of psycho, but I actually like when I get hit while training. It makes me feel good to know that I can take it!!

I try to bend my knee of the foot that isn't kicking. That helps me to keep my balance a bit. Also, quick drawback on the kick. But if the form is correct, your balance should be fine.

I agree that a front kick to someone's gut that doesn't train themselves for it will ruin their day! I think the best combo would be karate or muay thai and judo wrestling. A combo of a deadly striking art and a deadly grappling art. I would personally pick Karate and Judo. But I have a bias for Okinawan/Japanese arts!

Do-gi- I had some reservations about testing for black at the time I did because I thought about the time of training. However, since then, I've trained with a lot of black belts from other clubs (some Nidan ranks and above), and I can tell you that I now have no reservations! I've also watched hours upon hours of footage of other Shodan level practitioners and above, and I can say with full confidence that my skill/knowledge does back up my rank (compared to others with similar rank). I believe that there should be no set time constraints on testing requirements. That's essentially pigeonholing students. I've seen a lot of people that pick up very very quickly, and I've seen people that take 6 months to learn how to do a block correctly. If I set a time requirement of 6 months to test, why should the student that picks up a tecnhique in 2 weeks be judged the same as the one that took 6 months? I believe a student should be tested when the sensei feels he/she is ready to test. The quality of the student compared to their rank is a function of the sensei's experience and knowledge at that point. If the sensei is a bad judge, then the rank probably will be unjustified. However, if the sensei knows what he's doing, then the skill level of his students should coincide with the ranks of those students.

Our club trains at the gym that I lift weights in, so in the mornings, after I weight train (and in between sets), I go in the racquetball court and practice. I've been ramping it up over the last month since I was offered the opportunity to test for my Nidan rank. When I was offered the opportunity to test for my Shodan rank, I spent months practicing every morning, and it paid off big time!

I read that yesterday. And all I could think is that those people are a different kind of evil. One can only hope that they one day experience the terror themselves that they put those people through.

We do the same thing. We do an advanced white belt rank which is a white belt with a white stripe down the middle. I think it keeps the motivation going for the young ones.

My son is 5, and he started training when he was 4. He does not have the attention span/understanding to learn 26 movements in a kata. So he will not be testing to achieve another belt until I believe he can. He is training on learning the techniques, and when we fell he is ready to start learning more, we'll work on that. I do think young kids can benefit from MA. I just don't think they need to be trained the same way as adults, because true MAs have a mental and spiritual aspect that younger people probably can't grasp.

I read this morning about a couple near where I live walking to their car. A guy approached them with a gun and forced them to an abandoned building and sexually assaulted the girl. The boyfriend wrestled the gun out of the attacker's hand and wound up killing the attacker. Sad situation, but it shows that it can happen anywhere, and you should be prepared everywhere you go.

He did use control- he controlled the beast bullrushing him by putting him down!

Welcome to the KF forums. My $.02- I was in your shoes once as well. I started MA because of the way I was treated as a youngster (and my discipline issues!). I was naturally athletic, but very small and weak. So I took up Karate to help me with those things. I found that my confidence did increase a lot, but not to the point of foolishness. I knew MA students that thought they were invincible. I knew my limits. My self discipline also increased. I have ADHD, and Karate helped with it. When I got back into MA over the last couple of is when I really noticed my confidence increase. Since high school, I have put on about 40lbs of muscle, I am very strong for my size, and although my speed and athleticism have taken a dive (multiple injuries and surgeries), my power and strength give me a pretty good advantage over most people. MA has helped my confidence and discipline in my professional life as well as my family life. And as far as practicality of my art, I'm reminded of a statemetn that Ice T made (kind of silly, but funny)- "when I was younger, I'd scream at people like AHHHH I'll KILLLL YA!!!. Now, I'd whisper to them, "you know I'll kill ya, right!!!!) The thing to remember in your training is that the belt and rank of others means nothing. Your journey is your own. I would rather be the best yellow belt in the dojo instead of the worst green belt. So you should focus on becoming the best that YOU can be. If you focus on that, everything will fall into place. And once you start seeing the results, the fire will burn even hotter!

An example of this subject came up last week with me. In our club, our Sensei has created several katas based on his training styles. When I joined this club, there were 2 others that joined around the same time that have progressed to Shodan level. From the time we became Shodans, he has created a kata specific to each of us based on our "styles" within his system. For example, the female BB uses quick counters very well, so her kata is based on blocks and quick reverse strikes. The other guy likes to use his legs and unorthodox angles, so his kata is based on a lot of kicking techniques from 45 degree angles. I prefer powerful techniques, so my kata (which I just learned last week) includes a lot of Muay Thai type strikes- jabs, kicks, elbows, and knees). And it's an honor to have a kata designed for you. But the point of this rant is that from the beginning of class, Shands Sensei just had us doing drills of certain sequences of blocks/counters in a self defense format. After we did them all, he showed us the kata, and it was exactly the drills we just spent an hour on.

Oh, that's normal? I thought I was a bit weird - I've been training for a year and I still feel nervous when going to class. It's always different, so you never know what's coming! Same here. Shands Sensei never does the same class twice in a row, so one day, depending on attendance, he may do a strictly self defense against weapons class. Or he may just do a Shotokan drilling class. Or just Kata. Etc. But he always keeps it interesting and fun! That's why I get the butterflies. Because I'm super pumped to be going there!

I know how you feel. I've been training in my current club for about 2 years, and I still get butterflies on the way to class! Have just as much fun in your next class!

In our club, it's all based on the student. Our Sensei will offer a student the chance to test if thinks he/she is ready, but if he doesn't, he'll inform them of his concerns and try to convince them to wait. Our youngest black belt is 13 yrs old, but he's 6'0 tall, can do a full split, and has better technique than most of the people I have trained with. And he's like a sponge. He learns and applies faster than anyone I've ever trained with. And in our club, we have set times, but Shands Sensei is there every day for hours, and we can train any time he's available. So most of us train 3-5 times a week for an hour or more. Most schools here offer 2 classes a week at 45 minutes. So I'd expect our belt progression to be a little faster for those that train almost double the time the other schools do. It took me about 2.5 years (total) to achieve Shodan rank. I had the benefit of a strong Shotokan technique teacher in my early years, and it translated over perfectly to my current system. I had to polish up my technique and learn a lot of Shorin Ryu, but it was a lot easier of a transition than if I switched to, say, TKD or jiu jutsu. I spent a few months getting back into shape, "remembering" what I had learned years before, and adding a few things. I then tested to get back to where I left off. I stopped training when I was about a month out from testing for 3rd kyu. So when I picked back up, I tested to 3rd kyu, and I actually achieved 2nd kyu in my new system. From there, I spent the next year learning. And I finally tested for Shodan, and I did better in that test than any other one that I had taken before.

Honestly, the masters that I've trained with/tested in front of gave "extra credit, per se" for the people that kiai'd loudest! It actually impresses them when someone lets out a loud kiai!

I have mixed feelings about rights. While I agree that all human beings have rights, I also believe that once a person decides to violate someone elses's rights, he's held to a different standard-basically, I believe that he has sacrificed his rights to do wrong to someone else. I always remember that scene in "Cobra" with Stallone when that irritating reporter started barking at Stallone for violating the killer's rights. Stallone grabs him by the neck, drags him to covered body of the kid that was just murdered, pulls back the cover and says "What about HIS rights?"

Cheesy- I share the same regrets as you posted. When I was a teen, martial arts was my life. I spent the majority of my years wanting to be a martial artist, and when I got the chance, I became a good one. However, as I became an older teen, I wanted a car and needed a job. I couldn't train and work at the same time, so karate was "put on hold". Then college, marriage, children, knee surgery, etc. got in the way. Finally, 22 years later, I had a chance meeting with my sensei, and I've been going strong for a few years again. But my athleticism and coordination have suffered because of age and injuries. I consider myself a decent martial artist with a lot of room to improve. But had I been training non stop since I was 14, I feel that I'd be one of the best!!

Cool!

I'm a karateka, but I've followed MMA since before UFC1. What has happened is that the Gracies learned a system, improved it, and proved that AT THE TIME, it was one of the most effective systems and "the only MA that was needed". As a matter of fact, Royce was not even close to the best at their art, and they sent him to the UFC to show that a mediocre practitioner could still beat elite MAists. And he did. HOWEVER, over the years, not everybody became a GBJJ expert. They adopted the best types of striking, grappling, and submission arts and learned them all. They didn't just focus on becoming an expert at GBJJ. They became good at Muay Thai, wrestling, and BJJ, as an example. Now, this is all for competition within the cage. But I'd put my money on someone like Anderson Silva/Lyoto Machida versus some schmuck in a bar any day! I think that any art that you dedicate your life to learning can be effective in most situations, and ineffective in some situations as well. But that's part of the fun of being a MAist. Knowing that if you focus on the finger pointing to the moon, you'll miss all that Heavenly glory!

Oh, I agree. I just use it to mean that to the untrained eye, the techniques are not obvious. My Sensei began showing me those techniques as soon as I began training with him as a purple belt.

I can tell you from personal experience that I believe Kata training is essential to a true martial artist. When I learn a kata, I enjoy learning the "hidden" tecnhniques in them. The throws, takedowns, kill strikes, etc. And the way I apply them is in my sparring. I look for openings to use those techniques. And in doing so, I see other openings that I wouldn't have noticed before. So kata changes my approach to sparring in that way.