jaypo

I may have answered on a previous page, but my list has to include: Bloodsport Enter the Dragon Kickboxer Above the Law I'd say that Bloodsport is the movie that put me over the top, but Enter the Dragon was my first glimpse into martial arts. I'm also a fan of Jason Statham's fight scenes, and I absolutely love watching Jackie Chan movies.

Mazzybear- I'm in the same situation. I am in a "Karate Club" and not a "school". My Sensei collects money from the members, pays rent, insurance, and supplies, and what's left, he splits it 60/30 with the health club we train at. He's there 6 days a week and on command, so as his deshi, I'm certain that he works for cents per hour if anything at all. While there is structure, it is not nearly as tight as the Shotokan class I trained at in my younger days. There is a great deal of respect, but it isn't like the Cobra Kai dojo in the Karate Kid!

Shodan. If the MA gods are kind to me, about this time next month, Nidan!!

I can see arguments for both. Full contact may "toughen up" some people. But it can also break others down physically and mentally. It also depends on what the students are trying to get out of their training. I personally train in a system where we spar with light contact. But the majority of the students I train with directly are higher level students with a great deal of control. So we can work on sparring techniques without actually having to knock each others' heads off. I'll knock the snot out of a heavy bag, makiwara, board, or cinder block. But I don't think that me landing a full force punch to my female sparring partner's face helps her out all that much! As far as needing the contact to be effective if I need to use it on the street, well, I hope to never have to discuss that. However, I'm pretty sure that the skills I've gained thru my training would work just fine!

One thing's for certain. They Karateka would have to abandon spending time on a LOT of the techniques that the system was designed for- like lethal techniques- and spend more time on those techniques that fall within the rule set of MMA. GSP and Anderson Silva both have backgrounds in Kyokoshin and BJJ. Machida has an extensive background in Shotokan, Judo, BJJ, and Sumo. So they have all of the bases covered- strong base in stand up techniques and ground fighting. I think Machida's style shows more of his Karate skills than the other 2 because he is excellent at using the angles and movements that Karate teaches. GSP relies more on his athleticism to strike effectively to set up takedowns, where he has excellent wrestling. AS has ridiculous reflexes, and his striking is his bread and butter. However, he does have problems with strong wrestlers, i.e. Chael Sonnen and Chris Weidman.

My Shotokan training says to place the drawback hand at the hip. My Shorin Ryu training says to place it more near my ribs/chest. I read a book called "Shotokan Myths" recently. The author, a well respected and high ranking instructor said that he believes the practical intention of the drawback could involve grabbing with the blocking arm and pulling that arm to you to drive your punch with more power. So instead of it just being a drawback, it can actually be a pull. In reality, I'm keeping my hand more near my face (more like a boxer) to protect it, unless I have a clear path to attack.

The way I look at things, when some of these systems were formed, they were taught from generation to generation in secret as a means of self preservation, and I doubt Mr. Jones had to get the approval of any org. to teach little Jones Jr. I guess when evaluating opening a dojo, the purpose should be the factor. Is your goal to preserve the tradition of whatever art you are teaching? Or is it teaching students self defense or sport? That would be a big factor. I love the traditional aspect of my training, but I put more importance on WHAT I am learning. I love training with a gi and my black belt around my waist, but if my Sensei came in and said he no longer required them, I'd train in shorts and an Under Armor shirt! As long as the quality of the instruction was there.

I got another example to share. The other day, a coworker was talking about the movie he was about to perform in. He handed me the script, and after seeing all of the lines he had to perform, I thought that there was no way he could remember all of it. He told me his tecnhique- you learn the first one. Then you say the first one and the second one. Then, the first, second, and third one. Etc. So you practice the first line every time you practice another. That's how you progress. The same can be said for the Heian series. You don't start on Jion before perfecting the techniques in Heian Shodan because some of the moves in Heian Shodan are used in it. And if your foundation is not there, Jion will suck! Actually, in old Okinawa, a karateka would work on 1 kata for 3 years before being allowed to start on another.

A couple of reasons come to mind. The first is fitness. Doing the Heian series back to back will work up quite a sweat! Another is that as you said, they're made up of (mostly) basic movements, so it sharpens up your basics. Another reason for me, personally, is that I love to take a basic movement and create a complex or advanced application from it. For example, in Heian Shodan, the first movement is left gedan barai, step punch. Then, turn to the right, etc. But turning that gedan barai into a forearm strike to the solar plexus, punch, then use your punching arm to grab the gi and throw the attacker to the right (instead of it being a gedan barai). This is just a simple example, but it's fun to create those kinds of situations from something so basic. As my sensei tells us, there are a million different applications I can teach from each kata.

Dude, I live South of New Orleans, so we pray from July to December for no hurricanes. Some advice- keep off of the streets. My boss decided to go outside for a brief minute to check on things during Hurricane Gustave, and within 30 seconds, a tin panel from a roof flew 2 feet from his head. He was almost beheaded within 30 seconds! Needless to say, he stayed inside after that!

I do have to pay for the grading (not very much though-black belt test was $75.00, but I received a trophy, embroidered belt, and new gi), but I live about 2 miles from my dojo. My son's birthday party and an event for my wife's family are keeping me from testing on Saturday. Otherwise, I'd be right there with my compadres!

It took me about 2.5 years total to receive my black belt. I trained in Shotokan as a teen, and the school I trained at was strict about basics, so I got a really good foundation underneath me. When I picked back up a few years ago, I tested as a white belt to get to my previous rank, and I did so pretty easily. From there, I trained about double the amount of time other schools offer classes. I moved up at a normal pace from there. At one point, I was kind of questioning whether or not I moved up too fast, but from everything I've watched and read, and from training with black belts from other organizations, I feel very confident with my rank. In my case, it is the amount of time spent training that has determined my rank, and not the time frame.

My favorite was when I tested for black. I was given the choice to test for "shodan-ho" or Shodan. I knew that I had the knowledge, but I had hurt my knee the night before helping my Sensei test 3 other people for black belt. However, I went in that morning and told him that I was either going to pass the test or die trying! And I actually aced the test! 2 of the students that have I have been training with are testing for Nidan this weekend, and I can't because it's a 2 day test, and I'll be out of pocket for the first day. I trained with my Sensei Friday night, and we went over most of what they will have to do, and I think I'll be okay. I trained with them Saturday morning, and I am pretty confident that I will be able to achieve the rank. Hopefully, in about a month, I'll have another story to tell!

For me, it's: Gichin Funakoshi Teruyuki Okazaki Gregory Shands Me

I started in my early teens. I was picked on a lot because of my appearance- I have a big nose, big ears, and always had thin hair. So I had a lot of things for kids to tease me about. Karate gave me a lot of self confidence and discipline. So early on in my life, that is what it did for me. I picked up my training again at the age of 36, and I finally received my black belt (last year). Now that I have, my confidence is where it needs to be, but I also like the fact that I feel comfortable in most situations to be able to protect my family should the need arise.

Shotokan/Shorin Ryu system. We also practice Japanese Ju Jitsu techniques and mix in some Goju Ryu.

I had absolutely the same issue. I had to quit my training in my teens because of money, and I never was able to start back because of "life"- college, marriage, career, then children. Then, while finishing my weight lifting at the gym, I noticed a gentleman training a few students in the aerobics room. They were wearing traditional gis and had colored belts. I watched for a minute, and I noticed they were doing Shotokan Katas that I practiced a million times! Months went by until I finally went talk to the Sensei. It turns out that his schedule and mine were able to mesh, and he invited me to take a trial class. I did, and although it wasn't the strict Shotokan dojo setting I started in, his style and teaching methods fit with me. I've been training with him for almost 3 years now. I've received my Shodan ranking with him, and I'm about to test for Nidan within the next month or 2. And it turns out that training with him is more compatible with my physical abilities than training MMA or kickboxing (like I was considering). I stepped out of my confort zone out of chance, and it has been a wise decision. It wasn't my first choice, but I think it wound up being my best option.

Approach it as just another training session. Don't think too much. If you're grading (and you're sensei is allowing you to grade), then you should know enough to pass. But don't "think" yourself into trouble. When he tells you to do a back leg mae geri followed by a nuki te, think about what it is, then let your body perform the technique. In your kata, let your body perform it. Your muscle memory should be there. And do not get upset/down on yourself if you screw up. Recover quickly and focus. I believe that when a student does something incorrectly and realizes it and corrects it, it is a positive thing. If they screw up and it takes them out of their game, that is a negative. Imagine going thru the test in your mind a few times, and when it gets here, you'll have already done it repeatedly! Good luck!

Same here! Never had the bad experiences, but we have had a lot of people that come in and take a few classes. The last one was a TKD 2nd dan black belt from a local "school" that I call more of a cardio TKD operation. He was a humble guy. And my Sensei ran a class that played to his strong points. We focused on using a lot of leg techniques and did some free sparring. It was fun, but I noticed that when the guy missed an attack or counter, he immediately went into "survival" haymaker mode and forgot techniques! He would simply put his head down and start launching bombs. Which made it pretty easy for me, at 38 and with a bad knee to land on a 20 yr old 2nd dan. But my sensei was a little "biased" in the scoring and conviently missed most of the points that I landed so it didn't look like we were trying to show him up! But he was very respectful, as were we. Sadly, he didn't come back and train with us. I wish he would have. He was fun to train with. He had beautiful kicks that I wasn't used to defending against, because not many that I train with can kick like that.

I used to dislike sparring, but I changed my mindset. I'm very competitive by nature, and if I can't win and/or perform at what I consider an elite level, it upsets me. So when I first started back, my timing and speed was off. Then I started approaching it as practice and a learning tool. And I started to get better. I saw openings that I didn't see before. And that's when it became fun again! Now, I'm starting to incorporate advanced moves from katas in my sparring, and it's awesome when it works!!

I study TMA's from a student with a direct lineage to Gichin. However, he brings in elements from 7 martial arts and incorporates them into his training style. And we absolutely practice Kata. He can take the most basic Kata, (Heian Shodan, for example) and show about 10 advanced self defense and offense techniques in each movement. The fun part is trying to incorporate those techniques in my kumite! (Example, Heian Godan- there is an advanced strike/takedown at the end, and I was able to do it in Kumite last week.). Which brings me to my question- what is a Kata, per se? Is it just a series of choreographed movements with no partner? Well, we practice bunkai from the katas with a partner. And as I said above, we use them in Kumite. So we get the benefit of doing the form to perfect the technique, practice it with a partner, and use it in sparring whereas in certain systems that eliminate Kata, they only use techniques in kumite. I'm a huge fan of Bruce, but as a TMA practitioner, I see the benefit of following tradition, but I also see the benefit of breaking from it when necessary.

Welcome to the wonderful journey that is Martial Arts! I started at a JKA Shotokan school in the 90's, but took a break (22 years!). A few years ago, I found a man teaching at the gym I lift weights at, and his style looked similar. He was teaching in the raquetball court. So I met with him, and he holds dan rankings in Shotokan, Shorin-ryu, Goju Ryu, and has training in Chito Ryu and tai chi as well. But his style is "advertised" as Shorin Ryu and Shotokan. I have been training ever since, and I love it. I now hold a Shodan ranking in Shorin Ryu and Shotokan under his guidelines. I was skeptical when he mentioned that he broke away from the official "associations". He just was tired of the political red tape and costs associated with it. I did some research after that, and I found that his Master was Teriyuki Ozaka who was trained directly by the founder of Shotokan! So after I obtained my black belt under Master Greg, I found out that the style has a direct lineage to Gichin Funakoshi. But the important thing is that this system fits me. We also use Muay Thai techniques as well as Ju Jitsu, Kung Fu, and Western Boxing. But our core (and 95% of our energy spent) is concentrated around Shorin Ryu and Shotokan.

I've been training in Karate for a few years and earned my black belt over a year ago. This weekend, I attended a class from a different style. And while I feel my Karate is excellent, I felt like a baby in this class. My coordination was horrible. Keep practicing the basics, because you can't learn to run before you crawl.

I am a Shodan in Shorin Ryu and Shotokan Karate. The local YMCA advertised Anayan Escrima classes, so I went to one yesterday. It was being taught by a Police officer, and he and one other student were the only ones besides me. Let me tell you this. I am pretty coordinated (or so I thought) in my own art. But when he handed me the sticks, that all went out the window! I'm used to swinging a sword with both hands or sai or a bo staff. Using a weapon in each hand felt very funky!! Just the basic striks felt very weird. However, it was very interesting and fun. As the instructor said, it's basically "jungle machete fighting"! We did sticks, knives, and hand to hand techniques. Then we did some agility drills. Overall, it was very neat to cross train and to realize how much work I need in certain areas. I think I'll go again as long as my schedule can accomidate it.

I give the nod to any man that can divide by zero!! Did you know that Chuck Norris was bitten by a cobra while filiming the Expendables 2? After 5 days of excruciating pain and suffering, the cobra finally died??