GeterDone

I've heard this paraphrased a few times and it's generally in reference to modern MMA being dominant or better than traditional martial arts or not being of value to society. I've never had someone tell me martial arts itself is dead, I find that hilarious to think about. Either way, I disagree that martial arts is dead or has any dead value. UFC, Pride Fighting and K-1, just to name a few are booming industries. There was even the recently released Karate Kid 2010 movie featuring different styles of kung fu. Interestingly, whenever I've been told this dribble, I always asked if they trained. Every single time the answer was either no or they played online MA games.

I sometimes train outside my house wearing my full gi or at demonstrations. Other than that, I don't like to wear my gi outside because it's underwear. It's the equivalent of parading around a store in a pair of my sweaty boxers and having someone say, "I noticed the logo on your sweaty boxers, what training did you do to make them sweaty?" Not exactly a flattering image.

In the dojo, the main instructor is usually just called Sensei but a few students call him Sensei Lak or Sensei Esi. Black belts from other dojos are called Mr./Mrs. ___ or Sir/Ma'am ____ . All them were shodan except a nihan and a yondan. The yondan practiced only Shotokan and not Goju-Ryu or Kyukoshin, so he told us he didn't care what you called him as long as it wasn't insulting. Usually it was Sensei, Sensei Dan or Dan.

At the classes I attend, such as the Thursday class I came back from, there are quite a few students but only one instructor. He compensates by teaching something to everyone or shows something to practice, and segments the class such that the brown and black belt students can hopefully answer a question. If they cannot, then they turn to the Sensei. Perhaps there are higher belt-level students you could ask? For example, as part of today, I was showing some basic joint-locks for self-defense. Additionally, for the last several classes on Tuesday and some Thursdays, I showed lower belt level students and 2 white belt students parring strategies and basic techniques. When the higher belt levels, including myself and other brown belt and black belts spar with each other, the Sensei would explain to the lower belt students the various strategies we use. He'd also help explain to them why a certain technique was used, a counter to it, the name of it, etc... . Later on when they spar, he'd show them, sometimes with the use of higher belt students, how the technique was done if it uses techniques they've already learned or isn't too complex. If something amazed the lower belt students, the Sensei would have the sparring students re-demonstrate what happened in slow-motion.

I'm not a black belt yet but for the grading in the dojo I attend, the Sensei tends to pair the student being tested with someone who will offer more than just a small challenge. We often have brown and black belt students from other karate styles, mostly Shotokan, so they will spar with the student, although never to their full capabilities. In tests for higher belt levels, he sometimes has the student spar multiple opponents one after the other, although he ensures sparring is always toward the end of the test when they're warmed up and getting tired. I've sometimes been angry after a sparring session. This never was directed toward my sparring partner, even if they are better than me because if I'm going to succeed, it's on my shoulders, not his/hers. I sometimes get angry that I didn't do my best and even if I were to lose regardless, I always feel I could've and should've done more. The only time I truly have gotten angry was when my sparring partner did illegal moves and cheap shots at me despite being warned for them beforehand. Accidents are of course going to happen but getting kicked in the boys more than 3 times and poked in the eye twice seems more than accidental to me.

For ours it goes: White Yellow Orange Green Purple Brown Brown with black tip in between each other colour is a belt with a white strip for kids Black belts

I use 3 gis (very long story why I don't use just one). I prefer heavier gis so I always air-dry them. One of the gis I was told could be air-dried or put in the drier. It doesn't shrink much when put in the drier, however, the string to adjust the waist always gets pulled and twisted around on one end, so I end up having to try to re-adjust it. To save myself the hassle, I air-dry it as well. If I ever get stains I ask my mother how to clean it. If it gets a small tear along the seam, I sometimes can mend it but if it's big tear along the seam or rip elsewhere, I ask my mother to sew it. If she cant, then it's brought to a store that specializes in re-adjusting and mending clothing, only about 12 minutes car drive from my house.

You'll have to look up the laws in your area but in Canada, you'd probably get a lesser charge, such as manslaughter. In our self-defense classes, we do circle or bull-pin training, where you're in the center of a circle and have to defend against a particular attacker. We also train in defending against 2+ attackers where the idea isn't to stand and fight like Rambo. Instead, disarm or defend against 1 attacker, use them as a meat shield if necessary, ensure you're no longer surrounded and run like there's no tomorrow because there may not be. It's not like sparring or simulating an attack in the dojo. For example, in the dojo, the partner taps, whereas in a real gang attack, even if you break, say, the arm, it doesn't mean that one person will stop. They may continue or it'd incite the others to want to cause more damage to you than before. Your best bet from the start would be to not be surrounded and run.

I'd say I'm an intermediate I or II for judo going by ps1's post (we don't use blue belts so I'm unfamiliar with your belt system but that's for another time and place). If I'm caught in a submission, I try my very best to get out of it or release the pressure and put something on my partner. If I feel I'm going to pass out, then I tap and same with any joint locks. I'd rather be able to roll again than have a doctor put me back together. At our dojo, other than the Sensei, one brown-belt, one purple-belt and myself, everyone else has very little to no grappling experience. Some tap the moment I get a take-down or before I put pressure on a submission. Other students refuse to tap even when they're about to pass out or when I feel the limb is going to break if I put just a slight bit more pressure. At that point, I just let them go and tell them I had the submission, it's their job to tap because I don't want to send them to the hospital in pieces. I always ask if they feel fine and if so, we start again. There is one student in particular who has a few months of jiu-jitsu experience, mostly from reading books and rolling with his brother. No matter how many times he's told to tap by other students, myself or the Sensei, he just won't. Ironically though, he does admit he was caught in a submission and knew he was in trouble, so I'm not sure if it's a matter of pride or panic. When he gets someone else in a submission, he doesn't let go into they're literally hammering on the mat, yelling or someone with grappling experience or the Sensei tells him to release. Recently, whenever he rolls with someone, the Sensei, another black-belt or brown-belt student hovers over him to get him to release right away.

Asking what martial art style is most effective is akin to asking what colour to paint a room in the house. It depends entirely on the paint colours available at the store, your personal interests and what the room is to be used for. In other words, see which schools are near you, ask yourself what you want to get out of it and what you find interesting or appealing. It's useless for us to list 20 different martial arts if you cant find a school nearby that teaches any of them or you don't like them.

I initially started in Goju-Ryu karate, which had no contact sparring rules. My Sensei also trained in Kyukoshin and with the agreement of other students, he scheduled classes for only Kyukoshin training and sparring. Using shin pads and gloves is up to the people sparring and whether the Sensei will allow it for those people. We have the rule that if it's a Goju-Ryu class, then it's Goju-Ryu rules. The only 2 exceptions, first, semi-contact if the sparring partners agree and the Sensei approves. Second, we use a point-time hybrid system, meaning points are counted by at least 2 people on the side but there's no stoppage until the allotted time is reached, someone is too injured or too tired to continue.

Hi all, I'm Nick, just joined this forum. My focus in karate (Goju-Ryu and Kyukoshin), judo and self-defense, although I'd like to learn more. I hope to gain insight into the styles I practice to benefit my katas and sparring, as well as to help out others so they can benefit.