kensei

Why the belt system should not be about WHO IS BETTER Two stories, the first is about Donna, she is a 59 year old student who has been training since she was 40. She is not as flexible as she used to be but has dedicated herself to Karate for 19 years and while she knows all the Kata she is not great at the dynamic ones and often does not do jumps in Kata anymore because her joints are not doing so well. She wears a black belt becaue she is dedicated and has been going to the Dojo, helping with teaching and been working out to the best of her ability for nearly two decades! Neil is 19, not even old enough to drink in most states! He has been training for 9 years, about half the time he does not show up but he is a gifted athlete and often shows at tournaments and wins them. His Unsu is shocking and dynamic and he is great when sparring, fast and sharp. He earned the black belt level testing under masters that just ranked him number one in his state for Kata. He is a natural and often gets board in class and never helps out with any marketing or planning events, he just shows up to train when he feels like it and competes hard to win. Both own Nidans....both wear the same brand of Gi and Obi...but they are not the same. Belt ranking is also different in different arts. For instance...I train 4 years in Karate and get my Shodan...4 years in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and I might MIGHT get my Purple belt!

Shu Ha Ri! Study the Kata and learn it.... Make it part of you and know it inside and out.... Make changes as it suits you once you know the Kata.... Kata should be a living and breathing thing, same with the Kumite styles, we may all have two arms and two legs but we have different movement patterns and once you are used to the basics you now can start integrating your own movment paterns...and as was suggested...as long as you are not so far off..You are doing it right. Also, interpretation (bunkai) can mean a world of difference to the out come and practice of a kata down the road.

True and very wise!

First off I hate the term Sciatica...its a term used by those that dont understand the issue you are having...like your doctor. The sciatic nerve complex is actually a set of nerves not a single nerve and the issue can be with one or several of them or at the point that they join in the complex. My suggestion is massage, roller work and stretching as well as watching were you keep your wallet, your seat at work and anything that can damage or hurt that nerve series. also, strengthen your lower back and hamstrings as well as STRETCHING often to avoid the muscle compressing the nerve bundle if that is the source of your issue.

The problem lies in the quality and expectations of what a black belt is. Our system requires that you understand the basics, know your Kata and are able to defend yourself in Kumite. Some styles are so easy to get a black belt in and you only have to show up wiht a payment on occasion....then BJJ you may make it in 10 years IF your instructor likes you and you have some skills...they make it very hard. So, you say "Hey, I am a black belt in (TKD/Karate/Judo/BJJ) and they all mean different things to different people! And lets face it those scotish shinkickers are trouble and scary at the same time!

Hypermobility is actually a very common issue with young girls and young men, and in some people it does not go away completely as they grow older. In my clinic I once saw a gymnist that was hypermobile and she had hip and back issues but was able to do the splits and weird flexibility stuff like throwing her legs over her head from behind like a Chinese gymnast. Sounded great till you realized she often dislocated her hip and her joints were so loose that she would often twist out of a joint. The only answer we had was tape and strength to remind her of her posture and to strengthen up her body. I recal it finally went to the surgions and they had to tighten up some joints.

The back fist strike as demonstrated in the video is weak and not done from a good angle, thus why it is weak. However if you do this as a strike while moving in and target the temple or use it as a strike while pivoting out of the way of an attack its far more accurate than a jab that cam miss also, you have to use movement for the power. Found it very interesting that the Kali/JKD was introduced and really showed a dynamic and open mind...Cudo's! The traditional blocking, in my experience, is so misunderstood that its not funny, YES it will help you in a encounter and its better than the boxers cover up for a few reasons. First the boxing cover up does not actually cover up with out the gloves, even MMA gloves do not protect you...remember years ago when bouncing a boxer was into it with a door man I was working with and as the much slower bouncer stepped back to swing the other guy did not attempt to block the slow but powerful punch....and got KO'd by a punch I am sure I could redirect any day of the week....near 30 years after I worked the doors. IO think that the traditional blocks are meant to redirect attacks and not block hard to smash arms..you can do this and it will "disarm" an attacker but you are just as likely to harm yourself. A drill to explain this is to have a friend perform a cross and you will do a outside block and redirect the punch past you to the side and counter right away...dont stand their kiai'ing like a action movie star...Get it on and hit the guy! Muay thai and boxing teach great punching and have great conditioning, but they often leave you open if you are getting hit first and then have to counter. Most traditional Muay thai guys I grew up with had a rough blocking technique that was different than what you see in the MMA. I also punched a MMA guy in the hand one time when he covered up and his flat open hand did little to stop my punch as it smashed into his temple...just meant that his head was not as hurt, but I broke one of the bones in his hand and he drove his head into the steel door frame at the front door...I then turned to judo and tossed him on his head. No one martial art is perfect, but you have to learn the style as it was meant to be taught, not as the sport part has changed to in the last few decades.

In my mind Org.s should not be just used for Ranking. They should be a source fo trainign and competition if you like that. If you join a group just to gather rank then you are not being honest with them. anyone can say "hey, Im going up a rank now and will say I am a Godan" or even find like minded guys to agree...and some will just tell their students to vote them a new rank higher....but legit organizations should be about learning and wanting to associate with people that will help you grow as a Karate/martial artist. Dont worry about your rank, worry about what you know and who you can associate with that will help you grow!

More throws, less ground striking and the clinch would be modified and harder to get out of. and it might be called Comabat Sambo......

again, to many variables. First off I dont drink and I am an old bugger so I dont frequent the bars at all. Back in the day however when I did if a bar fight broke out and I was somehow roped into it my mentality was "Better judged by 12...than carried by 6"...being the smallest guy in the fight most of the time I would use fast strikes to soft spots to put the guy down and finish them as fast as I could...then get the heck out of their. When I bounced (hah, weird eh!) I would think pretty much the same way but we had a great team so you were never alone. If it were to happen now were someone wanted my wallet or was going to mug me I would like to think I would just hand it over and walk on...but the truth is I have a Russian mom and a Welsh dad...meaning I have a bad temper and like a good brush up...so I would probably giver a go! The truth is my intellegence says you dont have to fight anymore. I am older and I have earned my rest...but the youth in me says "have fun". I am a bad model for pacifist of the year to be frank and even when I tell my students not to fight....I have this wicked streak in me that just comes out at the worst times.

Karate will have a lot to offer that a combat sport like Thai boxing does not. First off it has Kata. and no matter what others say about Kata and how its bunk ext. it offers a great work out, good relaxation and imprints techniques in your mind pretty well. Also, angles...not just moving in and out. Its easier on the body for long term training (meaning old farts like me) and it offers a long term fitness trend you can follow that Thai boxing...well not so much. Dont get me wrong, I respect Muay Thai and even like watching matches when then they are on late night shows...and even have a few students that went on to kick box, but they are different. Focus on what your style does NOT have not what it has. You will be a better martial artist for it.

it depends on the situation for sure. If its a guy vs a girl I have stepped in and felt that it was warrented, if someone is getting "picked on" then I probably would step in, but if two guys are just going to bust each other up...its their choice and I have noted over the many years of training that its not worth changing peoples intent on beating the living stuffing out of each other and putting your life at risk for some guy that is to stumped to actually pick a good path in life.....Darwinian thinking I guess! Being a Martial artist does not make me a police officer nor do I feel it is neccessary to assist them in their job...unless warrented. I am not here to make your life safe over my family and my well being, but I will help if I see it is warrented.

Groin strike, I hear ya. I once read a statistic while in officer training in the army that more Canadian and American soldiers died because they had a German in their cross hairs and could not pull the trigger knowning that the "Paper target" was now human.

Its not the style that the man is in...its the man that is in the style. I know of kick boxers that are so weak in fighting skills that they could not fight their way out of a paper bag...a wet one at that. And same with Karate...but I also know guys from both back grounds that are killers in fights. Also, its not what your instructor can do...its what your instructor can get you to do.. explain your situation to the instructor and learn from them. Worst case is that you get a good work out in and have to do a bit of self learning.

Exactly!

I have studied Wolff's law in university and it is a theory of bone density response to the load that it is being put under. A bone will, in theory, remodel itself to be stronger at points in response to increased and continuous load that is placed on a bone. Davids law is a similar law that dicates that soft tissue will remodel based on load that is placed on it....and both have their opposing results that state when bone/soft tissue does not have load on it they will weaken or revert to lesser scale of the tissue over time, however bone tissue does not revert as fast as their is no increased metabolic requirements for maintaining bone density over time and bone is used far more frequently as a store house for important minterals and the increase ability of a larger bone structure benefits the body. Now, haveing said all that....the two laws have NOTHING to do with soft tissue nerve tissue and other tissue damage over time in an attempt to condition areas of the body that should NOT be abused in such a way. For instance forearm "conditioning" often leads to nerve damage that affects manual dexterity, shin "conditioning" done by impact or hard objects being rolled over the shin often lead to circulatory damage and nerve damage. Junk science and psudo-medical research has lead to some very dangerous practices...all of which on some level I dont mind...when I used to run a clinic and work with other therapists, before going to work for the insurance company I work for now...they paid my bills to some extent.

You can do it, but its not easy and you need to shift your weight for balance, also...try not to stomp to much when landing back in Kiba dachi as its hard on the legs and back! Wait...what....Thats going to kill your support leg if you dont pivot right and then going back to Kiba dachi after may cause ballance issues and be really hard on your tail when you land.....hard move but not unworthy of a try! If you go from back stance to kicking "front" in Yoko Kekomi that would be a good work out, but remember that you need to PIVOT the support foot. and a heck fo a core work out getting back...watch your back leg when landing you can blow out your knee if you do it and have bad form and land hard! What leg is kicking? Both are going to be a challenge but could be very good Kihon for a work out. The key to any multi directional changes is allways the support leg. If you do not pivot right and under rotate the leg you are going to trash your knee and hip on the suport leg and if you over rotate the support leg your kick will have bad form and could be a waste of time and also completely throw your ballance off! I always say that their are few drills in Kihon that can not be technically fixed up and I rarely will say that a idea on movement is just bad for you....I do however have big issues with some stretching ideas You can do just about anything as long as you have good form and train hard...but always be aware of what your support leg is doing!

So true and the other thing is that Ignorance leads to accidents! So many people talk about things they hear and are taught and never question the "learn'in" tjey get! go and read some anatomy and Physiology books before you start talking about things that you really dont know. My biggest beef right now is with the WIFE! She starts in on how "man did you see the sodium content on this" and its like 3 milligrams per serving!!! well I tell her that you need about 2000-1500 mg a day and she say "No way am I getting that in me...I would aim for 800 or less......Really??? the other one is "walk it off" I used to hear that all the time when I worked track meets as a trainer...You have no idea how many injuries could be avoided by people "NOT WALKING IT OFF" and Icing the injury and resting for a week! and the Coachs are all like "no they have a meet in a month and they have to train..then they athletes would get hurt and miss the competition...... If someone says to you that they can condition your legs by beating them with a bat...only a moron would stand their and agree! If someone said that rolling a coke bottle on your legs like the Thai guys do to "Deaden the nerves" so you dont feel the pain will condition your body...... who is going to think thats a great idea????

Korean martial arts have been doing this for a dogs age. They are great at seeing an opening in a market and then jumping on it! We had a Dojoang in my town that opened up with a real Korean master that moved to Canada to "take over Canadian TKD" problem is he picked the center of Canada and did not know that the real power players in Canada are in Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver! His first year he was billed as the most traditional TKD in Manitoba! He also wanted to look rich and important so he BOUGHT a Limo and had decals put on it, really nice, had a proffesional looking driver and everything to drive him from his home to the club and park it out front! Great....Made no money.....Back to drawing board ...came out as Korean KUNG FU!....had some big long Korean sounding name and billed it as the Original Korean Kung fu....he had to lay off the Limo driver and put new decals on the car....Drove the car himself and even wore the hat while driving and I swear to goodness that he jumped in the back and got out the door with out the hat on and acted like he was the passenger.......Made no money...had egg on face...back to drawing board... Next year was the most powerful KOREN KARATE! and billed it as the most exciting version of Korean Karate in Canada...he sold the limo and bought a minivan and wrapped it in a great sign and "expanded his clubs" into community centers to help pay the high rent down town....he also put on demos and told everyone how he was a high ranking Korean Karate black belt...never said anything about TKD even though the certificates were in Korean and from the Korean organization.....Lost more money....back to drawing board. The next year he came out with Hapkido instructors certificates and told everyone....wait for it.....they were teaching Korean Judo/Aikido! This worked for a heart beat and...he lost money...let his lease on the down town club go and moved all his interests into the community club programs. Last I saw of this gent...who by the way was in great shape and had great Tae Kwon Do....he was teaching Korean MMA and mixing the TKD and Hapkido along with teaching things he sees on the UFC! Nothing wrong with creative marketing but to change your style to suit your marketing needs is kind of like building the road to match the bridge or buildign a car around the tires!

Groinstrike, Your fears are justified in many ways. Their is NO perfect training experience to help you win every fight. Their will always be a fighter/opponent out their that is faster, stronger, has a better style suited for a specific situation or just has better luck than you. Striking arts can teach you how to fight at a distance that you are safe from wrestling with a guy, but as an officer of the law...well you have to grapple a bit. Wrestling will teach you how to lock up, take guys down and hold them...but imagine if their is more than one! BJJ and ground skills will teach you how to defend yourself on the ground...but again think about two or three guys! My advice as a former Second Lt. in the Canadian military with tones of experience working doors as a security guard...learn how to strategically and tactfully use your GUN! That is the great equalizer here mate! If you dont have a gun but do have a batton, learn how to use that fast and also you have one other big advantage...No matter what gang of guys you face...You have a bigger gang backing you up! USE BACK UP. Thier is power in numbers! As for your training, trust in the training that it will fail you once and a while so you have to be ready for when everything goes south on you, you need back ups and you need to be smart enough to realize that your training will not work in specific situations and have an idea of what the heck to do in that case. One time while working a door I was confronted by five guys, all bikers and bigger than me. I knew I could take out about two or three on a good night..but not all five...and not if they were armed...so, I retreated to the bar and six of us came back out and tossed them off property. No shame in being smarter than the other guy!

Two things, First off their is a big difference between a big and out of control ego and having pride (yes ego) in your skills and knowledge. Its how you handle the Pride you have and not let it become a big out of control ego....Trust me I know of a gent that had a way out of control ego...major skills and NOT much knowledge.....Dangerous mix to have a great athelet who has a huge ego and little capacity to think and explore things...we used to say he had " a million dollar body and a five cent brain" because he was just a jock! No, the second thing is that most people with big out of Ego will push to be at the top harder than the rest of us. They strive to be in the lime light and want the money and fame that comes with it. However, the true people at the top who know how to teach, know the history and the techniques...well they dont have to try to be at the top, they tend to go their on their own with the push of others.

Only thing I can say is "take it to them" and force them to take you seriously.

Woah, Body "Conditioning" Can be very dangerous and is a widely mis used and mis undertood thing. some people actually think that getting hit alot makes you get used to is and build up a resistance...NO it does not....its very dangerous and some of the practices of instructors can board on the criminal if one gets hurt badly doing this...and as suggested...YOu can not condition or desensitize specific areas. The most you can do is build up muscle to absorbe as much shock as possible and dispell impact. Do NOT let some half wit talk you into "getting a beating to help you take a beating".....leave and do not look back...or say "Okay, you first"

I have trained with Tanaka Sensei many times. He is an excellent Karate instructor and for a man his age still very impressive...hell for a man any age he is impressive.

I too think you should not comment about a person till you have walked a mile in his shoes.....that way if he does not like what you have to say...He is a mile away and you have his shoes