T3chnopsycho

cool thing Congratz

Oh sorry i was a bit brain-afk xP you wrote it in the first post. Well anyway for kumite one thing that decides probably a lot of fights is who can stay calmer. You will be fighting against guys with similar experience so just try to not lose your mind during the fight I don't know how your fighting goes (Point-fighting --> how many points?) well anyway even if you get hit don't get stirred up with the thought I need to make a point just stay calm and it will come from itself Cheers and good luck T3chnopsycho

Nicely written I like the way you point it out. I see it the same way that being a shodan means you know the basics and can then start to build up on them. Thinking like that it clearly makes sense that you should at least be shodan before trying out something different. Over the part with the "home-style" well it is an interesting idea. For me that sounds quite natural because I think you can't master that many different styles given the way our society works because mostly you still have to work during the week and then there isn't that much time to learn many different styles to the same degree. Cheers T3chnopsycho

Like the others said. Try to keep yourself mobile (so you can get out of the way or engage fast) but still keep steady (not that you lose your balance). Try find the right moment to attack and then give it all you've got. One general rule in fights. Don't just go with one technique and think it will suffice. Try to do combos like maybe a front-kick as a gap closer then one or two punches then when he backs off a spin kick or something (just an idea but the principle should always be more or less that way) Maybe you could ask your instructor after a sparring lesson what you could do better. Or if he could give you some tips for improvement. Another thing. Round-kicks are good to bring in combos (surprise) but not that good to initiate an attack because they just take longer till they hit the target and during that time you are open for counterattacks. So I'd recommend that you start with something more basic and then during an attack charge bring a round-kick or so Cheers and good luck T3chnopsycho

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome Coll thing Do you also shoot now with real rifles? In my rifle association we shoot with the SIG SG 550 (Standard Swiss military rifle.) I'm looking forward to have interesting discussions with all of you cheers T3chnopsycho / Leandro (You can call me how you like btw. )

Like FangPwnsAll said the most important thing isn't weather you win or lose but that you can gain experience from it. What are you going to do? Kata or Kumite? Anyway good luck Cheers T3chnopsycho

Hi there Well in my dojo when I started classes where I think around 45 minutes. Although those were kids classes (I started around age 9-10). For kids I find that OK from different aspects. First mostly kids are less enduring than adults. And second kids especially younger ones lose concentration over time so I think 45 minutes is OK. Well since some years now I'm training with the adults (well actually I am an adult now *OT* I'm getting old xD *BTT*). Our training usually goes something from 1.25 to 2 hours. We also have different lessons (Technique / Sparring). So on Monday we normally do pad work and different combos and on Wednesday we do mostly sparring and also some combos and so on. Monday: 5-10 minutes warm up 20 minutes basic techniques and drills 30 minutes advanced techniques / combos and drills 5-10 minutes cool down (pushups, situps etc) + stretching Wednesday: 5-10 minutes warm-up 10 minutes technique training with a partner (Also a sort of a warm-up --> we warm up our eyes and reflexes (one side attacks (e.g. mawashi-geri) the other side blocks). 10-20 minutes technique and combo training. We also look at new combos from time to time. 40-60 minutes sparring 5-10 minutes cooldown (as above) During the sparring we sometimes also do it that we make groups of four and then always change (2 refs / 2 fighters) and fight rounds of 2 minutes in our small group. It is also different how we spar. We have international (style specific) championships every year (1 year european 1 year world). These normally are around May-August. So after the championships we usually spar less close to our full potential (fighting with only 30-40% speed (This makes it more difficult because you can't win with your speed. So you have to try and lure him out or surprise him with a technique or rythm-fight (Two guys fight but it's always an exchange so I attack and he has to counter then I have to counter so there is always a flow in the fight and it should never be that one doesn't do a technique --> Basically you learn to react to whatever situation you get into. Even if he sweeps you you have to bring a next technique (maybe spin kick or so This is also done with only about 30-40% speed) During this time we normally focus on trying to learn new techniques or combos to use in a fight. (Normally you have some favorite techniques that you always use so we should fill our bag with some more of these and also try out new stuff. Then when we come closer to the championships (about 6-4 months before) we start to get a heavier training. So we fight more with our full speed and not try to learn new techniques but get experience with those we learned during the time before. Hope this could give you some insight Cheers T3chnopsycho

I see it the same way. That is also a reason why I'm thinking that if I intend to begin with a new martial art it will probably be something in the direction of jiujitsu or Aikido or maybe BJJ or other grappling / throwing MAs. I tend more to reading the mangas. Somehow I like it more than animes ^^ That is also a thinking I have. Of course a master can use his MA in almost every situation. But what I think is the same as you, that if you have different MAs in your bag then you can also react better to more situations. Another point is that all martial arts are divided in different groups (like i wrote in my first post. --> striking / throwing...) So I think learning something that is basically different than your first one is sure to be an interesting thing. Thanks already for your replies and opinions Cheers T3chnopsycho

Well I only had an iPhone where I had an app "mangareader". There you always downloaded one chapter after another and well in the end I filled the rest of the space I had on my phone with that some GBs. I think I had following mangas downloaded Naruto One piece Detective Conan Inuyasha I had all chapters of these plus some chapters from different mangas Hope that helped Cheers T3chnopsycho

I'm currently playing following games: League of Legends (PC) Battlefield 3 (PC) Heavy Rain (PS3) Darksiders (PC) Dragonage (PC) more or less in that order Cheers T3chnopsycho

Great thing congratulations Cheers and keep it up T3chnopsycho

I'm a first Dan (Shodan) in Kimura Shukokai. I'm doing it now for about 10-11 years or so ^^ Cheers T3chnopsycho

Hello guys Well maybe a bit a funny story. But anyway. I myself do Karate for now about 10 years or so. I also like to read mangas (Japanese comics) one of them I'm currently reading is "History's strongest disciple Kenichi". It's about a young guy who always gets bullied and then learns martial arts in a dojo with masters from different martial arts (Karate, Jiujitsu, Muay Thai, Kung Fu...). Well anyway reading that manga brought me the thought of how it would be doing different martial arts. Also a reason why I came across this forum ^^ (you see everythings connected). I already noticed that there are a lot of guys here who do more than one type of martial art. I'd like to hear your experience. Now I have some questions to those guys: - Why did you start doing a different martial art? - Did you have an criteria for the new one (should it extend your MA skills: Like first Karate (focus on striking) then Aikido (focus on joint locks throws etc.) - Do you practice different martial arts at the same time or did you quit one and started another one? Also I'd like to hear the opinion of others. Do you think you should try and practice different martial arts or should you stay with just one? Thank you for your answers and the (hopefully) upcoming discussion Cheers T3chnopsycho Reason for edit: Reformatting for better viewability.

I just watched some parts of the video. But what really surprised me the most was to see the control he has over the sword and also the techniques he's using. It completely changed my thinking of swordfighting with two-handers. I never knew or well maybe I was just ignorant or didn't know better that it's Like bushido_man said not just a clash of two swords against each other. Cheers and thanks for the info T3chnopsycho

The problem here is that action is faster than reaction. So your block is always behind the attack. Not a good place to be. I think the "there is no first strike in Karate" is one of the most misinterpreted and misunderstood maxims out there. I concur!! Karate ni sente nashi is the concept of Go no sen. This concept means that one would induce an opponent to make the first move, and then leverage that to win against an attacker/opponent. When compared to Sente hissho, [First attack guarantees victory] these two maxims seem to contradict each other. Other concepts are... In Go no sen, [initiation of Defense]; one deliberately waits for the attacker to attack first. Why? Baiting the attacker to make that certain move or attack that may not be his/her true wish, therefore, his/her attack will end up with a less effective or an uncommitted technique. In Sen no sen, [initiation], one will attack appropriately just as soon as the attacker initiates his/her first move, therefore, he/she wins the altercation. In Sen sen no sen, [superior Initiation], one senses the attackers desire to attack. Ones attack will happen just before that of his/her attackers intention, even though the attacker has not moved yet. Out of these three tactics or concepts, Sen sen no sen is considered to be the highest level of skill. Therefore, Go no sen is much less supported than the other two. wow nice post Well basically you answered the question. I got just one thing to add Go no sen how I understand it means that you attack after you have been attacked. Clear the way you point it out makes sense but actually that is the basic principle of Karate. Karate like all MAs is for self defense. The meaning is you don't attack with your Karate you only use it to defend yourself or someone else. So for me Go no sen is the concept in total that you use Karate after being attacked (for your self defense). The other two (sen no sen and sen sen no sen) are just different (more superior) ways how to react to and handle a threat. To the question of the threadposter. A kata is a "shadowfight" so are basically doing a fight against imaginary opponents. But since Karate isn't meant to be used to just fight but actually to defend a kata would obviously start with a reaction to an attack. Mostly you react with a block because it's just natural to try and keep harm away from you. Afterwards follows an attack to neutralize the threat. But even though, not all katas start with blocks. Which is because a more experienced martial artist can counterattack before the attacker has finished his attack (sen no sen) or even notice slightly before that he wants to attack and then start his attack to neutralize the opponent (sen sen no sen). Still the initiation came from the attacker and not the martial artist. So still the philosophy of Karate: To use it to defend is held to. Sorry for the long post xP Cheers T3chnopsycho

I only possess some knives and a machete and haven't named any of them ... Although my favorite ones I just call (translated to English) something like my honey or so That form of naming also applies to other stuff I like. Like my computer my motorcycle my car "my" rifle (the one I get from our rifle association to use. But I've had the same for the past 3 years Cheers T3chnopsycho

If it was a point fight or tournament without full contact she clearly dominated him. The guy had 0 tactics. She has great stamina so she just bounced around him and he followed her the whole time in a (I have to say) poor way. He never really had a good floor contact so he couldn't be quick or something... Also he was very passive over the whole fight and didn't do that much. It also seems to me he didn't really have an idea how to react or attack her. What she did good was keeping him away while she was on the floor. In my opinion the guy is just a poor fighter with no real tactics (like instead of following her while she is circling him he should stop her circle movements by breaking her path) One thought: You could also interpret that he held back and just played a passive role but honestly I don't think that's that true... Of course in a real fight he probably would have one because she just doesn't have enough stopping power and he probably could take on or two hits and just keep it simple lay himself on her and clinch her then hit her on the ground. xD I think it's more just to show off a bit rather than actual fighting Cheers T3chnopsycho

When you spar the only parts of your feet that should touch the floor is the ball of the foot. It is difficult in the beginning to keep your balance that way but you are actually much faster Maybe try to do some exercises that increase your leg power and balance. Not sure if it is the correct English term. But the lunge would be a good exercise to do that. And last but not least spar as often as you can. In the end it's the only way you can get used to sparring. And with the time you get the feeling of how you need to position your body so you can move quick. Maybe another advice: Look at your body as one piece and not as (like my Sensei says) a bag of bones. What I mean is if you want to move during a spar and you think oh yes let's punch and just move your upper body foreward but your hip actually goes back you lose balance and speed. Of course it's a bit different in every style but I think this is a basic thing you should keep in mind Cheers T3chnopsycho

Never heard of that before.. Can you maybe explain some specifics about that? It sounds interesting I do think that in our society nowadays overweight is a big problem. And some people also have other problems (like back or knee problems) which contribute to gaining more weight. But still in my opinion you can't place overweight one to one with the capabilities of an instructor. Cheers T3chnopsycho

See it the same way My opinion is that a black belt stands for your knowledge of how your specific style works. Because like you said. A 80 year old just can't be as good (physically) as a 20 year old. So a black belt (and it's different levels stand for how knowledgeable you are and what you know about the style and can also explain to others. Cheers T3chnopsycho

Not sure if what I wrote was what I wanted to say... And I just had an idea to write it short For me the important thing is the technique. Without you can't be a good MA-Fighter because it's what differentiates a Martial Artist from a Bodybuilder. But... To make your techniques overall stronger and yourself a better Martial Artist and Fighter you need to also train your bode --> More endurance, --> more power that you can put in your techniques cheers

Well I think you can't plan what you use. In the end you use what fits to the current situation. Probably you won't even use a real Karate Technique but more the body mechanics and the reflexes you learned to subconsciously defend yourself against an attack and be quick to counter. Techniques I would think are more effective in a streetfight would be: Offense: Empi uchi (elbow) Knee strike (don't know the jap. word ^^) gyaku tsuki In the end the only thing that counts is that the other guy is on the floor and not you Defense: Your reflexes My Sensei always says it doesn't matter how you do it as long as you don't get hit. So following that if you can dodge then dodge (what you probably would do from reflex) otherwise block (also a reflex thing) Cheers T3chnopsycho

Overweight does not necessarily mean that he isn't a good teacher. Just one example from my own experience. I do Kimura Shukokai Karate. We have 4 8th Dans. (The highest ranked in our style) they all trainend more or less from the beginning of our style (it came from the shukokai style) under our Soke. Well they are already a bit older folks and one of them is also quite overweight. But still in my opinion he is one of the best teachers of our style. He sometimes comes and gives a gasshuku. So I had the opportunity to train under him. He is truly a genius and has a damn deep understanding of how the techniques work and if you ask me he is one of the fastest punchers of our style despite him being overweight he could easily land one punch after another on some of our top adult fighters. Just because he knows the techniques and can use it. Apart from that he also knows how to explain and teach it to you. So concluding from that a overweight teacher doesn't need to be bad. The best thing in the end is to watch him that's the only way you can find out cheers T3chnopsycho

Interesting subject My opinion: Fight (using what you learned) is always the last resort. If you are in a club or bar and someone wants to start a fight with you. Starts to provoke you etc. I always try to talk it out. Usually in most cases the other guy is drunk and it's not that difficult to talk your way out of the situation. If someone wants to mug you. Well try to run. If that's not possible give him what he wants. You never know if he has a gun or a knife or something. The only time I would fight is to protect someone else (girlfriend, family, friends) or if I don't have any other choice (i.e. cornered or something like that).

I dont really agree, with all due respect! If someone has taken years (more than 4) off then how can they even remember the Kata they should know? I think they should wear something to symbolize that they are at a newbie level yet again and may not recall all they need to know in the sylabus. We ask that they wear a white belt till they show they remember all the basics, Kata and kumite they need to get at least Shodan. I have told Nidans to throw on a white belt for six months after they were gone for a year! Its not a form of disrespect but more the opposite. If you have been out for a long time then you could get hurt very bad if you go up against a hungry young Brown belt that is thinking you can handle a bit of pressure as a Nidan or shodan and you cant remember the first Kata! and what if students start watching you for cues on what to do? I do understand your opinion. But my thinking is that even if maybe a nidan or so was gone for a long time. Something you train like MA (If you really stick to it and not just once in 2 weeks training) then you remember that even after such a long break. Of course you don't know all katas anymore and you're not as good as you were before but you still have a lot of knowledge you just need some trainings to bring it back to the front. Of course as a BB you have your responsibility towards the lower belts in terms of being a rolemodel and someone with knowledge that can explain etc. From that point of view I have the same thinking as you. But otherwise well I think I explained myself Another reason, as I suggested that you should throw on a white belt and save a bit of face by admitting you have a bit of rust to work through. We also had a situation were a Shito Ryu Nidan was trying to grade JKA Shotokan Shodan and he wore his black belt from day one in the Dojo...he was HORRIBLE and when he tested our instructor told him he may not be ready.....this was more than 25 years ago mind you...but Yaguchi Sensei was very UNDER IMPRESSED and failed him outright. He said "much more time needed" and left it at that. He also told my Sensei to make him wear a purple belt! The guy left! When you are a Dan level in one style, it does not earn you the right to wear a Black belt when you train .....in any style....ever! I wear my white belt in BJJ with Pride and my Black belt in Karate with equal pride! Well that of course is a totally different thing. I totally agree that if you start a different style or even MA you definently start at White. Because white symbolizes that you are a beginner and you are a beginner in every new style even if you have studied and mastered one style (example: Kimura Shukokai) for 40 years you are still a beginner in another style (example: Shotokan). And even more if you are a Karate 5th dan and start something different like Aikido or Judo. Well I think in the end everybody has a different opinion Cheers T3chnopsycho