ninjanurse

Welcome!!! Feel free to jump right in!!!

Nasty!

Then learn the weapons you need to know and test. It may not take you as long as you think .

Balance in all things.

This is a tough one, provoking a gut reaction but...I would have to ask myself why I am training in the first place just to remind myself about all that is good about martial arts, and forget about the losers whose egos are obviously driving their desires to put others beneath them (now i feel better! ). Then I would talk with the Master Instructor and find out what his agenda is and what he wants your place to be. If he won't honor your rank, and rank isn't important to you, put on a white belt and train. If rank is important to you then you have a decision to make. Good luck!

Guiness of course!!

Spear hand to the groin, grab and rip!

I have experienced both and feel that either way has it's advantages and downfalls. As long as you keep things in persepective you'll be fine; if you let your ego get in the way you will have difficulties.

Thoughtful article!

It speaks to my heart Laurie! As you know I have experienced the same thing, not once but twice. The first time from Shotokan to TKD-started at white belt and tested into blue; the second time to a different TKD system-kept my rank. I think that both times my master instructors knew what they were doing even if I didn't ! Keep up the good work-you WILL be an awesome Black Belt!!!!

Use kamas. They are an extension of most empty handed techniques you know and it does not take long to learn to spin & slash, etc. Can be quite flashy and mixed with intense "kills" make quite a routine.

Oh...I could write a book about this one but I'll keep in short (this time )! Some times in order to overcome what we fear most we must face it. Martial arts represented everything I was afraid of, so I took it on as a challenge to change my life. It did.

Hello! Punk Rock here!

My animals have always had Japanese names for the most part. Kojiki- the Japanese story of creation; and the rice mold (koji) used to ferment sake Sake-named from the above of course! Yoshi-means friend Ninja But no martial arts names, yet!

Welcome to the forum!!!

Personally, politics have nothing to do with how I practice my art.

I have found that bigger opponents can get quite frustrated when they are unable to turn or make progress on a little opponent and eventually they get reckless and create an opening or opportunity. Using your center of mass effectively to become "immovable" and having patience is the key here. Of course, being smaller means less energy is used so the bigger they are the faster they tire out too.

May I just interject? Just the facts please, no personal slams and sarcasm-it spoils the meal!

I agree with you completely and I don't think any one here means to be disrespectful-it's all in how we perceive what others are saying. My point is that you may not get an answer to your question, you may have to find the answer yourself because we are all in the same boat and may not have the answers ourselves. Whatever you train will be what you use in a fight-the practicality will depend on the scenario itself. No two opponents are the same, no two fights are the same...so I think it is difficult to speculate. If you train a technique enough you will find it to be practical when the time is right...or not! That's the best answer I can give as I haven't been in enough real fights to draw experience from.

Exactly-why would anyone wait for the attacker to get settled and throw a punch before taking action? I do see your point jeff and I agree with your reasoning hoewever since no two opponents are the same, no single scenario applies to any fight or any technique and it is difficlut to criticize a single scenario based on such a varied application. All opinions here are certainly valid ones, and we must all remember that since Martial Arts are not "cut and dried" neither are our experiences in them. We should use the shopping cart method here: look at all the items in the store but only buy the ones you want and that you can use.

I hesitate to jump in here again as this is a re-occurring subject but... (of course I can't help myself! ) I have 3 children who all worked very hard for and received a Jr. Black Belt before the age of 12, and I have another who will also receive a Jr. Black Belt before she is 14. As they get older I see the Black Belt qualities in them mature and they all feel a duty to uphold the resposibilities earned even though they no longer study( due to logistics). In no way were they ready for the "adult" responsibilities afforded older students but they made a contribution to the school, impacted many lives, and set excellant examples for their peers. The "Black Belt" experience they had as "children" has helped them to develop into responsible, motivated, genuinely nice young adults who cherish their childhoods for the experiences, friendships, and accomplishments. They understand humility and it's place in relationships, uphold high standards for themselves, are leaders rather than followers, are respected by teachers, and are very good friends to have. None of them have ever put themselves in a position to fight nor do they get picked on because they have self-confidence and use their "verbal judo" skills quite well. You can debate the age requirements all you want but you can not deny the value that martial arts training has for anyone of any age. My 2cents (again!)

Run away!

Our school is undergoing a transition to new requirements and belt levels. The class requirement increases with each grouping (beginner=white, orange, yellow; intermediate=green,purple,blue;advanced=brown, red) and goes from approx. 3-6 months.

As with any technique it takes years of practice to learn and sometimes longer to fully grasp the essense and application. Some things that you have trouble seeing now will become clear eventually... if you practice long enough .

Everyday.