cheesefrysamurai

The great thing is that, in training training your goju, you are honing the stances, and strikes you may need if you ever decide to pick up shotokan. Besides, shotokan will always be there. Good luck

Welcome! I don't think hes too young. I believe a good instructor will understand the child's capabilities and keep the child challenged. Good luck and keep us updated

Im working on formulating an answer. Great thread!!. A block is never just a block though. Its an attack. As my sensei says, "don't stop that arm, punish it" deflections are ideal, but not an attack in themselves, they become the setup for the attack I don't like evasions. Any time i see those kungfu movies with the guy who doesn't fight back, just evading I think "unrealistic" If someone is trying to cause you harm, whats the motivation behind passing up the openings your opponent is leaving? Evasions extend the fight AND give your enemy the chance to throw strike after strike?!?!?! A properly executed block should stun your enemy, or at least open him up, a deflection or redirection brings other elements into the game. You are not stopping their energy, therefore you can use it against them. Not only that, the deflection usually provides the perfect opening. Theres a lot of lessons to be learned in the replies. alot to ponder. Im going to reread the thread over a few times

What was your proudest moment as a martial artist?

This is what I was gonna say!! I can also speak from experience. Let me tell you a secret Safroot, 2 days a week isnt enough either. NO WAAYYY. Until I got the basics of my kata i practiced everywhere everyday, In the shower, kitchen, living room, going through it in my mind, thinking of the fine points, writing it out, watching qualified people on youtube. You will progress leaps and bounds if you stop thinking of this as something you do on tuesdays and commit yourself learning the art. After all, karate isnt something you take out of your pocket like a harmonica, its something that should infuse your life, I lift things in life and visualize lifting a chishi (training weight), I am standing waiting, I turn my feet in and "grab the floor with my legs" as my teacher calls it. You can progress well 1 day a week. In class we do not do kata constantly, time is limited and its only 2 days a week. Sensei may not see seiyunchin or saifa for 2 or 3 weeks or more and when he does HE EXPECTS TO SEE IMPROVEMENT. Good Luck, Be patient. This is a hurdle for you.

Hes a true master. Dedicated his whole life to the arts. He's phenomenal I've watched his kata countless times.

I think everyone is pretty right here. We have to take into consideration that though MMA means mixed martial arts, the term in todays culture implies BJJ or similar grappling art and boxing, and or muay thai or some simlar grappling art. I am currently training Okinawan Goju Ryu and some judo but I dont consider myself a mixed martial artist, more just cross training. the FACT of the matter is: If someone asks me what you take, and I say Goju Ryu, they might ask about it or say cool, If i say MMA, I will immediately be associated with trendy UFC style fighting.

Don't be afraid to ask, like said, this varies from school to school.

Lots of facets to the problem. For one thing, 30 a month is virtually free. Wouldn't cover my gas. If you can afford it, at least temporarily increase your dues by, let's say 100. Work to get him more students. I think a full dojo might go a long way towards helping him emotionally and financially. There's limits to what a loyal student can do, to what a good friend can do, or what a family member can do. Help him turn his quality instruction into a business, a machine of sorts. If you were well to do, pony up some partnership money, or prepay a years dues at a reasonable rate. Please keep us apprised

Grappling can be hairy - BE CAREFUL! explosive movements can wipe you out. There is also a tendency for pressures to be pushing in a direction for your knee to buckle. - like when you are in top in someones guard, or your on your back mounted and you are trying to create distance, bridging or shrimping. I had a meniscus tear (which is not as bad as what you have) and had to stay away from explosive movements for quite a while. Ive backed off from judo play as well. I would not roll with inexperienced players! Good luck

I completely is disagree with these statements. IMO Bjj is great and has it's advantages in the octogon but JJJ is hand to hand combat. Bjj is a submission based system with some basic effective self defense peppered in as I've seen it. Explosive athleticism is essential. JJJ I the application of physics, using momentum, levers and knowledge of the body- proper technique wins. - think aikido and judo with punches and kicks. We had to show intent on dislocating the joint, not just getting a tap out. I believe BJJ is an evolution for competition, at the same modifying level as judo, but does not replace JJJ for real life situation. - these are my opinions of course and I've argued this point before. It's usually with people that feel like bjj is the ultimate evolution of martial arts and usually these same people have pretty terrible things to say about kata and pretty much everything that doesn't compete with BJJ in the octogon. Just my 2 cents, and I am no expert. And btw I've seen some damn tough jjj green belts. maybe they won't get the tap out, but then again they aren't training for the tap out.

is this ok? https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4w3kPXbMLehOEJsMnJveE1hUEd0QkN4YmFBNTlfcmFtXzNZ/edit?usp=sharing

Sorry if this posting should have been somewhere else. Please move it to the proper place. I have a piece of kanji that I need the gist of. Is there anyone who knows or knows who can tell me? Thanks

Smart answer I think that in a sense you will be even MORE valuable, why??? Because other teachers can teach the rote techniques, you don't have to waste your time with that anymore, instead, you give the pearls of wisdom it took you all those years to cultivate! I'll give you the perfect example! Remember the show "Kung fu"? One of my favorites. Anyway, those profound lessons were not taught by athletes, instead by a blind elderly guy. He was imparting what others could not. I think time spent with a Sensei of that caliber is a rare gift, not a good workout.

I agree -all good systems it's all about the practitioner. - I know you probably suspected that answer but it's true. I prefer to stay away from competition based systems but I have no doubt any of those systems you take and own, will serve you. Personally I train Goju Ryu and I have to say I love it. Nice mix of soft and hard, internal and external, combatative and strong yet delicate and meditative. My only regret is not finding it earlier. I know the different systems have different focuses based on the creators preference. Goju Ryu in my limited experience so far, is about properly generating power, close in fighting, body conditioning, (taking strikes and building strength, and more. I know there are systems with better kicks, systems that could better equip me for the battlefield or for the street but I think there's a balance. And I'm content with it.

I like this answer!! Am I the first to say that he needs I write a book??? We do it at the bow in and bow out. At my first school I thought it wAs strange at first. I was having a hard time keeping me eyes closed, waiting for the hokey thing to be over. After a short time at became something very different. It equalizes the mind, prepares it for training. It's when training actually starts. It creates (for me) the continuity between sessions. It's sort of like the training light was switched off until that moment, then work, school, stress vanishes and you are ready

thanks for this. What I like about Chuck Norris is that he always did his best to portray martial arts in a positive light, fully understanding that he is in some way representing Martial artists, a spokesman for the ideal.

I don't know the original intention behind those being the only allowable strikes--I'm not a Shotokan practitioner, and so I'm not familiar with the details of its history. What I can say is that those strikes are much harder to land than, say, a jab. More difficult to land = safer competition. Good Thinking!

Who said it meant non contact? The subject of the thread is "Traditional styles vs Full contact: An observation" What I think was probably meant is "traditional vs UFC style MMA"

Some of this connects to other arts. I have experienced some of this in karate. I feel like I'm doing great then I learn something or Sensei tweaks a kata I look at myself and say damn I know nothing.... Until I climb the hill again. Where I can see it with bjj is more in the primal area. More that your progress is based on your ability to physically dominate. Very much like if karate class was purely based on sparing and sparring is all we did. In karate we are competing with ourselves, striving to be a better karateka then we were yesterday. I'm not sure bjj is measured the same way. If your not athletic or losing your athletic ability or even just gain a few pound, you can progressively get worse . I know it's an over simplification but I can imagine a constant need to prove myself and knowing one day, My superior technique won't be enough to keep me dominant.

Thank you - precisely my point!

But isn't there something to be said for style?? I take traditional Goju Ryu. I would say a cornerstone of our training is sparring. And not for points!! If I am unlucky enough to be forced to fight, I will be doing exactly what I train to do. Kyokushin is another example- doesn't get more real IMHO There are some arts tha are simply not geared for combat and shouldn't be judged along side. I agree wholeheartedly with what people are saying regarding it being the practitioner who lacks effectiveness. I have had the unpleasant experience of sparring a woman who literally half my weight and 5 or 6 inches shorter then I am who happened to have a 2nd degree in tkd, anytime I came in hard, she would do a spinning back kick so fast I couldn't see it coming.

For me a belt is basically the introductory benefit of the doubt that I will give someone after considering that I want to learn from them. The real power is respect that is earned over time. Every dojo has a door that renders that belt powerless. If said power is abused... walk through that door and those shackles drop to the floor. My senseis belt is a sign of his knowledge, the sign of the path he took, not his military rank.

And thats why he gets the big bucks

Please expound on this. Thanks