Karate_John

Generally speaking, You get your white-belt along with your first starter Karate GI.

No kidding, beginners and intermediate level practitioners like you said give way to much attention to speed. When i'm instructing I'm always telling them to do it at 1/2 speed, and if that is too fast I'll make them do it by the steps. I want to see the stances, body placement, proper form, and power. not speed. Honestly, I think this is because they are going with the flow, they think they know the Kata, they want to get through it. But don't realize the nuances they are missing but speeding through it.

In fact I have, my Dojo had a small 25 year celebration we made it part of our Holiday party for students, and instructors had a dinner get together a few days later. Basically we combined or kids and teen/adult class for the day, everyone doing a quick workout, kihon, and some basic kata. then some advanced demonstrations by senior students (kata, sparing, etc). ending with a small speech by the instructors and then food and social party.

I agree! Between Books and Videos you can get the jest of it. and class time you can have any corrections made.

Well, in an interview in 2012, he said he started training with the Machados "28 years ago," which would be 31 years ago, now. That means that, at the very least, he's been training since 1984, and he would have been 44 at the time. I believe he also holds a black belt rank in Judo. Yes, he does! Along with Tae Kwon Do, and Tang Soo Do which he learned in Korea back in the early 1960's. I heard a story or two about him from my instructor, chuck's the real deal.

Yes I would have to agree about the way parents can be, I think this is often true add many sporting events as well. My kids are involved in soccer and cheerleading and I can tell you I see a lot of the issues with the Parents. I do however, disagree with not allowing the parents and for the children's class especially. As a parent, I would not be as comfortable paying for something I could not view to see what my kid is learning. I teach with an open door policy and I encourage parents to stay and view their children hard work and class material. I think this happens to be one of the key points that keeps us successful at keeping students. I also have seen parents that help their kids out at home, because some of the athletic techniques we do as adults are very complicated for children. It's a great way to give them something to do together. I'm definitely not cutting down your place for doing it, I'm just saying it would not be a preference of mine to do so and offering insight as to why, take care. I tell the kids who turn around and look at their parents. Question do your parents go to school with you? They all say no, so I tell them not to look at their parents. We are lucky at my school, because the facility is set up in such a way that we have a separate viewing room for the parents. Our workout room has a security camera in it, and in the viewing room, there is a projector and screen that the parents can sit and watch the class from. No parent feedback during class, and no children distracted by parents during class. I know this isn't feasible for every school, but its something to consider if the school can manage it.I really like the 1-way glass/or CCTV setup, My first dojo was like that as a kid. I hated being watched as I was shy and that helped a ton. @Luther It's really a unwritten rule by the parents themselves. We are a nonprofit and use a school wrestling room so seating is very limited. when parents wanted to talk they went into the hallway. Being a High school and all, most parents decide not to stick around in the hallways as the local sport team comes off the field. new parents see the old ones leaving so it became the common practice. "I also have seen parents that help their kids out at home, because some of the athletic techniques we do as adults are very complicated for children. It's a great way to give them something to do together. " Ugh, this can be good or bad. I've seen parents/siblings uncorrect a technique "because they know it better/saw it on TV" but have zero training. It can be helpful if that parent or sibling trains as well however.

Did the tiger shulman karate as a kid for around 2-3 years. Started Goju ryu as a late teen, and hold a Dan Rank. Working on Small circle jiu jitsu along with Goju currently.

I don't have a Ronin myself, But I was planing on a Ronin as my next GI. Many karatekas in my dojo use them and they hold up nicely. I think you made a good choice.

Got to say some great responses here! Funny how it's "aggressive parents and overly rude parents" that cause a lot of the problems. I know in my Dojo we kindly ask the parents to leave in our kid and teen/adult classes after the first few intro sessions. They are invited back to watch belt promotion tests, but that's about it. Hawkmoon, also had a great point with a MA coach being the parent, and creating a bullying environment.

Wow, amazing story. And welcome to Karate fourms.

Yea, I'm left handed although I mostly practice and train Orthodox to keep it strong. I'm known to switch if my partner is getting too comfortable, or I feel outclassed. it really throws off people who never spared me before because they don't expect it. And gives me an an advantage as I can play to what might be a weakness. I made a thread not to long ago with some good talk on the subject [url=http://www.karateforums.com/the-left-handed-vt48105.htmlhttp://The Left Handed Thred

I'm the systems administrator and supervisor for a IT help desk.

I was taught, and mostly agree that both Sanchin and Tensho are the core of Goju. Sanchin being "Go" and Tensho being "Ju".

So, I did happen to stop by as Friday was it's opening day. It was a relocation for more room and a better area for a club. Anyway I talked with Michael Chahill after his first class, and he answered a few questions including the question about the lineage. Apparently, When Prof. Wally Jay passed away he left the system to 4 inheritor's Lee Eichelberger, his son Leon, Ron Ogi, and Ed Melaugh. my understanding from what I was told is Ed Melaugh did not join Leon when he created his organization and elected to be under his own banner, but did not have rights to the SCJ name. Hence Street Combat JuJitsu. So yes, the lineage is valid. Anyway, I did tell him up front that I had Martial Arts experience at the Yudansha level in Goju. So, he invited me to join the next class that was happening that day, so I did. And it was quite the experience. Considering that I had an Idea about the basics, He jumped right into the meat of stand-up grappling, a few quick demos, finger locks, counters, break falls, and take downs. After that it was some new territory for me. Ground grappling. Overall, The hardest part was giveing it a fair shakedown and not using my reactions from my style. But I did see many opportunities from my blocks, were I can add it into what I know already. Needless to say I'm pondering the Idea of joining up for a while at least, like I said many techniques look like they would mix well and it will give me a basic ground game.

Funny thing, Kime translated roughly means "to decide, fix or set.". Western Karate uses the wrong term, Kime is really to fixate your movements as quickly as possible. It's the look of power, The sharpness in the move I guess you could say. With that said, in the west it usually means to fully commit to the technique. no hesitation, your body and mind as one. So as cheesefrysamurai said, Kiihon, kihon, kihon. You have to learn your body, and only tense your muscles at the moment of impact, and fully commit to the technique.

I'm not going to critique your Kata, It's so different from mine that I can only repeat what was already said. But I will say your brave for posting a video on the net, Good going, and keep up the great work! on a side note, I do find it interesting how different Seisan itself is between our arts. Again thanks for posting, it was very interesting to watch.

I’m sure almost everyone seen videos of very young kids sparring on YouTube, and like me, never put much thought into it. A while ago an acquaintance of mine posted one of these videos. The video was of two kids, age around 5, practicing Taekwondo at a guess. They did not have the control to land anything on each other. In the background you hear the instructors and parents having a good laugh… It was a cute video after all. What left an impression on me is what this acquaintance added to the post. It went something along the lines of: I wonder why we teach kids aggression at such an early age, when using the mind there is almost never a reason to use your hands. This made me ponder for a while, is this really what someone outside of martial arts thinks of us? We act and don't think? (Note: The acquaintance had no Idea I practice and assist in teaching Martial Arts) So, let's assume you were in my place, how would you react or reply?

Believe it or not that's not true. In NYS It is in fact legal to own Hunting knifes, Daggers, Stilettos, Pocket knifes, and Multi tools. and carry them in the open or concealed. However it gets messy as intent is the legal decider. It's the presumption that if a knife is in your possession and you are stopped, you intend to use it to harm someone else. So don't open carry. (you can fight it in court, but not worth it) Switchblades, and gravity knifes you need a hunting license for. Within NYC, A knifes blade needs to be less then 4", and it must be concealed. and Again intent is the legal decider. It's the presumption that if a knife is in your possession and you are stopped, you intend to use it to harm someone else. So while it is "legal", don't carry unless you have a reason, or know the right people. "Self defense" while legal will most likely give you a court date. knifeup.com has a good article on NYS knife laws.

Funny thing, My instructor had no idea until we were eating after class one night.... was a good laugh. But yes, I tend to agree, orthodox fighters coming into contact with southpaws for the first time can be interesting. I change my lead often when sparing and it throws off quite a few the first couple of times.

I agree with sensei8, I had a few lucky days that turned into semi-private lessons because of external factors. You get some great fine tuning on days like that.

Great reply's so far!

I feel like this might be an interesting topic for a discussion. One thing all left handed people know, we live in a right handed world. I would think left handed practitioners are even more rare when it comes to Martial Arts. I feel Martial Arts are no exception, it was created mostly by right handed practitioners. As such, most drills and the like are designed for the right handed practitioner. Don't get me wrong left handed practitioners can get the "southpaw advantage" in a fight, But I feel overall they are at a disadvantage with Kata and most drills. Basically no mater how often I practice on my right side it will never feel as crisp as my left, I'm sure for a right handed person the opposite is true. I'll call it the "comfort feeling" of the "strong side". So, My fellow martial artists whats your opinions? are there disadvantages or advantages? Do you feel all things are equal overall? discuss

That was great!

Welcome

Agreed, I'm leery based on that, but as you said might be worth a look. So will do.