SteyrAUG

For those who haven't paid attention to many of my posts (I'm assuming that's most of you), I am something of a vintage nunchaku nut as evidenced by the fact that my FB page is devoted to the subject. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vintage-Nunchaku/523048834442599?skip_nax_wizard=true And for any of you old timers for whom the name "Dolan's" has special meaning, you will understand why I might be having a really good day. Finally snagged a pair of (No. 168) 14" Round Rosewood Swivel Chain nunchaku. To say these are rare somehow doesn't quite cover it. I've been looking for a pair of these ever since I was nice enough (aka stupid enough) to give my pair to a student back in '83. Just never got around to replacing them and by the time I tried around 1990 I discovered to my horror that Dolan's was no more. I've searched for a pair ever since and finally "all is right with the world." https://www.facebook.com/523048834442599/photos/a.523134734434009.1073741829.523048834442599/613053172108831/?type=1&relevant_count=1

Does Iowa count?

Sadly I can easily top that story. Don't read if you want to keep your faith in humanity. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/03/13/wisconsin-home-invaders-beat-blind-husband-raped-pregnant-wife-police-say/

My wife already knows to stand back before the shooting starts.

Probably for similar reasons that most people who do spin class or step aerobics are female.

Seems to be, but that could be because (unless I'm mistaken) you have never trained in, or been a member of a Koryu!? K. Probably best for all if you simply continue with that assumption. But I consider any unmodified "pre Meiji" system to be koryu. As a result I've actually studied quite a few koryu systems and styles. So have a lot of other people.

I do, but again we never studied any system exclusively so it really doesn't matter. The reason I ask is because I’m interested in how you got it to work. A Koryu system is the sum of its constituent parts. Take techniques / kata out of any said system and they most likely become useless (or at least less useful). Practicing kata out of the context of the system may look and feel very nice to do, but unless you know how to connect the dots it’s a pretty empty experience. That’s why I was interested in the systems from which you say you have knowledge of kata and how you linked them up to the bigger picture of your training. K. Well I can spend about 5 years showing you how we did it, but that probably isn't practical. I don't know that it could be explained in sufficient detail over the internet without me writing a book. But suffice to say it wasn't nearly as difficult as you make it sound. The systems I studied weren't nearly as confining as you suggest and there were plenty of common denominators. I found that the techniques we were using worked just fine outside of their parent system or even combined with methods of other systems. Connecting those dots wasn't terribly difficult for anyone with a decent foundation. Certainly we weren't the only school practicing Kenjutsu's "greatist hits." I have found most schools have similar fundamentals and it is only advanced techniques, kata and concepts that set them apart. My experience seems to be different from yours. As stated previously, it was hardly anything revolutionary.

I do, but again we never studied any system exclusively so it really doesn't matter.

While I understand the commercial aspect you are objecting to, I also understand the guy who is running a commercial business not wishing to see potential profits go out the door. For me I'm lucky enough to be in a position where I really only care about the martial arts. I do have some rules however about things like weapons. Nobody is going to be swinging around a 440 stainless "samurai sword" and their nunchaku are probably not going to be from AWMA or Century. We do weapon on weapon contact training and I don't need a half a nunchaku flying through the air and tagging somebody in the head. And to make sure nobody gets a Chinese knockoff I generally prefer to be the provider of high grade weapons.

Probably not very fair to expect any dojo to let a "new guy" come try it out and spar with everyone. They have no idea if you have solid technique and good control or not. I do know when I was involved with a local kyokushin group in the early 80s it was some of the roughest sparring I had been exposed to. But long before we were even allowed to spar we had to do lots of kihon and kata until everyone was satisfied that we were good to go and wouldn't go overboard or get killed during sparring, even if it did at times feel like we might get killed.

In most cases of ED the government gives you something close to market value for your property. Sometimes more, sometimes less.

Actually ED means exactly that, where a government can come take over private property if they deem the public need to be sufficient. If they have a highway in mind they can actually take your residence. Government aside, I personally find it disturbing. I feel indebted to Sensei Demura for all he has done for the martial arts community for decades. It would be sad to see any established dojo be lost for the sake of some landscaping, let alone one as significant as Demura's. Sadly he lives in a beautiful state where the government has some serious discretionary power over it's citizens. One only need to think about the fact that an individual cannot even legally possess nunchaku in their home to realize something is wrong.

Did you study with a ZNKR group? I think "Mae" is the first of their 12 Seitei-gata. Have you studied any older systems? K. Nope. The All Japan Kendo Fed. actually encompasses many systems so I'm not sure if the Kenjutsu or Iaijutsu systems I studied are older than those representative systems or not. I do know Mae is as common to most systems of Kenjutsu and Iaijutsu that I've seen as Naihanchi / Tekki is to most Karate systems. It's also found in most of the Iaido I've seen. I've studied some very old systems, not quite "Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-ryu" old, but still pre Meiji and thus what I'd consider "koryu." As an example the Kendo I practiced growing up used a bokken for the first couple years only putting on armor and grabbing shinai a couple times a week to practice the techniques we had drilled the other days of the week. Eventually we graduated to steel blades at intermediate rank still using armor and shinai once or twice a week to "spar." There were no multiple point matches, single point and the match is over because somebody is dead. There were no strike backs allowed (because you would actually be dead) and shinai "flicks" (or any other movement that could not be done with a katana) were not permitted or counted. Matches were single point and the survivor got a fresh opponent except in cases of "ai uchi" where both parties died. Then the next two in line were up. I studied with a teacher of no particular fame who grew up in Kyoto and taught us an amalgamation of various ryu which we simply considered "kendo" or "kenjutsu." So on one hand in terms of pedigree we were less authentic than some budo systems but on the other hand in terms of technique we were more orthodox than many established systems. My teacher of course didn't consider what he was doing unique enough to declare a new system and promote himself to grandmaster or soke as was sometimes the practice in the US at the time.

Doesn't sound like any kind of legitimate Kenjutsu I've ever studied or even heard of. As for wanting to spar with live blades with somebody you "just met"...well I don't think I'd be interested in that either. I have done some live blade "exercises" with people I've trained with for years and that's as close as I get to sparring with anything like a katana. I've seen a couple examples of what happens if somebody gets careless, complacent or simply has an accident when working with live blades. It's an experience I can do without personally.

You are not crazy. The more you value the martial arts and his instruction, the more you feel like your membership fees just don't adequately pay for things. I would agree with Zaine and just ask if you can barter it out. Explain why. It also works both ways. I remember when you never paid your instructor for lessons directly. Club fees were always put in an envelope with your name on it and you left it on his desk when he was not in his office.

I've owned a lot of nunchaku (as can be seen here) https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vintage-Nunchaku/523048834442599?skip_nax_wizard=true My all time favorite are my Dolan's (No. 158) 14" Octagon Rosewood Nylon Cord. https://www.facebook.com/523048834442599/photos/a.523134734434009.1073741829.523048834442599/531471420267007/?type=3&src=https%3A%2F%2Fscontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-prn2%2Ft31%2F1292135_531471420267007_1057882413_o.jpg&smallsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fscontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ash3%2Ft1%2F945830_531471420267007_1057882413_n.jpg&size=2048%2C1536&fbid=531471420267007 Nice mid weight. Not as light as oak, hickory or maple but lighter than cocobolo and other heavyweights. Very strong (the pair in the picture have been with me since 1979) and durable and the grain of rosewood is just beautiful. I do have a few cocobolo models and those are really nice for weight training.

Thanks for the input. Yeah, I probably shouldn't have said anything, but with a beer or two I say things too easily But the conversation in general did get me wondering if what I had read was right, so who better to ask than the guys on KF. M. There are some dojo where there is absolutely a strict protocol regarding how you even pick up a katana from the katana kake (sword stand) and very defined protocols with respect to where and how they are placed on a katana kake. But these aren't as "ancient" a tradition as some would suggest and they stop short of being "rules." If you owned a Daisho (pair of swords) and you displayed them with the waki on top and the katana on the bottom even that technically would not be wrong. Generally the katana is on top for a few reasons, mostly out of practicality and having your main weapon easy to reach. But the most commonly accepted convention, in my experience, has been katana on top, waki on the bottom with both cutting edges up. Tanto and Aikuchi are rarely displayed on a kake.

Being part of Japanese military tradition, even if it was largely a perversion of Bushido that existed from post Meiji until the end of the Pacific War, the mindset absolutely had an influence. In postwar Japan it was generally referred to as a University mindset. This is because Japanese universities had Karate Teams that were similar to our College Football teams and they would have among their teammates in the 50s and 60s the sons of Kamikaze pilots or other "Sons of Heaven." Needless to say, given their family heritage and strong martial traditions promoted, they approached their practice of martial arts with a level of dedication that some could call fanatical. The mindset of "My father died flying his Mitsubishi A6M into the hull of an American warship, how can I disgrace him by crying over broken ribs or crushed knuckles?" was a way of proving your devotion to your art and team. Regrettably this dedication was often directed in unproductive ways and some University dojo became as brutal as LE street gangs in order to hold their standard higher than the rest. There is a rather famous incident from the 1960s where a student who wished to quit the Karate Team was killed by the membership when he was forced into a final sparring session which was basically no different than being "jumped out" of a street gang. A kamikaze mindset wasn't always detrimental. Single minded devotion, under the guidance of an experienced and sensible instructor produced many exceptional martial artists, many of whom authored books that sit in most of our libraries. But a fascination with the darker sides of the mindset is always a danger and one only needs to look at Yukio Mishima (another extremely talented martial artist) to see where that road goes. Perversions of the Kamikaze mindset and related influences of 20th century militaristic Bushido even made their way to our country and motivated the actions of John Keehan (aka Count Dante) to hold other schools to "his acceptable standard" of training, dedication and effectiveness which again resulted in tragedy and death. What it comes down to is responsible leadership of the dojo. If students are allowed to engage in counter productive training methods that allow them to cause irreparable injuries to themselves and are permitted to brutalize other students all in the name of being "gung ho" or "hard core" then such mindsets are a terrible thing. But if the students have sempai and sensei who know how to direct high levels of dedication and devotion in positive ways that result in higher levels of skill and ability where students find their maximum level of ability through things like shugyo and they set a bar for excellence then that is certainly a good thing. In very traditional schools you will often see where the sempai are made responsible not only for the progress of the lower kyu ranks but are responsible for their safety as well. They are sort of the "drill sergeants" of the dojo, they might make you do kata or pushup until you believe you are going to die, but they won't let anyone beat on you.

Generally cutting edge up with the katana on top. But there are lots of considerations. How one displayed their Daisho often was an indicator of the threat assessment of their area (sort of a Bushi Defcon system if you will) and / or an indicator of how much they actually trusted their present company. Older Tachi are often seen displayed cutting edge down and that is how they were worn suspended from the belt. There are lots of conventions but not really rules. Most people tend to subscribe to the notion of cutting edge up protects the cutting edge of the blade. And now you will often see Tachi displayed in that manner as well. When it comes to how to display cheap decorative "Made in China" junk, I prefer a good rubbermaid garbage can. So there really wasn't any need to correct your friend. He didn't have genuine Nihon To, he really didn't even have modern Katana. He should display them as he wishes.

Honestly, I know rope is traditional and all that, but my favorite makiwara I ever used that produced the best results was an 18" 2x4 mounted to a 6 foot 2x4 (4 feet above ground, 2 feet below and cemented in place) which had a 3 foot 2x4 attached at the bottom. So that means the top 18" was two 2x4s and the bottom 3 feet were two 2x4s screwed together. The top 18" section was then wrapped with a heavy bath towel that was folded over lengthwise and then wrapped around the boards about 3 times and tied into place. You could really lay into it and get a good flex on the center 18" single 2x4 section and this developed really nice penetrating punches. Also didn't take long before you were feeling that board even though it was under about 6 layers of heavy bath towel but it didn't wipe out your knuckles so you could work on it a long time. I really need to make another one.

Sounds like a typical "first time." And it's a lot like that other kind of "first time." You have absolutely no idea what you are doing, you are hoping the other person doesn't notice. You realize everything people have told you about it is 80% wrong and your lucky if you just get through it without being hurt. And of course the more you do it, the better you get at it.

Maybe where you live. Of the approx. 75 "kung fu" schools in my area there are about 4 that are genuine. I've yet to meet anyone who knows correct Seven Star Praying Mantis in person. Most people you can tell they learned from a book and you can usually figure out the book in question. In my experience it's exactly the opposite. It is so unknown and has largely been replaced by MMA/BJJ, etc. that it is almost completely secret again. I've seen some legit Choy Li Fut and Hung Gar guys around here, and what they know is definitely not in the mainstream. And among those in my area who practice authentic Chinese boxing, none of them hate it. YMMV.

A dojo is the place for making mistakes. If you don't make them there, you will never be corrected. In some styles your kiai would be absolutely wrong and unacceptable. In other styles they would be perfectly fine. So unless your instructor has prescribed very specific criteria for your kiai then you should be ok. The important thing is that your kiai actually accomplishes some of the many purposes of kiai. If it does and it actually serves some useful function then that is really all that matters. If it is somehow not correct for your style or dojo your instructor should help you figure it out. And if you just can't seem to get it right, have some fun with it and just go all out with Bruce Lee style cat kiai. You can never go wrong with Bruce Lee cat kiai. And unlike traditional koryu kiai, Bruce Lee cat kiai actually CAN stun your opponents into a state of ineffectiveness.

At risk of completely contradicting Harkon72's advice I'd suggest having your only goal to be getting familiar with the exercise and environment. Only then would I suggest things like trying to manipulate the environment of sparring and trying to win. Every dojo is different of course so follow the directions and expectations of your instructor. But when I introduce a student to sparring for the first time I have no performance expectations of them. I simply want them to become comfortable with the exercise. Once they have that familiarity...then they can learn useful things. Other than that, my best advice is try not to get hit a lot.

Seems like more of a film project than a space program. This is very much in the theoretical. But even if we had the capability to send and sustain humans on Mars, I'm not going.