Kanku65

In shotokan karate we have Wankan. (similar name) Which i believe is actually listed as the 26th shotokan kata, and most potentially is taught only to the highest ranked students. Meaning those of a certain level, not a secret group. Gichin Funakoshi changed the names of many forms as he developed his own personal style, therefore i do not know whether this is the traditional name or not. But, perhaps this is the kata you're looking for.

Anything to do with my retracting arm, is the hardest part. I can't seem to break the laziness. I catch myself most of the time, and correct it, but i never seem to twist my fist in enough. That, as well as keeping my back foot pointed directly to the side when moving forward in backstance. It always wants to point slightly backwards.

Sensei and I were sparring before class. He went for a spinning reverse roundhouse. He rose out of his stance and I sunk deeper into mine, before he could complete the kick I shifted in and punched him (accidentally) right in the behind. We both stepped back with the most serious of expressions on our faces and continued to spar for about 10 more seconds until he just burst into laughter.

Good question! The confidence is definitely needed to better drive yourself in practice, however, I do believe you need a certain amount of practice to achieve the next level of confidence. If you achieve a confidence level too early on in your training without the abilities to back it up, you will develop a sort of unfortunate arrogance which is not so good. For anyone. But in my opinion confidence is a must, in all aspects of life! So much can be achieved from something so simple! Nobody should let confidence get the best of them though. I say, equal parts confidence and practice. Practice cannot come without confidence, and confidence will become stale without proper practice.

Training in a large organization, we most definitely try our very hardest to keep true to Japanese/Okinawan traditions. Of course our best isn't THE best, considering we are a dojo full of North American women, and men, and not in fact Japanese. We learn all the techniques in English, and what i assume is Japanese. I've heard different names for almost every technique when concerned with which style of karate one is training in. Perhaps these are regional dialects, or just misinterpretations. We're semi-nomadic and currently train in a church sanctuary. Ironically most people who train with us, me included don't go to church! In my opinion, we are about as Japanese/Okinawan as it gets for North American dojos. Of course it would be completely false to say that's for sure, because i am in fact sure there are others who follow traditions closer than we do, here in North America. Traditions are important to me, and the other members of our organization though. Many of the Shihans who come teach our seminars are Japanese and are direct students of Masters Funakoshi, and/or Nakayama, or at least graded under them. It is essential to know how to treat them with the proper respect. When i do think about it though, it is very rare these days to pass by any martial arts school which teaches only ONE specific martial art. For example, one business in town has a sign which reads; Learn TKD KARATE FOR KIDS Weapons I see no problem with this, but it does make me wonder if there are any specific traditions/rules they follow. In town we also have at least 5 different gyms that teach Muay Thai, BJJ, and MMA. I'm almost 937% sure none of them follow Japanese/Okinawan traditions. Which is expected. It just amazes me how fast MMA is growing.

Im actually a really big fan of that movie! Actually i enjoy most kung fu and martial arts movies, regardless of how headshakingly ridiculous they are. Every summer i go down to a local night market and pick up a bunch of foreign subtitled films. I know nothing of kung fu, so to me, there was nothing that i would perceive to be true or realistic kung fu. The movie was just very enjoyable in my opinion.

God, I love holidays! I've actually had 3 good ones this year and a 4th coming up in September. Most years I get maaaaaybe one, so this is extra special. In April I went to Disneyland for my first time. The night we arrived I went downstairs and checked out the gym out hotel offered. It was nice. Clean, and plenty of equipment. My initial thoughts were "alright, I'll put that to good use!" Yeah, no. After walking, standing in line, spinning, tipping and diving for 10 hours a day, 5 days in a row, there was no way I was hitting the gym. 3/5 mornings I started with 30 knuckle push-ups and 20 front kicks each leg. In June I participated in Tough Mudder. The week leading up to the event I challenged myself by doing the Grouse Grind (a challenging hike) going to the gym once to test my cardio, and I took a BJJ class (mostly because I was looking to try a new martial art) all alongside my regular 2 nights a week of karate dojo training. My most recent holiday, my girlfriend and I went camping. Did a couple nice scenic hikes, nothing too gruelling. I also contemplated practicing kata after dark, but decided not to.

This is a tough one... My Sensei always says that if someone strikes you too hard in class you have every right to strike them back just as hard. He'll then say "you're not allowed to hit them back, but technically it is your right." This being said, if someone strikes you hard, and you strike them back in vengeance, there will be consequences. An issue of accidental hard contact is one thing, repeat offense is another. So, instead of hurting someone back, push their boundaries, challenge them to go faster, scare them in a way, and in doing so you push your own boundaries. You should always be out of your comfort zone while sparring, if you aren't, you won't learn anything. As a brown belt, I've been light freestyle sparring with the yellow belts quite often recently. By the end of our matches I usually find that they've become comfortable enough to challenge offensively and mix up their striking combinations. This for me is the best feeling ever. I've been kicked in the testicles 4 times in the past year, all by brown belts and above. This for me is the worst feeling ever.

This is very true. So Important to understand the indecent offense within this term. Regardless of gender.

Wow... Where to begin? I guess I'm going to start by saying that I plan on grading for Shodan in about 1 year. I have a ton of work to do before then, but isn't that just the point? That being said my goal time frame I'll say is July 2014 - July 2015. Fitnesswise, I really want to start strength training and honestly bulking a bit. I have a gym membership that I use far too rarely. My cardio is fine. I want to start training in a grappling art which compliments my karate well. At first I was seriously leaning towards BJJ, but after one class (which I truly enjoyed) I decided that there was just too much exchange of sweat between me and the other practitioners. The price was also far more than I'd originally expected. Presently I'm leaning towards Judo. Another goal I want to achieve is just to push the junior belts in the dojo more. They're great, and always push themselves, but I feel like there's a lot more potential to be brought out in them from some peer encouragement.

In shotokan we utilize the ippon ken for many techniques. There are many more, however the ones I've been made most aware of are strikes directed to the eye balls, as well as the bicep. I've only reached 1kyu so I'm more than positive that there are plenty more effective strikes using the ippon ken within our art. The above are merely what I have been personally taught.

KALIPUTRA... I must say that I find your passion, somewhat inspiring. Confidence is most dnefinitely key in any MA, however overconfidence can be the downfall of any great Martial Artist. Remember, a boat can float in water, but it can also sink in it. I have trained in karate for a grand total of 9 years, give a month or so. I have witnessed enough and listened to enough stories to backup my opinion that karate is most definitely a complete Martial Art. With this belief however, comes the acceptance and knowledge that if put into a "no holds barred match" with a BJJ/Judo brown belt, I could potentially win. I know this, just as well as I know that there are BJJ/Judo white belts who could just as easily cripple me, within mere seconds. (jail, which i have no interest in going to, is also likely in a no holds barred match.) In the Martial Arts there really is no 'black and white'. It's not the style that wins, it's a combination between student, teacher, and training partners. This has been said SO MANY TIMES on these forums. I guarantee you, I couldn't even count them all up. This is also, a key belief for a martial artist. In fact, with my complete faith in karate, I am currently on a journey of finding a grappling art that suits me as a martial artist. I want that knowledge and experience in another art that does things completely differently than I've always done. But like I said, almost nothing is black and white in the Martial Arts. Take a look at the natural world, what are the most commonly occurring colours? Certainly not black and white.

Off topic, but, second to misplacing the keys, these are the worst.

Tonight, after several busy weeks, I was finally able to attend the Calson Gracie BJJ class We'd discussed earlier. Me being overly optimist all the time, went in with rather high expectations. And the class really did exceed all my expectations. I was a bit nervous at first, but the students and instructor all made me feel very welcome. We started with a half hour warm up, and then went straight into passing the half guard. We practiced 3 techniques, working on each for about 15 minutes. For the last half hour, the class did open rolling which to me appeared to be the BJJ version of open sparring. During this time one of the higher ranked students took me aside and essentially explained many of the basics to me. This place while being very sport oriented, definitely hit a good spot with me. I may look into some of the other clubs in town. I've seen many around town, and my Internet search has shown me at least 8 within 10 minutes from my home...

2 Indonesian films, The Raid:Redemption and The Raid:Berandal are both great films if you like both flashy martial arts entertainment and gritty realistic martial arts techniques and applications. These 2 are by far my favourite MA films of all time. The MA most demonstrated throughout the movies is Pencak Silat, and the fight scenes are all choreographed by Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian. I would like to put a gore warning on both these films, in case some are unable to handle such.

Thank you ps1, that clarifies a lot for me. You packed a lot of knowledge into the short version of that story. I'm planning on making attendance next week. They encourage beginners to take several free sessions. (As I believe most places should) I have no reason not to. Again, thank you.

The other day while driving through town, I noticed that there's a brand new looking Carlson Gracie BJJ Academy in town. So I decided to check out their website. Happily I noticed that their BJJ schedule fits more than sweetly beside my Karate schedule. So, I decided to do some more online research about Gracie BJJ... And found out just how many different Gracie Academies there is. So, my question being; What, if any, differences will potentially be found between BJJ schools? Say, Carlson Gracie BJJ vs Helio Gracie BJJ vs Rolls Gracie BJJ vs Gracie Combatives vs non-Gracie named BJJ school? Thank you.

Comparing the stats of both fighters on sherdog, it's interesting to see just how identical the fight history is between the two. (specifically the first 11 fights considering the extant of Weidman's career.) It's true that Machida is the elder, having almost 10 years of age on Weidman, and does not excel in ground fighting. His takedown defense is however impressive, and has in fact won 38% of his fights via TKO. That again is going against Weidman's 45%... In the end, only time will reveal the outcome. I'm cheering for Machida, specifically because of his roots in Shotokan, but my faith is definitely split 50/50 with this one. Sadly. Im greatly looking forward to this one.

Originally scheduled for May 24th after Belfort was forced to drop out due to the banishment of testosterone replacement therapy, Lyoto Machida wil now be teeing off against Chris Weidman July 5th. Who out there is excited for this match? Who has predictions? Personally I would love to see Machida take it, but i am drawn about 50/50 considering the skills and stats of Chris Weidman. Defeating Silva twice is no moderate accomplishment. Calling it phenomenal, could actually be considered modest. Thoughts?

This question is too difficult for me to give just one answer. In no particular order, out of the kata I have learned: Heian Nidan Kanku-Dai Tekki Nidan

Are you practicing Shotokan Karate? If so, Heian Shodan, Nidan, Sandan, Yondan, Godan Tekki Shodan, Nidan, Sandan Bassai Dai, Bassai Sho Kanku Dai, Kanku Sho Gojushiho Dai, Gojushiho Sho Ji'on, Ji'in Empi Hangetsu Jitte Gankaku Nijushiho Sochin Meikyo Unsu Chinte Wankan Not all organizations will use all of the above kata, and I'm sure some use more.

Ok... For competition kata, it is important to make your opening and closing techniques stand out. This doesn't mean you should do the rest of the kata sloppy however. During the First technique you want to show your intention of ending the fight right away. It's not just a block, but a finishing move every time. Powerful and quick. The closing movement of the kata should have a powerful feeling of "I don't want to play anymore." And boom, finish.

My opinion is that, it should take you at least 2 years to reach 5 Kyu if you have no prior experience in martial arts. It's important that you are not just going through the motions, but that you know your kata well enough to advance to the next.

Always happy to help. I love Bassai. I love all kata actually. There will always be something new to learn in every kata you practice. Im beginning to understand this more and more. They are not always all they seem to be, but of course, more. That beig said, practice the way your instructor teaches the kata, develop your own applications and ideas behind the techniques once you've mastered the basics of said kata, and good luck on the rest of your journey.

I've practiced Bassai this way since I was introduced to it 13 years ago. It's simply a setup for an outside forearm block. Because we are changing direction, we cover the area behind us before turning, where as if we were moving foreward, we would set up the retracting arm in front of us prior to the block. Self defense. It can also be used as geidan barrai yes. In Gichin Funakoshi's master text "Karate-Do Kyohan" I do believe it is referred to as a hammer block.