Spartacus Maximus

Perhaps using French to search will be more effective, as it is very unlikely that any information about karate dojos in France would have anything in English. Of the few dojos that have anything online, most of it is only in French. Using something like online translation may help get the gist of the content, but most of it will inevitably result in garbled gibberish. Actually training in a dojo in France(or anywhere) will be very difficult without either someone translating or a basic functioning knowledge of the language.

Everything in martial arts depends on the teacher and the method. No matter what martial art or governing body, there will be significant differences. Even within the exact same style and/or organization, there are those who are better than their peers at conveying skills and getting other people to understand them.

Emotions are natural and anger is one of many. Like any other it can be both good or bad depending on how one deals with it.

The best gift idea for anyone and any occasion is something that will be both appreciated by the receiver and practically useful. What would a martial arts instructor find useful and practical in their functions(as an instructor)?

Everything about the testing from the content to the method must be adapted to, and determined by age. Every age group has a different set of physical and mental abilities. Things like coordination, attention span and balance will differ greatly. It would neither be fair nor an appropriate evaluation of skills to expect a 10 year old to be physically and mentally equal to a 16 year old. Even if they have been training for the same length of time.

Well there maybe something there, as many if not all martial arts were spread far and wide by those whose military duty allowed them to discover and learn martial arts. Access to martial arts training has only been possible for ordinary folks for a few decades. Before that, training was restricted to social class and/or occupation such as police forces or military.

The one thing that becomes obvious once practise and training become personal is that bullies or any other threat, attack or challenge one will be confronted with; there are none more difficult to beat or escape than the ones carried by each individual person. With a little time, skill and good timing one can overcome a thug, yet it will take years of effort and perhaps more pain to iron out that one nagging flaw in one’s technique.

The only thing that can be ascertained about “Bodhidharma” is that he travelled to China from India and that he spent a considerable number of years teaching spiritual and philosophical concepts there. He was originally from a warrior class or noble family so it is highly likely he had some form of training in whatever armed or unarmed says of fighting available in his native region of India. What is unclear and difficult to know for sure is exactly what was taught in China by Bodhidharma. It should be noted that there is no record of any specific martial techniques or fighting method taught by him. The most detailed and reliable accounts only mention a few sets of physical exercises. It is also of significant importance that various armed and unarmed fighting methods/techniques existed all over China at the time and also well before Dharma’s visit. It is quite plausible that these were known and practised by at least some of the monks. Dharma may indeed have strongly influenced the practise of martial arts, but as he did not found, introduce or organize any particular system or fighting method; he cannot be truly included as a “father” of any martial art. The oldest documented Eastern “styles” or codified and structured fighting methods with a progressive training regimen of drills, forms and exercises are Chinese and Indian. The oldest can be reliably(ie: with traceable names and dates) dated to around 5 to 8 hundred years ago. Interestingly enough, most Eastern systems still existing now are more recent than that. This includes most Chinese, Okinawan, Korean and Japanese styles.

One thing the Jo has compared to the Bo, is the greater variety and versatility in locking, jamming, throwing and holding techniques because of its shorter length(better leverage at close range). The shorter length also makes it easier to wield and carry without reducing the intimidation factor. This is probably why its use is favoured by police forces in Japan for street officers and riot/crowd control units. They are required to become proficient in basic Jo-do for their jobs and on duty they can be seen holding a Jo made of the heaviest hardwood. Some even have reinforced ends. The Jo is in addition to all the regular equipment they are required to wear/carry.

Has anyone ever questioned why dan gradings/tests are so long and whether it is really necessary to take that much time? 2, 3 or 4hours for a dan grading or test seems to be common, but it is not unheard of for some to take even longer and go on over two or three days! Is that much time really required for an instructor to see and evaluate progress in skills? What do the instructors here think of this practice? How about your school or association’s tests? It may or may not be relevant, but the longest ones experienced and heard of were overwhelmingly in martial arts schools outside of the place of origin of the style. The ones in Okinawan/Japanese dojos rarely took more than an hour on average. The most recent one was over in under 45 minutes from the first step onto the floor to the bow after receiving the certification.

Nashville has a at least 3 dojos and there is another in Servierville(sp??).

Fighting and self-defense differ in many aspects, but one of the main differences is the goal. The aim of fighting is to beat the opponent as in competition or kill the enemy as in combat. In either case, one tries to “win”. In self-defense, however the goal is not to “win”, “submit” or otherwise defeat the attacker. Self-defense is about to self preservation and escape from danger with minimal injuries to oneself.

The best lead to find an isshin ryu dojo near you and perhaps also information about any instructor would be to contact the head of isshinryu for USA. Unless things have changed recently, isshin ryu still has an organization based in Okinawa with style head in USA.

One thing Lee could do exceptionally well was using his physical attributes to their fullest potential. Lee’s understanding of body mechanics, power generation and many other essential movement principles is what made him great at martial arts. He may not have been a very big man, but he certainly knew how to put his entire body’s power into every move. Lee is not the only martial arts practitioner able to that, he is just one of the most famous ones.

It was awesome! Binge watched the whole season! Johnny rocks!

It is interesting how the reasons for starting are not always the same ones as for continuing in martial arts. Initially many began because they were inspired by a role model or the desire or real need to learn to deal with violent situations and bullies. After a while a certain confidence in skills develops and one’s reasons for training become more personal, more focused inwards instead of challenges from outside.

To deter school and neighbourhood bullies and defend younger, smaller or weaker people who could not do it for themselves. Karate also provided a great opportunity to get and stay strong and maintain a good fitness level despite being utterly uninterested in Phys Ed or any other type of physical activity. Finally it left no time to get into trouble by following a peer group who leaned towards reckless behaviours and illegal activity. If it weren’t for karate training, jail time or a life ruined by stupid risky actions would have been the outcome because that is where many former acquaintances ended up.

Those who are against the idea of children’s programmes have a point. Such programmes are not the real system/martial art. This however, is besides the fact that children’s martial arts programmes are less about teaching martial and more about giving them the necessary physical skills to prepare them to learn the real martial art later on when their physical and mental development makes it possible to learn real martial art.

That is a good plan. In a majority of cases the time spent in the dojo/school is at least somewhat structured and always limited. There is only so much that can be done in a one or two hour session. Home/solo training and practise is best spent on refining specific techniques, and whatever there isn’t enough time to do in the school/dojo such as basics, strength etc..

It is always possible to increase one’s flexibility. Age is only a factor when considering recovery time. If the right approach is taken it is absolutely posisible to make significant gains in flexibility. Stretching consistently and regularly can benefit anyone of any age.

The most important part of training alone is not time or even specific content. It is being consistent and regular with it and setting personal goals for improving.

It depends on how much time is available on that particular day. Usually it’s just one or two things based on whatever feedback was given last time the instructor was present. The basic techniques, warm-up and stretching makes up the rest of the time. Training alone outside of school/dojo hours requires self discipline and a strong personal motivation. That is the hardest part and the one thing that each person must find by themselves. For some people, keeping a training log is very effective. Others have different ways of staying motivated to keep up training. Whatever it may be, it is important to continue and switch things around once in a while to avoid getting bored and keep training balanced.

Has anyone out there actively shared and compared techniques with advanced practitioners of closely related systems? Perhaps system that is the “parent” or antecessor of whatever you train in? Ex: Chinese crane systems with Okinawan goju ryu or uechi ryu If you have, what was the most interesting part of the experience and how did it affect your understanding of your training? While on Okinawa, the proximity with China made it very easy and a common occurrence for Chinese practitioners to be invited and visit certain schools. As a member of on of those, there were opportunities to exchange with them. It was very interesting to see many obvious similarities. Unlike the case of the more recent Goju-ryu or Uechi ryu, there was no single kata nearly identical. Instead, there were common principles and techniques but identifying a specific system was not possible. Maybe this is due to the fact that the Shorin family of systems are comparatively older.

Never met or heard of anyone who does, but the idea is good if some people find using computer technology can get them motivated to train or organize and optimize their personal training schedules. As for a bad side of training apps or any apps is that people who use them tend to have too many of them and it they can become one more reason to turn into another screen-zombie addict glued to a screen instead of moving. Personally, a good old pencil and agenda notebook/calendar is enough. Most of the time there is no detailed plan except picking one or two things to do and focusing on those choices. A couple of things (techniques, kata etc)is better than one; and one is better than not practising at all.

There is also some doubt as to Fukankoshi’s technical skill and how much he had learned from his own teacher at the time he decided to move to the mainland. The man himself also clearly states in his books that what he learned in Okinawa and what he taught to Japanese students were very different.