Spartacus Maximus

The injury in the original post sounds like what typically happens when someone tries to do too much and too soon. Hopefully no lasting damage has been done because that is really easy to do. This is why makiwra training must be done slowly and gradually with correct form. In this case the only thing to do after checking the injury is to avoid any impact conditioning until fully and completely healed.

What would be the purpose of having such a website/page?

There are many more people who are more knowledgeable and skilled than Jake Mace. Unfortunately, few of those people are as good at promoting themselves on the net.

When one has been practising martial arts for so long that life without it is impossible to imagine the best to hope for is to be strong enough and healthy enough to keep it up until one’s very last breath.

Just having a place to train and teach out of will cost something for upkeep and to remain usable. Even if a dojo/school is non-profit it has to make enough money to cover the costs of maintenance and in the privilege of using the space. The only kind of dojo/school that makes significantly more than what is needed to cover rent, utilities and other vital expenses are the ones where the instructor is a professional martial arts instructor who made a career out of it , and was successful enough to make a living off of it. In my experience The majority of dojos/schools are run by instructors who earn a living from a good day job or other sources of income. Making a good living by teaching martial arts has never been easy or stable. Historically martial arts teachers have always earned their living from a different source. Professional martial arts instructors who earn a living from the profits of running a dojo/school are the exceptions. Matsumura was a court official and bodyguard to three kings Itosu was a royal secretary Chibana was a sake brewer His student Miyahira was a schoolteacher Other instructors whom I met since beginning Okinawan Karate have all had lengthy careers: hospital workers, policemen, public servants, soldiers and more varied careers than possible to remember. They all had one thing in common: they really really loved doing and teaching martial arts.

Going by what the person concerned was willing to share, the threats were serious, and in one experience there was a weapon(neither a gun or a knife). The worst thing for him seems to be the anxiety/stress immediately after it ended and anticipating having to do it again. Rationally and logically they know the incidents are over and that they happened years ago in a different place far away. Yet the feeling that somehow the attackers might come back or that another similar situation will happen has stayed on all this time. So far they haven’t really realized or accepted that being constantly on guard and subconsciously expecting attacks can freak people out. Finding a tactful way to get through to them might be a challenge. All that close friends have been able to do is listening.

Yes, the behavior is normal insofar as to what would be expected of a traumatized mind. However this person seems to be hyper-sensitive compared to someone who wasn’t traumatized but just generally aware of their surroundings and with a good sense of observation. It is to the point where unsuspecting(who don’t know) are either put off by it, confused because they don’t know what’s going on or just generally uneasy. All the reactions this person gets from others might not be conscious, but it is very obvious to someone watching the interactions. The general impression seems to be: “this person has something about them and it might not be a good idea to get too close”. Most of the time this person is oblivious to what they’re doing or how they might be unsettling to others. One close friend pointed it out and it wasn’t received very well. The person just said it wasn’t a big deal and quickly changed the subject. If this constantly “on guard” mindset increases it could have unpleasant consequences for more than just social life.

There is a common understanding among the older generation of Okinawans that the very concept of “kihon” as something separate from kata is relatively new. The kihon kata of isolated “blocks” etc were intended to emphasize and highlight certain key body mechanics and principles specifically for teaching groups when karate came out of secrecy and taught publicly. In karate(or any martial arts) practical application nothing is ever exactly identical to training, but if principles and correct mechanics are followed the techniques will work. The “how” and “where” they are used depends the individual.

Experiencing a self-defense situation or assault has certain effects on those who go through it. This happens even when the defender was successful in countering the attack and escape. How long does the after-effects of stress, fear/anxiety paranoia(for lack of a better word) continue? Does it ever really go away? How does one deal with it or help someone else overcome it? Perhaps the worst thing is being thought of as “anti-social”, “weird” or even “crazy/dangerou” by people who don’t understand what it is. Personally, there is an acquaintance like this. This person has had to defend themselves only twice, once successfully without much knowledge injury and another less so. Although it’s been more than a few years since, this person is only comfortable with very close circle of people and behaves in a way that certainly puts off a lot of people. Things like: a) going out of the way to avoid groups/crowds b) not letting strangers or anyone come within normal “speaking” distance and sometimes “looking past” or “through” them or taking steps to positon themselves as if expecting an attack(not as taking a stance) c) cannot stand being startled or approached suddenly and has an intense negative reaction to any physical contact. Even a regular handshake is difficult. What this person went through is not nearly as traumatic as the horror of war or anything of that nature, but it certainly seems to haunt them. The fine line between caution or awareness and “health issue” has clearly been crossed. Any ideas or experiences with this issue?

Isn’t the point of practise and training to be able to “do your stuff” without warming up? Is anyone going to say “wait a tick, I have to stretch and warm up” if/when attacked? Physical defense should become a reflex. If one has to think about it, it will invariably end badly.

That is just creepy as well as being morally, culturally and ethically wrong.

Oyo bunkai is defined by Okinawa teachers as the most simple and obvious explanation of how each technique in a kata is used. It is the demonstration of the principles and body mechanics. Students are asked to learn and master that before moving on to different variations. Once the basic principles and most obvious application are learned, the rest comes naturally. This is why learning the oyo bunkai is so important.

That’s how it was explained in Okinawa and how it was perceived there by Okinawan instructors. The younger crowd didn’t seem to care one way or another but the old timers did not like the “oss” thing one bit. A couple were offended to some degree and others just thought it was stupid “tough-guy bragging”. Another reason is that they didn’t like being associated/confused with kyokushin and its huge influence.

This is indeed the best definition of the meaning of a dan grade/or belt. It has value to the holder only if he holder trusts and respects the judgement of the person who gave it to them. It is a symbol by which the instructor recognizes a student’s dedication to learning and the progress made according to said instructor’s evaluation standards. Evaluating a student’s personal strengths and weaknesses also takes time so the black belt shows this as well. That is why a dan grade or belt is meaningless by itself.

Feeling old and tired lately, though age should not be of any concern and work is nothing that requires and kind of strenuous physical effort. The recent heat wave and humid summer weather are making things worse. It has been really tough finding time in the week to do any kind of training for the last 6 weeks.

What motivates you or how do you motivate yourself to train? Lately it has been very difficult to find the time to train.

Kata in its true form and intended purposes was never meant to be simple physical exercise. Calisthenics and any other athletic development benefits are only secondary and complimentary. Kata (if practised correctly with intent) is mainly concerned with learning, training and ingraining principles or motion and body mechanics that would allow a person to react and defend against a committed act of violence from a larger, physically stronger angrier foe. That is what the old timers trained and spent their lives to hopefully pass on. If one cannot accomplish this, kata is just a weird pantomime.

The same thing happens with karate. In Okinawa, the “uke” techniques are named by where the movement ends instead of where it begins like in many dojo abroad. These were reversed so that a basic chudan soto uke referred to the one with the “blocking” arm making contact with the outer side of the forearm. For uchi uke the contact arm ends at the opposite shoulder and contact is made with the inner side. Very confusing at first.

The further one is from the source language of whatever one practises, the more likely are misinterpretations and errors in terminology usage.

This probably varies significantly from place to place but, the Japanese terminology is used often enough for everyone who has been training a few years to have heard it all. It makes things easier and smoother when groups from different branches practise together for an association connected with Okinawa/Japan. Also much more likely to be frequently or exclusively used if one was taught in Japanese or is the direct student of a native instructor who speaks nothing else.

Perhaps one solution to this question can be found by observing older martial arts practitioners who have continuously trained for decades and are still very active. Changing style or martial art is not necessary if not desired. What older practitioners learn to do eventually with years of experience is to change and adapt the way they train so that they can continue to do it. That is how, for example, a 70 year old karate expert is still able train as hard as before and still more than a match for a younger person. The younger person may be physically stronger and faster reflexes and every advantage of age, but the older expert has had the time and experience to adapt and compensate for the natural physical degradations.

The whole thing was never intended to be a martial art. It was a con from the beginning designed and implemented to profit from taking advantage of people. It has/had many things in common with both cults and scams. Morals and ethics aside, the founder must have made a lot of profit. Fools and their money as soon parted. If this it is a prime example.

Concerns about the length of the curriculum is just another distraction for students. As a student it is better and more productive to focus on the present. Progress will come eventually if one keeps training diligently and applying one self to practise each technique and concept thoroughly. If the purpose is to become proficient in applying the techniques it does not matter how much one knows. What matters is how well one knows it, and how well one can use it. In general, experience has shown that the longer a student been training, the less they care about the length of the curriculum or how much there is left to learn. The truth is, it never ends. Student question: What else is there to learn? Sifu/sensei/instructor’s answer: much. Student question 2: the curriculum is so long! It’ll take a lifetime to learn all that! Sifu/sensei/instructor’s answer 2: Aha! Now you’re starting to understand. Karate or any martial art was never meant to be learned quickly. Anyone can go through the curriculum in a short time no matter what it is. Going through each part in depth and actually taking the time it takes to develop skill is a different thing.

Napoléon Bonaparte Winston Churchill Both were men who knew how to inspire and lead their people through difficult times and often with difficult odds.

Practically speaking the best kind of self defense weapon is whatever opportunity provides. Something immediately available that can be picked up and discarded quickly. Using everyday objects as defensive weapons is not a new idea and it is possible to train with them and get an idea on their effectiveness. Several good publications exist on the subject.