Spartacus Maximus

Considering the time it likely takes to reach a high level of competence and knowledge in a single martial art, it just is not realistic for someone to claim being so competent in more than two without being of a certain age. How many people in their 30's or 40's have 1 masters degree? A Doctorate? Would anyone trust or believe in the competence of a 30 or 40 year old with 2 or 3 advanced degrees in very different, unrelated fields? Most people are not career martial artists and have to work for a living. Where would they find the time to fit in all that training? It doesn't make sense, yet people still accept it. But for some reason they will be quick to call Fraud on Jim Bob who is barely 40 years old and claims 3 PHDs and a Masters all in different unrelated fields.

Watching any historically-based movie and expecting accuracy of facts is almost always a disappointment. The key words "based on" is a clear indication that the production is meant to be entertainment. A documentary is far more likely to present accurate facts. Then again even those are hardly free from biases and often do not show everything from every angle. That would take far too much time to cover in a single production.

Involving the family is a great idea, but only if they are able to join and seriously interested enough to participate. In the case of children, this usually is impossible until they are old enough to concentrate on something. Of course it is possible to adjust to their age, but it isn't really reasonable to expect anything more than a few minutes from one's child when they are younger than 10. The rest depends on their personality and character, whatever age they are.

Juggling training and a family with young children is really tough, nevermind teaching or running a school. Having a day job on top of all that takes as much cooperation and understanding from the family as it does organizational skills. The most difficult thing to do is finding a time in the day to train or practise something, anything and keep it up. Anything is better than not training at all

Whether or not a place can be called a "McDojo" has nothing to do with what is taught(the style or type of martial art). It has everything to do with how it is taught(the methods) and the primary vocation(profit over and above all) of the place and its instructor. The term has been, and continues to be over-used to the point that it no longer has any real significance. It just is not possible to tell without knowing essential details. More than a casual look is necessary and sometimes it isn't obvious until one has experienced a school.

Has anyone ever used electric muscle stimulation devices? EMS are usually sold in sets of several pads for abs or arms or legs. They have been around for at least three or four decades. Athletes of the Eastern Block were known to use them and many high profile personalities including Bruce Lee before the things began to be sold to the general public. As of now there are countless makers, brands and varying types ranging from cheap 50USD to stupidly expensive 1000's of USD. Are they really worth it? They seem to more of a fad or a gimmick and artificially causing muscles to contract without actual physical effort might have unknown or misunderstood negative effects on the body. What is your opinion and why? Is EMS a legitimate way to train?

The expression can be construed much the same way as "armchair" general. In which case it means someone who has or appears to have much theoretical knowledge, but little to no experience applying it. The second and perhaps most common defenition is a person who is very prolific poster online, but at the same time appears to exaggerate or flaunt knowledge and skills with outrageous claims that are difficult or impossible to corroborate.

It could mean that, but there are no 100% guarantees. The point is that kata performance are usually naturally biased one way or another. A karateka technically qualified to judge Shotokan( for example) will not likely be qualified to judge a different style. The reason for this is that each style( or even sensei or dojo) have different points and criteria. It makes little sense judging Shotokan by Shitoryu standards. Another issue is how much experience each of the judges have. A Sandan will not see a given kata the same way a Hachidan might see it. Things such as correct power generation or body-mechanics are very difficult to see in action. Often what happens is that kata are judged according to "attitude". There is also the esthetics factor. How impressive or fierce it "looks". It is probably a better idea to just do kata as best one can. And if it is really necessary to compare, aim to be the best XYZ karateka at the tournament instead of the thinking about "beating" other kata of other styles.

The answer to the original question is this: It depends on the judges! It might not seem fair, but kata performances where participants are from different styles of karate always have some kind of bias. The judges often are not from the same dojo, style or lineage as the karateka doing the kata. They may also be of varying experience and rank. Consider how tournaments are conducted in Okinawa. There are only three styles: Shorin, Goju and Uechi. Anyone sandan or above may be a judge and 8 times out of 10 the winners are Goju ryu or Uechi ryu. That is because there are significantly more judges from those styles. It has come to the point where winning a kata tournament with a Shorin ryu kata is considered something highly exceptional. For some reason, Goju and Uechi kata systematically get higher points.

Junk is what makes the internet go 'round. It can be compared with the proportion of very good and legitimate martial arts teachers and the number of less-than recommendable ones and outright charlatans in a given place. If the net was stripped of all junk, it would not be what it is. If there were only legitimately skilled instructors, martials arts would not be an industry or would be a very small niche indeed.

The issue of so-called "mcdojos" or frauds proliferating also makes it very difficult for those hoping to teach or learn tangible martial arts skills. The dominant social mentality revolves around over-protection. Instructors cannot do anything without at least considering the risk of being attacked in court at the drop of a hat. What else can one expect from generations of people who have been molly coddled their entire lives? In this respect, a dojo is a lot like a school. Teachers are bound by the pressure on them. Breaking away from it completely is possible but very difficult to accomplish. Martial arts was never meant to be "for everyone" and "non-contact" is an absurdity.

The bigger the governing body is the more political it gets. In general. Whenever things other than training, learning and teaching become a goal, there will be politics. Wherever there are gains of any kind such as influence, profits et cetera there will be politics. It is impossible to avoid completely because it is part of human nature and has probably been going on since the first sensei started to teach more than one person at a time. The only difference between now and then is that there are many more issues to be political about.

4 hours a week is one of the lowest points reached since re-starting to train. A huge change from the 10-12 hours before.

Accidents, safety precautions and possible legal liabilities are the reasons why head contact has been forbidden or heavily regulated in martial arts schools and at competitions. There is just too many risks for serious and permanent injuries. If allowed, it ought to be reserved for those who are able to fully control their movements.

maybe this will complicate the initial subject, but here is a follow-up question: How about someone who lacks experience, but was taught by an instructor who does? If the instructor has experience(competition or whatever else) and is a competent teacher, should it not follow that the student's skills be credible and legitimate even though said students do not have their teacher's experience of applying their skills?

It depends on the purpose and focus of training. If it is for maximum realism and dealing with a self-defense situation, everything and anything ought to be practised. The head and upper body are a common target in self defense situations as well as some completions. Even if one trains only for the ring, one ought to learn and be prepared to face those who may not care for "rules". Adapting to the situation is much easier when one has trained and practised for what is most likely to happen.

Guns are obviously made for killing from a distance and as such those who intend to kill with a gun never get closer than needed to shoot. The only type of situation when a gun is drawn at close range(in arms reach) is to threaten or coerce. A mugging, a robbery or taking a hostage for instance. Knives, on the other hand must be used at close range. And yet again, when killing is the intent the knife is not shown or brandished. Gun disarms might work, but only if trained consistently AND if used with a set up to engage the mind of the attacker. This is the same thing criminals use to distract their victims before suddenly attacking. Still there is a good reason why gun disarms are not recommended: They are incredibly dangerous to attempt and have a very small probability of working.

The only thing possible to do in writing is a rough approximation based on English pronunciation. Getting the exact pronunciation and rythm of spoken language requires hearing it, listening and repeating.

This question in one that comes to mind when thinking about the life of skilled martial artists. Especially those who have managed to continue training for decades while living a successful professional and family life.

Here is the dojo kun as shown on the official website in Japanese. Hitotsu, ware ware wa shinshin o renma shi, kakkofubatsu no shingi o kiwameru koto Hitotsu, ware ware wa bu no shinzui o kiwame, ki ni hasshikan ni bin naru koto. Hitotsu, ware ware wa shitsujitsugou ken o motte, jiko no seshin o kanyou suru koto. Hitotsu, ware ware wa reisetsu o omonji, choujou o keishisobou no furumai o tsutsushimu koto Hitotsu, ware ware wa shinbutsu o toutobi, kenjou no bitoku o wasurezaru koto Hitotsu, ware ware wa chisei to tairyokuto o koujou sase, koto ni no zon de ayamatazaru koto Hitotsu, ware ware wa, shougai no shugyou o karate no michi ni tsuuji, kyokushin no michi o mattou suru koto. Instructions on how to correctly pronounce Japanese can easily be found on YouTube. Listening and repeating will help but here is a rough guide "F" is a sound between "f" and "h" in English. "R" is approximately between an English "L" and "R" "A" as in "father" "E" as in "elephant" "I" as in "ee" in "meet" but shorter sound "O" as in "old" "U" is like the "oo" in "boo" but slightly shorter These are just approximations based on English sounds. The actual pronunciation should be learned by copying acutal speakers. Good luck

When one understands the principles and mechanics of a technique as well as its purpose, the importance of kata becomes clear. kata is essential for learning these points and feeling how they function. Kata is a drill in body mechanics and movement principles. These, however must be correct and understand otherwise it is a dance. Or like memorizing and singing a song in a language one neither speaks nor understands. Kata is but one part of karate and is of no use if it is not fully integrated to kihon and kumite. The three are meant to complement and complete one another. They are not meant to be considered separately. When a training partner or your instructor is available practise the techniques together. Kata is for when one is training alone to practise and reinforce what was done with partners.

Seen it. That's one of the best parts of that movie.

A question for anyone training regularly while holding a full time job (that is not teaching martial arts) and having a family. How much time are you able to spend training in a week, not counting time at the dojo or school? Personally, it is a great week when 4 hours total is possible. Average is slightly less and not including 2 hours at the dojo on weekends. Maybe more can be done, but it is doubtful with 10h of work and family/children/household to mind.

One thing that these types of annoying comments and questions have taught me is to become expert at changing the subject or stirring the conversation in a different direction. Luckily this is only necessary for the few times when avoiding the subject is not possible.

This issue is obviously more complicated than it appears at first glance. None of my instructors ever set foot in a ring or engaged in "free sparring". Only two of them had the misfortune of having had to use if "for real". This happened decades ago in different times and in places where violence was quite common. Okinawa is the late 50's to mid 60's was not a nice place. Those who had the experience see it as a trauma. The one thing they all have in common is their constant reminders for students to avoid all types of fighting and never give in to provocations.