Spartacus Maximus

What is important to keep in mind is that in martial arts, as in everything else, what one does is much more important than any given name or association. The only difference between an independent dojo and an affiliated one is that the affiliated one has much more at stake if someone representing it does something dishonest, unethical or illegal.

Leadership programmes are usually intended to teach candidates how to lead others by example. In a martial arts context it is probably a way to teach aspiring instructors effective ways of teaching and managing a group of students as well as other useful ideas of how to help others learn.

Yes there are 'obscure" and family styles of karate or martial arts in Okinawa, Japan and China. That is a fact that anyone who has trained there would have heard of. This does not mean that somewhere out there Himokiri karate exists. Everything shown and described in works of fiction is a mix of several well known aspects of existing martial arts. Things like body hardening and finger or open hand techniques are not at all special and are common to many Okinawan and Chinese martial arts. Uechi ryu, for example is most noted for this practice. In the recent past, though, this type of training was a staple of training for all karate styles on Okinawa.

Maybe it is a bit of both, but somehow for the last couple of months the little aches and pains from training seemed to hit all at once. Stiffness is terrible and soreness stubbornly lingers on for days at a time. Slowed down from nearly 14h/wk to about 2 or 3. Lost over half of former flexibility and fluidity compared to earlier in the year. Feels like aging 10years in 4 months. Even others have noticed it, including the instructor. Worst condition ever felt since starting over karate almost 4 years ago. Next dojo training is going to hurt....[/code]

It is very, very rare that an instructor is able to teach both sport and another aspect of martial arts without compromising either one. Great instructors are great precisely because they do not attempt to teach anything but the path they have chosen. They are true to their skills and believe fully in whatever aspect they work to pass on. Students are also most likely to uphold all or most of what they were taught if and when they become instructors. Whether one teaches mostly a competitive sporting style or a system strictly made for defense depends largely on what one was taught and one's most influential teachers. A good clue to answer that question for oneself is to identify the purpose and focus of what is being learned. If competition of any kind or 'winning' is; encouraged or participation in tournaments is expected, there is a strong possibility that the focus maybe more sport than anything else. Some dojo or Instructors may try to combine several aspects, but there is always one that is prevalent. Any honest teacher will be able to give a straight answer if asked respectfully and politely enough at the right time.

It is as real as the cartoons mentioned. Works of fiction and especially stories meant for entertainment is probably the least reliable source of information about anything approaching reality. Unless the one making the claims can readily produce undeniable proof. Just saying that some schools are not represented outside Japan is not enough. This person is either intentionally lying or has an immature and overactive imagination.

The martial arts, at least if seriously practised, are not nor should ever be some sort of sideshow. A knockout, by its very nature is very dangerous and there is always the risk of serious injury. It is not something to be taken lightly or played with. Only the most experienced and controlled instructors should ever attempt to demonstrate these types of techniques. Even so, it is very inadvisble to do on a regular basis because of possible cumulative damage. Without intimate knowledge of the student's health and physical conditions and an instructor who has complete master of technique to be able to control it throughout, it is a very stupid thing to do.

Indeed. Loyalty to an instructor is not something easily understood by the average martial arts student, but it is something that many who learned from old fashioned teachers might be more familiar with. Politics aside, it is of very little merit to accept the judgment of one's skill level by anyone who has not had enough time to observe and evaluate it. This is the most logical reason not to accept any rank or level from someone who is not one's instructor

Trust and integrity are of the utmost importance of one truly values what one has been taught and if one really cares about the time, dedication and effort it took for someone to pass on skills. If an instructor spend 10, 15 or 20 years teaching someone and then the student does something dishonourable or fails to acknowledge the instructor's dedication, it is a very disrespectful and unethical thing to do.

Regardless of martial arts, the man did what is recommended to ward off an attack by a black bear in case one is unable to escape or scare away the bear. Practically every piece of bear safety advice out there states that if one has to fight an attacking bear without weapons, one should strike at the animal's snout or eyes.

After years of practising, learning and training, one ought to be able to see beyond affiliations or lack of it. If somebody has good practical skills and is willing and able to teach these to other people, who cares what lineage it comes from or what governing body they are affiliated with? How foolish must one be to look down on something for the sake of lineage or affiliation?

Unless there has been a sudden surge of similar messages, an e-mail such as the one mentioned here is hardly worth a passing glance, nor is it worth wasting time replying to it. Immediately delete and move on to more pressing and meaningful orders of business.

This exact injury happened to myself a year or so ago. No broken bones or tearing. Just a nasty sprain that took nearly three months to completely heal and the soreness/discomfort to disappear.

Although customs and traditions require everyone at shodan and above to assist their juniors-in-grade when asked, instructor candidates are usually chosen in a way by the head of the organization. As the organization is small compared to many other Shorin ryu organization, special attention is given so that all students from shodan and up are able to answer common questions about training. That everybody can have at least minimum exposure to teaching. Whether or not one accepts to become an instructor is the individual's own choice.

That seems reasonable. How much time did you have to work with and who was the target audience? Are such seminars expensive in your area?

Have anyone been asked to put together a short term course or self-defense seminar? The time is limited to 8 weeks, 3 hours per week. What sort of techniques would be the most useful and easiest to teach? The target audience ranges from young adults to older people up to 65years old. Initially the proposed content is this: 1. General target areas 2. How to strike correctly(natural weapons, making a proper fist etc..) 3. Releases and escape techniques for common grabs and holds 4. Drills to train contents of #3. The total number of individual techniques should not be much higher than 12. Anyone have ideas?

When face with the same problem, the easiest solution was to study in detail any available photos and spend a few weekends constructing a pair. Any large hardware store has all if not most of the necessary parts. Best of all, being an expert craftsman is not required. The final product ended up being much more durable than anything found at shureido or anywhere else. Either that or get someone who is going to shureido in California or Okinawa(anybody can buy them there) to buy it and bring it to you. No problem traveling with nunchaku in checked baggage.

The very fact that this sort of thing happens is a testament to how much ranks on martial arts are political. No martial arts association or governing body of any size is free of this practice. People are offered honorary or full ranks for a variety of reasons. Even in Okinawa, it has been known to happen and it is more common there than what one could be led to believe. Rival governing bodies, often for the same "style" will try to get members from others to join by offering them rank if they do. The ones who do this are often the head of governing bodies. From recent memory, a sandan and a nidan were offered no less than yondan and shihan teaching title with 5dan, no less. All without any evaluation or testing whatsoever.

Thinking of starting home brewing as a new hobby. After reading a few websites on the subject, making a batch of meade or honey wine seems like an interesting experiment. Who has done some homebrewing before?

Whenever specific time-in-grade for a rank is mentioned, it is usually meant as a benchmark. As progresss is different for everyone, time in rank is not a relevant concept outside of the context of teaching and evaluating students. What ought to be considered instead by both instructor and student is the quality of the skills gained and the level of improvement of each individual since the last time these were evaluated. A good instructor will judge a student by that student's improvements, not by those of others.

Very good choice and wise decision. No business is free of risk and if the expenses become too much to manage, closing is the only solution if it means saving one's livelihood. One of the best ways to maximize the chances of success is to build up a significant regular student base before thinking of renting a place specifically for that purpose. The best way of doing this cheaply is to start a club by teaching in a sports centre, public gym or even sharing space with another instructor. This is always much, much cheaper with little risk compared to renting a place for the purpose, let alone having that place customized for martial arts instruction. A few years of doing this and establishing a regular student base, should normally allow an instructor to accumulate adequate resources to open a location.

Stalkers are invariably emotionally disturbed in one way or another. Their conception of what is appropriate social interaction is distorted. This makes them very unpredictable. If the victim does everything to bring attention to the situation and the more likely the stalker is to get caught quickly. Stalking is very hard to do for the stalker if everyone around knows what's is going on and who is doing it.

That's alright, but it is nice to know that one is welcome to train and seek advice at anytime of the year even if most other people decide they want to take a break.

What happened in this case is that the only thing the police were able or willing to do is interrogate the guy and basically check his papers for being in the countrY. That worked against him I the end he was caught for a visa violation and served a deportation order. That almost guarantees he will have a really hard time returning if allowed in at all. Border authorities tend to have ways of preventing known undesirables from returning.

Some of the more traditional and defense orientated martial arts system have one form or another of conditioning the body and especially the limbs to withstand strikes for blocking or parrying. One of the ways to do this is by gradually being hit with some sort of flexible stick. In Japan and in systems of Japanese origin it is common to use a shinai, which is the type of bamboo stick-sword used in kendo. Is anyone familiar with what being struck full force with one of these feels like or the kinds of possible injuries one could sustain if one attempted to block or take a strike? Shinai or kendo sticks are not solid pieces and are made up of several flat strips of bamboo strapped together with string. The potential damage is probably much less serious than a solid stick such as a bat, no?