Spartacus Maximus

Letting go of previous experience can be very difficult to accept, but in the end it is the wisest choice when attempting to learn a new system. Harder still when it is the same system or something very similar. "Forgetting" a belt harder the "higher" it is.

An inexperienced or insufficiently trained nunchaku wielder is probably more of a danger to himself than such a person wielding a nightstick. In any case, the type of training police officers recieve with their weapons, including firearms is far from intensive. With all the regular work to occupy thier day, how much time can the average officer expect to train and practise with their weapons? The only members who have additional time to train experience are either special units or those whose personal background included applicable techniques such as service in the military or a martial arts background.

Recently, it has been the cold of the coming winter and shorter days. Training in the heat of summer was not so difficult, even in the humidity of the local climate. Something about the cold seems to drain energy away and require twice as much effort to get the usual rythm started. Soreness and muscle pains also feel worse and take longer than they usually do to fade away.

In the beginning, it was useful to make a detailed plan of exactly what to do for each day. It is quite helpful as a self-motivational tool, but when one reaches shodan it makes more sense to concentrate on one or two things to improve for each day of individual training.

Weather and seasons can disrupt training rhythm. It has happened at one time or another to everyone and each person has a way of dealing with it. Usually it is the hottest or coldest time of the year. In these seasons people find it harder to maintain their usual training. What ways are effective to get through these times when the weather seems to disrupt one's energy levels?

How effective is it for personal use? Do you make a schedule for yourself or do you make a random choice only minutes before starting? Personally not into doing too much planning in advance. There are some who feel it is necessary to know and decide exactly what they want to practise on each day. Others prefer to plan only as far as the next day. This seems like a better plan because it is more suited to focused practise or improving one or two specific things. Longer range planning seems to work better for general training or teaching others.

Nunchaku does not seem like a viable idea for a police tool or defensive weapon alternative. hypothetically, if it were adopted it would have to be in replacement of something already in use. Otherwise it would only add to the weight of equipment a modern officer carries. In addition, it requires much more time, training and practise to effectively wield nunchaku than a fire arm or nightstick. Police already have 3 or 4 choices if one includes tazers as standard issue.

In many martial arts schools, the instructor has some sort of established teaching or training programme. This is a useful guide and a good way to organize training but it can also be a great help for personal training. How much or how little is useful to write down? Does it work for your personal practise or not?

This is unfortunately not a new idea. It has been suggested or tried and failed in several police departments in the past, most of the time rejected in favour of other alternatives. The tonfa-style nightstick was one of these and was adopted as early as the late 40's. Usage became generalized sometime in the 70's

True or not, it sounds like it could be a plausible story. Progress in martial arts skills is something very personal. No two students are alike, nor do they learn at the same rate. What makes the difference is personality, effort and perseverance in training.

A good training session ought to included both types of stretching, but any sort of static stretching should be at the end. The most intense and dynamic part should be the first 5 minutes. Non-stop speed combinations kick/punch or repetitions of single techniques are excellent for this. It is much harder than it seems and most beginners will struggle with a single minute. After doing that the body is warmed up and loose enough. Next in order is the usual programme of drills, kata etc and finally static stretches such as splits or other similar exercise. Doing it first makes little sense because the muscles are cold. One does not warm up by stretching cold. Warm up and increase heart rate, and then stretching is the correct way. A simple experiment to try is to attempt a stretch cold and see how far one can stretch. Try again at the end of the training session and compare.

The makiwara is still used in many shapes and forms in every karate dojo on Okinawa. As for the kakiya, it is much rarer these days although several books and treatises on the subject mention it. For limbs there is a round post type makiwara or a square post, both of which had slits cut to a quarter down lengthwise and wrapped with rope for springiness. Besides that there is also a bunch of bamboo sticks bundled together used for training fingers. The wooden dummy in the WC design appears useful, but maybe the spacing and position of its limbs could be slightly modified to suit karate better. Maybe strong springs instead of pegs so the limbs are movable.

It certainly seems that such training is not a staple of martial arts as it once was. Nowadays it appears to be limited to a few older instructors who are among the last generation to have learned it. Often times these martial artist are regarded as old-fashioned.

The dummy is known from wing chun, but maybe it might be interesting to know whether or not the dummy was invented and devised specifically for wing chun or if it was generally in use in Chinese systems. With karate itself being heavily influenced by Chinese systems, it is a little surprising that the dummy was not adopted by more okinawan systems. If one were to try adapting the dummy to karate, what sort of changes would be useful if any?

There is a method for toughening areas of the body. It is much more than mindlessly bashing one's body or limbs with a hard object and there is a safe way of doing it. The problems and injuries arise when beginners or those who use incorrect technique try to do too much, too hard and too quickly. Full force is never, ever used when training.There is no correlation of cause and effect between these practices and arthritis or similar conditions. A well known case study was done with Mas Oyama's hands over several years. No change was noted in the internal structure of his hands, nor did he develop any cumulative injuries or problems from years of daily makiwara training. this study and the results are easily accessed through Google.

Is the wooden dummy used in Shindokan identical to the one used in Wing Chun or has it been modified to suit the system? If yes, what parts of the dummy are different?

What do the students want to learn? If they wish to continue in the previous instructor's system they are free and welcom to go an seek out an instructor who will accommodate them and thus keep their rank. Do they want to learn a new system under the new instructor? If yes, they should have no issues about first setting aside whatever they have learned before and open their minds to what that instructor has to offer. In that case their kempo exoerience might help them, but insisting on keeping their rank in a different system will do more harm than good. More often than not, it is those without baggage who have the advantage in a new system precisely because they are unhindered by ingrained habits. Those with experience in a different system often have to train twice as hard to change or adapt instead of learning from scratch. This is very confusing and frustrating as it is difficult to change things that have become unconscious. Without thinking they will constantly find themselves reverting to what they trained before.

Contacting your regular dojo and sensei and asking about affiliations would certainly help. If there is an affiliation with a major shotokan governing body, they will have the resources and information about other member dojos across the state, country etc... If the specific city of destination has no shotokan, maybe going to the nearest metropolitan area might be feasible?

These are all familiar tools and common in Okinawan dojos. Besides the makiwara, plain boards of pinewood are used much in the same way. My instructor seems to prefer them because they are easy to find, very cheap and portable compared to a standard fixed makiwara. It is used for toughening all parts of the hands and the toes. Wrapped or bare hardwood baseball bats are used to work on arms and legs. However beginners are limited to using each other's limbs. Everything is done lightly and gradually the intensity is increased. Avoiding injury is paramount and safety a high priority. No one is permitted to proceed until correct technique is properly learned.

Maybe the thrashing she recieved will encourage her to seriously reevaluate her disgusting attitude as well, which is unworthy of a martial artist and sportsmanship. Even if that attitude was some sort of ring persona acting, it has no place in sport. The WWF, maybe but not MMA.

Dwx What methods are used to train in your school? Are there tools and implements for that purpose? TKD has links to karate so something like the Okinawan makiwara is likely to be used, but perhaps different methods that are specifically Korean.

It is very easy for well-meaning parents to push their children too hard into activities they may not enjoy as much as parents would hope. Parents often forget how much pressure children feel and sometimes the children are simply not yet ready because of their personal development stages. Sometimes a 5year old might have more patience and concentration then a 10 year old. Getting a child to take an interest in something is far from being an exact science. There are no sure methods or guarantees that once started, the child will continue. The very best thing a parent can do is expose the child to the activity and show that it is enjoyable and interesting. The rest is up to the child.

It is a simple matter of good faith and readiness to learn. Students choose their instructor because they want to learn what the instructor teaches, in the way it is taught by that instructor. This requires good faith from the student who must be willing to accept whatever is taught. The first step towards this is for the student to let go of any previous status, preconceived notions or habits and be ready to learn with an open mind. Ranks cannot and must not transfer precisely because they are arbitrary. Physical skills may give a head start and these are far more important than the colour of a belt. More important still are patience, perseverance and dedication which do transfer. This is what experience teaches a former 3dan, who restarted the exact same system. Insisting on keeping that rank would have been a very foolish thing to do and rendered any improvement or advancement in skill, impossible.

The methods of Thai boxing are vaguely familiar and mostly unfamiliar to someone such as I, whose specific knowledge concerns Okinawan karate in particular as it is practised in its native country. How about your martial art? Is hardening or conditioning only mentioned in passing or is it trained? If yes, what methods are used to do it?

If it is only for a few days, missing a dojo training session or two does not matter much. Taking this opportunity to set aside a few minutes of self-directed practise each day would be a good idea to be ready when the time comes to return to the dojo. Besides this, shotokan is a very widespread style found nearly everywhere. Perhaps looking it up in the destination area's business and services directory might yield results. Best of luck.