Spartacus Maximus

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.

The wooden dummy is a training tool specific to Chinese martial arts and probably exclusive to Wing Chun. Karate has the makiwara but the wooden dummy could also be effective because of its structure. Perhaps with certain modifications in design it may be interesting. Has anyone tried using it to train karate techniques? It looks like it might be especially good for training block/strike combinations or kata sections.

From a certain point of view, it is true that people in today's modern society may be less willing to put themselves through physical practise that is time consuming and painful. This is the case with the majority of those who train as a hobby two or three times weekly in th average dojo. Other than professionals, very few people make time to train daily while having all sorts of other life priorities such as work or family living. Even in a dojo where conditioning is trained it is not done by everyone and is a personal choice. An instructor who teaches it is also aware that insisting on it might discourage students from training at all.

Each person is different and there are many things that can determine how well a certain child responds to physical training. Personality plays a very important part. Perhaps the child in question is not ready at 5 years old. No two five year olds will have exactly the same attention span or concentration level. Development rates are all different. The best way to deal with this is to find the attention threshold and shorten the time to meet it. If the child can only pay attention for 10 minutes of serious training, teach and practise as much as possible within that time. The rest of the time can be used for anything fun and martial arts related to occupy him.

The conditioning or hardening of various areas of the body to withstand impacts is a practice found in many martial arts. Especially external type systems native to Asia. Every system has a history of methods for achieving this and each has methods. However it seems that these are no longer as widely trained as they once were. Besides the fact that these are physically difficult, painful and time consuming, what other reasons could there be for these to fall out of practise among practitioners? How many of you out there practise or teach a type of body hardening or conditioning? Are the training methods used specific to your system or school? It seems like an old fashioned thing to do as all the martial artist seen doing it are older people who began training decades ago. Outside Asia it is even rarer and nearly unheard of with very few notable exceptions

The shoulder issue is a recurring problem and usually happens some time after the end of training but not every time. It is like continuous tension combined with a feeling of having a weight bearing down. Sort of like having a child sitting on there.

Always ask the dojo head for these questions. However, experience confirms that in the majority of cases, the left side is correct. Left upper chest for the organization's patch and upper left arm for the dojo's patch. Sometimes embroidery is used instead, but again it is usually on the left side.

Some dojo and sensei are very strict about the appearance of a gi. In any case it is best to go with common sense. It is not necessary to have a gi that is starched stiff without the slightest wrinkle. As long as it is clean and does not look as if it was just thrown in a pile in a corner, it should be fine. If wrinkles are still too visible after smoothing them out and hanging to dry, light ironing will get rid of any stubborn wrinkles and folds.

It would indeed make sense for the governing body to have a source for obtaining equipment it deems necessary. Inquiring there is probably the most logical reference. It is virtually unheard of for a dojo or governing body to expect students to find their own equipment without so much as a suggestion on what or where to obtain it. Especially something as basic as a dobok

This has been already done many times over. The crux of the matter is that nearly all the documentaries, dramas etc were produced in the native countries of such martial arts figures. They are often not widely known even there, never mind outside, the main reason being that none have ever been translated into other languages. Mas Oyama, for example, was the subject of many publications including an entire series of comics in paperback. Countless dramas and films were also produced.

Perhaps it is not the best example but for those old enough to remember, learning to use the opposite side was a main plot element in one of the Rocky films with Silvester Stallone. In the movie, switching sides when the opponent did not expect is what ensures victory. This translates well to real life as much for a sporting match as for personal defense. A situation might arise where injury or other circumstances prevent the dominant side from being used effectively or at all. Outside of training, simple dexterity or fine tasks can be done for activating the weaker side. Writing or drawing shapes for instance.

Concentration is very important in martial arts. Without it nothing else is possible. Just as every other aspect of martial arts it must be trained and practised to have any success. It does not come instantly or quickly but develops with time, little by little. Each person is different and some can concentrate better than others but anyone can improve with training.

Mantras can take many different forms, but the form or syllables are simply sounds and are much less relevant than the purpose. The function of a mantra is to focus concentration to achieve a goal or an ideal. It works in a way similar to self-suggestion or hypnosis. It is not a prerequisite to be of a particular spiritual, philosophical or religious persuasion to use this practice. Suggestion can be either positive or negative. Repeating positive things brings positive thoughts and results in positive action leading to success in achieving goals.

Naturally ambidextrous individuals are indeed rare, but fortunately with dedicated training it is possible and not that difficult to change that. With enough practise, anyone can become as good with one side as the other and this is a great advantage for martial arts and daily life. The natural preference for one side may remain but training to be equally competent with both sides eliminates a major weakness. A good benchmark is to train at a ratio of at least 30:10. Practise everything three times as much as the dominant side with the weaker side. If right-handed, start with the left and become left-handed. Another more indirect way to train the weaker side is to try to use it more often in daily life. That will stimulate, activate and reinforce it.

The idea of testing for a level is flawed in many ways. Skill level as well as technical understanding is apparent in the way one trains and practises. This is obvious to the trained eye of a skilled instructor. Evaluation is a constant process of observation and one either has a skill level or does not. How and when an instructor chooses to formally recognize this is a matter of personal choice. Formal gradings and so-called testing are meant for an entirely different purpose than deciding whether or not students have a certain level. The instructor knows the students are ready, the importance of the test is in its symbolic meaning which is to give students a tangible representation of their progress and reward them for it. In one word "ego".

This man has indeed made several good points, however, as others have pointed out the way he conveys his message is somewhat harsh and difficult to accept. Reading the article carefully clearly shows that the author knows this and accepts the fact that it will likely displease many among the target audience. The point which resonates most in this article is the fact that "martial" karate is different and that dojos where karate is taught in that way are the minority. This is true in Okinawa, Japan and everywhere else. Another important fact often overlooked is that karate was never meant to be taught to large groups. In order to teach it to masses, changes had to be made in the methods. The average person today is simply unable and unwilling to endure the type of training refered to in the article. The fact of the matter is that martial arts are considered by most as hobby or weekly activity. There are exceptions, but they are few and far between. Anyone may practise martial arts, but the martial aspect is definitely not for everyone, nor is it everyone's aspiration. If karate was taught with the methods used a mere 30 years ago in Okinawa and Japan, it is very doubtful there would be as many people doing it. Just 15 years ago, bruises and bloody noses were common. When it happens nowadays everyone panicks and immediately finds fault instead of trying to learn.