Spartacus Maximus

Well as some readers may or may not know, the term Chuan Fa is generic and does not refer to a single system but to all Chinese martial arts systems. If I had to investigate the origin of this technique, I would probably start looking at Chinese systems taught and practised in the regions bordering Korea or in Korea which the founders might have learned or observed. This may be a long shot but it could be the only clue available.

Is that show still going or have they stopped making new ones?

my guess as to the reason for the chambering position in the picture is that it comes from an adaptation or change made for a purpose other than practical application of the technique. None of the old Okinawan ryuha teach the shuto block that way with those angles and chambering position. Shotokan is certainly a good comparison and probably the most plausible source. The karate that influenced Taekwondo and other Korean systems is the type that was popularized by Funakoshi, and was already radically different from what was practised in Okinawa by Funakoshi's peers.

Everyone at one time or another finds it difficult to balance work and other important daily activities with training or practising. Out of interest and for anyone who may think themselves too busy, I propose this thread. The key to daily training in the martial arts is using time efficiently. Thirty minutes or even less is enough if used in a focussed manner. So here is the question: In a limited time of 30min or less, what would you concentrate on practising? For myself: a brisk 2minutes of fast non-stop punches and kick combos for warming up. Next basic punches and kicks first slow and step by step, then full power. Basic kata and my latest kata or bunkai set for the rest of the time.

Here is an answer from a former 3rd Dan(a long story, too long for this thread and stated in other posts). One year between shodan and Nidan. Was shodan for 4 years and trained alone because of personal business related travelling. Two years later I earned sandan after being recommended to the hombu dojo by my sensei. Except shodan, all the grades were evaluated by my own sensei, the hombu dojo chief who is 10 Dan as well as at least 15 other Association members holding 7th to 9th Dan in Okinawa. Each time required a majority approval.

Handing out Dan ranks and certificates without any sort of evaluation is part of martial arts politics. It exists everywhere martial arts governing bodies are present. Even the cradle of martial arts are not spared by this ego-inflating practice. It is not unheard of for the head of a governing body to offer such promotion for others to join them. A friend who had earned a 3rd dan was offered a 5th Dan if he agreed to join an organization other than the one he had earned the 3rd Dan. He refused without a second thought and was right to do so. A dan grade represents the formal recognition of training effort by one's teacher. This is far more important than the material symbols of belts and certificates or the artificial prestige these might give. Respect and honour towards oneself, one's teacher and the efforts of both must prevail over these sorts of trivial pursuits. After alll at the end, what matters is the skills one knows one has and these are within the man, not a piece of fancy cloth or paper.

There may be a so-called 'classic' mcdojo definition, but it is rare that a single school will have every single aspect of it. There are always variations and a school which is honest about what is taught not be included in this category. Usually with so-called mcdojos, there is a certain element of contradiction if not outright deception. A school teaching Olympic taekwondo would not be a mcdojo because it clearly states that it is sport/competition focussed. If the same school, for example presented itself as a place to train for anything other than that, and had excessive fees compared to other similar schools, it might be called a mcdojo. It is the combination of these points that defines a mcdojo rather than just one.

The shortest and simplest definition of a mcdojo is a school mainly and mostly existing as a business, where developing practical defense skills is not emphasized or absent. There are however varying degrees of this and in actuality it is not always so clearly defined.

Sometimes my legs feel very heavy or sore but that is probably because I train a minimum of five days a week and everyday if I can manage it. Besides normal soreness that comes and goes, I have no history of injuries or chronic pain in any part of my legs or back.

Guess what. The OP's posting profile says Ann Arbor MI and there are literally over a hundred things to choose from in that area. Being completely unacquainted with USA, I did a 1 minute search on yellowpages.com and at least a hundred listings turned up for MA training gyms/dojos. Everything from MMA to taekwondo, and that is just the ones that are listed. If the OP still is not satisfied after looking through those, there is always the next town over.

I rather like the idea of not knowing when the test or formal grading is because it takes away some pressure and allows more attention to focus on training for improving skills without being distracted. Anticipation of a test or grading can give much unnecessary stress and be very distracting. Evaluation should be considered an ongoing continuous process, not just a set period where one has to prepare and then test.

On okinawa I never saw anything akin to the Chinese wooden dummy. A few karateka were creative enough and had the building skills to make their own contraptions but most used a machiwara, which is used only for strikes. The three most common type are a flat board, a round post or a square post. As mentioned by another poster there is also a hanging version. By far the most interesting thing I found was a cylindrical "body" with a clever rope and pully mechanism to power "limbs". It was used to train simultaneous block/strike techniques.

The more two systems are different, the easier it can be to blend them however it is advisable to have a solid grasp of one before attempting to mix it with another. Everyone who ever sucessfully combined different systems was already competent in a base system.

The belligerent and arrogant attitude among the MMA crowd in discussion groups mentionned by others here is quite common. It is nothing new and over a decade ago the same kind of people were found on 'newsgroups' (anybody remember those?) and the earliest discussion forums. Unsurprisingly, the number of these types seemed to increase with the advent of UFC and other such events. For them if it was not BJJ or Thai boxing it was not martial arts. eventually the serious posters would lose interest and the forum/newsgroup would stagnate or become a troll/bashing other styles party. Boring and utterly pointless.

Many people get lost or overwhelmed by details or concentrate too much on the form of what they see(the finger pointing) They try to imitate their sensei's action but miss what is going on inside, the mechanics and inner workings that are not readily visible( the moon and heavenly glory). It may be a cheesy Bruce Lee quote, but I hear exactly the same thing from my instructor. It made me chuckle a few times, but I am starting to understand what it means. Rather than trying to reproduce the form, it is more productive to learn and remember how correct movement should feel and reproduce that until it can be done at will. Good balance, correct alignment or inner muscle action are all important things that must be felt.

Before asking that question, there are many others that must be considered and well thought out. First of all and most importantly are questions such as: Which martial arts are taught within your territory? Always start to look at what is available first. Search the phone directory and online. Visit as many schools and instructors as you can spare the time to manage. What is a reasonable distance to travel to reach the training place? How much resources are available for spending on training and instruction? The answers to these questions will give a more precise idea of the choices and possibilities. Advice to train in MA X is useless if the nearest instructor is two states away.

Thankfully most adults and parents respond to a clearly established protocol. If this is put into writing such as a letter and restated often, there will be very few problems and disruptions if any at all. At my first dojo, anybody parents or children who could not follow rules and protocol or were disruptive were sent home. Even the registration form read in bold type, "the dojo is not a daycare". There was absolutely no tolerance for any rule braking. After parents were called to pick up there unruly or disrespectful little urchin once or twice the problems stopped one way or another, guaranteed. Parents who treat the dojo like a daycare do not appreciate being disturbed or interrupted so they either make sure their child behaves or remove him from the activity.

The desire to change something in oneself somehow is what drives people to start and continue to train. Martial arts changes only those who want to change and have the patience to do it.

It is well known that there are different learning styles. Some people learn best by listening, others by looking and others still by feeling. For learning martial arts it seems that those who learn best by feeling would have a significant advantage. Many aspects such as correct body mechanics and power generation can only be grasped by feeling them. Imitating one's instructor is the traditional way but many people, especially beginners have a tendency to think too much about how to do a technique instead of feeling it.

Most people will respond to clearly stated rules and even more so if these are written for all to see. Students should know from the beginning what is expected of them and parents ought to know their place. If they come to the dojo they are guests and observers who must never interrupt or disrupt the instructor. If they do this, children will emulate their disruptive and disrespectful behaviours thereby ruining any positive attitudes the dojo environment is supposed to cultivate.

No amount of time spent in martial arts can give students qualities of character of which the seeds have not been sown at home. A sensei may be seen as a father figure, but he is not a father and must not be expected to take the duties and responsibilities of a father. Training in the dojo can only improve and develop what should already exist through the efforts of responsibLe parents.

It is the lowest point up to now. There is no way to know what else might be ahead.

Starting and continuing is more important than how old one is when one starts.

When I was a young teenager, my sensei always played us that movie after practise in the summer evenings. My first experience with karate was Shotokan but my real start(over 20 years ago) and lifetime commitment is to Okinawan karate of the Shorin ryu style.

Just as my present teacher does now, I know my previous ones taught me in good faith and more importantly they believed in their students. It is their encouragement and their example that helped me continue my commitment to karate. I heard that at some point everyone has a low point to overcome and I think this is it for me.