Spartacus Maximus

On average I train 8-10 hours in a week. Two years ago I had a very bad stamina problem and would struggle to train intensively for more than 20minutes. Although I have improved this to some degree, I still get sudden drops in energy and stamina causing what I can only describe as a disconnect between my mind and my limbs. I start to feel light-headed and my limbs feel very heavy. At that point I can no longer maintain my balance, my concentration or my techniques at the same level. I have the impression that I have become weaker, but I this does not seem to be the real reason I struggle. Any ideas?

Maybe you are on to something here. It does smell an awful lot like a publicity stunt. It would not be the first time someone has purposely had something banned to create demand. On the other hand, publications are usually controversial for their content or perceived message rather than what the author does to get their jollies

Avoiding violence whenever it is feasible is always the best solution. There is no merit to remaining in a place or situation where one's well being is compromised. I would hesitate to call anyone who fails to understand that my friend. There was only one right choice in the situation and Sensei8 did that. The drunk man was incredibly lucky not to get into more trouble. Getting into a car and driving intoxicated could have cost him a lot more. Usually when a person has little or no control of emotions and tends to act on impulse, it becomes the centre or that person's character. The more attempts made to repress it or hide it are made, the more likely it is to surface. Intoxication just makes the deeper issues worse and it seems that the man in question has many more serious issues that ought to be dealt with. Sobering up will help but it will not change him.

Having 12 kyu grades also sounds very odd to me. Ten kyu grades appears to be the most common for karate across all styles. With each kyu grade designated by a different belt colour it sounds like a business gimmick or an effort to motivate those who need a push. The first dojo I trained in had gradings for all ranks twice a year plus evaluations every 3 months where expected improvements were pointed out. On Okinawa most dojos have grading once or maybe twice a year and nobody ever takes an exam until told to do so with the sensei's approval. For shodan and above it is entirely up to the sensei to judge advancement. If 12 kyu grades sounds unusual or fishy, and 10 is the average, in my actual dojo there are only 3 kyu grades. Minimum training (5-7days a week) for 3 kyu is 8months. 2nd kyu is 10 and 1st is 10. Shodan is no earlier than 12 months after 1st kyu. I was never given any notice before being tested, nor was I informed of the results until the end of the day's regular session. If students are expected to be ready all the time and consider that they are constantly evaluated for the slightest improvement, there is no need to prepare for a test and grading becomes nothing more than the formal recognition of their level by the instructor.

There was a time many years ago when my living environment made me consider carrying something to defend myself with. To fit my low budget and minimize the kind of trouble I could expect from the authorities, I got creative. I cannot say exactly what I carried but here is something to consider when looking for a defensive device: 1. Cheap to make, easily and readily disposable/destroyed 2.light, compact and easy to carry and produce/access 3. Unassuming appearance, does not look like a weapon. Creativity is your friend. You could also learn how to use common items found almost anywhere as a weapon. This is far from a be idea and there are a few great books on the subject. there is no need to carry anything if you know what you are likely to find and how to use it.

I have never ever heard or met anyone who would claim with a straight face that any kind of flipping or other acrobatics were either practical or applicable as a"bunkai". There is absolutely NO Way! Applied karate is meant to put the attacker down, fast and hard. There is never time for any showboating and attempting anything of the sort is nothing short of suicide. Attack and defense must be one and it must end within 3 moves or less. If a proposed application does not conform to that, all it is good for is the next promotional demo or cheap chopsocky movie

I like the way this discussion is going. So far there has been input from karate and taekwondo and JKD and Thai boxing. I am still hoping for somebody to share something from lesser known systems. It also seems that many responsibilities responded from within a sporting competition context bound by a given at of rules. This is very interesting as it is different from what I am learning. As all martial arts systems were not originally intended for sport but for self protection, I would like to stay within that context.

Unfortunately this is typical of the average person raised with today's modern consumer mentality. People want instant results for minimal effort or none at all. Most people quit when they cease to be entertained and realize that they lack the dedication and patience to continue.

At least as far as karate and its derivatives, which include taekwondo, it appears that many of the kicking techniques are variations developed from an original 2 or 3. This may have been done for the purpose of competition and sporting reasons. For example, a roundhouse kick can be considered a variation of a front kick. The difference is in the angle but the in-out action is the same. A side kick has the same base movement as a stomping kick except the angle is slightly higher. Dwx also touched on an important training principle. Many practise to kick high but only a few realize that it is an exercise. Training to kick high improves balance and develops the flexibility and leg dexterity to execute more powerful kicks at lower angles.

Going by the information I found as well as several lectures and conversations with my instructor, until very recently the difference between the okinawan systems were few and not as obvious as they may seem today. I suspect that in general, okinawan karate systems in their original form would share the same idea about the use of kicks. As I know there is an undeniable link of influence from Chinese systems imported to Okinawa, I am very curious as to what those systems teach about kicks. I also hope someone will share ideas from the lesser known systems that may not originate in East Asia.

Kicking is found in practically every form of unarmed martial arts system. Each system has its own set of kicking techniques and each one has a unique way of applying them their strategy. I propose to discuss and compare the ways and strategy of kicking in different systems. In Okinawan karate, there are five techniques taught: front kick, roundhouse, side kick, stomping kick. The roundhouse and back kick are recent additions(last century) and were seldom used in confrontations. Though the leg is powerful it is slower than the hands. Kicking also momentarily compromises balance and can be risky. Therefore kicks have a secondary role. Their purpose is to disrupt, destabilize and create openings to strike with the hands. The hand strike is usually aimed at the same target as the kick. The target areas are low and can include anywhere between the lower ribs and the feet. To summarize: Number of kicks used/practised: 5, originally 2 or 3 Targets: usually low, from the lower ribs downwards Strategy: kick to disrupt and created openings to strike Role: kicking is secondary. A kick is always immediately followed by a hand strike, often to the same target. How are kicks considered in the system you practise?

The type of students sought is also something to decide when planning an advertisement campaign or publicity stunts. My first instructor purposely planned his advertising to coincide with the beginning of the academic year. With the agreement of the school, he rented a time slot at the campus athletic complex and held a regular training session there for a limited time. During that time he put up posters. Flyers were also included with each campus map given to new students. This probably work more than anything else he did.

The actually are books and audio materials available cheaply online and in large bookstores that are specifically for learning "dojo japanese". A quick search revealed at least half a dozen items focused on learning to function in a Japanese dojo where only martial arts terms are covered and very little else. A good start would be getting s good list of phrases and words online and slowly memorize that. Finding this for free is very quick and easy if you take the time to do it.

All advertising techniques can be effective. They only require a focus and a target audience otherwise it is all chance and dumb luck. Word of mouth is good but only effective if the dojo already has a well established reputation. A simple flyer or poster is great but it depends on where, when and how it is distributed. The same can be said of promotional demonstrations. Some dojos come up with very creative and original ideas but why try to reinvent the wheel?

Unfortunately, there are people who engage in high-risk physical activities while refusing to accept that they may be injured and refusing to take responsibility and seek to blame others. Not making any kind of provisions to prevent problems is very unwise. In my youth and teens I have personally endured being knocked out twice, a very nasty black eye and countless sprains or bruise of varying seriousness. I was also witness to a broken nose. Despite nobody very sought to hold anyone else accountable because the instructor had a strict set of rules and a detailed policy explained to each student or their parents. In this day and age there is no such thing as being too cautious. Martial arts training is by nature a risky and dangerous activity. It should not ever be considered a hobby and must always be approached with the most serious commitment. Treating it as anything any less serious is the surest way to get hurt and results invariably in failure one way or another. That is what training karate in its native culture for years has taught me.

A search of known kata from shitoryu showed over 50 kata names but none even remotely similar to the name neuro. Myojo is a high level form and only practised by some branches and schools. Does the OP remember a dojo or instructor name?

According to the video link from YouTube it is Shito-ryu. This is a Japanese style known among other things by its very high number of kata practised. This might also make it difficult to determine which one the OP is looking for. A person who trains in shitoryu would be the right one to ask.

It would be most helpful to anyone inclined to help you if you could provide the name of the system teaching the kata you are referring to. Without this or other key details it is very difficult to give a possible name.

Despite TKD's notoriously bad reputation for being nothing more than daycare in an exotic Asian background, it can be possible for children to train. However, if serious training is the goal, the starting age should be based on the average child's mental and physical development stages. Following this, 3 or 4 years old is too early for a regular training session. To adapt training it may be a good idea to test the child's ability to concentrate to see how long it will be possible to focus on one thing. Once this is clear, it can be used to slowly introduce training before allowing the child to join training session.

This is a very unfortunate accident but it was entirely preventable. Kumite is supposed to be a training exercise, not a competition to see who is better than whom. Especially when the participants have a wide gap in skills, power or age. Insufficient control and unclear regulation of the exercise can also result in accidents with injuries and trouble for everyone involved, especially the instructor. The OP was very, very lucky that the opponent and everyone else did not find fault. In most cases like this, somebody will seek some kind of legal recourse. It is pricisely for this reason that kumite must be strictly regulated and supervised. Perhaps the instructor might take this incident as a good reason to make some changes for safety and to protect himself from potentially unpleasant legal consequences. In my mid-teens I remember being asked to do kumite with an adult. I was sixteen and she was a 3rd Dan. I was sure that she had the level to take anything I might throw but even when she blocked it made her wince. After one or two lucky shots hit she was crying. After that, I always refused to do any kind of kumite or drill with a girl or anyone younger. I felt terrible to say the least.

Luckily for you the man was not as daft or drunk as he might have seemed. I know many cases where saying something like that would actually be taken as a threat or challenge. There are some fools out there who look for trouble and insist on finding it. These are the types who will attack you even if what you said was not about their momma. As for me, in such as situation I prefer to back off without dropping my guard and keeping an eye on the fellow. It is very rare that the aggressor follows. Usually they are satisfied because they think they scared me away.

A long time ago when I was around ten years old, a very funny but embarrassing thing happened. My self and 10 others were standing in rows ready to start. As soon as we started doing jumping-jacks I had a fart attack and kept farting loudly with each count. The sensei and a few others had laughing fit requiring them to sit down and relax to try to stop laughing. From that time there was always one of the kids who made fart noises instead of counting when their turn came. It was a good 6 weeks before hilarity died down, but that's what I was known and remembered for long afterwards.

When compared to karate on the Japanese mainland, the okinawan karate schools generally have comparatively higher and shorter stances. Kicking techniques are usually aimed low, no higher than the lower ribs area. Techniques are short and compact, close to the body. This is the shortest and most concise explanation I can give. Another thing to consider is that many differences came about as karate was introduced to Japan and adapted for competition as well as the Japanese mentality of that era.

In tournaments it is considered a point deduction if the person rattles the weapons excessively or on purpose; fumbles or drops the weapon or allows it to touch the floor. In general, weapons should be wielded smoothly without any sort of entangling or rattling. Basically it is anything that might be a flaw or an opening which a real enemy would exploit. The same principle applies to empty hand kata. Weapons are no different because they are meant as extensions of limbs, not just accessories

Passing a student to avoid the risk of losing a student is not a very good idea or an effective strategy. There is absolutely nothing an instructor can do to prevent a student from quitting, not even a promotion and new coloured belt. Sooner or later some students will stop showing up. Even after being given(not earning) a promotion that was meant to motivate or retain them. Free or automatic promotions actually devalue them and make it more likely for people to quit. When someone has worked hard for something they know what it cost to obtain it and are far less likely to give it up and quit.