JR 137

I also would try a few different brands to get the right fit. In addition to what’s been said, Shureido makes gis that fit people like me better - I’m 5’9 and weigh 220 lbs. Ronin’s heavyweight gi fit me pretty well and was around $70 or so. Only problem I had with it was it kept shrinking, well after the initial shrinking and even with washing it cold and hang drying after the first few washes. Shureido isn’t cheap. I think their cheapest gi will run about $140 or so after shipping. Until you find the right gi, have you considered wearing a t-shirt such as a plain white Under Armour t-shirt under your gi?

I’ve heard about that stuff too, it only saw it once in my former dojo. She was a very good fighter, very good assistant teacher, and a very nice person outside the dojo. When she was in charge, ie sensei wasn’t there, she was on a huge power trip. A few of the seniors went to our sensei with a few specifics. She was gone soon thereafter. Her reaction to the allegations told my former sensei all he needed to know. That wasn’t tolerated at my former dojo, and it wouldn’t be tolerated in my current dojo. There’s stories of 2 or 3 people doing similar things when our CI was away. They were shown the door without hesitation once the allegations were known to be legitimate. They all opened their own dojos afterwards. None survived more than a few years at best. The dojo should be a home away from home. Sure people are going to have their differences and everyone isn’t going to be the best of friends, but there’s no room for making people feel uncomfortable in their training.

I kick with both. It depends on the target. And my position. The lower my kick and/or the closer I am, the more I use the shin. The higher I kick and/or the further away I am, I use my instep. If I could reach every target with my shin, I’d use that almost exclusively, to be honest. It feels more like a “thud” and less like a “smack.” Being 5’9”, having a 29” inseam, and being inflexible, the only people I’m kicking in the head with my shin are oompah lumpahs. Kicking higher than my own belt is a dojo sparring thing, to be honest. While I’m pretty sure I’d never do it in an actual encounter, you never know. If I really wanted to kick someone in the head in a true fight, I’d only do it if their head was on the ground or very close to it. So I don’t think about it much. I’d shin kick their thighs, knees, lower leg, etc. if I kicked at all.

I fully agree with the “advanced kick.” Pure rubbish, but you’re correct - it’s Hollywood. And I cringe every single time I see Seiunchin done in the original movies (2 and 3) and this series. Do it right or don’t do it at all. There’s many ways to do that kata, and NONE OF THEM are the way it’s done in the movies and series. And don’t make it even stupider by having it done to “focus” like it was done at times (without spoiling it). I know I sound like some kata snob saying that, but I’m genuinely not. Do it right or do something else IMO. Making up a kata would’ve been better than the hack job they’ve continually done. Rant over. Unless of course anyone agrees and picks up where I left off

Is the lightweight gi you’re referring to the KA-9? I ordered one and tried it on. It was too light for my taste. It was an excellent gi, but for the $140 or so I paid (with shipping), I thought the K-11 was significantly better for a little more money.

As you point out, its in the back where BOB is attached to the stand with the screws where it rips. That's what's happened with previous BOBs of mine over time. A main reason I want to only get the top part is not only to perhaps save some money but also because I don't want an extra bottom part which I don't need and which takes up lots of space. You mention the BOB XL which has a closed back, I will look into that the next time I purchase a BOB. I’ve never seen a BOB XL in stores, only the standard BOB. This video shows the back of the BOB XL so you can see the difference https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=b39zurFFrXA

That’s not unreasonable if they’re taught how to do that and the test is testing what they’ve been taught But yeah, I get your point and agree.

Yes, I could see that as being a drawback!! Don't want the Testing Cycle to be without challenges, just extremely difficult for the integrity of the Testing Cycle. If the Testing Cycle was super easy, what would that say for the Testing Cycle, and for the ranking system of that Governing Body or dojo/dojang?? My former sensei told me about a former teacher of his and his interesting stuff... The former teacher was the head of his own organization. Bare knuckle, full-contact karate. Late 70s. After the teacher built up a solid student and satellite dojo base, every 1st kyu testing for 1st dan failed the test the first time they tested. Everyone, regardless of how good they were and did. When the CIs of the satellite dojos caught onto it, the head guy said that was part of the test - to see how they’d react after the setback. Students didn’t catch on for a while, as when you have to do 15 rounds of knockdown kumite against a fresh black belt every round, it’s quite easy to justify saying the candidate could’ve done better. Especially starting the kumite portion after about 4-5 hours of nonstop kihon, kata and other drills. Odd thing is the test cost $150 (in the late 70s), and everyone retaking it had to pay the full amount again. CIs started looking at the test as not only unfair but also as a cash-grab. It’s pretty hard to disagree with that assessment. That organization went from about 1,500 students total at about a dozen satellite dojos and the honbu dojo to just the honbu dojo with about 30 students. And the head guy teaches one upper ranks black belts class every other week. The head guy claims the numbers dwindled because students these days are too soft. I know several of his former CIs. They’ll tell you many other reasons, with that test and the training being the smallest part. But the testing cycle was the start of it. Edit: I don’t disagree with the test and the rigor of it itself. My shodan test was similar. Then again, with the Apple not falling far from the tree, it’s only natural that my former sensei was demanding. It was easily the most physically demanding thing I’ve ever done. But where my former sensei differed was the students who deserved to pass actually passed rather than playing his former sensei’s game. And he charged a fair price for the test, which was a little less that what his former sensei was charging almost 20 years earlier.

I competed 2 years ago. Last time I competed was around 1999/2000. As a 40 year old vs a 20-something, my whole outlook was different. This time I wasn’t there to beat everyone else. I was there to beat myself; to perform my kata and spar better than I ever have and ever thought I could. Going into it, I thought I can’t control how good or bad the competition will be, I can only try my best to control how good I’ll be. I performed my kata better than I’ve ever performed it. We had 24 people in my division from at least 6 different countries. I placed 3rd. Of the 2 ahead of me, one was a little better, and the first place guy was so far ahead of us all (former pro dancer and high level amateur gymnast has certain advantages:) ). The 2 guys I point-fought beat me, but I was happy with how I did. The points they called and didn’t call left us shaking our heads, but it was fun. It says something when 2 separate points are awarded against you, and the opponent asks afterwards if those two punches actually landed. I just smiled and said “those 2 didn’t land, but there were others that did and didn’t get called. Train hard, outdo yourself rather than the competition, and have fun with it. You can’t control the scoreboard, judges, or the competition. You can only control how well you do. Do that, and everything else takes care of itself.

Century sells them and all other wavemaster parts individually. When I bought my BOB XL I called and asked if they sold just the tops to other wavemaster bags in case I wanted to interchange different ones. They’re not on the website individually, but they are sold by them. They’re not cheap though. Cheaper than buying the pad and base, but not much cheaper. Buying just the top would save a good amount on shipping if on a whole new setup shipping isn’t free, so I guess the savings are a bit more in the long run. I can’t remember the exact price, but I remember it making me think it wasn’t really worth buying another top just to interchange them. Which BOB torso have you been using, and how does it wear out? One reason I bought the BOB XL is because it has the closed back instead of the open back of the standard BOB. I’ve seen quite a few of the standard BOBs rip on the back where the screws go through it to attach to the shaft. The BOB XL doesn’t have that issue as far as I know; the rubber torso goes all the way around.

How much have we really evolved? Doesn’t look that different than us, does it?

Kancho! I just turned 12 again... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanch%C5%8D Maybe that’s why some people use Kaicho instead? I’ll never read or hear the term Kancho the same way again.

I watched the entire series, twice, for free. Key word - free. YouTube Red has a free 30 day trial period. I’ve got a few days to cancel before my account gets billed. There’s really nothing else to make me want to pay for a subscription. I thought the rest of the episodes were better than the first two.

I’d go with wrestling shoes outdoors. They’re not going to protect from blocks very much, but they’ll probably be less of a weapon per se when getting hit with a kick. The soles will cause a good burn if you catch someone with the bottom of your foot the right way though. And they’ll be far more comfortable than being barefoot outside. For wrestling shoes I like the ASICS matflex. Good and cheap. I wear them in the dojo from time to time when my plantar fasciitis acts up. If you don’t have a place to try them on and order online, get a size bigger as they run quite small. https://m.dickssportinggoods.com/p/asics-mens-matflex-5-wrestling-shoes-15asimmtflx4blkblwrs/15asimmtflx4blkblwrs?camp=CSE:DSG_pg76061_ecom_PLA_452&gclid=CjwKCAjwrqnYBRB-EiwAthnBFly93oxDFTrRiIbmA1AhXs3UDoYHFBYmtgpX8Vn4jiqWS6HiNxpRThoCV9AQAvD_BwE Or maybe the cloth covered shin and instep pads like these? https://m.dickssportinggoods.com/p/century-cloth-shin-instep-pads-16cenuclthshnnstpthr/16cenuclthshnnstpthr?camp=CSE:DSG_pg33078_ecom_PLA_452&gclid=CjwKCAjwrqnYBRB-EiwAthnBFsz2wyCqmVxEFjgijUguFTSM3jregtMjryfD3oS6sO1nDdQyd4arNBoCIhgQAvD_BwE

I just never got into the stereotypical MA clothing - kanji, tigers, dragons, yin-yang, etc. It was big in the 80s for a little while, and IMO a lot of the 80s should stay in the 80s. Except mullets. And Soul-Glo. And Soul-Glo mullets like Ice Cube had in Boyz N the Hood. That stuff never gets old I’ve got 2 t-shirts. One nice one from Bulltahr’s dojo (thanks again Bulltahr!), and one from mine. It’s our dojo’s 30th anniversary this year and we’re going to have new t-shirts made. Everyone likes the idea of ripping off Bullthar’s dojo’s shirt, so we’ll most do that then I’ll send one to him. I’ve been meaning to buy a few Cobra Kai t-shirts for a while now. Way before the series became a thing.

Sounds way to ninja-esque and cult-like to me. Or just plain delusional. More likely he’s lost a lot of students and wants to save face by coming up with a nonsensical justification to what he’s doing.

I’d say Royce Gracie (and family) is easily the most current/latest game changer. Enormous impact on MA today. I’d also add whoever brought TKD to the US. There’s easily more TKD schools than any other style. In my area, possibly more than every other style combined. It’s not a stretch to say TKD schools make up at least half of the MA schools here, give or take 10%. The only reason I did not mention the rest of the Gracie family, was that it was Royce who was the face at the beginning. It probably could have been any of that generation at the time. TKD seems to do well in this country. Royce was definitely the face of it all, being the pioneer of it in the octagon. His brothers, I think primarily Rickson and Rorion, and his father Helio did as much outside the octagon to promote the UFC and the like as Royce did inside the octagon. I could be wrong though. But yes, Royce was definitely the original face of BJJ here.

I agree. I don't get why? I have fiberoptics in my area, I have high-speed internet, get Roku, Netflix, etc. I don't understand why YouTubeTV isn't available here. I don’t know much about YouTube TV other than the name. Cobra Kai is on YouTube Red. If you have regular YouTube, YouTube Red should be an option, right?

I’d say Royce Gracie (and family) is easily the most current/latest game changer. Enormous impact on MA today. I’d also add whoever brought TKD to the US. There’s easily more TKD schools than any other style. In my area, possibly more than every other style combined. It’s not a stretch to say TKD schools make up at least half of the MA schools here, give or take 10%.

One of the biggest game changers is Mas Oyama. It’s a stretch, but very arguably more so than Bruce Lee IMO. Oyama took Jissen Kumite (bare knuckle full contact) and made it the norm when either no one was doing it or very, very few were. He put theory into practice in a way that no one did previously (or at least on that scale). Kyokushin had and still has students in the millions. Yes it’s hard to verify and refute, but there’s no denying the size of Kyokushin. After Oyama’s death there was significant splintering of Kyokushin. Counting up the number of “official” Kyokushin organizations (IKO 1, IKO2, etc.) and the well known offshoots like ShinKyokushin, Oyama karate, Enshin, Ashihara, Seidokaikan, Seido, Kudo, etc. leads to a ton of practitioners worldwide. Then do the impossible of adding up the dojos who left those organizations and started their own. A huge portion of the karate world can trace their lineage to Mas Oyama. Love him or hate him and what he’s done, there’s no denying the impact he’s had. Sending his students to fight in different countries under different rules and organizing the first world open full contact karate tournament was a huge game changer. All IMO.

I agree, but with a caveat. There is a lot of really good martial arts related stuff online as you say. But there is also an epic amount of utter rubbish, and then there's the heavily biased stuff. YouTube is chock full of videos that follow a tediously repetitive format of vs BJJ/MMA, where we know in advance that the BJJ or MMA man is going to beat up someone who is not very skilled in their art, and probably has little to no experience in the ring. Then there's all the self proclaimed experts. Those that demonstrate things against a compliant opponent and tell us it definitely works. And dare I even mention the self defence brigade or worse, the no touch chi masters. Or those that punch through 10ft of concrete or have base ball bats bust over their heads. And we all know, thanks to the Internet, that aikido doesn't work at all, and karate is a relic. A few years ago Krav Maga was the only style that worked. Before that it was Muy Thai. Today it is BJJ. There is a lot of good stuff online, but I think one needs to already be a reasonably knowledgeable martial artist to be able to separate the wheat from the chaff. I agree with the sentiment that one needs to be an expert to separate the good from the bad, but one doesn’t necessarily have to be an expert. I’m far from an expert (where’s that thread?), yet I can spot it relatively easily. I’d say some experience is necessary. Even people who’ve never trained can see the nonsense; at least people who’ve actually been in a fight. And people with a bit of common sense. The negative things you’ve mentioned are a good point, but they can be very positive too. It all depends on your perspective. I like them because they expose the ridiculousness. They help with credibility and a lack there of. But people also see a snippet of what they’re doing and think that’s all there is or everything they do is along those lines. A great example is my organization (Seido) has an annual tournament, and various dojos hold an in-house tournament. Kumite is point fighting. There’s no other videos I’ve seen of us sparring. People on the outside think that’s all we do. Couldn’t be further from the truth. The number of people competing is a small faction, and its once or twice a year tops. I’ve seen people on other forums asking about Seido, and a few times I’ve head all we do is light contact point fighting for sparring. In over 3 years in Seido, I’ve done one tournament. Preparation for it was several weeks, and it was during off-hours class times (our CI added a weekly class for anyone who wanted to compete). The ones who compete and/or show up to those classes do so to change it up from the normal routine. Some people came to the classes even though they didn’t want to compete. If guess that’s a long-winded way of saying the internet can help and hurt. Not everything everyone does is online; you only get a snapshot.

But wouldn’t keeping leather moist keep it from drying out and cracking?

Welcome aboard

BB degrees do a lot of things and are very good in principle. I look at the EARNING (bold for emphasis) of ALL ranks as a sign of respect. The student has put in the work, and all the stuff that goes with it, and has been elevated in standing within the dojo and organization. Yes, everyone deserves respect until it’s valid to take away said respect, but some have earned much more than that initial respect. My teacher deserves a world of respect more than I do within the organization. He’s run his own dojo for 30 years this year, and was teaching under his former CI for several years before that. All in, he’s closer to 50 years in than just about anyone else in the organization. And we’ve got over 20,000 members. His rank, title, and stripes on his belt are a visual indication of the respect he deserves. Not in a shoved down your throat way, but in a way that when I meet someone of equal rank and don’t know anything else about him, I know he deserves significantly more respect than the norm. Until he does something to lose that anyway. I look at Charles Martin. He’s just been honored for his 50 years as our Kaicho’s student. He’s done so many things for the organization. He’s help so many people along their journey. And I just know the very most tip of the iceberg. He deserves to be elevated above practically everyone in our organization. He’s earned that. Wearing the same belt and having the same title as everyone else in the organization doesn’t tell the unknowing anything. Sure, at the end of the day it’s just a belt, title and rank. But when said person has earned that, it tells people something. Especially when those things were bestowed on him by someone else. If he wore the same thing and was called the same thing as everyone else who’s ever walked through the door, there’d be a lot of explaining to do for the people who didn’t know. With all that, there’s still some explaining to the newbies, but not as much. And they’re far more apt to show that respect to others who are equal rank or near it. When you see that or a similar belt around someone’s waist in our organization, you shut up and listen closely and immediately. Without that, it takes you longer to figure out who’s who. Just some quick opinions. I could keep going.

I think this is a pretty good way of looking at it. Somebody can be very serious about their training and yet not be very talented. This can be a tough one. There are a lot of people who can't dedicate as much of their time as they would like to their training. Yet when they do train, they take it very seriously and work hard at improving. I think that person could still be considered a serious Martial Artist. I only get to the dojo twice a week, for 2.5 hours total. But when I’m there, it’s definitely not casual.