JR 137

"A wise man never limits his options." (I can't remember who said it, but he was pretty smart) There's a time and a place for everything. Watch a guy like Hajime Kazumi throw a kick at thigh height or lower in the middle of a combination and ask yourself if it would or wouldn't be effective in a real self defense situation. Standing back and throwing head kicks without any preparatory or follow up techniques has extremely limited real world effectiveness. Add a jump or spin to the kick and it's more limited. Will it NEVER work? Nope. Any time you teach someone how to strike properly, you increase their chances of walking away from an encounter. Any time you teach them how to move properly, you increase their chances. Guarantee? NEVER. Martial arts training, or ANY other self defense training will never turn any/every student into some lethal street killing machine, just like teaching someone how to shoot a rifle won't make them some elite special forces sniper. Unless you're teaching Ameri-Do-Te or Rex Kwon Do, you're increasing the student's chance of survival. Even cardiokickboxers who've been taught the right way to hit the bag have a better chance than someone who's never thrown a punch or kick. We can pick a choose "EXCEPTIONS" to the rule easily as likes of Michael Jordan, Peyton Manning, Mike Tyson , Lebron James, Derek Jeter, Messi, Machida,etc.. etc.. etc.. But i tend to see students as the "OTHER" 99.99999% of the population that are "normal". I "ASSUME" that alot of people posting are "instructors" posting here. So be honest when i ask this next question. "A wise man never limits his options." (I can't remember who said it, but he was pretty smart) Is it wise to teach all the Katas,strikes and kicks to everyone so the STUDENTS has the "options" to do as he pleases? I feel it is the instructors choice to teach various techniques and katas when the instructors feels the students are ready. AGAIN i know what is post next is going to rub alot of people the wrong way.... IN MY OPINION, even a great amount of instructors are not even ready for the Katas and techniques they learn.... Just remember, it is just my opinion and a random person on the internet posting this. so please do not get bent out of shape over my posts. I agree with what you're saying, but I think you took my post a little too literally. My Hajime Kazumi reference wasn't meant as if he can do it, anyone can. It was meant as a reference to combinations with kicks to the thigh in them. I'm pretty sure most people could learn a 1-2 roundhouse to the thigh followed by another 1-2 combination. Who'll benefit from it and will make it effective for a self defense situation? Those who practice it with intent. Same as any technique really. Who'll make a spear hand/nukite an effective self defense technique? Those who practice it with intent. I've never practiced that one outside of at the air in kata, so I'm guilty too. Never limiting your options doesn't mean teach everyone every single technique out there. Teach the basics - how to stand, then how to move; how to make a fist, then how to punch; how to block, then how to move with minimal blocking without getting hit. How to effectively throw a kick at someone's knees, then higher up. And on and on. Everyone wants to be Bruce Lee, but seemingly no one wants to put in his amount of blood, sweat, and tears. How do you makes kicks effective in self defense? Practice with intent. The old Japanese saying - Ren Ma - keep polishing. For the record, I'm not an instructor nor an expert. I was preparing for my nidan test, got an offer for a graduate assistantship I couldn't refuse, then my 2 year break turned into 15 years somehow. I've been back at it for about 6 months now. And your posts are valuable IMO. They take people out of their comfort zone and force them to think about why they do what they do. There's a lot of very good people here. I'm pretty sure you're one of them.

I haven't heard that saying, but it definitely carries weight. But... Don't fear the man who's done 1 kata 1,000 times; fear the man who knows what the kata truly means and has done it 1,000 times. Practicing a kata as a parrern of glorified dance steps a million times won't really get you anywhere. Practicing it, or more appropriately studying it and dissecting it at an intellectual and physical level is what should be done. I definitely see how spending more time at kata that aren't very "deep" at the expense of others is frustrating. I get that same feeling every now and again.

My guard is similar to the woman in Luther's pic, except I have my hands out further from my chest. I usually block stuff targeted at my ribs and stomach sticking my elbows at it, moving my arms minimally while my opponent gets the point of my elbow across the back of their fist, foot, or shin. When it works right anyway. That leaves my hands to either push stuff away from higher attacks, grab, or counter faster. Hard to describe.

I think your mistake in this was that you changed it during competition. You didn't have any experience (that I know of) with this guard before relying on it. Unless the competition is low, stick to what you know. Give the altered guard a through try in practice/class, not when it's going to potentially punish you most, so to speak. Minor adjustments such as moving your hands out, up, etc. a few inches are a different matter, but going from holding your hands by your chin to holding them at your stomach is pretty drastic IMO. The dojo is where I'd try drastic (relatively speaking) changes. Unless it's your sensei or another person you train with regularly that knows you pretty well giving you that advice (or the judge telling you you have to), don't make major changes to technique during competition.

I was thinking the same thing as Sensei8. Big enough to freely perform any kata you practice. Include kicks in kata too, such as the side kick in Pinan 2. Your best bet is to probably put a cone where you'd start a kata, and put cones at the furthest points of the kata. I'd add 5 feet to be on the safe side. Mark it off with stakes at the corners and run some twine/rope/wire around the stakes as a perimeter. Work out in that area a few times, and take it from there. Add appropriate space for punching bags, strength and conditioning equipment if you have any interest in those as well. Same goes for storage. Things like weapons and mats take up space.

I'm a big fan of kata, but I have to say it - I think most schools do too many. Seido's kyu kata syllabus - Taikyoku 1-3 Pinan 1-5 Sanchin Gekisai Dai Yantsu Tensho Saiha Plus 4 Seido kata that are developed by Tadashi Nakamura. That makes 18 if my math is accurate. At nidan and up, there's 1 or 2 for each dan level, which is far more appropriate IMO. Shodan has 3 kata required, but 2 of them are shorter kyu-like in number of steps (Gekisai Sho and Seido 5), plus Seiunchin. I don't think there's any empty hand kata after 4th or 5th dan, but that's just speculation. I'm a fan of less is more, but I fully understand why the kyu ranks have these kata. They're very good kata IMO and do a great job of preparing students for yudansha kata. The Pinan kata are great for preparing for Kanku, as the Pinan kata were reportedly developed by taking Kanku (aka Kusanku) apart and making it simpler for beginners. The non-Pinan kata such as Tensho and Saiha are my favorites, so no complaints there either. I shouldn't say this, but I just do the Seido specific kata just because of syllabus. I put 100% physical effort into them when I'm doing them, but my heart nor my brain are fully into them.

I took the OP question as only practiced by your school/style; not unique in the sense that there's nothing out there like it. Not that I thought you directed that question to me. Unsu is a great kata to watch. My old organization did it at either sandan or yondan. To the best of my knowledge, Seido doesn't have it in its syllabus. I really wanted to learn it. Perhaps one day when I've mastered every kata I'm responsible for lol.

Seido has some unique kata, developed by Tadashi Nakamura (the founder). Kyu ranks learn Seido 1-4, and I believe Seido 5 is at 1st dan. The Seido kata have an upside down T embussen (path of steps) similar to Pinan 3-5, although instead of turning around and stepping forward back down the middle, you step straight backward with the techniques. There are a few black belt kata, which I assume he has created as well Seido Empi No Kata Dai and Sho - look nothing like Empi kata from Shotokan and the like Koryu Gojushiho - Kind of resembles Gojushiho Sho and Dai, but probably only if someone said the name first There are a few bo kata that are possibly his creation too. I don't know if those black belt and bo kata are in fact his creation or not. I haven't learned them, so I'll hold off on asking him until I do.

I got disillusioned with point fighting pretty quickly. 2 personal experiences that really stand out... My opponent landed a hook kick to the side of my head. Controlled, not excessive contact, etc. Split second later I landed 2 or 3 punches in his ribs. I was awarded a full point. I even told the referee his landed first. We both looked at him, and he said "I saw that, but he didn't bring his kicking foot back down to where it started from." The three of us were very respectful about it all; there were no arguments. But seriously? What's more important, landing the technique under control or 'perfectly sticking your landing?' He came back down in a fighting stance. It's not gymnastics. The second one was between a Yondan and sandan. The Yondan threw a ridgehand/haito coming down and stopped it about an inch from the collarbone. Perfect movement, execution, timing, etc. It should have been a video about how and when to throw it. Intentionally stopped it before contact. Result? Disqualified for an illegal technique. The sandan told the referee it didn't land. Both guys had a look of amazement on their faces, yet stayed very respectful. There's a lot more ridiculous stuff in point fighting, but these two were the final straw for me. Both happened on the same day too. Maybe one of these days I'll compete again just to change things up, but I know I'll walk away asking myself "what was I thinking?"

Kyokushin and its offshoots have some kata that aren't done much, if at all outside of Kyokushin. They weren't developed by Mas Oyama either, so it's odd that virtually no one else does them... Yantsu - said to be of Chinese origin, but that's about it. No one else that I know of does it. Gekisai Sho - people assume Miyagi developed it because Gekisai Dai, but no Goju or any other sources that I've come across mention it. It's not Gekisai Dai ichi or ni. Again, no one else that I know of does it. Tsuki No - one other non-Kyokushin school does it, but I can't remember who. Incorrectly (I think*) attributed to Tadashi Nakamura developing it. *I'll confirm this when I meet him again if the situation allows. A lot of Kyokushin offshoots keep these kata. Being an offshoot, Seido does too. Yantsu is an advanced green belt kata, Tsuki No at brown belt, and Gekisai Sho at shodan. Kyokushin does each at one belt higher (I think). If anyone's got some information on these katas' origins, I'm all ears.

Is Uechi Ryu based on Shorin Ryu? I've heard it's the most "Chinese" of the Okinawan schools. The most "mainstream" kata they do is Sanchin, but it's not like most others. I may be wrong, but I think that's the only kata they do that's not unique to them.

"A wise man never limits his options." (I can't remember who said it, but he was pretty smart) There's a time and a place for everything. Watch a guy like Hajime Kazumi throw a kick at thigh height or lower in the middle of a combination and ask yourself if it would or wouldn't be effective in a real self defense situation. Standing back and throwing head kicks without any preparatory or follow up techniques has extremely limited real world effectiveness. Add a jump or spin to the kick and it's more limited. Will it NEVER work? Nope. Any time you teach someone how to strike properly, you increase their chances of walking away from an encounter. Any time you teach them how to move properly, you increase their chances. Guarantee? NEVER. Martial arts training, or ANY other self defense training will never turn any/every student into some lethal street killing machine, just like teaching someone how to shoot a rifle won't make them some elite special forces sniper. Unless you're teaching Ameri-Do-Te or Rex Kwon Do, you're increasing the student's chance of survival. Even cardiokickboxers who've been taught the right way to hit the bag have a better chance than someone who's never thrown a punch or kick.

Instead of one person using it while the rest of the class watches and waits their turn, it could be one of several stations. One student at the glideboxx, a pair in another section doing focus mitts, another pair doing prearranged sparring drills, etc. But I think this is truly for the hardcore practicioner to have at their home, or in a place like UFC Gym (formerly LA Boxing) or a big dojo that emphasizes kumite and competition like a Kyokushin dojo. It's basically a niche product within a niche market. It won't revolutionalize training; it's just another training tool. A seemingly very good training tool, but a training tool nonetheless.

According to Amazon, price starts at $2k http://www.amazon.com/Glideboxx-GlideBoxx-Training-System/dp/B00FAWBK9S Not going to happen in my house, unfortunately.

One of those things that has me (and I'm sure many others) saying "Why didn't I think of that?!" Seems like a great invention/innovation. The only roadblock I have is space. This will probably end up mostly in gyms/dojos due to the space it potentially requires, thereby eliminating the very essence of its creation - simulating movement when you don't have a training partner. Any idea of price? Looks expensive, but I don't think it's controlled by an electric motor or computerized system, potentially keeping the cost down. I think I heard the guy say bungie cords in a video somewhere on the website. Installation would probably be tricky too. Coming from a family of mechanics and a contractor or two, I probably wouldn't have problems finding help installing it, but most people don't have that luxury either. Probably needs some sort of professional installation. Where and how to hang a traditional heavy bag is difficult enough sometimes; this takes that to the extreme. Not bashing it at all; just stating why it probably won't be in everyone's "home gym." I'd be all over it (if it's affordable), but first I need the guy who's taken up all the space in my basement to get out.

Avoid instructor will be proficient in most of them. A great instructor will be proficient in all of them, and excell in many of them. Keep in mind the student-teacher relationship as well. Some students won't gel with some teachers, no matter how good either or both are. Everyone's got their own unique personalities.

I didn't watch the whole thing, but I plan to when I have more time. So far, what I take from it is that it was a different era altogether. Different viewpoints, outlook on life, etc., and not just in MA. We've "softened up" as a society. Not saying that's good or bad, as there's good and bad to any change; good or bad overall is a different thread. I'm pretty sure Joe Lewis's karate was a result of his military service, training overseas. I wonder how many of those guys' MA training originated overseas as well. That could very well be the single biggest the difference between then and now if one is looking for the one answer (even though it's more complex that that). The combat servicemen of that era had a far different outlook on life and what being "tough" meant than we have today. Right, wrong, or indifferent, it was a very different era. Also, that was their "MMA." They weren't playing what some refer to as a safe game of tag; they were fighting. The modern day version of what they were doing is probably closest to Kyokushin/knockdown competition. Just my opinions.

People bash point sparring, and sometimes for good reasons. But, it definitely has its place. The problem with it is when it's the only goal of sparring/type of sparring. Sparring needs to be varied. It reminds me of when my uncle was taking TKD - everyone in the dojo, including senior instructors were telling him he shouldn't throw punches, because "punches don't score points." This wasn't during competition training either. His response: "I'm not here to score points." After several months of it he walked away.

Stupid me did a paper on altitude training in college exercise physiology class that was taught by a reknowned altitude training expert. Altitude training has definite benefits... Lung capacity (VO2 Max) increases Red blood cell count increases You form more capillaries in your lungs and muscles Basically, your body becomes more effecient at getting oxygen in, and carbon dioxide out. With that being said, it's far harder to train at altitude than sea level. You can't get nearly as much work done. Most experts will agree that best regimen is living at high altitude and training at low altitude. Altitude training benefits endurance athletes the most - marathon runners, cyclists and the like. It helps start-stop athletes like football players as well, because it shortens their recovery time. I know nothing about the mask. Not endorsing it in any way, or opposing it either. Just giving a very brief/superficial view of altitude training for anyone interested.

The snap sound is for kids IMO. More a trick than anything else. It's funny because my old sensei used to tell us to make or gis snap as loud as possible when he wanted us to throw some power behind techniques. My current sensei tells a few kids to stop trying to make their gi pop. They alter the mechanics of the punches to get the maximum pop sound. As far as randori, only time will tell if it'll hold up. If your sensei sold you the gi and it breaks down a lot faster than he said it will, let him know about it (politely, of course). If you're doing heavy duty grappling/throwing, the best and heaviest karate gi won't hold up. If it becomes a problem, asking your sensei about judo/jujitsu gis is a good idea. I've got to find out if I can get my gis embroidered, as I'm not a fan of patches. Our honbu sells embroidered gis, but I don't like the gi itself. I wonder if they have a company that I can send my gi to. Sorry... Embroidery is cool!

Very good point. Some make breaking an art within an art. Speaking of this thread in general, it reminds me of an article I read about a decade or two ago. Written by a tai chi or Kung fu master, he stated that the only things he and his students break are coconuts. Coconuts are very close to hitting a human skull in his opinion. They start out kneeling on the ground, and hitting the coconut that's on the ground. They progress to holding the coconut with one hand and striking it with the other, then the final step is hanging it from a string and breaking it. Punching and breaking a coconut freely hanging from a string takes some serious skill IMO. Power, speed, and technique. Maybe one of these days I'll try his progression. One of these days...

Is this the Shureido gi? Wash cold, hang dry ASAP. I put my jacket on a coat hanger in the bathroom to dry, and the pants on one of those folding up drying rack things. Smooth out the gi right out of the washer before you hang it up. That gi takes a bit of time for the fibers to loosen up and break in. After a while, it shouldn't wrinkle up too bad. How you fold it also helps a lot. I've recently begun folding my gi like in the link, and I've noticed it being far better than how I used to fold it like a t-shirt and jeans. I don't wrap the belt around it though. http://www.karatebyjesse.com/how-to-fold-karate-gi-like-a-japanese/

Enshin Karate and Ashihara karate use "modern" kata. Both systems' founders made their own kata and got rid of traditional kata. Ed Parker did the same thing when he founded American Kempo. There are a lot of people who've done the same; some have big/well known organizations, and some are probably people we've never heard of nor will ever hear of. IMO traditional karate observes the "traditional" etiquette such as uniforms, rank structure, the various ways of showing respect, adherence to the ethical/moral principals laid down by the likes of Funakoshi, Miyagi, etc., and teaching traditional kata. I think most think of that stuff as a minimum when they think "traditional." Outside of that stuff, I view it as differences in teaching methods, not traditional vs non-traditional. As far as I know, Enshin karate checks all those boxes except traditional kata. Their slogan is interesting - "Traditional Karate, EVOLVED." In response to what a "modern kata" looks like: Enshin black belt kata

The mechanics of throwing anything full force are different than throwing them in the air and throwing them at anything/someone at partial force. You make a great point about balance. If all you do is throw stuff at the air or "pull" your punches or any other strike, when you throw it full force, you could easily end up falling over. My full force roundhouse kick isn't nearly as high as one thrown in the air or against a sparring partner. Not on purpose, but it is what it is. Heavy bags and shields teach you how to control your body while allowing a level of force that you don't want to generate against a partner.

I don't agree that not practicing full-force trains you to pull punches in a real situation. I used to think this, and it makes all the sense in the world on paper, after all, you play/fight the way you train. However, look at pro fighters - they don't suffer from this. Yes, they're professionals and we're not, so there's a world of difference. I think you definitely have to practice throwing full-force techniques in order to truly be able to use them, but it doesn't have to be at an opponent. That's what heavy bags and the like are for. Full contact definitely has its place. Personally, I think it's something that should be done by any serious martial artist for a brief period of time in their career to gain the experience of it. There's nothing like it in that regard. Being 39, I view it as something great to do for a few years in your early 20s, then give it a rest. You definitely have to maintain the conditioning of being struck, but that can be done through drills like exchanging a few well placed kicks and punches with some force behind them with a partner, so how the Okinawan instructors repeatedly strike students during kata and kihon; it doesn't have to be done during full-contact free sparring. If you don't know what I'm referring to, check videos of Okinawan karate training. Their senseis like using a shinai.