Doomed

Just for the sake of discussion, which do you consider the better (or more practical) technique for self-defense, the traditional corkscrew punch, or the palm heel strike?

I've been wondering what variations of Kempo there were. Do these variations differ from each other in terms of theories and techniques, or are the differences strictly a matter of lineage?

While I've been practicing Karate, and keeping myself active at my job, I know that I won't be truly fit until I make the attempt and work towards it. Problem is, I'm not too sure what to do; For the last several years, I've been dealing with lower back and hip issues, and I've been afraid that doing weight training would aggravate them. I've been doing resistance bands, but I would like to do some light weight-training. I've also been doing calisthenics on and off. I'm mainly focusing on strength-training and trimming the waist. Can anyone here offer some advice on what to do, as far as exercises go? What routines, if any, do you personally do?

Thanks, Patrick!

As someone who doesn't know much of Tang Soo Do, would you be kind enough as to tell me the major variations of TSD, along with their key differences? I'm not very familiar with the Korean martial arts, so much of this is admittedly going over my head. ^__^' EDIT: Never mind. Didn't notice the other post asking the same question lol.

Thanks! I had to record a testing video and send it to my Sensei, Master John Bryan. Now that I've earned my yellow belt rank, I'm able to train for the orange belt, which I can safely say is far more challenging than when I trained for yellow belt. In addition to doing yellow belt and new techniques while working more extensively on stances, I also must train for my first kata. My Sensei emphasized throughout that training extensively is king; Whereas around at least ten to twelve hours of training was necessary for 8th Kyu, at least two hours a week for a three month period is required before testing for 7th Kyu. I've told myself I'll be training for at least four or five before testing. I want to be at my best when I take the test.

I'd like for Karate, Wushu, and Bowling to become Olympic events. Why? Because they're all awesome. And, to be fair, It'd help legitimize the art of Karate even further in my opinion. If Tae Kwon Do, Wrestling and Boxing can be given the Olympic treatment, why not Karate?

Thank you very much, guys! And yes, Sensei8, it feels very good. It always feels good when hard work pays off.

This is some awesome stuff you have here! As a fellow karateka, I'm always looking for good videos like these to study. Keep up the good work!

I haven't been on here in a while, but I was caught between work and training to obtain my 8th Kyu yellow belt. So, I tested for my yellow belt the other day, and was informed yesterday morning that I passed my test! I'm now officially a yellow belt, and I'm looking forward to starting my training for the 7th Kyu orange belt.

Don't mean to bump a dead thread, but I ordered Fumio Demura's "Nunchaku: Karate Weapon of Self-Defense", and just got it in the mail yesterday. So far, a very good and informative book. So glad I got it.

It really depends. My yellow belt lesson is thiry-plus minutes, so if I had no other choice, I would set my kick training for another time of the day and make absolute sure my strikes, blocks and stances were accounted for.

So, last week I was lurking around YouTube for various martial arts videos and whatnot, and I stumbled onto a martial art known as "Small Circle Jujitsu" that was developed by Wally Jay. As I was watching the video, I thought the idea of controlling an opponent by manipulating their finger was very interesting. The way the techniques were done were crisp and lightning-fast, and made me think of Aikido to a huge degree. But it also made me ponder a bit. My question is for anyone who's trained (or currently training) in SCJJ, or even has a passing interest in it: How practical is it in a real-life situation? Demonstrations are a good aid for developing technique, I know, but how effective is it from a self-defense standpoint? I mean no disrespect to either the art or the practitioners, but it's something I've been thinking about. Here's the video in question, for those interested.

It's never too late to take up martial arts. I'm only 25, but I just started getting into Karate. If I hadn't dropped out of Tae Kwon Do back when I was seven, who knows how much better shape I'd be in. But since starting, I've shed some pounds, and I feel stronger every time I practice. I don't like that I waited so long, but I'm glad I'm doing it.

To add to this, the writer of the Karate Kid movies, Robert Mark Kamen, studied Isshin-Ryu. :0 Also, did you know that Ed O'Neill is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?

No, even though they share the name. The style I speak of was created by Master John Bryan, who's based in the UK. It's grounded in Goju Ryu, with elements of Shotokan and Wado Ryu. Shotokan is always a popular Karate style, and for good reason. While you're training, I highly recommend picking up "Karate-Do: My Way of Life" by Master Gichin Funakoshi if you haven't yet; He founded Shotokan and introduced Karate to Japan in the 1920's. Great read, and it would undoubtedly impress your instructors if you were to know the style's origins. Karate is about physical and mental discipline, after all.

My bad, Sensei8. ^__^' Out of curiosity, what are the main differences between Shindokan and Seido? I recall you saying Shindokan was mainly hand strikes, but what about Seido? Fair enough. It made me think of it a bit, so I had to ask.

Thanks, sensei8. Those techniques were executed perfectly in my opinion. And this is the style you've been doing for 50+ years? You must be a beast, then! Also, the way the techniques were done made me think of Aikido; Is this style based on Aikido in any way? Armanox, from all those styles, you sound like quite the journeyman. Liger, welcome to the forum! You'll have fun here.

Does anyone here like wrestling? I've been a fan since I was a little kid. While it was WCW and the likes of Goldberg, Hollywood Hulk Hogan, and DDP that introduced me to wrestling, it was WWF (now WWE) and guys like The Rock, Stone Cold, Chris Jericho and the like that made me stay.

That sounds pretty cool. I decided to look up the Toma, to get a better understanding, and is this the video you're referring to? Whether it is or not, I still love this video. Everything flows so well.

Fumio Demura's name rings a bell. I'll definitely look into this. And I do enjoy Nishiuchi Sensei's videos on the subject; simple and to-the-point. Thanks for the recommendations so far, guys! Sorry I haven't responded sooner, but I am very grateful.

Those are the main videos I've been training with. Those are probably the best videos on the Nunchacku I can find. Much of the other videos I come across are either what I consider the "Kung Fu" style, or are more about teaching tricks with Nunchaku. Good videos like the ones you posted seem to be hard to find.

As far as strictly Karate movies go, I personally enjoy The Karate Kid and The Karate Kid II. They don't have a lot of action and are a bit formulaic, granted, but I love the sense of balance: Physical and mental discipline are given equal emphasis. Martial Arts, in general? It's tough, but I'll go with the Matrix trilogy. Slickly done action scenes, with an epic arc that makes you think. Pretty underrated, in my opinion.

I haven't played a tabletop game before. Dungeons & Dragons seems pretty fun, though.

While I'm still (mostly) new to Karate, I'm one of those who personally thinks that learning at least one weapon form is essential. As much as a sword guy I am, though, I've fallen in love with the Nunchaku, or the Okinawan Kobudo style of it. I have no transportation, so I can't actively seek out any dojos that teach Kobudo. Having said that, I still really want to learn the style. The only ways I'm able to learn any of the techniques are though videos online, or through books. Are there any here who could recommend either a good instructional video and/or book? Or even any training tips? It'll be much appreciated.