Doomed

I like all the answers I've read so far. Several martial arts I've personally haven't heard of, like Shinkodan and Seido Juku, but that's what makes this kind of forum great to me; I wouldn't have known forums like this weren't around.

50+ years of Karate? That, sir, is awesome. I'm not entirely familiar with Shindokan Saitou-Ryu, though. How would you describe it, in comparison to other styles? That's cool that you stuck with it, sir. I find that level of commitment highly commendable.

Hey, Hansenator, if you find that your back keeps giving you problems, may I recommend taking up a form of yoga? I've found that sort of thing can really take out the kinks in your back after a good stretch.

Before I decided to firmly plant my roots in Kanzen Ryu Karate, I dabbled a little bit in both Kyokushin and Shotokan, and trained in the "Upper Body/Lower Body" techniques of Isshin Ryu for a few months. Just the Kihon, though. This all took place at home via DVDs or YouTube, so I took what I could get lol. What style(s) of Karate do you train in, or have previously trained in? And are there any particular reasons why your styles of choice drew you to them?

I think that it depends on the form you want to train in; If you're going to practice in the Okinawan style of the bo, then I see red oak being your best bet, as you'll need something a little rigid and sturdy. If you want, as you said, a flashier style, or practice the Chinese style, rattan may be the right one for you. Both materials have their advantages from what I understand, but the decision should be based on what all you plan on doing with the bo. Either way, I wish you the best and I hope you have fun with your new bo.

Thanks for the warm welcome, my friends. Can't wait to get to know everyone and make myself at home. Forum's so big and full of topics, I don't know where to begin!

Hey everyone! Username is Doomed, and I'm glad I stumbled onto this place! Now I have somewhere to discuss martial arts to my heart's content! Karate is something I've really been wanting to do for quite some time, and it's only fairly recently that I'd finally gotten that chance. When I was seven, I had signed up for Tae Kwon Do, until dropping out a few weeks later. While I thought nothing of it as a kid, growing up it turned into one of my all-time biggest regrets. Last year, I decided thatA) I couldn't keep letting the big, drooling monkey hang on my back; B) I needed to become stronger and get in better overall shape, along with learn how to defend myself; C) I needed to be as positive an influence to my nephews and niece as I possibly could. After that, I did some research here and there, and I decided that Karate would be best for me, in terms of simplicity and practicality. After dabbling with some karate instructional videos (no transportation = no dojo, in a nutshell) for almost a year, I signed up for the online version of the Kanzen Karate Academy, which is owned and operated by Master John Bryan (7th Dan, Multi-time Kata champion and certified instructor under the British Martial Arts and Boxing Association). The style he teaches is known as "Kanzen Ryu", and it's a hybrid of Goju Ryu, Shotokan, and Wado Ryu. I've been training proper for 1.5-2 months, now, and I've been slowly but surely noticing improvements. Not only do I feel stronger, practicing Karate has given me a real sense of pride and accomplishment, even if I'm still only a white belt. At the moment, I'm currently training for my yellow belt, and I've been definitely putting in the work. And though I'd like to focus on my Karate first and foremost, I'd like to train in other styles in the future. Presently, I've been dabbling in the Okinawan style of the nunchaku; I'm a sword guy, but the nunchaku just compliments Karate so perfectly to me. Anyhoo, thanks for having me and I look forward to my stay here.