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I agree. Also, begin by just concentrating and focusing. And practice what you learn in class at home or in the dorm. Your friends might be a little concerned, but just tell them, "bite me."

No time?! You said you spend 13 hours a day on the computer.

There are only two schools in all of Miami? I have a hard time believing that. A real hard time. I bet I could pull up at least 10 schools in the Miami area. But that's neither here nor there, Coco. You clearly don't want to deal with the truth here.

The problem, Shorin, is that you're a Shorin Ryu practitioner criticising a style that you do not practice, have not practiced for any length of time, and are basing your "evidence" on the hearsay coming from those who want to sell you more Shorin Ryu. Mark Bishop, for instance, was widely criticized for being pretty disrespectful of Goju and non-Shorin senseis he "interviewed" when he wrote his book about Okinawan Karate. This is widely known, and his bias is clear throughout the book. In fact, your criticism of Sanchin is pretty much verbatim from his book: Mark Bishop in his book “Okinawan karate” : “in order to harden the buttocks during the sanchin exercise , forceful closing of the anal sphincter is practiced. This ,I was assured will result in haemorrhoids after only two or three years of regular practice.” He's the only person who has ever reported the sphincter having anything to do with Sanchin, to my knowledge. Also, your assertion that Goju Ryu is a "hard" style show that you have little to no knowledge about the style, and as such, should probably not feed the myths about Sanchin. For your edification, Goju Ryu uses some extremely soft techniques coupled with natural breathing and some very versatile footwork. To think that Goju people breathe heavy while squeezing their sphincters and barely moving around is just...silly. And wrong. I'm curious - from where have you garnered information about Goju Ryu aside from those who teach you what you know at your club? Have you practiced it? How long? Have you heard any of these criticisms from people who are still practicing it outside your club? I think it's time you step down and take the humble, noble way out of this and admit that you do not practice Goju, do not know anyone currently practicing Goju, and as such are not in a position to posit any criticisms about it. You don't see me or anyone else talking about Shorin, do you? You know why? Because we don't practice it, and as such should not make any assumptions or opinions about it. We know when to open our mouths out of respect. The only things I can be sure that you have not learned from your style are humility and respect.

These people lived up to more than a century ago in a culture that drank and smokes a LOT. Their dealths had nothing to do with practicing Goju Ryu. If anything, it prolonged their inevitable bad health from the way they partied. Huh? Based on what? Properly done, Goju Ryu utilized soft, parrying blocks. Don't know where you got this information from, but it sure sounds like your sensei or someone else has been feeding you some misinformation. Many high blood pressure related illnesses and premature death? Have any records on this? Sanchin is a basic breathing exercise and kata. Done properly, it is VERY good for you. Again, it is clear you have never practiced proper Goju Ryu. What block are you talking about here? I've never "forced the thumb side of my first toward my forearm." In fact, I've never "forced" anything when blocking. Misinformation, again. I've been doing Sanchin for five years and my sphincter is doing just fine, thank you. Certain blood vessels are shut off at the limb joint? That's cute. I've heard this exact same statement before about Sanchin. I think it was four years ago or so. Perhaps you two have the same teachers? Right, because you forgot to mention Toguchi, who died at 81, or Charles Bentz, who, at 76, is still teaching in New York City and kicking major *. He's also still an aeronautics pilot.

Weightlifting will NOT slow you down.

3 working sets of squats 6-8 reps 3 working sets of deadlifts (stiff-legged is my preference if also doing squats) 6-8 reps 3 working sets of calf raises 10-12 reps ...that's all you need

All I can tell you is that I have been doing ShoreiKan for over three years and I love it. It's traditional Goju Ryu with a curriculum created by Seikichi Toguchi. It's a very thorough and complete system. It will be very different than your kickboxing, however, as it involved much less kicking and a lot of in-close grappling, locks, and takedowns and such. In Italy you'll be studying under Toshio Tamano who is highly regarded. The nice things about ShoreiKan is that you not only study the kata, but you also study a complete two-person bunkai for the kata. Each level also has a separate kiso kumite which teaches various counters and self-defense techniques.

Perhaps they should. Or, at the very least, stop spending time and money on wood from Home Depot and instead face off against one another and actually train for a fight instead of a demonstration. Bag work, at the very least, allows a good workout that a) doesn't make a mess, b) simulates the weight and feel of hitting a body, and c) doesn't inaccurately inflate the ego of those training.

That's simply not true. From Seikichi Toguchi: "Karate was born when peace, the heart of the Okinawan people, was incorporated with the spirit of Zen as embodied in Chinese Shorin Temple boxing. Its aim, therefore, is completely different from any other martial art. Whereas the chief aim of all other martial arts is killing and wounding as many opponents as possible, karate's primary concern is simply self-defense. Of course, defense and offense cannot exist without each other. Consequently, training in superior defensive techniques necessitates training in superior offensive techniques." Either way, if you want to talk tradition and the reasons karate was created, it definitely wasn't created to break treated wood from the Home Depot. Use a makiwara if you want to hit wood.

What happens? I wonder what the heck I was thinking and go back to training.

Other: Bunkai

This has never been proven, and if done properly, Sanchin is an excellent exercise that has many health benefits. If done improperly, like any other exercise, it can lead to injury.

Then you're breathing too hard. You can't hold your breath the entire kata. That'll make you pass out. Breathing helps you relax if you do it right. A well-placed exhale will add to the power of a punch, and a well-placed inhale will help your blocks. Ever get punched in the stomach when your core isn't moving? You'll either die or pass out.

Look for the books by Seikichi Toguchi. Great Goju reference.