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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.

Telsun... heh, yeah, that would be your diet doing that, not Sanchin.

All this speculation about Sanchin being bad for you is hilarious. There's no way that twisting your wrist is bad for your lungs. ..and squeezing your anus is gonna cause hemmorhoids? Hoo... that's priceless. I've been doing Sanchin for years. I'm 5'10", 175lbs, 9% body fat, no gut, no cancer, and no hemmorhoids. Give me a break.

Yeah I'll be a brown belt for at least a couple years, maybe less, maybe more, but around that. I've noticed the sensei and seniors are already twice as hard on me, but that's a good thing in the end.

I'm a recent brown belt, and I find it strangely complex, for the following reasons: 1) You've stuck with karate for a pretty long time now - you've been diligent and you worked hard. 2) You're still SO far away from Shodan. 3) You can taste it. 4) You realize you're in it for the long haul. Any other brown belts here?

You gotta catch it early, though - wash it every time you use it to keep it white.

I would do it, but I worry about the attention it would draw.

Holy cow, that's a lot of belts. We just have white, green brown, and black.

If you think you're doing jyutsu, you're probably wrong. From Master Seikichi Toguchi regarding do vs. jyutsu: JYUTSU AND DO - THE MEANS AND THE WAY "First you see the way" "Then you practise the way" "Finally,you become the way" Seikichi Toguchi "There is no gate on the way of life that refuses entrance to those who want to pass through. If you want to go somewhere, take any way because there are thousands of ways. If, luckily, you succeed in your goal, the way will disappear and you will become the way. There is no 'way'for your life. Your mind is the way." These are phrases often used in Zen Buddhism. From them you can gather that "the way" is a complex concept. But at the same time, it is simple enough to be found in our everyday lives without going out of our way to search for it. Many of the old Japanese martial arts added "Jyutsu" to their names, such as Ken-Jyutsu (fencing) or Jyu-Jyutsu. After Jigaro Kano, the founder of Kodo-Kan, changed the name of Jyu-Jyutsu to Jyu-Do, many martial arts followed suit; thus Ken-Jyutsu became Ken-Do, Kyu-Jyutsu(archery) became Kyu-Do and Karate-Jyutsu became Karate-Do. "DO" means "The Way" in Japanese characters. What is the difference between "Jyutsu" and "Do"? "Jyutsu" is one of the highest levels of technical ability in the martial arts, which only a few people are able to attain after many years of hard and special training. In the old days, martial artists of all styles tried to reach the technical level of "Jyutsu", but really their ultimate purpose was to attain "Do" (the way or enlightenment), it was for"Do" or "the way" that they strove to polish their technique to "Jyutsu".

Go with whatever feels right. Check out a couple styles that sound interesting and you'll figure it out. Any school worth its time will offer a free introductory class. Use that to your advantage and find a place you're comfortable with. Otherwise, you won't stick with it.

Not a good idea. Do you do a split routine? Muscles need some time to rest between lifting sessions.