username19853

I love the music that plays at the beginning of the Masters of Okinawan Karate videos on YouTube. Can anyone help me find a playlist with this song and others like it? I haven’t had much luck in finding anything. Thank you!

I’m mostly asking because of this guy on social media, 360 Alan. He runs a pretty cool looking Krav Maga facility. Something he keeps posting about are things like “elbow set number one” or “inside defense number one.” They seem to drill it in line formation, then practice on each other or on pads. This, to me, is kata. But a far more modern and striking focused version. Does anyone have something like this in your own curriculum? Thoughts?

I love the idea of doing my “sacred ritual” each day (example below). The whole session took me about an hour on the dot earlier today and I felt perfect. - Breathing Exercises - Warmup Exercises - All 20 karate kata - Makiwara - Stretch and Meditation Karate Kata: - Fukyugata 1-3 - Naihanchi 1-3 - Pinan 1-5 - Seisan - Ananku - Wankan - Rohai - Wanshu - Passai - Gojushiho - Chinto - Kusanku Bo Kata: (I’m new) - Choun No Kon 1-2 If I have a training partner, I love practicing a few Futari Geiko, Yakusoku Kumite, and Judo Randori or freestyle sparring. Anything you guys think is essential for me to have in a daily routine?

That’s crazy! I wonder, did he feel that Sandan, Yondan and Godan weren’t necessary because of Kusanku? Maybe he kept Shodan and Nidan because they tend to be a little more beginner friendly.

As instructors, how do you balance working on something consistently to get better at it, and having enough variation in the mix so your students don’t get bored? *teen/adult students* Personally, I feel fine doing the same thing every class. My brain just likes it. I have the same warmup, and the same “core” drills as part of the warmup. Things like basic punching and kicking back and forth, using the appropriate blocking techniques. I usually add the variation by working on something between kata rounds. Currently, my students are learning Fukyugata Ichi and Heishu Waza. So we’ll perform Fukyugata, then drill Heishu Waza for a minute or two, and repeat that 3-5 times. If there’s time before our finishing exercises, we’ll work on Kakie, flow drills, some kind of randori, etc. and relate them to the bunkai of whatever kata they’re working on. Closing exercises are various Karada Kitae exercises like kicking and punching to the stomach, then sit-ups/push-ups, and finishing up with stretching and meditation. Any thoughts or insight you can share or would like to discuss? Thank you!

Wado Heretic, That sounds fascinating. Do you have any videos you could share? I love flow drills, I think it’s so much fun going back and forth with someone and seeing how high you can build the intensity. I like to rotate through a handful based on my mood, but I don’t think I’ll ever know enough of them. Hate to say it, but I’ve gotten some great ideas from the KU system as well.

I love this project! I emailed you some links to my Sensei’s website. One has a history section on Matsubayashi Ryu, the other has a list of all the kata in the curriculum. I hope it can contribute in some way!

I don’t believe anything has gone far enough for law enforcement to be involved. And my friend said that while she believes she has enough on him to do a lot, she doesn’t have it in her to publicly call him out. She’s been very clear in saying she just wants to forget anything ever happened. To all of you out there that preach the martial arts values AND practice them: thank you.

What do you think are THE kihon katas of ALL of karate? I recently came across a post that suggested the top 3 Kihon Katas of karate were Naihanchi, Sanchin, and Seisan (various versions). I loved the combination of these 3 and started that “only the essentials” game. Say… top five?

I think Thai pads (or pro force hand pads if you need cheaper), and kick shields would be the bare minimum for the instructor. If there’s sparring, I’d make the students get their own gear.

I’ll try to leave out names… but here’s an unfortunate update. Master Kim has NOTHING to do with this. But it turns out my suspicions were right. Turns out, one of the instructors has been accused of “grooming” some of the women there. Multiple times. And some of the higher ranks there are well aware of it, but have made it perfectly clear that they don’t care. One of my friends was his next target, and he made his intentions with her VERY clear. She left soon after. Again, this is a Dojang that Master Kim does NOT teach at. Someone that works for him, I can’t possibly imagine he’s aware of what’s going on. But yeah. For the higher ranks that I mentioned: - apparently they had a lot to say about me when I traveled to Okinawa - they’ve confessed what kind of person this instructor is, and tried to justify his behavior - a friend confirmed they continue to trash talk anyone who doesn’t stay in their little circle - Multiple women (4 that we know of now) have left in the past after this instructor made their move. It’s unfortunate, but oh well. Glad I'm back with my Sensei!

Has anyone tried it out? I met James during my trip to Okinawa and loved talking with him. He’s a very passionate person and VERY well connected across Okinawa. I think his platform for bujin tv is genius, but I don’t really hear anyone talking about it. There’s TONS of bunkai, straight from high ranking Okinawans who, literally, are from Okinawa. With bunkai being such a hot topic, I figured people would be nearly obsessed with this. So I’m curious why this isn’t being talked about more. Has anyone tried it out? Was anyone disappointed or impressed? How so?

What are some good Kumite (point style) drills for teaching beginners? Light kicks to head, punches and kicks to body, and takedowns are all practiced. I have a long list of videos that I’ll be going through on YouTube, but I enjoy what you all have to say so I’m asking here as well. I’m looking for - beginner friendly striking combinations - drills for teaching foot work - beginner friendly sparring drills Thank you all in advance!

Very interesting question! I feel like I’m going to have a very unpopular opinion 😂 I prefer point style sparring, where you have to make contact while also showing enough control that you don’t knock your opponent back. I do NOT think of the modern point style Kumite matches, what comes to mind for me is the old school Shotokan sparring, but with more emphasis on the not hurting your opponent aspect. For me, it’s just fun! That being said… I’m also well aware that it’s not the best method when really training for self defense. While I like the padding on hands and feet for protection on both ends, I’ve found many practitioners will continue to get carried away knowing they’re padded, and hit harder. I once got roughed up pretty bad in a boxing gym, and my “sparring” partner was pretty brutal. We both had head gear and gloves on, and boy did I feel that for the next few days. Also, we won’t have gloves on in a real situation! With the gloves off, I think you condition your own hands for more of the real thing. You don’t hit unrealistically hard (for yourself) when you don’t have something protecting your hands, and I think that gives us a more realistic understanding of what we’re capable of. Plus, I think we maintain a little more awareness on how hard we’re hitting our training partners when the gloves are off. Again, that’s good for both ends. I also just hate wearing sparring gear… I get it, I understand it, I support it, but I just don’t like it 😂

Darth Penguin, I’ve had the uniforms for around 6 months now. I alternate between them throughout the week, and I teach 5 days a week, where I’m very active and do a lot of demonstrations. Half the time in the adult class, I just do class with my students. Lots of kata, lots of grabs and throws, sweating, etc… I’m definitely putting this stuff to work. The gis have held up very well! The black gis definitely look a little more “worn” but I don’t think it’s in a negative way at all. Little to NO signs of shrinkage. Still fit perfectly. White gis have maintained their color as well. I haven’t worn the black belt in awhile, but that’s because I simply prefer the one I got from KI International. No other reason than that! The quality of Seishin really is top tier. I still can’t get behind the price for everything - it’s ridiculously high, and that’s exactly why I won’t be purchasing from Seishin again unless Jesse can reasonably drop the prices lol. Do I think Seishin should be more expensive than other options? Yes, I really do. The quality of everything speaks for itself. However, I just don’t think it should be AS expensive as it is. I think his sales would skyrocket if he could just drop the prices a little. I hope this helps!

Aurik, I completely agree that having LESS kata should be viewed as a strength. I love kata, and I’m always eager to pick up a new one, but the simple fact is that less is more for in this case. Keep it simple, then get REALLY good at simple. However, I love Shorin Ryu as a whole, the kata and the movements make sense to me, so I don’t think I could ever make a full switch. If you could point me towards a decent dojo near Pittsburgh, PA I would really appreciate it!

I hope I don’t get any negative responses, I’m asking because this has been my experience. Why isn’t Uechi Ryu more popular? Here’s why I’m asking this. 1. I would LOVE to try out some classes. I think it looks incredibly fun, interesting, and practical. 2. I can never find any dojos anywhere! I see a lot of Shotokan, some Goju Ryu and Shorin Ryu. Kenpo/Kempo, Aikido, Taekwondo and Tang Soo Do. MMA/BJJ places are everywhere. Occasionally judo. But I’ve lived in 3 different states, multiple areas in each and traveled around quite a bit, and I’ve never come across an Uechi Ryu place. 3. I’ve heard a number of popular karate people mention their interest in Uechi Ryu (*cough* Noah *cough*) but none of them seem to have actually tried it. And I’m not familiar with any popular karate people who are representing Uechi Ryu either. So what gives? How can we get more Uechi Ryu around the world?

Update. I actually stopped training TSD. I was beginning to see a strange hierarchy, where the favorites are allowed to speak openly, disrespectful as they want, and no one bats an eye. But whoever wasn’t one of the favorites, would be verbally torn apart (behind their backs) for something as little as not folding their dobak nicely enough before leaving the dojang. This is just an example, and the behavior seemed to carry on everywhere else. The instructor, although in charge of the school, is still fantastic and I will always think very highly of him. But I’m not a fan of the dynamic that seems to be going on there. When I opened up my own dojo, I saw that as my “out” and just stopped going all together. I’m back to training with my Sensei via zoom, and I’m honestly happier with that. Thank you all for your support!

I definitely don’t have a great diet. I’m 27, so in fearing the days when my eating habits catch up to me and I gain a bunch of weight. But, I love to eat! I’m pretty consistent with this, so here’s a normal day of eating: Breakfast: 32g protein - 2 packs of protein oatmeal (Kind brand) - 1 chobani Greek yogurt Lunch: big burrito, estimating 40-50g protein - steak burrito (steak, rice, beans, some kinda veggies and sauces) Dinner: 30-50g protein - Chipotle (white rice, pinto beans, double or triple chicken, cheese) Some habits, good/bad…. - I don’t drink a lot of water. At all. - I drink a lot of wine - I drink a cup or 2 of coffee every morning - I drink 1 monster energy drink each day, except weekends - After chipotle, sometimes, I’ll binge on stuff like cereal, cheezits, or some kinda unhealthy snack that you’d put in your kids lunch box. Not every night, but more than I should. So while it’s not TERRIBLE, I have things that I want to work on, specifically drinking more water and eliminating the energy drinks. I’m sure it’s already begun to catch up to me as it’s becoming harder to keep the weight off. Lol

Thank you, Sensei8! I can’t wait to try that drill. Are there any katas that specifically use gyaku nigiri? I’ve come up with my own basic ones just based off of the Taikyoku katas, but I’d like to see what else is out there and I’m not having much luck with YouTube lol. I’m sure I’ll get into the other grips eventually, but I’m having fun with this one for now Thank you!

So holding a Bo, hands separated evenly, centered. Both hands have an overhand grip. I believe I saw it in a Kung fu movie, though I’m not sure. They were blocking high, low, and also blocking and striking with the ends of the Bo. So the hands didn’t move on the Bo, they maintained the overhand grips the whole time. It was very simple, but looked very interesting. Does anyone know of any 2 person drills with the Bo uses this overhand grip of both hands? Does anyone know of any styles in particular that are known for this? My experience in kobudo is very limited, but I have yet to see anyone use a Bo like this.

Just my opinion… and I’m certain this opinion is not for everybody. While everyone’s personal goals will influence what they do and how they train, I’ve always felt a sort of responsibility to share what I’ve learned. When one knows something well enough, I believe they should teach it to help deepen their own understanding of it. While I ALSO realize that not everyone really can teach, or at least do so at varying degrees, I believe this should be #1. If I can’t teach it clearly and effectively, I don’t think that I know it well enough for myself yet. Of course, it shouldn’t just stop there. Teachers need to be continuing their own training as well, or else their teaching could become stale and outdated, or stagnant and boring. This could be picking up another style, seeing where your own style, regardless of how much you love it, could also improve - fill the gaps. Start learning weapons and see how similar it can be to empty hand training, or the other way around. In any case, just working on becoming better. Making a transition more smooth. Making a technique more snappy. Working on spending less energy performing techniques while increasing their effectiveness. Work on balance, flexibility, coordination, strength/conditioning. ANYTHING that continues to feed your inner fire. And sometimes, while I hate to say it, no progress can still be viewed as progress (if it’s temporary). It’s only a problem if/when you start going backwards, or consciously decide to stay right where you are and keep your cup full. Honorable mention: intellectual studies! Learn the language of where your style is from. Read/write books. Study philosophy. Learn calligraphy, a tea ceremony, anything! There are endless ways to train, and endless ways to keep your fire burning. Not always easy to find what you want, but it’s out there. In one form or another.

Now THAT is something I wish I could attend!

It’s hard for me to choose between Naihanchi Sho and Passai (Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu here). I couldn’t wait to learn Naihanchi as a white belt because it looked so cool. When I finally learned it, it felt as cool as it looks. It has that “mystical” feel to it, yet the applications are realistic and fun. On the other hand, I learned Passai from Takeshi Tamaki Sensei and Masahiko Tokashiki Sensei during my trip to Okinawa. That kata is always going to be very special to me for that reason.

Has anyone looked into or attended any teacher trainings or certification courses (online or in person) for martial arts instructors? I’d like to say that I’m against these kinda things, but if done correctly (and not just an attempt to get money out of people), I think it could be very helpful for instructors who are looking for “continuing education” in their teaching abilities. My interest in this is that I’m constantly looking for ideas with my younger students, specifically 5 and 6 year olds (but 7-12 as well). Nothing style specific, just more ideas. Can’t have enough of those. I listen to the Whistlekick Martial arts podcast regularly, and recently learned that they’ll have an in-person training course coming up this year for instructors. I was wondering if there’s anything like this already, but as an online course instead. Has anyone taken any online courses? Any that you’d recommend or think are worth looking into? Thank you!