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SEISHIN GI’s Short review: Okinawa edition - function 5/5 - durability 5/5 - feel 5/5 - sizing 5/5 - price 2/5 Overall: can’t recommend it enough. If you can afford it, I can’t imagine anyone being disappointed. The only downfall is the price, as it’s just too expensive. Full review: So I have both the original seishin gi, and the Okinawa edition. To my knowledge, the Okinawa edition is just more breathable, considering the weather in Okinawa. And I WAY prefer it over the original seishin gi. The Okinawa edition doesn’t wrinkle nearly as much. It sounds just as snappy, and it’s a lighter weight, or at least feels lighter. I wore them both during my trip to Okinawa, and quickly found my preference (Okinawa edition). In short, EVERYTHING about the Okinawa gi was better for me. It’s even good for practicing grabs, as it’s not so light where I feel like it could rip. For both gi’s, the sizing is absolutely perfect. I’m approximately 5’10, average build, and went with the 175 size for both gis. It looks like I had it tailored. The sleeves are short enough that I can easily practice wrist grabs, but not so short that it looks weird. And the pants are the same - they’re above my ankles and don’t effect deep stances or high kicks. The sizing, quite literally, is perfect. And the jacket is big enough to where if I gained some weight, I can’t imagine I’d have to buy a bigger size. SEISHIN BLACK BELT (cotton) Short review: 3/5 - feel 5/5 - durability (toon soon to tell, but I can’t imagine a negative review) - price 1/5 (no belt should be this expensive) Overall: other than the brand name, I can’t think of a reason to justify the price. It’s about $100 before shipping costs (no embroidery). It feels like my other black belts (KI and Shureido). It arrived pretty stiff and loosened up fairly quickly, but I sweat a lot during training. Unless you just really admire Jesse and want to buy his stuff, I think you’re better off getting Ki or Shureido. Especially if you’re using an embroidery service. It’s a fine belt. Just too expensive. The gis are fantastic, but the Okinawa edition in particularly is perfect (for me) in every way. I hope some finds this helpful!

Oh, I had another thought because I saw someone say BATTLE ROPES in all caps. In this category, my top 3 exercises: 5 rounds, rest 1-2 minutes between rounds - 10 tire flips - 10 sledge hammer swings (hitting the tire) - 30 seconds of battle ropes Not only are these exercises extremely beneficial, but they’re extremely fun and stress relieving as well! I’d rather do this over the kettlebell stuff I said any day.

Although I despise lifting weights in any way, i spent most of my life as a gym rat, experimenting with both Olympic lifting and power lifting. Yet, I think I’m mostly a fan of kettlebell exercises and pull-ups. Example of a circuit: 5 rounds - Turkish get ups (3 each side, as heavy as possible) - alternating single arm snatch (5 each side) - pull-ups (10 reps) - alternating single arm clean/press (with a full squat, 5 each side) Rest 1-2 minutes between rounds The key, I think, is to go as heavy as possible while still being able to perform the exercises explosively (except for the get ups). If you can still perform the exercise, but you can’t lift explosively anymore, then it’s time to drop the weight. For pull-ups, I believe variation is key. Whether you alternate each round or each session, I’d recommend the following: - close grip pull-ups (overhand) - close grip chin-ups (underhand) - medium grip pull-ups - medium grip chin-ups - wide grip pull-ups I do NOT recommend wide grip chin-ups because it’s terrible for your shoulders On a side note… back squats vs front squats. Am I the only one who’s found front squats to be more applicable for fighting? I think it’s best to include both variations in a regimen because they benefit each other so well, but I truly feel like there’s more to gain from a front squat.

Thanks, bushido_man! I definitely got lucky. But what I think was most important, was I made a video of the female instructor, just showing her training and beating me up. Then, me and a couple other people shared it all over social media (particularly Facebook), across multiple groups in the area. This really got the word out and got people excited to come. I’m already scheduled to host another at the end of February, and I think 7 women have signed up already? Social media is key!

Advertising self defense! Women’s self defense, to be specific. And I do mean “women’s self defense,” not “karate for women” or something like that. My dojo has been open a month, and I kept getting requests for a self defense class with no karate type stuff. So I hosted a free women’s self defense class, about 20 showed up, and my dojo is all over the towns social media sites now! We were also taking donations for a local organization. To be fair, I was lucky enough to have a student of mine from where I used to teach. She ended up teaching the self defense class (I was there to help) and she did a great job. I think that advertising my student (female) as the self defense instructor for the event was a good move. And a bunch of the women asked for a schedule after it was over because she stressed the importance of continuing your training. Now, I have 2 “self defense” classes on my schedule to help draw in some of the people who are too hesitant to try karate. The curriculum that I put together for the self defense class is rather short, and I intend on making it very repetitive. 1. So the students attending that class can get good at those techniques. 2. So I can always mention that there’s a lot more to explore in the world of self defense if they attend my karate classes as well. I’m feeling very good about this!

White, black, red, blue. The masters back in the day had no such things, so it doesn’t matter to me. Personally, I prefer the white gi - I just love how it looks with a black belt. But I actually have us all wearing black gis at my dojo. They’re easier to keep clean both for me and the students, but particularly the parents of students.

2nd degree black belt in Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu!

Thank you sensei8! Do you think I could get away with just 2inch mats and nothing underneath? For my space, I’m thinking I’d save a considerable amount of money if I just get a crash pad. Also, nothing underneath makes easier cleaning, right?

Please help… driving myself nuts over this. I’m looking to protect my students as much as possible from the throws/takedowns we practice, without compromising our kata practice and other standup training. Pricing is not an issue, I WANT to invest a lot of money into this part. Fuji Mats Century Mats Dollamur Mats Which company do you go with? 1.5inch or 2inch mats? What kind of subfloor is most worth my investment? Spring floor system - worth it or no? If yes, will it last very long? Details on the training we do… Shorin Ryu (Matsubayashi) dojo that emphasizes kata and kata application. We’ll also be running, jumping, pivoting, breakfalling, sliding, etc... Practicing throws/takedowns are definitely part of the curriculum, though not the focus. Please help. I’d really appreciate your opinions. What would you install for your dream dojo? Thank you!

Can anyone offer some links to websites where I can buy stuff for my new dojo? I’ve been googling like crazy and haven’t had much luck, not sure what im doing wrong or if I just don’t know the right people. I’m teaching Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu and definitely going for more of that traditional feel. White walls, tatami mats, mirrors, etc… - im looking to decorate the shomen appropriately. Not sure where exactly to go and what exactly to look for. - pictures of past karate people; do you just print it out and frame it or do you get it from somewhere legit? - pads/free standing bags: who has the best prices? - anything else you think could be a fun or necessary addition. Is there anything you wish you bought or could buy for your dojo? Thank you!

Thanks for that awesome response! I guess I’m looking at drills like this as a whole, particularly the Motobu drills, the 7 Yakusoku kumite of Matsubayashi, and all the various one steps/ three steps/whatever steps sparring, across styles like Shotokan and Tang Soo Do (as well as many others). I know different schools have different goals in this part of training, like distance/timing, self defense, etc. But I also find myself wondering why they wouldn’t just use sequences from the kata to have as their one steps, kumite, etc. Could they not achieve the same goal just through using smaller sequences from kata and giving the smaller portions their own section of “one steps” or “Yakusoku kumite”? Or perhaps they just wanted something more basic for students to practice? Just to add variety? To be clear, I absolutely love practicing things like this and I'm not trying to judge them or their purpose. Just simply thinking about it and trying to understand it all better.

Has anyone checked out the Motobu Drills? I believe there are 12, or at least that’s how many are on Iain Abernethys app. What do you think of them? Does anyone know why Motobu selected those 12 drills to stand out? I’m just looking for information on them, and I’d love to gets some personal opinions on them as well. I haven’t been able to find much online, maybe I'm not looking in the right places.

I’ve started putting together my own one steps based on every major karate technique. I’m going to play around with them, experiment, and see what I can come up with and report back. If anyone else would like to contribute, I’d greatly appreciate it! Just share some thoughts and ideas. Anything helps.

I know kicking ability requires a number of different aspects for improvement. Strengthening certain muscles, flexibility and mobility. And of course, practicing your kicks. The 90/90 position is awesome, but try lifting the leg that’s on your side/reaching behind you while sitting up as tall as you can. That’s a great way to strengthen the muscles used for a round kick. Practice leg raises from different angles. - On your hands and knees, lifting straight out to the side. - standing and leaning on the wall lifting your leg froward, side and back - balancing away from the wall FLEXIBILITY. Don’t stretch hard. Not need to push the stretch. Instead, stretch often. 2-3x a day, holding for longer periods of time, but not pushing yourself deeper. Less intensity, more frequency. Then, of course, practice your actual kicks. Try doing them fast, slow, holding positions (chambered and extended), etc. My best advice… play around and see what your body can do. Then play around some more, and more, and more.

For the past few months, I’ve been very consistent with a daily practice. The daily practice consists only of specific goals that I have or things that I want to work on, depending on how much time I have. My focus has been on balance, mobility (particularly in the hips), and kihon (focus on kicking). Miraculously, keeping up with this routine has done wonders for my mental health. No matter what happens on a given day, if I can manage to carve out at least a little time for my routine, I’m going to feel much better. And the benefits are clear as day in my TSD and Shorin Ryu curriculums. The most important part, I feel, is the consistency. If I have to choose between no routine or just 5 minutes of the routine, then I’ll take what I can get and use those 5 minutes as best I can. I’ll post more details on my routine below in case you’re interested. Can anyone relate to this post? Do you have any karate focused routines that you’d like to share? - full body basic mobility (knee circles, hip circles, arm circles, neck circles, etc) - calisthenics (jumping jacks, squats, lunges, sit-ups, push-ups, yoga push-ups, etc - 30 reps each) - dynamic stretching (frankensteins/leg swings at different angles, - basics in place or up and down the floor, sometimes balancing on one leg to work that balance even more (All major blocks, punches, kicks, etc) - brief static stretching (full body) If I’m short on time, I’ll do a simpler version of what’s listed above just to maintain my consistency. If I have more time, I’ll usually run through all my kata from TSD and Shorin Ryu (lots of fun), then practice my one steps and other various fighting techniques until I’m tired (in the air, on a heavy bag, with a partner, etc.)

Thank you Zaine! Here’s the link below. In particular, I was referencing the last combo that he demonstrates in the video.

I saw Andy Allen on YouTube with a few decent ideas on this, but I’m wondering if anyone has some info they can share - or if you’d like to get together on zoom to discuss this further, I’d love that! Example of “classic” kihon: - High block - reverse punch Example of “practical” kihon: - parry/pass an incoming punch or grab, pull down on he arm as you punch to the face. (I apologize if I’m not using the correct choice of words) In other words, I’m looking for ways to come up with some kihon combos that I can have my students practice up and down the floor, then for each kihon combo, there’s a practical self defense technique that we can practice on each other afterwards (based on the kihon combo). I’m sure this is what kata is for, but I’d like to get creative with this project and just need some help getting started. If you have any resources or advice that you can share, I’d really appreciate it!

I hear amazing things from Shureido, but I don’t understand what the difference is between their belt sizes: - regular weight cotton black belt - medium weight cotton black belt - deluxe heavyweight cotton black belt Can anyone explain the difference between them and why I’d get one over the other? I’m looking for a belt that will (hopefully) be my last one. Also, has anyone bought a black belt from Ki International, and can you share your experience with how it held up? Thank you!

When I first started martial arts, my role models were Georges St. Pierre (humble, respectful, strong) and Nick Diaz (troubled, bad boy, talented), two MMA fighters. Unfortunately, I related to Nick Diaz a lot so I acted like him when I was in high school. I still think of the dumb decisions I made 10+ years later. Why karate? I didn’t have a father growing up. It gave me a healthy, positive male role model in my life. I looked up to him and wanted him to notice my efforts. I respected him and wanted to earn his respect as well. I wanted to be like my Sensei. I learned respect, not just for people I look up to but for everyone around me. Younger people, people the same age as me, people older than me. More than that, I learned about respect for other cultures. Respect for other views, ideas and opinions. I needed, so badly, to learn about respect when I found karate. I’m so grateful for this. I learned about discipline. I learned how to hold myself accountable. I learned to try, try and try again instead of giving up when something didn’t go my way. I learned about the value of honesty and what it means to practice having integrity, two things that should be understood but aren’t really taught too much anymore, or at least weren’t taught to me until I found karate. I’ve noticed that some parents think that a martial arts instructor will just give their child discipline and make them become respectful, automatically fix any behavioral issues and all this other nonsense. While there is SO much to learn and gain from the martial arts, your Sensei will give you nothing but the experience they have to share. For me, my Sensei simply showed me the way. Why karate STILL? 14-ish years later? I feel the need to pay it forward. I feel the need to continue my practice and continue my growth. As long as I’ve been training, which isn’t very long for many martial artists, there’s SO much I have yet to learn and get good at. Karate, as complex as it is, is just a tool to learn all of these valuable lessons, including self defense. I find that absolutely fascinating. And I hope, some day, my students will have the same benefits and realizations I’ve gained through the martial arts, if not more. Well that’s my own reasoning at least. I suppose you could gain most, if not all of this from any recreational activity with a good Sensei guiding you on the way.

Just noticed the update - it’s great you found a place! Everywhere I’ve gone, even after earning my black belt in Shorin Ryu, I’ve always started as a white belt. Sometimes you’re promoted faster, given your prior experience, but everywhere is different. Embrace the new style/new instructors, if you really want it, you’ll have a black belt around your waist again in no time.

So I see this a lot. Some places I’ve trained, adults are in the same class as students who are as young as 4. The kids get most of the attention, partially because they need it, and partially because the kids are their main source of income. Most places I’ve trained, there’s a separate class for kids, and a “teens/adults” class. At my place, for example, we have a class for 5-7 year olds, another class for 8-12 year olds, and then a class for teens and adults. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a special warmth I feel in my heart when one of my young students breaks a board and their face lights up - I do love teaching kids. But some days, I feel like I'm just getting through the kids classes (they just don’t want to listen sometimes) so I can get to the adults and share what I'm truly passionate about. But the adults aren’t what bring in the money we need to keep our doors open. So although our “focus” is on the kids, we still have an hour long class every day where we simply focus on the adults. Im not sure why more places don’t do this, and the only reasoning I can see is because they need money or they’re in it for the money. Perhaps their available time is limited, but if you’re taking 1-2 hours to teach kids, and you’re truly passionate about what you do, why not take one additional hour to teach your passion to adults who can better comprehend what you have to offer? ***On the other hand, some people are just passionate about helping children and could care less about other adults. There’s nothing wrong with this, and I think it’s a great thing to offer in this world - exposing children to the martial arts.*** The way I see it, I love teaching kids. But I’m passionate about my martial art, and I want to share it. Kids simply can’t learn it the way adults can, but adults simply can’t pay for it the way kids’ parents can. While a balance is necessary for the world we live in, it’s a shame when instructors lose themselves in the pursuit of money.

There's a Zen saying, "Once you cross the stream, you don't need to keep carrying the boat". First of all, I love this quote. Now, what if you want to cross over that same stream again? What if you forgot some supplies? What if you want to try crossing that stream without a boat? What if you’re simply carrying the boat to become stronger? I think that was a little cheesy, but you get what I’m saying. On my martial arts journey, I went from BJJ, to Muay Thai/Boxing/BJJ, to Okinawan Karate, back to BJJ, back to Okinawan Karate, back to Muay Thai, back to BJJ, and now I’m in Tang Soo Do (I love it) with some BJJ on the side. I’ve constantly gone back and forth with something that many consider to be outdated, and something that many others consider to be one of the most effective ways to train. I love the traditional ways of training. It’s good for my mind, it’s good for my soul. I prefer it, actually. But when I’ve gotten in fights in the past, I’ve always relied on my BJJ - so I still train in that. Does that make Tang Soo Do or Karatedo irrelevant? Not for me! I still need it. So I’m going to keep doing it. In terms of self defense. I mean, it’s still kicking, punching and various body mechanics that relate to combat. So if I’m standing and the fight hasn’t gone to the ground yet or we get back up, I like to think I’m still more prepared for that than the average joe. Great post! Very thought provoking.

My understanding of Tang Soo Do is that it’s almost a clear blend between Shotokan and Shorin Ryu. For example, when practicing the Pyung forms, I see elements that resemble more Shorin Ryu, and other elements that resemble more Shotokan. Certain stances resemble more Shorin Ryu, while certain hand techniques resemble more Shotokan, for example. Other than the Pal Che forms and other advanced forms (which I’ve only seen, not learned yet, so I can’t speak on those), I don’t really see anything that makes me think of Kung Fu. The basic Hyung make me think of the beginner kata that most Shotokan schools teach. The 5 Pyung forms are just another variation of the 5 Pinan/Heian kata, and they of course have their own version of the 3 Naihanchi/Tekki kata. Unfortunately, that’s all I’ve learned up to so far, but even some advanced kata in Shorin Ryu and Shotokan have some “flowy” aspects to them, which might make someone think of Kung Fu. Since my original style was Shorin Ryu though, that’s what comes to mind for me. I’ll certainly be heading into my next class with this topic in mind!

Sounds like it could be fun! I’ll skip over my thoughts about self defense classes/courses in general, as everyone’s said everything already. I think what you have sounds great. If it’s fitness focused, might I suggest introducing the pre-fatigue method? Basically, have them doing some kind of exercise, or a lot of exercise, and then have them perform the technique while their muscles are tired. Something my students have enjoyed (and not enjoyed) is when I have them do a bunch of leg exercises - squats, lunges, etc. and then I’ll have them do 30 front/groin kicks per leg to a pad as fast as they can. What if they get jumped while they’re out for a jog? Also, especially for a womens self defense class, I try to emphasize what to do when someone grabs your hair from the front, side or rear. But the most important, in my opinion, is an escape from mount and an escape from guard positions on the ground, and effectively getting back up to their feet. God forbid a female loved one of mine ever finds themselves in that position with a sicko attacking them, those are three things I’d want them to know. To add fitness to that, a good drill: - Partner A is on top of partner B in the mount position. Partner B has to escape, and partner A resists. You can go for 1 minute rounds, then the partners switch roles/partners. - do the same with Partner A on their backs with partner B in their guard. Partner B has to escape guard, while partner A either maintains guard or tries to sweep them and take mount. Honorable mention/flow drill: This one can be kinda hard, it’s also - Partner A is on their back, with partner B mounted on top. Partner A has to bridge out to escape mount, pass guard to gain mount, and effectively stand up to escape. Last thing. With wrist grabs, some people teach the technique for breaking the attackers grip and then the practice stops there. Teach a follow up attack to better eliminate the threat! Something quick would be a hammer fist and a palm strike before running away. I hope this helps! Of course, I don’t know everything, but these are just things that I like to consider.

Did you at least use a proper break fall? Just kidding. I’m glad it was nothing too serious, if I read your comments correctly. Wishing you a speedy recovery!