username19853

I’ll start off by saying that I’ve been using the Meijin Tropical gi (I have 3 of them now) since 2010 and I’ve never even had an interest in changing brands. It’s not too heavy, it’s quite comfortable, and it doesn’t restrict my movement in the slightest. They even have ventilated underarm gussets! The price is also fair, nowhere near as expensive as Seishin (lol sorry Jesse). But what I can’t figure out, is what exactly is the difference between each Meijin uniform? Asking because their descriptions online sound more like the same advertisement for each one. They offer the following: - Meijin Dojo - Meijin Tropical - Meijin Champ - Meijin Premium Black - Meijin Pro Has anyone tried more than one of these, particularly the Meijin Dojo gi? My tropical gi is 10oz and the Meijin Pro is 14oz, so maybe they go up in order of weight and thickness? I would have bought the Meijin Dojo, but I feared it was going to be one of those cheap 6 or 8 oz gi‘s, the kind that dojo’s tend to give out to new students. I’d rather not buy one and go through the process of returning it if I don’t like it 😂 thank you in advance!

Thank you everyone! Yeah, I myself have even given the advice that answers don’t lie within any one style, but within your best teacher and yourself. I just figured with so many questions and lack of answers (that I’m able to find) within Shorin Ryu, I figured there would be a larger community present, from other styles that have less kata to practice (like Goju), playing around with more bunkai and applications. I only ever find stuff on Fukyugata Ni/gekisai, the opening moves to some of the Pinan/heian, and Naihanchi Shodan. Just trying to deepen my understanding of WHY I practice the movements I practice, and not just because I love the art (which I very much do). Thank you for your patience and humbling advice!

I know that the original applications have been lost. And there are a lot of ideas out there, even though nobody truly has it figured out. But here’s a thought I had: Goju Ryu, for example, has less kata on their syllabus than Shotokan. I would imagine that the practitioners of Goju are further along in developing at least a “core curriculum” for their style in certain dojo’s. I feel like I’d be more likely to walk into a Goju place and have a teacher have an application for every movement in every kata, than if I walked into a Shotokan place. With a lot of Shorin Ryu schools, I’ve noticed they can give SOME application for most of their kata, but they always leave out certain parts of a kata for applications. Pinan Shodan for example, I feel like everyone has an application for the opening sequence, but I rarely see applications for the movements that come after. Which brings me to my question, what styles would be more well known for having practical applications of their kata? Excluding Noah Legel as I know he’s an amazing Shorin Ryu guy. I’m really struggling to find applications for the Pinan kata (aside from the opening sequences of some) and Naihanchi Shodan, nidan and Sandan (again, aside from the main sequences). Any help or advice?

My problem is, of course, that most people practice kata and have no clue what they’re actually practicing or sometimes even why. In my home style of Matsubayashi, I don’t believe kata is practiced for applications, but rather for tradition and preserving the art. That’s great, if that’s what you want to practice. I’ve found myself picking up kata from different styles and even practicing my own kata in a very different way as I’ve grown to learn what the movements are, or what I’ve interpreted them to be. Particularly in Goju Ryu, I’ve heard that “any applications you want” just isn’t correct. I do and don’t agree with this. HERE WE GO: I believe that your applications can be anything you want them to be, but I don’t think they should always be changing or even travel too far away from the kata. If you’re too open to multiple different applications, how can you get particularly good at any of them? I’m speaking from what I consider to be a practical approach. If you want to get better at pushups, do more pushups. If you want to be proficient in your kata applications, you should practice your kata with those specific applications in mind. Sure, occasionally changing it up and testing out your options is great. Maybe alternating every few weeks or months on ideas of what your kata and it’s applications mean to you. HERES WHY: I had a few months of training in Krav Maga awhile back, and the techniques were really cool. However, the techniques that we practiced were different every single day. I couldn’t remember most of them and therefor I didn’t feel confident that I’d be able to use what I was learning if I needed to. Eventually I started feeling the same way about my karate practice. Why am I practicing these movements? Part of it is because I love it and it’s fun. But another part is because I want to be able to use these techniques if I need to. What are your thoughts on this? Please let me know if you agree or disagree and why!

I’m into yoga, and I always hear how great these Chinese martial/internal arts are. With a standard karate background, I’ve been trying to understand if these arts are similar - minus the belt ranks. Are there set forms, or just individual techniques? Is there a curriculum for these forms/techniques, depending on the style/lineage? Have you noticed anything in particular that you’ve gained from practicing these arts, and can you share some of that experience? What online schools do you trust to learn from and/or get certified from? Thank you in advance!

Sensei8, Thank you for that response! What you described in those Chito Ryu classes is much more similar to my Matsubayashi school. I’d still love to hear what other Chito Ryu practitioners have to say, but I might just stay clear of the karate classes at this place. I do have my Shodan in Matsubayashi, but I’m well aware that the learning doesn’t stop there. Hungry!

Hello! I recently moved to Pennsylvania, and the closest dojo teaches these two styles of martial arts - Chito Ryu Karate and Koseido Ryu Jiu Jitsu. I’ve actually trained here before, years ago, and had mixed feelings about their karate classes. Since they’re the closest “traditional” dojo in my area, I’m considering giving them another try (post quarantine). - their jiu jitsu classes are great, and brutal. The techniques I remember doing felt simple, yet effective. I felt like I could use their techniques to study karate bunkai! Classes are held twice a week. - their karate classes seemed very poorly thought out, or maybe I’m being picky. Classes are held only twice a week, and when I trained there for roughly a month, we only did kata once or twice. Coming from Matsubayashi Ryu, that’s a huge red flag for me. - seemingly, their karate classes consisted of a warmup, some kihon, and random self defense drills that were demonstrated and then practiced in groups of 2. - as for the instructors, mainly the guy who was in charge of jiu jitsu classes, their technique looked awesome! Meanwhile, the karate instructors were very out of shape and I wasn’t impressed by their performance (GSP reference). But, all instructors were trained in both styles. QUESTIONS - Is that just how Chito Ryu is practiced? - Am I better off training Matsubayashi on my own and just learning their jiu jitsu? - and, honestly, am I missing something? I’d hate to be ignorant. I’m torn between my desire for martial arts knowledge, and fear of wasting my time/money.

Wado Heretic, that’s a crazy routine! Sounds like a lot of fun. I’d love to get more creative at times with my home training, but I love simplicity too much.

Sensei8, do you have any thoughts on stretching before VS after your training? I try to keep my warmup exercises more dynamic, and my cool down stretches more static.

I’ve heard of different ways, all the way from single exercise line drills, to shadow boxing instead. So I’d like to share what I’ve been doing lately, and I’d like to know what everyone else is up to! Punches in kiba dachi/horse stance - just a note, I like kiba dachi because it warms up my legs and hips! - sometimes I alternate between chest/belt/head levels. - playing with single punches, as well as doubles and triples. - occasionally a jab/cross combo - repetitions range from 30 on a slow day and 100 on a motivated day Blocks - I’ll practice stationary in a natural stance or a moving forward stance - various techniques, but always head blocks, inside chest blocks, and low blocks - sometimes I’ll get creative with mixing in punches with blocks - repetitions are the same as above Kicking - practiced either stationary or moving (like Shotokan) - typically front kicks, round kicks and side kicks - I’m pretty basic with kicks to be honest. - repetitions are the same as above And that’s it! I like to have a basic routine in place so I stay fresh. A brief dynamic warmup, as well as kata and stretching are always included.

I see. The kata is very simple, yet a great way to master the main techniques. Thank you for sharing me this! Of course! I believe Nagamine Sensei wanted something that was firmly rooted in the basics, yet still accessible to beginner students of all ages.

I practice Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu, so probably our Fukyugata Ichi. It was created by our founder, Shoshin Nagamine, and Chojun Miyagi. Our dojo performs the kata 100x on the day of Nagamine’s passing every year!

http:// I used to practice Muay Thai before I found my karate teacher. I didn’t learn any forms like in this video, but I sure wish I had! Given how karate kata is often misunderstood and seen VERY differently among the variety of practitioners, it was nice to see these forms. Though basic, they’re very direct and I’d probably warm up with stuff like this for a Muay Thai class - it just makes sense to me. Any thoughts you’d like to share? Any thoughts on something like this in other martial arts classes?

This is a silly thing my friends and I used to talk about when we first discovered UFC in middle school. Don’t take it too seriously, just play along! You just had a child and your plan is to prepare them to be an MMA champion (or any kind of fighting machine) when they grow up. You get 2 martial arts for their childhood training, and 2 martial arts they can pick up in their teenage years. “MMA” isn’t an option. Here we go: Kyokushin Karate and Olympic Wrestling for their childhood training Muay Thai and BJJ for their teenage years. I figure Kyokushin will toughen them up, and give them a solid striking foundation. Wrestling is brutal, it teaches strong takedowns and a strong ground game. I’m very big on muscle memory and reactive skills, so I think wrestling is a solid thing to grow up with. Kyokushin would transfer to Muay Thai greatly, and get more into the clinch game - something I feel to be very useful. Wrestling to BJJ covers everything there is to know (minus some throws from judo) and it wouldn’t be that hard to transfer. Many wrestlers I’ve met in BJJ transferred easily, and have more fun since making the switch. Clearly, this quarantine has me bored!!

I may have heard it in one of Jesse Enkamp’s videos, where a Kung fu teacher said to a karate guy (maybe Jesse) that the karate kata looked much easier to teach than their Kung fu version of the form. It’s no secret that karate came from Kung fu, so it got me wondering: Is karate just a simplified version of Kung fu? Is karate more “straight to the point”? Ive only tried Kung fu (hung gar and wing Chun) very briefly, so if you’re a Kung fu person then I’d love to hear how you see karate! If you have experience in both martial arts (wing chun “strikes” me as an acception), please share your experience and your comparison!

We always start off with meditation/breathing, seiza (I think that’s the spelling). Then we do dynamic exercises while lined up or moving across the floor, sometimes running is included. Arm swings, leg swings, hip rotations, squats, lunges, pushups, etc. usually lasts 10 minutes or so before kihon. On days that we have an hour of judo, karate is only an hour long. Other days karate is either an hour and a half or 2 hours.

In my dojo, we’re nowhere near as hardcore as a standard Kyokushin class. Our focus is has always been on kata and bunkai. We’ll start off with a warmup, some kihon (almost never any kicks as they aren’t heavy in our style), lots of kata, and usually a drill or application practice. From my limited knowledge, Kyokushin seems to be very different with more of a focus on kihon and kumite. Can anyone share an example?

I’m talking about the one used in Kuro Obi, but any styles version of it. If so, why do you practice it? What value does it bring to your training? If it’s not a part of your style, is it a kata you would pick up, and why OR why not? Just a recent question that popped into my head during this quarantine!

“Just like yin and yang: power can’t beat skills. That’s why skills like Chi Sao or sensitivity reflexes are the intelligent part in martial arts, which only serves those who understand.” - Mark Stas This is the man behind the Wing Flow System. The closest I’ve gotten to practices like chi sao are some flow drills from Patrick McCarthy in his style of Koryu Uchinadi. But I’m curious, what other flow drills are out there? I’d love to see other karate-specific exercises, but All styles and methods are welcome! For an example, link below to drills I’m familiar with from Koryu Uchinadi: http:// Link to Chi Sao I thought was pretty cool: http:// Edit: not sure if the first link is working http://

I love this question! - Fukyugata Ni - Pinan Shodan - Pinan Yondan - Pinan Godan - Naihanchi Sho No particular reason, and in no particular order. I just enjoy them!

Hello! I train in Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu, where the kata Seisan is NOT apart of the syllabus. However, my Sensei started teaching it to us a few years back and I forget what his reasoning was. Everybody loves it, myself included. So my question is, why would someone benefit from including Seisan in their karate practice? Of course I’m going to ask my Sensei, but I’m curious what other points of view you all have to offer. Thank you![/b]

I like this post. I used to be all about over training, if I wasn’t sore then I didn’t work hard enough kinda thing. After multiple injuries, I finally took a step back to look at what I was doing: - gym 6x/week - Karate 2-4x/week - vinyasa yoga 3+x/week This was too much. The yoga classes feel great, but they’re still a workout. I finally backed off the weights. I’m now trying to hit everything twice a week. Gym 2x/karate 2x/yoga or kettlebell Circuit training 2x. However, here’s my workout: - warmup on the treadmill - dynamic stretching - Heavy Squats, 2 warmup sets/3 working sets/1 higher rep - Heavy Deadlift, same as squat but without the higher reps - Upper Body Circuit with pull-up and pushup Variations - cardio 12 minutes - full body stretch I like this, because it’s a full body workout that doesn’t leave me fatigued. When I was doing everything 3+x/week, it was just too much on my body and I feel much better now.

I’m always fascinated to hear what others do on their own time to work on their craft. Putting work in outside of the dojo. Personally, I like to combine yoga with my shorin ryu “staples.” Just like a daily maintenance in case I don’t go to a karate or yoga class. Check it out and feel free to share your own! Warmup: - Kapalabhati/breathing exercise - Yoga Sun Salutations 3x - Dynamic stretches, legs swings/arm circles, etc. Kata: - Fukyugata 3x (one to focus or all three) - Pinan 3x (usually one to focus on each day) - Naihanchi 3x (one to focus or all three) Cool Down: - Yoga Stretches; usually wide split, twist, Wheel, and some inversion - Nadi Shodhana/breathing exercise - sometimes meditation

As I’m sure most people will say, training on your own (especially in grappling styles) will never be as valuable as training partners. Even more so, learning from a real face to face instructor vs someone online. But nothing is impossible! There are plenty of “drills” that you can learn and practice on your own, either on grass or a padded floor. Back in high school, my wrestling coach would have us run around the room and randomly call out a “shoot!” And you’d lunge forward as if you were trying to take someone down. Similar drill with sprawls as well. The video below gives a decent example. I’m very interested to see what others have to say, but this is what I’d invest most of my time into - if training alone. Along side a good weight training program!

I’m in Hawaii, on the big island. I’m amazed at how many bamboo trees are around and I love training on them. Punching, knife hands and 3 point arm training is just about all I can come up with. I’ve been doing yoga early in the mornings and karate later in the day which had looked something like this: - Sanchin 1-3x - striking/3 Point arm training on bamboo tree - stretching and meditation What are your thoughts on the bamboo? Any advice, and does anyone NOT approve? Either way, I’m having a blast!