Rich

I hope I can explain this OK as it isnt meant to be a criticism of the Genbukan... The training seems to be much more formal, as in traditional Japanese arts. The syllabus is clearly defined too. The Buj has generally been more informal and places more of an emphasis on the feeling of taijutsu than an actual structure of techniques- it feels a free-er art if that makes any sense. Now this is not cut and dried- the Genbukan develop good taijutsu, and there are set techniques in the Buj. It seems more a matter of degree and feeling I suppose. To really understand you would need to try both and see for yourself. I respect all three organisations but I consider Hatsumi as my Soke and I train with the Bujinkan because of that. HTH Rich

Being scientifically trained and a natural sceptic, and having a good knowledge of self deception I am always wary of chi stories however: The other day in training I had experience of avoiding a weapon strike that I could neither see nor hear on multiple occasions. Now it may be that I did use my natural senses on an unconscious level and picked up minute signals or it may be that I felt the attacking chi- the jury's out on this. What I experienced tho was a sense in my stomach- fear on one occasion ( a particularly hard strike to the top of my head from behind)- and a desire to 'not be there'. This has also occurred in blindfold training against empty hand attacks too. Hmmm. Rich

I'm gonna be blue in the face from repeating this so many times- go back to the bunkai. Originally what you see as blocks can be many many things but generally arent just the simple blocks you see all too often. Take gedan barai- lower block. The actual blocking motion is sometimes a strike and sometimes a sweep of the arm, plus other things. The 'preparatory' motion could just be the parry itself. In actual encounters blocks dont generally work very well- why because the rule of any form of combat is the initiator is quicker then the reactor given that he has good ma-ai. Now I'm not saying blocks wont work sometimes and in some situations but if the aggressor is closer than your out stretched arm then why havent you taken him out with a strike already? If you want to guarantee your safety think proactive not reactive- the original karate masters did. What most schools of karate from whatever country teach is so diluted that its a joke- go back to your origins on Okinawa- before the Okinawans diluted it to teach at schools and certainly before the mass Japanisation of the art for the masses. Regards Rich

There are three schools that have legitimacy. The original is Hatsumi's Bujinkan. Tanemura, Soke's cousin, started the Genbukan which includes a lot from the Bujinkan and adds other schools that Tanemura did. It is more formal and, dare I say, rigid than the Buj in certain respects. The other school is the Jinenkan run by Manaka which is a breakaway from the Buj also. Rich

As I said on here a fair while ago, all the styles you see today (as they have been taught- things are changing for the better) are actually dilutions of the original effective art(s). Each master had his own style- not codified but his way of fighting/ each kata can be seen as a complete style too. In the original form(s) you would see devastating pre emptive strikes- these may be throat grabs, eye strikes, groin strikes etc. The locks and throws etc would be secondary to a well timed pre emptive attack which should end the fight in seconds. It sems that reverse punches didnt exist in the original methods, a far more effective strike was used that has been diluted into this punch. Now I'm not saying a normal reverse punch cant cause serious damage but the better more fluid dynamics of the old style strike are far more devastating. To get back to this art you need to strip away from the modern style- all styles are on nearly equalfooting when it comes to this. The main point though is to understand psychology, environment, timing and ma-ai (a joke in sparring whatever level of contact) to be able to wipe the threat out immediately. Remeber K1 etc etc is not about real fighting any more than no contact points sparring is. I hope you can find Karate, a very effective self protection system! And remember on the street nothing is guaranteed- avoidance is key. Dont be there when the bad things happen- a Budo perspective would see that as failure before your first technique even started! Live well, long and in peace. Rich

Ok stand in front stance keeping weight centred and knees bent. Bend knees to bring you right down. Place forward hand palm down at 90 degrees to direction you wish to roll (altering this position as you advance helps to gain control of multi direction rolls). lower yourself, pushing off the legs slighlty forward and roll down front arm over forward shoulder and OPPOSITE hip- tuck legs in tight as you roll. keep butt down-dont let it rise. your head will naturally tuck in slightly to the oposite side to lead arm as you start the roll. sounds like you are overbalancing to one side which could occur from pushing too hard off back leg and twisting slightly as you go down or twisting body too far as you go into roll. keep eyes focussed forward (as you go down and into roll) on a spot on the wall ahead, eyes come off momentarily as you go over then snap them back onto that spot (you go where your intention goes) HTH Rich

Bare Knuckle Boxing is quite a bit older than the 19th century- before the marquis of queensbury it was a much more brutal form, and combined bouts used to occur with bare fist rounds and then weapons. The bare fist bouts had grappling and locking available to the combatants making it a full martial art. The posture adopted before the silly back of the knuckles forward was a more extended lead arm position that gave superb defense (and something modern boxers have found difficult to impossible to deal with- combined with the strategies of the art). The feet are generally close together at about 90 degrees to each other or a bit less- front foot pointing forward. Regards Rich

Soft, fairly thick rope wrapped around a tree. Possible to do in brazil I'd guess? Regards Rich

'Best defense is a good offense' It is very true. the original founders knew, and it still holds true today, that a good pre emptive strike when you know the 's***s gonna hit the fan' is still, and always will be, the safest way to get to go home in one piece. It doesn't counter Funakoshi's there is no first strike in karate because you have to understand that he meant not to initiate aggression. When the aggressor is swearing and posturing (and you know its escalating) then you are not starting just finishing quicker. Plus in a real fight most often defensive attempts will get you badly hurt- blocks as generally understood are a waste of space too. Rich

Dragonias- no problem mate. If you want to elaborate more on your gym work and what your goals are from it then maybe we could find you a better schedule? Up to you of course- PM me if you want to. Regards Rich

OK...then what's going on on a psychological level? If your gym work is going as you want and your MA isn't then are you bored, demotivated or anything else with the MA you practice? Having said that over what period of time are you doing 150 leg presses? If it's in one session then you are definitely going to get to burnout quite quickly if you continue at that pace. My other question would be why? If you want to get stronger- high weights low reps low sets. If you want to get bigger slightly more sets but not to 150 reps. Each set should be 5 reps max and with diminishing then stabilising weight after the first set- no lifting to failure either. That's very rough and readyso as all genralisations there are qualifiers. Could you be recovering from gym classes on your MA days, then if your MA days are now light you would be more ready for gym the following day? This is an interesting problem! Regards Rich

You will lose what you don't use. Also you wont be able to train with the same intensity all the time or as you get older so be careful of overtraining as that results in loss, loss, loss. Regards Rich

Despite popular misconceptions low carb diets are our biologically appropriate diet. I would up the Atkin's carbs levels to about 35 gms per day minimum tho. There is a recent scientific study I saw on a Spanish athletic team who improved fitness and endurance by a changeover to low carb diets. If you check the studies and find which ones are flawed and which not it definitely backs the low carb argument up- the need for carbs for ATP is a bit simplistic- protein and fat will synthesise in a diferent way to give you the energy you need. The only prob is the first couple of weeks in which your body is changing over fuel sources and can feel bad. I agree however that you need fruit and veg for vits and minerals (and hopefully you are also taking high strength supplements) and for 35 gms a day you can do OK in that dept. When the weight comes down a bit you can up it to 55gms or more until you get your own level. As with all advice tho check with your doctor first and remember these are just opinions of us posters. Regards Rich

Thank you for the kind words Kirves and Shotokan. Yes I left out many other scenarios. The domestic one being a touchy subject as a couple of months ago I found out my mum was being systematically beaten by her new partner-head kick, knee to the groin were the two worst physically but mentally he had done an even worse job on her. Suffice it to say it wont happen again after our one and only meeting. But I digress... yes joint locks and such which in a full on self preservation situation are most often quite dangerous- unless youve already 'softened' Mr Meathead up a bit and he has no mates around (a big if) can be quite useful on an aggressive drunk whose physical ability isnt too worrying. There are many shades to this aren't there? I would suggest training for the worst- preemptive striking, a few reliable techniques (minimise log jam) and pressure testing as your basics and then other aspects to round the training out for other situations and enjoyment etc. whatever else you get out of MAs. Regards Rich

Shotokan_Karate0 There can be many levels to real violence as Kirves has implied. Firstly there are situations that can be avoided, and most will at least initially fall under this. When you have nothing to prove this is quite easy- cross to the other side side of the street, avoid walking close to potential danger spots, be alert and use common sense basically. This is a quick and simplistic paragraph but the idea is clear. It is perhaps the highest level of martial arts. Then there are situations that Kirves has mentioned- line of duty situations. These can range from annoying to downright dangerous, although unless you are in the emergency services they are generally on the lighter side. I have had a few violent situations at work when dealing with mental health clients but even though in some knives were out they were in actuality quite easy to deal with- a cool head and knowledge of the client group more important than martial arts here. Next we have mutual combat. This is what some people generally term a street fight. Two people, by actions or verbals, 'agree' to a punch up. Mostly these situations arent too dangerous although the potential for injury is still there. As a younger person I got into too many of these, and yes karate works fine if trained properly. Whether it seems like it or not these situations USUALLY have rules although not expressed. Friends will pull the scrappers off- the violence only escalates to a degree etc etc. Finally we have self preservation. This is where you are attacked, usually very close up by someone intent on doing you serious harm. This is the scary, fill your pants kind of stuff. Traditional shotokan, and other styles will not help you here when your life is at stake- unless you have 1)pressure tested (scary in itself if done well) and 2)have a deep understanding of bunkai and ability to do it. These are two of the main criteria. If you do these then yes your karate will stand you in good stead sometimes- remember that striking first and hard if possible(at the verbals stage) is good insurance. Contrary to what some like to believe in these situations the person who is most aggresive, hits first and keeps on hitting usually comes out on top. Having said this in these scenarios there arent any winners- you survive and get to go home with varying degrees of injury. Plus there are legal repercussions and the good guy doesnt always fare well here. Ive been here too and its not pretty or clever. Go to the avoidance paragraph and stay away from places where this may be more likely to happen. Regards Rich