aurik

In uechi-ryu, we definitely take advantage of that. In fact, one of our hojo undo techniques (shomen hajiki) involves snapping the fingertips at the opponent's eyes.

I resumed training in the martial arts last fall after a many year hiatus at the ripe (and inflexible) young age of 46. I can speak from experience that you CAN improve your flexibility. In fact just the other day I was able to do a mawashi geri to my partner's shoulder level while doing a set of kicking drills. (It surprised the heck out of me). Whether you can get to where you want to (kicking to head height or above, and full box splits), I cannot say, but if you keep practicing and taking the next step forward, you'll definitely get better than you were.

I've always done mawashi geri with either the shin or instep. Of course, I would never try to kick to the head in a self-defense situation -- it's too slow and you run the risk of losing your balance if the ground isn't flat and level. Frankly, I think there are far too many good targets much lower, such as the outer thigh and the floating ribs/kidneys.

It's been a little while since I've posted in here. I've had a couple of minor setbacks in my journey, but nothing too major. A few weeks ago I threw out my back while moving stuff around my office. I pretty much couldn't get out of bed for the first 2 days, and I gave it an extra week just in case. Unfortunately those 2 weeks off plus the time off around christmas really hurt the stamina I'd built up. While I do try to work out at home, I definitely do not hit the same intensity or duration as I get in a formal workout. In the meantime we've had a few new students join the adult class, so I'm not the youngest student there (yay!). Also, our sensei has started getting picky in his feedback on my forms; for example, in Kanshiwa in the initial 3 pivot/block/strike sequences, he wants my block to finish at the same time my rear foot hits the ground, and in the block/elbow/backfist sequence, he wants me to focus on chambering the backfist so it strikes upwards instead of going straight overhand from the elbow strike. Also, anytime I (or any other student) asks "why", he has an answer that makes sense. Sometimes it's "because our lineage does it this way, but so-and-so's school may do it this other way".

For the longest time, I had performance anxiety with regard to public speaking. The way I got over it was practice, practice and lots of practice. I joined the Toastmasters organization, which has definitely helped me deal with my anxieties. I am still nervous to speak in front of large audiences, but I can usually mask my anxiety. I'd recommend two things. First of all, keep in mind that winning or losing a karate tournament will not change your life in any significant way -- as what the others have said. So just relax, go out there and have fun, do your best, and let the chips fall where they may. The other thing you can do relates to your preparation. If you're really stoked to do well at this tournament, then practice as close to the same conditions as you'll expect at the tournament. If you can, get your spouse and/or son to sit as judges for your performance. Visualize the other competitors and judges watching you. Introduce yourself to the judges and perform your kata exactly as you would do it for the tournament. After you bow off, visualize the spectators applauding you and the judges giving you a high score. Good luck in your next tournament!

Welcome to the forum!

Well, it's been a couple weeks since I posted in here (so much for the "cool stuff I learned this week" topic ). Anyhow, I've had a few revelations over the past few weeks. At our school we do a sparring class each Saturday. Most of the ones who attend are kids, but a few adults also attend, so we get to spar against each other. Anyhow, I was sparring against one of the better adults there (non-black belt), and he had come in for a kick. I blocked it with a crane block, and I accidentally stepped on his foot on the way down. At that point I realized that I had him at a severe disadvantage and could have wailed on him pretty much all I wanted. Being the nice guy I am (and not wanting to injure my partner), I let him go pretty quick. Later on in the day, I was sparring our CI and tried that on him a few times. It didn't work, but I'll definitely be trying it a few more times. I'm also getting to the point where I'm starting to feel BETTER after a workout (as opposed to beat up). I'm not as young or spry as I once was -- I've got some arthritis/bursitis going on in my knee, and I've got bulging discs in my lower back. However, after a class I may feel exhausted, but my knee and back tend to feel a LOT better. Finally, I tested for (and passed) for kukyu today. I liked the way the CI runs his tests -- he has a panel of yudansha that form the testing board, and each black belt is responsible for a handful of students. The board members each take notes on the student's performance, and after the test (we all passed), the supervising black belt gives each individual student feedback on where they erred (I didn't make any egregious mistakes), and also areas they need to focus on for their next belt. I found it to be a very refreshing approach to testing.

Have you considered Cocobolo Hardwood?? It can withstand quite a lot, and it's wood color, orange or red tones, are attractive to the eye. I've had all of my wood weapons made with Cocobolo Hardwood a very long time ago, and I still use them. I have a set of bagpipes made out of cocobolo and love them, but the hardwood dealers I talked to had only had 4/4 cocobolo, which would make a very narrow bo (too small for my ham-fists at least).

When I was at my local hardwood dealer, I found a really nice piece of 6.5'x8" 2" thick purpleheart. Should be enough to make about 5 bo staves out of and (possibly) some other weapons too. I haven't made anything yet, but I did find a couple of decent YouTube videos and it doesn't look too hard if you've got the right tools. I'll probably practice on a piece of red oak first though.

When I practiced Shuri-Ryu, we would do something similar, Koshiki Kumite. You had a hard chest protector and the face shield, but no gloves. Points were scored either ippon or waza-ari. An ippon is either: A perfectly executed technique with proper power, form, and stance that strikes your opponent in the chest protector or face guard without being touched OR a sequence of 3 techniques that hit your opponent which your opponent does not counter in some way. Scoring an ippon immediately wins the match. You score one waza-ari with hand strikes to the chest protector or face guard, and two waza-aris with foot (or knee) techniques. In the absence of an ippon, the contender with the most waza-ari scores would win. It was a lot of fun, but you had to be careful punching to the face. Those face protectors could be cheese graters on your knuckles. Generally after the first time, you learned to stick with hammer-fist strikes to the face...

There's a chance we've met. Central Illinois was my stomping ground 20 years ago. Was the USBBA crowed training with the Juko-kai guys then? I'm thinking it was earlier but that overlap was evident for a long time. PM me if you get the chance. I'd love to send you a PM, but I don't have enough posts yet However, my Juko-Kai days were in Southern Illinois (near St Louis), so we may not have had any overlap, and actually those were in the early 1990's. Now I'm starting to really feel old...

Interesting article. Its no secret that I'm a parent with kids in various sports. I'm very supportive of my kids, and I expect them to practice hard in order to perform to the best of their abilities. I also try to be supportive of coaches, and let them do their jobs. If I have questions, I ask them. Now, in my experience, I haven't seen the extreme of a parent going onto a field and attacking a ref, and for the most part, the parents are pretty laid back in the crowds. I see some parents get aggravated over a ref's call at times, but I've never seen it get too out of hand. I have been guilty of calling out an opinion on what I thought was an obviously missed call, and have since done my best to temper myself from doing that. By and large, in my neck of the woods, parents tend to keep themselves under control. The last sentence of the article bothered me somewhat, though... As a parent, I want to be involved in what my kids are doing. I want to watch their progress and make sure they pay attention to the coaches, work hard, etc. I don't like it when I have to drop my kid off and not watch their practices. My 6 year old son also plays flag football. Last week at one of his games, there was this one dad who was yelling at the referee about some perceived call he didn't make. Granted, the refs in this league are generally high school kids who are trying their best. My son's coaches caught the ref in a couple of mistakes, but they quietly pointed out his mistake instead of yelling from the sideline. However, yelling at the ref is not the type of behaviour I want MY son to see from me, and frankly, I think that it's far more important for the kids to learn how to play by the rules, play as a team, and learn to do their best. Whether they win or lose a game will make no difference to them in a week or a month. The only words that came out of my mouth throughout any of his games were encouragement and cheers for him and his teammates, and the occasional quiet question of clarification from his coaches.

I am of the opinion that she is here to learn (among other things) how to defend herself. If you as her partner are unwilling to hit her, then you do her a disservice. Of course, I'm not advocating all out wailing on your partner, but I treat all of my sparring/practice partners the same. It doesn't matter if they're old/young/male/female, (or here near Boulder, CO, have a non-binary gender). Strike at a level that challenges your partner (or for me, just flat out try to hit them), and let the partner practice defending herself.

So last week was... interesting, to say the least. Last Saturday, our Sensei was hosting Master James Thompson (head of Uechi-Ryu Karate Do Kokusai Kyokai) at our dojo in order to do black belt testing (including several advanced black belts). During the course of the weekend, Master Thompson was also teaching several seminars, including a youth-oriented seminar (which my son attended), and a adult seminar for all ranks (which I attended). I was hesitant at first, since I am still very new to Uechi-Ryu, but my sensei assured me I'd do fine. I understand enough of Sanchin and Kanshiwa to be able to perform them and not look dazed and confused. During the course of the seminar, we did a lot of Sanchin and Kanshiwa, and I learned the first parts of Kanshu (well, I ran through it 3 times, but I was mainly following those around me, so it didn't sink in). Master Thompson also showed us some new variants on kote kitae. I was paired with my sensei's brother (who I later found out was testing for Godan the next day). For the first exercise it was mainly blocks and punches. My wrists and forearms are STARTING to get used to this. Okay... The second variant added in a front kick to be blocked by... how do I put this, basically just dropping your forearm horizontal and then dropping your entire body weight a bit. On my first or second attempt, I kicked my partner's forearm.... and it felt liked I'd kicked a baseball bat. Needless to say, my shins are definitely NOT used to that! Some of the other drills he taught were much more fun. He taught some joint locks and good vital points to strike when in close, and showed us some of the subtleties in all of the blocks and strikes we do. Such as turning a double-hand block into a block/punch on the wrist, followed by pulling hikite and striking the opponent's floating ribs on the way, followed by a sieken tsuki to the bladder. On one hand, this was a refinement to things I'd already seen (both as a white belt in uechi-ryu, and in previous incarnations). On another hand, you see what he's about to do and your eyes go wide open in "A-HA". So I left the seminar feeling really good about what I had learned, but also pretty drained from the 3 hour workout. The 3 of us (wife, mini-me,and myself) had tickets to an AHL hockey game immediately afterwards,so that's where we went (changing in the car). Unfortunately, I ended up paying the price midway through the 3rd period as my quads and adductors started cramping up. Oh, well. Something else to add up in the "lessons learned" category.

As I've mentioned in my introductory thread, I studied martial arts for awhile when I was much younger (20-odd years ago). In high school, I attended a Juko-Kai school, where I learned Aiki-jujutsu (black sash) and shorinji kempo (gokyu). After I graduated high school, I studied for a year in central Illinois where I learned shuri-ryu (gokyu), kodokan judo (yonkyu), and some okinawan kobudo (primarily bo and sai). I loved the school and instructor, but had to leave after a year due to work considerations. Two years ago, my son started at an ATA school, and I figured it would be something I can do with him. However, the school was hit or miss. They had one really good assistant instructor there, but after awhile I became disillusioned with the school. For example, he has a number of 7 year old black belts, and as long as you have time in grade and pay the testing fee, he'll promote you. Heck, my son once couldn't perform the required forms in a testing session. What did he do? He took our money, got one of the higher rank students to work with him for a bit on the techniques, and promoted him anyways. Well, last year I finished my degree (PhD in Computer Science), and we moved to the Denver area. My son started immediately asking about doing karate again. We eventually found an instructor who would come to his after-school care and taught him. We eventually moved his lessons to the instructor's dojo (which, fortunately for us, is right across the street from his school). Well, after watching his lessons for the entire summer, I decided I'd take the plunge. A little over a month ago, I decided to try things out. The good news is that a lot of my muscle memory is still there. The bad news is some of it's "wrong." But I'm having lots of fun while I'm at it, and I can already feel the differences in my everyday life. So as I continue with my journey, I'd figure I'd share what I'm learning here.

I'm getting lots of errors of the form NET::ERR_CERT_DATE_INVALID when browsing from Chrome. It would seem that the certificate for the site has possibly expired?

I understand this all too well. I'm now 46 and getting back into the martial arts. Over the past few years, I really neglected my health while I tried to focus on completing my PhD while also maintaining a healthy relationship with my wife and 6 year old son. Now I'm overweight, inflexible, and have minor arthritis in the knees. I'm having to find some alternative exercises and find out how far I can push myself before the recovery time outweighs the benefit to pushing myself harder. After the first month, the knees are doing much better at recovery, and now I'm down to the standard muscle soreness. I'd kick myself for letting myself get this far out of shape at this age, but I'm not flexible enough to do that. Oh well, the only thing I can do is try to do better today and tomorrow.

I was going to suggest Empi-Sho as well.

Shorty, This has been a great read. As someone who is just getting back into the MA's after a LONG time away, it's been refreshing to see where your journey has taken you. I look forward to following the continuation of your journey!

I'm in this very same boat right now. After a (many) year hiatus, I'm starting as a white belt in Uechi-Ryu. My instructor fully understands that I have experience, and the muscle memory is all there, but the movements are slightly different and the targets are slightly different. For example, in kanshiwa kata, I was targeting the solar plexus, when he wants us to target the sensitive area right below the heart. I'm being forthright and honest with him, and he's giving me these corrections based upon what I'm actually doing. IMO a good instructor will constantly give you these constant corrections, no matter what your rank or skill level. I figure he'll promote me to whatever rank he feels is appropriate at the first testing I'm involved in, and I'll progress from there. I know there are a couple of other adults there who have skipped several grades (one he promoted from jukyu->hachikyu and another he promoted from jukyu->rokkyu at their first test). In any case, I'm more there to learn than to earn a rank.

I train Uechi-Ryu at Bennett's Karate in Erie. He has evening classes on M/Tu/Th from 7-8:30. He also has a friday evening sparring class, and a saturday morning sparring class from 10-11 (but the Saturday morning class is mostly kids with a few adults showing up). He also runs classes out of the Hyland Hills MAC (in Westminister). They are generally taught by one of his students (3rd dan), and run two nights a week plus saturday mornings. If neither of these work, there is the Iwa Dojo in Broomfield that teaches Goju-Ryu and Matayoshi Kobudo. My sensei trains kobudo through them. I hope this helps!

Well, it's been almost 2 years since I posted this, and things have changed quite a bit. I finished my degree (PhD in Computer Science), moved to the Denver area, and (most relevant to here), found a new martial arts school to attend. It's actually right across the street from my son's grade school, and he's doing great there. He started out with lessons at his before/after school care, then we moved him to classes taught out of our local rec center, and now we're at the instructor's main school. (All these classes are with the same instructor). My son has advanced to junior green belt (rokkyu-sho), and is having a great time. I have been thoroughly impressed with the instructor as well. He's in his early to mid-30's, and has been training since he was around age 4 or 5. He is testing for his rokudan (6th degree) in Uechi-Ryu next month, and he will bringing the head instructor for the organization out to our dojo to teach several seminars and help administer the black belt tests. What I really like about this instructor is that he still travels to seminars several times per year (for example, he went to Okinawa at the beginning of August to attend the 1st annual okinawan international seminar/tournament, even though he had just broken his arm the month prior. So about 3 weeks ago, I went ahead and signed up in his classes too. I was worried about being out of shape (I'd really beat myself up over the past year and a half finishing the PhD and had gained a fair bit of weight back). I'm a white belt again, but I'm having a lot of fun at it. The basics are slightly different from what I'm used to, but the muscle memory is still mostly there. Most importantly, I'm having fun in the classes, starting to feel better (albeit with lots of soreness for a couple days after each class), and on Saturdays, he hosts a sparring class that my son and I get to attend together. I'm now working on 2 new katas (sanchin and kanshiwa), and I've got the basic techniques down on both of them, so now Sensei is just correcting me on my mistakes, instead of having to teach me the moves. It's a good feeling and a lot of fun.

This is the type of discussion that I have pretty regularly with my 6 year old son. He has been a white belt 3 times now. His first time was with a guy who came to his day care once a week, and he eventually got promoted to yellow belt there. His second time was with ATA, and he left that school when we moved to Denver. Now he is in a Uechi-Ryu school with an instructor I have high regard for. However, he was very upset when he found out he would have to start out as a white belt again. He did earn his yellow belt (9th kyu) very quickly, but at that point he was put into the regular testing/promotion schedule (2-3 months between stripes/grades). This frustrates him to no end, because he is always wanting to earn his next belt/stripe. What I haven't yet told him is that even if he earns his junior brown belt next May, he won't be able to test for his junior black belt until he turns 11 or 12, and his senior black belt at least 3 years past that. So, I'm trying to teach him the value of patience, the value of doing his very best each class, and trying to learn everything he can, because I don't want him getting even more frustrated when the time in rank requirements get even higher.

I last studied any throwing-based martial arts in 1996, and that was only for one year. However, about 6 years ago I was visiting my brother-in-law in Aspen over Christmas. When I was unloading the car, I slipped on the sheer ice on their concrete driveway and went immediately horizontal. In that instant I had the presence of mind to flatten my back and tuck my chin to my chest. My hands were full so I couldn't slap, but I suspect remembering to tuck my chin probably saved me from a concussion or worse. I ended up with a sore upper back and my neck was sore later that night and into the next day. However, learning to fall definitely saved me from much more serious injuries that day.

Congrats! Many a moon ago, I trained there, and I remember how awesome it was to get those first few belts! Once you get to yellow belt, the promotions will slow down a bit though, but keep up the hard work. It will definitely pay off!