karate_woman

Saw Rush twice last year.

I listen to a variety of music. I've got a lot of music in the house. My fav happens to be Pink Floyd (Roger Waters era), but I've got quite a mix....Shaggy, ACDC, Metallica, Shania Twain, Randy Travis, Staind, Rush, John Lee Hooker, Bob Marley...you get the idea My least favourite would be old country.

I live in Canada and our tax day is April 30. I filed online ages ago, and already had my refund directly deposited

Good luck with your research. I suspect that if there was one art that was deemed the most effective by the police, then there wouldn't be so many "police instructors" of varying styles, but if you come across something that isn't just a sales gimick it'd be great to see.

You know, I'm not even sure if my dojo is open or not, but I'll find out tomorrow. If not, when I come back home on Sunday I'll head down to the basement and work some kata. I suspect I'll be able to at least train Easter Monday at the dojo.

Well, Miyagi Chojun did study White Crane Kung Fu in China, so it isn't all that far fetched that he would teach a Kung Fu move, and if you think about it the move could be part of the bunkai for saifa, but no, it is just a movie

You started WAY before me in the forums but welcome anyway!

Welcome from a fellow newbie to the forum:D

Internationally recoginzed by whom? I did a search for western martial arts, came up with the reference I provided, along with others that showed similar examples. Where is this viewpoint coming from?

You obviously wouldn't get the win if you were disqualified.

Our club Karate/kobudo: White, Yellow, (Tan - kids), Orange (Red - kids) Green, (purple - kids) Blue, Brown, Black Kitsune Ryu JuJitsu White Belt - 2 yellow stripes Yellow Belt - 2 orange stripes Orange - 2 green stripes Green - 2 Blue Stripes Blue - 2 Brown Stripes Brown Black

Re:that would be point sparring that means if you touch me with a back fist before my elbows hits you in the jaw you get the win... Elbows aren't legal techniques in point sparring. http://www.krane.org/rules/Sport%20Karate%20Point%20Sparring%20Rules.htm. See also http://www.wkf.net/ for the international rules (which will be followed for Olympic Karate next Olympics).

Just wondering how many of you wash your karate belts? I haven't yet, but my belt doesn't stink, either; if it did I'd probably either buy a new one or wash it.

I disagree with your categorization of eastern vs western styles. I direct you to: http://www.historicalfencing.org/Ken's_library/pages/WMAW.htm for a definition of western martial arts. I think what you're seeing is a rivalry of traditional vs non-traditional, combat vs non-combat, full contact vs light contact, grappling vs striking arts. It most likely boils down to a basic desire to be "right" and a sense of pride in their own style. Some people also feel a need to justify their particular style, and that sometimes leads to statements slamming other styles. I've only been here a couple of days, but it seems that the threads that get out of line are shut down.

Simply because it IS a belt, and I know it will wear out, as they all do, when worn. I look forward to wearing it out because of all the training I know I'll be doing in the interim to wear it out (it isn't silk or satin, so it will take quite a while). When I first got my belt, it was stiff, and creased where it had been folded. Now it hangs more naturally after I tie it and isn't as stiff, even though that is the nature of it, I still think it is neat. Now wearing out a new bed...that is fun too!

Personally, while I agree that ideally combining karate and the gym is better, I also believe that when it comes to physical fitness, people should find something they enjoy, and stick to it!

No, I don't keep wearing my old worn out gis. I agree with you, and have observed that pictures several highly ranked, highly respected karateka (7th Dan, 9th Dan) DON'T show a ratty old belt. I still can't shake the notion, even though I have heard many people artificially stress their belts. I think it all goes back to the legend of how the belt system started, white to black, black to white....it is really ingrained in me. It is sad that people prematurely age their belts, but I guess they do it because saps like me have the romantic notion it represents hard work (as I've seen it does in some cases). In my case, I feel the frayed look of the black belt would show my hard work because I won't have prematurely aged it, and I'll know it has frayed simply because I've been wearing it. It is true I don't have to work out to wear it in, but I'll know how it got that way, and that's what matters to me:D I won't let it get too far gone before replacing it, though...it is my first black belt, and I don't want to completely wear it out; I am just looking forward to wearing out my black belt naturally after I have had it a few more years. Also, my black belt doesn't even have my correct surname on it anymore....eventually it would be nice to update it! Fortunately it is in japanese, so most people can't tell my name is wrong

Yeah, mine is making a living, but certainly not living large. I really don't see him ever getting rich off it, nor do I think he expects to. There is one club that moved into town that I'd potentially call a McDojo; they advertise getting black belts in 2 years and even have a daycare programme that you bring your kids there instead of to a daycare establishment. For me it is the black belt in 2 years that makes me question the skills they are teaching. I have no idea what they charge, and don't plan on finding out

I think there is a point where you're right; the belt has got to be retired, but for me it would be a symbol of my hard work and effort and it would be hard to let go...if mine ever gets that way (and it will be quite a while longer for it to do that the way it seems to be wearing so far), I'll probably put it in a place where I can see it and remind myself of the hard work I did to get it to that point. I think I admire it so much because the Senseis I've had that had their belts wear like that wore the belt minimum 6 days a week, more often 7, because they also had a dojo in their home; in their case it wore like that because they really did work that hard, and they deserved my admiration. I remember they periodically got new belts, too - after the belt wasn't recognizable as a black belt anymore.

I am actually aware of an amazing Sensei (and no, not my own) that does a couple of those things you list: he charges the highest rates in town (though I wouldn't necessarily say the fees are unreasonable at 82.50 per month as he has a nice dojo and the money is needed to pay for the rent on the large facility and all the equipment he has bought for training), makes students sign a one year contract (membership), and has created a style, which therefore gives him a ran of 10th Dan by default of being a Soke (it was granted to him by the World Sokeship Council, However). HOWEVER, I would NEVER call his dojo a McDojo. Both he and his students are well respected world wide, he's in several Halls of Fame. He also happens to have no less than 5 separate Dan rankings, and lists his lineage, which is easily verified.

The only problem I have with belts isn't the belts, the fees or gradings themselves, but the pressure parents try to put on Senseis to grade their child to the next level. We've lost a couple of students because their parents decided they should be green belts because so-and-so was, or because their kid was a red belt for 6 months....well, time training is not the only thing that is considered when grading!, and who cares if their buddy or sibling has graded? I'm glad Sensei stuck to his guns and refused to grade them as they weren't ready. I'd rather see a red belt walk away then a kid grading for junior black because they'd been pushed through the system by Mom and Dad!

I could be reading this wrong, but I've seen a few posts that use the term "McDojo" liberally, seemingly slamming anyone who is making a living from teaching karate. I certainly don't approve of watered down martial arts, or martial arts promotions based on money alone, but the fact a person pays $ for their gradings doesn't demean the rank to me; if they didn't have to actually work for the belt itself it would bug me. We pay over $200 for our black belt gradings. Now, at $55 per month, my Sensei doesn't have huge fees, and the black belt grading fee didn't even go to him (it went to his Sensei, who hosted the grading). His sole source of income is the dojo and I know he isn't getting rich off this, and if he were, well good for him. Here are the other circumstances involved in gradings at my club:we have minimum time frames that we must be at each rank (3 years is the absolute minimum time we have to train to be a shodan), and we stay at brown belt for 1 year before we are eligible for black, training a certain number of hours, plus we have to teach a certain number of hours too (documented). Black belt gradings are only held twice a year, so we are often at brown longer than a year. We are not given our belts right away after our grading, nor do we know if we have even passed for a couple of months. There have even been "probationary" passes where the certificate was withheld (that happened to me with my kobudo). There is also a 1000 word written essay on "what karate means to me", that is reviewed, probably more for character reasons than anything else. Now, when people start slamming dojos that charge people significant amounts for gradings, or for monthly fees, that makes me wonder...would they think "I" belong to a McDojo? I worked my butt off for my black belt, am very familiar with both my Sensei, and O'Sensei's qualifications and lineage, but if they could be deemed a "McDojo" simply because they charge a couple hundred for a black belt grading than I'm at a loss. I found an interesting article that included the subject of "fees" in it http://www.budodanmark.dk/NY/Artikler/what-dojo.htm. It seems that even the traditional teachers were paid in some form...rice. I know people's opinions really don't matter in the end, but I get a feeling that people are looking down on owners that are trying to make a living at karate, and I don't think that is a good way to look at things. Am I reading too much into the McDojo statements people are making? I think the original intent was to look down on the McDojo because they weren't holding their students to any real standards other than the mighty dollar, but some of the comments make me wonder.

I know that black belts can be prematurely "aged" with sandpaper, etc, and the silk ones age earlier than the others, but I can't help looking at other black belts with worn, frayed looking black belts (that are turning white), and think back to the lessons about how the original belts were white, turned black with age, and then back to white again.......and go WOW! I'm just a sucker for it I guess. I wouldn't dream of prematurely stressing my belt; when it ages and turns white it will be because I've worn it for ages and ages...it is cotton and not silk and it will take quite a while. Anyone else a sucker for it?

The first level bunkai is explained as we learn the new kata. We also get the mats out and work on the second level bunkai, and in black belt classes explore for ourselves the hidden bunkai.

Actually I've seen a few moves of it, but can't really comment on it other than that it looked interesting, but not really my thing. It is one of the martial arts that the founder of Goju Ryu, Sensei Chojun Miyagi studied when he went to China.