singularity6

Different styles and different schools are going to have different basics. This is just human. Ultimately, I don't think it's important to have unification at the onset. With martial arts, it's the whole journey that matters, and in the end, you'll find some sense of unification, as it seems that's when the collection of principles merge. Not everything fits in a nice little box. It's a big world out there, and sometimes you'll have to expect some grey area. Im going to be a little provocative here (imagine that....) I would add the following to the end of those sentences: "To my knowledge" and "So far" And the conversation can take a rather dynamic course eh? Then that's not a conversation. I'm not putting words in your mouth. I'd appreciate the same courtesy.

Different styles and different schools are going to have different basics. This is just human. Ultimately, I don't think it's important to have unification at the onset. With martial arts, it's the whole journey that matters, and in the end, you'll find some sense of unification, as it seems that's when the collection of principles merge. Not everything fits in a nice little box. It's a big world out there, and sometimes you'll have to expect some grey area.

I'm glad you asked. Some folks will develop the ability to do something despite of their bad habits. If you're to look at musicians, for example, you'll find that some guitarists hold the guitar in a very non-traditional way which would hamper most folks from performing well, yet that particular individual does just fine (or, even excellent!) These folks aren't the rule, they're the exception, and in my opinion, it's foolish to aspire to do what they do.

It is indeed! Enjoy, folks. And thanks, Hammer!

My Tae Kwon Do classes have been a rooted part in my lifestyle for the past 2 years. If I don't go, I tend to feel a little crazy. I think things would be different for me, now.

I'm not one to really chime in much on "if you're really gonna need this" type discussions, but quite frankly, if you're really gonna need your training, it'll be a basic technique that ends up getting used above all else. Why? Well, they're typically easy to perform, faster to execute, and since they've been worked on so much, very powerful. A technique that comes to mind would be a simple front kick. That could be used to break a door down in an instance of a fire. It's also quick, easy to use, and not too dependent on type of clothing. There's no way I'll be wanting to do side kicks or round kicks in jeans, as jeans are too restrictive. I can easily get a front kick off quickly, with reasonable height and with good balance and power. The best part: I will likely NOT get injured from the technique, whereas round kicks and side kicks tend to be rough on my hips if I try them without warming up first. This actually comes to play quite a bit when I spar. Spinning and jumping are kept to a minimum. Most of the techniques I use are techniques I was taught during my white and yellow belt training.

This kinda made me happy!

I started grad school at Wayne State University back in Fall 2006. Winter semester 2007, I also began taking an aikido class, and loved it. I also started exploring kendo and iaido. Summer 2007 rolls around, and we lose my brother. All the martial arts stuff stopped, and I nearly flunked out of grad school. Back then, I could not handle the distress. Hopefully I've grown enough to when something like this happens again, I will be able to persevere.

Unfortunately, I cannot. It was a video of some guy trying to get into his car while the driveway was all iced up, and his driveway was basically a hill. He slid, and made it most of the way down on his feet, only falling to avoid ending up in the street.

When learning a foreign language, one does not start with learning the alphabet then go directly into writing novels. Gotta learn and hone things like spelling, basic grammar, sentence structure, etc. If your basic techniques suck, I can almost guarantee that your "advanced" techniques will suck more.

The behavior you're talking about is extremely unethical, and should not be tolerated. Tumors tend to spread if they are not removed promptly. We had one instructor leave our school and take a bunch of students with him. Some of those that took part in the exodus regret it. The grass was greener for a short period of time. That being said, I am reminded of some situations in my own personal and professional experiences... There have been many times where I needed to change course, and everybody knew but me. So I have a saying that I fall back on: "If all I see is headlights, maybe I'm in the wrong lane." This has helped me change course and minimize damage done a few times. While the circumstances are really bad in the situation presented, maybe that senior instructor would benefit from a period of self-reflection (after cleaning house, of course.)

(Original Link does not work... so I deleted it.) See below.

As they said when I played WoW... Ding!

Woah! That's pretty nifty. Thank you for allowing me to participate on such a wonderful and friendly forum! Let's hope there are many years to come!

Yeah, they have 2 simple labels, which are easily removed (I removed them from mine.) I can see myself buying one of each of their uniforms before too long. We get a discount on Century through our school, so our master instructor gets all our equipment through there. They do a nice job taking care of schools, imo... but the quality of the cuts of their uniforms is lacking. I found the jackets to shrink up so much to where they look more like a shirt.

You're welcome, and thanks for the feedback! As an instructor, you could order these in bulk to drive down the individual cost. The Dojo Gi seems like it would be very appropriate for any serious beginner! And as you know, the size also affects the cost.

I have 2 uniforms I wear to class. My primary training gi is a Meijin Tropical, and as I've mentioned before, I love it. I also have a Meijin Champ which is embroidered that's primarily used for testing. I wanted to get something for training at home (yeah, it's probably not necessary to wear a uniform at home, but I like it.) So, I ordered a Meijin Dojo gi, which is their most affordable gi. It arrived today, and here are some details as well as my first impressions: Uniform size: 5 Cost: $49 + shipping (for me, the total was about $76 overall) My height and weight: 5'10", 185lb The folks at Dragon-Tsunami said it's pretty much the same as their other uniforms, but it's made with 100% cotton twill instead of canvas. I must say, when I opened the package this morning, I was impressed with the quality of the fabric. I expected something similar to a t-shirt or jersey like the entry level uniforms from Century. Instead, it was more like soft jeans. Some folks like their uniforms to snap when they perform techniques, and I do not think this uniform will be all that snappy. While the uniform was cut like my other Meijin gis, I wouldn't say it was identical in construction. The ties are much narrower (but not necessarily cheap feeling) as is the drawstring. The cuffs of the sleeves and pants on my other Meijin gis are stitched 5 times, while the Dojo only has 3 layers of thread. The lapel is also way less beefy. It'll be fine for our Tae Kwon Do lessons, but the Hop Ki Do might be a bit rough on it. Overall, this uniform seems like a really nice entry level gi. It's light-weight, fairly well-made and made with comfortable fabric. The cost for an individual to purchase it might not make much sense for someone who's just starting out. $76 is a bit much for someone to cough up if they're not sure if they'll like martial arts. Being as light as it is, I would worry about using it to train past blue belt in our style, as the grappling might be a bit hard on it.

I'd agree with this. We always talk about martial arts giving people confidence and I think it can inspire people to be more courageous too. Challenge themselves and overcome fears. But let's not confuse courage and bravery with recklessness. Yes courage and bravery can mean you're willing to put yourself in positions others won't, but it shouldn't be needlessly reckless. I totally agree about thanking teachers and others. I always feel doctors nurses and other health workers deserve way more credit then they get. Especially those on the front line like paramedics or in the ER or ICU. Indeed!

Which quotes were good and which were out of date?I'd have to go back and review. I do recall reading it and thinking "wow, the world has moved on from that perspective." Hagakure gave me a similar impression, as well (except Hagakure was way more boring.) Miyomoto's words are two things, a gift and a winning mindset; same holds true also with Bruce Lee.They are not going to be able to re-explain them selves so we can understand them, neither should they. A martial artist, now or in the future will be able to make sense of their insightfulness and make good use of it. If Miyomoto is difficult to understand, just, think how difficult it was for his opponents to figure him out, without his book or manual to go by. Miyomotos teachings are not a read it once and you have it figured out, it is more like a place to review and revisit throughout your martial art journey, to make more sense of his words than the last visit. I wouldn't say his work was difficult to understand, nor do I think it was a waste of time reading. Like most classics, I found that while it was well-written and had some good points (especially for his time,) I was rather under-whelmed by the content. Then again, I felt the same way about Star Wars and Office Space, and I was flat-out disappointed by the lack of creativity in The DaVinci Code (book, and movie.) My point: Perhaps I'm hard to please!

I think this depends largely on individuals. Some folks are willing, even eager, to take on hazardous challenges. Others are not. While there is quite a bit of mental training that goes into martial arts, it seems like a big portion of that is focused toward reacting to situations where your physical well-being is being threatened by another individual or group of people. The training will help you react with little or no thought. Running into a fire is an entirely different scenario; it requires a different mindset, and different training. The same could be said for performing a challenging/risky medical procedure. While on this topic: One thing that irks me is that folks here in the US seem to think we need to constantly praise police and military personal. While I'm not opposed to recognizing individuals and groups for jobs well-done, and brave service, I do find it quite annoying that teachers get ignored, and even chastised. Teachers, in their own way are also brave and courageous. They too should be recognized.

Yes but the transitions are different in the parenthood Kung Fu forms. The criticism is that Karate katas lack flow. They are punch/kick stop with stiff transitions, whereas Kung fu forms have a stronger "interconnectedness" and a greater overall flow (perhaps footwork as well?). I have had old VHS tapes of legit Kung Fu forms and they are definately more coherent When it comes to flow, I think that's part matter of opinion, and part matter of style. I've seen Karate forms that flow beautifully, and Tae Kwon Do forms that look rigid and dull. I've also seen Kung Fu forms that look like a mess of sloppy motions. This is all a matter of perspective. Let's narrow it down to Japanese Karate, since this is what the overwhelming majority is exposed to. I'm not sure that Japanese Karate has an overwhelming majority, here. Tae Kwon Do probably has a much larger footprint in the Western World than say Kung Fu. Ignoring it might defeat the purpose of the original post.

Yes but the transitions are different in the parenthood Kung Fu forms. The criticism is that Karate katas lack flow. They are punch/kick stop with stiff transitions, whereas Kung fu forms have a stronger "interconnectedness" and a greater overall flow (perhaps footwork as well?). I have had old VHS tapes of legit Kung Fu forms and they are definately more coherent When it comes to flow, I think that's part matter of opinion, and part matter of style. I've seen Karate forms that flow beautifully, and Tae Kwon Do forms that look rigid and dull. I've also seen Kung Fu forms that look like a mess of sloppy motions. This is all a matter of perspective.

Fighting in general is ungentlemanly. The idea of rules for duels and what not was always preposterous to me; they always seemed to be rigged to the favor of the wealthy (poor folks never had time to train with swords or pistols.) Don't like ungentlemanly behavior? Don't fight. And for what it's worth, I don't count sport fighting as fighting - it's entirely voluntarily on both parties; typically subject to rules, etc.

(These are Miyamoto Musashi's words not mine) It's a best-practice to quote the person who originally wrote the phrase. This saves a lot of confusion. It was quoted to Miyamoto Musashi; as plain as day.But if you (singularity6) have a preferable way of making quotes more easily identifiable, then please feel free to share how it is to be done. I would have ended the post by stating the author's name. "~Miyamoto Musashi" as the last line is fairly typical.

(These are Miyamoto Musashi's words not mine) It's a best-practice to quote the person who originally wrote the phrase. This saves a lot of confusion.