JazzKicker

Have a chat with the instructor, just ask him rather than offering anything. Some things that might influence the decision are how formal or traditional the school is, and if there are other adult black belts. i think isshinryu forms are different from shito-ryu, too, so that might set you back. I first started in karate decades ago at a shito-ryu club, the instructor was from Japan where it was a collegiate sport. i got up to 2nd kyu brown belt before I transferred away to college, and hooked up with a new Tang Sood Do club at my college. Turned out the forms where almost the same, and I was given an equivalent rank.

i would certainly hope there was room for self-expression. if you've studied JKD, you know Bruce Lee's entire point was that. And boxers, they don't have a "style', other than being themselves. There isn't an "Ali" style or "Tyson" style. It depends on the school you go to, of course, but also what your degree of self-expression is. If you go to a traditional school but tell them you don't do front stance or reverse punch, you'll have a problem.

I'm actually training more now on a regular basis than I have in a long time, though it is solo training. I'm juggling working remotely, along with my wife, and caring for our toddler. I can't stray too far or too long away from the house, and there's too many people out & about taking walks & such, so my other exercise activities of running and bicycling are limited. "Backyard Karate", as I call it, works well in this situation.

This could be one of those "why, back in the old days we used to.." discussions. It depends on where you're from and how old you are. If you're in America, karate and tae kwon do got here in the 50's and 60's. The pioneers taught as they were trained, so "old school" dates to then. My first instructor was from Japan, a product of one of the main universities in the 50's,and he was a leader in competitive judo. So his club reflected that background, including the canvas tatami. I can still feel the blisters and rub burns 40 years later! Equipment was not really available yet. For sparring gear we had those thin little mitts that were like wearing a padded sock on your hand. The heavy bag was a canvas sack filled with old clothes. Punching targets were stacked foam cross-tied with old belts. When I went off to college and switched to Tang Soo Do, one of my instructors had been a Marine drill instructor, and was still Special Forces reserve. So our training was more rigid and militaristic, tougher, too. We used empty engine coolant jugs for kicking targets. Years later I saw a Moo Duk Kwan documentary from the 50's, training the same way we still did in the 80's. Us being college kids, not recruits, we kept our teeth and most of our blood. I think there's a romantic misperception that old school Okinawan practice was bare-foot farmers and fisherman, practicing in secret in back yards at night, and that Funakoshi was the leader of a very small number of practitioners. Reading Mark bishop's book, it details how there were many dojos, out in the open, even back in the 19th century.

Reviving an old thread, I know, but I was just thinking about this topic. Back in the 90's, I was training hard in Tang Soo Do, but took an interest in Dillman's Ryu Kyu Kempo. An old college friend and karate student went on to become a full-time instructor and was affiliated with DKI, hosting many seminars. I went to several seminars, and it opened my eyes to new interpretations of forms. Pressure points do indeed work but not on everyone, and whether it's practical in a live scenario is another matter. What bugged me about Dillman, though, is you'd ask him a question, and he'd tell you what video to buy that covered the answer. He was always promoting himself. I remember when he first started presenting his sound and no-touch theories- that's when he lost me. My friend had a falling out with him, he's never discussed it, but many others left around the same time. I used to have several of Dillman's books- they were loaded with filler photos (I was even in one of the seminar pics). I sold them all on ebay a few years ago.

Why are you still wasting your time at this school? Rank is a construct that manipulates your ego. It's used to reward children and motivate adults who crave status. Martial arts is the only sport that does this, though there are many, from MMA to Tai Chi, that don't even use belts. Rank just indicates you've been training x amount of time, and you've shown you can meet certain criteria (like forms or techniques) with adequate skill. Your attendance AFTER achieving that has no bearing whatsoever. This instructor is using demoting you as punishment, to control you. It's pretty twisted. Run Away!

Welcome, and congratulations on starting a new martial arts journey at an age where many are taking it easy. If I could offer one piece of advice, it's to pace yourself. Give your body time to adapt and recover between training. Overdoing it leads to injury.

I'm not familiar with the rules here, but clearly what happened, intentional or not, was a TKO.

Whether he could really fight or was just a showman is a question that comes up a lot about Bruce Lee. I've trained in JKD quite a bit over the years, including with people who trained with him or some of his early students. They would tell you he was the real deal, an innovator, a genius. Whether his theories about combat hold up in real life depend, as always, on the person applying them Keep in mind, the martial arts world was very different then. Styles did not mix, people did not cross-train, knowledge (whether right or wrong) was not freely shared. Traditionalism was very strong and people "stayed in their lane". In today's world, Bruce might have done very well in his weight class in the UFC- IF he'd gotten more into the ground game. But that MMA exists at all is in part due to his influence. I think his contribution eclipses whether he would have been a top contender in ring sports.

This could apply to Shotokan and styles with similar/common forms. I'm interested in web or published info that explores meaning and/or applications of movements in forms, beyond the obvious "block, punch, kick". I first got into this many years ago, with some guidance from a friend who was big into the ryu-kyu kempo pressure point theories of George Dillman. I don't want to revisit that stuff, but in the various Tang Soo Do hyung (practically Shotokan) I do, I realize there's more to figure out about what was really intended in some of the obscure movements. I know I have to figure it out for myself, to a point, but I'm looking for some guidance

One of the things the discipline of karate teaches you is sometimes you have to push yourself to get off the couch and go practice. As I got more experienced, and older, this idea became more nuanced. I realized, if you're going to show up, you have to "bring it". You can't necessarily control how a class is going to go, so if you really don't have the energy, it might be better to stay home. When you're young, learning to keep at it, not become lazy or distracted, is important. When you're older, recovery time is longer and more important.

I really have to jog my memory for this one! 1- Shito-Ryu 2- Tang Soo Do 1- TKD 1- Hapkido 1 JKD/MMA at different locations 1 Boxing club I've had a few "try-outs' and short-term experiments here & there as well.

I guess the OP was "one and done". Anyway, despite decades of martial arts training, more on than off, but mostly off in the last few years (my 50's!) I haven't had a disciplined stretching routine. That is, I know I should stretch most every day, but I haven't. Once I got away from the Korean arts and lots of kicking, I didn't feel like I needed it that much. Well, that's changed. I've started stretching every day as part of my morning routine, and it feels great to loosen up and energize my body for the day. Fortunately, though I was inconsistent I didn't let things go too much, and my body has it's muscle memory. The trick will be not overdoing it when my mind thinks it can do something I used to do, before I'm ready!

Check it out: http://www.amazon.com/Killing-Art-Untold-History-Kwon/dp/1550228250/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236803755&sr=1-1 My hat is off to Alex Gillis and the magnificent work he has done in putting this book together. In an effort to understand what TKD rose out of, Gillis sought interviews with many of the movers and shakers of early TKD; men like General Choi, Hong-Hi himself, Nam Tae-Hi, Jhoon Rhee, Min-Hi Rhee, Tae Eun Lee (WTF), Jung-Hwa Choi, the General’s son, as well as the General’s daughters, Hee Jin Choi (WTF), and many others, including various personal assistants to General Choi over the years. Gillis himself is a practitioner of both ITF and WTF TKD, so he has knowledge of both sides of the story. I also feel that he presents the information in a very neutral tone. Along with much research, he has opened up the world that TKD grew out of; from Korea’s independence from Japan and its roots in Karate, to the “invention” of its roots in Taek Kyon and the “connection” to the Hwarang warriors, to its use in the politics of a fledging country. Gillis tells of several accounts of TKD masters involved in covert government operations, with TKD in the midst of it. The link between TKD and the Korean CIA is discussed as well. He also talks about Choi and Kim Un-Yong quite a bit, and the rivalry of the ITF and WTF, and Kim’s drive to the Olympics, as well as Kim’s rise and fall through the ranks of the IOC. Gillis also talks of Choi’s constant suspicions and mistrust, and how he drove away many of his masters, and his eventual rise to prominence in North Korea. With stories that sound so cloack-and-dagger as to resemble a Robert Ludlum novel, the book constantly engages the reader in the chapters of TKD’s history. I cannot possibly do justice in completely highlighting the information in this book, so I won’t continue to ramble much longer. Now, thanks to the work that Gillis has done, TKD practitioners have a reference source of where the art truly comes from, without the noticeable ITF or WTF slants of other publications. We can finally see the true history of TKD, and hopefully gone now are the exaggerated claims of “5000 year histories” of future TKD texts. In my opinion, this book should be required reading for ALL TKD practitioners. Old post, I know, but I saw your recco of this book in a more recent post, and wanted to say thanks! I've read much of the excerpts online, and it's a colorful and engaging read. I was a TSD guy back in the day, and heard the bogus "2000 year old art" stories, too. Eventually the more modern, accurate history came out, but I never read so much detail or about the behind the scenes politics and intrigue. It really depicts a struggling country, with suffering people. It dispels romantic notions of virtue and mysticism with the reality of violence and political corruption. The military aspect explains why traditional training seemed so rigid and disciplined.

Unless your attendance has been spotty before that, or you've otherwise had problems at the school, I would say it's nonsense, and you should go to a different school. There's plenty of choices in central NJ. If you want to stick with Ryu Kyu Kempo and Edison is not too far for you, go to Mark Kline's "State of the Art Karate Institute". He's an old friend from college, and an international grandmaster, very knowledgeable.

Think of it as an introduction. Give a 1 day course that inspires people, they'll come back for more.

"You should see the Other guy!"

Prof. Cheng Man Ch'ing was considered to be a pioneer of Yang style Tai chi C'huan in the US. I'm not big on Chinese martial arts beyond Tai Chi, but I know there's a considerable Kung Fu history that is overlooked by this list.

NJ which ironically is the worse place to start a business. I don't know if it's the worst, I got a lot of support from the Small Business Development center when I had a go at an engineering business years ago, but it depends on what town you're in. A friend of mine did have a rough time with zoning and permitting when he tried to open a club in a nearby township. He moved to a better spot in his own township, then expanded to a bigger space.

Yes, everything has an end. It sounds like you reached your end with them, and had you not, it would have ended anyway. I've not read it myself, but if you've heard of "The Four Agreements", a couple of them speak to your concerns- Don't Make Assumptions, and, Don't Take Anything Personally. Things change. I've been through clubs folding, sometimes a lingering death, sometimes a sudden one. Organizations are made of people, and they retire, die, or just quit. I've lost interest or changed directions and tried to come back, only to find, "you can't swim in the same river twice". It's hard to know what to do, when what you've always done isn't an option anymore. The nice thing about the martial arts is, it becomes part of you. Your skills and knowledge are not dependent on an organization.

A good friend of mine, and one-time Sensei, has been "occupationally exposed" to being in real fights. Long ago, early in his career, he told me about being in a fight and pulling his kicks! This was a side effect of traditional, light or no contact Tang Soo Do training that he had to unlearn for the real world. You might try boxing again- it's full-contact, after all.

^ This! ^ It's what's so inconsistent about traditional styles. You are taught and practice forms to perfection, then put on sparring gear and do something completely different. Nobody does a traditional high block or front stance when they spar. Conversely, lots of kicks, at least in Korean styles, never show up in forms. I don't overthink it, though. I like practicing forms.

Wow, in Internet time that's like one million years! Keep up the good work, and I'll try not to give you more

You can certainly improve your flexibility, but at an older age, it will take longer. It's easier to get injured and take longer to heal, so you have to be patient. I would encourage you to realistically look at your needs. I was more flexible in my 30's than now in my 50's, but I can still do head-level kicks. I don't do a lot of them, though, nor much jumping and spinning. I did that in my 30's, and a side-effect I didn't appreciate was I had back pain. Besides, those flashy kicks are more for exercise and agility than practicality.

Congrats on healing up and not making it worse (at least, after you wised up ) Your exercise data is great. What it suggests to me, though, is if your goal is to lose weight, that you increase the intensity a bit (to 6-700 cals/hr) and do some cardio. The other aspect, and from my experience, the more effective one in weight loss, is to work on diet. Doesn't mean you have to go on a diet, but being mindful of what, and when, you eat, can save you more calories than a trip to the gym.