Fat Cobra

In my style, Ryukyu Kempo, we do a form of sparring called Bogu Kumite. Bogu is heavy sparring armor, similar to Kendo armor, consisting of a face shield, with grills; chest protector; and gloves. The winner is the competitor who gets to 3 points first. In order to get a point you have to hit someone hard enough to "visibly rock them" or knock them back. My question is, do any other styles also do this form of sparring with Bogu gear?

Look at the exercises from this site (can be found on Pinterest too). Quick, requires little room and little to no equipment, but extremely challenging (and super hero themed, which I like): https://www.neilarey.com Go to the workouts section of the website. I personally like the Daredevil and Batman workouts!

At what grade are you considered an instructor? Nikyu? Ikkyu? Shodan? Nidan? Sandan? Instructors are Shodan level. School heads are Sandan level. What age should a Sandan (3rd Dan) be? 24 years old minimum. What age should a Godan (5th Dan) be? 33 years old minimum What age should a Hachidan (8th Dan) be? 54 years old minimum What age should a Judan (10th Dan) be? 70 years old minimum

As a teacher, I believe proficiency means that you are able to show and explain the how AND why behind what you are teaching. If I can't explain to my students what I am teaching than I am not proficient (e.g., if I can only say, "do it like this" by showing them but don't know the meaning or explanation behind it). If I can explain it to my students but can't perform it then I am also not proficient.

Blunt force trauma and hard training...seriously. I am 45 years old and spent 24.5 years in the infantry. One of my students, who just started training again 4 months ago after a 25 year break, is 51 years old and retired 10 years ago from the army. We train hard (well, at least hard for us), but smart. Don't be afraid to train hard, but also be aware of your body and what it is telling you.

Sensei8 hit the nail on the head (which, by the way is another great way to develop power and strength--with the bare hands)!

I also agree that your post is excellent and right on the money. Kaicho Amor, the head of URKA, continuously tells us (the Yudansha) that he is not teaching us technique or what to do. What he is teaching us is a way of life. This is the art. Kata can be interpreted a thousand different ways and there are a thousand different techniques. Kaicho is trying to teach us not to memorize technique, but to learn the fundamentals of all karate so that we can interpret them on our own. Additionally, I have been reading an excellent book...Shin Gi Tai: Karate Training for Body, Mind, and Spirit by Michael Clarke. If you have not read it, I highly recommend you do. In one chapter he explains that, in the beginning all he wanted to do is memorization, but now he understands that memorization is not what is important. The important thing is the understanding of the deeper meaning behind kata.

Welcome to the Forum. Good luck with your new martial arts adventure!

Welcome!

Mike Tyson!

What Wastelander states is spot on. Additionally, weapons styles, practices, and kata help your empty hand techniques, so there is much more value to studying them than just the surface. That being said, I carry knives (always 3) and a concealed firearm. This is all in compliance with the laws of my state (New York by the way...but not New York City...upstate, near Canada. Largest town in the area has 29,000 people). Sticks are great. I especially like the Chizikunbo. They can double as "acupressure devices," can be carried easily in your pocket, and are absolutely effective at close range.

Welcome aboard!

Welcome. Great to hear that your are motivated. Keep up the hard work!

I will respond with this answer: I think everything is important IF...it is emphasized / explained the right way. If not, then it is not important. Examples (Note: this is not what happens in my school / style in particular, but things that are out there): - Instructors who preach the Dojo Kun and Guiding Principles but don't live them themselves. - In another forum (The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly) someone posted that forms done over and over were "Bad." Obviously, this person's instructor did not emphasize or show the student that value of forms. - Pretending that something is not what it is...(Never hitting or getting hit in class and instructing someone that they are ready for self-defense. Never sparring, really sparring, but telling someone they are ready for competition, etc.).

Using your hips is absolutely key. Hip power works for punching...and a million other things.

I like what mirkoinbrazil is saying. I call this the difference between "fighting" and "self-defense." In my view, "fighting" is when you square off with someone. IMO, this occurs mainly when you meet after school to fight someone in the parking lot...or when you are in the cage for a competition. "Self-defense," alternatively, is when you are attacked on the street, in public, at the pub, wherever, when you don't have time to square off and you are--possibly--defending your life. I believe you should train for both situations, but in the latter, your goal is to a) avoid the situation altogether by constantly being aware of your surroundings and keeping a level head to try to diffuse bad situations, b) get away if possible, and c) end the situation as quickly and efficiently as possible if it comes to violence (which means using everything in your arsenal--weapons, dirty fighting, etc.).

Naihanchi Shodan -- it is the answer to everything!

sensei8, this is excellent and I agree. It can also be called "stuffing." This is the approach many grapplers and wrestlers use as well...close the range quickly so that a striker can be neutralized...and Tuite is grappling at close range, so it works. Also, I agree with a lot of you as well...a good punch is a good technique. The exclamation of our brand of Tuite is that our goal is to get behind our opponent through angles and space management transitions; not many move effectively when their opponent, you/me, are behind them...and all the while jamming them to the nth degree with one set-up/checks after another. Shindokan is quite adamant about many things, but right at the top of the list is...If you can't get behind them, then get out; you've no business being there in the first place. The game of chess is at foot...or hands, as per our case. Interesting...the Tuite we do does not have us getting behind the opponent, however we do move laterally and angularly to get on the flank of the opponent, and out of their center line.

I am going to watch all of them soon (Miami and Greece). New York is on tonight.

One's ability to persevere can be developed by the mental state of focusing on the journey and not the end state. Too often human beings think about the final objective--the goal--first and foremost, and don't care about the journey. In fact, many would like to skip the journey altogether and get right to the end state (instant gratification). However, when these same people hit an obstacle in their journey, or get derailed, they can get frustrated enough to quit. They don't understand that every journey takes hard work. If they would focus on the journey more than the end state, and actually learn to enjoy the journey, they would be better prepared to face the ups and downs that will surely come their way.

sensei8, this is excellent and I agree. It can also be called "stuffing." This is the approach many grapplers and wrestlers use as well...close the range quickly so that a striker can be neutralized...and Tuite is grappling at close range, so it works. Also, I agree with a lot of you as well...a good punch is a good technique.

I know this is a complex question with complex answers, but I am going to try to simplify it anyway: If you had to pick one move (bunkai, kumite move, combination, etc.) that you think is the single most effective in Karate, what would it be?

First, I agree with the "Fame and Fortune" answer, and by that I mean that it is not important, in my personal opinion, to make money off of MA. Though some schools make good money, and, some martial artists have made lots of money in movies, I don't think that is what is important. Second is ego. There are way too many senior martial artists, and good ones at that, who believe they don't need to learn anything from anyone else. This often causes schools or organizations to break apart, and it is unfortunate.

Fight, fight, and fight. Practice sparring constantly, the more the better. Bushido!!!!

The internet does not help, but I believe it has more to do with the UFC. My dojo is on a US Army installation, and most of the soldiers want to train in MMA versus traditional MA for a few reasons (and reasons why MMA is currently more popular): 1 - They want instantaneous skills. MMA training (boxing, wrestling, grappling) gives skills quicker than traditional MA with kata and bunkai (that does not mean MMA gives GOOD skills quicker, but it gives skills that can be put to the test quickly). 2 - UFC fighters are cool (to the young crowd). They are exceptional athletes, in great shape, come out to their own music, and make money. This appeals to young adults. 3 - In the ring, MMA has proven to be more effective than traditional MA. In a life or death situation, I would argue otherwise, but no media attention goes to the life or death situations...everything is about the ring. Now, with the increasing popularity of shows like Cobra Kai, Into the Badlands, Daredevil, and Iron Fist, traditional MA might make somewhat of a come back, but only time will tell.