Wamp

I went for a walk today and saw the statue of Kojori, who was killed by Musashi in a duel, near my house and thought of this post. In the background on top of the mountain is the Iwakuni Castle as well, I always get a smile on my face anytime I get to see the neighborhood castle.

Funny story... I started reading “The Book of 5 Rings” today for my third or fourth time. Set down the book to take a break and check on my brisket that’s on the smoker and saw this post! The trailer looks like a good action movie I would watch. It does not seem to accurate though. 60 and 400 is a big difference in numbers. I wonder how many fights he will use the Bokken.

Great to hear you not too bad off. That seems to be the case with many folks I know. But the media has its way of only reporting the bad cases.

Ashihara Karate has 5 main groups of kata. Within these groups is anywhere from 2 to 5 katas. Hideyuki Ashihara broke away from Kyokushin because he wanted to focus on and teach Sabaki methods. These katas have a heavy emphasis on Sabaki techniques. Groups of kata: Shoshinsya no kata - 3 katas Kihon no kata - 3 katas Kumite no kata - 5 katas Nage no kata - 4 katas Jissen no kata - 2 katas All katas are a 10 step kata that focuses on fighting multiple attackers. Here is a link for an example of Ashihara’s Katas.

Oh man! I hope you stay healthy and the COVID doesn’t keep you down.

Does anyone else think that Tomi Village is Hollywood’s make of American Village? Just wondering your thoughts for those that are families with Oki.

Thanks for the information Fat Cobra, great name BYW!

That is great to hear sensei8. In Ashihara Karate, Sabaki is emphasized. Getting to your opponents blind spot is key for any counter attack. That’s where I was thinking the wooden dummy could come into good use. Not so much to practice wing chin, but to help with Sabaki techniques when I am solo training. Thanks!

It will be very interesting to see how long Johnny and Daniel will get along. Their styles of teaching are different but if they could get along for the common goal of betting Kobra-Kai, I think they would be a dynamic duo and their students would benefit.

Walker Texas Ranger without Martial Arts is like peanut butter without jelly. I’m not sure if anyone could ever redo Walker.

Great video! Thanks for sharing!

Sorry my first paragraph in my last post was quoting Bushido_man96 but I’m still new to forms and wasn’t sure how to quote.

However, in some places, a local Karate or other Martial Arts program may be one's only exposure to the world of structured MA training. And if one desires to be a fighter someday, having a place to start is very beneficial. Learning to adapt things would have to come along the way. Very true point, and there are a lot of MMA guys out there that have strong strikes that came from their Karate or TKD background.

Thank you for the reply Bushido_man96. I do have plenty of time to research and figure out if I will get much use out of it or not.

I wanted to get everyones thoughts on training with a wooden dummy at home for self sustainment. No Wing Chun experience here at all, I just find the wooden dummy interesting and debating getting one.

All great response here. Living and training in Japan, I can honestly say I think Karate is more of a lifestyle and overall physical fitness program vice the competitive sport side that MMA has. I’m 34 and I am the second youngest man in the dojo here. All other members of my dojo are in their 50s and we recently got a new student that is 65. He joined so he could, in his words as he rubbed his pot belly, “stay in shape.” I have never been a member of a MMA gym, so my assessment could be wrong, but they seem to be more interested in proving their skills in the ring. I think it really boils down to culture and why you train. If you want to be good at MMA, MMA is what you should train. If your more of a traditionalist, want balance in your life, physical fitness, self defense, and build some good friendships, look no further than the Karate dojo!

If you are just training at home with no intentions of being part of a Kaikan, then why even worry about belts, promotions, or rank at all, just train hard and enjoy the health benefits. If your Kaikan is offering that because of COVID, then that’s a little different. It’s different in the since that your instructor knew you before COVID. He knew your skill level before COVID, and knows your future potential.

Welcome Miick 11!

Happy New Year!

My wife and I finished 1-5 last night and plan on finishing the season tonight. Very well done series! I loved seeing the other side of Miyagi Do Karate!

Please no!

I am around several Book Offs so thank you for the tip! Up until I discovered this series I would visit Hard Offs and Off Houses but I never would visit the Book Off side because... I can't speak or read Japanese. But now I know what to look for and my collection is starting to build.

Welcome to the group!

Indeed! Something cool to bring home to America from Japan.

Not really but the pictures are good. It’s like reading a comic book before you were able to read, I just put the story together by picture.