Shorin Ryuu

先生 You may want to do a google image search of the word sensei and maybe you can come up with more elaborate looking versions rather than straight up print. edit: nevermind...you'd probably come up with too much extra stuff since it is a common word... I've sent you a pic with the proper stroke order (in case you are trying to draw it). I'll look for a genuine calligraphy piece though.

Actually, the vast majority of people here in the States don't carry weapons...this is just a specific thread on a martial arts forum, so it shouldn't be surprising for people to carry weapons...

I sort of agree with those who stated sport karate already exists (see the quote and date in my signature anyway...). To be totally honest, the average person doesn't even know the difference between TKD and karate anyway and replacing one with the other would almost be a moot point in terms of outsider perceptions. The other person quoted in my signature, Morio Higaonna of Goju Ryu fame, was actually asked to head up the effort to get karate in the Olympics. He declined, essentially saying he didn't want to ruin karate. I think there will be some negative effects if karate is made into an Olympic sport. Namely, broader participation in a karate that is watered down to suit the needs of safe competition. On the other hand, things like that are already present in many styles of karate. I'm not for it, but it is not the end of the world by any stretch if it does become part of the Olympics.

Is it just as valuable? Perhaps. But is that the standard we should have when awarding black belt? I personally do not feel it is. Again, it is something valuable but that falls more in the realm of common sense and character rather than fighting ability. Common sense is important, but it doesn't dictate how effective you are at fighting or in learning the combative principles of your system. Reducing the standard to where a child doesn't cry because he got hit by his sensei is kind of strange in my opinion. A person can cry or not cry all he wants but that has no bearing on the child's fighting ability. Despite whatever else is added into the mix when using the word "martial arts", it is still first and foremost a combative skill. Certainly all the other factors (common sense, determination, etc.) play into the situational nature of any confrontation. Yet if they can not fight, why give them a black belt? To reward their good attitude? To reward their maturity and common sense? If they truly had those things, they wouldn't "need" it in the first place.

I'm not going to try and turn this into a "My black belt test can beat up your black belt test." I personally think tests add too much artificiality in the first place (as do ranks...but I think those at least serve a purpose within an organization). To be honest, I honestly don't care what other styles have as their age limits for black belts. Just as an observer, however, I think it is dangerous to give some kid a black belt just to "keep them interested". In my book, that is what karate is all about. Yes, there are certain matters of character and ethics we wish to instill in our children. However, in the overall picture, martial arts is about combative training. If the child in question knows the black belt has no bearing on their fighting ability then it is fine. Unfortunately, as they grow older they may be deluded into thinking that black belt they gained years ago made them a great fighter. It very well may be that they became great fighters; but if combative ability was not the main focus of training (evidenced by giving black belts at a low age), then the chances of that happening are less. Once again, don't misunderstand what I am saying. I am not stating that spiritual and character development has no place in martial arts. There is more to karate than purely gaining fighting ability although that is my main goal. By the same token, giving black belts to small children merely because they have shorter attention spans and supposedly "need" all this external reaffirmation of their achievements does NOT teach these kids the lessons and extra benefits which karate has to offer. To put my answer in context, I am not an instructor. I do not have to worry about paying bills and keeping students and families happy. However, I think it is possible to do those things without resorting to mass-producing black belt children who could not stand up to a grown man in a fight.

I don't know where Johnson City is in relation to Monroe County, but there's an instructor in Shorinkan Shorin Ryu there by the name of Gordon Shell. He also runs the Murasaki Kobudo weapons company (high-quality weapons shop started by Kyoshi Doug Perry). Shorin Ryu emphasizes close-range fighting.

Hmm...While it could be possible, that sounds a bit strange to me. I would think there are better ways of moving the hand to draw a weapon from a holster or other position. It just doesn't seem to lend itself to drawing a weapon with a palm-up fist like that.

Thanks. As far as saying every single punch should start with a pull towards you, perhaps I worded that a bit strongly. However, I wasn't so much stating that the punch itself would be a fight ender. I was talking about the other applications of the retraction hand (during a block for example which breaks an arm and takes someone down). In some cases, a punch isn't merely just a punch either...but I digress. Forgive me, but could you clarify this? By this statement do you mean was the retraction ever used to grab an opponent's weapon and pull it off to the side? If so, I guess that could be the case. I could see that as being a valid technique. I think it would be more effective to control the person's hand or arm rather than the weapon itself in many circumstances. If you try only to control the weapon (although there are certainly ways you can do this depending on what weapon it is) it becomes a match of who is better at manipulating the weapon in question. I do not know of any that come to mind. That being said, there are so many versions of the pinan and naihanchi kata out there, even if there was it may or may not have the ones you are specifically looking for. Certainly some are more similar than others. What specific style/lineage of Shorin Ryu do you do? While I may not be of much help, there may be other people who take the same style you do and may know of such resources.

The "chambering" was basically what they told everyone the movement was for. Keep in mind that traditional Okinawan (and Japanese) culture was very much centered on "in group" and "out group" relations. When karate was starting to be taught to the mainstream (in the early 1900s on Okinawa), there was a fundamental shift because karate used to be taught in very small groups of well-acquainted people or recommended students, not en masse. This then became the origin of large karate classes taught in military discipline fashion...They weren't exactly going to tell everyone all the in-depth meanings of everything, especially American GI's a half-century later who just got done devestating the island of Okinawa. They didn't even tell every Japanese or Okinawan the "good stuff" either. The mass production of karate meant less individual training time and less personal trust between teacher and student. Karate was always first and foremost a combative discipline. The deeper knowledge of which was not simply handed out to whoever showed up and trained. There are exceptions to this, but suffice it to say they were not always as open as many American instructors definitely are or as some Okinawan teachers are today. Back to the chambering part...I do not see that as the true intent of the technique. It really does depend on the situation. In many of our kata, there are places where the hands do not automatically go back into "chamber" before performing the next technique. What's more, you have to keep in mind that with all techniques, they are set up a certain way but will be performed as the situation requires. On to the explanation...I for one believe it is meant primarily to be a grab with the retracting hand and punch with the leading hand. It is basically a grab/parry that is performed simultaneously with a strike, which I believe technically what most of us are aiming for (simultaneous techniques along the vein of more Chinese styles). This concept is also present on many of our "blocks" where the retracting hand/arm/wrist crosses over the blocking hand/arm/wrist. This is because the real intent is to grab the opponent's attack with the retracting hand while striking either the opponent's body (i.e. face), breaking whatever he attacked with (i.e. arm) or performing a throw (i.e. arm bar) with the "blocking" arm. There are those who say the retracting hand is there to let the person "be aware" that you can pull a person while punching if you want to. I disagree. The retracting hand is there because it is saying you SHOULD pull a person like that. It forms the heart and principle of many of the techniques of good Okinawan karate. With this in mind, bringing the retracting hand to your waist (I originally wrote down wrist on accident) is useful because it hyperextends the opponent's appendage, causes the opponent to lose their balance, and places it in a position where it is biomechanically strong for you to hold the opponent. It also allows more momentum into the system by making your opponent move towards you as you strike into him. At the most basic level, it also forms an easier connection between the hand and waist for most beginners, although that is probably the weakest argument for the fist chambering. This also reflects a difference in the mindset of the practitioners. The most common detraction against the chambered fist says it leaves your face open, etc. In the more traditional schools, by which I mean traditional focus, mindset and training...NOT gi, hardwood floors, military discipline, etc., these techniques were meant to end the fight quickly. Therefore, pulling the hand back was because you were pulling the opponent into you and from that position you were simultaneously striking him/breaking something and most likely taking him down instantly to end the fight. It is my opinion that traditional karate is centered around getting in close and going for the takedown. Therefore a retraction hand technique was a set up for finishing the fight, rather than having an exchange of blows. You can see this in pictures of how most of the old Okinawan masters had their regular fighting stances, which were not one hand chambered to the side. If you blindly chamber your fist to the side without having any idea what it is for then I will agree with those detractors who say it is useless. For them, it is.

Yes. The word for "form" in Japanese is kata. It's my opinion (I haven't really asked around or anything) that they chose this word (and it's chinese character) with the meaning closer to the form of the body (i.e. the exact shape it takes) as kata is a study of biomechanics and timing. I hesitate to use the explanation "a set of techniques" because that is really missing the point of kata.

Hmm...you're going to have to put it more into context. Define what you mean by access. I know someone is just itching to say "your mind/brain". It never fails. Maybe I can shame them into not saying it, but I doubt it.

What you describes kind of sounds like what happened to me when I tore my ACL. It was perhaps more of a popping sound though. The best thing to do to aid recovery is aggressively but intelligently pursue physical therapy. That means many long hours a day often doing repetitive exercises over and over. A physical therapist is almost a must because they know what exactly you need to do. Follow what they tell you to do to the "t". My biggest problem was wanting to do too much, but you must always walk the line between pushing yourself to recover quickly and not re-injuring yourself. There's no easy way around it.

Would the curve of a blade not make it easier to cut? Blade curvature is designed so attacks along a straight line act as if the blade was being slid along the flesh without having to actually do so.

Echoing the sentiments of others, you must do what you have to do to balance things out. Otherwise your body will overcompensate and throw off your natural balance. I tore my ACL about 4 years ago and didn't have surgery on it until about a year and a half ago. Consequently, I constantly have to undo my body's compensation and favoring of my good knee in order to properly align all of my mechanics. I also take Glucosamine Chondroitin. I've noticed it's helped my joint flexibility.

That sounds like a moving experience. Thanks to you and all the many members of your family who served and continue to serve this country. I personally can't help but feel a stir of emotion whenever I hear Taps or the Star Spangled Banner.

No problem. As far as being able to determine whether or not someone is a good teacher, that is less easier. However, in many cases, if you have a critical eye for the martial arts, some people will just stick out as being "not good". Simply having basic understanding of biomechanics (and I really do mean basic, not complex) can help you evaluate people from different styles or things you have no knowledge of. Even in cases where you are totally unfamiliar with what someone is doing or don't feel confident judging someone right away (it happens to me too), respectfully ask the person to explain what they are doing or perhaps show (on you) some applications of the nunchaku. A critical eye will help you determine if the * flag should be raised, but sometimes you can also tell just by how they respond to such a question (basic human interaction skills). If all else fails, you can ask them to be your teacher and if after a few lessons or weeks he doesn't really fit the bill (or if you find out he's not all he's cracked up to be), then respectfully discontinue learning. Yet another indication is the quality of his students. Good instructors generally tend to produce good students.

Congrats. I think this surprise test and the positive feedback by you and others really does emphasize in my opinion the artificial nature imposed by the kind of testing conducted in most places. Edit: Oh yeah. Where in Northen California are you, Uechi Kid?

Ah, I forgot to mention this and you reminded me. My heel is very close to the ground as well. Any more takers? Keep the comments coming!

Way back when I posted a poll about the neko ashi dachi (cat stance) the consensus was that pretty much everyone and their moms had it in their style. So now I figure it would be interesting to discuss common weight distributions and various applications for it. For example, I tend to use a 60% back leg / 40% front leg distribution which allows for a pronounced weight shift back and then forward again employing the use of the wave (namigaeshi) in manipulating an opponent's energy/momentum in close quarters. Or in other cases, I may weight the front foot heavier as it is a pressing attack against the top of the opponent's foot. And so on and so forth. I might post some more specific or detailed ones later on, but I'm interested in what you all think. As there were about 50 votes for "yes" on the poll which asked how many people had a neko ashi dachi, I'm eagerly awaiting some interesting responses...

I for one do not buy into it. I think it is too far of a stretch (as per my earlier post).

http://www.murasakikobudo.com/pages/measure.html

The search button is always a good choice...

Happy Birthday.

Tokumine no kun is among the more common bo kata out there. I've forgotten a version of it...

Just remember your instructors will never ask you to test until you are ready. Of course, do your best to prepare and all, but you should have already "passed" by the time your test arrives.