Shorin Ryuu

When he was there, Karate wasn't introduced to Japan yet.

I agree. Moving out of the way just enough to avoid the hit while parrying/blocking/grabbing and striking at the same time is the best thing to do. Moving out of the way for the obvious reasons. Getting in contact with his body for control purposes. And striking, well, that's obvious. Strike/grab and throw/takedown. But moving out of the way is the best thing to do. If everything else fails, at least you're not there to get hit.

I thought Samurai Deeper Kyo was a pretty good romp. A bit more on the fantasy/samurai flick side, but interesting if you know a lot about Japanese history.

You know those moments where you don't know whether to laugh or to cry? This isn't one of them. I'm laughing.

So we're talking what, get there the 23rd/early the 24th and leave the 26th/27th?

You're going to have to be more specific on those syllables (as in their meanings) because there are only so many syllables for all the kanji out there (no large multiplicity of tonality like there are in Chinese). Unfortunately, for that same reason, I don't know what the "Ho" (or even if that's actually "Hou") stands for in Shodan Ho, so I don't know what the character is. If anything, it seems to me to be more of an American invention anyway (although they probably took some legitimate Japanese term and stuck it on the end). Edit: I can come up with some good guesses though... Ho 補=learner, assistant, supplement 歩=step, pace, counter for steps (stairs) 輔=help 甫=for the first time (i.e., 年甫 means beginning of the year...年=year) Hou 萌=show symptoms of, sprout (like a flower bud) My cynical side says this: 俸, which means stipend or salary...(hint: not yours...)

The last two weeks of June would be a better date for me, simply because I have class at any other time in the summer. I didn't realize it would be over 1300 miles away though, looks like I'd have to fly to get there. I'll have to see if I have enough leave (yeah, the assignment I'm in right now makes me take leave if I go out-of-state, even during the weekend...) to pull that and some other trips I have on my plate. Training in a gymnastics school does sound tempting. Oh, you mean they won't be there at the same time? Darn.

Shorin Ryu and Goju Ryu are simply two paths arriving at the same destination. In the "old days", many masters did both "Shurite" and "Nahate". If you look on a map, Shuri and Naha are pretty darn close to one another. Chibana Chosin, the founder of the Kobayashi branch of Shorin Ryu was known for correcting a Goju Ryu master on his Goju Ryu kata once (ask Skeptic2004 for more details on this one). This isn't to say Shorin Ryu is better or anything, but just to show you that the distinction nowadays wasn't really there back then. And Chibana died in 1968 (the term "the old days" is pretty relative). If you ask me, both Goju Ryu and Shorin Ryu utilize hard and soft techniques, sometimes at the same time. They both are heavily influenced by Chinese methods to varying degrees. There have been Naha te kata that have influenced/appeared in Shuri te styles and Shuri te kata that have influenced/appeared in Naha te styles. As far as Shorin Ryu being "linear", I've always found such claims to be a bit strange. Certainly there are some linear technique. Every style has linear techniques. However, like in Goju Ryu, there are varying degrees of "tightness" (not referring to tension but the curvature of the arc) to the circles employed in Shorin Ryu. Many so-called linear techniques are circles that are deceptively tight. As far as hard and soft goes, that really depends on the practitioner. There are certainly both hard and soft methods and principles in Shorin Ryu and Goju Ryu. Comparing either of them in "hardness" to something like Shotokan would be a complete fallacy, however. Saying one style is better at in-fighting or getting in close is ludicrous. From what I've seen, both styles emphasize getting in close and grappling with a culmination in the takedown. My instructor says (and I've had this opinion before I met him) that Shorin Ryu is centered specifically on the takedown at which point the fight should be over. I've seen nothing in Goju Ryu that would indicate it is any different in this respect. The best book you can buy in terms of Karate history in English in my opinion is John Sells' Unante: The Secrets of Karate. http://www.martialsource.com/Unante.htm Pricy, but worth every bit. So what's the bottom line? You shouldn't be comparing Goju Ryu and Shorin Ryu head on. They certainly have some differences in approaches and techniques, but the underlying principles are much more closer between them than many other styles of karate or martial arts out there.

Ditto...give or take 26 years...

I'm sure your instructor meant to say "Genjitsu", which means reality (also with the connotations of pragmaticism or realism). Of course, you-know-what by any other name would smell just as foul...

I used to, but it was pretty much messed up beyond repair after I left it in the care of a friend for 3 weeks...

Like most people are saying, people don't really have as much interest or knowledge about the martial arts because it simply isn't a matter of importance to them. What gets me (and others here) is how many people are uninformed about martial arts that actually do them. Case in point. There's a small debate in this very thread about whether karate is Japanese or Chinese. The answer is that it is Chinese and Okinawan. http://www.karateforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=17543 Most people don't know enough about East Asian culture to realize the distinction between Okinawan and Japanese culture and martial arts. Certainly all East Asia cultures have varying degrees of Chinese influence. Certainly Okinawan and Japanese culture do have similarities. However, Okinawa had much more of this influence due to its location than Japan, which was able to "selectively borrow" cultural things from China. There are many other myths about karate (which is just one of the many martial arts out there) that people tend to propogate despite logic, and in most cases, unknowingly.

Simple. Apply critical thinking skills to your martial arts. I really feel that not enough people do this. If you need help, get a partner. If it doesn't past muster, you may want to reconsider what you train in.

I don't know too much about Kyokushin but I know enough to say that this is not true. One could defiantly argue the semantics of calling Kyokushin "traditional". My personal opinion is that it is not. But as a comparative analysis I would say that very old schools of traditional karate and old Chinese arts spend just as much time on ground work, grappling, and contact. What you don't see quite as much emphasis on in Kyokushin is the finer points of taisabaki, energy work, soft/effortless technique, and some of the little things in kata like why does one hand chamber palm up and the other down before a low x-block or why do you look to the 45 right before a lifting your leg in nihanchi. And without knowing (or even having) all these little things, I would have to wonder how a style would consider itself the most complete traditional style out there. Traditional styles, ones practiced the same way for 2 or 3 hundred years, are as complete as complete gets. A style that has been "created" in the last 100 years might want to wait a century or two before it tries to take the title of most complete. In my opinion it takes at least that long to find out. Kyokushin seems to be a good style though with good emphasis on practicality, conditioning, and focus. But there is nothing new under the sun. Kyokushin practitioners should understand that they are not the first to want the advantage of an inclusive art. Martial artists have been working on that for millenniums. Sauzin, I couldn't agree with your analysis of it more. I think Mas Oyama was great. I don't think the system of Kyokushin carries the depth of analysis and understanding that he had though. Nothing against it, just what I truly feel.

And the study of McDojology continues...

Yes. Yes. Yes! I agree completely. Now if only I could get my hands on Uechi Kanei's Okinawa Karatedo...(over 1300 pages in Japanese....)

Regardless of whether you take one style or 500, you should never worry too much about technique. Technique is good and useful, but as long as you have the principle down, you can adapt it to whatever fits the current situation. Hardly a revolutionary concept, this idea has been around for more than centuries.

Sai being carried in sets of three to me is yet another one of those common myths. Once again, the metal would be awfully expensive. In regards to outfitting a law-enforcement force, having every person carry three would be quite expensive. In fact, it seems to me more likely that they used two or even just one sai. Most sai throws in kata are done at relatively short distances. The balance should be conducive to throwing towards the ground, anyway.

My goodness. Maybe I'll start a thread on that later. Trust me, it has plenty of uses.

I'm just curious academically to see which styles have neko ashi dachi as a sort of "fixed stance", those that have it only as a transitory movement or those that don't have it all. I'm fully aware of the transitory nature of all stances, so please do not "enlighten" me on that... I'm actually more interested in style name and your response rather than a numerical poll. Obviously someone that does pankration wouldn't have it or people in the same style would both have it, thus throwing off the numbers... My system (Shorin Ryu Shorinkan) has neko ashi dachi in many of our kata. I've trained for a year in Kenshin Kan Matsumura Shorin Ryu and I noticed they did not have it as an "official" stance and only as a transition. Once again, I'm fully aware of the transitory nature of stances in general. The Japanese obssession with "a count" and static stances really played a big role in how most people see stances today. I look forward to your responses.

Yeah, from what I've hear, Isshin Ryu is one of the more fragmented styles out there.

Ah yes, classic. So, what do all you Bear Style people have to say for yourselves?

I'm Catholic and it doesn't affect me whatsoever in that respect.

Yes. While there are variations amongst the Okinawan styles of karate due to different teachers and lineages, many of the core principles and biomechanics of the kata themselves were changed during the transmission of Okinawan karate to the Japanese mainland. Even during Funakoshi Gichin's lifetime, he noted (lamented) the change the kata done by his students underwent, a process that continued even more so after his death.

I refuse to let people know that I expressed interest in going to Montana.