Shorin Ryuu

I eat a lot of tofu/soy products for much of my protein needs. I do this simply because protein, while necessary, isn't a very "clean-burning" fuel source for your body. Plant-protein sources burn much cleaner than animal ones, however, as the higher up you eat on the food chain, the more free radicals (read cancer causing agents, aging agents) you are exposed to. It's pretty simple to get all the protein you need in a day, even if you never eat meat. Just a few glasses a day of soy milk will get you a decent start. Just the soy milk alone in my bowl of cereal in the morning (when I don't have oatmeal), I get about 14g of soy protein. When I do have oatmeal, I mix in soy milk with it, and have a glass of soy milk, which is about 14g of soy protein as well. Soy is good because it also has flavinoids, which are healthy (recognized by FDA) and can be as much as 1,000 more concentrated in flavinoids as most all other plants. Tofu also has a lot of soy in it. A lot of people don't like tofu because it is bland, but this is actually an asset because that means it will absorb the flavor of whatever else is eaten with it (meaning it is perhaps one of the more versatile foods out there that you can cook with). Nuts are also a good source, and provide a lot of the healthy fats to put in your diet (but don't eat too much, since it also has some unhealthy fat, and too much fat in general, whether it is healthy or not, is not a good thing). I haven't had any soy nuts, since they are usually sold at more specialty places or oriental stores (meaning out of my way), but those are supposed to be another great way (and a good snack).

I've always concluded that if something isn't sustainable, then it isn't a diet and certainly isn't worth my time. People always say "I'm going on a diet, but what they really mean is that they are going to eat a certain way for a certain amount of time. That isn't dieting, that's just being sucked into the latest fad. There is more to health than the lack of body fat and/or the presence of muscle. What concerns me about this "health regime" is that it makes all sorts of claims and statements and backs them up with only a vague reference to studying five primitive tribes that are supposedly some of the healthiest in the world (if they were that well off, what are their names...what specific methods did they use to test them...who conducted these studies...how long was this study...) and the fact that we are very similar (genetically speaking) to other primates. It just screams "fad" in my mind, but more importantly, it screams "scam." It seems more oriented towards those with more testosterone than they know what to do with (or people that wish they were those kinds of people). Anyway, best of luck to you...tell us how it all ends up...

Well, one would suppose that the title would have given it away...

Some people have brought up good points, so I'll just throw in some stuff to the mix. I've found using the thumbs and fingers (of course, this really applies to any good, preferrably bony part of your body as well) are a good way to get more bang for your buck, without having to worry about getting a real solid forceful hit in (if you're in to that sort of thing), since you can apply the pressure over a much smaller target area (pressure points or sensitive areas are also a bonus). Using the thumb (pressed up against the top of your fist, not isolated) is one of the most efficient methods of energy transfer into the opponent that I have practiced (and have had the misfortune of being practiced on).

I didn't go visit the folks this year, so I hung out with a family from one of the dojo I train in. It was a great time...I learned how to play "42", a game played using dominoes. We played that for hours and hours...Oh yeah, and food was eaten.

Yeah, I ordered a pair from Weapons Connection about 2 weeks ago. I had a chance to handle three different pairs over the past half year, and one of my current instructors has a pair. I finally took the plunge, but I wish I didn't have to wait another 6-8 weeks or so.

You may want to explore taking someone down and not letting go while you do it. It helps you to maintain control and contact with your opponent on your terms, and hitting him after he is on the ground is much less disadvantageous for you. I'm not sure if that is kosher or not, so you'll have to check the rules, as the other people advise.

Mine are rounded body (with the exception of about 5 inches or so where it is more of a mix between the straight and rounded body near where the handle meets the body), countoured handle, round head. To be honest, it is simply the way that they make them at Murasaki Kobudo, unless you request a custom one (to see what I mean, visit the site I provided in the link earlier for a picture).

Okinawan Hojo Undo is pretty good for wrist (and other training). I do agree that it is probably due to improper form that your wrist is in pain. However, if you are interested in strengthening your wrist and other muscles and connective tissue, you may want to check this out. My philosophy is to use biomechanics and other things before strength at all times, but having strength is also a bonus... Here's a website with a good description of various stuff. The owner is an excellent fighter and karateka, also a certified athletic trainer and has the certified strength and conditioning specialist credential (CSCS) from the National Strength and Conditioning Association. I also know him personally, and have bought some stuff from him before. However, his store is off-line at the moment (he's currently busy doing other stuff right now). All the same, it lets you know about it (if you want to buy some later or from another place). You may just want to email him or give him a call (his info is on the webpage), as his webpage may simply be not updated at the moment. http://www.bushifitness.com/

In that case, tell him to either ask his instructor or look at the training manual, if there is one. It'll vary from training hall to training hall anyway.

Either look through the posts in the Health and Fitness section manually or use the "search" command...it'll do you wonders. There's plenty of posts there that deal with your question.

I think it would be cooler to use the foot that was grabbed. She rotates her foot out of the grip and heel-stomps the forearm, crushing it. I figure we're going for fun, and not pure realism, so why not?

"Underground prizefighting champion" is pretty vague enough but still gives a reputation of being tough. Is this a formal resume or some file the government has on her? You can totally make my day and write: "Traditional Okinawan Karate." Then have some underling pipe up to his superior and say "Contrary to popular belief, Okinawan karate is a brutal yet often graceful, direct style that emphasizes both striking and grappling to create a close in-fighting style to be reckoned with. Most people don't realize this and underestimate her abilities until it is far too late." But, I doubt it, since Traditional Okinawan Karate just doesn't sound as sexy as "Crescent Dragon Kung Fu" or something she learned while in the "Hand of the Jaded Skull Syndicate." If you're wondering about the edits...some of the names I suggested before didn't flow well (not that they were any less ridiculous).

No, I'm sure "katana" was what she meant. I don't try and nail too many people on spelling, but if you are going to criticize people on it, try and get it right as well.

Interesting...anyway, the following isn't taking a side in the debate, since I think the debate is a bit misguided. However, I will try to include some more information to perhaps dispel some common misperceptions. Not that I think I will be too successful, as I usually just end up saying the same thing whenever this debate comes up. I don't think the practice of grappling is that hard to find in karate at all. It is probably because you (meaning all those who say it is) are not looking in the right places. Traditional karate (and I mean those that are Okinawan and maintain the original focus) is all about in-fighting and grappling. Certainly, a lot of what you see is striking, but that is merely the first stage of everything. But to say that these styles have disappeared or lost a lot of their concepts is to be a little misinformed about the issue. As far as training in grappling, every traditional Okinawan teacher I have met teaches that from an early stage, like around the white belt level. Nothing I have ever seen implies that there has been any aspect of grappling lost in karate. You might bring up many karate styles that do not have them, but that is more indicative of systems of teaching that are relatively new and included in the umbrella of "karate", not that the older systems have lost the emphasis. I remember reading a post of Drunken Monkey's somewhere where he wrote something about "strikes that transition into grappling." I think that little phrase describes Okinawan karate pretty well. I'll even use a different style of karate than mine, just as an example. You ever see Ryukyu kenpo (semantics, but really a type of Okinawan karate), with the likes of Oyata? If you have, then you will have a hard time explaining how that is not grappling. At any rate, I'll stop rambling now, as you will have either seen my point by this time or disagree with me still.

Hmm... I like this translation better: "That which does not kill me only serves to make me stronger." Of course, I've seen this one a lot as well, and is perhaps more of a direct quote from one of his (Friedrich Nietzsche's) books: "Out of life's school of war: What does not destroy me, makes me stronger."

Hmmm...guess I'll copy-paste my answer from an earlier post... The confusion comes from the fact that the Japanese alphabet is syllable-based (I forget the scientific term for it). In other words, you have the vowels, "a, i, u, e, o" the consonant "n" and everything else is "ka, ki, ku, ke, ko", "sa, shi, su, se, so", "ya, yu, yo" etc. The first character in "jujutsu" is actually a combination of "ji" and "yu" to form what looks like "Jyu". The vowel sound is actually elongated, so the full character is "Jyuu", which means softness, gentleness, tender, etc. The second character is "jutsu", which just means "skill" or "technique" or "art", but in this case, refers to a combative discipline. Strangely enough, it is never used in the japanese language with the alternate pronunciation of "jitsu". Like the previous one, the absolute technical spelling of this is "jyutsu". In other words, Jujitsu is not correct Japanese, whether in writing or in pronunciation... So if you had microsoft IME and you wanted to type in the word for "jujitsu" in kanji (chinese characters), this is what you would type in exactly: "jyuujutsu". That is what you would also write out if you were simply writing it in the japanese syllabic alphabet. So, where does that lead us? You can even look it up in a japanese dictionary, and it will say "Jyuujutsu" in the Japanese font, yet will come out as "Jujitsu" in the English meaning. Furthermore, it is commonly accepted that "Ju" takes the place of "Jyu" in terms of romanization. Of course, there is an extra "u" in there that most people leave out, but that is the same for "Toukyou", which is commonly called "Tokyo". So now, it boils down to the fact that there is no commonly accepted way to write it, and even the more common ways of writing it are not technically correct. A Japanese dictionary will give you that IN ENGLISH, it could be Jujitsu or Jujutsu. I have seen in some dictionaries that there is a distinction in that BJJ is called Brazilian Jiujitsu. This may even have been done on the Japanese part to enforce the difference? I don't know.

These ones are made exclusively for cutting. http://www.lastlegend.com/index.html Not quite "cheap" though.

Unfortunately, even the FUNDAMENTALS can not be taught properly using just a video/book combination. You can perhaps copy a movement perfectly (i.e., doing kata without knowing any of the reasons behind it), but that won't help you any. That is a big "if", as most people do not have the critical skills and methods of self-critique necessary to know if you are truly doing it all perfectly anyway (I certainly can not be 100% right in self-critiquing all of my techniques). I have a decent sai video, called (of course) Oinawan Kobudo: Mastering The Sai. By Master Mikio Nishiuchi. It has a lot of weapons fundamentals and some bunkai, if I recall correctly. Not that you'll learn to be competent without a teacher correcting your form. You have to remember that fighting involves your entire body, not just the hand and the arm that is holding the sai. You might even copy the move exactly as it is shown with your hand, but the rest of your body may be in poor biomechanical positions... By the way, ncole_91, having posts where the only content is "sorry, I can't help you nor do I have any advice" is not very useful...(in those cases, I at least make a poor attempt at a joke or something).

Amen, SevenStar. You should always try to win at the "game", but only in a way that would also work if you were in a real situation. You may not win as many "games" as before, but you'll win the more important one in the long run...

After it heals up a bit, I found that wearing ankle weights really strengthens the ankles. Depending on your various commitments to social life and whatnot or what you wear (I could get away with wearing pants all the time), you can wear them throughout the whole day. I wore them for about 8 months during a period in high school the whole day. They were five pounds on each leg and I would only take them off to sleep, shower and work out. Notice I said I never wore them while working out. If you try to do anything dynamic with them, you run a huge risk of injury to joints and bone. However, just walking around with them (and I would walk around a lot) will strengthen a lot of the muscle and connective tissue. My ankles almost doubled in size during that period (I did start off a little skinny though, but still, a huge improvement). Since then, I've never had ankle problems (been about 5 years or so). I've even done things that would have really hurt them since then, like roll them terribly and the like, but the connective tissue is so much stronger that it doesn't sprain that easily anymore. As far as the healing process itself, you simply have to reduce the stress on it, since you are basically shifting your weight on it every time you stand or do anything other than sit or lay down. People don't like to hear this, but you have to not do those things that stress it until it heals, and it sounds like you are still doing them. There are so many athletes that often ignore a sprain and continue playing past the pain, and make things much worse than they really have to be by being active with the injury. If anything, see an orthopedist, since they can help, or a physical therapy trainer if you know one or want to pay for a session. They can give you more specifics, but stretch it out (you have to figure out the balance between pain, stiffness, and further injury) and do light mobility on it without any weight.

To me, and don't take this the wrong way, your argument seems sort of flawed. Forgive me for sounding rather direct, and I certainly am not offended or anything, but I just have trouble following your logic. Here's why: So, what's the difference between learning how to kick in one place, punch in another place, grapple in another place, throw in yet another...or doing it all in one place? It realistically doesn't matter where you do it, since the net result is that you are one person doing all of them anyway. If anything, I would think it would help learning them all from one place since it incorporates all of them as a part of a larger group of context in a similar context (one of the only few real main purposes of having styles anyway). This isn't to say that it isn't useful to see things from multiple perspectives, but then again, your argument isn't going down that route anyway. Your argument is saying that if you do them all in one place, you will never get proficient at any one specific skill. Then, you say that you should still study every basic set of skills, but from different places. Either way, you still learn every basic set of skill. Merely saying "You're so well-rounded that you don't have a point" doesn't make it true. Perhaps it is because your logic is this: Learning it all from one place is dangerous because you will never specialize in one thing. To solve this, you should learn from as many different places as possible all the different types of skills. Again I ask you, what's the difference in learning it in more than one place or just one, as you will most likely be well-rounded and quite competent in many of the aspects of fighting but extremely good in one or two of them regardless of however many different styles you train in? And then, you use the example of BJJ...? Well in that case, you can either think harder, since I know several that come to mind, or I can just tell you one...(see posts above). And if you don't see my point, that's fine. But please explain to more specifically how your logic works. I'm a little slow sometimes.

Perhaps KillBill is saying that his friend wants to learn what he is doing, perhaps through the use of books and videos? In that case, yes. It is probably impossible to do it without a teacher.

No, I get your point. I just threw in the word "spiritual" because some people would use it describe the more philosophical connotations of your idea, which may or may not have religious implications. Sorry if that threw you off.

If you mean by kata or instruction, then the answer is "no." Kobujutsu is simply the study of weaponry, and there are lineages (like Matayoshi) that study weapons exclusively. On the other hand, there are many karate styles that have weapons systems of their own or borrow from one or more weapons styles. Of course, the study of weapons was at least, if not more more diverse, interconnected and shared between people than was empty hand fighting