Shorin Ryuu

Nihongo o hanasemasu ka?

I don't know...I really liked kickboxer and bloodsport, but that was about it.

On the "double punch"

I'd say a well-rounded art would be a well-taught, Traditional Okinawan Karate, for the same reasons as above.

Yes...you are right gheinish...of course, we do it the "old way" with the seemingly more complicated Pinan Shodan before the simpler Pinan Nidan, so our Pinan Nidan is your Pinan Shodan, and vice versa.

You might want to check your lungs and see if they aren't punctured or otherwise leaking. I had a good friend who had those symptoms after we would have cross country practice back in high school. One day, he had a lung collapse and had to be rushed to the emergency room...

2 parts, one about the movie, the other about drills. As far as daredevil goes, I haven't seen it except for a very brief preview. I couldn't tell, but judging from one 2 second clip, it appears she is holding the sai incorrectly (in real practice, a sword would cut off her fingers). Correct me if I'm wrong (anyone who has seen her do stuff for more than 2 seconds in a commercial they've seen once) but her technique is flawed. Therefore, any technique she is doing would teach you bad form for practical application. Of course, if you just want it to look flashy in front of non-martial artists...go ahead and do it. This is just what I saw off a Nishiuchi Mikio video. Any translations are my own (so take it for what its worth) and I just wrote this down to help people in my dojo remember. Realize that this is for supposed to be for people that have seen this video or have had it demonstrated. Terminology: Monouchi: long middle "blade" of the sai Saki: Tip of the Monouchi tsuka: The handle, the hand grip tsukagashira: The "head" of the sai at the end of the grip. Moto: The center, where the pieces meet. Yoko: Side Guard An open Sai is when the Tsukagashira is at the heel of the palm. A closed Sai is when the Tsukagashira is at the fingertips and the monouchi lies on the forearm. Make sure on your closed sai grip that your index finger runs along the side of the hand grip (tsuka) until it reaches the tsukagashira. Index finger pressure makes for an effective closed position "punch". For an open position grip, make sure the four fingers are grasping the tsuka (hand grip) and that the thumb is pushed against the moto (center of the sai where the pieces meet). Some schools also have the index finger uncurled and along the bottom of the yoko on one side (the left yoko when held with the right hand). Have fun... Sai Hojo Undou 1 1.Danchuu zuki (Middle area strike): In closed position, lunging strike to sternum with tsukagashira. 2.Gedan Barai Uke (Lower sweeping block): In closed position, bring sai up in front, chest level, with monouchi facing front. Swing straight down and to the side, monouchi facing out to block a weapon strike. 3.Jodan Uke (Upper area block): In closed position, bring sai up in front, chest level, with monouchi facing front. Swing up to block a weapon strike and continue swing out to side. This allows trapping and pulling of a weapon. 4.Ue Hiraki Gaeshi (Opening upwards and returning): Bring both sai up in front, chest level, with monouchi facing down. Flip and switch sai out to sides in open position, yoko parallel to the ground. Return both sai to original, closed position in front of chest. 5.Mae Hiraki Gaeshi (Opening from the front and returning): Bring both sai up in front, chest level, with monouchi facing in. Flip and switch sai out to sides in open position, yoko perpendicular to the ground. Return both sai to original, closed position in front of chest. 6.Nage (Throw): Swing sai in, up and around head in open position and back to front. The sai should end up in open position with saki pointed at target (feet, legs, etc.). Don’t actually throw it unless you are outside and away from people. Throw only into the ground (Leave Mother Nature out of this!) and preferably into sand or non-rocky soil to avoid damage to weapons. Make sure the yoko are parallel to the ground because this enables the pinning of the feet and increases the likelihood of hitting opponent with the tsume if the saki missed. 7.Yotsu Waza (Four step technique): In closed position, lunge strike to sternum with tsukagashira. Shift into cat stance and gedan barai in open position to block weapon strike and trap. Shuffle into front stance and thrust at opponent’s throat with the saki. Gedan barai with sai in closed position. You can do each of these steps 10-20 times each with each side or more, depending on how much you want to work with it.

Yeah, the whole "bad for the joints" thing was the main reason I stopped (waaay back then, i did a full twist corkscrew punch, before i knew the benefits of the 3/4 turn punch). Now, it isn't as big of a deal because of the way I punch, but if i do use weights, i just use the one and a half pound glove thingies...but they have a tendency to leak... I haven't used them in forever though.

All this AND while posting on karateforums.com! You're pretty dedicated, I must say.

When I used to be a boxer, the lessons on blocking, parrying, and dodging tended to be a lot more painful

Old topic, but I'm not sure if it was answered sufficiently. I'm not gonna diss on Goju-Ryu, but according to Mark Bishop (who also used to train in Goju Ryu but stopped), when he wrote his book Okinawan Karate, he interviewed many of the old masters and current heads of karate on Okinawa. A theme that was recurrent in many of these interviews was that Goju Ryu was harmful to the health. Not necessarily Sanchin, but just the way Goju Ryu practiced it. Quite a few karate teachers warned that high blood pressure-related illnesses and premature death were symptoms of those who practiced Sanchin hardcore. "Certain blood vessels are shut off the limb joints, the blood cannot flow freely, reverses and accumulates around the chest, neck and shoulders causing a red flush in the area. Blood vessels of the neck and arms become swollen as the heart tries in vain to keep the circulation going and forces the blood up to the brain. The result of the exertion on the heart, blood vessels and internal organs is not considered by the critics to be good for the health, and regular daily practice is said to be the cause of high blood pressure and obesity amongst Goju-Ryu practitioners over the age of 40. Rumour also has it that some older practitioners have difficulty lifting their arms higher than their shoulders...the fact that premature deaths through illnesses associated with high blood pressure are common among Goju-ryu practitioners cannot be disputed. The following is a generalisation of other 'evidence' passed on to me by those who believed Goju-ryu practice to be coincidental with poor health: 1. In order to harden the buttocks during the Sanchin exercise, forceful closing of the anal sphincter is practised. This, I was assured, will result in haemorrhoids after only two or three years of regular practice. 2. When blocking, the thumb side of the fist is forced sideways towards the forearm, causing pressure to be exerted on a vital point at the side of the wrist. This point may be detected by relaxing the left hand and running the thumb of the right hand to the base of the left thumb until a hollow is found. Even slight pressure should not be exerted here as, I was assured, it will have adverse effects on the lungs which may result in various lung complaints, including TB and asthma. 3. The testing of Sanchin 'hardness', by punching and kicking the abdomen, will have adverse effects on the intestines and may result in stomach cancer." Also later on in the book he mentions that he only knows of very few GojuRyu masters who lived past 80, who was Chojun Miyagi's senior, Juhatsu Kyoda. The other is Yoshio Itokazu, who (emphasis on this one) unlike most other Goju-ryu teachers he interviewed was in the prime of health, open-minded, jolly, and alert. While age isn't everything, there have been many big names in goju ryu that have died early, compared to many of the Okinawan karate masters (Chojun Miyagi 65, Seiko Higa 68 etc.). Keep in mind that Okinawans currently have the highest longevity out of any people in the world. Just so you people know, when Mark Bishop wrote Okinawan Karate, he was very unbiased and tried to present everything as truthful as possible without holding anything back. Therefore it wasn't a simple "lets get on Goju-Ryu's case" sort of thing. He mentioned it quite a lot in his book, and it was something i have seen in numerous other places as well. Form your own opinion, and please don't flame me. This is just something I've noticed in my research. I included the long segment from Mark Bishop's Okinawan Karate, 2nd edition because it summed up everything i have seen elsewhere as well.

Mine certainly does.

I do it on the punch. I must say, I'm bad about skipping the kiai in my forms. A lot of times i just exhale quicker...

Konbanwa, tkdshoujo-san. Youkoso! Have a fun times in the forums...I do...

I used to wear 5 lbs. on each wrist and punch. I got a little faster and a little stronger, but they chafed a whole lot (yeah, sounds weak...but...) and they would often rip. I just punch a lot more now and it works fine for me.

I think my best would have to be Jackie Chan. Despite this pedestal that everyone puts Bruce Lee on (and I'm sure I'm committing some sacrilige here ), a lot of his movies really weren't that great. Sure, you might consider them classics and good for when they were released, but I get a bigger kick (groan) out of Jackie Chan movies. I would have to say that I really liked a lot of the earlier Jet Li movies (the ones where he acted more like Jackie Chan...). Of course, Fist of Legend was good too, and he was kinda' serious.

Yes. If you punch incorrectly, you will hurt yourself...

I seem to have lost my taste for a lot of alcohol. I still do enjoy wine and good sake (which is very hard to get in the US). Therefore (in addition to trying to be very healthy) I usually do not drink much. There have been a few occasions where I have drank far too much, but in those situations I have only acted a little silly, but I've always had enough self-control to ensure that I didn't do anything I regretted.

I don't think that using just videos (unless you are some sort of a prodigy) will turn you into a great martial artist. Instructors are needed to correct any bad habits or mistakes you are making that are not readily apparent to you. That being said, I think they can be an excellent resource to enhance your training. I use quite a few videos, but I rely on an instructor for my main training.

I started with a group of friends back in high school because it was always something we had wanted to do, either because of movies or just wanting to do it or a combination. Now, I do it primarily for self-defense and also for health and fitness.

Lol...don't worry. 15 is plenty young enough to start. If you plan to take martial arts for the rest of your life, then you have the rest of your life to continually improve. Many of the old masters started around 13-16 years of age.

I was pleased by Jet Li's response. You see those kind of responses (that many martial arts all have something to offer) from more mature martial arts. I'm over 21 (21 and 4 months...). I don't do MMA, but I do consider myself a martial artist (I try to be, anyway).

Yeah. Girls doing martial arts is very attractive to me. Strong girls are my type.

Not including the five kihon kata and the three fukyuugata, the first one i learned was naihanchi shodan

Here's a good quote from Chibana Chosin: "To achieve this goal takes long, constant and careful practice; overdoing things will only result in harm" Funakoshi had a good one, but I forget exactly how it went. It was something along the lines of that it is foolish to be proud of blood blisters that develop from overuse of the makiwara and that many high school and college students, hating to lose, would press on. Their hands would become covered in blood and while their spirit is commendable, they can not help but to throw lighter and lighter punches.