major_motoko

My sensei runs three classes a week. One is an hour long, the others are hour 1/2. I try to go to all three, but sometimes I can't make it but I always do at least twice a week or I start to miss karate training motoko

Good ol' Blighty! (England) motoko

Ah thanks very much! Taiko drums sounds about right. Osu! motoko.

Hi, does anyone know the name of the Japanese drumming with the HUGE drums? Often you see the drummer sitting down in front of the drum which is sitting vertically (not horizontal like usual drums) and they hit it with sticks which look bigger than normal drumsticks. I think this drumming is also done in Korea and other Asian countries. I really want to find out more about it but I can't remember what it's called. Thanks! motoko

I keep saying "Osu!" to my boss (hey that rhymes ) after he's asked me to do something. It's very embarassing. But then everyone here at work is used to my karate nature now! My Sempai had an even worse one tho! He was stopped by the police for speeding on his motorbike. When they started to question him, he responded with Osu because he was so nervous! motoko

He does indeed have a website! http://www.dacascos.com/ He also does some pretty good Capoera in the movie "Only the Strong". But i didn't know his actual style so thanks for posting that Pacificshore.. very interesting! Another great movie he's been in.. Brotherhood of the Wolf - a french horror movie. motoko

I can see the reasons for both ideas.. learn both stances or only practice left side forward. In my dojo we are told to change stance as needed in a fight and we practice quick stance change from left to right. I have to admit tho, I favour my weak side forward (left leg in front) as I feel more comfortable firing off my strong kicks from my right leg. Because of this when I spar I really have to make a conscious effort to practice BOTH sides! I don't see anything wrong with training always left leg forward if that's what works for you, as long as you learn how to fire off kicks from the leading leg as well as the rear leg as well as hand attacks from both arms. You should also practice sparring with someone who is used to changing their stance, as it could catch you out in a fight. motoko

nunchucky miso soup? sorry couldn't resist! But seriously, good luck! I'm learning my first weapons kata, a sai kata.. very interesting. motoko

Try looking for Iaido or Kendo clubs in your area. A search on the internet should come up with pages for Associations in your country that will have a list of clubs. Here are some examples: British Kendo Association: http://www.kendo.org.uk/ European Kendo Federation: http://www.ekf-eu.com/ Kendo America: http://www.kendo-usa.org/ Canadian Kendo Federation: http://kendo-canada.com/ Hope that helps motoko P.S. As for a place to train.. don't try it at home.. you'll break things, as i found out

thanks everyone, you've made me feel very welcome! And thanks for to those who gave advice on Bo in the weapons section. I guess I should have looked up previous posts on the subject first, but the forum seems so large to a new comer! Osu! motoko

Hello everyone , I've just joined. I'm 23 year old from London, England. I have done karate for about 4 years, started with Shotokan but now moved to Wado-ryu for various reasons. Currently 2nd Kyu brown belt. I've also done Iaido and I'm just starting some kobudo, mainly saijutsu and bojutsu. I posted a question in the weapons forum, but I guess it's been asked before as no one has answered yet So hello to you all, looking forward to learning lots on the forum! motoko

We wear a hakama for Iaido (traditional for a samurai). I have tried to wear it for karate training too, but it tends to get caught up with my feet when i kick But our Sempai sometimes wears hakama in training and on demonstration days. He says it feels good to wear and with practice you can avoid getting tangled up You don't have to be any specific grade or style to wear a hakama, as long as your sensei/instructor doesn't mind. If you fancy giving it a try, why not? A word of warning tho.. it takes ages to iron all the folds! motoko

Big headedness can come at any grade, i guess it depends on the type of person. However the few times I've seen people like that it tends to come during the middle kyu grades, around blue/green/purple, around 5th-3rd Kyu. I was very over confident when I was green belt, thought i knew everything Then when I got my brown belt and started training with the dan grades, I suddenly started to realise how much i still have to learn. motoko

This is my first post on the forum.. so hi everyone. I have just started to study kobudo mainly Sai and Bo. I'm really into Bo, but I find it a bit too heavy and long for me to handle proficiently as I'm not the biggest or tallest person on the planet Does anyone else chose to use Jo or Hanbo instead as they are a little shorter? I know a shorter staff would give less reach, but might be easier for me to handle. And can the same kata and bunkai be used as with bo? Sorry if this has all been discussed here before. Thanks! Oss, motoko