granmasterchen

we have to do a lot of pushups and situps for my original art, but that is old school stuff, and i have been around for awhile. i remember for our green belt testing we had to do 1500 sit ups and 500 push ups. first 100 were finger tips, then 100 knuckles and the last 300 regular.....but that was along time ago.... i can still do over 200 if i push myself....but when i first started martial arts i was unable to do push ups at all except on my knees....within 2 yrs or so i was doing over 500.....when we do our black belt testing....now that is A LOT of extra push ups and situps......the memories....aaaaaaaa back when i was young....

I had several opportunities to train with the K1 world champion out of japan, not sure if he's still the champion but his style was kyokushin karate, good luck in your training, make sure your endurance is up there, that i would say is a very important thing that many over look.

I was just having this discussion with a good friend of mine who has his masters in psychology. It was a very intersting topic and I would tell you to do your research on both topics, because there is still alot about dreams and sleep that we don't have a scientific explanation for. If I can get ahold of him I will have him post here for you all. Or maybe just send you a PM.

a real martial artist in my mind is a person that studies the martial arts for the purpose of bettering themselves not competing in tournaments, trying to be better at fighting someone and all that, trophies dont make a martial artist. Training and life long dedication to the art and the process of learning and growing towards the goal of becoming a better person, reaching an internal form of enlightenment. Not a person that is selfish and such. The term artist to me means that the person must be dedicated and willing to give up many things in their pursuit of reaching the end goal of becoming a better person. So that is my view on it. Not everyone that takes martial arts is a martial artist. Most are just people that want a hobby or play a sport and so forth. Being a martial artist is a way of life not a past time....

I personally dont wear it, i find it to be too restrictive and hinders me more than anything. I like the freedom of not having a helmet or headgear, but i have been practicing the arts for many years. I would suggest that if you are new and not comfortable with sparring yet then you should go for the added protection and wear the head gear.

i pay 20 a month....for as often as i want with private lessons......you guys are paying some crazy prices

as far as i've seen the kung fu schools do very well in tournaments,....but it is still possible to do well with a taekwondo, tangsoodo, karate, or other style. It all depends on how hard you are willing to train and what your instructor has to offer....if you like what the instructor has to sell, then buy it.

training with the real thing is the only real way to go, the foam should only be used as an introduction to the weapon....but you definitely need to train with the wooden ones if you want to really learn how to use the weapons with any true amount of skill

yes, here in japan we have a class that is strictly for training with the naginata, then for the jitte we study that in our ninpo classes

1. I have been studying the martial arts for around 20 yrs , the highest rank that i hold is fourth degree, but i hold black belt level (first degree) in several other arts. 2. I practice numerous styles, in all actuallity i practice everything that i have ever learned which is a lot. karates, tkd,tsd, aikido, hapkido, ninpo, judo, wrestling, boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, numerous weapon arts, jeet kun do, kaju kenbo, kenpo, kung fus and so forth... 3. yes my styles include forms along with punching and kicking drills 4. katas(or similar terminology of respected language) along with the drills 5. classes vary alot due to the large amount of arts that i have studied. 6. yes, lots of repetition and drilling of the basics 7. I teach the basics and repetition of the basics in drills to master these techniques and so that if a situation arises in the streets these techniques are ingrained in the memory and become more of a reaction than a thought process....i believe that the basics are what wins a fight, not the jumping spinning kicks.

yes, you should talk to your instructors to find out more information regarding full contact kickboxing and similar style tournaments

good luck on your path of knowledge in the martial arts. Just let us know if you have any questions and we will all work to get you an answer.

i have used it numerous times to great success

from what i have seen kajukenbo only participates in their own kajukenbo tournaments in hawaii that are point based....so from what i have seen no full contact at all....and defintely nothing like muay thai, that is an art of taking the pain, gotta respect that!

here is something that i find effective and very cheap to do.... grab a plastic grocery bag... hold it out at arm length and drop it. kick it with one leg and quickly kick it with the other, make sure that the bag never touches the floor and quickly alternate each leg....i find it fun and interesting especially when the bags get stuck to your feet when you are desperately trying to kick it and maintain concentration....i love watching my students train this way!

wow, i trained everyday, for at least 6 hours.....for about 6 yrs....and i was a very fast learner....one of the top students of my style. We take along time to reach black belt status in my original art. There are guys there that have been brown for up to 5 yrs and still training at least 2 time a week! Other styles that i have taken after my original went VERY fast. shotokan, asahi ryu, moodukkwon tangsoodo, kickboxing, muay thai, kyokushin, 13 weapons system, ninpo budo taijutsu, ITF and WTF TKD, i recieved all within one year! Kajukenbo took a bit longer, about a year and a half. granted my training in the first art made me extrememly knowledgeable and able to quickly advance through the numerous other arts that i studied....even mantis and tiget kung fu....after training with the master for a summer he told me that i had already reached master status, my previous training made me so knowledgeable about the arts that my mental understanding allowed me to be classified as a master....that was an honor! today...well i still study what ever i can....some kuk sool won....but the current instructors arent keeping me too interested, what a pity...

I am really glad to hear that you are looking at this in a positive light, the mentality that you are showing us right now is amazing for someone your age, it is a very nice a respectful thing to post a message thanking us for our replies. I hope all continues to go well, keep us posted and stay positive in life, build that confidence and work hard! ps. if you ever need private advice i am sure that numerous amounts of us wouldn't mind in the least to help you out, so if you need it send us a pm.

the Gracie school in Brazil used to offer classes during the first three UFC matches that were won by Royce for 1500 dollars a month.....insane.... i remember my training partner and myself getting personal invitations to go train there....but man, what a price...just because he became famous after winning those first three UFCs.... luckboxer is correct, like i said earlier, it can be a bargain or it can be a rip off, it all depends on what you are learning and how valuable that knowledge is too you. you have a good amount of belts....too many for my taste,....but that again is up to you, now when you say that your belt testing goes up 10-30....do you mean each test increases that much...or that it is within that price range...?

Kajukenbo was designed in the 50s for the sole purpose of defending ones self on the violent streets of Hawaii at the time (it used to be a violent place), The art teaches very violent moves meant to seriously hurt someone making it ideal for street fights or self defense. Certain common moves taught include tearing out the throat, eye gouges, breaking the knees, and so forth, many moves that can seriously maim or kill a person. Muay Thai is a martial art that has a lot of focus on power and taking punishment and then dishing it right back, this art places great focus on elbows, punches, low and high kicks, knees and head butts. As violent as these moves are, they are more for beating the snot out of your opponent rather than seriously hurting them for LIFE. Muay Thai is very powerful, dont get me wrong and one can easily place someone in the hospital, but the focus of the two arts "generally" differ in the aspect that one is made to fight and beat your opponent while the other is to serious harm or kill the opponent.

in my art....with the black belt instructors and the few others that have attaned that rank, we all gained a mystical power, we never age over 29...every year when it is birthday time...yep 29 this year....that is our greatest power....and a partial answer to your question

well if you cant get out then work out at home. aerobic exercise is where the weight comes off at. just try some running in place, or going up and down the stairs. Also for endurance train your techniques over and over and over, practice practice and practice. Stop drinking the coke and start drinking the water. Stop eating the chips and eat something or buy something a bit more nutricious. and as far as getting tired goes, the more often that you work out, you will start to need less rest, you are tired now because your body is not used to working out. and before when you didnt see results you cant just quit, you dont see results over night...keep training and keep at it, everyday do your karate, and try to do aerobic exercises 3 times a week. Lifting weights along with push ups and situps will build up your muscular strength and endurance and allow you to do greater amounts as time goes by.

have you learned how to shoot energy balls yet? in my honest opinion...that is too much, the most expensive i have even considered to pay is a ninpo class that is 40 taught here in japan....but thats just me, the real question is whether you think the training that you receive is worth the money that you put into it.

i still stick with my idea that power is the least important....still important but not the most. If i have the skill and technique or accuracy i can go for a throat shot with minimal strength need to take someone out, the second would be the speed if i am faster i can hit you anywhere in the neck with little strength and do damage, then finally power, if i have the first two skills already, i can hit you anywhere and do damage....i just feel that the skill is most important, then build the speed then the power.... and i have no problem fighting someone twice the size of me, even though that would be a very big and scary person.... also from my exp....not to say any of you are wrong...but it seems to me, that it takes more than 8 lbs to break a leg, i have taken some powerful shots and the tibia is a very strong bone...(tibia i think), for those low leg strikes.... but i do know that it takes 16 pounds of pressure to break an elbow......from a locked position.... 8 and 4 pounds of pressure isnt much.... i would say that the normal punch generates at least 30-40 lbs.....and the normal kick around 50 or more....(for experienced martial artists that have the skill and speed) ps. power is increased by speed.... my final point though, to disregard everything else, would be that my list goes skill, speed, then power.

welcome to the forums... make sure that you have good advertising... as for locations....hmmmm it all depends really on the advertising....you can have a club next to a mall and get a lot of high school kids or you can have it in an industrial warehouse and end up with the exact same number if the advertising is right, or you may end up with more middle aged working class members,. but you can get that from the mall area too..... Dont get your expectations too high for your first few months. Stuff will bounce around for awhile when you start out, you will have your highs and lows so just stay confident and have fun, dont get stressed and enjoy the knowledge that you are passing on to the new generation of students.

personally i allow individuals with similar martial arts training to retain their belt status, they still have to learn my art from the beginning but the retain the belt and respect that they have earned through what ever other style that they formerly trained in. As far as finding an art that is similar to shotokan...well there are other karates, along with tangsoodo (even though korean) that shares similar katas. There are also some tkd schools (old ones where the instructors trained back when it was new) that go off tangsoodo and shotokan forms as well. Basically when switching art forms the most difficult part is the learning of new forms. So you can pick a style that has the same forms or something that is rather similar in methodology,. Granted if you take up a kung fu art you will be starting all over. Your best bet is to check out the schools in your area and talk to the instructors about the belt rank issue and the forms that are taught, check out some classes and see how similar they are to you and what not before you attempt to join something that you dislike.