Goju1

Amen! Thats the real 'secret' of the Martial Arts! Reps, reps, and more reps

I have some Japanese friends here in SoCal and they assure me that it is not a dying art!! Not even in the Japanese community here, let alone in Japan. FWIW

Meaning a straight line from your elbow to your 2nd knuckle? No bend at the area where the wrist flexes/extends?

Yeah, I basically agree, although it may be closer to 1% !!

Good advice, Keisotsu - I am 6'2", 180, and find that the taller one is, the more off balance one can become by attempting a high kick. Of course everyone is different, but at our dojo (Old dojo, lots of students) high kicks are rarely attempted and usually with poor results.

Whoa there buddy - don't go knocking beer! Its your choice to partake or not, don't judge the others. Besides, it is not 'western warrior culture' only. It started long before. Read some history of ancient Japan or China. "The sword of no-sword" is a good enlightening read, if you care to enlighten yourself. The point is: get off your high horse and show respect for your peers. The tone of your post is what sucks. (IMHO)

Sometimes it just takes years of reps and you'll feel it. Thats how it was for me - I always noticed the higher ranks looked different when they punched, and then one day it just clicked for me. You drive the arm motion via the hip rotation, much like a baseball pitcher powers his throw from his legs. This probably doesn't help much, just keep practicing!

Depends what stance you are in when you throw the kick, i.e. if you're fighting out of a sanchin-dachi stance to facilitate other moves you may have to get off a quick kick with your foot straight. Of course it feels more comfortable with a diagonal stance, but do what ya gotta do.

Push-ups are hurting your wrists not because of weak wrists ( although you certainly want strong wrists for martial arts) but because of the hyperextension involved. I would suggest either knuckle p'ups or using a dumbbell on the floor to grip, as long as you keep your wrists stright, just like proper punch.

But wrists are easier to grab than thumbs, - not that there's anything wrong with thumb-grabbing Very true. But easier is not always better, being grabbed by the thumbs is (IMO) more effective and, for the attacker, more painful. I suppose it depends on the situation, if you can go for the thumbs, if not, go for the wrists. Exactly!

Am I correct in assuming that when other styles learn a kata, they also learn the applications (bunkai)? I am beginning to wonder if this is so? It really helps not only in performance of the kata, but in their inherent self defense relationship. And do you have to demonstrate the bunkai for grading?

I've seen two different types of 'hook' kicks - the lower type that involves more hamstring contraction, and the higher level usually that involves more of the hip movement mentioned before and a straighter leg. Does any one else see this distinction?

I see what you've been getting at now, Sasori-Te. Very good topic and points, thanks!

Good points, I think we generally agree that high kicks are risky in a real fight, but I too have trained with and fought some people that could maybe get away with it, but not against a trained karate-ka, only a barroom brawler IMO

Maybe you're onto something? All these years and I only know 5 Our kata are taught sparingly and strictly, just like the "old days", when students learned Sanchin first, then were assigned a single kata that their sensei chose for them and that was it for the rest of their lives. That sure wouldn't work nowadays would it?

Not necessarily - some formalized bunkai teach eye contact during bowing since you are 'engaged in combat' and watching your opponent to make sure they are finished or have given up. Most Dojo bowing should, of course, be done without eye contact as a form of respect. I say - bow if in doubt, ya can't have too much respect in the world!

Being of the Naha Te lineage, I would say: Kata. kata, more kata. Basics, basics, more basics. Perfect every movement, understand every movement. Respect the history of your style. Train hard. Never give up.

I study a very traditional Okinawan style and we do not use kicks above waist high, except in basics training. Once the youngsters try the fancy stuff and get caught, they learn quickly. There are dozens of lower kicks one can use with less risk and more damage, IMO

Perhaps my ancestors? (surname Woodruff) No, I won't ignore ya, I think we're on the same page ( how come ya only got 8 applications, short drive to work? ) Besides, its hard to ignore genius

Exactly, Beer monster! Wish i would've thought some of those as well. Probably not enough beer as i was writing. Some brown ale should do the trick, and then back to kata work, cheers!

Your brainwashed my friend. Kata are usless. They are dances for tough people in white pajamas. Get real what have you learned from a kata? Some dances take tons of work to master dosent mean they have any meaning outside dancing. Lets see - what have I learned? grace, balance, speed, power, patience, vital points, endurance, how to withstand pain, the meaning of 'mo ichi do' thousands of fighting techniques, inner peace, courage, strength, wisdom,... so much more..... One of my favorite training memories - a group of black belts on a beach by the Pacific Ocean at 2am in the morning, doing the first kata/i] over and over and over, never exactly right, but one of the most powerful moments of my life... And yes, I firmly believe that fighting skills are inherent in the kata, it probably just comes down to which style one takes and how much energy and time are put into it. IMHO, Bruce

But wrists are easier to grab than thumbs, - not that there's anything wrong with thumb-grabbing There are several applications in the Higoanna Goju-Ryu kata that have wrist grabs, strikes, locks. thye work fine, just take a little (lot) of practice.

You're grabing the attackers wrists, not thumbs, and pulling down and out as you deliver a knee strike. Then they punch and you grab and pull into a knife hand strike.

Not counting Sanchin and Tensho, the breathing katas, I would say Seiunchin, not because I enjoy it as much as after all these years it is still so challenging!

'Nuff said - the root of all the katas!