Sauzin

Well my suggestions are based off of combat applicability, so take them with a grain of salt. Say you were utilizing a ball and chain, medieval style. Would you want the ball made out of pine or metal? Probably metal if you were interested in actually hurting someone. The same principle applies to nunchaku. Speedchucks are generally hallow, or made of a wood with a density similar to pine. This is counterproductive to their use as a weapon. Now metal chucks might be a bit much to control, but a good hardwood like red oak or purple heart makes for a fine striking utility. Looking at nunchaku as a weapon is an entirely different perspective then their use as a juggling/entertainment/flash toy. First of all instead of finding new and interesting ways of spinning it as fast as you can without hitting yourself, as a weapon the idea is to hit the opponent with each swing. There's no point to swinging the nunchaku unless you're hitting something if your intent is to be effective. Likewise to do this you need to grip the nunchaku sticks at their base for the best swing. Also you need to swing in a manner that will prevent you from hitting yourself when the nuchaku bounce back, if you do hit something. The best way to get good at this is to practice hitting a target. You'll quickly learn these things if you do. The nunchaku are also a very versatile grappling weapon. Take a look at all of the locks/disarms/and take downs being demoed by escrima praticioners and you'll begin to get an idea of the kinds of things you can do with a nunchaku, only the rope/chain provides even greater opportunities. One wrap/clinch around an arm and you will quickly see the effectiveness of this weapon as a nonleathal aid. My suggestion, if you are really interested in a good weapon, is to find something made out of red oak or purpleheart. I would suggest going with cord instead of chain. In my experience you get better control with the swing and more fluidity. Take a look at the murasaki kobudo site for the proper measurements and then if you want to find something cheaper then what they have on that site, go ahead, but try and find something as close to those measurements as possible.

In sparring I usually have the opportunity to watch the guy before I spar him, so I haven't yet made the mistake of underestimating someone in that arena. In other area's of martial arts I have been pleasantly surprised by certain people. I have a student right now that started about 4 months ago with high functioning autism who moves a lot better then then many of my students that started a year ago. Looking at his frail stature, you would expect him to be overly tense and twitchy, but he's amazingly fluid for someone with no previous MA experience and his memory for pattern and ability to imitate is frightening at times.

13 "non blackbelt" kata's 1 additional "blackbelt" kata requirment for shodan This does not include the weapon kata (traditionally taught simultaneously) required for the same rank in Kobudo.

Those would make an excellent juggling utensil. A very poor weapon though.

My current mentor is my Sensie a regular guy by the name of Dean Stephens with not so regular talent. I will always hold my first senei as a mentor, his name was Wade Chroninger and for me he set the bar for what it means to be a martial artist.

Guy grabs wrist, guy fights wrist grab by locking out his arm, and as is usual the first person to change up and do something else gained the upper hand. This is exactly why I hate wrist grab defenses that focus solely on the grab.

This conflicts with... ...this... ...if you apply it to your argument. Where's the truth? Some where in the middle I think. Yes every teacher will have his specialties. When I speak of being well rounded, I'm not talking about spherical. There will be somethings that will be better then other things. This is true of each student and each teacher. The trick is that they are not the same specialties and not the same background. This is what rounds out arts. To say that as a MMA you have the monopoly on well roundness what you need to do is bring an argument to the table that only applies to one side. So far everything you've said applies just as much to an MMA class as it does a traditional art. You asked why after all these years is Karate known for it's striking? Simple answer. For the same reason people know Idaho for it's potatoes, even though we export about as much wheat and barley as we do potatoes and almost twice as much beef. What you have is a bunch of people who don't live here and don't farm making assumptions. Same with karate. Traditional karate is an inclusive art, that is very much mixed already. Sure Funikoshi and countless other Japanese and Okinawans have been all to eager to exploit karate's claim to fame, it's striking, to further popularize the style, but in all reality karate is much more then just potatoes. Problem is you have to go there to find out for yourself. What is well rounded and what isn't is very subjective. You can't say that you have to practice throws, strikes, and groundwork at least once or twice a month to qualify, because then someone asks, "Well what about breathing exercises, conditioning, stance work, perception training, weapons, etc. You can't be well rounded without these!". And maybe someone else thinks that the minimum should be 5 times a month for 15 other things that have nothing to do with the prior. Depending on who's looking and what importance they place on different things, MMA might be considered a specialized system of learning. Truth be told, no one is perfectly well rounded either. Going back to my analogy comparing styles to rocks in a river bed, you're not going to find any perfectly spherical rocks. What you will find is many different shapes of rocks. Some more rounded then others. Some that have been in the stream a little longer. Others that might have a piece broken off or missing and haven't yet rounded out what's left. But given a little time, and good exposure in the river, it's only a matter of time. The old becomes new and the new becomes old.

By the simple fact that unless you have unlimited time, it isn't going to happen. Actually that's exactly how arts work. For example, maybe you trained in 2 or 3 different traditional arts and threw in some boxing and/or judo in there. Now after having done that for 20 years, it's your turn to teach. Is the art you are teaching now "well rounded"? What makes you think that the person who taught you one of those traditional arts didn't do the same thing? What about the person who taught him? As an art gets passed from one individual with different skills to another it rounds out. Like a stone in a river bed. Different subtle skills get added as time progresses. That's what I call the evolution of an art, and as a matter of fact an art does have limitless time to do so. Assuming it gets passed on. "Well rounded" doesn't mean being the best at everything. It means being good at a lot of things. No one can really say they are the best at everything. First of all I doubt anyone knows what "everything" is. Secondly, you are correct in stating that every individual, including the instructor, is going to have different skill levels. That doesn't mean they aren't well rounded, that means they are human.

Oh, must have missed it

Who says a single art can't be well rounded? As far as the studying one art or many thing. I'd prefer one art by far. You'll get more out of it, a deeper understanding which cannot be understated. This has very little to do with being well rounded thuogh, as once you acheive this deeper understanding you can choose to find other arts or disiplines to apply it to.

It's good that you want to learn advanced kata, but you need to learn how to learn kata and use kata first. My suggestion is not to focus on acheiving your blackbelt. Focus on acheiving the skill necessary to use your kata. When you are ready, you're teacher will teach you. Don't let the black belt distract you.

So I'm here in Boise, ID. And if you would like to visit, I'd be happy to teach you any kata I know for Sepai. I'm a 3rd dan in Okinawan Kenpo & Kobudo. Here's the kata I know that are not on you're list: Naihanchi Shodan Naihanchi Nidan Naihanchi Sandan Wansu Niseishi Sunsu Gojushiho-cho Chinto Korugojushio Kusanku dai Superempei Hakusuru Yanarshosho (Yang style 24 movement) And as far as weapons go well I know about 40 different weapon kata involving everything from the bo to the jian. Okinawan Kenpo is very closely related to Shorinryu. There are a few exceptions like Superempei (Goju) or Sunsu (Isshinryu) that were added by my sensei, Dean Stephens.

Please let me explain. First of all a bo works very well to catch swords. A blocked swing of any significant strength will lodge a sword deep enough into the hardwood to cause it to stick, if even for a split second. This is enough time to rid the poor fool of his weapon or his life. Secondly the positive advantages of reach cannot be overstated. Thirdly having two available ends makes it even more effective against multiple opponents. And lastly I think people underestimate just how deadly a full force strike with a 6ft hardwood bow is. Helmet or no it'll take a guy down. It'll crush a collar bone like it was a twig. It'll collapse a ribcage just as effectively when used as a spear. And then there's attacks to the legs which are particularly difficult to defend against when you have a sword. There is historical record of these advanatages being sucessfully used in europe with the quarterstaff, which was considered a very favorable weapon agains one weilding a sword. There was one instance on a ship that was recorded where one man killed 6 sword weilding opponents, though I forget the date and place where it occured.

OK, so don't get me wrong I'm not going to argue that people should carry a bo around with them on the street but it really seams to me that people here are using a rather limited view of what can be done with one. For example, in one class my sensei was teaching we spent the entire class working with just the last 6 inches of the bo. That is to say, utilizing just the end for locks, pain compliance, and assisted strikes. In other classes we've worked defenses against grabs that throw an opponent or pin him against a wall. Very little space is required for these maneuvers. I think it is important to remember that a bo is more then just a striking utility, it also offers leverage and a hard unbending surface. The latter two can be used very effectively in small or restricted spaces. There's nothing ineffective about the bo in a self defense situation. In an open area one man with a bo can be more effective then 6 people wielding swords. If you know how to use the weapon it can be used anywhere. When used lethally it is simply down right scarey.

My suggestion. Find the friendliest high ranking student in your Goshin Jutsu class, someone that you get along with pretty well. Speak to him after class about your problem and propose that he and you take your Goshin Jutsu sensei out for dinner to discuss it. While out to dinner bring the topic up and take the time to explain what you are doing in that class. Talk about the individual people in the ground fighting class and why you like them and would like to continue to work out with them. Then ask his permission. Base your decision on who to work out with by how he answers your question. If he gets overly defensive then you're probably wasting your time with him. If he says no but offers an explanation and is willing to discuss it for the purpose of helping you understand then I'd stick with him. If he says yes, then thank him and be sure to pick up the tab.