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.

How often? Every class, every kata, and with at least 80% of our bunkai. About 20% of our whitebelt partner drills all the way up to black belt where about 80% of our drills contain some kind of grab, entrapment, lock, or throw. Of course we practice things that are entirely grappling less often, most of the time what we practice are combinations of the above assisted by or leading to strikes. As far as in depth, well all our techniques are studied in depth. Examples of techniques include arm bars, head locks, belt grabs, wrist locks/throws/grabs, leg grab/take downs, and a general category I like to call extensions where you take an opponent and pull their weapon (arm/fist) as far from their head as possible while moving them outside their base. I personally believe grappling is not just consistent with karate training, but it is integrally part of karate training. You have to pay attention to your kata though and get out of the "block/strike" mentality.

Need to make a technical correction here. A bo (as in the Okinawan/Japanese weapon) should weigh about 2.5 pounds at least. The first reason is that it's made out of hard wood, usually red oak or harder. The second is the diameter/density required to make it structurally sound. And the third reason exists within the equation for momentum which states Force = Mass * Acceleration. When applied to weapons it means that your bo needs to have enough mass so that when it is multiplied by your acceleration the bo can do damage on impact.

Ahhh, yes you are looking for a convenient and travel sized retractable baton that will be easy to spin. I'm sure you could find a light weight metal such as aluminum and make it thinner to cut down on weight. If they can make a retractable antenna then there should be no problem with making something slightly larger as long as you don't need to hit anything with it I'm sure you'll be fine. Also they make batons that screw together and have fancy swirly designs like this one: http://www.karatedepot.com/wp-bo-012.html that also weight nearly nothing. Note the warning on that page stating that it isn't designed to do anything but spin in the air. If it hit anything you could hurt yourself. Webster definition of "weapon: 1 : something (as a club, knife, or gun) used to injure, defeat, or destroy"

Well yea, you have to gain control first. That's never assumed. I just find it's easier to get there with certain conceptualizations.

If you have control he doesn't have to. I think this all depends on when and how you "pick up the stick". I find it very practical.

Well I read your post. Twice actually and here's what I think. Fighting arts are about efficiency. Flash, by definition, is inefficient. If you can nail a spinning crescent kick perfectly then good for you but that's a huge and unnecessary "if". And any way you go it's a bigger "if" then a low front, or any other maneuver that doesn't involve going into the air or turning your back on your opponent. In my opinion, and most people who have any real fighting experience tend to agree, the less risk the better. Why waste your time perfecting something that might work but looks good when there are 15 other things you could be practicing that are designed to work better because their single purpose in design is pure and simple effectiveness? Think about it, fighting efficiency leaves no room for flash. And if you aren't practicing for efficiency then by definition you are wasting your time.

You don't think that Okinawans spend half their time working with weapons just so they know how to swing a stick or strike with a tonfa do you? Weapons are tools that share certain properties. They teach your body, hands, and arms how to manipulate items with these properties in forceful directions. When a person's arm is straight it has the same properties as a bo. When it is bent then you're looking at a nunchaku or rope. If you have a man's wrist then it is a sai or a tonfa. Same principles, same grips, same taisabaki. Sure having a weapon is nice, but knowing how to grip something and manipulate it effectively is priceless.

Awareness can extend the sense of self to anything really but in reality weapons are tools. Just something you learn to use with your hands and body in unison. By learning weapons you are learning tools. Tools allow you to be more effective. Your extended sense of self is mearly a byproduct. You could use the same logic/ideology to say that your opponent is an extension of your self in a fight as well, you're just waiting to establish control of it, the same way you do when you pick up a stick.

There's no way anything retractable that is 6ft long could possibly handle the force involved in bo strikes. On top of this it would be hollow. That's just not a good idea. Using a 4-5 foot walking stick is much more practical and isn't considered a concealed weapon. Why would you want to conceal your weapon anyway? Another interesting thought, every time an opponent extends his arm he's offering you a bo. Grab it, and use it the same way and you might be surprised at how well your new found weapon really works.

In Goju Sanseryu the last two moves are a turn around and an assisted crane strike in a squat stance at the 45. (see picture on this web link: http://www.seiwakai.co.za/Stylekata.html) Let me make a general statement that applies to bunkai with kata. If you are transitioning to a deep stance, such as a squat stance, generally some type of grapple or take down is involved either by you or your opponent. With this particular move the rear hand generally entraps an arm or head and the the forward arm makes the strike. Since there is a 270 degree turn right before this along with a crossing entrapment motion with the arms prior to the strike, in the transition a lock (usually an armbar) can be applied to one or two appendages of an opponent. The opponent can either be at the location of the "U" punch just before the turn or can be behind you grasping at your shoulders. After you've done this the striking locations should be obvious but you will also likely notice a tendency for your opponent's head to fall to a position of vulnerability. A neck break can also be applied with the same motions and angle as the crane strike. This is considered a more advanced application of the motion.