Sauzin

I don't really agree with that. In Okinawa a good number of the higher ranking instructors had a bit of a belly. They would joke about it when they would drink beer after class saying that they needed to work on their center of gravity. Now they weren't grossly overweight but many were at least 30 or 40 pounds over their "optimum" weight for their height. Further more many people have a genetic predisposition to weight and they can be very serious and become very good martial artists. It is very possible to spend just as much time as anyone else but weigh twice as much. One student of my sensei is such a person and he probably weighs about 300lbs. He works out about as much as I do, maybe more. If he were to keep up with it for another 10 years or so I think he would make a great teacher. You shouldn't be so quick to judge based just off of appearance or weight. The tiniest and skinniest instructor may have once been a champion weight lifter (Seikichi Odo) and could be a lot stronger then you might think. Likewise a seemingly obese man might be a lot more athletic and quick then you might first think. I would suggest judging your instructors seriousness and dedication by the quality of his material and the effectiveness of his application rather then by his body fat ratio.

First of all I respect Shotokan and its practitioners. From what I have read and seen there are many advanced aspects that validate it's practice. I don't think Shorin-ryuu or anyone else is trying to say that Shotokan is ineffective as an art. It is and can be very effective, especially as it is practiced in the more advanced levels. Also each advanced practitioner will step further and further away from what most people consider the mold of his art and develop strengths and weaknesses separately. This is true of any art. They say all martial paths lead to the same destination. Now with this said I have to say that my experiences with Shotokan seem to validate what Shorin-ryuu has said as a general rule. It seems to me that Shotokan, while it was indeed created by an Okinawan, developed and evolved in Japan. There seems to be heavy influences from Japanese arts and mindsets in their kata and bunkai. And this is why I make the distinction of Shotokan being Japanese. I don't think any art is defined by the nationality of the one person who started it. If it were then karate would be Chinese. Instead an art is defined by the place where it evolved. And because of this I feel Shotokan has a better understanding of budo. Shotokan has a more defined classroom environment. Their defenses and applications are practiced with more ridged controls. This offers both good and bad. Personally I have a preference to the Okinawan mindset because of their stringent adherence to practicality and refusal to use or practice anything that doesn't translate directly to what works on the street. I feel Shotokan stresses conditioning over practicality because they believe that fighting has a different set of rules then what is practiced in the classroom. The acceptance of this is where Okinawan ideals differ from what is generally held in many Shotokan schools.

Well I have a few opinions on these subjects and this seems to be a good place to express them. Regarding Ouija boards, there is a right way and a wrong way to use them. If you don't perform it in a consecrated area and you don't draw a circle then you are really asking for it. Further more if you don't know specifically who or what you are channeling/contacting you are really rolling the dice. Tarot cards can be used to channel and commutate with the same spirits as a Ouija board, it's just a matter of how you use them. Regarding EVP, I don't think this is a very difficult concept to grasp. It has been scientifically proven that "chaotic" phenomenon like the movement of free flowing sub atomic particles can be changed simply by observing them. It would make sense that this affect would continue to exist after the body has departed as it seems to be dependent on consciousness. How much of a stretch is it really to believe that such random events can likewise be influenced to send messages. Actually it is my opinion that our consciousness are very capable of affecting otherwise random events. I don't know if anyone has ever known someone with unexplainable bad or good luck, but it is such a real phenomenon that casino's in Vegas invest very large sums of money to track it and control/avoid those who show it. I do agree with the concept of "if you speak about ghosts they will appear". I think that the spiritual world is less bound by laws governing space and time and that awarenesses can connect directly. Sometimes this is as simple as speaking the name of the deceased. Many older religions have held this to be true. In regards to aliens, well my first sensei worked for the government during the earlier years of his life as a "weapons retrieval" specialist. He was never very specific about which of the armed forces he worked for only that he was enlisted when he was 17. He didn't speak much of his work except to say that his security clearance was as high as he knew to exist. He said he had a buddy who made a copy of some files for him and because I was an artist he wanted me to come to his house and help him sketch out some of the pictures he had received. These pictures he showed me were very real and detailed. They had various government markings on them. Most of them were pictures taken during an autopsy examination. And they were most definitely not human. Some of them were drawings detailing anatomical structures. There was one picture of a ship in a hanger. Lets just say that any doubt I had about extra terrestrials was satisfied that day.

I will be there as well. Sounds like an excellent opportunity for a small road trip.

Must be a reasonably heavy rope.

Can't say I've seen many slashing techniques with the rope. You mean like a whip right? Most of the rope use I've seen hasn't been with a very thick rope, certainly didn't have enough weight to slash someone with. I've certainly seen joint locks that would cause a "pop". I've also seen some very interesting chokes and I've been at the recieving end of more then a few throws. Like I said any weapon can be used offensively, it's a matter of a relative comparison.

A rope. Actually you are right any weapon can be used for harm or "offense". The way I see it is if one were to classify some weapons as offensive and others as defensive then they would have to look at the terms from a relative perspective rather then taking the meaning to absolutes. Weapons that are more reactive and that have more entrapment and restraining techniques then other weapons might be seen as defensive. Weapons that are more about dealing lethal damage and injuries and are less reactive in nature might be seen as offensive. Personally I think the sai is near the middle of the bar. It is very good at trapping and blocking and has many reactive techniques. On the other hand the things can deal damage that will drop a person in a split second. Not as defensive as say a rope but more defensive then say a katana.

I agree with everything AnonymousOne just said and then some...

You know I really see Sanchin and Naihanchi to have very different focuses. Sanchin breaks things down to the fundamentals, punch, block, step, punch, block, step...and Naihanchi is much more dynamic but as a result doesn't offer the same myopic focus on the things that make everything work that Sanchin can. Sanchin is commonly used for conditioning, Naihanchi traditionally isn't. Dynamic tension is used throughout Sanchin, Naihanchi flows through hard and soft techniques. Over all I don't really think Naihanchi is any more comparable to Sanchin then any other kata. I don't think that they should be classified together just because they are both important building blocks of certain systems because they play very different rolls. I think Sanchin should be in a classification of its own, because the movements are so "basic" it offers a whole different level of understanding. If you really break it down you are either extending/projecting, retracting/reseating, or encircling/redirecting in almost any movement you make. Sanchin breaks these types of movements down to their most fundamental level and lets you focus on what makes them work (breathing, stance, strength, technique…). While this is possible to do with the right focus in other kata's, it very rarely done, and is certainly not as easily or efficiently accomplished. Naihanchi's are awesome in that they encompass an entirely new take on moving in combat. They strip angular stepping out of the kata but still offer techniques that work best with very specific angles. This creates a lot of confusion with people first learning the kata. I think the biggest "ahh-ha!" that people have with this kata is when they learn how to use the stepping in the Naihanchi's to achieve the angles that make these things work. That's when these kata's really click. Naihanchi's also show people how to use a horse stance. You learn how to maintain position and control while still having the ability to mobilize very quickly and powerfully if the need arises. Naihanci's force you to mobilize your hips while maintaining the structure of a stance. This lesson benefits every kata and technique you learn from that point on. In our system the Naihanchi's are where you first learn to take a controlled fall into a technique to produce power, momentum, and to shift your opponent off his feet. There are many more lessons to learn from Naihanchi of course. But these techniques and focuses make the kata uniquely beneficial in our system

Lineage is very important to me. My primary lineage from Nahate: China>Naha "Bushi" Sakiyama>Shinkichi Kuniyoshi>Shigero Nakimura>Seikichi Odo>Dean Stevens>Me My Shurite goes something like: Tode Sakugawa>Soken "Bushi" Nakumura>Kohan Oyadomari>Chotoku Kyan>Seiki Toma>Seikichi Odo>Dean Stephens>Me As well as... Tode Sakagawa>Kosaku Matasumora>Koho Kuba>Seikichi Odo>Dean Stephens>Me Lineage is a laundry list of artists who devoted their lives to preserve and refine the art that I practice. If proof is in the pudding then this is the history of the pudding.

Moneymaker and Dillman go way back. I wouldn't call Moneymaker so much a student as a cofounder and buisness associate of Dillman's current systems (which is breaking apart even more now that Jack Hogan has parted ways with with Dillman as well). As I understand it most of Moneymakers dans are honorary. The Okinwan Kenpo dan is complete nonsense (he's refering to Dillmans system which got sued over using that name and no longer does). He's has largely a Taekwondo background and has been going to and putting on seminars for a while. He's an excellent salesman and an acomplished networker. Beyond that I can't say much.

Re-read the last sentence of my first post.

I'm sorry but that's funny because it's true. Certainly in the case of poeple who don't have a sword instructor.

Trained in what? I have trained with some excellent kickers and seen some very fast and accurate crescent kicks. In fact mine aren't that shabby either. I have also had the opportunity to work with and observe some trained and skilled knife wielders. Having seen both I have to say against the way they were training even the fastest crescent kick would likely get you killed. All they would have to do is move in slightly and let your leg come to the blade. The femur artery is right there and the motion and direction of a crescent kick would literally guide the blade right across its target. You'd be dead in minutes. I mean think about it. With a crescent kick you are literally swinging the inside of your leg in the direction of their blade. Sure you are targeting their knife/grip with your foot, but one quick shuffle and their blade is right against the inside of your thigh. Opportunistic knife fighters train to slice at whatever comes at them. Using your leg in this manner would be like trying to beat a shark back with a salmon. This isn't me being arrogant. These are basic combat principles. Why attempt to disarm someone by offering them one of your most vulnerable targets? Why offer more vulnerability then is absolutely necessary? There are plenty of effective, and often one shot moves that don't so readily expose vulnerable targets. If you are going to teach or use one technique why not choose one that doesn't involve using your furthest weapon attached to one of your largest arteries to disarm the thing that is targeting it. It doesn't matter how good your kick is, the principle just doesn't make sense.

A cresent kick can work agains an untrained attacker with a knife. Against a trained opportunistic attacker, it will get you killed almost every time. Why would you want to risk this when there are so many more effective and comparitively safe ways of getting control of the knife and/or disarming the opponent?

I remember when I first picked up a bo. I was a yellow belt in Okinawan Goju-Ryu and we had a guest instructor visiting for about a month. Our style didn't work weapons. I was under the belief that my time was better spent on working empty handed techniques, since the chances of having a bo or a sai when you got into a fight were slim to nil. But our instructor wanted us to have a diverse background in Okinawan arts so for about a month we worked the bo. I hated every moment of it. Not only did it not "click" with me but it felt like I was waving a broom stick around for a musical audition of "The Wizard of Oz" and I was playing the wicked witch of the west. It had no real grace and it felt very awkward, even embracing. About a year later I moved to Boise, ID and there wasn't much in the way of Okinawan martial arts to choose from. I met an instructor who was a senior to the guest instructor who tried to teach me the bo previously. I told him I knew some of the kata I tried to learn and he offered to show me the rest. For about 2 months my new instructor and I worked out with nothing but the bo. And it finally started to click. Not only did it start to click but I started to see things in my empty hand motions that I could not have seen before. I figured that anyone that could help me make something as awkward as the bo "click" could do wonders for the rest of my art. So I soon asked to become his student in both empty hand and weapons and the rest is history. The moral of the story is two fold. If you can commit to work through something that you don't like and find the value in it (making it "click”) then you will have an easy time finding value in everything else your instructor teaches. The second moral is that the bo can show you more things about body movement then any other weapon. These things will apply both to your empty handed techniques as well as other weapons you may learn later. Take the time to consider the value of what you learn vs. the value of how it looks or feels. In the end it's the principles that you learn that will matter since it is very unlikely you will ever have the weapon itself in a fight.

I'm sorry Waylander but the "preoccupied by the weapon" argument doesn't hold water. An untrained combatant without a knife is just as likely to focus on a single weapon (his fists) as an untrained guy with a knife. I really don't think you have seen some of the trained knife work that is out there if you think that a trained knife combatant doesn't have an advantage. I'm not saying that it is an insurmountable advantage, but it is a definite advantage. A guy with a knife can still grab, punch with the hilt, and perform any maneuver an empty handed combatant can. The difference is he has more options. Specifically ones that will disable or kill you with one swipe of a blade. Think of it like fighting a guy with a paint brush. If you don't think you're going to get some paint on you, then you are in denial. Because it's not going to be as simple as block a swipe and he stops. Guys who know what they are doing don't stop cutting. You put your arm in the way they cut that, your chest, your other arm, your leg, and then right back up. Hitting every opportunistic target that is on their way. And I hate to disagree with Shorin-ryuu but getting in close doesn’t do much for you either. A guy who knows what he's doing will find even more targets in close quarters as the inside upper arms, torso, neck, and upper thighs become even more exposed. Controlling the weapon and disrupting the opponent (balance, structure, consciousness) are really the only options. And even then you are likely still getting painted. It's just a question of where.

I also agree with what Shorinryu Sensei has to say in regards to going to your sensie. It might be better to ask him these things first then discuss his answers or what he taught in class on the forum. That way you can gain a little perspective while still getting your answers from one source. In our school we start people on the bo right away, but under very close supervision. When you are starting it is very important that you have someone showing you step by step how to properly do this. Otherwise you may learn bad habits that will take you years to get rid of and/or could get you hurt.

Yes, shorten it by about 2 1/2 feet. This will make it a lot easier to avoid hitting your face or your knees. It still might go flying or rebound at you if you hit your target though so it is probably best that you make the bo out of plastic. This way there will be less weight and more speed as well. Also for spinning you will find you get a lot more centrifugal force and speed if you place rubber nobs at the ends for balance. You can buy bo's that come already made like this. They are called baton's and you can buy them at juggling stores and sports stores that sell cheerleader paraphernalia. Seriously though, practice will allow you to control a spin in most performance situations. But it is because of the tendency for the bo to go out of control especially when it hits it's target that traditional bo artists do not work spins in combat.

Try the Chinese Jian (Tai chi sword). 28" blade would probably work great for you. Of course, you should find an instructor.

Well I'm not going to say that there is no value in applying empty hand kata to weapons, but I will say that there is a lot you can't get this way. Like Shorin-Ryuu said there are a lot of techniques that utilize the very unique aspects of each weapon in weapon kata. After having learned weapon kata, and gained a familiarity with the weapon I think it is much easier to use it in an empty handed kata. But in my opinion it would be nearly impossible to use a weapon with any degree of effectiveness in an empty handed kata unless you had this familiarity first. For example if someone who had never used a sai decided to run through Pinan Shodan with it. They never learn how roll into a strike off a block or how to transition forward after catching a bo between the prongs or how to throw someone to the ground by thrusting the butt end of the sai just below the collar bones. Now sure, if you already know these things from practicing kata made for the sai then you could probably find a way to add them to empty handed kata. But if you just tried to do Pinan Shodan with the sai without this experience, what would you really be gaining? I mean to me, the value of doing weapons exists in learning these unique aspects and how they can be applied. If you don't have these things exactly what is the value of using the weapon? I just hate to see any weapon reduced solely to an “empty hand enhancer”.

You know Mark Jovich's name sounds familiar. I have definitely heard of Seijuro Maehara of Okinawa Kenpo Karate Kobudo League. I train under Dean Stephens who was a senior student of the late Seikichi Odo. Good luck with the sai's!

Hey Mattys, just curious. Who's your instructor and insturctor's insturctor?

Definitely.

1st of all, don't order through WWMAS again, they are lying to you. The January Shureido 20" natural sai shipment did come in, though it was about a week delayed (came in the second week of Jan not the first as expected). I'm sure they have exhausted their supply by now however. I know this because I called Shureido up in Nov and asked for a pair. They were on back order awaiting the same shipment. I got them in Jan. A friend of mine ordered a pair in Dec as well, he also got them in Jan. They were both 20" natural sai. Here's what you should do. Call Shureido directly. Their phone number is 1-714-921-0946. Ask them if they have any more. If they say no then they will offer to put your name on a back order list. Give them your info and I guarantee you, that when April comes around you will get a pair. The amazing thing is that they don't even require a deposit. I hope this helps.