Sauzin

Your welcome. I couldn't swallow pills at all when I was a kid. I still have a horible gag reflex and it's still very difficult. Especially large rough pills . OJ helps because it lubricates them which means you don't feel the pill going down as much. At least that's been my experiance.

Whoa, whoa, whoa... Wait a sec, am I still invited?

Orange juice helps.

Not familiar with tenryu no kon nor any "kada" kata's Sushi no kun, that one I used to do. The one I did has a together stance sequence where you do a head strike then shift your body to the side and rebound the bo to kind of a mid block. This one was quite a bit easier then the Tokomine's that we practice. So is your sensei (who has a very respectable ranking) gaining his kobudo from an Isshinryu instructor or a video tape? Just curious.

He's right, and real budo and real kobudo are. But when you make up kobudo kata you aren't practicing a brother and a sister. You are cloning the brother and the clone really does the same thing as the brother only with less effectiveness. Better to go with just the brother rather then try and clone something into something that it is not. OK, I think I'm done with the clone analogy.... ...yea I'm done . Now Tokomine no kun is a kobudo kata. You learn it as a yellow belt huh? Well generally speaking this kata is one of the more advanced kata in a kobudo system. So things might be a bit outside the norm if you're learning that kata first. If your sensei has this kata he likely has other kobudo kata and hopefully has been taught by someone who knows a full kobudo system. This is good since it means he very likely understands a lot of the "unique principles" that exist with these weapons. Still my opinion is that if he wants to really bring the value of sai to his class he should talk to whomever taught him Tokomine and learn a kata made for the sai.

It is definately possible to have too many kata. It doesn't remove the effectiveness of the art, but it does make some things a lot more difficult. Right now I know around 70 kata.

One more thing. I wouldn't say your sensei is a lazy lout. I would say that he likely hasn't had the opportunity to get real kobudo training but still want's his students to gain some experience in this weapon. It's a tough conflict when you want the best for your students. My suggestion to him would be to not bother with sai unless he can get a guest instructor in who knows kobudo and instead focus on teaching the art that he knows. I would suggest that this will bring the most value to his class. I am all for guest instructors in the classes I teach. Because I'd be colored purple before I'd try teaching Hapkido or the Chinese broadsword to anyone.

Practicing and teaching empty hand kata with a sai in it is fairly common in general, though I don't know specifically about shotokan. I really don't suggest that people do this though. As I have mentioned in the weapons forum I feel that any uniqueness and value that learning a weapon gives you is lost when you do this. I mean sure you can take a weapon and apply the same principles as open hand and get some effectiveness. But you won't get anywhere near the effectiveness as you would if you know and apply the principles unique to the weapon. To really learn these principles you need a kata designed specifically for the weapon. I would also say that these "unique principles" are much more backwards compatible then empty hand principles are forwards compatible. Sai kata, designed for the sai, teach these principles in a very unique way. And if you don't practice and learn these principles from the weapon, why are you wasting your time with it?

Good point(s).

Okinwan-te...uh...is a somewhat controversial subject. Largely because there's a lot of Okinawans out there that would like you to think that Karate is an Okinawan art and not a Chinese art. And in many ways it is, but to say that all karate is linked by a common art called "Okinawan-te" is a bit of a stretch. Chojun Miyagi was still a kid practicing in Higonna's back yard at the time Funikoshi was demonstrating and had already moved to Japan. From what I can tell the two founder's never even met. Their teachers may likely have met but they learned from very different sources. Higonna got what he knew straight from China, and Miyagi went back to do the same. Funikoshi's teachers which were Anko Azato and Anko Itosu had completely different sources and styles from Higonna. So what it boils down to is TKD>Shotokan>Funakoshi>Itosu & Azato who may have met Higonna but never trained together. I would hardly call that a relation. Now sure at one point all of this was all in China, but from what I understand they came from different parts of China and different styles so you are likely to reach a dead end there as well. I don't mean to offend of disrespect you or your instructor. But from a purely factual standpoint Goju and TKD are not very closely related if at all. You would likely have an easier time connecting TKD's lineage to Ninjitsu then Goju.

Uh…so TKD has little or no association with Goju. It goes something like this. Funikoshi who practices Shuri-te (Shorin-ryu) goes to Japan at the summons of the emperor. He creates Shotokan which the emperor orders Japans army to immediately study and assimilate. Japan then conquers Korea and outlaws any kind of tradition, including martial arts and destroys tons of history and legacy then forces Koreans to join Japan’s military. While in the military they learn Shotokan, after returning they take Shotokan and split up into like 7 different fractions. One of which was Tae Kwon Do. Ueichi-ryu and Ryuryu don't do Naihanchi, and there are at least a couple others as well...

You see now if you’re looking for a really nice sword the biggest constraint you have is time. Some of the waiting lists for the really good swords (such as the ones from bugei) are now almost a year out. I would still suggest giving them a call if you’re looking for something that a serious katana enthusiast would dropped jaw drool over. You know most katana enthusiasts would appreciate a well made iaito. Even though these swords aren’t for cutting, they are made with balance and long term use in mind. If you get a $400-500 iaito the fittings and balance will be superb. Especially if you get one from the sword store. If you really have your heart set on a cutter you could also look at the following: http://www.coldsteel.com/88kwarser.html http://www.swordarmory.com/03kats/03dex.html http://www.kriscutlery.com/Kris/japanese/Japanese.html These aren’t quite as traditional but are known for being practical cutters. Another place, though I don’t know what the wait would be is: http://www.dguertin.com/ Give these places a look. And good luck!

Inconclusive huh? Well thanks for giving it a try. There are a few possibilities that come to mind as to why that might have happened. It may be possible that you aren’t flaring your chest much. It may also be that you have trained your muscles to overcompensate as you suggested. It may also be that there is some other weakness in your structure that is playing the part of “the weakest link” and thus negating both positions. Or perhaps I’m wrong. Who knows? Either way thanks for running through the test. Perhaps I can pose a more analytical perspective. I mean if you pull your shoulder back the weight of the arm shifts back and is behind your hara. Likewise the shoulder socket and musculature is stretched further from its base when it is pulled back. This has the same effect as any other body part that is moved away from its base. It becomes weaker. Perhaps the most relevant point is with what happens to the chest musculature when it is flared. It naturally tenses. This makes for a more constrained launch of the punch. The chest muscles can only produce full power when they start from a relaxed position. As a secondary effect the tension produced from a flared chest also stretches the musculature away from the lower ribs, making them more vulnerable. My experience has been that it doesn’t do good things for protecting the shoulders either. Perhaps with conditioning this can be overcome. I spoke to my sensei about this last week and his comment was that as long as the shoulders are down it will work so maybe I am overanalyzing this or making a mountain out of the effects of an anthill. Either way, thanks for the chance to get another perspective.

Well you can purchase a stainless steel wall hanger just about anywhere for $25, but if you want a real sword you've got to ask two questions: 1) What would he use it for? 2) How much money do you have? If he practices Iaido and just wants to practice technique then I would suggest getting an iaito or unsharpened japanese practice sword. They range in price between $120 and $1000. This is where the second question comes in. A couple of good places to look are https://www.swordstore.com https://www.ebay.com (search iaito) https://www.bugei.com https://www.mantisswords.com The same places also sell sharp swords, but they generally cost more and if your step dad isn't trained in cutting they will likely simply take more maintanence and see less use. Hope this helps.

A quick google search brought up his style's home page: http://www.paulbunyan.net/users/mkobukan/index.html

Sounds good! I am very interested to see if you get the same results and if not why.

I've been noticing this too.

I agree completely. Also giving a child a black belt because he has a good attitude and OK but not entirely effective technique then turning around and giving an adult a blackbelt because he has strong technique and a good attitude is a double standard. Even if you break it down to a Jr black belt and a Sr black belt what are you saying? That they aren't the same. And if they aren't the same then what does it mean? That one is real and the other one is "special" somehow. Come on, that's degrading and on some level the kid will know that. I think it is far more ideal to have one standard that everyone in the room can look at and understand. No confusion, no hurt feelings, just a simple scale that accurately reflects where you're at and the time you've spent. If I were a kid I wouldn't want a special rank, I would want the real deal. I would want to know where I am at in the art with relation to where everyone else is, including the adults. After all if ranking can't do that, what's it there for?

Using black belts (or any belts for that matter) as a means of maintaining interest is something I truly hope I will never have to do. This is why I fear starting a commercial dojo, and probably never will. I don't want to work with people who don't want to be there. This includes kids. I come from a family of 6 kids and I'm the oldest. I have had my fill of babysitting kids that aren't mine for my lifetime. The people I want to work with are the people (kids or adults) that don't need a piece of cloth to feel the benefits and accomplishments they receive in karate. As far as giving a 8 year old a black belt, I don't believe in lowering the standard just because of age. Because of this I doubt it would be possible for someone under 16, usually 18 to meet the requirements. I see no reason to have double standards in any dojo. In my mind it kind of defeats the purpose of ranking.

I'll give you that. This and the fact that I have yet to see the karate style that teaches to raise you shoulder are the reasons I assumed you were dropping them. Good points, please let me muse a bit. I have practiced the turtle back posture, it's good for somethings, but has some overall maneuvering issues and is not what I was referring to. I appreciate your comments on the cant and the shoulders being slightly forward but really they go hand and hand. This is why I really don't understand why you would think that having the shoulders slightly forward and down in a more natural position would prevent reciprocal force from being redirected or prevent the projection of your hara. In fact those reasons, better body alignment for the redirection of reciprocal force and moving your center forward are the exact reasons we do it. But I've always said that if you can't show don't tell. So give the following a try: Flair out the chest with the shoulders down and raise your arm out to your side to where it is parallel to the ground. Have someone try and push it backwards, then have someone try and push it forwards, then have someone try and push it down. Now relax your chest and lower back muscles. Allow your shoulders to come slightly forward, the amount varies from individual to individual. Some people have trained themselves the shift their shoulders back and chest forward and it feels natural. They will need to shift their shoulders at least an inch. Others will barely need to shift at all but it should look natural, not like someone curving their back (in or out). They should also shift their shoulders down causing a feeling of your shoulder, upper back, and lateral muscles wrapping and gripping around your shoulder. Now try the same test I first mentioned. You should notice quite a difference. You can also test this with the arm in from of you in the same position as a punch, it will have a similar though less dramatic effect. You can also test this by having someone strike, crane fist, or pinch your shoulders. You should notice less pain in the natural and slightly forward down position of your shoulders. I've tested this on several individuals who came to class with the tendency to flair their chest. So far I have yet to see one individual who had stronger structure in the flaired position then in the slightly forward position. Again I appreciate your observations. Give it a test, let me know what you think.

I don't think it is perseverance as a personality trait that allows people to stay in martial arts. I think it's more a question of whether you can find joy in it. At least it is for me. If I didn't enjoy it, if I didn't feel the benefit every day I do it, I probably wouldn't. Not to say that every working, repetitious moment has to be a barrel of fun. That is to say there has to be some benefit and joy in it and thankfully I have learned to see and appreciate this. Otherwise I wouldn't have done it this long. As far as being born with it or bred, I think it is a combination. What and how we appreciate things is both learned and bred.

It has a lot of similarities to the way we do punches. There are a few differences though. We don't stand upright with our chest out. We believe that disconnects the shoulders. Instead we drop our shoulders down and slightly forward. We always have a slight cant forward as well. Our back is never perpendicular to the ground. Step 1: For the reverse punch we start in a narrower stance and rotate our back leg out into a wider stance as we make our first hip rotation. All hip rotations are made toward the target. We don't rotate our hip as much as we thrust with it. At this point we don't fully extend our hip. Step 2: The punch launches, palm up. Step 3: Just before the punch turns our hip again thrusts forward as our back leg straitens. At this point our hip is extended to the point where if it turned further it would veer off target. It takes a little while to learn where this point is. Step 4: Impact occurs as the punch turns over. In regards to hara, which I believe literally means center or center of ones being, as our structure changes so does our center. It does move slightly forward in this process but we don't focus on it. Instead we focus on refining the movement so that everything flows together in the direction of the strike and remains connected. The end result is the same however.

My general rule is I don't talk about martial arts in non-martial art settings unless someone asks. Since almost no one knows I do martial arts it rarely comes up. My close friends know better then to bring it up when we go out. When we aren't out and about though, the words "Hey come over here I want to try something out." have been known to cause panic.

It really depends on the circumstances. Under ideal circumstances no, skipping does not occur. The instructor and student will be there during the entire process of progression and will test when appropriate. No need to skip. But weird things do happen. Generally this is handled on a case by case basis.

In our style you can teach with very loose supervision at 3rd dan. "Very loose supervision" means a 4th dan or higher has OK'd you to teach and every once in a while checks up on your school to make sure things are going well. Generally speaking a 3rd dan can award, sign certificates for, and offer testing for color belt ranks. A 4th dan, being a certified instructor, is able to offer testing for all ranks up to and including 3rd dan. If you are testing via video conferencing then chances are the guy who runs your dojo either isn't there or isn't ranked high enough to officially teach and provide rank by himself. That doesn't automatically mean that he isn't qualified, but if he is, his rank should be adjusted to reflect it. Just my opinion.