Sasori_Te

I'm not sure that I would change anything. I might not have had the same results and may not have had the same abiding respect for the martial arts that I have now.

My opinion is that it would be extremely difficult for a beginner to learn multiple arts, especially taught in the fashion you describe. Wait and watch for a little while. If it doesn't get any better I'd suggest you go find yourself another school.

Why does it matter what i consider to be legitimate? I was simply stating my opinion on the subject. I have done breaks before. I don't like them because I don't personally believe they serve a purpose in the art that I practice. I can accomplish conditioning through makiwara training and bone to bone contact. I also happen to think that breaking gives false confidence to the practitioners, especially young practitioners. These are my reasons and mine alone. I don't expect everyone to agree.

I agree and disagree with you Martial_Girl. He doesn't have to master many styles, or even one style because it is not possible to master a style as there is no definitive measure for doing so. He does however need to master himself and have an excellent knowledge of martial arts techniques or a good strong base in one art. I think the main point here is that you shouldn't begin a journey into the martial arts by wanting to make up your own style. He has already stated that he has not ever tested for rank in any other style. He's going to need a lot more knowledge than he has now and he's also going to need to develop some patience and perseverance in order to develop his own style. We never said that he would ultimately fail. We said he'd fail if he continued with the method he's trying to use now.

Anyone besides me ever notice that his grammar and spelling get better when he gets upset? *L* You'd think that if he were a non-native speaker and writer of English that it would get worse when he gets upset. Hmmmmm......

I would consider a break legitimate if the materials were able to be examined and the breaking method strictly utilized the practitioners skills as opposed to using #2 pine with the grain, scoring the boards, allowing ice to melt and weaken under it's own weight, using un-baked clay tiles and bricks....etc .....etc. Can you tell I'm a bit jaded due to the large amount of fraudulent crap that I've seen over the last 14 years? Now to be fair to you breaking afficianados out there, I have seen some breaks on video that I can't explain away as easily. However, since I wasn't physically present I can't say whether it was some sort of gimmick or not. Oh yeah and tom, I have run a mile (it seemed like it anyway) with bullets whizzing by my head, in combat boots. I'm not sure if it was under 4 minutes or not but it wasn't for lack of effort. To be honest it was more like an eighth of a mile but it seemed longer.

I never said there wasn't legitimate breaking. I have just never witnessed a legitimate breaking demonstration. But you are correct, I did set myself up pretty well. I always do if I can. It's an extension of my training. What can I say? *L* I'm not saying it can't be done and isn't legitimate, but I would have to see it for myself and be able to inspect the material before the break.

Well said tommarker. I couldn't agree more.

I'm sorry in advance if this is a real post. This guy comes up with all sorts of things all of the time. He reminds me of sano. Anyone remember him? I'm not buying it. Again, if I'm wrong I apologize.

Your the only person that knows your time constraints. You seem to know that your not going to have time or opportunity to train formally for awhile. Your best bet is going to be finding someone else that you're stationed with who knows martial arts and training with them. I was in the Army for 4 years and this was the only way that I could train during that time. The military requires a good deal of time and the Navy will require more if you do ship duty. Don't worry so much. Keep training on your own if necessary. You have plenty of time to get a shodan.

Can anyone give me convincing oral eveidence that breaking is legitimate and not a mere "trick". By trick, I mean breaking boards with the grain instead of against the grain, breaking rocks using the shape of the rock and breaking it on a hard surface from a fulcrum, breaking ice after it sits out and weakens at it's center..... etc.

I think of it this way. The only thing that you have that is going to be different is your philosophy. That may not even be different unless you really, really do your research. The human body can react in move in only a finite number of ways. There are literally thousands and thousands of martial arts systems out there. Can you be sure that none of them have the same philosophy and movements as your style? I'm not trying to discourage you if thais is what you truly want to do, but I would encourage you to do a lot more research before you even think about doing it.

Sorry about that link. I think I fixed it so that you can use it now.

Could it be that Natural and Sano are one and the same?

Good post Delta! Thanks. Keep it coming guys and girls. I may put all of this into a book someday. *L*

This actually brings another question to mind. How many of you have asked your instructors how they analyze the kata to determine different techniques that can be utilized? Also, do you think your instructor would be receptive to such a question? Just a conversation topic that I'm curious about. Thank you guys for your answers.

So, do you guys know how your instructor examines and breaks down the kata to get at the techniques? How do you work the techniques. Do you go from the base and break every piece down from proper footwork up to choosing targets and proper angles of attack? This is very similar to how I analyze kata movements. Without a good base you have nothing to build on. It just occurred to me that I don't know how other styles and/ or other instructors do this. I'm curious.

Does your dojo utilize kata to extrapolate techniques? If so, what does your instructor look for when examining kata for techniques? I found an excellent article written by Jim Logue from the RyuTe and Oyata Shin Shu Ho lineage. You can find it here: http://www.kushu.com/technique.htm

I will follow Amp's line of thought a little further. I have never seen any competition that wasn't a closed competition that was fair for kata or sparring. There just aren't any hard fast rules for judging at open competitions. The judge's meetings that I've been to consisted of going over what point scale was being used for that particular tournament. I don't recall once ever hearing how I should award those points other than to use my best judgement. This is only one of the reasons that I don't do tournaments any more.

Ditto to Shorin Ryu Sensei's answer. I will also go another step further and say that I have never seen a breaking demo that didn't have some sort of gimmick to it. Try breaking 3 1" pine boards against the grain. I'll be impressed with breaking and breaking demos when I can pick the materials for the practitioners to break. I'm not saying all breaking is * ... just all of the breaking that I've ever seen up close, and I've seen some wild demos. *L*

I have to agree with azn. You are guilty of the thing that most of us here on this forum are guilty of at one time or another. You are trying to paint all martial arts and artists with the same brush and it just doesn't work. I think it's also safe to say that there is no common scenario. Every situation will be as different as the individuals involved in it. There are a number of things a stand-up style can do against a charge. They may not always work just as we had hoped, just as a ground fighters techniques will not always work the way that they hope it will.

If he peactices RyuTe then it has to be Taika Oyata's stuff. RyuTe is a trade mark. I have to agree also that I hate the people that act as if they may break if they get hit.

I don't want to make light of Aikido or Aikidoists. It is a very technical art and can be very effective for self-defense after sufficient practice. It is also very beautiful to watch when performed at a high skill level.

I would ask you what you want to join martial arts to accomplish, or is it just for fun? Aikido is a more esoteric art and involves, as stl said, using your opponents energy to throw them . There are several schools of Aikido and differing philosophies to go with all. Jiu Jutsu utilizes joint locks, bone breaks and throws and is more self-defense oriented. Again, this depends on the Jiu Jutsu style. As a general rule of thumb, Aikido takes longer to become proficient at than Jiu Jutsu. Like stl said, check them out and see which one you like best.

Another really good book that I've read is "Martial Arts Teaching Tales of Power and Paradox". It is a very good book. It tells stories and legends of old masters as teaching examples. Check it out on Amazon.com.