Sasori_Te

Hello and welcome to the board!

Yes. I had my students do this about once a month. I think you need to know what your techniques are going to feel like wearing street clothes. actually I asked them to put aside some old clothing they didn't really care for anymore since street clothes are so much less durable than gi's. IT also teaches situational awareness. I always asked the ladies to wear high heels at least once so that they could decide how they wanted to handle a possible encounter. We would also go out into the parking lot to simulate a from behind assault as your were trying to get into your car. Anyway, you get the idea. Anything that promotes training as realistic as you can safely make it.

Thank you smr. I tried to look it up on the net but didn't find anything.

You are saying that you are a beginner. Here is what I would suggest. Get yourself down to a dojo or whatever they call the training hall in the art you want to study. Talk with the instructor and tell him your circumstances. I'm sure that he will be able to give you the advice that you are looking for, unless of course it's a belt factory. If it is you'll know by whether or not the instructor reminds you of a used car salesman. Be careful and good luck.

I like all of the kata that I practice. I get new ideas from each one every time I practice them.

Thank you. I would appreciate it. I'm always interested in learning new things regarding karate's legendary teachers.

Once again I agree with Shorinryu Sensei. Although not everyone trains in martial arts for the same reason all of the martial arts (except for some of the more recent arts) were designed first and foremost for self preservation. In fact I would say that a "martial art" isn't "martial" if it doesn't teach you how to defend yourself. In fact a street fighter that trains to street fight is a martial artist. Training is training whether in a dojo or on the street. Martial arts means military arts and the military is ultimately about fighting. Therefore martial arts are all about learning to fight as effectively as you can. Sorry, lost the thread for a bit but I had to get on my soap box.

Don't get me wrong. I still practice the toe kicks as well. If nothing else it teaches you a much higher degree of accuracy and control. stl_karateka, where did you hear that story about Itosu Anko? I'm a martial history buff and I would love to read it for myself. I've never heard it before.

Here's a wacky thought. Try using a makiwara as a regular part of your training. It strengthens the muscles and bones used in punching because you are punching. It also makes the striking surfaces tougher by striking a rough exterior. You can make your own with a 2 x 4, straw or some sort of thin padding and grass rope.

Welcome to the forum

welcome Shorinryu Sensei. I enjoy reading your replies. Our styles seem to utilize most of the same concepts. I look forward to reading more in the future.

Welcome to the form angelica d

Welcome to the forum

Welcome

Welcome to the forum

Welcome Nick

Hello and welcome Quiet Dragon!

Welcome richii* !

I ran a part time school for 2 years. I used a church activity room like many other folks do. They let me use it for free which allowed me to put all of the money I earned back into the school for mats pads and school weapons as well as my own training. I don't like contracts either and my school folded because of it. It wasn't because the people didn't like my teaching or because of the money. My school folded because of local politics. One of my students, who happened to be a brown belt from Fumio Demura, wasn't very well liked by the other people in town because of the way he ran his personal business. They wanted me to throw him out of class. I wouldn't, so the class folded almost immediately. There are many obstacles when you have a school. You need to have a contingency plan if you do it full time. I have a friend with a VERY successful school in Arizona. He uses contracts and he enforces them like any other business would. He explains up front that his contracts are binding unless you have an acceptable reason for breaking it. Even then he usually asks for some sort of buy out. He'll tell you that he does this full time and that he and his kids have to eat. No one seems to mind as he has approximately 400 students that seem to enjoy themselves.

I agree with smr. The kicks using the toe are used specifically to target pressure points. However, since we wear shoes in everyday life, this is not very practical for modern martial artists. Unless, of course, you plan to do a "Billy Jack" and take your shoes off to fight.

Ok My only suggestion is look it up on google search. Also Kan Ken is spelled as I have spelled it with a K - a. That will help your search

I'm sorry, I truly mean no disrespect here to anyone. Most styles that I have seen don't know how to interpret blocking movements. If you think that the end blocking position is actually the block then you are mistaken in most cases. The end block position is usually the redirect after the block, or perhaps even a strike. The block is the initial "off-hand" movement in the block sequence. Shorinryu sensei please correct me if I am wrong. This also contributes to the feeling that you're too slow. If a person tries to block with what they think is a "traditional block" after the attack(er) has started moving they will lose every time if the skill level is the same or in favor of the attacker.

Try a search on Kan Ken. However, your instructor should be able to give you all of the exercises that you need.

I believe that they are and were always two separate styles. Just because Goju Ryu incorporates some of the the movements of both styles doesn't mean that both styles are completely incorporated. Most of the Okinawan Karate styles are influenced by several styles of Chinese martial arts as well as Okinawa Te. I do know that Black Tiger and White Crane styles differ from region to region in China. For example, Northern White Crane focuses much more on dynamic kicking techniques than Southern White Crane. I hope this answers at least a bit of your original question.

I was wandering around and found this part of the site and figured I'd better post since I've been here for about 4 months now. I'm a 33 year old male. I've been in the martial arts for 14 years now. I study Goju Shorei Karate and Sasori Te Jutsu (A form of Okinawan kempo focusing on pressure point manipulation). I am also an avid student of Asian Martial History. I also study traditional Chinese medicine texts as well as western medical texts as a hobby to enhance my martial abilities. I like a good discussion. If I'm wrong I'll be the first to admit it. It's nice to have met so many knowledgeable folks since I've been here.