Sasori_Te

What do you do with the rest of your time? Martial arts isn't taking up your entire day on any given day. Why are you taking so many different martial arts all at once? It seems to me that you know what you've been doing and you know what you need to do to fix it. Do it. If your body were used to it you wouldn't be tired.

Good advice about choosing a style. If you like it and it suits you, go for it. Interesting about Mitose. I'd never heard why he was in prison.

never heard of the kata but be patient. You've just begun your training. Your best bet would be to ask your instructor any questions that you have. He/ She knows you just started and will have questions that need to be answered.

I was always taught that with a side snap kick the knee comes up and the foot snaps out from the support leg at about knee level using the blade of the foot. In the side thrust kick, the knee of the kicking leg trys to chamber to the opposite side shoulder, the hip rolls over and thrusts the foot (bladded or flat depending on the target) out to the target locking out the leg before being pulled back in. Pretty much what these other guys said. It might help with the side thrust kick to think of aiming at your target with your butt as the leg is chambered. Good luck.

Why not YoungMiyagi? How do you train? Or should I say, how do you believe in training?

Goju1 that is what I was referring to in my previous post. They get together and choose to award rank to another member.This usually only happens upon the death of the head of the style.

Kempocos and I have some of the same training and share a similar viewpoint, if not the same, on this subject. I use the Yin Yang and Five element Theory in most of my vital point applications. Direction of the strike along with the set-up used all make vital point strikes more effective in my experience and training. A good knowledge of vital points will also let you see kata in a whole new light. Though the opposite can also be said. A good knowledge of kata will shed new light on vital points for you as they tend to go hand in hand.

How much of a role does the striking of vital points play in your art? I am familiar with a couple of different schools of thought on the subject. The Okinawan/Japanese systems call this Kyusho Jitsu. The Chinese call it Dim Mak. Various other systems call them accupoints. After looking at the different systems I think they only complement one another. The Chinese and some Okinawans use "set-up" points before the main strike. Other Okinawan systems just target the specific vital point. I just wanted to see what our bulletin board members have to say on the subject.

Thank you for the information kempocos. I will do that.

To correct a portion of what you're saying. A 10th dan (for the styles that recognize that rank) is usually appointed by an organization after the death of the former organizational head. The process is a bit like appointing a new pope (not trying to offend any Catholics here). Basically it's a political title. I have never seen a "traditional" method for promoting anyone past 5th dan since all of the techniques from the system should have been learned by this point. I have however seen any number of different requirements for progressing in rank. However this is getting off the scope of the original topic.

Very informative. Thank you for the opinions. FYI, I would never call someone master speaking to them. I might refer to them that way speaking to someone else about them. I've only trained with 3 people that I would even refer to as master when speaking of them and they are Teruo Chinen, Taika Oyata and Dave McNeill. These men all possesed the same qualities that I can only hope I have one day. A sense of humor, respect for everyone no matter age or rank and most of all a seemingly innate knowledge of what it is you really want to know when you ask a question.

That's the bottom line isn't it? Human nature is what's kept us going this long and I'm afraid it's going to be our undoing as well.

This is similar to the no touch ko's that I've seen, although the gentlemen that I've trained with were much faster about doing it.

What is a karate master? Is it someone who puts in the time. learns the techniques and get to 4th or 5th dan or above? Is it someone like the sage little guy from "The Karate Kid"? Does a master actually master karate or does he master himself? I asked this question to my Grandmaster one day. He told me that a master can be someone that trains for 50 years or 5 minutes. It all depends on how long it takes you to understand the martial art you work at. I think I understand what he meant now, but I'm always interested in other opinions.

I trained in Ryu Kyu Kempo in Phoenix under Sensei Mike Wall. I also have had the pleasure of training with Sensei Rick Moneymaker from the Torite Jitsu style which is another off-shoot of Ryu Kyu Kempo from the Dillman lineage. The training was unlike any other karate class I had been to. You start learning on a more advanced level right away. The strikes, blocks, stances and footwork that I learned for my first belt were things that I didn't learn in Shorin Ryu until I was a brown belt, and some not even then. Ryu Kyu Kempo is a very flowing style. Taika Oyata is an amazing little Okinawan man of extraordinary ability. I've seen him handle men 3 times his size as if they were babies. He is what I always imagined an Okinawan Master would be.

Kata is necessary to have karate, Kata is necessary if you practice a traditional or classical style. Other than that, to each their own.

Politics and karate could be the subject of hundreds of other posts. However discussing it isn't going to change it. Politics = people. As long as people are involved in anything there are going to be politics. You just have to try and ignore it in the dojo if you can. I broke with my first instructor because of dojo politics. It happens. People don't always agree.

I didn't say that it was mystical or magic. I just said that I've seen and experienced a no touch knock out. Your body happens to run on electrical current and with training you can affect that current in different ways. There's nothing mystical about it. How does your nervous system send and receive messages? Through electro-chemical impulses. It's worth taking a look at and not dismissing out of hand.

All of the traditional schools that I know of use the formal titles along with the rank. However, I have never heard the term Shidoshi used except on the movie "Bloodsport". It is a Japanese word I'm certain though. Renketsu is correct with the ranks and titles. There are other titles that go with position more than rank, although the rank is usually higher, such as Soke (original founder of a system).

Welcome to karate politics. If I were you I'd find another school in which to train. From what you say, these guys don't seem to be very serious about running a solid program.

You can say whatever you want. I've seen no touch knockouts in Ryu Kyu Kempo and experienced it first hand. Go do the same, wake-up on the floor and then come tell me what you think.

I just re-read the initial post. Your talking about a sparring situation. Perhaps you should just adjust your sparring to not include high kicks if they don't work for you. Train them if you want but don't use them sparring if you're not able to make them work for you. Good luck.

as I said in my earlier post. I think there's more benefit than anything else. It just depends on your personal situation

I'm in that number too pmh1nic. Maybe once upon a time when I was 19 or twenty. But, it's better to know your weaknesses than not, so I don't feel too terrible about it. I still practice high kicks but only to more fully develop my low kicks.

Good call Goju1. Holding a conversation about kata ranks right up there with trying to discuss politics or religion.