tekki

I don't mind doing the "lower" kata sometimes. even as you get to a higher level, you can still improve your performance of them, and they are great to practice when you don't have the time, space energy or whatever to do the more "advanced" forms. Moreover, every school I have ever been a part of expects higher ranked players to keep up all the kata, as we do them in class from time to time, knowing that we can still benefit from doing them throughout our karate careers.

For me, I put down "2." I've been primarily about Shotokan Karate since starting in it ten years ago. I have also trained fairly extensively in Goju Ryu, but that is still a style of karate and as such has more in common with doing Shotokan than it has different. There was also a period of time in which I was working out with a group of TKD people on an informal basis, but this was more of an informal sparring group, I didn't learn any new basic technique from them, and there were martial artists of other stripes and colors who were in the mix too. The only thing that was clearly not karate in which I attended on a regular basis was aikido, but that didn't last long thanks to my school schedule and my desire to not let my karate go. I have also dabbled in kobudo, but this is only because a few weapons forms are in the mix at the karate school where I now train. I have thought about taking up kobudo more formally, which will bring the total to three, but we'll see.

I had a number of odd, under-the-table jobs beforehand but my first "real" job was working as a stockboy at a local gas station/convenience store. The place sold a lot of beer, so I spent most of my shift inside the cooler with goves and earmuffs, even in July. I also remember getting a 15% off employee discount, but it didn't kick in unless you spent over $15. I was under 21, so that ruled out the beer, and I didn't have a car, so that ruled out gas. What are you then going to buy at that place for over $15?!?!?! The other thing I remember about that job was having to measure how much gasoline was left in the tanks every night. I literally had to go out to the back lot, remove the little "manhole covers" and drop a long dipstick into the tanks to measure how much fuel was left.

I know of two who do or have done Shotokan... Howard Stern (reported on the Internet to have attained a brown belt) Nancy McKeon (Jo on "Facts of Life" - a dojomate of mine recorded and showed me an interview of her in which she was shown wearing a black belt and doing Kanku Dai at Tak Kubota's dojo)

Me too I've lived in Upstate NY most of my life and have always called it "soda." I lived in NYC for a year and it's "soda" there too. I think anywhere from Syracuse eastward it's "soda." But the fully looks are less than 80 miles away, and I get them whenever I'm in Rochester or Buffalo and am offered some "pop." Having said that, I tend to waver between Diet Pepsi and Orange Fanta, though I've been drinking far less soda lately than I used to.

Like many of you, I am a martial arts fanatic and I don't see anything good in smoking cigarettes. However, I know a number of high ranking karateka, many of whom are much more skilled than I am in our chosen art, who smoke and drink regularly. It certainly doesn't enhance their performance. At best it has a neutral effect, which I seriously doubt. On the other hand, some of the groups of martial artists I have been associated with frown upon smoking in such a way that anyone who is a known smoker within the club would be taken aside and made to feel very uncomfortable. I think this is a wrongheaded approach. The exercise benefits to be derived from a martial arts practice probably serve to stave off some of he negative effects of moking. Moreover, I've seen many people who start training as a smoker who, further down the road, end up quitting smoking in large part due to their training. Either they are motivated to quit in order to maximize their potential or else they are motivated to quit so as to not undermine the health benefits they derive from training. Others often find that their martial arts training has fostered a new sense of resolve and willopwer that makes them feel empowered to succeed in smoking cessation.

I can see the value in some occasional shod training, just to connect the dots if you will, but I see nothing in barefoot training day in and dy out that would undermine your self-defense ability. However, if you're like me, you train in MA for a number of reasons, not just self-defense. Some of these reasons, like doing something aestheticlly pleasing, could be compromised by wearing shoes. I know I could defend myself just as well in shoes, if not better than if I were barefoot, but if I tried to do kata with footwear it just doesn't look so pretty. Kind of like trying to dance ballet in combat boots.

I try to not eat at least 2 hours before any class. If I really have to have something, I go with an apple or perhaps a PowerBar. I also drink at least 500ml of water before many classes, especially in the warmer months. It helps me stay hydrated through the workout, and to stay mentally focused. Eating a full meal makes it hard for me to focus my center properly and to really exert myself without getting cramps or feeling nauseous. I've seen kids walking into the dojo just getting done eating Burger King or Taco Bell ten minutes or less before class is to bow in. It makes me ill just thinking about practicing karate with a Whopper sloshing about in my stomach but if they can do it, more the power to them, though I question if they are using their core and are breathing properly.

Only the nunchaku are flat-out banned AFAIK. Everything else is legit, so long as it's being used safely and properly. The one school I have trained in in NY state which teaches kobudo does have the nunchaku and is located in a shopping center where it is easy for the public to see all the weapons, nunchaku included. On numerous occasions, I have seen law enforcement personnel go in this dojo to make small talk with the instructor and such and no problem has ever come up with the presence of the nunchaku. I think, for the most part, the law is enforced as a practical matter in order to stop non-martial artist teenagers from getting their hands on nunchaku and menacing people on the street with them, as I have seen such kids with foam practice nunchaku get them confiscated by the police.

I've been doing yoga alongside my karate for a few years now. The two activities greatly compliment each other. Yoga has not only made me more flexible, but has helped me relax my muscles, breathe better and has helped my body alignment, which has vastly improved my karate technique. I have also recently begun incorporating pilates into the mix. Many of the pilates principles are the same as what I am taught in karate for my technique. It's a great core workout, and the core is crucial for a martial artist.

I would talk to the coach or instructor as what he or she would have you wear. Ditch the martial arts apparal, just be a gymnast at the gym and be a martial artist at the dojo/dojang/kwoon/etc. As for whether the girls will make fun of you, I doubt it. First of all, men's gymnastics is significantly different from women's gymnastics. Different events, and even the events that men and women both have are done a bit differently (e.g. men don't do their floor exercise to music, at least not in competition) The existence of men's gymnastics, IMHO, does much to legitimize you. It's just that it doesn't get as much airtime on TV, that's all. Secondly, I took dance classes when I was a kid and there were less than ten boys enrolled out of over 300 students at my studio. The girls in most of my classes were very nice and very supportive. They admired how I was willing to put off hangups with stereotypical roles and just go and do something that I really wanted to do and that would be good for me. At any rate, I wish you the best. Gymnastics is a tough and demanding sport, but very rewarding. I hate to say this, but I think it makes karate look like hopscotch by comparison.

Funakoshi was described as being "sickly." I don't think that's the same thing as illness. I just think he was rather weal and frail as a child before he took up karate training. As for Nakayama, I did hear that he was injured at one point in a skiing accident. Never really heard the details though, other than that he was laid up for quite a bit.

The more train, the better I get. The better I get, the more fun it becomes.

But don't forget Masataka Mori on New York! SKdI and JKA.

I have seen Isshin Ryu people perform quite a bit at tournaments, but I myself have never trained in it. All I really know about it is that they punch a lot with the vertical punch (which is a close-in type of punch that is quick-doesn't have the full twist that most karate punches have) I've seen excellent Isshin Ryu performances, poor Isshin Ryu performances and everything in between. Overall, it seems to be more like Goju Ryu than say, Shotokan, in that Isshin and Goju are both Okinawan systems. Given these choices, I would make my decision based on factors other than the style, such as the location of the dojo, the cost of classes, your impressions of the instructor, and which school seems to cater more to what you want most out of karate. (do you want self defense, fitness competition or do you simply want to have fun learning something new?)

I have seen Isshin Ryu people perform quite a bit at tournaments, but I myself have never trained in it. All I really know about it is that they punch a lot with the vertical punch (which is a close-in type of punch that is quick-doesn't have the full twist that most karate punches have) I've seen excellent Isshin Ryu performances, poor Isshin Ryu performances and everything in between. Overall, it seems to be more like Goju Ryu than say, Shotokan, in that Isshin and Goju are both Okinawan systems. Given these choices, I would make my decision based on factors other than the style, such as the location of the dojo, the cost of classes, your impressions of the instructor, and which school seems to cater more to what you want most out of karate. (do you want self defense, fitness competition or do you simply want to have fun learning something new?)

I started karate in a JKA Shotokan school and made it to 2nd Kyu (brown belt)after about 3.5 years of training. Then, in order to further my education, I had to relocate to a place where there was no JKA or regular Shotokan. I ended up joining a school that taught its own mix of Shotokan and Goju Ryu. I went in with the attitude that even if I had to start from white belt that it was far, far better than giving up karate altogether. To my suprise, my instructor tested me in as a 1st Kyu (also brown belt) about a month after I joined his school. (I wore no belt for the first month) I stayed there about 5 years, making it to 2nd Dan in that time. whenever, I visited my old school, however, I would wear my brown belt, knowing that I was now being taught to do many of the kata just different enough to matter. Now I have recently relocated again, and have opted to return to the JKA. This meant unequivocally that I have to return to being a 2nd Kyu for now, but I don't care because I have a great instructor at my new club, the classes are so amazing I feel like I've died and gone to karate heaven and when I re-test for shodan later in the year, I will be testing for a rank that will have international recognition. My friends who do karate understand fully why I am taking the apparant demotion, putting what I feel is the best for my personal practice ahead of outward recognition. Ironically, it's my non-karate friends and family who talk as if I have gone mad by "giving up my black belt!"

It seems like she doesn't like what karate has done to your outlook on life and your overall lifestyle. If it were a matter of her being put off because you ran off to the dojo for class every single night, I'd simply say back off on your training, but I fail to see where you have developed into being overly obsessed. I would even question if you are with he right kind of girl. You would probably have much more common ground if she becomes an avid exerciser or athlete of some kind, even if her discipline of choice were not a martial art. This is why I only had decent luck dating girls who don't smoke and who are involved in some kind of sport, martial art or other physical activity (like cheerleading, dance or yoga)

It means that "You think it's been fun and interesting up to this point? You ain't seen anything yet!"

well, I started doing forms when I first took up karate because I joined a traditional club where we did kata as part of each and every class. I've never trained in a stand-up martial art that did not have forms as an essential part of the training, so I do forms because they're part and parcel of the style(s) I do. And conversely, I choose to stay with styles that emphasize kata because it's one of the most satisfying parts of my practice. I enjoy doing kata the way some people enjoy skating or dancing.

If you are in it mostly for fun and fitness, and can swing the high cost, then the Olympic TKD might be just the ticket for you. I haven't trained much in TKD, (I'm really a Japanese Karate guy) but from my limited exposure to it, I can tell you that as a rule it is every bit as good of exercise as Karate, maybe even better in the cardio area. My biggest caveat for you is that if you haven't been much of a jock before just be careful that this school isn't the kind of place that will not give you the attention you need if you aren't a prospect for the Olympics or other big-time competition. However, you just may end up suprising yourself and have a major talent for TKD (or whatever art you cast your lot with) from what you describe yourself as, I don't think you need to lose much weight. You just need to firm up what you already have. With dilligent training at the right school, you will not only be in significantly better shape but you will begin to notice that you are more agile, more limber, more coordinated and just overall more athletic than ever before. It will be like you have been given a new body and you will only wonder why you didn't take the plunge sooner. The other advantage to TKD is that it is far more likely that the college you attend will have a club on campus, so that you can continue your training basically where you left off and even begin to represent your university in tournament competition.

The overwhelmihg mix of systems they advertise gives me some pause, but you never know, it might be a great, coherent eclectic system. They apparantly encourage you to shop around, they don't lock you into a lengthy contract, and most importantly, they don't fix a time period for you to automatically receive promotions. Definitely worth a look, as it's hard to tell. This might be the place for you, or it might be utter rubbish that drags the good name of karate through the mud.

You would by no means the oldest beginner in karate history. I have had the pleasure of training alongside several fellow karateka who did not take the plunge until after 40, and even after 50. Almost to a person, they have stuck around long enough to make a Dan ranking (black belt) Most of them have even stayed on long enough to achieve 2nd Dan and still actively train. One lady, who began in her late 40s, went on to competition success and to become an assistant instructor. I even knew a man who started taking karate after he was 70. Granted, there was a lot that he couldn't do that he probably could have done if he started earlier in life, but practicing karate certainly added years to his life and life to his years. He was able to give up his cane, which he sometimes needed before training.

I can't really comment on proper care for the synthetic material uniforms now available, being a karate stylist who has only owned all-cotton uniforms, but here's what seems to work for me: -Even if you wash the uniforms witih other clothes, be sure to only wash them with other whites. Even some greys can come off and make your white gi/dobok look a bit dingy. -Try to avoid using bleach. Seek a non-chlorine bleach substitute laundry detergent. If the dobok/gi gets noticibly dingy, you could use bleach on RARE occasion, but it is not a good practice to do regularly, as the cotton uniforms tend to get eaten apart by bleach. -Try to machine dry as little as possible. This seems to not only shrink the uniform, but even after the uniform has reached its maximum shrinkage, it still seems to weaken the seams of the unifrom nonetheless.

At my own dojo: If we spar competitively (for points) it's AAU rules. Most of the time in class we're not keeping score, but rather sparring for experience, fitness and fun. We wear WKF vinyl gloves, mouthguards and cups for us guys. Shinguards can be worn, but most people green belt and above find that to be a bit too wussy. Contact is light, as it would be expected to be when wearing little protection and jut trying to have fun and learn. You can grab slow kicks, but you can't thrash your opponent to the floor. Any throws must be controlled. Sweeps are legit, kicking can be done to any point that punching can be. (just no deliberate strikes below the belt or to the knees, no eye gouging, etc) At the TKD club where I occasionally have taken part in Friday sparring class: Although teaching WTF TKD, most in-class sparring is not of the Olympic variety, as the regular TKD class is largely made up of recreational martial artists, and as many as half of the people there may be people from other stules like me. Thus the rules for noncompetitive sparring there are similar to those of my karate dojo, but with these additions: -No sweeps. -Foam booties are compulsory as well as gloves. -Chest protectors are highly recommended by the instructor, and may even be compulsory for his own students. -Contact to the face must be eithe non or very light as in my karate dojo, but in theory chest contact can be full bore. In reality I don't usually wear a chest protector there, and no one really kicks or punches me in the stomach any harder than they do in karate. -Throws are absolutely verboten. -Grabbing kicks is a no-no. (makes for some lazy taekwondoin, IMHO)