cathal

Mushin is indeed a cornerstone of many people's meditations, not just karateka. For me the way I see it is a form of focus when training such that the conscious thought moves to the background of perception. This focus allows you to move your body in self defence much more easily and fluidly. This synchs up with Mind Like The Moon, and Mind Like Water quite nicely. If you don't attain mushin it is more difficult to experience Mind Like The Moon, because you're too busy thinking about something else.

If you refer to retreating as running away I agree not much can happen simultaneously with the fight-or-flight switched over to "flight." If you mean it as anytime you step backward then I believe this is merely one of the things that sets your system apart from the ones I know. I have observed and personally used powerful effective techniques while moving backward. I enjoyed hearing about the mentality of fear. Fear can indeed cause one to freeze up during a crisis. To me it sounds like your system's training with respect to controlling the fear. Constantly moving toward the opponent establishes a straight forward confident mentality. It would likely seem to encourage the same in novice students.

Well said

Sorry Montana, there's no link in that post. Try editing it with the URL

Very well done kata So was your sensei there merely to train, and this was a surprise invitation?

Changing styles isn't bad. It'll give you a chance to check something new out. Maybe you'll find you have a higher aptitude for the new style, enjoy the people more, etc. THere's a lot of reasons why you may like a new dojo better. There's always the option to go back to where you were anyway.

Well said! Practice is the best way to go. It isn't the fastest but its the best.

I found myself sitting at home on my laptop after supper and knew I had training. I didn't want to go. I got into an argument with myself! Me: I don't wanna go. Still Me: I should go. This rang around my head for about a half hour. Me: I don't wanna go. Still Me: I should go. Me: OK ok ok I'll go and just do a little bit. I'm not feeling good. I'll take it easy tonight. Still Me: Yeah, I'll take it easy. So I get to the dojo and the energy is high! The youth class is wrapping up and they're in high sprits too. I got wrapped up in helping out and chasing a few little ones around for cool down. Immediately I realize that my body wasn't feeling bad. It was just my mood. I stayed the whole time and gave it 100%. Ain't nothing but training to cure what ails ya. Especially when you don't wanna, you gotta go train!

Hi maressa welcome to the forum

Very very well said!

Breathing is very important for Shotokan's katas. In some circles it demonstrates a knowledge of the expansion/contraction for a technique. For some it is demonstrating a pragmattic need to maintain oxygen so you aren't all closed up, and all Shotokan judges are taught to either deduct points for excessive breathing sound effects, or to dismiss it as theatrics. Pauses are also something that is looked at. For most judges it shows you're putting the proper time in to complete a technique per the bunkai. For example there is a pause in A kata where you slowly put your hand out Palm flat then bring it in quickly for empi (elbow strike). That slow move is a grab where in kata it represents the effort and strength required to actually grab your opponent and bring them in for the strike. In other pauses you are evaluating your predicament per the bunkai, demonstrating "Tsuki no Kokoro". Sometimes the pause is there just to make sure you breathe, for some, just for the sake of the rhythm of combat. When I began to compete in kata, slowing down some portions were important as the techniques were more powerful thus it is a means to show you know the bunkai here would require greater effort, or supreme effort. Do I agree? Sometime I do, and sometimes I don't. It varies from kata to kata and sometimes from one technique to the next.

Ok I've been corrected, we have a 1217 sqft dojo. I hate math.

Hmmm.. math. No one ever said I'd have to do math on this forum! Its between 500 and 800 I guess.

I'm really enjoying this topic. I think we've all been at the mercy of friends and family giving advice. In my case all of my immediate family practiced a martial art. So you can imagine some of the conversations we wound up having with ourselves let alone with our cousins. Those occasions of unsolicited poor advice stopped when my older brother, at the age of 10, performed a shoulder throw on our cousin's father who stood 5'11" with such ease that all anyone remembered was how quiet it was until my father started laughing.

I agree there can be overly aggressive parents and overly rude parents. This can be found in any and all aspects of childrens' activities, though. We've all been there watching the travesty of an adult going over the top at a children's sports game. For me, the martial arts teaches the parents that their child indeed has the potential to become more athletic, more focused, and more prone to thinking before acting.

Let me see here are some of what I've heard: 1. Your nose is pushed up into your brain and you die, when you get punched in the nose by a martial artist. 2. A Black Belt is a Master. 3. A black Belt isn't a Master until he's defeated his teacher. 4. Karate is an esoteric religion. 5. Karateka can beat anyone up. 6. You can't hurt a ninja.

Yep well said tallgeese. I don't see your opinion as dissenting but rather highlighting a reality. As for the issue about hate-mongering I'm personally taking a grain of salt on it.

Welcome to the forum! I used to be part of ISKF myself. Can't wait to see your contributions to the forum.

I'm all for ramping up training to increase the student's level of cardio & physical ability. However, allowing students to train so hard during warm-up that they vomit is, to me, not acceptable. There must be a line drawn where you're encouraging students to pre-hydrate and participate...and pushing them too far too fast. It is the instructor's responsibility to ensure student safety and if this blacking out & vomiting is commonplace, well, I have an issue with it. Even if your instructors rationalize it by saying "they're adults" it is still their responsibility to stop them or slow them down. Properly adapting to higher levels of activity has to be done reasonably and with a natural speed according to the individual's abilities.

Sounds like a hydration issue to me. On days you train at the dojo make sure you drink a little extra water. During water break do not gulp down the water! If you feel nauseous it is likely you're too dehydrated or taking in too much water too quickly. If you're dehydrated and take a lot of water your body can actually vomit that water back out. Instead, take smaller mouthfuls only. You'll replenish your water more slowly, thus avoiding nausea. Ways to recognize dehydration: dizziness, nausea, fatigue, dry mouth (obviously), thick sticky saliva, headache, muscle cramps, and dry skin.

That is an entertaining way of getting to the definition of kime. I agree with his interpretation. Nabil Kazama, depending on your style & instructor kime could be a few things. I first learned it as the definition above. My second instructor interpreted it as the perfect tension of muscles during a technique to make it work with the proper power. This he related to water & ice; First your arm goes forward to punch and your arm is fluid like water. As it strikes the opponent it becomes perfectly rigid like ice in order to allow the power of the strike to go into the target. Either way you look at it, kime is an appropriate tensing of muscles at the proper time.

Very good interpretation. Good work.

There's very little information on them aside from their own website. What little I found on youtube didn't seem to represent enough of their techniques to comment on, except this one part where it showed an instructor blocking a partner's punches. The blocks didn't seem to deflect and I wasn't left with the impression they'd be effective. I sincerely hope it isn't a hate group disguised as self defence.

When I first saw children practicing a martial art, as a kid myself, I thought: Wow they're cool. I probably couldn't beat them in a fight." As an adult I saw children doing martial arts and was impressed at some of their skill level. I've seen many adults that don't have the control nor technique some of those seven-year-olds displayed. A very close friend of mine saw these videos and thought these kids were super tough. But even he saw the control the children had. To me, its all about personal perception and the viewer's worldview. If they're predisposed to hate all violence then they'll perceive all MA to be violence and aggression. The wiser someone is, the more they're likely to realize the children aren't being taught aggression. Yet its situations like this where we as martial artists are practically invited to open up a dialogue. To that person who spoke about aggression I would simply explain the concept of kime. After all, how many young martial artists are sent to juvenile hall? How many young karateka have been put in front of a judge for being bullies? Personally I've never heard of a single case. (Although with the population as it is, there could be a few.) Its because martial arts teaches control. Control over ourselves, our actions, and our responses to violence.

To get the official answer for you, ask your sensei. That person would have the bunkai you are supposed to learn at your current level. For me I learned it as enpi in Shotokan and when I was a beginner it was a block. One of the things I've learned over the years is that when you begin touching a part of yourself it usually means you've got a part of your opponent in bunkai. So you can start off with holding onto your opponent's left arm. As you go down to your left your opponent's body is lowered along with you. The lower block could indeed be a strike to their lower half, putting them off their feet. Next, that's where the fun comes in. Experiment! Be creative! Find out what works and what doesn't.