equaninimus

You will find irimi-nage in (among other places) Gojushiho-sho, Tekki Nidan, and Kanku-Dai. Just an example. It should also help your kumite as you become more proficient in Aikido, thanks to the emphasis on tai sabaki type movements.

I've hurt my hands worse from playing violin (tendonitis) than from Karate.

I think the northern Chinese systems use it.

Gods know I hate it when I have to be another sort of mollusk besides a clam!

Thanks for saying what I was trying very hard to avoid coming right out and saying.

It really depends on her instructor, now doesn't it? Many of the older instructors do not allow any breaks, for any reasons. Many of us make sure we are hydrated before class, and rehydrate after. Simply breaking the line and going to get a drink is very disrespectful, and should not be tolerated. In some places I have trained, the offending individual would be told to leave immediately and not come back. From his post, he is training in a Shotokan dojo. As a beginner he should defer to his seniors. How much he "knows" is irrelevent. He is a beginner in a new system, and should act accordingly. Karate is a heierarchical structure, and "insight" from beginners is usually neither solicited or welcome. In addition, it sounds like he is in a budo oriented dojo, rather than a sport oriented one. In a sport oreiented school his responses might be welcome (I would't know, I don't do sport Karate), but they are certainly out of place in a serious karate dojo.

There was an Uechi group in DC, and I was always amazed to see them conditioning their toes by bonking them with blocks of wood. They also conditioned the thumb knucle joint by smacking it against the wall. I hit the makiwara regularly with fists and knife hands, but I'm not that dedicated!

If you accidentally hit something with your toes, you may find that curling your toes back is not something you will have to worry about again. It becomes automatic. Uechi Kid, ahhh..you crazy Uechi people! What do you do when sparring a Uechi stylist? Run!

I had an Adidas, but it only lasted about a year. I would probably not buy another one.

If you are "so much better," why are you training there? It might be time for a little humility. I have trained in many dojo where water breaks are not allowed. It doesn't make her stupid. She has trained longer than you..perhaps she knows things you don't!

Shizentai is often transalted as "natural standing." The major idea being that one should be able to mount a defence from any poture in daily life. Yoi dachi simply represents the state from which the karateka reacts to an attack.

Karate, or TKD would probably be safe. DM, I love it! CU Boulder has "lunchtime drop in Tai Chi," available, and I went once. The instructor was a little aerobics instructor type, who had attended a weekend seminar in how to teach Tai Chi for fun and fitness. Gag!

We did it in the Shotokan Dojo in Baltimore. It affords one great insight into the Kata, and great headaches from concentration. We did so tonight in the BB class, with aplications from Naihanchi II and Sesan.

Do any of you speak English?

IOSSKA-International Okinawan Seibukan Shorin Ryu Karate Assn. http://www.seibukan.org

There are advantages to org membership, like having folks to call upon for seminars, dan recognition, etc.... May I ask what organization you guys are a part of? If you are doing Motobu-Ha Shito, are you members of Seishin Kai or Kuniba Kai? There are also other options, though they would probably involve changing the curriculum, like affiliating with Itosu Kai, or the WKF Shito Kai, or even Hayashi-Ha. I think Demura,Fumio in LA has founded an organization since splitting with Itosu Kai year before last, and he is certainly a reputable person to be associated with.

Which Juka? Friends of mine swear by the Bronze.

Shotokan seemed robotic when I started, as compared to Wado, but that may just have been my perception.

Is there any difference in technique among IKO1,2,3, etc....?

Tom, touche!

kotegaeshineo, do you do Hakkutsuru?

It depends. Ususaly in BB classes we have an "Informal bow-in" from the standing position. In the beginning and intermediate classes we usually do a formal bow in. The same has been true in most Shotokan dojos I've been to. Wado is really the only style I've practiced where we always did a formal bow in, but the only place I've done Wado is here in Denver. Did that help?

The question, at least in the US, is "which JKA?" Both Nishiyama (ITKf) and Okazaki (ISKF) are affiliated with the JKA-WF in Japan. But, JKA Karate as a recognizeable style is practiced by the Funakoshi Shotokan Karate Assn. (Kenneth Funakoshi), American JKA (Dalke), American Shotokan Karate Alliance (Hassell), and gods only know how many others. Here in Denver we have Dojo affiliated with the ISKF (Yaguchi), AJKA (Palumbo), Japan Shotokan Karate Association (Tsumora, who used to be associated with ISKF, but left to affiliate with Yahara), and one other Shotokan Dojo whose affiliation I am unsure of. From what I've seen in Seattle, Baltimore, and here, if you train with an ISKF or ITKF dojo you can be fairly sure youa re getting good quality karate training. But I'm sure there are exceptions. There are major differences in Dan fees between the two organizations. ISKF charges twice as much for Dan fees, which manes little sense to me, since they are both supposedly providing the same piece of paper, and both orgs charge much more than the equivalent orgs in Europe! My Shodan, from the German affiliate of the JKA, was about $75.00. My Nidan, from ITKF, was a little over $100.00. My Sandan, from ISKF, was over $350.00. Something isn't right there! IN addition, the "big two, " have been known to get snooty when their members attend seminars and events sponsored by organizations other than their own. I have never had any problem, but that's mainly becasue I usually didn't tell anyone important if I had attended, say, a Dillman summer camp, or something like that. The ISKF people here in Denver only attned two tournaments each year, one an ISKF sponsored affair, and the othe a USA-NKF one, and I am told that attendence at the second one leads to "raised eyebrows" from some seniors. In the end, go with a school that you feel comfortable with. The major adavantage to Shotokan is its portablility,and JKA rank is similarly portable, but that is changing. I understand that usually AJKA, or NASKA or SKI will recognize JKA rank, but the opposite is rarely true. I also know that the ITKF is sometimes hesitant to accept ISKF people, but I also don't think this is universal. Certainly the reverse is also true.

Kung Fu is Chinese. The Last Samurai takes place in early Meiji Japan. That is probably a good clue that there is no Kung Fu in the movie, eh? There is some Jujutsu, as well as Kenjutsu, Naginata-jutsu, Yarijutsu, and a brief "ninja" scene. Of real interest, there is Chado and Ikebana in the film as well.

Wado: Official (Wado-Ryu) Pinan 1-5 Naihanchi Kusanku Sesan Chinto Unnoficial (JKF Wado Kai) Bassai Jion Jitte Jiin Niseishi Rohai Unsu Wansu Suparinpei