ronryu

Most people who study traditional kenjutsu start out wiht boken then progress to shinken (live blade) much later . Traditional Katana are very expensave at least $1800 for a cheep one . .The reason they are so sharp is to also respect tradition aswell as to test yourself . The samuari didnt carry dull swords at least i really dont believe they did .

correction there is another style now called shorei ryu which is what it was called befor naha te (this is also what Funakoshi refered to it as ) but you are correct shuri is where shorin ryu came from . I belive that shorei ryu may be a more modern name that some gave to it after breaking away form goju but i caint say for sure its hard enough jsut trying to keep up with the branches of my on style .

I do not pratice these arts but have heard fo both Shorin ryu is a very well know art one of the bigest in Okinawa . Correct me if im wrong but i belive shuri ryu is simaler to gju running the same naha kata .

We do not require it either .

What is your favorite tonfa kata i recently went to traditional tourniment and didnt see many people runing tonfa kata myself and maybe one other .just wondering neither of us did very well even though the kata looked very good . the tonfa kata that i know curently are jushi no tonfa and hama higa no tonfa .

We call this kata matsukaze and the first moves to each side are done in nekoashi dachi (cat) . well the first move is to step to the left and face right and do a neko ahsi and shuto uke then repet to the oppsite side when facing to the left after the shuto uke we step in zen kutsu with the side elbow then face shomen in shiko dachi . well i could go on with the rest of the kata but you get the idea. hope this helps

sorry I am not familer wiht that style . I practice katsu ryu kempo . you might want to try one of the martial art searchengines like http://www.martialinfo.com or http://www.cyberdojo.org

Well besides my Sensei Shihan Williams Gene it would have to be Hanshi Higiaonna Morio from the goju ryu style he is jsut the most knowledge and humble man i have meet besides the imediate Sensei that i train under . I have been blessed with finding the most sell trained and knowledgeable people on kata and bunkai and general history of the style . _________________ Karate is not a sport , it is a way of life . Shodan Motobu ha Shi-to ryu karate Katsu ryu kempo Ryukyu kobudo [ This Message was edited by: ronryu on 2002-03-12 16:54 ]

Dragon times http://www.dragon-tsunami.org for traditional Japanese and Okinawan styles .

I prefer the makiwara to the heavy bag it conditions the knuckles better I know most people think that it is bad . I enjoy the feeling from hitting the makiwara till the knuckles do bleed . however if you do this long enought it will take more and more befor the knuckles skin will break this is the poing of the makiwara. Just wondering if any goju ryu people have ever seen Hanshi Higaonna Morio's Knuckles this man is amazing .

Unfortunatly since i live in an aporatment i do not have one at home but i use the one at the dojo all the time i love it . the techniques I use on it most of the time are gyaku zuki and uraken. I can spend an hour just hitting the makiwara.

We also practice ananku however it is not one of our required kata .

Well I dont really do kanku dai , in Shi to ryu we do kosokun dai which is very simular however in the jump kick we dont do it as 2 kicks we use the we use the left knee to bring you up and then delever the jodan geri . We do a bunkai with it as 2 kicks and a bunkai as a knee and a kick (2 different opponets) hope it helps . _________________ Karate is not a sport , it is a way of life . Shodan Motobu ha Shi-to ryu karate Katsu ryu kempo Ryukyu kobudo [ This Message was edited by: ronryu on 2002-03-06 19:30 ]

so do you think that if you hit someone in the throt they will not suffer or if you kick someone in the knee it will not break or strike to the back of the skupp they wil not die these are all very effective techniques and they work . The key is to know when to use them and to know how to focus your ki . Yes i know some of you are scoffing my last statement but the only way you learn this is to stay wiht a certan style for a while and not just skip around . I am a firm beliver in the one hit one kill stratagy.

Thats a tough one to answer i like so many kata but i guess i would have to say that shisochin and chinto are the 2 that i really concentrate on right now . but i love all of the ones i know they are all very important in different asspects. The reason is they are from different parts of thinking naha te and tomari/shuri te , but both have very unique bunkai . _________________ Karate is not a sport , it is a way of life . Shodan Motobu ha Shi-to ryu karate Katsu ryu kempo Ryukyu kobudo [ This Message was edited by: ronryu on 2002-03-03 16:00 ] [ This Message was edited by: ronryu on 2002-03-03 16:04 ]

The Chinto we do in ****o ryu is very different form the gankaku of the shotokan . In the Tomari version which is the one I have learned it is in an diaganal pattern and there are no tsura ashi dachi in it at all i have seen the shuri (Itosu Chinto ) it looks more like gankaku . Sorry for the mix up . Bunkai is a huge part of the teachings of ****o ryu you dont just learn the pattern but you learn the moves as well and i would hope that by the time you are learning such kata as Chinto or kosokun dai that you would be able to figure out the basic b unkai on your on. But that is just my opinion ....

Welcome .. 13 is a good age to start actually I dont teach anyone under that age in part to the fact that most people not all but most under 13 are there to play and not learn . As far as a styole you will get a million answetrs on what is bes but the fact is you have to choose that suits you ( a school chooses you , you do not choose the school ) . The weight will come off soon after you start jsut remember to stick wiht it most traditional schools are tough but you will feel the gratifacation when you start to gain in knowledge . Good luck on your quest.

Tonfa and the kama for me even thugh i have cut myself with them they are jsut a very scary weapon . favorite kobudo kata Hama Higa no Tonfa Hama Higa no Kama

Sorry sai I have only worked with wooden weapons with the obvious exception of kama and sai . I have seen them advertised but ahve never used them before .

When praticing alone I will still run the kata twice however i will run it the first time all out checking for errors and stances things like that . The second time i will run it more relaxed not thinking of the kata to much jsut let it flow (zazen i belive it is called ) . In a formal class I will run them hard all out . At least as long as i can I usally start to feel it around sieuchin .

During a regular practice i will useally do each kata twice . however if is a kata that i have jsut learned i will do that paticular kata . every mornkng when i wake up and 3 or 4 times during a practice .

Now I am in a totally differnt style however i was taught that jiin ment temple ground ,jion temple sound , and jutte temple hands (ten hands) Now im not trying to start an argument I jsut wanted to bring up that different styles also teach the kata as meaning things different as well . Not jsut the movements of the kata but the name and the meaning as well . For example gekisai dai ich (to smash or destroy ) in ****o ryu we call this kata Chino (abilaty) and in most shorin ryu styles it si simplay fukigat ni (promational kata )

Interesting the translations of the kobudo kata we do are as follows . tokamine (is the name of the person who ws a master fo the bo ) ryu be (style of bo ) tsuriken haku no sai ( crains fist swans way ) jushi no tonfa (14 centery) hama higa (name of palce in okinawa ) kokuba (named ofter Kokuba Kosei "Kunib" ) Tiara sho (created by Shinken Tiara)

Good question however i would not say Bruce Lee or chuck Norris or any of the hollywood people . I would hve to say Funakoshi Gichin , and Motobu Choki . Without Funakoshi karate would not have been brought to the main stream with such open arms and there are not many traditional styls that do not have some sort of link to Motobu Choki . That is my humble opinion and befor those 2 great men (even though they didnt like each other very much . I woudl say Itosu . the creator of the Pinan kata (heian).

welcome to ya moo . you will find all different styles here myself i prefer the traditional Okinawan and Japanese systems .