Master Jules

The best, most highly recognized, most authentic style of Judo is Kodokan Judo. The founder is Jigoro Kano, founder of Judo itself.

Im "Kuliano"

How old did you think we were ?

Im 38. I started my training when I was 7, so I definetely have seen changes over my lifetime. My flexibility has definetely decreased with age, but I think I attribute that to having less time on my hands to stretch. When I was younger, I used to do lots of aerial fancy kinda kicks, whereas now, I stick more to lower kicks, with less "flash". My ability to read my opponent has definetely gotten much much better over the years, as has my power, but that is from better technique. I believe my hand speed has gotten much faster as well. (unless Im just going senile and I only THINK Im gettin' better...lol)

38.....but like fine wine....I feel like Im gettin' better all the time

If Im wrong, I apologize, I had heard differently.

I'm nowhere near New Yawk, but if I'm ever up that way I'll hollar! Oh yeah real karate. I'm a Shorin Ryu practitioner. Started in Judo and boxing, took up Shorinkan and kickboxing in the Philippines, did a little BJJ when I got back to the "world", and am currently a nidan in Matsumura Seito under Ron Lindsey. The reason I put real karate is because about 95% of karate/kenpo is fake. Maybe I shouldn't say fake, but less than it's advertised to be. I consider Okinawan Goju Ryu as real karate, as well as Uechi/Pangai Noon, Ryuei Ryu, Ishimine Ryu, Motobu Ryu, Kenwa Shito Ryu, Isshin Ryu, Kyokushinkai (and most of its offshoots), some Shotokan and Wado and the various Shorin Ryuha. Have a great one... Ill definetely holla back....sounds like youve been around quite a bit.....I look forward to having many conversations with you....welcome to the board.

SUPER SIZE ME PLEASE !!!!!

BTW, ONETROOF.....just curious....your lil side bio says you train in "real karate"......can you narrow it down a lil bit ? Im not debating your authenticity as a martial artist, Id like to make that clear....but it would be nice to know what system or systems your training is in. If youre a Goju guy like me, Id love to have some in depth conversations with you, and if your located anywhere close to me, maybe we can get together, share a beer or two and talk each others ears off.

I didnt state it as fact, it was just a guess.....Im a Goju practicioner, not Shuri-Te. The grappling aspect of Goju Ryu comes from Shaolin Chin Na. You have a great weekend too

It isnt a "given" that the cat is operating at "peak efficiency"....Although the meridian lines of the cat would probably be different than that of a human, the concept of chi flow should still be the same, since it is the "life force". It should be a fair statement to make that any living creature would benefit from any type of chi gung training based on the needs of the particular species. It is quite interesting though, that cats (I have 3) have a somewhat inate skill when it comes to fighting. As I said, I have 3 cats, Tigger, Noodles, and Frankie, who are small, medium, and large. It is amazing to watch them "spar" (for lack of a better word). The grappling skills and techniques which they demonstrate are really quite impressive, considering that they have not had any "formal instruction"...LOL....For example....Tigger weighs in at about 8 lbs, Frankie at about 16 lbs. Through pure technique, Tigger "holds his own", and on occasion, I have seen him actually "throw" Frankie. Thats the equivalent of a 200 lb guy like me, throwing a 400 lb guy....I know I drifted a little of the subject of chi gung, but I thought that was of some interest.

Great post !

What part was incorrect ?

Great job !!!! Way to go !!!

The reason for the combined kans (now called Shorei-Shobu Kan) is somewhat unfortunate. Sometime shortly after Masanobu Shinjo's (Shobukan) death, the Shobukan dojo on Okinawa was closed. Since Shinjo Sensei trained with Seikichi Toguchi Sensei (Shoreikan) the combination seemed to be a logical one. The Hookiyu kata series was devised by Toguchi, and is used in the Shoreikan, not the Shobukan. Some schools start with Sanchin and Gekisai Dai Ichi, some use the basic Taikyuko kata. These are very basic forms that take the shape of the letter "I" on the floor. The first teaches the low block, the second teaches the rising block, and the third teaches the chest block, but is done in the cat stance. The most important form is Sanchin. Aside from the "deep stuff" that is going in in this form, the physical positioning of the body is the root of all that is Goju. It is generally considered that a student will need about 3 years of diligent practice to really be able to perform this kata in such a manner that he will "get" the benefits of the form. Female students who are taught this form shouldnt really emphasize the strong breathing and locking, as one of the highly advanced goals of the form is to teach the practicioner to withdraw the testicles into the body, obviously something that a woman cannot, by nature, do. Repeated practice of Sanchin is highly recommended, provided that the breathing is done properly, as it is a form of Chi Gung, which bears directly on the practicioner's internal health....something not to be fooled around with. Many times, I have seen poorly instructed students pump Sanchin so hard that the look like theyre gonna explode.....this is NOT how the form is supposed to be performed. Sanchin ( and Tensho as well) are forms that are called "standing Chi Gung", but by the nature of the form, they are also known as "moving zen".

Thanks for the compliment Gojuboi.....Ill always try to help where I can. Accupunture and accupressure can definetely help restore health to various parts of the body, and this isnt just "theory", its proven fact. I always find it ironic when you hear people discuss Chinese medicine, because it is often refered to as "alternative" medicine....LOL.....alternative to what ???....Modern medicine as we call it hasnt really been around all that long, relatively speaking, but the Chinese medicine like accupunture and accupressure, and the herbs that accompany it has been around for only.....5000 years......and oh yeah....did you ever notice that China has the worlds largest population of over 1 billion people ????? seems like the "alternative medicine" is keeping a heck of a lot of people alive and kickin'.......Watch around dawn, and youll see literally hundreds of Tai Chi practicioners going through forms......Tai Chi is another "internal" art, the health benefits of which are phenomenal. Chi Gung Masters (real ones...not the ones who are fakes) can do some absolutely incredible things. Hsing I is another type of internal art (all the internal arts are about cultivating and using your Chi). I have a picture from the early 1920's of a tiny little old Hsing I master breaking a stack of about 24 bricks with absolutely no wind up at all......he struck the bricks from about 1 inch away....now imagine getting hit by that.......

I'm not Master Jules, but if I remember correctly, Saifa was created by Miyagi Sensi. Smitty is correct. Chojun Miyagi created Gekisai Ichi and Ni, as well as Tensho and Saifa. With the help of Toguchi, he also created Gekisai San, as well as Geki Ha and Kaku Ha. The beginning kata were created to help beginning students "bridge the gap" from the basic techniques to the more advanced one found in the more advanced kata. As far as Shuri Te goes, I dont believe that there was any influence from Aikijujitsu. Matsumura studied under Sakugawa, who had much of his training in China, and The creation of Shuri Te is really a synthesis of both Okinawan and Chuan Fa fighting techniques.

No problem BL.....was that enough, or did you have anything specific in mind ?

Im not sayin that it smells fishy, like Krunchy said, but it does seem a little weird.....For one thing, as I asked before, when you submit your thesis, WHOM do you submit it to ?......yeah yeah....I know....the professor teaching the class......not what I mean......Im talking about .....what are the professor's qualifications to grade a paper on the philosophy of martial arts?????? Furthermore...being that there are SO many different styles of martial art, each with its own type of "philosophy" , from which school of thought does this professor derive his knowledge base ???? And being that there are all types of "philosophys" what if the professor has his/her knowledge base in a "philosophy" which differs from the one which a student has chosen as his/her field of study ???? On the mat, so to speak, a genuine master of ...lets say....TKD....should be able to assess a student of Goju Ryu, for example, and determine if the Goju practicioner is making a proper fist, or if his/her deep stance is correct, despite the fact that TKD and Goju Ryu are clearly not the same "style". In psychology, for example, the two main schools of thought are Freud and Jung....VERY different in their "philosophies"......I wouldnt feel so comfortable submiting a paper based on the Freudian school of thought to a Jungian based professor....... I dunno.....now that I think about it.....KrunchyFrogg.....it does smell a lil fishy.....but thats just my philosophy

They really are very similar....forms being the same, but I would have to say that the Shoreikan does emphasize the two man forms more , as well as more chi gung excercises (Toguchi was very big on that). The Shoreikan warm up is a little more comprehensive than that of the Shobukan, incorporating a 12-count pushup which is Yoga based. Both Kans are very thorough and complete in the quality of the instruction though. They both strongly emphasize the grappling aspects of the Shaolin Chin Na influence on the system, as well as many pressure point applications found within the applications of the kata.

I study both Shobukan and Shoreikan Goju Ryu.

Kanryo Higashionna, after his study in China with Ru Ru Ko, and Arakaki, returned to Okinawa, and brought back only 8 kata...they were : Sanchin, Seiyunchin, Shisochin, Seisan, Sanseiru, Sepai, Kururunfa, and Suparenpei (Pechurin). He introduced his style, which he only called Naha-Te, after his city's name in 1905. Some of his top students were Chojun Miyagi (Goju Ryu), Kyoda Juhatsu (Toon Ryu), Higa Seko (Shodokan), and Mabuni Kenwa (Shito Ryu). BTW.....excellent post ShorinRyuu

Chi Gung.....well, lets just say its gonna be a long answer....Imagine that your body's energy, your life force, if you will, resides in your chi "gas tank"....thats your tanden #1, about 3 finger widths below your belly button. Your chi flows through your body along pathways known as meridian lines. These meridian lines corrospond to various internal organs throughout your body. Along those lines are points, which are the equivalent of doorways, or gates, lets say. In accupuncture, or accupressure, these points are manipulated in such a way as to start, stop, or reverse the flow of energy along a meridian line, depending on what is needed to restore health to a certain part of the body. Manipulation of these points in a "bad" way can equally cause tremendous damage as well. There are 12 meridian lines, plus 2 additional lines as well, which are the governing, and the central meridian lines. Each of these lines are "active" for a 2 hour period during the course of the day....12 lines...2 hrs each= 24 hours..... Chi Gung involves specific breathing excercises which are designed to facilitate the flow of Chi throughout the body. If youve ever seen Yoga, and the seated position known as the Lotus position, where the legs are crossed and the feet are up on the thighs, this seated position cuts of about 85% of the blood flow to the lower extremities of the body.....all you really need to live is above the waist anyway.....this position allows for massive blood flow to the internal organs, and the chi gung excercises which are done in this position literally bathe the organs in tremendous amounts of fresh oxygen, again, facilitating extreme internal health for the practicioner. There are all kinds of chi gung excercises, not all are done seated, and not all are done with no motion. For example, in Goju Ryu, we have two breathing kata, Sanchin, and the more advanced Tensho, done with open hands. Both of these kata are known as versions of standing chi gung, and because of the "mentality" of the kata, they are also known as moving zen. Very traditonal Goju Ryu, especially Goju Ryu fron either the Shobukan or Shoreikan lineages are rich with chi gung excercises.....as I said to you in an earlier post in another thread GojuBoi.....your entering one of the most "complete" systems known to the arts.....stay with it.....your gonna see some really cool stuff.

I will not echo the sarchasm of "AnonomousOne", because everyone is entitled to their opinion and how they choose to state it, but I am very curious and will echo the question....."Who decides what is right ? "

Kata is more than just a predescribed sequence of movements. A dancer can learn the moves and make it look good, but will have no idea what he is doing in terms of the fighting applications in the form. What you see in the kata is not necessarily what the hidden meaning, or Kaisai is all about. Bunkai is the movements as they apply to "reall life" combative scenarios. Mastering the kata doesnt mean you know just the movements, but that you know and understand, and can perform the fighting applications.