Master Jules

Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances there is...actually proven to be as addictive as heroin. (I used to be a drug and alcohol counselor)....If you smoke just 1 pack a day, and lets say you take 10 drags per cigarette, thats 200 "doses" of nicotine per day. 400 if you smoke 2 packs, and so on. Your body is physically dependent on it, not to mention the mental addiction. This is why its so very difficult to just quit. Sure, you shouldnt start, but it happens.....thats life. There are many "quitting methods".....you just have to find the one that works for you......good luck.

"Mastering" your first kata ???.....Oh....well....that shouldnt take you more than a few decades....lol. Learning a kata doesnt mean that you just know the sequence of the moves....there are tons of applications to be dealt with as well, and a whole lot more. You may have seen in my lil bio there on the left that Im a Goju practicioner as well....lemme know how I can help. PM me with any questions that you have, any time at all. We're all just here to help each other, and learn as much as we can, about as much as we can.

ShorinRyu and SWDW.....both excellent posts.....very well put.....Gojuboi.....youre entering one of the most complete systems there is....it will literally keep you busy for a lifetime.....hang in there buddy....just enjoy the ride....its more exciting than the destination.

Almost all karate is mostly Hard. But remember there is no go without ju, or ju without go. (go is hard, and ju is soft). And that is the beauty of Goju Ryu.....Hard AND Soft, BUT....and this is the key....Goju is about being BOTH AT THE SAME TIME

Okinawan Goju Ryu....only mentioning it because it descends primarily from White Crane.

My students over the years have ranged in age from a lil girl who had just turned 4, all the way up to a nice lil old lady who was 76.....it was awesome when she got her Shodan ! The lil girl, at the age of 4, was so impressive in her intensity, enthusiasm, AND ability, I can honestly say that she was one of my best students, so much so that it truly was MY honor to teach her. I myself started at the age of 7, back in 1973 after seeing Enter the Dragon, and havent stopped since.

Although its not kata.....talking about strange looks.....you should see the looks I get while doing my forearm banging against the iron pipes at the gym where I work......ahhhhh but they just dont understand....LOL

You should always start at the first kata, and work your way up to whichever one youve learned last. Simple as that.

Since I began this thread with the best wishes for everyone to have a happy, healthy, and safe holiday, Ill just simply repeat that.....HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE.......whichever one you celebrate

I just wanted to take a moment to wish everyone here a very happy Easter holiday ! ~Jules

"House built on sand soon wash away".....

I like to think that any day above ground is a good one, given the alternative.

Perfectly stated.

While I jump at the chance of agreeing with you MTB, as you are most definetely correct, I would like to at least point out that although it is anything BUT "traditional martial arts", it does take a high level of "gymnastic" skill, and certainly physical fitness to perform all that flashy stuff. I think its also safe to say that in a street fight, if somebody held their leg up in the air that high for that long, they most certainly would wind up getting their nuts knocked outta their ears.

38 years old, 5th Dan Okinawan Goju Ryu, 5th Dan CQB Tactics 2nd dan USA/Urban Goju Ryu, 1st Dan Close Combat Jujitsu, close to NYC

To promote muscular growth, you must lift heavy weight for repetitions of 8-12, at least 3 sets. Of course, it goes without saying that you must eat like crazy to put on the pounds.

In some of his more recent movies, you can see elements of some types of Kung Fu systems as well.

Shiko Dachi (also known as "sumo stance") has the feet at 45* angle, while the Kiba Dachi (also known as "horse stance" ) has the feet parallel. The depth of each stance is the same.

Im about 30 minutes north of NYC, so if I can help in any way, please let me know

My motto......Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6

Black belt in Okinawan Goju Ryu, USA/Urban Goju Ryu, and Jujitsu

Im 38, 5th Dan, Okinawan Goju Ryu

Sounds like the Paul Mitchell sponsered karate tournaments.

I thought that Gogen Yamaguchi followed mainly the shinto "faith". I realise he was not the founder of goju but he certainly would have had alot of influence over its direction. Where does the buddhist influence come from? The only influence that Yamaguchi had over Goju was HIS system of Japanese Goju, which is quite different from Traditional Okinawan Goju. Goju really descends from the Fukien province of China, from the White Crane system of Kung Fu, amongst other things. Many of the hand positions are derivatives of the Buddhist praying palms, where the hands are pressed together in front of you, elbows out to the sides. Also, If you examine the Goju kata, you will find that the ones which are "numbered", such as seisan, sepai, sanseiru, pechurin...etc....meaning 13 hands, 18 hands, 36 hands, 108 hands......those numbers are multiples of the number 3....as in Sanchin....3 battles or conflicts.....The number 3 is very big in Buddhism, as it is equivalent to the "holy trinity". Also, if you look at the kata from a top view, they all have "crossing" patterns on the floor. The highest form, Pechurin (108 hands) actually is used as a blessing ceremony to ward off evil spirits.