yamesu

Hehehe. I know that Sengra. In reference to the katana, it would prob take an extremely well placed cut to sever an oak bo, more likely than not the sword would get wedged in the staff, but most kendo and kenjutsu schools ive seen train fastidiously in striking to the wrist of an opponent, as opposed to their sword/weapon. IMO, a well weilded katana can be lightning fast, and the damage to bear flesh unparallels any blunt weapon. Although, jo/bo are certainly superior tools. Osu.

Once again we come full circle to the fact that rank/belts are no longer an indication of ones skill in the martial arts. Osu.

Ive done tameshigiri with daito and daisho, but never with kama. Just remember to focus on getting the blade exactly on-line to the cut the whole way through. Be super careful, IMO, I wouldnt do this outside of the dojo, with my sensei and shihan supervising.

Yoga

prob just means that your club got fed up with paying fees to IKO for affiliation. Just talk to the head instructor (Shihan) and ask to have this issue cleared up, or for any information about this issue that you feel you need to know. Good luck, Osu.

I think that both aspects can be trained in unison. I also think that it is important to keep in mind exactly WHAT it is your doing. Training for selfdefence/wellbeing, or training for aesthetic movement and technique. Im more partial to traditional karate though.......

Hehe, The first time I saw this kick was in the movie "Operation Scorpio" (im not sure of the title in cantonese,) Haha, the scorpion style is just about as good as the eel style, hehehe, eel style. Tony Jaa pulls these (scorpion kicks) off in Ong Bak.

Yes, Kyokushin has formal grappling instruction woven into lessons. Its about the only time my dojo get out mats to cover the sprung wooden floor. Also, As with any art, I think it takes years to see application. In the years Ive been learning MA, I still wake up every day and find new application to things I learnt 14years ago. I don’t think this will ever change. Not at all. Kyokushin contains many techniques from Judo, Jujutsu and Akido. In fact, techniques like seoi-nage and similar can be found by name in Mas Oyama’s ‘Advanced Karate.’ the small difference is in the way the technique is applied, and the after effects. That is a good point. What most people are neglecting to realise, probably becuase there only exposure to Kyokushin has been via stand-up tournaments, is that Kyokushin was developed through other martial arts, from Chinese "Kempo" to Judo and even other Karate styles. Kyokushin is not just a striking art. Its roots go much deeper than simply striking. Thats not what I meant, sure, kata contains a lot of bunkai that can be interperated as grappling, but there is lot more to Kyokushin than just kata and sparring. Self-defence techniques are (should be) taught at every lesson. These involve various techniques of things like 'tensho' applied dynamically to an aggressor/opponent. Ie) Attaining a grip on an aggressors wrist, and stepping quickly back into a long stance is enough to dislocate an arm, and bring their head swiftly to waist-height. A much quicker way out of a situation than struggling for 30sec for an arm-bar. The way I have been trained in Kyokushin, grappling/trapping is a quick means to either snap/shatter/dislocate bones, or to quickly set up for a strike such as a knee or elbow.These are some of the reasons that grappling/clinching are no longer allowed in Kyokushin bear-knuckle tournaments. I strongly agree, but if your going to devote your life to an art, Kyokushin is definitely as good as any. I didn’t really think of MMA comps when I first replied to be honest. Cheers.

The following text is taken from page 208 of 'Tao of Jeet Kun Do.' by Bruce Lee. It is the last paragraph before his final signature: "If people say that Jeet Kun Do is different from 'this' or 'that', then let the name of Jeet Kun Do be wiped out, for that is what it is, just a name. Please dont fuss over it." It helps to have read pages 1-207 as well, to draw more meaning from the above statement. Cheers.

IMHO, Kyokushin contains all the grappling one needs. As with any art, it takes years to completely see the finer points. Mas Oyama's books; What Is Karate, This Is Karate and Advanced Karate are priceless additions to any MA library, and are a wealth of knowledge into Kyokushin and Martial Arts. Kyokushin grappling/throws are not designed for submission, they are designed to break or dislocate bones, snap tendons and ligaments, and put one in a 'better' position to deliver a finishing strike as quickly as possible. If you really are looking for another art to train, I would highly reccomend Arnis or Escrima. Osu.

Mas Oyama Sosai

Reading the Tao of Jeet Kun Do, by Bruce Lee, will shed light on these questions, especially pages 205-208.

Agreed. I was going to say something similar to this, but you beat me to it. LMAO.

Connecting with the square of the ball of foot, directly under the big toe is quite the same as striking/punching connecting with two knuckles. Where I come from this is used to break opponents jaw, floating rib or cause internal throat damage.

Yeah, Congrad's Its a sweet feeling when hard work pays off.

In that case I recommend just holding your leg out as high as you can for as long as you can. IMO, holding it at waist height for ages wont actually help you with holding it at head height. Only holding it at head height will help with holding it at head height. Start off with only a second or two, and go from there. Good Luck.

I dont use weights, but have increased power in my kicks by body resistance exersize, such as squats, kiba-shinko dachi training. IMO, most importantly is actually learning to penetrate your target properly. A SenseiRick already pointed out, dont rush into this. Practice slowly Kicking a heavy bag (60kg +) and build up over time. Learning proper kicking technique will also vastly imrove the KO ability of kicks. Not snapping a roundhouse until the knee is past the target is a good example. Cheers.

Agreed juey. Evasion is much more efficient than stopping an attack. Under 18's at Kyokushin wear the same open-finger gloves as UFC fighters, to offer protection. Adults fight bare knuckle, and being hit by a punch which has its force concentrated at the knuckles is like being hit by a hammer, hard. You dont even want to take those sorts attacks to your arms. Moving is a much safer idea. Cheers.

jaymac and pride&poise have said it, and ill re-enforce it. Avoid these situations first, and then only fight as a last resort. Thats not to say that training should not be done in these areas, but a better lesson, IMO, is to learn to avoid these confrontations/situations in the first place.

IMO, all types of stretching are good for further developing technique, balance, and for aesthetics etc, I have found that isometric stretching however (legs/hips/lowerback/abs) has increased the look of my technique considerably.

I think thats what all martial artists should be taught.

Ive seen that at some schools too.

Sounds right to me, Our traditional gi have sleeves at elbow length, If someone was wearing a sleeveless gi, im sure they cut the arms off themselves. Ive seen Andy Hugs, (an excellent kyokushin fighter,) wear gi with the sleeves cut off to shoulder length. Osu.

Well, i think that pure training in those areas will simply make you better at them. I practiced jumping, and gaining height in my jump for over two years, and I can now jump over a 4 1/2foot fence, my hips at head height. Also, in my 13years of karate ive definantly gotten much faster reaction times. Did i unlock my mind?