yamesu

Sorry for the confusion. I was saying that Kyokushin IS the true teachings of Oyama Sosai. OSU.

Ive trained in numerous Kyokushin dojos, aside from minor differences in teaching styles, the syllabus is always the same. I think Karate differs a bit between styles. ie) okinawan - japanese. OSU.

[qoute=Shorin Ryuu]I think Mas Oyama was great. I don't think the system of Kyokushin carries the depth of analysis and understanding that he had though. The Kyokushin system IS the in-depth analasis and understanding of Mas Oyamas teachings. Thats why Oyama Sosai put his name to Kyokushin. I still have a detailed grading syllabus personally constructed by Mas Oyama Sosai. Some good reading on this topic are most titles by MasOyama Sosai, such as 'Dynamic Karate' or 'Advanced Karate'.

Well said wtKempostudent. IMHO; Physical prowess makes us martial masters, But it takes a lot more mental training and concious stability before we can truly call ourselves artists at what we do......

Ok, maybe the roadside analogy was not such a good example. My point was, going with the blow, even slightly, nullifies a percent of its force. When rolling with the punch, you dont really start to move untill the punch hits you. Sure, the idea is not to get hit. But if your going to get hit, (which in a fight is inevitably going to happen,) why not lessen the blow by moving with it?? If trained correctly, rolling movement can be co-incided so balance is not compromised, and even so counters may be thrown from advantagous positions. In the Bujinkan, students are taught to move 'as a leaf blowing with the movement of air,' as one defence. In other words, when an attack comes, move with or around it like a floating leaf. This is quite a deceptive technique, as opponents may think they have hit hard, but in effect all the force from the blow has been nullified. Psycology is such an interesting factor of violence. IMO: Sparring should not only increase your ability to throw attacks, but also to deal with attacks. If you fight, your going to get hit. Learning to absorb a hit or two is a well paid effort in the long run. OSU.

Plum flower dummy, or, Mui fa jong, is essentially six blocks arranged in the pattern of a five-petal-flower, So along with promoting balance and muscle control back to the point where technique started, the mui-fa-jong also allows its user to practise moving while striking, and builds balance/coordination for dynamic techniques with the whole body, while moving in essentially all directions, as opposed to remaining stationary.

The standing on the blocks sounds like a basic version of Mui Fa Jong. My (previously) favorite exersize w/ cinder blocks involves my heel and tameshiwari. Now i have a yard full of broken cement. Hehe.

Definantly, we could all wave our arms around all day, that wont improve our punching without the knowledge of HOW TO PUNCH. Assuming both the Kihon and Kata practitioners have equal knowledge of the techniques, Id say the Kata man would be more effective, as most strikes in kata are provided with the proper footwork and followthrough. Especially Tsuki from Zenkutsu-dachi, as tsuki is usually executed with a full step through the target area. Ouchies. OSU.

Indeed. Imagine a Semi-trailer travelling at 100km/h colliding with a car travelling 100km/h in the exact opposite direction. (ie-head on.) Now, imagine a Semi-trailer travelling at 100km/h colliding with a stationary car. Finally, imagine a Semi-trailer travelling 100km/h colliding with a car which is travelling 90km/h in the same direction as the truck. Which of the situations presents less force impact on the car???? I believe that these benifits can be taught in a dojo, or during sparring. I also believe that tournaments, regardless of contact levels, are still only forms of sparring. OSU.

Nice style. I did a frontflip down a flight of ten stairs, landed on my butt, (unintentionally,) and shattered my tailbone. Does that qualify me for black belt??? I know..........its not THAT street effective.......

All the prior talk about belts got me pondering....... I was wondering, Does your school/dojo award new black-belts at every Dan grading? or, Does your school/dojo award the grading with a new gold stripe etc. on a single black belt? OSU.

Im pretty sure you nailed it. p.83 details more striking tools for these types of kicks. ie-instep, shin. roundhouse kick = hook kick. outward in hook kick = reverse hook kick. diagram p.82 Refer to p.74 however, and note the terminology for spinning hook kicks = hooking heel kick. BTW: Sorry for hijacking the thread. Ill stop now.

Fair enough. 6foot is only about 2in above my head, but its hard to get a generic (ie-non customised) Bo at any length other than 6' from most MA supp stores.

It seems you are correct. OSU.

Well-wicked words of wisdom Chado. OSU.

Ill have to disagree. BruceLee called roundhouse-kicks ; hook-kicks. (Im reading the TaoofJeetKunDo as Im typing this.) Diagrams in the text clearly display there similarity. In Jeet-Kun-Do, hooking-heel-kick is discribed much the same as Spinning-back-kick, but the hook-kick itself is discribed as a round-house, or mawashi-geri.

When I pick a Bo, I try to get one about a fist-lengh above my head. Around 4'' taller than me I guess.

Gymnastics classes are about the only surefire way to learn flips that I know of. Possibly Wu-Shu classes. Id seriously advise you against trying to learn flips by yourself if you value your spine. OSU.

Yes, training in Kendo will be the best way to go about this. Kendo and karate are very different though.

I cant stand stiff belts, I think belts only feel natural after being 'really really broken in' over a few dozen hours (at least). As for length, i like my belt to have about 12inches on each end from the knot, so about mid-thigh when im standing. OSU.

Speed in fighting is not everything. If your combos/individual blocks-strikes are thrown too fast, youll be parrying yourself, by not connecting as intended. Lee points this out quite well in The Tao of Jeet Kun Do. Thats not to say the opponent shouldnt be hit before hit hits you. Just pick targets before swining, and focus more on distancing and timing than on speed. OSU.

If you fight, your inevetably going to get hit. If your not used to being hit, your going to go down........fast. Most all Karate styles, and other MA press a pretty strong viewpoint on the areas of conditioning. invisiblemaster.com OSU.

Sooooooo true.

If your doing MA for the reasons of avoiding conflict, it wouldnt conflict christian perspectives. Learning MA purely for violence may be a different thing though.

Quickly perform the 19th Kuji-in, ninja hand symbol and dissapear in a puff of smoke, only to re-appear instantaniously, standing on top of your opponents head.