yamesu

if your starting out, a training or practice weapon is probably advisable, there normally pretty cheap as well

every time you go to put your shoes and socks on, do it standing on one leg, putting the sock/shoe onto the suspended leg, jog up-down dirt trails if possible, use plum-flower-dummy, skipping/jump rope, plum-flower-dummy.= ask if youd like instructions on how to make a simple, yet thoroughly effective one for your backyard.

our Shihan holds at least one of the 6-7 lessons weekly, its not that odd......or, i never really thought it was...............

personally, i wouldnt want to train if my place dojo was dependant on my sociall/political outlook, and not my skills... look for a new dojo, it'll prob' serve better in the longrun.

Is the man who trusts his life to his 'tonfa' a man when unarmed? It is ok to use a tonfa, but not to depend on it.

tobi-ushiro-mawashi-kakato-geri to land in kiba-dachi facing starting direction, jodan-shuto-juji-uke,

id kick to the head; sequence as follows (hopefully!!!!!!) do-all to land a bonecrunching kick to the knee/thigh area, this brings opponents head to thigh-waist level, execute second thigh kick (need not be nearly as powerfull, unless there like miketyson or something,) to connect with head. successful head kick

to the best of my understanding; ura mawashi= a normal roundhouse kick executed to the side, or directly behind the practitioner. usually requires a 90' or 180' spin or step. landed with instep, shin or ball-of-foot. VERY useful for an opponent who overcommits to their thrustmoves. ura mikazuki= a snap version of inside-to-outside cresent kick, executed directly to the front of practitioner. landed with instep, toe-points, knife foot if your talented(prob' the most devastating without compromising speed,) ive even seen TKD peeps land this kick with ball-of-foot . Osu.

mainly bo staff, 3-section-staff, katana and 7-inch-throwers, own many more, but dont really have the time to train them all these days!

the laws dont say you cant train with or own chukkas if your with a licenced instructor, you can, but for purposes of MA training only, and so the weapons really not need leave your dojo. the laws do however dictate that you cant carry chukkas around the streets, or on the backseat of your car, as there is no practical need for them, they are nothing but a weapon, especially in the hands of a trained practitioner.

Ahahahahahahhahahahahaha..........

its all about mindset and will-power, you said you REALLY WANTED TO GET BACK IN THE GAME. if this is true, you shoud have no problem getting into better training habits, thus constantly building your skill and stamina. Osu.

this is incorrect, in certain states, ie) QLD, the department of firearms (i think!) issues licences to instructors for the purchase of nunchuku for the purpose of teaching MA, other than that, they are extremely illegal-even if they are home made, dont make your own chukkas until you research the laws in your area, and even then, find an instructor who can teach you. ~ the criminal charges in australia for carrying nunchuku around the streets is comparable to that of carrying a small handgun.

ive been useing 6-foot-staff and 7-foot-three-section-staff proficiently for years now, and i can pretty much say that a plain bo or dragonpole staff is much easier, and deadly in the hands of a beginner, but nothing compares to the feeling and looks of a 3-section-staff, for practicality, id have to say bo-staff is prob better, as it can be recreated by common objects easily, and carried around without being too suss, these days 3-sec-staff is really only for forms, as nothing really resembles it on the streets or around the house, and it is hard to carry around without raising eyebrows, (i take mine to classes in an arnis-cane carry case to prevent gawkers.) all-in-all, i have to say i think that the 3-section staff is better, but thats just my opinion, although, i think it would have been impossible to learn the 3-sec without having skills from training with long-staff. there is a saying in choy-li-fut: "the staff is hard to master, but it is said that 3-section staff is 3 times harder to master."

dont be at all discouraged, i was on my white belt for well over a year, and it took me just under 10 years to achieve my Kyokushin BB, but well worth it in the end, my entire life has and continues to be a constant learning experience, gaining a different coloured belt does not mean that i have no more to learn, even from lower ranking karate-ka, belts are only good for holding gi's closed - or pants up. exactly, if a higher belt has a bad disposition, its his problem, but in my opinion, most higher ranking karate-ka should have no 2nd thoughts helping you out, its a part of Karate. Osu.

I flip hand grips all the time with my practice knives. nothing to do with finger-movement though, its like half-spinning a bottle on my open palm, by flicking mywrist sharply as i let go of the knife, and catching the handle as quick as possible on the half-spin, effectively switching the knife from front to back grips. i learnt to do this by mucking around with arnis canes. i dont really think theres any practicality to it unless your like a navy seal or similar, but it looks pretty flashy none-the-less. dont try this with live blades until your an effective JEDI, even im not that stupid.... its a sure way to sever fingers..... use a rubber or wooden knife. Osu.

Kyokushinkaikan Osu.

kyokushin is definantly a style worth training, ive been doing it for 12years now and still find something new or amazing in it every day. Osu.

agreed, nothing beats a fast moving redoak bo, hehehe graphite bos just dont amaze me like they do others..........

that is what i call gun culture... In a traditional Samurai ethic I would agree. But not all sword carriers were like that. What about medieval European bandits? They carried swords and acted like thugs, killing indiscriminately and robbing. No different from thugs today. even if they were thugs, they still had the courage to deal with their actions face-to-face i wouldnt let my child in the kitchen without thouroughly evaluating their mental condition. Do you have children?........ that is what i would say is a perfect example of gun culture, guns dont kill people-people kill people, the culture is the stigmas and myths we create about firearms, it is the firearms themselves and it is the use of the firearms aganst other innocents. dont get me wrong, i wouldnt strip the army of guns, just those who own weapons for no apparent reason, for 'protection' as it were....(dry cough..) there is NO need for civillians to own firearms, and the hype created about owning a gun, especially amongst the youth of our western nations saddens me greatly.... how will our world ever reach peace? Osu.

(takes a deep breath) between my younger brother and i, we own: 2 bokken 2shinai 2bo-staff 1jo-staff 2 hanbo 1pair sai 1pair tonfa 1 pair kama(blunt w/ trendy airholes.....) set 3 throwingknives doublebladed 1 combat throwing knife set 9 shuriken (stars-4point, not thick shinyones....) dozen assorted knives and daggers 2 pair Arnis canes-rattan 1 pair Arnis canes-rosewood wooden naginata (i want the paul chen naginata!!!!!!!!!) Kris sword Kampilan sword 1 set of three Iaido swords(blunt) Paul Chen Prac-plus Katana (super-sharp, now with my own custom fittings.................hehehe) tai-chi sword(blunt, well...... not sharpened anyways....) super flex hanwei tai-chi sword(super sharp and fast.) 1 Da Dao 1 floppy kungfu broadsword(i dont know its name, id have to ask my bro) 2 pair round wood nunchuku, chain 1 pair round rubber nunchuku, chain 1 pair round foam nunchuku, chain 1 scottish broadsword 2 philipino tribal spears (wicked looking, displayed with pride) three sec staff-rattan three sec staff-spotted gum(custom made) homemade; steel ball on 7-foot chain(i admit, i watched killbill ep1 too much...........) nine sec staff-steel set 3 fish darts the energy putout and recieved from/by the universe and most importantly, we both agree, our minds.............. i know theres more, but i cant seem to think at the moment, most of the above are for display purposes, we only really train seriously with a few, but our dojo looks mighty finely decorated. also, with customs laws in australia being soooooo tight, most of our collection stays in asia..........oh well...........

I'm not sure I understand where you're coming from on this. If there were no guns would you be complaining about the "sword culture"? People have been killing each other since time began with whatever was available. A hundred years from now you'll be complaining about the "super-destructo ray culture". What is your argument other than guns=bad? wweeeeeeelll, using a sword or close combat weapon brings you in close proximity to the life your going to take, you'll see the facial looks of dispare, youll taste blood and have to wash yourself of it. using a gun takes this realty away, the reprocussions of using guns is not as hard-felt in the soul of the handler, the actuallity of murder no longer concides with the graphic violence with which it was traditionally associated. the ability to take life from a distance without any thought of actually taking life. thats my problem with guns. that and the fact that one of my friends was taken into the bush and shot in the back with a .22 and then left to bleed to death, by a psycho whos family had brought him up with guns around him his whole life, and was 'on drugs' at the time and so couldnt have made a concious decision..................apparently.......... swords carry a certain type of honour. weilding a sword is like saying "i knowingly take your life, but in doing so, i am also willing to share your blood, your essence of creation." guns carry a type of cowadice. shooting someone is like saying 'i knowingly take your life, but, i also have no will or judgement in the matter, and i refuse to come face-to-face with my own confrontations, or conflicts this may bring.' and please, dont dribble on about MA and its destructive purposes, just look at arts like Aikido, Aiki-jujitsu and Kiatsu, all of which are based apon the creation and balance of the universe and its inhibitants, (and thats only a few of the japanese arts...) MA should lead to higher-consciousness, its just a shame that most people will learn this through the physical aspects, or by fighting. also, i DONT own a gun, but i have shot at pistol clubs on occasion, and dont mind the sport itself, but people(the masses,) arent intelligent enough to control the power that comes with a gun. Would you let a 17yr old walk out of your dojo with a pair of razor-sharp kama? Then why should any drunkard be allowed to own a firearm and convey them about the streets at will with as little as a police check? no psych evaluation, nothing, just a computer scan that shows one previous convictions. Anyways, if you read all my ramblings, then thanks. Osu.

well, how did it go?

"guns dont kill people.......people kill people........." i guess thats why its gun CULTURE, eh?

this is a very good and valid point, but like david carridine once said; martial arts is enlightning, thats something you dont get with other war methods or forms of combat. Maybe doing martial arts should be controlled like guns, having names listed on rolls for every practicing martial-artist, but would that lower crime? Ill wait for the day the gov' throws a "trade in your black-belts for guitars day"...........hehehe also a nice point, kinda reinforces the saying: "guns dont kill people.......people kill people........."