zerohour

Just another perspective here - I agree that as martial artists we should aim to try hard in our training, and in the higher ranks we should definitely aim to be role models for other students. But I think in some cases a person might appear to be "slacking off" because they're having a bad day - perhaps work is getting them down, perhaps their family life isn't going so well, perhaps they're being bullied in school, it could be any number of things. So just in my opinion, perhaps it is a matter of motivating these students through understanding and compassion rather than punishment. Just my two cents.

In my opinion, you're probably better off starting at 18 than at a very young age (like 5 or 6). At 18, you most likely have the self discipline and motivation to get the most out of martial arts training. A lot of younger kids that start training where I train tend to lose interest, or quit because they don't like pushups, or they fail a grading, etc... An adult will realise that they have to put in the hard work to see results, and every pushup is a step towards a stronger and healthier body. I took up martial arts when i was about 11, and didn't stay with it for long. I started again at a different dojo last year at 22 years of age, and it's been a whole different story. Also, Karate25's example of UFC fighter Randy Couture is an excellent one. I read an interview of Randy Couture, and if I remember correctly, when he started training for UFC he only had wrestling experience - no striking whatsoever. Plus, he had never taken a hit. So see what there is in your area, and stick with the dojo you like best - the training environment is as important as the style, in my opinion.

I read an article recently about using clubbells, and also read about kettlebells a little while ago. I'm just wondering if anybody here uses either of these - especially kettlebells - and what sort of results have you experienced. I've heard that they provide fairly unique exercises, and I thought they might be useful. I'm looking to improve basically every area of my body in strength and endurance. For most exercises, is one kettlebell or clubbell enough, or do you usually need two? How do I know which size weight to buy to start with? Are the exercises used with these weights kind to your joints? Sometimes when I benchpress I get a slight pain in my right shoulder, and the last thing I want is an injury. I'll be aiming to use kettlebell/clubbell along with my regular MA training, and hopefully i'll be able to continue jogging again soon. Anyway, any advice would be appreciated.

I haven't read all of the replies to this topic, so I don't know if anybody has already suggested this, but why don't you make up your own martial art for your character to use? I guess it depends where and when your story takes place. And maybe you should go and watch some classes or demonstrations of different martial arts - so you can imagine your character using the same techniques, etc.... Just a thought. Good luck with the story.

Thanks for those links Jinxx. And Battousai, you're right - i've been told by my specialist that shin splints is just a broad term to describe any shin pain. That's why I had to have x-rays and some other scan, I think it was called an MRI, to determine exactly what had happened.

I've been getting pain in my shin (inside left leg) for a couple of months now, and have been to my specialist about it, who says it is definitely a form of shin splints, where small parts of the muscle membrane is becoming detached from the bone. Looks like it came about from jogging - on bad surfaces, bad positioning of my foot when running, possibly badly fitting shoes, etc. I was wondering if anybody else has had this problem, and how long did it take to fully heal to the point where you could be as active as you were before the injury? What methods did you use to heal it? At the moment I have to rest it, ice it or put heat on it, take anti-inflammatory pills, and my specialist has suggested physiotherapy. If nothing else works, it may require surgery, but I think that's a last resort. It looks like this injury is going to cost me a career in the Navy (which I was so close to being accepted into ) and it's obviously affecting my Martial arts training. I really don't want to be inactive for too long because of this, so if anybody's had a similar experience i'd really like to hear any suggestions, etc...

I went for my first training session at a local Muay Thai Gym/dojo (what is the correct term here?). I've been thinking about taking it up as a second martial art for a couple of months now - and since my main dojo is on break for the school holidays I thought I might as well get some training in. There's just a few things that concern me at the moment. One is the differences between my Kumiai Ryu system (mixed system), and the Muay Thai techniques. Some things didn't work for me in the Muay Thai session, such as the way we're meant to step into some of the kicks, sometimes switching stances while lunging forward (almost like a kick-off if you know what I mean), the guard - keeping the lead hand out and the other hand on the cheek which we're told NOT to do in kumiai ryu. Now, the main reason I thought i'd give muay thai a go is because I knew for sure that it would be a great workout, which it was, and i'm trying to get myself as fit as possible for a possible Naval career coming up soon; and I wanted to do more sparring, which there will be, although maybe not at the same contact level as at kumiai ryu (which is fairly high). But I don't want my technique in Kumiai Ryu to suffer because of the differences in Muay Thai. In Kumiai Ryu, we're told that we practise the basics over and over for muscle memory - it seems to me that if i'm training two different techniques for the same kick, i'm going to "confuse my muscles". Secondary reason for giving Muay Thai a go is because sometimes because of work commitments I have to miss kumiai ryu, so I thought Muay Thai would be a good backup. So the best things the Muay Thai has is 1. Good workout and 2. More training times Worst things are 1. Only one hour sessions, 2. More cost, and 3. Possibility of making my Kumiai Ryu techniques sloppy. I've got two weeks of free training at the Muay Thai gym, so that should give me more time to make a decision. But i'm either going to try to do both (and make time for jogging and swimming too), or make myself unavailable for work so that I can make it to both Kumiai Ryu training sessions every week and probably have more time to spare for jogging, swimming, weight training, martial arts training at home, etc... So there's my "report" Just thought i'd post something about it, if only to help me make my own decision about it. Feel free to give me your opinions everybody.

I read a column on this subject in an Australian martial arts magazine fairly recently. The author of the column wrote that he received a package from Germany, from a 10th dan, containing certificates. Apparently they had certified him as an 8th dan in four different organisations! Two of those offered were 8th dan outright, the other two were honourary ranks - one of those making him an Honourary Grandmaster, and three of those granting him life memberships. He wrote that he was "unable to accept in good conscience this seemingly generous gesture" as he had done no grading or even presented any credentials to the man, or even heard of him or the organisations that he represents. He also wrote about an organisation who felt that their blackbelts were not of sufficiently high ranking - so they formed a subgroup of 1st and 2nd dans, who then "proceeded to cross-promote each other, signing each other's grading certificates. By the end of it all there was a new bunch of 5th, 6th, and 7th dans." ALSO (this is getting long, but this is a good one!), the author says that he'd heard of other cases "where students have promoted their own sensei to a high rank, at times skipping a Dan or two in the process, to make room underneath him for the students' own promotion." Unbelievable. Surely these people can't feel that they've truly earnt their titles. Obviously it's a shame that it's happening, but I can get a laugh out of these situations, and the people involved, because they're the ones missing out on the feeling of accomplishment you get by actually EARNING your belt. Suckers!

That's a good statement - but, personally, my primary concern would be to stop my attacker as soon as possible before causing ME, or bystanders, further injuries. Not causing him further injuries would be alot lower on my list. I would rather face charges of assault for defending myself than have my skull cracked by some scumbag.

Does anybody have any theories or methods for controlling adrenaline shakes? Just recently I was talking with somebody about some headcase in the area who "allegedly" assaulted a family friend, and just thinking of getting into a defensive situation with this person (which is a real possibility) had me shaking from adrenaline. So is it best to use an adrenaline rush, or to try to control it? How?

I was just wondering if there are many things that you can do with a Jo staff that you can't do with a Bo, and vice versa. Basically i'd like to learn both of them, maybe focusing more on the Jo - but can only find instructional DVD's for the Bo Staff. (Unfortunately there is nobody in my area that can teach me much about either, at least not regularly.)

I've heard alot of great things about BJJ, and i've been on the receiving end of some effective Judo moves (from my Sensei, who used to do Judo). So I was wondering what the main difference is between the two. Also, can anybody give me a rundown of what Jujutsu is, and how it compares to BJJ and Judo?

Should it differ from person to person though? I heard that a Bo staff was meant to be the same height as you are - which mine is, and i'm a fair way off 6'. So is there a general rule as to where a Jo staff should reach if you stand it beside you?

I was just wondering how long a Jo Staff is meant to be. I've been wanting to learn some bo/jo staff from instructional videos at home, but twirling a 170cm Bo staff in the house is going to be a problem. At least if I use a Jo I might not end up smacking the ceiling fans

In our system we go white, yellow tip (almost everyone skips this I think), yellow, orange, blue, purple, green, brown, then add one stripe to your brown belt, then two, three, maybe even a fourth, then black, etc... It's a great martial arts system, i'm really glad I found it. Great dojo too, even though our gear is fairly limited, and we can only train one 90 minute session per week (unless you drive to the dojo in the next town, run by the same sensei). Still, i'm completely happy with it, plus it's only a 30 second drive from my house And thanks for all of the congrats everybody