Bleeding Lion

Why I started: Ive always had a passion for MAs even though I didnt do much of it when I was younger (thats another story). Im 20 now, senior in college. basketball, soccer got me fed up. I wanted something that could be the center of my life (or close). Doing goju also gives me numerous advantages for phisical to mental (confidence, flexibility, health, discipline and structure...). Why im still in it: Well, its been 3 months. 3 great months. i actually want to know what i'll be getting into by the time im a black belt. i hope i'll look like my assistant sensei in the future. hes swift with a great balance between technique and power. i just love goju ryu.

Shorinryu Sensei: thats an awesome idea and i was thinking about making a thread on it. my sensei does the same for higher belts and frankly i think it is one of the best methods of promoting sempais since you have to deliver your best at every practice, not only for tests.

Gojuchad: yeah us too we stay white belt for a pretty long time. 9 months minimum, but for my particular club it can take up to a year because of winter/summer breaks. Btw, i got to 9th kyu (1 green stripe on my belt) recently and we got tested mainly on hookiyu kata dai ich, its bunkai and the first set of kisos. I agree, the color of the belt is not important. if I can train well (especially with higher belts) im very happy. I forgot, nfl2k2: good luck on that test.

"you grade to be a white belt?" I must admit i dont understand either...im doing goju and we are pretty traditionnal too, so we have only white, green and brown belts under black belt level with up to 3 stripes (for each kyu) for each color. i thought that was the tradition. im not questionning your school or your sensei, its just that i never heard of that before.

in contrast to what others said, i would use jump kicks even though it might be less traditional. the one i usually train is a roundhouse kick to the head, the power starting to build from the ground and the jump being very fast and not too high. in one of the rare "fights" ive been into (might not be considered a fight since it was a brief exchange of blows), my kick actually ended the fight. i hurt the guy, i touched his head even though he blocked it. after my kick he kind of stepped back, i could tell he was intimidated. that was a good thing, it ended the "fight" and i dont like getting in fights.

First things first: you will NOT have a 6 pack without efforts. i feel like thats the message conveyed by those gadgets. it wont be easy, even though good genes might make it slightly less difficult. diet is the most important piece of the puzzle. do a lot of cardio, 100 crunches a day, it wont do much if you eat like a pig. so clean that up first. good luck.

I study goju ryu currently. there is a paragraph in "the fundamentals of goju ryu" that explains the purpose of something like stances very well, and i think its relevant for many arts. i understood forms in general much better. if you know the sanchin dachi stance for instance, the most basic stance in goju, you'll see that it looks funny. however its purpose is not to fight a real fight in that stance, but to teach you how to balance your body. it makes a lot of sense cause sanchin dachi strengthens your legs and makes you grip the floor. katas are not meant to to be applied straight in real life situations. the masters who designed them knew better. it helps you practice the flow of multiple techniques, get reflexes, and as someone else said, your muscle memory. moreover, you are also supposed to find out the "hidden techniques" of katas. for example, when you do that punch, kick or block, how can you apply it differently or how can you follow up? imagine a situation where you could apply a certain sequence in a kata, is that the only situation or can you think of other ones? basically forms in general can only show you the doors and it is your job to open them.

I would definitely experience smth like that for a week or so. during the summer preferably.

why do I do MAs? 1. ive always admired MAs and MAists 2. confidence 3. selfdefense 4. social activities 5. its about time i do something else than basketball 6. its about time i get my flexibility back 7. fitness 8. focus, discipline & structure 9. i wonder how it wil change me by the point i reach bbelt and i "really" start the journey. 10. cuz i want to kick your ass if you piss me off. j/k

i was a gymnist so i can/could do a lot of those. the only "trick" i can do im sure is very rare is kicking a basketball board (around 8ft tall). and yeah, i can fight, though im new in MAs.

sure sandhoppa, i will email you later.

I see that A LOT. then when i ask those people to do proper push ups, then cant go past 40. what is better 40 good push ups or 100 bad ones? personally i havent seen somebody yet who can do more than 80 or so good ones. I really strived to get up to 100.

Sorry to disagree, but i believe humility is taught, even though it is done with a different approach. humility is one of those behaviour we emulate, so if a sensei does not show some or does not reprimand the lack of it when his students dont behave in front of him, humility wont be learned.

pink is obsolete. yellow is the new hot color.

In order to achieve your goal, regular cardio is not enough, you must do HIIT (high intensity interval training) which preserves muscle much better and is more efficient in losing fat. you can google it, or come back at me if you need further explanation. One thing you didnt mention: your diet. what does it look like?

First of all, i am very sorry you find yourself in this situation. Though i dont know what you're going through, i can just imagine, having been in very disturbing mindsets myself. Hopefully it wont be long. Good luck. I started MA to get discipline, focus and structure. Every time i step into the dojo, i try to make it a meditation lasting the whole practice, that is, i try to 'empty my mind' and find peace. I try to make it my own therapy, and so far i can say my stress level went significantly down. Anger? sure it will give me a bit more energy, but i try to get away from it, as i believe it wears my mind out. seeking absolute peace sure works the best for me, and i try to drop anything i see as negative energy waves prior to practice. but hey, my MA journey recently restarted, who knows what will work for me in the future?

i didnt really read what others said but heres my take: when i started pushups, i could barely do 10. so thats what i did everyday: my maximum. then i went up to 12, then 15, 30, 40 50 .... on my way to 110. it took a whole summer but i did it. my point is, whatever your maximum is, do it. do it properly, and do it as much as you can. one trick is to think about something else: a good method is to count in another language if you know any. sometimes i mix english and french or japanese. not more than 3 to avoid mistakes. Its been a long time since i could do 100 or so, so i had to practice again. started from 20 up to 60. now im not really interested in going up to 100 straight cause i dont need it. I hope you got the idea.

I have an alternate gi, but its black. i love it cause it looks very cool, and its what i wear when i practice it by myself. However, in goju, white is preferred. should have seen the look on my sensei's face when i walked in with my black gi today. i looked like a ninja, lol.

Topic: How comfortable are you in your dirty gi? what if you have a tournament? Im just asking cuz it might be a good idea. I recently washed my gi for the first time (warm, 5min then hot 5min) then i let it dry overnight on a hanger. I couldnt believe it when i saw it had shrinked. fortunately im getting an exchange for a new one.

point sparring for me is just an exercise. a safe exercise.

let me also add that, from my understanding, if meditating is to empty your mind, you just try to do it, whatever it means to you. Emphasis on breathing is very important i believe. I would like to hear more about this.

Ive been going to goju practice for a month now. i understadn your idea of completing goju with bbj or wrestling, but we unfortunately dont have clubs offering those. For the moment, I just take what the university offers because i dont have time and its free. thank you all, for your suggestions. I might not add TKD. at least not now.

You know, thats a great feeling imo. I started goju ryu a month ago and of course i feel the same way. on the other hand however, there is this dude in my dojo, pretty cool, but he came to practice only like 5 times with no prior martial arts experience, and he feels like he can already fight people in the streets... Knowing you dont know is the foundation of knowledge. He who does not know he doesnt know is a fool. (forgot who said this).

wow, thats cool MJ, i hope i'll have that kind of opportunity in the future. How long does your master usually stay at your place?

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