cmantim

Wansu is by far my favorite empty hand kata.....I only know 1 weapons kata, so it would have to be tokumine no kun.

I originally signed my daughter up and my sensei said, "Why don't you come & join us. Give it a try." well, I liked that first class so much I've kept going ever since. Now I'm a Go-Kyu. (edited for grammatical errors)

are you asking about pulling punches or retracting your punches?

Another popular scheme is to have somebody "famous" that trained at one of their dojos. One near where I grew up claimed to have one of the Ninja Turtles (from the live-action movie) train there.

I also LOOOOOOVE the fact that whenever anybody finds out that you're taking karate, they all know someone who trained with a "master" or style founder (Gracie???) I get the same thing when people find out I'm in the Navy, "my cousin/brother-in-law/aunt's step-cousin's roomate's brother twice removed is/was a SEAL" Gimme a break. It seems that EVERYBODY knows SOMEBODY.

In Isshinryu, the first kata you learn as a white belt is Seisan Kata (a bb kata in some other styles, and neither simple nor easy). I am constantly discovering new things when I practice this "beginner kata". My dojo is small, and we often have class with a good mix of skill levels. Since everyone knows Seisan kata, it is the one we practice most. I personally don't think a person can ever be "good enough" to not practice the basics.

Welcome. I'm from Jersey too. Are you attending the 2nd annual Isshinryu Friendship Tourny in Lebenon, PA? You can get all the info at https://www.oikka.com 1/2 the procedes go directly to Master Uezu, so it's a chance to give back to him. If you decide to go, I just might see you there!

I prefer the Shoryuken, or Tetsumaki zenpu kyaku.

UPDATE: I just attended a seminar with Sensei John Divine, Co-Vice President of the O.I.K.K.A. (directly under Master Uezu and one of 2 representitives in the U.S.), the man is brilliant......and fast. We went over some history, bunkai, and "blitz" type sparring maneuvers that'll really batter down your opponent's defenses.

Hi everyone. I'm a Roku Kyu (That'd be a green belt in my dojo). I'm from South Jersey, but currently reside in Northern Virginia. My sensei is of the Uezu lineage. As for the opening of wansu.....It starts out in a neutral stance (can't recall the name), with toes pointed forward, feet about shoulder-with apart (maybe a little bit more) And "The Hidden Fist".....The first Geidan Barai does chamber and explodes forth. I've been taught that that is one of (if not, THE) most powerful move(s) in the kata, the opening block.

I think that it all depends (or at least should depend) on your ability, not a timeline. Every individual is different and learns at a different pace. For an instructor to offer/guarantee a BB in (x) amount of years/months is absurd and should raise a flag in your head. Just because it takes a student 10 years to attain a BB, doesn't make the instructor bad, it says something about the student. Typically, in my own humble experience, I've found that your sensei knows whether or not you'll pass your test before you even take it based on watching you day in and day out in class. The test is normally just a formality....(unless you have to pay testing fees {luckly I don't}, there may be an alterior motive $$$) People learn at different speeds and a good instructor knows this.

The problem with the Long, Mitchum, Armstrong, Nagle thing is that they learned from Master Shimabuku While they were on their tours of duty in Okinawa (3 to 4 years at the most). They learned what they could and left. Master Uezu, on the other hand learned what they did and more, because he was alongside Master Shimabuku up until the very end. Any changes/additions that Master Shimabuku might have made to the style, the Americans most likely did not pick up on.

Oh boy, did you open a can of worms! This is what they teach at my dojo. (& you will likely get three different stories from three different dojos) Kichiro Shimabuku is the "Official" head of the style. Master Angi Uezu was supposed to inherit the title (due to being a superior student to Master Shimabuku's own 2 sons) While Master Shimabuku was on his deathbed, Kichiro found out he wasn't going to inherit the style and was livid. (being Master Shimabuku's oldest son, he felt it was his inheritance and that his brother-in-law had no right to it) In order to appease his son, Master Shimabuku finally ceeded to his son's demands and Kichiro was made 10th Dan. Master Uezu, after finding this out, dutifully and honorably stood down and acknowleged his brother-in-law as the legitimate hier to Isshinryu. Shortly thereafter Master Uezu, unhappy with how the style was being run, broke off and formed his own organization, the O.I.K.K.A. Like I said earlier, you'll get a different story from just about every dojo, depending on what organization they affiliate themselves with. Hope this helps.

should be one of the first things you learn.....it's your forward stance. Your weight is more or less 50/50. I've noticed people tend to sit high in their stances when they start out (myself included), probably due to the fact that they'e stretching muscles they didn't even know they had. Once you learn to settle into your stances, the power behind your techniques will improve. All that takes is lots of practice. It all comes with time.....and practice.

$100 US for 3 months plus $70 per additional family member.

I heard standing in frnt of the microwave isnt good for us fellas cuz it cooks the little soldiers...the microwave rays that is. The metal screen in the window blocks the microwaves from exiting the inside of the microwave. It has to do with the distance between teh holes in the screen and the wavelength of the microwaves produced by the magnatron......but back to the real topic...Try doing your kata with your eyes closed (no cheating!) You'd be suprised how hard it is to end up facing the same way you started.

I have noticed that if I am in a good, strong seisan stance, my punches seem to have more power than if I'm in a sloppy stance....sloppy stance=sloppy techniques. I've been told that punches start from the ground up, and I'd have to agree with that. When I first started out, my seisan stance was kinda high, and I often felt a little off-kilter, but when I settled into my stance everything seemed to improve dramaticly (almost overnight).

About 6 months ago I found a site that had Master Shimabuku performing all 8 empty hand katas and most (if not all) of the weapons katas. It was taped in the '60s, so the video quality is not that great, but it sure is nice to see the founder of your style perform the katas. I can't seem to find these videos anywere on the internet (all I can find are people trying to hock poorly-dubbed copies for way too much) Does anybody know of a site where I can download these little pieces of history? Thanks in advance.

The way we do it in my dojo is as follows: 10th white belt 9th white belt with 1 green tip / white belt with 1 yellow tip for children 8th white belt with 2 green tips / yellow belt for children 7th white belt with 3 green tips / yellow belt with 1 green tip for children 6th green belt 5th green belt with 1 brown tip 4th green belt with 2 brown tips 3rd brown belt with 1 black tip 2nd brown belt with 2 black tips 1st brown belt with 3 black tips and black belts... We do that for the kids to give them a greater sense of accomplishment ("tip" meaning a small 1/2 inch wide piece of cloth that gets sown onto the ends of your belt, multiple tips being spaced out 1/2 inch apart)

good articles...I'm just starting to learn Sanchin. I've heard some stories of people breaking boards over karateka performing Sanchin "full force", without them breaking their stride. Has anybody else heard of these stories? How valid do you think they are?

okie, thanks.

What's the difference? I hear a lot of talk of JJ and BJJ, and a large amount of BJJ practitioners seem to think it's superior....so, what are the major differences between the two? I might be looking to study one of them in the future, and I'm just curious which would be better for me. Thanks in advance.

Thanks.....that's what I've been kinda figuring out.....prolly best to wait until blackbelt to start something new. I guess by then, your skills will be at a level, whereas you won't be too confused and mixing things up. Again, thanks for your opinions.

How long should you train in a style before starting to learn something else.....I'm currently a Roku-Kyu learning Isshinryu, which I love, but I've been thinking about adding a little JJ for ground work.....Am I rushing it? I don't want to stop learning Isshinryu and start something else, I'd like to learn them both in tandem if possible. Thanks.

I just started learning Wansu yesterday...I think this one definitly shows some promise. Anybody have any opinions about this particular kata?