isshinryu5toforever

I think that Clemens was and is a competitor. It doesn't matter that Koby hit that in a game. I think Roger would have thrown at him at a father-son game. As far as right or wrong, that depends a lot on the at-bat itself. Was Koby crowding the plate trying to get another sweet pitch? Was he off the plate and Roger threw it in anyways? Lots of stuff, but I do think it's all part of the game. Especially when Clemens is pitching haha. As far as what I'd do. I wouldn't do anything malicious, but I think I might let them know the old man still has something in the tank. I'm 23 by the way, I have a long time before I need to worry about this haha.

There are you two answers. Don't be surprised if you get a lot of flack over the pressure point thing. If you're really interested in the principles and such behind it, study Chinese medicine. However, most of the older generation of Karate-ka will tell you, it doesn't matter if I hit a pressure point, if I hit them hard enough, they won't get back up.

Hobbies outside martial arts, well I have a few. I'm kind of a geek, and I love to study, so I've been trying to make my way through a bunch of Korean studies books in preparation for a Korean studies masters course I plan on taking. I also love sports, American football and baseball (sorry, but at this moment I HATE the Yankees Twins fan here) mostly. I'll also watch the world version of football. I, like most of you, haven't had a ton of time, but I like playing video games on the PS3. Valkyria Chronicles is the latest one. It's a really great RPG/RTS game. Very interesting concept, beautiful use of watercolors in the storytelling and animations. I'm also on facebook. If you guys want to contact me, PM me here, and I'll send you a link to my FB page.

I'm not sure either, but Isshinryu has 8 empty hand, 3 sai, 3 bo, one tuifa, and absolutely 0 nunchaku katas. So yes, 15, but none of them use particularly exotic weapons. I also took note of the bo being called the "Chinese stick." Also, I have trouble believing a 5-year-old could learn and remember Shi shi no kun or Chatan yara no sai. The other weapons katas are considerably easier, especially Hama Higa no Tuifa once you get the figure 8 motion down, but the two I just mentioned are much, much longer.

I'm sorely disappointed in the Twins. Then again, their payroll isn't much, and they drained themselves even nudging into the playoffs in the first place. Once again, "maybe next year" is the motto.

CNN put up a story about a five-year-old little girl who is now a black belt in Karate. http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SPORT/10/08/karate.black.belt.five/index.html It doesn't say what style the little girl is in, and I'm not usually one to jump into this side of the too young for black belt debate, but clearly 5-years-old is crossing a line. My main problem with the article is that it will only encourage other people to push their young children into martial arts, and then be disappointed when their youngster isn't getting a black belt by the age of 10. I'm not trying to create a big argument about "being too young to have a black belt" either. We've had plenty of those. I just thought people would be interested to read the article.

Leadups are the hardest part, because we don't want to intentionally escalate a confrontation. At the same time, we want to be ready for the confrontation. It's hard to stay relaxed. As far as being small, don't worry about it. Being comfortable in your own skin is very important, and so is technique of course. Know your strengths, your weaknesses, etc. It should make you more comfortable. I'm a small guy too. Well, I'd say more short than small. I'm a hair over 5'8".

We've studied a bit of weapon retention, but only because a lot of people who were training with us were police officers or security personnel. I think what it is is keeping the right mindset. Often times if we have the question posed to us this way, "If there one person were being choked in a two person situation, what would you do?" As martial artists, we're always trained to give the defensive response. We never think we're the person doing the choking. Same thing with weapon training. We always train as if we're the victim. We never train as if we're the one who has the weapon first. Once you think of things as if you're "the one doing the choking" it opens up a whole different world of martial arts applications.

I was going to say, keep training, keep teaching good karate and hope for the best. Sometimes the hierarchy really does get in the way of things.

It's both. You don't offer someone the opportunity to test unless they're really ready. At the same time, the person has to succeed under pressure. It's hard to choose one over the other. If forced, I would choose to promote someone who performed well over a long period of time. Many factors come into play on a one day test. The person could be sick, injured, have a bad day, etc. When it comes to testing someone over a long period of time, you can look at the way they truly grasp things, how they react to adversity, and if they can teach others (for higher ranks).

The style will survive, but extreme fractures are bound to occur. It takes someone impossibly driven and strong to keep an organization together. The same things happens to corporations when a strong leader passes on leadership to someone lesser. If that lesser person isn't strong enough, diplomatic enough to keep everyone together, there will be no unity. In the case of martial arts, that means many organizations, some independent teachers, etc. In a corporation, that can mean death.

Looking back, I'm surprised at how simple the curriculum actually is when you consider how complicated other styles are. Isshinryu Karate has a very minimal number of empty hand katas, weapon katas, and basics, but they are difficult to master (just like other styles). I'm also surprised, a little, by how much fun I'm still having after 18 years of it.

I have seen it, and it's hard to argue either way. I personally know some very physically gifted martial artists who aren't the best people. They can be a bit overwhelming, but good instructors try to curb their enthusiasm. They put them with people who can handle everything they bring to the table. This can be difficult in smaller classes, or when the person is just that much better than everyone else. From my experience, what usually happens is they stick around, mainly for the stripes once they reach black belt, and then quit when they get "bored." Or, when their ego gets deflated by someone else. It can be difficult to deal with this kind of student, because their physical skills are so undeniable, and they're usually extremely dedicated to training. Some of them even turn out to be good instructors when they are more "tame." Any instructor who wants to see if they can mold one of these students into a calmer version of their talented self, needs patience and luck.

Thank you all! I'm surprised, and happy. Thanks again!

I second the Shureido suggestion. Tokaido also makes good belts. If you're looking for a more economical choice, Pine Tree makes a very decent belt as well.

We do tend to cling to forms, exactly the way they're presented, because of tradition. I do think though, that some techniques are preserved in the forms that aren't present in the basics. Now, whether these are the most useful, or have the largest window of opportunity, that's up to debate. However, we've said here on the forums many times that techniques take practice. I'm sure there are techniques that we consider impractical, that some people make work wonderfully and nearly 100% of the time. As far as whether we should teach the forms first, and then what to do with them, I think it depends on the teacher. Some people do teach the basics, and what the basics are, and then move on to the forms. Others teach the basics, and the forms, letting students figure some things out for themselves, before telling them some of the other applications for specific techniques. I actually like this way, because it encourages self-study. If I give you everything without you asking, or without you coming to your own conclusion once in a while, why should you try hard to grasp anything on your own?

I think your analysis is correct. If you take a look at the Bubishi (the "Bible" of Karate), it has the acts of violence that can be perpetrated upon a human being, and the ways to stop them and respond. So, I'd say that it makes a lot of sense to figure out what techniques you prefer, what they are in response to, and then how to effectively link them together in a sort of "syllabus" that people can learn from. These days however, the kata definitely comes first. Because of the way the system works, you can't learn bunkai without learning kata. And for many, it takes decades of analysis before they really understand what certain techniques are. Or at least what they seem to be. This really is a good discussion topic.

I just finished a week-long trip to Japan. Prior to that, I went home to the States for two weeks, but that wasn't as exciting. I went with my girlfriend and her parents, and her parents wanted to do a lot of tours. So, we did tours of lots of religious sites, shopping districts, and even the Imperial Palace in Kyoto. We even went to a Giants game (not the San Francisco Giants). Among all the touring and running around, I made absolutely sure that we made it to the Kodokan. Gotta say, very impressive. After having been to the Kukkiwon, which wasn't that impressive, the Kodokan is a very nice, modern facility. I only got to tour the place really, but we'll be returning to Japan, and hopefully by then I'll have some Judo experience. The funniest part was that when I walked in, the guy at the desk assumed I was a black belt. He didn't think I would have come otherwise. We also made one other very important stop. I bought my girlfriend an engagement ring in Kyoto, at a very lovely store. They hand craft unique rings. It will arrive in Korea this September, and we'll probably be getting engaged in the winter!

I'd say advanced self-defense falls mainly into the two areas discussed here: overkill (many techniques), or techniques that require a prior knowledge of body mechanics or motions. Another set of techniques I've seen labeled as advanced are wrist locks and take downs when they aren't generally considered part of your art. IE in Taekwondo and karate, there are locks and take downs present in techniques, even in forms, but most people don't really get into them. Some instructors do, and they label them advanced techniques.

I think cross training once you feel like you have a very solid grasp on the basics, in such a way that training in another similar system wouldn't delay your progress or destroy the foundation you've already laid, is a perfectly good idea. This is especially true if the two arts are similar, like Goju and Shotokan. Now, if you are already taking Shotokan and want to take Judo for instance, I think it's acceptable at nearly any level as long as you can concentrate on both, and neither distracts you from the other.

You seem to speculate that age makes someone a proper black belt as well as ability. I do understand that there are many child black belts walking around out there that have no business being black belts at all. They barely know the curriculum, and couldn't defend themselves from someone their own age. There are however, in rare cases, those who are of what most people would consider black belt level at a younger age than most. Ernie Reyes Jr. comes to mind. His father did make him wait to become an official black belt, but it was plain to most that he was more than qualified at a very young age. There are high school Taekwondo athletes in Korea that are 15, 2nd or 3rd degree black belts, and winning national championships and full scholarships to universities. They are certainly not the rule, but to say that all young black belts are undeserving is very harsh in my opinion. To put quotes around someone's rank simply because of their age is a being too judgmental. We've had the discussion on what makes a black belt a few times, and it always comes down to what the instructor sees in the person. People are black belts, because the person teaching them martial arts has seen something in them, maybe improvement, maybe spirit, will, or physical prowess, that makes them deserving. That's a separate issue from judging. As far as judging is concerned, I do understand the reason they want judges to be black belt level or above. It's consistent with the tradition that seniors judge juniors, never the other way around. Also, in an association like the ISKA or USKA where tournaments cover many styles, someone who has an extremely solid foundation in the basics can judge forms from another style. They expect those judges to know what solid kicks, punches, and stances look like. I can understand your frustration at smaller tournaments, we've all seen it, but that's part of the game.

That's interesting. I don't think I've ever seen another Goju-Ryu school do that.

I don't like politics either, but it would seem that their a necessary evil. For the sake of tournaments and recognized promotions at least. I grew up doing Isshinryu Karate with an independent instructor. He's still my master instructor (and I'm his highest ranking student), but both of us are starting to realize that to have our ranks truly recognized, we may have to give in and join an association. There are so many Isshinryu associations, it's enough to drive someone crazy. They all have their own reasons, and they all claim to be more right, but that's what associations do. Unless you're going to be a big cheese some day (not necessarily by choice either), don't worry about it. Is there anyone here doesn't belong to an association? That'd be interesting to see.

http://www.oandkconcrete.com.au/assets/images/Class-3-Crushed-Bluestone-n.jpg This is what a lot of parking lots look like where I'm from. Some with smaller rock, some with larger. Sometimes they have concrete mixed in, and kind of smoothed. You won't injure your hand running it across the surface, but you may break a few toes as they get caught doing certain techniques. I have trained on it, but I can't say it was the best of times. You can definitely train on it. I just don't know that many people that would love it haha. I'm also thinking of how diverse a lot of classes are. The bankers in my classes might have a problem with that surface. The blue collar guys wouldn't think twice though.

Oh, by gravely I meant, not really asphault. It's like a mix of stone and concrete. That's a lot of what I see in these parts, and in a lot of places in the US. I should have chosen my words more carefully haha. But yeah, if you can find an asphault surface, just lightly sweep it off as long as there is no broken glass, and you've got yourself a space.