isshinryu5toforever

I like songs "Thunderstruck" and "Back in Black" by AC/DC. Drowning pool's CD is alright, and so is Linkin Park's. I actually like to meditate before I begin, and then after I end so I guess you could say that either silence or the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon soundtrack softly playing are part of my workout track as well.

all things being equal, choose the one that you have a genuine connection with. If you just think that one of them would be a great wife, mother, etc., but if that something isn't there, then don't risk it. One should also no be shallow enough to view race as a barrier. Actually, I take that back. I do know some people whose parents will not allow them to marry non-Chinese, but then you wouldn't be asking this question if that were the case, so I once again state you shouldn't be shallow enough to look into race. To 90% of the caucasian race, we all look the same anyways. lol, just kidding.

excessive lifting should be avoided, it compacts the bones. Trust me I know, i should probably be a little taller than I am right now, not a ton, but a bit.

Nope, in our school we learn seisan, seiuchin, naihanchin, wansu, chinto, kusanku, sunsu, and sanchin in our school. That is all. My sensei may have incorporated the Pinan/Heian recently, but not within the first 10 years I was there.

The Penan must be something that is in the American IsshinRyu association or something, because I never did those. Does your sensei have a student who now owns a school in Brooklyn? Because if he does I was just there tonight. I know the 8 empty hand katas, the weapons katas, etc. The Penan are something totally different though. I know that upper body exercises 11 and 12 have the 5 vertical punches. It's good that you get the concept though.

I've been lucky enough to never sustain any real injuries while doing MA. (knock on wood, no evil eye, whatever) A guy on our univeristy team got his nose broken on Saturday though. Not the worst I've seen, but the worst is a loooooong story I don't have time to type right now.

Here's something to think about as well. When you are doing continuous punching, think not about how hard you can throw a punch out there, but how fast you can pull your other hand back to your hip. Your two hands should essentially work like a pully system, when one goes out the other comes in. If you think of it this way, you will be able to increase your speed, because you will begin using your hips in proper motion. It's a lot easier to show than to tell, but hopefully you get the drift.

I was just at an open WTF tournament last night (January 29th). I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed in the way the tournament was run and the demeanor of some of the people. After going to traditional Karate tournaments, I am used to a certain level of respect and discipline being maintained by all those around you. Last night I saw kids running rampant, competitors arguing with judges all over the place, blatant disrespect on the part of both competitors and spectators, and a general lack of control by a lot of athletes. I can't say I've really been a big fan of coaching during the action. In between rounds I like, but during the match I don't. I am of course new to TKD, but I am not new to martial arts. I have been doing Isshin-Ryu Karate since I was 5 and I just turned 19. In the many Karate tournaments I went to, none of these things happened. Last night we had a black belt protest a referee's call by laying down in the middle of the ring and refusing to move. There were water bottles left, everywhere. Spills weren't cleaned up, garbage was thrown all over the place. I've seen black belts stop people and make them pick up garbage at Karate tournaments. After this rant, I suppose my question is, are we allowing the martial arts to be taken over by too much of a sport atmosphere. The cussing, disrespect, and lack of emotional control are things that happen at hockey games, not martial arts competitions. On a side note, I also saw far too many 7-year-old third degree black belts.

Isshin-Ryu's katas come from both Shorin-Ryu and Goju-Ryu. Shotokan came from the Funakoshi family of you gussed it Okinawa. Shuri, Okinawa to be exact. Shotakan is a combination of the Okinawan arts, much like Isshin-ryu. Goju-Ryu Karate was developed from Naha-Te and is closest to Chinese martial arts. Shorin-Ryu came from Tomeri-Te and Shuri-Te.

I liked House of Flying Daggers, but not quite as much as Hero. That movie you are talking about is Ang Bak. It is a cool movie. They prove that the Chinese aren't the only ones that can make a good martial arts flick.

The punch comes from the hips more than from the shoulder. The more and more punches you throw, the more you'll figure this out. Experience is the only way to get better. I probably threw tens of thousands upon tens of thousands of punches on my way to becoming a black belt. The Isshin-Ryu punch is very fast, powerful, and penetrating once it is done right. You just need to throw more punches, and get a feel for the mechanics of it.

You're welcome, but you must thank yourself as well, because only you can come to such a decision. Nice work.

Oh, you actually have a few close to you. There is a Tae Kwon Do school in Cumberland unfortunately I don't have the contact info for him. There is also Brown's Karate Academy in Turtle Lake. I know that is about what 20 miles, but it is quality martial arts instruction. The man's name is Tony Brown, he is a 6th dan black belt. He is very good at adjusting his style to different people. He teaches Isshin-Ryu Karate. He also mixes in good applications in self-defense all the way from beginner on up. Other than that I am pretty sure there is a school in Rice Lake. You are in an awkward position in Barronett. I live in Siren though, and when I am home I drive down to Turtle Lake twice a week. That's 50 miles one way. If you want sensei Brown's contact information send me an e-mail at wiaznatnyu@hotmail.com and I will send you his info.

lifting heavy weights is less important than being able to life your body weight up and down many many times. Do pushups, many of them. Start by doing a preset number at ik-kyu in our dojo 100 would be a good place to start. I don't know about yours. I don't even know what your test involves. The puhsup portion of the test was where our sensei tested to see how badly we wanted it, this came at the beginning of the test so it made sense. Pushups with a clap at the top, you know what I'm talking about, help build explosiveness. As far as running, 2.5-3 miles a day 5 days a week is good. You don't really need to build up to 5 miles or more. I really wouldn't be concerned with lifting. Especially if you put yourself on a running program, because then you are getting better leg strength and better endurance. You have so much time to prepare. Take it. Don't try to look for results in the first month, or so, just go at a steady pace. You said yourself you have until October, that is at least a full 8 months. You may as well start now instead of July. Let's put it to you this way, the day after Steven Lopez won the Olympic gold medal at welter/middleweight, he was out training for the next one.

after looking around I ordered a gi from Satori. It should be here in a couple of weeks.

what part of northwest are you from? I am from Siren just 40 minutes south of Superior. I know plenty of guys up in that area. Yay! someone from relatively close to where I live. Just tell me where you're from and I can try to hook you up. E-mail me or PM me, or just keep posting any one is fine. You came to the right forum my friend.

I am considering buying a new heavyweight gi. A little background here is that I was training with my sensei untile I was about 13 then he moved, and I continued practice on my own. Now, I have the opportunity to train with him and actually other instructors again so I need new uniforms since I am now 18. I bought a heavyweight Century gi in size 5 and I had to hem up the pants a huge amount. I have a bit of a problem because I am around 5'7 1/2", however I have a 42" chest, broad shoulders, etc. I also have a 32" waist, but rather large quads (26" around) and calves (18.5" around) with only a 35-36" outer pant measurement. As you can see this is a problem, size four pants fit correctly lengthwise, but are a little tight. Size five pants are roomy enough, but are a bit long. I think my problem is wearing Century gi's. I was looking into a size 4 1/2 in Pro Force or Pine Tree since they actually offer half sizes. I was also thinking of getting a traditional cut Satori Gi in size 4 1/2 or 5. The Satori gi would come in the form of a gift from my parents since my birthday is tomorrow. Anyone that has experience with Satori gi's is welcome to help me out. Any comments on IronMan Gi's or the like is welcome as well. I know that I want a heavyweight gi 12oz-15oz. Thank you for your help.

they are rather different from eachother, but most Isshin-Ryu Karate schools should recognize your rank. The requirements are pretty similar for most schools that I have been to.

It just takes experience. With the big guys though, sometimes it takes a few shots for them to realize that they can't just charge in. You might have to hit one of them hard a couple times to send the message that they need to gain a little control.

they are simply catering to the market they are in. A lazy populace that wants results immediately. Who here has seen the commercial for some thing, where the guy steps on the scale sees his weight, run around the room once, and then goes back and is shocked when he doesn't lose weight. There are the people that they are dealing this crap to. The same people that use bowflexes for coat racks and throw ab-doers into the closet. If they want to eat this crap up too, why not let them?

If you want to gain muscle in your chest and triceps you could supplement in benchpress once in a while and do a 10-8-6-4-2 pyramid. You might want to try to get in squash or tennis once a week as well because that will help your explosiveness. Plyometric excercises will help your explosive power as well.

I beat Wayne Dalglish in open hand forms, he beat me in weapons, at a tournament in Maplewood and then a month later I beat him in weapons forms and he beat me at open hand forms at a tournament in Minneapolis. Too bad I never did the Diamond Nationals.

I haven't competed in 4 or 5 years, but when I was competing on a constitant basis I used Chinto, Kusanku, and Sunsu often. Probably Chinto most often. I also used Urashi Bo quite often in weapons competition. Actually two of the more exciting moments in my life happened using Kusanku and Urashi Bo. In a smaller tournament in Maplewood Minnesota I think, I beat Wayne Dalglish in empty hand forms using Kusanku. Then a month later I beat him in weapons forms using Urashi Bo. This was a very long time ago I was 13 he was 10. The weapons forms win actually came shortly before he won his third? ISKA weapons title. When I get really old I'll be able to tell my kids I actually beat someone whose won multiple national and international titles.

Century, Pro Force, Adidas, and Pine Tree all make uniforms. Century would probably be your best bet though. Why don't you just get a heavyweight gi and roll up the sleeves they seem to stay pretty well during practice. Just a thought, in case you figure out that you actually like the traditional feel and look of a normal gi.

I would say yes, because death is a part of life. You can't be affraid of death. The only reason you should be affraid is if you answer no to the question, "Have you lived well?"