isshinryu5toforever

The Romans used a version of the spear that was used as an infantry weapon, but was also thrown into the enemy line before engagement with short swords. This spear was not extremely long as to facilitate throwing. The Naginita was not generally thrown and is fairly heavy. Spears have been used in many warrior cultures with great success. The Scottish schiltron comes to mind. When you say the best weapon is the sword, which kind? A discussion on that question alone could last forever. A fencer will tell you that a true rapier is superior to the katana due to range and quickness, yet a skilled iaido practitioner would probably have something to say about that. Then you have the medieval broadsword, the Greek and Roman short swords, Chinese jian, etc. Also with a sword it depends on which style you use. There are different schools of iaido. There are even differences between whether the swordsman is from Okinawa or Japan. The Japanese go straight forward all the time, while the Okinawans hold more of a neutral stance. Then there is Korean Juk-Do, in which the practitioner has the majority of the weight on the back leg. This would denote a more defensive positioning. I don't think there is a best weapon, each weapon has it's advantages and disadvantages and someone who is truly great with a certain weapon will be able to overcome a lot of the disadvantages of said weapon. A skilled swordsman can defeat someone with a long spear, someone skilled with a staff or sai has a chance of defeating someone with a sword. I suppose if we were talking about simple range and takedown power we'd be talking about guns and bows. If we exempt guns, an English Yew longbow or a Mongolian composite bow would be the best weapons. The longbow has the advantage of range (records of men shooting from 500 yards away) and power (during a seige a bowman shot someone through a 4 inch thick oak door). However, the composite bow can be shot from more positions, coverages, and from horseback. So, as stated before due to the vast differences amongst weapons, I don't believe there can be a best weapon.

The dragon also represents Tatsu Shimabuku as his nickname was "Dragon Boy." The three stars can also represent a unity of mind, body, and spirit. The shape and position of the patch also represent the verticle fist unique to Isshin-Ryu. This is only what I was told at the beginning of my training, but it was a very complete and very good article. Good work.

I wouldn't say that fans are Female weapons. I think the old idea of a woman sitting outside with an umbrela and a fan in the deep south is probably what created this. Fans were carried by many people in east asia however, and I would think that a martial artist would use anything that he or she would be carrying even if that happened to be a fan.

There is some evidence that a man like Bodhidharma existed, however whether that was his name or not is up to debate. It would seem a lot of the stories about him are legend.

Most of the time what you need to know to advance in rank is told to you directly or indirectly. In my dojo we now pass out a pamphlet for beginners, when I began they did not. You were required to figure out everything on your own. We were given written tests as well as physical tests though. As far as that, treat it as you would any other test. Relax, rest a bit before, and since it's physical, don't consume anything that doesn't agree wth you before hand. Other than that, as far as I know, there aren't any big secrets that one needs to know prior to testing.

If you are working with sticks, you can attempt different lock variations based off a downward or sideways strike by an attacker. I know that I have worked with people and done a technique where you each have an escrima stick and one attacks either overhand or sideways. You intercept with blow with your own stick and slide into different locks using the stick. I'm sure you can visualize this it's a bit difficult to describe. During some of the locks you hope the person holds onto their stick, if they don't it makes you think fast in an attempt to procure a different hold, etc. It can get quite interesting trying to think on the fly and create different locks you may or may not have known were there before.

I didn't know we were talking firearms, bows, etc. as well, or else my list would go on and on and on.

I see the bill paying point, I know the financial woes a dojo can go through. However, a person who earns a mcbelt doesn't have the tools they think they do. Point in case, I fought someone who had earned a black belt at one such school. I beat them hands down by 5 point spread in 35 seconds. It wasn't because I am a good point fighter. I really am not. It was because they were full of fear, doubt, and lacked depth in their knowledge. I was in the same forms competition with them, and they had shaky stances and somewhat awkward technique. I'm not trying to be overly critical, as you could examine my own katas and find numerous problems I'm sure. I was just going to write it off to a bad day, we all have them, until I saw them at another tournament a few months later and the same things happened. Just because someone shows up and pays the rent, doesn't mean they are worthy of earning a belt. They should be able to perform the minimum requirements for that belt test. In our school that includes a written exam that gets progressively longer as the belt rank gets higher. We have had people perform fantastically physically, great kata, pushups and situps are no problem, etc. Yet, they failed the written portion by half a point, and were not allowed to go up in rank. I think with a good teacher, those that do not advance will stick with the art and learn from what they did wrong. Subsequently, their next belt test will go better. I don't believe in giving someone a rank they do not deserve.

I'm 5'8" 180 lbs, I voted athletic, because I have 7 % body fat. I am also still fairly flexible I can do the splits both ways, and have no problem with quickness.

Start with like 5 pushups. Do one set of five in the morning and one in the evening. Do that for a week or two. Then, when you feel a little more comfortable, move up to doing ten in the morning and ten in the evening. The next week do 15 in the morning and 15 in the evening, etc., etc. You just need to push yourself a little bit. If you're concerned about leg strength, stand in horse stance for 1 minute a day, watching a commercial or something. If you can do that easily, then move up the time, but if you can't stick with that for a week. Then go up in time by 30 seconds. Keep increasing by 30 seconds a week, until you feel good with where you are.

Segal has dropped off the map other than his Mountain Dew commercial. Don "the dragon" Wilson comes to mind. Definitely Cynthia Rothrock. I don't think people give Jet Li the credit he deserves. Sure he trained in Wushu, but he learned the internal and external forms of the martial arts to a depth that most of us will probably never reach. Philip Rhee and Simon Rhee come to mind as well.

oh the worst excercise we have ever done in our dojo was stand in seiuchin dachi for about 40 minutes while he walked around with a shinai and hit you in the legs if you came up an inch.

we do train tracks sometimes. That's where everyone lays down on their back, with their legs six inches off the ground, their arms streched over their heads, and then the person at the beginning runs accross everyone's stomach, then the next person goes, and the next, etc, etc. That continues until you reach the end of the gym, then you turn around and go the other way. You can go up and down the gym two or three times doing this.

we do train tracks sometimes. That's where everyone lays down on their back, with their legs six inches off the ground, their arms streched over their heads, and then the person at the beginning runs accross everyone's stomach, then the next person goes, and the next, etc, etc. That continues until you reach the end of the gym, then you turn around and go the other way. You can go up and down the gym two or three times doing this.

It depends on the child. I helped teach a kids' class this winter when I was home on break. There were kids that were 11 and couldn't stand still. There were kids who were 7 or so and could stand perfectly quietly and listen and observe. I personally began when I was 5. I don't remember what I was like as a child besides a quick learner, because I remember testing for my yellow belt after 2 months of training. Like I said, it all depends on the child.

You may want to try a style of traditional Karate, Tang Soo Do, or Tae Kwon Do. They require strength and conditioning moreso than finesse a lot of times. I know that Karate schools incorporate weapons like bo and sai, I don't know if many TKD schools do. I have strong legs as well (weigh 180, 500 lb squat (3 years ago), 800 lb box squat (last year). I do Isshin-Ryu Karate, but my school is into the traditional style of training. Lots of conditioning (Shinai used frequently), lots of discipline (sensei stick, if anyone knows what this is I commend you.) It's going to be up to your personal preference. In traditional schools you won't learn to do fancy jumps and spins. It's all up to personal preference. The only way for you to know is experiment a little. Find a school you think you'll like, try it for a few months. If you can't stand it, look for other schools. Check around, look at enrollments, instructors, etc. You're a smart kid I'm sure you'll figure it out.

I would guess Sensei Nabe Matsumura's school. He learned from Sokon (Bushi) Matsumura. The Matsumura school of Shorin-Ryu Karate is the closest to the original form of Shorin-Ryu (began Naha-Te then Shuri-Te, finally Shorin-Ryu). Hope this helps. I'm not in Shorin-Ryu, I just know a little history of Okinowan Karate. Master Shimabuku derived Isshin-Ryu Karate from Shorin-Ryu and Goju-Ryu.

I have two pairs of sai, two bo, a katana, a bokken, nunchuku, Tonfa, and escrima sticks.

Depending on the learning curve of the student it takes approximately 4 years to reach ikkyu. After that it is up to sensei to give the go ahead for your black belt. You have a mandatory year waiting period after reaching ikkyu. After that year, it can be any time.

I should probably post my reason for beginning since that was the question posed. I wanted to do some sort of activity. There weren't a lot of sports for kids my age, and boy scouts were kind of a sham in this area (small midwest town). So, I asked my parents if I could take karate. I was reading the paper with my father one day, and stumbled across an ad for a dojo a town over. When my parents were together, I asked if I could take lessons, and they agreed.

to answer wingedsoldier's question, different points require different strikes. Some points require more of a rubbing motion, some a hard strike, others more of a quick, decisive, snap. It depends on the point. Some would argue that the severity of the effects rely on the time of the day. That is another discussion however.

I began Isshin-Ryu Karate when I was about 5 or 6. It was the only form of martial art available in my area. I have always been a very quick learner, and, from what I've been told, showed a great deal of maturity for my age. I was able to pay attention and stay quiet, which is more than I see out of a lot of children in the dojo today. I was a quick learner of both the physical aspects, and the mental. I was able to test for my yellow belt within the first two months, and I never looked back from there. I am very pleased with my instructor, he has been my sensei since I was 7. He has taught me some aikido along the way. Now, being 18, I can definitely say the journey has been worth it.

I would ask someone who has experience with katana at tournaments. I know that many companies produce Iaito swords which are not sharp, and used for practice and competition. That is all however, they are not full contact blades. I know that Bugei makes Iaito katana beginning at $480. Other than that you'll have to do some looking. Go with a full length katana, the length of the blade however will be determined by the style of iaito or ia-jutsu you study and by your own height. The best thing to do is ask your instructor.

I like Chinto for the speed and balance necessary. It was also a kata I used in competition with pretty good success. I like Sanchin for the focus it takes to perform it properly while being tested. I also like Sunsu, because it is the only kata that Master Shimabuku created.

it might be kind of interesting to just toss everyone in to a mix like that haha