ps1

I agree that the fight was "semi" realistic in that it was between two well trained Karateka. Were this not the case (if one were a normal person) I believe the fight would have ended up on the ground. I disagree about the origional comment made about the drum. It was designed to teach proper hip movement. Thus, dodging an attack while striking. Tai Sabaki. The third and fourth movies were terrible though. Of course, when "The Badboy" kicks that girl in the stomach...I always laugh. But that's off the subject. PS1

That was some of the sweetest fight coreography I have ever seen. Jay, You're so critical. It's a movie. I'm sure the guy realizes people don't attack one at a time. I don't want to speak for him or anything. I do know an actor and he is very skilled. But he realizes what he does on stage is fake...and not practical. They're not stupid. Well...not all of them anyway.

Rent the movie "Ninja Terminators." I will say only 3 things about it. Only one death in the whole movie (so much for termination) The fight scenes are extremely long (no words can make you understand) There is not one ninja in the entire movie... In fact... it's set in China PS1

The fights were cool (really cool). Not much of a plot to speak of.

I don't bother to write Sogo bujitsu in my "style list." It was a mandatory part of my instructor training. The Sogo bujutsu course I studied focused on staff based weapons (Tanbo (hanbo), Jo, Rokushaku Bo, & Tonfa) we then moved onto Kama, Sai, and Tanto. Lastly, we began the study of Kenjutsu. The goals were to learn, not only how to utilize these classical weapons, but also to better understand the junretsu (permutations) that are necessary to train, learn, and teach classical martial arts. Viol Sensei also gave us a very strong understanding of Japanese Culture and its influence on why a classical martial artist does what he does, one of my favorite areas of study.

The reason for this post is this. I was in the school of a friend to help him out for an evening. I heard a student call him Sensei. He then scolded the student and told him he is not a Sensei, but a Shihan (as dictated by his orginization, 5th degree). Later, after class of course, I spoke with him in regards to the incident. He didn't believe me that most master instructors are quite honored and content when a student calls them Sensei.

Skeptic, Yes, you are correct, although he also has this certification in the staff weapons as well. All of my training with Viol Sensei is in the weponry arts that sorround classical bujitsu training. Everything included weapons, although he is quite adept with empty handed skills as well. Again, thank you for your input.

Sorry skeptic. I somehow missed your previous response on the first page. Again, quite thorough. If you would like to see more information on Viol Sensei's credentials, please visit the following site: http://www.seishinkan.com/seishin/sskstaff/johnviolshihan01.html The main site is https://www.seishinkan.com There is a plethora of informatin on the site, so I have given the first site as a direct means of seeing more information about Viol Sensei.

Yo Joe!!! Great reply skeptic. Very thorough. Does/did your instructor require you to call him/her anything in particular? Or did you simply choose to address him/her in a certian way or just follow suit with others who used a particular title?

Hello all, I have a question that concerns etiquette and appropriate translation. In my training, particularly that training concerning Japanese and Okinawan arts, I have learned many titles that concern instructors of differing levels. Menkyo Kaidan, Shihan, Sensei, Renshi, Shidoin, Jokyo, Hanshi, Sempei ect… Anytime I have learned of a new title I was always taught it’s proper usage and to whom each belongs. However, the title that has always shown the most honor to an instructor was always taught to be Sensei. This is because the translation is said to be somewhere in the realm of a Father figure, guide in life, or pointer of the way. I have trained with Menkyo Kaidan (an extremely high and rare teaching certification from ancient Ryu of Japan) and called him Sensei…he never brought it up as an issue (nor did his senior students). In fact, it’s often been taught to me that asking to be referred to as of those terms is quite rude. It’s like asking someone to call you “Joe the wonderful or Barbara the great.” Now that I have placed some background into my topic, here’s the question. Does your instructor ask to be called by one of these terms/ prefer you use one over the other, and why? Or…why do YOU prefer to address your instructor using one term rather than another? This question is to settle an issue with another instructor who, like myself, regards the posts in this forum very highly. While everyone’s opinion is always valuable, I would appreciate that most responses come from those who have also been training for quite some time, or speak fluent Japanese, or have an instructor who has trained in Japan for an extended period of time. Thank you, PS1

No. Only the strong was released in 1993 and the star was Mark Dacascos.

Very true Cleung. Good point

Also, I do know of people who purposely wear theirs out.

Usually the worn belts you see are made with a cotton inside, not unlike a white belt. Then the outer layer is made of black satin. Because it's satin, it wears down more quickly. The most famous company that makes them is Tokaido. They're very expensive as far as belts go. Usually around $50. I wear one because it's what I was given by my instructor when he promoted me. In turn...I give one to all of the students I promote to black. On a note of ettiquite. I do not wear my worn out belt in public (for demos or tourneys ect...). I only wear it in my school. Any other time I wear one that looks more presentable.

Wow!! This guy has a serious Napoleon complex. Large type, everything is "super secret" or the best possible. Sounds like he's trying to make up for shortcomings elsewhere. I do wish I had $200 of disposable income so I could order it and see how it looks. If there really are a set of dvds.

The best way of finding other systems to spar tends to be making friends in those systems and sparring them in a friendly environment. I have entered too many open tournaments in many states in the hopes of sparring new styles. However, what i have found is that the rules of the tournaments always confine what can and can not be done. The point is...everyone conforms and adapts their sparring style to work with the rules the tournament allows. It's the only way to win. And there are very few people who spend from $30 to $80 and don't care if they win or loose. Armor of God seems to have an excellent thing going in that area! Very cool. This is excellent advise! Work hard to get something like this set up in your area. It helps to promote good relations between schools in the area. That would bode well for you and give your school some great attention.

The American affiliate to the JJIF is the USJJF(http://www.usjujitsu.net/home.htm). The US competes in the JJIF in the World Games, Pan-Am games, and the world championships. However, it's not a very good tournament for BJJ because you are not allowed to close the guard. In addition, if your opponent has you in side control, and you get back to guard, they do not count it as an escape and simply continue to count osiakomi points. 10 seconds for 1 point and 20 seconds for 2 points. Also a tap out is just worth points... it does not end the match. It is 2, 2 minute rounds long. There is a 1 minute break in between. Unlike what you saw in the video, striking is not allowed once a grip is made. You can strike for points until someone grabs the other. At that point you must attempt to take down the opponent. Flying armbars and single leg takedowns are not allowed. In general...the take downs must be from Traditional Judo. Once you hit the mat, there really isn't much grappeling. You are not allowed to stand to pass. If this happens, the action is stopped and both competitiors go back to their feet. It is 100% a point game. Excessive contact will get you disqualified. Also, rolling back onto the neck...as in a stack pass, is illegal. It is illegal to push the head when going for an arm bar. Guillotine would be illegal due to the angle of the neck. I have competed and took second in their national tournament. However, I would describe it as a Karate and Judo tournament with some ground work. Don't get me wrong...it's fun. But you are extremely limited on the groud by the rules. All the rules and regulations are listed on the website.

One thing you can do to avoid tightening your muscles when you punch is to do several, and I mean many many many (you may want a partner to help motivate you to work hard) push ups and dips. Immediately afterward, begin practicing your punches. Your muscles will be very fatigued and will want to contract only when they must...ie: when you hit the target. Be careful though, you don't want to develop poor form when doing this. It requires a very focused mind. Concentrate on pulling the punch back faster than you put it out and be sure your movement has the proper hip mechanics. Incidentally, a good karateka (karate practitioner) also does not tense up when striking either. If you see this, you can bet they have not been training much more than 5 or so years or were not trained well.) A powerful punch must move quickly. The power of your punch is exponentially driven by it's speed with a factor of 2. Power as we utilize the term is actually just Kinetic Energy. The equation is Mass x Velocity squared. Since you can't instantly change the mass of your body, you must increase the velocity.

Thank you Nth Degree. Actually I mean any Kata/ Forms from any system of martial art. Call me a geek, but I love looking for Kata I've never seen before. I find them exciting. I even love to watch different versions of the same kata.

Yes, I agree 100%. This is why I have studied other systems as well. Wish I could show you some better quality stuff though. It really is a wonderful system. I'm particularly fond of the crane system.

Kwanmukan is a more recent hybrid system that includes elements of Karate, Aiki Jujitsu, and Kobudo. It is short for Kwanmuzendokai.The head is George Anderson Hanshi. It would be more appropriate to discuss it in the Karate forum though. Their website is https://www.kwanmukan.com Stonecrusher69: I would not venture to guess what the differances are...because I haven't studied the Maylay system. While the positions and drills look similar to some of the techniques I have practiced, they are not the same. All I can say to those who complain of some of the techniques having weaknesses... Please demonstrate a technique that does not. Thanks for the input everyone.

Wow Taz that's a great site. Does anyone have any others that demonstrate Kata of any system.

In general a "good school" is going to offer some or all of the following: 1. At LEAST one free class, many offer a week 2. The instructor does not avoid answering questions (assuming they are presented in a respectful manner and at the proper time. ie... not in the middle of class.) 3. The instructor actually teaches at least some of the classes. 4. Avoid schools that only offer long term contracts (1yr or more). 5. The class seems to have what you're looking for. 6. The instructor has credentials and can back them up. For example: If the instructor learned from "Joe Smith" and can't seem to tell you how to get ahold of Joe Smith or who Joe Smith's instructor was... it may be shakey. 7. Avoid schools that promise rank advancement at a certian pace. Advancement is a very personal thing. Don't confuse this with a general time line...ex: about 6 years to earn a black belt vs. you will earn black belt in 6 years. Many other great points were offered before this. Good luck in finding what you're looking for.

Let's assume that both of the assistant instructors are reliable and capable martial artists and teachers. I am assuming this because your chief instructor (headmaster) would not have them teach otherwise. This said, there could be a couple of reasons for discrepencies. I'll offer a few of those I have experienced. 1. It's possible that the lesson you were learning was actually a lesson for the assistants as well. For example: If the chief instructor told them to drill front kicks with the class... this could mean several things. If the assistants don't communicate with eachother very explicitly about what to do, there will be differences in what you are shown. Front snap kick, front thrust kick, front kicks from specific stances or stance transitions ect... (Remember, the lesson may not be about you.) 2. People with different body types tend to have slight differences in how they execute techniques. It's good to see and experience this variety because it will help you to learn more about your own use of various techniques. The rest of the posts have already given several other possibilites. Bottom line is don't let it get you down. As many have said before me... Ask the chief instructor for clarification on anything. And always do it with respect for your instructors in mind.

Red Dawn's right. They do sell those dummies. However, all of the ones I've seen are very pricey ($300 +). But when it comes to practicing take downs and throws, there's just nothing like a real person.