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Congratulations. Keep up the great work.

Good point, and I hope most people would share your sentiment. But I have met people who thought some of their stuff was appropriate for the street.

Is it demonstrated in any kata? It just doesn't seem to make sense the way I'm picturing it.

I'm not sure I've ever seen a "side punch." Does anyone have a picture? It sounds like you start like a lunge punch but turn all the way into a horse stance and punch sideways? What's its purpose?

This article is very good and well written. In Japan, you'd be made fun of for wearing dirty clothes. http://www.24fightingchickens.com/2005/09/09/urban-legends-of-karate-belts/

Shotokan/Daito Ryu - Plain black belt, no stripes or anything. Regardless of degree. Chuan Fa- Plain black sash for bb, white fringe added for 1st degree, green fringe added for 2nd, brown fringe added for 3rd. All fringe removed and red fringe only is worn for 4th and above. BJJ- Black belt with a red bar. 2 stripes are worn on it (one at either end of the bar) if you are an instructor. After that one stripe is added for each degree. *I am not a BJJ Black belt, just know the system used by Pedro Sauer/ Gracie Jiujitsu*

I wouldn't be surprised if some of what we see and do today with bunkai is "legitimate." By legitimate I mean that it's what the creator of that kata was thinking when they made it. However, so much time has passed since they were created and the type of violence we deal with now is vastly different. I believe that much of what we see and do is probably not what the original intent was. I don't think that's a bad thing. A martial art that does not evolve is virtually useless (self defense wise). I'm still shocked at how many schools do not practice bunkai in any way. It's hard for me to understand why they teach kata if they do not teach what kata is. That seems like a waste of time. I understand where you're coming from here. I've seen, and have myself, gotten a little carried away while playing around with bunkai. There have been times that my training partner and I had to take a step back and say, "that looked really cool...but it was also totally ridiculous." When I teach bunkai I attempt to make each movement a complete defense. Kind of like lego blocks. Each step should be interchangable with any point of any other kata. If it's not, it's too complicated. For example: Gedan Barrai (low defend) could be a block. It could also be a hammer fist to the groin. The prepatory motion could be an inside block or perry with a strike. Those can all flow easily into another technique with minimal necessary reactions by the attacker. They all leave you prepared for another strike and so on. So I accept all three as credible. There are others, but I'm using my abridged version. This is how I attempt to keep from getting into the realm that cross pointed out.

Once you get into the schedule, you may want to think about taking one or two days off per week. Remember, your body gets stronger and grows during rest. You'd probably want to vary those days off so as not to significantly hinder your progress in any one art. You know, maybe week 1 you take off Monday and Thursday. Week 2 you take off Tuesday only. Week three your off Sunday ... You get the idea. Good luck.

I wish I could tell you that age doesn't matter. But it does. It's a rare person that is able to keep that great technique late into life. It should always be the goal of course, but it's not possible for everyone. Think of all the great martial artists this happens to. I can think of 50 or 60 great older martial artists. But, unfortunately, I can think fifty times that amount who aren't able to perform the same as when they were in their twenties, thirties and fourties. It looks to be a relatively recent video. Since he died in 94, it's not a stretch to think he may not have been in the best health at the time also. Also, although they are great kickers, I don't think kicking was Oyama's mainstay. He was a puncher wasn't he? In the end, does it really matter? His great contribution was the contribution he made to the martial arts. His technique, good bad or indifferent, is forever committed back to the earth. But his influence will last far beyond most of us. That's what really matters.

Thanks. I had to think a while about how to word it properly.

Ding ding ding!!!! I think you got it right. MMA is just about fighting to win. There are alot of those guys who do it for the money and don't care about anything else. So yes! Budo/chivalry is missing in MMA as a whole. There are some good guys who add it in, but it's not a requirement of the sport.

Oh yeah!!! Welcome to the Forum!!! Where are my manners?

The uppercut is more of a boxing punch than a punch found in karate. It is extremely powerful and is considered one of the most dangerous punches to both throw and be hit with. If done properly, your elbow should stay very close to your body. Try putting a pair of socks in your armpit while throwing it. If you drop the socks while throwing the punch, you're reaching out too far. It's meant to be thrown at an attacker at very close range. Step 1: Assume a left side forward stance. The legs should be flexed but relaxed. Step 2: Begin by lowering your level keeping both fists at the level of the chin. You should lower your level by bending your legs, not bending your back. Step 3: Begin to rotate your right (rear) hip forward and slightly extend your right hand. Your wrist should turn so the back of your hand faces the opponent. Remember, don't reach for the target. As you begin your rotation you also begin to raise your level again. Step 4: Aim for either the solar plexus or the chin of the opponent. The arm should remain at a very acute (less than 90 degree) angle the whole time and the elbow should remain very close to the body (Remember the socks). The power of the punch comes from the legs, not swinging the arm. Actually, all the arm does is go along for the ride. Important point* While throwing an uppercut your face is wide open to the hook! Remember to bring your fist back to your chin immediately after throwing the technique. Hope this helps. Here's a good tutorial from a Muay Thai school on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhDZ89FNqmA Personally, I think it shows a little too much reaching, but it gives you an idea to work with. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfaO_RQC_F8 This one is a good look at what your legs should do. His arm is a little too far from the body though and his wrist dosen't turn. Hope this helps. Train safely and with the proper gear.

I chose other. Because I think it's good to wear a large variety of clothes. In the training hall I wear my gi, when we train outside I dress appropriate to the weather and wear shoes/boots, plus we have no-gi days where you wear shorts and a t-shirt.

Like alot of you have mentioned, I was too young to know the difference when I started. I was 6 and the Karate Kid was the hot thing. My mom took me to a TKD school and I trained there until I was 9. When we moved to Ohio we found a Chuan Fa school and I have trained with Master McGinnis ever since (although now he only teaches his higher ranking students and no longer runs a school). Fast forward 10 years and I joined the Army Reserves. Upon returning from Basic and AIT I decided I wanted to learn a hard style as well and chose Shotokan because I liked the school, they were discounting my rates because I was a black belt already, and they had an early morning class at the time. That school gave me connections to my Aiki Jujitsu and sogo bujitsu training as well. I trained there from 99 until 06, when some unfortunate turn of events caused me to leave the school. Through my Aiki Jujitsu training I had met someone who was training in BJJ. We messed around and I found I loved it. I've been training with them since I returned from my Iraq deployment in 04.

This will probably be easier to find throughout the country as well! TKD is huge!

I worked it a little after reading it. I like it. I'll definitely be adding it in somewhere. When I first start teaching it, I will probably just have people go very slow with it because the movement toward the knee is so short. I like how much room to drive through the attacker's knee it gives you. Good technique! The simiar one we used in Chuan Fa came from the crane series of fighting techniques (Instead of one-steps/ three-steps we had animal techniques). It was a kick defense. Someone throws a front kick and you move inside and catch from underneath. We then used a knee strike to the underside of the attacker's kicking knee (load) and went straight to the side kick to the support knee from there. I like yours better because it's closer and I think the clinch will give much better balance.

Not sure about the knockdown tourneys. You may want to ask on the karate section too. There's some Kyukoshin guys there. There are, however, some continuous sparring divisions in the PKC. I don't necessarily like them too much, it usually just looks kinda sloppy! But there it is. Here's the PKC website. Click on the events tab for a list of their tournaments. You may want to call ahead to make sure they have the divisions you're looking for. Also, they are primarily located from Indiana, Ohio and New York. http://pkcheadquarters.org/ Hope it helps.

That's a great way to use it Nin Tai! We had a very similar use for it in Chuan Fa! It wasn't from the clinch, but I think I like that idea even better! Thanks for sharing.

Sad to say, if you want the washboard abs you need to lose the fat. That will probably mean getting skinnier.

Yikes!! That's pretty low! While that may not be uncommon among gymnasts, it's still not suggested. Even teenagers need fat. I wouldn't suggest dropping much below 8% for males and 10% for females. It may sound high, but those are very low percentages. Below that and most females begin to experience a cessation of their menstral cycles which isn't a good thing. Who told you 4 or 5? I'm a trained exercise physiologist and have never heard those to be HEALTHY numbers. People do it, but it's not healthy.

I read an article about it in Men's Health magazine last month. It was a sick and sadistic workout regemin they endured. I wish I had the equipment to try some of it:)

Well put! The best way to loose weight is to limit your energy intake (eat less) to nutrient rich, low fat sources and to increase your physical activity anywhere possible. On top of that you put a good workout plan together and you will do just fine. The difficult part is sticking to the plan and maintaining the results once you've reached them. This is because many people loose their 10 pounds and reward themselves by eating a whole pizza! That's like an alcoholic celebrating sobriety with a beer! I know a couple people who train like this. It works for weight loss, but, as you can imagine, the strength gains aren't as quick as if they simply did a normal cardio workout one day and a strength workout the next. The ATP-PC system just doesn't have time to keep up. I tried it with my friend one day. It was among the most tedious things I've ever done. The other problem is being sure the equipment will be open if you're in a public gym. Any delay and the HR starts dropping back to resting rate pretty quickly.

There WILL always be issues to deal with. It's not my intention to downplay your concerns. I suspect that if you just make the commitment, you will not regret it. Of course you need to stay within your means. Be sure you can afford the school you choose. I guess I'm saying that this is something that could potentially benifit you for the rest of your life. It should be taken every bit as seriously as the contacts you need. IMO!