ps1

That's because "belt levels" didn't exist then.

Until he died two years ago, my Shotokan instructor had been a black belt longer than I was alive. Don't worry, I remember the time when I could say I had only trained one day.

I wish I could tell you that this goes away. I've been studying for nearly 22 years now. I don't announce it to anyone, but people inevitably find out sooner or later. I was recently working in a children's hospital and my colleague was telling all the kids about it. The noises and everything were in full go. Sure, he was just trying to make some sick kids feel better, but it's always embarasing. I fear that's just part of the pop culture that will never go away. Of course, now everyone thinks we make sounds like Bruce Lee and are crazy MMA fighters like Tito Ortiz. It's just something to get used to.

Empi is a personal favorite of mine. I would go for it. When I tested for Shodan we were required to run either Bassai Dai or Jion. Now students have the choice of running any Dan level kata they have learned. If you're comfortable with Empi, why not do it? Have fun and run it well. Good luck.

I enjoy using a front sweep followed by reverse punch and lunge punch. I also like to time my opponents reverse punch and catch them with a counter reverse punch as they try to punch. (This one took alot of practice and finding the right angle).

Thanks for the vids. They're very good.

Long story. She's not my original instructor in TKD. The original one I had a falling out with. But she has two charter dojangs under his org. I train with her, but I would have to test under him for BB ... won't happen .... But she is such an awsome instructor, I train with her anyway. Sorry to hear about the situation. At least she doesn't hold it against you. It's good you have a place to train. Maybe one day she'll be able to promote you without causing friction.

22 years in June

I don't see why anyone would get upset about that question unless they felt there was something to hide. Seems like a reasonable enough question in a community where almost every art has a rank system.

True enough...something tells me it's probably still not enough to beat Rickson though. I'm always going to be biased here though. My instructor is a Rickson Gracie BB.

Seems like an interesting question. Of course, the only reason for slapping is to increase the amount of surface area that hits the ground at once. It also makes you less likely to "reach" for the ground. This decreases the potential injury caused by hitting the ground with a small point of the body. As someone else pointed out, however, the liklihood of being thrown in such a way that you need to "slap off" with both arms is slim. That would mean they are throwing you directly to your back. Usually, a person is falling to their side and the "slap" just amounts to extending the arm out from under the torso to avoid breaking the arm/ wrist/ elbow on the ground. Also, a breakfall that stops momentum completely is just painful. You really shouldn't stop all motion with it. The only exception to that would be the front breakfall, which I've never seen used other than in drills. As far as falling on rocks or cement, that hurts alot no matter what. Someone else mentioned the desire for the opponent to retain your arm and armbar you as you fall. If the opponent is good skilled enough to perform a takedown and followup with an armbar, you were probably outclassed anyway. I guess what I'm saying is that a proper breakfall should leave you in a position of defendability. Anytime you get taken down, you're in a bad position. It's more important to know how to fight properly from the ground once you get there than to worry about wether your arm slaps off or not. Personally, I'm a slapper. Just my opinions though.

I charge based on the level of commitment I feel I have from the student. This may sound odd, but it discourages people from wasting my time. I have some guys that I teach for free as often as they want to train. I've known them for a long time and I know their level of commitment to MA is high. So I don't feel I'm wasting my time training them. A couple of parents, however, dragged their 8 year old boy in to me a few years back. I suggested they put him in a normal group class ($35/ month) and they flat out refused. They felt he was too good for that or something I guess. I charged them $75 per lesson. The kid hated the lessons (afterall, he's a little kid that would rather be around other little kids). They forced him to come for 3 months, twice a week. He never put in any kind of effort at home and after three months of private lessons was not able to test for his first rank. Finally, they put him in the regular class as I suggested. Within one month he tested and passed his orange belt test and was doing much better. His parents wasted alot of money. I believe they pulled him out a few months later to try gymnastics anyway. Point is, if I feel the person is sincere and wants to learn, I don't charge alot. However, your time is valuable and you should not just give lessons away to strangers. I say between 35 and 80 dollars a lesson is reasonable, depending on your experience, skill and education.

I agree that it's usually a good idea to wait until you earn at least your first degree black belt before cross training. That's usually enough time to get good at the basics ( between 3 and 5 years) of the system. After that, of those you listed, Judo would compliment very well. It's almost entirely grappling (throwing and takedowns mostly). You could effectivley utilize your goju training to strike as a method of off balancing your opponent and then use the judo skills to take them down effectively. If you're just looking to learn and understand several styles, it wouldn't really matter what you trained in afterward. You would just have to be able to keep the different systems straight in your head. I guess it just depends on your goals.

If your instructor says you should test, then why haven't you tested?

Buy a belt??? Are we changing the name to McKarateforums.com??

If given the option, I would use my palm. But I've done both as they were required.

I agree. I'm a huge proponent of handing out curriculum guidelines. Even if they aren't strict guidelines (like in BJJ) it gives the student some idea of what it is they're working toward. I've also kept training journals since I started training. It was mandatory in the school I started in so I always just kept doing it everywhere else. It's fun to look back and find some things I had forgotten. Every once in a while I would look back, see an old drill, then take it into class and just blow everyone away. It keeps the classes fresh and, as James Bullock mentioned, improves retention.

As an instructor of self defense in a credited state university I agree 100% with how self defense needs to be practiced. However, that should be the goal. Remember, you need to crawl then walk then run. I begin by teaching different concepts (not necessarily a specific technique for a specific situation) in a step by step manner. By the end of the 15 week semester they are executing techniques pretty effectively. I also make sure that the final practical exam is against attackers my students have never met. I have them dress in masks and I turn the lights off and re-arrange the room to create obstacles. The attackers yell and scream (because it's a state university there's certain things they can't say). Each student is assigned a 15 minute time block. They know from the moment they enter the room to the moment they exit, they can be attacked at any time. They usually fare pretty well. I've never had someone perform absolutely perfect technique every time, but they don't freeze and they defend themselves well.

Any significance that existed during the feudal age of Japan is gone. Afterall, no one wears a sword anymore. But in the training I've had in kenjutsu, easy access to the sword was the reason for dropping to the left knee first. I suppose Paradox is correct in that it's all symbolism now.

Here's where I orderd mine from. Sakura is a good company. I don't know if they ship to where you are. But it's worth a try. http://www.sakuramartialarts.com/product_p/bel-0502-a1.htm

Have you tried E-Bay? Do the taxes still work the same if you do it that way?

I'm not really sure how to respond to the post. I think it's a good topic, it just makes me feel like I'm bragging a little. Of course, everthing is based on my experiences with other martial artists and situations. As a little background, I've trained for 21 years. The martial arts I have studied intensely include Poekoelan Tjimindi Teii (3rd degree), Shotokan(3rd degree), Daito Ryu Aiki Jujitsu(2nd degree), Kobudo(2nd degree), and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (testing for purple in November). To a lesser degree I've trained in Boxing and TKD as well. I did a lot of competitions a while back and still compete in the occasional grappling tournament when I feel up to it. I do teach a credited self defense course at the local state university and am an assistant instructor at the BJJ academy. I broke the skills up into the following categories: Kata/ Forms: Above average skill (Awarded grand champion at several tourneys, strong understanding of technical analysis and bunkai) Sparring (competition): Average (Always fared well at tourneys, never the grand champ though) Self Defense: Well above average (Based on technical skill, understanding of local laws, situational awareness, and military training) Grappling: Average (when compared to others in BJJ/grappling), Above average if compared to non grapplers Just so I don't feel like I'm bragging too much, I've met and still work with people who can wipe the floor with me. When I compare myself to my current instructors, they kick my butt all the time. I find that working with the people who can beat me has always foced me to become that much better. I hope the day never comes that I'm the best I can find. That would make life really boring and I would probably quit training then. Overall, I guess I'm pretty good. But I'm always a day away from being good enough.

Overall the show was a cool idea with poor scientific execution.

If you don't mind me asking, how much is it gonna cost? I have the same belt and it cost me about $60. Of course I'm in the US.

It's good from a business stand point. But is there any way the orginization really knows these certifications are going to masters? It sounds like I could send in to be certified. I'm certainly not a TKD expert, but I could claim to be just to gain certification. Do they have any standards such as providing documentation of rank?