ps1

Thanks for the good article.

These are for the arts I study/ have studied: TKD: white, yellow, blue, purple, green, brown, red, red-black, black Chuan Fa (Kung Fu), sashes: white, green, brown, black Shotokan: white, orange, yellow, blue, green, purple, brown, black Aiki Jujitsu: white, brown, black Kobudo: white, blue, green, purple, brown, black BJJ: white, blue, purple, brown black Of course each has degrees of black belt. But that did not represent a change in color of the belt.

We had an ongoing inside joke about guys who came in. If we didn't think they were ever coming back we'd always say, "see you on Monday!" Cause that's what they'd tell us anyway. Same would go when you run into guys that trained for a while and just stopped coming. You'd see them on the street and they would always say they had figured things out and they were coming back "next Monday!" Has anyone else noticed this phenom?

I've studied various martial arts for almost 22 years. I started when I was very young and I tried to master kung fu until I was about 19. Then I ran into a master who taught me that no martial art could be mastered. Martial arts, like paint brushes and hammers, are just tools. They are external and, as such, are subject to flaw, breaking and weathering. I've learned to, instead, try to master myself. The tool I use to do so is martial arts. But, in time, my skill will fade the same as others before me. Bottom line, it's a toy! Nothing more. Patrick made a great point! By your logic we shouldn't sell police, fire fighter, soldier, rock star, and sports star toys. Or anything that mimicks a profession or way that takes long and dedicated practice. Let children dream. Let them pretend to be Jet Li or Jackie Chan. I remember pretending to be Ralph Machio (makes me feel old). I'm sure you pretended once or twice.

I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD DISHONOR HIM BY PUTTING HIM IN YOUR LIVING ROOM!!! Just kidding, I couldn't help myself. It's just a picture. You can hang it above your toilet if it makes you feel better. Might seem a little creepy though.

Learning martial arts is a journey that takes a lifetime. The instructor will probably warm up to you in time. He/she is probably tired of seeing so many people come in and fill them with a load of crud (any instructor will tell you all about this) about what they are looking for or how great this style is and how they will "be in on Monday!" Bottom line is...if you think the school is better then go there. Work hard and show up to classes and you will find the respect of the instructor.

Eventually you'll learn which style or styles you are learning. Good luck and welcome to the forum.

I found it entertaining. Sure, there were alot of flaws in techniques and the guy without the shirt was just annoying. But it did display the martial arts in a positive manner. Everything they did made the engineers say "wow!" The bo and katana stuff was too flashy for sure. But the kyudo and iaido demos were great. It had good balance. Afterall, if they made it to truly satisfy science geeks like me the rest of the public would fall asleep. Good science doesn't usually equal out to interesting television. That's why shows like CSI are so popular. Fake or inflated science is much more interesting.

In the org I was under for Shotokan you had to wait 2 years after shodan to test for nidan, three years to test for san dan, four to test for yon dan and 5 to test for godan. Additionally, they wanted each person to be at least 35 to earn godan. But mathmatically, you could be thirty if you earned shodan at 16 (the earliest it can be earned).

A close friend of mine is flat footed. He was able to perform every stance and technique. In Shotokan we kick with the ball of the foot and he had no problems with it. Are you having problems with any specific stances? As far as the kick, if you can't do it talk to your instructor about possible substitutions or options.

Generally, the thicker the clothing the more likely a gi technique is to work. Jeans are very similar to gi pants. Tee shirts not so much. Some sweat shirts are great to choke with and jackets are beautiful. But from the mount, your attacks to the collar become punches and elbows instead. This will give the same effect of having the opponent expose their arms to attack. And, of course, cause some damage. Still, your most effective techniqes tend to be universally applicable. Rear Naked Choke, Knee in the belly sweep series, arm bars and so on. Hope that's helpful.

P.A.L is right. It's a way to give the student (especially young ones) a sense of accomplishment and progression. As far as being a "recognized" rank, that's not really too important. As many have mentioned, different schools have different standards. Most schools don't recognize rank that are not from within their own doors or their organization. If I went to another system or organization my rank would not be recognized without testing either. And I've been studying for 21 years. In the end, if you child is having fun and learning, you're probably ok. At that age the training isn't for self defense as much as discipline, physical fitness, and fun. If the you have other inhibitions about the school you should explore them, but the rank thing isn't a big deal.

So was Randy Courture. He was still competitive. So is Rickson Gracie for that matter. Anyone here want to go against him?

Once again, while choke holds are among the most effective techniques in the arsenal, they tend to be disallowed in the law enforcement arena.

welcome

While I agree with you on the effectiveness of these techniques. I think you'll find that the types of techniques guards are allowed to apply to inmates won't usually allow for things like chokes, slamming heads and many throws that cause the inmate's feet to leave the ground. I know several guards in different states...they are at a huge disadvantage. Your best defense is going to be numbers. Always try to have at least a three or four to one ratio. Learning to hide the techniques is extremely important, as E&K already mentioned. Your fellow guards should be able to give you alot of advice.

well done

Amen to that!!

I've seen this in some orgs...I have to admit that I never did need to shell out one dime for any rank test and the belts were always included.

Alot of times in BJJ you get alot of guys who think they're real tough. They watched an episode of Ultimate Fighter and seem like they have something to prove. Anyway, when they come in new and off the street, we always place more experienced guys with them to drill and roll. If they guy is staying relaxed and practicing good technique that was taught they we let them work. If they get too frisky and won't relax when we ask them to do so...it's time for a clinic. It's not to show off as much as it is to show them how useless just muscling through stuff is. I'd be lying if I didn't admit it is a little satisfying though.

Funakoshi himself said, "Kata is not fighting." Kata is never going to save your life. It is a set of repetitious movements designed to teach and create habits. Also contained therein are seveal techniques for self defense. You are not supposed to take and internalize each and every one. You internalize the ones that are most necessary to you. This is the same in BJJ. There are countless techniques I have learned. I don't use even half of them. They just don't all work for me and my body type. I remember them in case someone else could use them. I'm sure I've forgotten some as well...so what. But just practicing kata alone will never make you a good fighter. You must take the techniques that work for you and drill them in one-steps, three-steps, and random kumite. This is no different than a boxer shadow boxing then hitting a heavy bag then hitting the pads then doing some light sparring. The reason that boxing, muay thai, bjj, judo and so on are so effective is because its proponents are the ones that most commonly practice hard against a fully resisting opponent. There are plenty of karateka out there who were good fighters...Bill Wallace, Joe Lewis, Kathy Long ect... I'm not saying they could get in the ring with some of today's fighers. But that's true of nearly every sport (which UFC and Pride and other MMA venues are). Imagine what would happen today if Jack Lambert (Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame Linebacker from the 70s) were to try to get through the 300+ lb linemen that every team has now in football (American). He'd be slaughtered. I'm just saying that anyone who believes that Kata is fighting hasn't studied Karate properly. But that doesn't make kata any more useless than shadowboxing or drilling any other movements.

I agree with a rank system. It's testing I don't totally like. I think a belt should be given when the student is ready. I'm just trying to decide how I will do it eventually. I've trained in several different schools. Some tested, others did not. I see advantages in both. But I don't see disadvantages with not testing. In the end I'll probably test because passing a test seems to give people that warm fuzzy feeling inside. A sense of legitimacy of sorts. Thanks for the opinions. I much appreciate it.

Simply because of the sheer atheletic ability required, I would love to be able to do all of that stuff. However, it's not entirely my thing. Something that does bother me is this: Why do a jumping kick that ends up being lower than any standing kick you perform. She does it a couple of times. After seeing her kick straight up from standing...her jumping kicks should be much higher. It just makes them look sub-par.

It sounds like you've found a grade A school. Congrats.