Grenadier

One BIG factor here: It keeps you away from inactivity, which is a silent killer in and of itself. It's no secret, that such work can help out the following: Muscle tone Blood pressure LDL / Cholesterol count Cardio conditioning Lung capacity I was inactive for a year+. Even though the weight stayed the same, it's amazing how much the BP and LDL counts shot up during that year of inactivity. The levels are returning back to normal (taking BP meds, but no cholesterol meds), and I vowed never to enter such a state of inactivity ever again.

You can go to any grocery store, where they sell laundry supplies. There should be a good number of brands of spray starch in aerosol cans.

Armbar, Your situation is actually quite common. In order for a dojo to financially survive, it comes down to constantly bringing in new blood. If you don't want elementary school children in your dojo, it's going to be difficult to maintain a level of enrollment. Just a few tips, though, on keeping up the numbers: 1) Advertise in the Yellow Pages. Often times, many folks just peruse through the yellow pages of the phone book, and make their decisions from there. I know it sound shallow, but not everyone who is seeking a martial arts school is going to know what they want, and these folks outnumber the well-informed. 2) Your current crop of hard-core students are something that can help, in terms of word of mouth advertising. Granted, this is somewhat limited, though. 3) Speak with the administration of the junior high and high schools. They might be willing to let you put on a demonstration, if you don't want to hit the elementary schools. 4) Talk with the local churches, and see if they'll allow you to put on a demonstration as well. It will help even further, if you visit the churches of your hard core students, since some familiarity can really go a long way. In the end, operating a successful school means that you have to do more than just maintain the numbers. People will leave, and if all you do is try to maintain a certain number, the school will be dying a slow death. It's up to you to continually be expanding, and while this may mean that you have to become more of a businessman, it's something that every chief instructor has to face. I wish you the best of luck, Armbar, and may the sun shine warmly on you.

Being Asian, I get the two pronged attack. The hecklers' attempts at imitating Bruce Lee, plus a high pitched attempt at speaking Japlish, Chinglish, etc., is all part of the usual ritual. I'll extend an invitation to train with us, so that they can see what it's all about. Well over 99% of the time, I just get a "no thanks. That stuff don't really work." or "nah. Not interested." I know it's a high rate of failure, but in all of these years that I've been training, I did manage to bring two hecklers / ignorant ones into the martial arts world, and one of them did end up becoming a Yudansha. The other one is still a work in progress. To Sandan: Too bad for those guys who run away! At least you're able to weed out those that are irrationally afraid, or lack a spine.

Call me old-fashioned, but on my old Apple computer, I'd play "Karateka." It's a side-scrolling game, where you would take on various enemies, one at a time, in what was one of the precursors to the Street Fighter series, but with somewhat of a storyline. Your goal was to rescue your girlfriend, who the bad guy, Akuma, kidnapped. You had three kicks, and three punches available, and using the keyboard gave you a much faster response than trying to hammer out things on a CH Mach 2 joystick! After you got into Akuma's castle, you'd have to eventually fight his eagle. An annoying buzzard, it was! It took me a couple of tries to realize that you had to sprint into your girlfriend's arms, instead of advancing up to her in a fighting stance, else she'd kill you with one kick!

While I might not be old enough to be someone's grandfather, I can still share some experiences / suggestions. Any dojo, no matter how good the instructor is, or how reputable the school is, can run into this problem. Sometimes, a younger individual might develop an attitude out of nowhere. Maybe something in his life is bringing excess stress, or maybe he has a chemical imbalance, or some other reason. I've dealt with such situations, where the youngster wants to prove that he's higher up the proverbial totem pole, and might try to go all-out during a sparring session. In such cases, I'll start by reminding him, that this sparring session is not an all-out deathmatch, and that we're sparring at a moderate pace to improve techniques. Most of the time, such gentle warnings are enough to make him realize, that he's going at an inappropriate speed. If he continues to go all-out, then that's where I'll stop the sparring session, and give a sterner lecture, that we're not here to bash each other into a bloody pulp, and that the martial arts is about control. Usually, I'll remind him that if he's capable of pulling a punch, making light contact, then it's the same technique, with the same amount of force, except penetrating deeper, that gives a strong shot. In most cases (that remain), this tends to turn on a few missing light bulbs in the youth. If the youth continues to engage in an all-out fashion, then I'll start increasing the force of my own techniques as needed. Not so much, as to match his at first, but rather, to provide yet another kind warning. Hopefully, this gets the message across, that what goes around, will come around. I'll never strike to break someone's bones in a dojo, but if someone doesn't get the message, I will deliver a good thump. At this point, if I've delivered a good shot, I'll remind the student to keep a cool head, and maintain control, in order to help prevent holes in the defense. If it degenerates into a point where the youth starts attacking in a rage, that's when I'll end the session, back away, and let the chief instructor know. At this point in time, it's obvious that the student isn't going to listen to me, and that I'm wasting my time. If the chief instructor has to get involved, and the student doesn't quit, it can end in three ways: 1) The student finally realizes that he's been going about things incorrectly, and gets it together. or 2) The chief instructor simply tells the student to take a vacation from the dojo for a while, to cool off, and reflect on things. Maybe the student will come back, maybe he won't. or 3) The chief instructor gives the go-ahead to tear up the student's contract. This is rarely, if ever, done, and only in cases where someone with a sustained bad attitude and hostile intentions, simply doesn't get "it." Something like this only happens once in a blue moon, since usually such kids with that bad of an attitude either don't register for lessons in the first place, or never stick around in the dojo afterwards.

I'm probably the oddball here... I've done some boar hunting, with a Glock 20 pistol (10 mm), using a custom 6" barrel, and my own handloads (180 grain flat point, 1300 fps). Otherwise, standard deer hunting, using a Remington 700 (.308 Winchester).

Usually, singing the tune out loud helps get it out of your head. Unfortunately, that's not an option for me under most circumstances. The most annoying song had to be that Europop piece of (insert negative term here), made by Eiffel 65, known as "Blue." Yo listen up: here's a story About a little guy That lives in a blue world And all day and all night and everything he sees is Just blue like him inside and outside Blue his house with a blue little window And a blue Corvette and everything is blue for him And himself and everybody around 'Cause he aint got nobody to listen: ... I'm blue da ba dee da ba-ah da ba deee da ba da-ah da ba dee da ba-ah da ba dee da ba da-ah da ba dee da ba-ah da ba dee da ba da-ah da ba dee da bah... (remaining awful lyrics removed) That song probably caused me more misery than any other in recent history. I used to live in an apartment complex, and one of the neighbor's kids kept playing this song over, and over, and over, and over, and was actually going to sing it for his school's talent(less) show.

I take that as a badge of honor! Really not that difficult, once you get a bit of practice. I have a roaster, and roast my beans until they crackle for the second time. Anything less, and I find it a bit underdone for my tastes. Anything more, and it more resembles a charcoal-like Turkish type of coffee (awful). I don't mind buying already roasted beans, as long as I know they're good, though. The aroma of roasting coffee beans is wonderful, indeed. Friends of mine usually know that I've been roasting beans on that same day, and have stated that it's better than any air freshener on the market. On another note, I will warn any coffee drinker, to avoid Vietnamese beans like the plague. Vietnam has recently become a major player in the coffee bean industry. Their soil is suitable for growing massive amounts of beans, but in all honesty, such beans are JUST... PLAIN... AWFUL! The roasters in Vietnam know that the beans are horrible, so in order to kill off that bad taste, they treat the roasted beans with butter and fish oil. Even then, it's still awful-tasting. This could very well explain why the coffee bars in Asia often load up on milk and sugar when serving them.

Dabbled in it for a while, a long time ago. The instructor was a good one, and she gave everyone a good set of basics upon which they could build. Resources and facilities were very limited, but that didn't stop Sensei from being able to be an effective teacher. IIRC, the kata that were taught were: Ichi-kyu (white) Pinan Shodan (white) Pinan Nidan (orange) Pinan Sandan (blue) Pinan Yondan (green) Naihanchi Shodan (green) Pinan Shodan-no-bo (green) Pinan Godan (brown) San-kyu (brown) Shushi-nokonsho (brown) Bassai Dai (brown) Bassai Dai, using sai (brown) Kankudai (brown) I didn't stick around long enough to see what the black belts were learning, and there weren't any senior black belts in the class, since those that did get to shodan were often times gone shortly thereafter (college, moving, etc). If I had to guess, it would be similar to what was taught in Shotokan, seeing how a lot of the kata were similar, as well as the terminology and techniques used. My guess, is that the third bo kata would have been Shushi-nokondai, but again, this is purely speculation.

An admirable goal. Even more admirable. If you keep at it, train diligently, with an open mind, then the knowledge, skills, and of course, the black belt, should fall in place. This depends on the dojo. It seems that the "average" time it takes someone to go from a white belt with no experience, to his first black belt, is about 3-5 years. The amount of time can be longer, if someone is mentally and / or physically challenged, or has a less than desireable work ethic, and can certainly be shorter, if a student displays an excellent work ethic, dedication, and has superior talent. Some schools have a policy where nobody gets their black belt unless they train for 10 years, others might hand them out like candy on Halloween. Such are extreme cases, of course. If a dojo promises a black belt to someone who has no experience, in under a year, then that's a certain indicator that one should simply turn around, and walk away. The bottom line is that you should check out various schools in your area, and at least sit in on a class or two, to see how things are run, if you feel you would be comfortable doing what they do, etc. Most importantly, you'll get a chance to speak with the instructors of the schools, and discuss the various aspects of the style, requirements, etc. If you can, take one of the beginner's lessons, as most dojos will be more than happy to give you a free lesson or two. When you talk to the instructor, be honest about what you want, and what your background is, what kind of injuries you may have, etc. Of course, there will be some apprehension about starting up in the classes. You're going to be doing a lot of things that might not seem natural, and at times, you may find yourself questioning the movements. That's actually not unusual. However, if you feel flat-out uncomfortable / unwelcome, then that's a different story entirely.

I can probably out-snob most coffee snobs. I started drinking coffee during my senior year as a undergraduate. At that point in time, a bottle of Coke simply didn't have enough punch. While I enjoy drinking Coke, I don't like the idea of dumping in that much sugar on a consistent basis. At that time, whatever cheap coffee grounds I could get, be it Folgers or Hills Brothers, was fine. When I started graduate school, my tastes got a bit more expensive, and I would buy whole bean coffee, only grinding them before brewing. Towards the end of my graduate school days, I would buy raw beans, and roast them myself, filling the neighborhood with the wonderful aroma of roasting Colombian beans. When I was a postdoctoral fellow, I took the snobbery to another level, and consistently roasting raw Colombian and Jamaican Blue Mountain beans, in a 70/30 ratio. Blue Mountain beans are awfully expensive, but worth it. The coffee drinking continues to this day, one 10 ounce mug in the morning, maybe another half mug in the late morning, and one mug in the late afternoon, so that I can get that extra energy in time for Karate classes, whether I'm taking the class, or teaching the class.

The Snickers or Milky Way eggs are the favorite. You can never get enough of them...

You should always practice all of your kata. They are the foundation for the more advanced kata, and should never be forgotten. Just because one passes the kata requirements for a particular rank, does not mean that he has mastered the kata. If anything, none of us, no matter how advanced we are, will ever master a kata, but at least we'll be better off getting closer to that ever elusive level of mastery. Furthermore, as you progress in skill / experience, you're going to discover, that even the most basic kata can have different interpretations, and that the bunkai / oyo (interpretation), will incorporate more advanced techniques. What you thought was a simple inward nagashi block, might be interpreted as an arm break / elbow dislocation, and so forth. What you previously thought of as a simple side stepping motion could now become a throw, etc. You should never forget the older kata you learned, since it's entirely possible, that as you get higher in the ranks, that each test will be a cumulative one. I've seen those testing for their shodan fail, because they made too many errors on the simple taikyoku kata, and even those testing for more advanced dan rankings fail, because they forgot certain steps in various Heian / Pinan kata. Very embarassing to the one taking the test, but if they overcome such embarassment, they come out of it a LOT wiser. Finally, if you decide to enter the world of martial arts teaching, there's no choice, but to stay sharp. Furthermore, the more you instruct others in the more basic kata, the better your own kata will become, since your eyes are going to be opened up to all sorts of mistakes you made, and couldn't previously see. This isn't an insult to you in any way, shape, or form; rather, it's something to look forward to, when the time is right, and to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Well I only studied woodwork for 2 years in high school but isn't oak a hardwood? I believe the poster you were quoting, was referring to how many vendors will advertise their bokken as being made out of "hardwood" without telling you specifically what kind of wood it is. There are so many kinds of wood that are classified as "hardwood," that it would be difficult to guess which one they are using, without seeing it in person. In many cases, the so-called "hardwood" isn't a good choice for the weapon, and could break too easily, especially when the price tag is in the single digits.

"Hardwood" is a bit too generic of a term, and as Hogosha stated, many of the "hardwoods" out there are not suitable for any real contact work, since their grain patterns might not be dense enough, are too soft, or even possibly TOO hard. A softer "hardwood," as expected, is going to get crushed, when making contact with a harder wood. On the flip side of the coin, though, many of the woods that are too hard, will not flex, and can crack / splinter. The key here is finding a wood that is both strong, and yet can still flex somewhat. The hardest woods that are perfect for smaller wooden weapons, such as bloodwood, can be poor choices for longer weapons, such as bokken, jo, or bo, especially since such woods could possibly warp in weapons of that length. Something like Asian white oak is considered fine for contact bokken, and is about the "average" to which other woods should be compared. It's certainly better than the average red oak. White oak, though, isn't going to be as good as something like a good piece of hickory wood, purpleheart, or Brazilian cherry. Given that bokken made from hickory aren't much more expensive than white oak, and better for contact work, it would be a better choice, in terms of sheer practicality, and long-term economics.

Laptop: IBM Thinkpad Desktops: Self-built I've been building computers for the better part of 13 years now, and have refuse to buy another pre-built desktop system.

As Venrix stated, it varies from style to style. He has already explained how the kyu and dan ranks operate in good detail. Some styles have 8 kyu grades, others might have 10 kyu grades, and so forth. In one style of Karate, the progression went as follows: 8th Kyu (hachikyu) = white belt 7th Kyu (schischikyu) = yellow belt 6th Kyu (rokyu) = blue belt 5th Kyu (gokyu) = green belt 4th Kyu (yonkyu) = purple belt 3rd, 2nd, and 1st Kyu (sankyu, nikyu, ikkyu) = brown belt Another style of Karate has a different level of progression: no rank = white belt 10th kyu = yellow belt with white stripe in the center 9th kyu = solid yellow belt 8th kyu = yellow belth with black stripe in the center 7th kyu = orange belt 6th kyu = purple belt 5th kyu = green belt 4th kyu = blue belt 3rd-1st kyu = brown belt In general, it's fairly safe to assume, that white or yellow belts are considered beginner, or beginner-intermediate ranks, that green belts are considered intermediate ranks, and that brown belts are considered as advanced ranks, though. So, as you can see, one style's purple belt, may very well be an advanced student, while another style's purple belt might be an intermediate student. Some schools have one more rank after 1st kyu, and might call it a pre-shodan rank, while possibly using a red and black belt, or some other semi-lofty color. No matter which style, though, those who have obtained the highest rank of kyu grade, can become eligible to take their black belt test, for the rank of shodan. Also, while arguably, most styles of Karate have 10 dan (black belt) grades, some might only have 8, while a few even only go up to 5 dan grades. Some might even have ranks in between dan ranks. Typically, someone who has just received his black belt, is considered a 1st dan, or better known as a shodan rank holder, and this is sometimes referred to as a 1st degree black belt. Someone with his 2nd dan rank is known as a nidan rank holder, aka 2nd degree black belt, and so forth. Someone holding a judan / 10th degree black belt is supposed to be very special indeed. Typically, this is the soke (founder) of the style, or if the soke is deceased, then his successor. Someone who has truly earned the highest rank in an authentic style of Karate isn't going to be a spring chicken in terms of how old they are. If anything, such judans are into their 60's, and up. Now, to confuse the belt issue even more, here's some more food for thought: In some styles, some of the more advanced black belts are eligible for the titles of Renshi, Kyoshi, and Hanshi (top). Holders of such titles might wear different colored belts at formal events, such as the red and white belt (horizontal for Renshi, vertical stripes for Kyoshi), or even solid red (Hanshi). If you see someone wearing a solid red belt, though, it really doesn't tell you what rank they are, since they could simply be an advanced kyu rank, or the menkyo-kaiden of a given Karate style. Fortunately, though, you can safely assume that a young person wearing a solid red belt isn't the menkyo-kaiden!

It varied from one dojo / dojang to another. At the Shotokan dojo, anyone was allowed to attend classes that were for those of lesser rank. At times, you would assist in various aspects of the class, whether it was as an uke for sensei / shihan's demosntration of techniques, or if you were a more senior student (3rd kyu brown min), you would sometimes be assigned a small group of students that needed to work on something specific, such as a particular kata, standing basic technique drills, progressive drills, etc. As a brown belt, if you were particularly good at assisting, once in a while, you would be given a chance to teach a class (beginner or intermediate), under the watchful eye of a black belt. The black belt wouldn't interfere, unless the brown belt would specifically ask for help with some of the teaching, or was doing something terribly wrong. Such brown belts were considered as candidates for becoming assistant instructors, once they passed their shodan examinations. This meant an extra written exam, and an extra essay about their teaching goals, since all shodan candidates had to take a written exam as well as writing their own "what it means to be a black belt" essay. Those who passed all aspects were given the title of ko-sensei, and given a class of their own to teach, no supervision / interference, except under the watchful eye of the chief instructor at times. All ko-senseis, as well as senseis, attended an hour long meeting / training session each week. At each meeting, the chief instructor would offer suggestions to each instructor, and at the end, we would discuss the business aspects of the dojo. When I was training in Tae Kwon Do, instructor selection was less stringent. Usually, one of the senior students would lead the class through warmup drills, as well as pomsei / form work, since most of the time, the Sabumnim was rarely present, since we were a college club. Once one of the more senior students got his chodan rank, he was automatically considered an assistant instructor. At the current dojo, it's similar to the Shotokan method described above, with just a few minor differences, such as the use of Sempai / Senpai instead of Ko-sensei, etc.

Thanks for the kind words. At this time, I don't belong to a specific kendo / kenjutsu dojo. I haven't attended such a school in over a decade, after Sensei moved out of the country. At the current Karate dojo, though, we do have a kobudo class on Saturdays, that at least gives me a chance to swing a bokken (or katana in some cases), or a bo. While it's not the same thing as a dojo specific to kendo / kenjutsu, at least there are a couple of sword-owning folks (who have also had sword training) that are more than happy to mix it up with some bamboo shinai. I'm trying to see if I can get enough people in the kobudo class, that have swords appropriate for cutting drills, together to hold a tameshigiri class, as I do have about 15 rice straw tatami left, and a target stand that I just finished building...

I strongly suggest signing up over at http://forums.swordforum.com Even if you don't sign up, there are all sorts of good threads regarding sword training, that you would find very useful, even if just to browse. A hasty summary of soft vs hard cutting: Soft targets are easier to cut, and easier on the sword. Targets such as rolled tatami (mats made out of rice straw, soaked in water hours before cutting), are quite common, and single mats rolled up make great targets for the inexperienced (but please do this under trained supervision!). As you get more and more experience, you can roll up two mats at a time, and try cutting them. Harder targets are ones such as piles of bamboo lashed together, known as goza. Doing consistent cutting of bamboo piles will be a lot tougher on your sword's edge. Some swords are better for cutting softer targets, while others will be better at cutting harder targets. You really don't want to cut things harder than bamboo goza, unless you really don't care about the sword (and if that's the case, shame on you!). You also want a high quality sword for cutting purposes, not some cheap sub-100 dollar mail order fascimilie. Again, I urge you to check out the sword forums. Lots of very knowledgeable people, and a good number of sword makers are there to help.

It's not illegal in most of the USA. Many folks here carry good sized pocket knives, concealed, or unconcealed. Some states might require a license to carry something longer than a certain blade length, and others may forbid certain kinds of blades, but for the most part, there are no rules against carrying swords under the normal circumstances when you would be carrying one. If you're going to or from a training session, exhibition, or some other sword-related activity, nobody's going to give you grief, as long as you keep a cool head, and don't flaunt the sword in the open public areas. Keep it in its sheath, and if possible, keep it covered in a bag. If you keep your sword in your car trunk, nobody's going to really care, unless you were behaving oddly. If there's any doubt, just call your local police station, and ask them.

I am not certain what you mean by 'single ended staff,' but at least I can answer your other two questions. You can coat your bo with some boiled linseed oil, which should be available at almost any hobby shop. Make sure you used boiled linseed oil, and not regular linseed oil, since boiled linseed oil will cure in a reasonable time, while regular linseed oil will take forever to cure. Sand down the linseed oil coat a bit, if you have any rough spots, and apply a second coat. This will also give you a nice finish. As for what kind of wood to use, you might want to take a look-see here: http://www.crane-mountain.com/page6.html For the best bang / buck, I'd recommend finding a slab of hickory wood. Get a tight-grained slab, and you won't be disappointed.

In terms of using a Paul Chen Practical Plus Katana (aka the PPK), there are a good number of folks who use it for tameshigiri work, but limit their strokes to softer targets, such as soaked straw tatami. The PPK is a step up from the Paul Chen Practical Katana (aka the PK). I simply wouldn't recommend someone using a PK for tameshigiri purposes, although using the PPK seems fine, given that they are a good bit more stable. A bit of warning, regarding the Paul Chen production blades... The quality of such production blades has been somewhat inconsistent as of lately. Given the shortages of the steels they use (the Chinese have been buying up lots of steel these days, driving up prices), a larger amount of their blades have had some defects. An honest retailer of their products, though, will carefully inspect each blade before selling them, but a blade bought on eBay might not be as carefully scrutinized. Getting a sword for cutting purposes isn't going to be cheap. At the very least, something like a PPK, a Last Legend Mark I (or their new equivalent), or a Kris Cutlery katana, is about as low as you would want to go. At the same time, though, unless the original poster has a good bit of $$$ to burn, a Bugei / Trim / Howard Clark katana is overkill, and might not be the best choice at this time. The experience of the swordsman is the most important factor here. I've seen experienced practitioners do just fine with a 250 dollar Kris Cutlery katana, compared with the inexperienced cutter using a Bugei (you probably know of whom I am speaking) that couldn't cut a single soaked tatami (and ended up hacking the thick dowel rod several times). The most important factor here, is that you get some training in sword use. You need to learn the proper mechanics, as well as techniques, when it comes to handling and swinging that piece of steel. It's simply too dangerous for an inexperienced person to start training with a shinken (sharpened sword). If you cannot afford / find any place to train in such things, please (we beg you!) go to http://forums.swordforum.com and post a notice in the "Practice Partner" forum. You'd be surprised at who's in your area. Those forums are also a great source of sword knowledge of all types. If you still can't find anything, then start out with a bokken (wooden sword), or, if you are adamant about training with steel, get an iaito (unsharpened sword). There are many high quality iaito available constructed of the same steels as the high quality shinken.

Shureido sai are wonderful. I have a pair, and find them to have the best balance, while simply "feeling" better than other, cheaper brands. I treat these in the same manner that I do with my folded blade katana; clean off with Breakfree-CLP once in a while, and keep them stored in a cool, dry place. There's nothing wrong, though, with getting a set of 50 dollar Century sai. They'll do just fine for training purposes. Not to nitpick, Sensei, but that would depend on a couple of factors. 1) The alloy of stainless steel used. All stainless steels can corrode, despite the name of "stainless." It's just that some alloys are better at resisting corrosion than others. There was a pretty good discussion about this on swordforum.com. 2) Some people's secretions are more corrosive than others. One particular fellow who was quite the perspiratory type, trained consistently with a pair of stainless sai, and after a year, or so, started to notice some corrosion in the tines, where they were held in the hand. Keeping them in an all-leather case didn't help, either. He'll be the first to admit, though, that it was his own fault for not even bothering to clean them off once in a while, as this could have easily prevented corrosion. I've also seen this happen to various police officers who sweat a lot, and carried their stainless steel handguns in leather holsters that absorbed a lot of moisture and salts. Imagine their horror when they saw rust on the surface of their stainless Sig-Sauer K-koted handguns.