ERPMISTER

I studied Kenpo along time ago from ages 6 - 11. I got my black belt when I was 11 and decided I had enough of Karate and quit a few months later to play football. Years later I decided to start up in another style and progressed through that to where I am now. So it had been years since my 1st black belt test and I guess I was a young fool at the time sick of martial arts. I will have the opprotunity to test sooner if my sensai deems me ready. This is basically a progression as I'm a brown belt right now and I need to wait 1 year for my next brown belt rank, and then another year to get my 1st dan. If everything works out right, then the 2007 tournament will be the perfect time to test as thats when the head cheese of the Shito-Ryu style will be the one running the testing. (The suke?) Our style allows us to test at other times, this just makes it eaiser for my sensai as here in Utah, we are the only Shito-Ryu dojo out here and for the black belt, we need a council to test in front of, and its hard to get people out here to do that.

Although it would be cool if you found a dojo, there is nothing wrong with studying martial arts from the comfort of your own home. I remember reading about a really good instructor today who started his training at 30 by reading a lot of books and watching a lot of videos for maybe five years before he decided to head to a dojo. Do whatever is most convient for you. But let me tell ya, a dojo would definatly help in training where there is a lot of constructive critisism to help you improve fairly quickly. Somethings that hard to do by studying through books.

Schools that offer a black belt in 2-3 years are definatly a questionable place. Make sure you don't find a dojo that says it will take between 8-10 either. Although some of those schools are real, legitimet schools, a lot of them are actually jsut wanting to keep you there for either the money, or to make there classes look big. But there arn't to many of those around.

They're made to make people who think they look cool in them happy. Other then that, you probably would look like Ash from pokemon with his fingerless gloves.

Great way to reuse old junk instead of sending it to the dump. Way to do your part in saving the world you eco-freak!

Sadly, that happens more often to me then it should.

Orange belt! Sweet! I remember when I got mine . . . wait? Which one!

Well, if you move to Provo, Utah, I could tell you that the local university has a great Shotokan Karate club. But you're not, so I probably can't help you to much.

My instructor just told me that his shihan just let him know that all the brown belts at my dojo would be testing for our 1st dans at our next huge tournament in New York in 2007. That gives me two years to train, but I feel way nervous about it. Any ideas to calm myself and help me prepare for the testing which will be around in the next two years? I've earned my black belt in another style when I was like, 11, but I don't remember much about it, so anything that would help me know what to expect and what to do would be great. Thank you all. Oh ya, It will be my 1st Dan in Shito-Ryu.

My instructor has no patientce for people like this. He'll probably give 2 or 3 warnings at the very most. But if you keep doing it, he'll kick you out. There was one time when a guy joined the class. This guy was fresh, and he had some experience in Ultimate Fighting so I guess he felt like he needed to prove something. In my instructor's ultimate fighters class, the guy hit with a lot of his strength on the other guys while practice fighting. After maybe this guys 2nd warning, my instructor decided to step in to practice fight with this aggressive guy. My instructor explained to him to go soft and that this was just to practice and maybe increase blocks and dodges. So the guy hits my instructor head on right in the eye with all his strength. And I would say that did it. The guy didn't lay one more hand on my instructor while he was beaten to a crippled pulp. He was then kicked out and told never to come back again. Sad when people think they can show up an experienced instructor.

My Sensai doesn't allow anybody to inner-school date. I don't know what his policy on maybe a date just for fun or if a boyfriend/girlfriend join. But overall, if we are caught dating another student, we can't keep coming to the dojo.

Well, I don't have a lot of the places your looking for in mind right now. But I do have tons of pics for you to see from my tourist trip to Japan! Never actually finshed the site though http://www.erp010.com/japan/pictures.htm

My gi when I first got it was about 6 in to long as well. All I did was take pins and pin it up to where I wanted the length to be and hemmed them. Of course if your not young like me and still growing, then maybe a more permeant solution would be in order. For that, I would go to a tailor.

Never been in a confrontation. I don't know if thats a good thing or a bad thing.