A. Orstrom

Ahh, I've been to a couple of those Thanks a lot. Oh, and when we graduate in my Aikido dojo we usually go out for beers with the sempai and sensei. Great fun

Ehm.. What is a potluck? Sorry if I am asking a stupid question, but I am not familiar with that expression.

My 'home' is definitely Japan. I train Aikido and Karate, and I feel that the Japanese MAs value the traditional values and history much more than chinese, korean and similar arts. My experience is that where I live, arts such as WT, TKD and BJJ are targeted at a whole new audience that, put very bluntly, just want to learn how to fight. (Again, I must emphasize that it is my own personal experience centered around where I live. I am not bashing these arts.)

First of all, as a traditionalist I agree with Shorinryu Sensei. The reality has changed since the period where the traditional MAs were invented/created and it is only natural that the perception of that reality results in new 'reality' martial arts. An example of the different circumstances and threats of the periods is seen in MAs such as Aikido, even though it is not that old. Aikido has a great deal of techniques that are derived from sword movements, and even though the days of dueling with katanas are gone, the MA is still very effective. The traditional martial arts were created out of necessity and are in many ways more pragmatic, efficient and realistic than the more recent ones. My humble opinion.

Well, yes... I suppose... Argh okay, you're right. Yes, give it everything you got, but with control

I have to say Kyokushin. I'm not too fond of all the bouncy bouncy in semi-contact arts such as TKD.

Yes you do use protective gear. Shinguards, teeth protectors and protective cups.

No, not when sparring with your partner. In this case I am talking about the amount of force and effort you would use if your life was on the line. If you do this you will run out of sparring partners quickly

I think you did the right thing. You defended yourself to the point where he was no longer a threat and then you took off. It was a wise choice to run afterwards. You put yourself out of the conflict and ended it. Running is good.

It is very unlikely that you will die in a sparring match, but as with all other forms of physical activity it is possible. As long as you don't give it everything you've got and adhere to the guidelines/rules (no kicks to the throat, back etc.) you should be fine.

I would be training with a couple of people around my rank. I have the orange belt (10 kyu) and there is another orange belt and three blue belts (8 kyu) in the class. I would like to participate in tournaments as soon as I can. I do not have any hopes about winning them, but I would like to have the experience. Besides, tournaments are a requirement for some of the higher ranks when I get that far. I have decided to go to the class next friday and see how I like it. If its not what I had hoped I will wait half a year and try again.

I have heard once that if you reach a certain dan rank (or whatever your system uses) you will be liable as if you were armed at all times. It sounds a bit like an urban legend, but is there any truth to it? Edit: Haha, seems like I graduated with this post

Practice more No, seriously, when you do techniques often enough they will become second nature to you. Mas. Oyama once said something along the lines of: 'When you have done a technique 100 times, you will recognize it. When you have done it 1000 times you will remember it. When you have done it 10000 times you will be able to do it.' Oh, and I know this is no help at all Good luck

I have no problem with people being pacifists, but in order to be a true pacifist you have to be able to inflict harm and then choose not to. It is the choice that makes one a pacifist, not the lack of violence.

You will probably hear this a million times, but here goes. IMHO the best thing you can do when deciding your art is to start by getting an overview. Find something that gives a brief introduction of the various arts and see which ones tickle your fancy (there are several good books out there, or you can browse the net). Then see what is available in your area, make a list of places that you would like to check out and make appointments. The more on your list, the bigger the chance that you will find the right one for you. Most places will let you train for free a couple of times, so by trying all of them you will get to experience both the feel of the style but also, and more importantly, the feel of the place. The environment in which you train is crucial, and probably the single most important thing when it comes to your learning. I don't personally believe that your build makes you more suitable to one MA or the other. The most important thing is what you think is fun/interesting. I hope this helps.

We do full-contact sparring in rounds of 3 minutes. The number of rounds equals the dan grade you are testing for x 10.

I have not had the time to read the study you are linking to, but as a catholic martial artist I think doing martial arts is perfectly acceptable when you are a christian. MAs (the ones I know of at least) strive to make you strong both physically and mentally. There is no aggression in true MAs and being able to protect yourself from an attack, or the ability to defend the weak is admirable qualities, christian or not. Just my humble opinion.

I remember reading once that eskrima was one of the fastest in the world if you go by number of strikes per second. Whether it is true or not I don't know.

Some of my aikido teachers are overweight but their level of skill is unquestionable. None of my kyokushin karate teachers are overweight. I guess that is because of the physical requirements that are included in the grading process. I think it differs from style to style. Some MAs rely heavily on fitness and strength (such as Kyokushin) and others on techniques and agility (such as aikido) I don't think being overweight disqualifies you as a teacher but I think all MA practitioners, especially those who teach, should strive to be as fit as possible. Both for their own sake but also to be a good example.

I haven't tried these classes yet, but as far as I understand it teaches more sparring specific techniques in practice, a lot of training with pads and some "full"-contact sparring. The class is free, or rather, it is included in my monthly membership.

I agree with you (Jarrettmeyer) on this one, you have an excellent point, but I think there is another thing you have to take into consideration. When you are a black belt you are at the same time a symbol of the art and an authority others (especially kids) look up to. A black belt behaving badly in a dojo will attract much more negative attention and have more of an impact on the other practitioners than a white belt will.

We do a bit of meditation as well. It really helps to leave your everyday worries and distractions at the door.

Hello everyone. I have heard several times that you should not bleach your gi with chlorine or similar. Can anybody tell me why that is? Does it ruin the fabric, or is it because the bleached area will stand out?

I apologize if my definitions were vague. English is not my first language so 'combat' could just as easily have been replaced with 'sparring' 'kumite' or something similar. In my case friday is the time when we put on our shin-, teeth- and groin-protectors and do 'full-contact sparring'. I have put full-contact sparring in apostrophes because, as you might expect, we don't put quite as much effort into it as we would a live-or-die situation. Our 'ordinary' training includes, but is not limited to, kihon, kata, stances, strength and stamina exercises. Now that we have the definitions in order perhaps I have made myself more clear?

Hello everyone. I started training kyokushin karate a couple of months ago and I have just gotten my 10 kyu. In kyokushin we focus a lot on kumite both semi- and full-contact (knockdown). I have the opportunity to start my combat training now but it is too soon? I am worried that I do not have the basic skills to benefit from it at all. On the other hand I suspect that combat training will accelerate my learning curve. For the sake of information: I am 21 years old, weighing 83 kg (182 lbs.) and I am in okay shape. I have studied Aikido for a couple of years but have never done any sparring. As it is now I attend the 'ordinary' classes tuesday and thursday; combat training is friday so I wouldn't be missing out on the basic classes. What do you think? Is it too soon or would it be beneficial for me? Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated.