mrbigmuscles

White Warlock I disagree with you. Martial arts cannot be completely divorced from the culture they are steeped in. Consider foreign language courses, dare I call them lingual arts? We don't pretend that Spaniards don't have a culture when we learn their language in HS or college. We study it and may even attempt to duplicate small parts of it in the classroom to provide a better understanding of what we are learning. For example we might cook some Spanish food or listen to their music or learn about some of their artwork. Are these distractions from learning the language? Should we pretend that language, fighting arts, and other products of a culture don't have anything to do with that culture? To do so is silly, frankly. The thai do the ram muay and wai kru when they practice muay thai, it is part of the art. They don't do it when they sit down to watch tv or when they step into a restaraunt, they do it when they step into the ring to practice their martial art. To say that traditions distract from the fighting is silly as well. You might not realize it but your own traditions are built into your training as well as your life unless you live in a cultural void. Since cultures steal ideas and practices from each other all the time I see no problem with us bowing to each other or calling a technique by its native name or adopting any practice we feel makes learning a martial art more fulfilling. If all I wanted to do was learn to hurt people I'd buy a .22 and learn to use it.

affiliations mean nothing. the dojo i attend is run at no profit, probably at a loss, to the instructors. they do not get paid at all, they teach because they love the art. i appreciate the positive sides to having large organizations of karate schools, but in the end, all that matters is the quality of karate taught in the dojo YOU attend. imho

My kiai is a rush of breath originating from the diaphragm and traveling up. Do not get too caught up in the pronunciation, the kiai should originate from the belly, not from the throat, or else you are just screaming. As such most kiai's done this way will sound like "HAAAA" or "HOOAAAAAGH", but also they should not be drawn out (as a punch or kick is not drawn out). of course that is all just my opinion, that is what my kiai sounds like because that's how i was taught. osu

what you call CBAs I believe my school and others call one steps (ipon-kumite). also when doing kihon we use techniques that are common in the katas (geidan barei-->gyaku zuki for example). as a white belt my learning process was stances--->basic techniques---->kihon/ipon kumite---->full kata. although most of my kata I have learned a little in class, but mostly by staying after class when sensei's willing to give their own time for free have agreed to teach/critique my katas. man i love my school. osu

My advice to you if you are going to bring your gf to your dojo..although I don't know how exactly you train.. make sure she understands that you will be hitting, throwing, locking, pinching, kicking, and otherwise inflicting all kinds of pain on each other. I know at my dojo (where my gf trains and loves it), they don't make allowances for personal relationships. I have to beat the tar out of my brothers (who also train there) and girlfriend and no complaints are allowed. Of course we are all adults and if someone really objected, they could just leave. But when we spar and are training self-defense, one steps, etc.. just make sure your gf is comfortable with bruising and being bruised by you. Have fun!

Don't forget that the National Geographic Channel is very much in the business of making money. To this end they tend to make their 'documentaries' in a voice of astonishment and mystique, so much so that the reality of what they are talking about is blurred to the point where the whole thing is a bunch of gibberish. Don't forget that according to the conventional wisdom Shaolin Kung Fu began as a physical conditioning method for the pathetically weak Shaolin Temple monks first, and then became a fighting art. This may account for some of the 'unrealistic' forms and techniques. Again, remember that the NGC is very sensationalist and rooted in the European colonialist perspective, and tries to appeal to those sensibilities. They couldn't do a documentary on PB&J sandwiches without injecting 4.5 hours of "OMG THE MYSTERY OF THE SANDWICH YOU MUST MASTER [iNSERT PHILOSOPHY] IN ORDER TO TRULY MAKE ONE". sorry for the vitriol but I really hate the NGC[/i]

Well I just learned Seipai (sp?) and it is a hell of a lot of fun to do. As my dojo teaches it is has a lot of fast blocking/striking, some slow grappling/takedown type movements and some extremely slow breathing excercise type movements. Don't know what kind of rhythms others learn it at but I really enjoy it. Out of all the Katas I have learned so far (pinan nidan, shodan, sandan, seipai) this is my favorite so far.

I have been told that Shodan is a kata in which you are supposed to be 'low'. Try to be low in your stances at all times. On the other hand, I've also been told it is an expansive, "high" kata. In conclusion, I guess I can't help you at all!

I wish I had a link, but a study was recently released from some US university in which some 80% of the 'meridians' described by acupuncurists actually correspond to sheaths and 'tunnels' in the musculature of the body. A similar percentage of 'energy points' or whatever they are hitting with the needles correspond to nerve bundles or endings that stimulate the organ that acupuncurists claim they do. My point? I think that 'chi' or the idea of a bodily energy and western ideas of physics and physiology as it pertains to martial arts, are describing the same thing. If striking someone in a certain way 'disables their chi' or reverses its flow or whatever, this is simply an Eastern spiritual description of a real physiological effect. As a metaphor, it works perfectly well and I see no reason to regard it derisively. Those who make the claim that 'it isn't real' are missing the point, I believe. It is real once you understand its context. Or, I could be completely wrong!

At my dojo, the head instructor said before the testing (to family and such): "These people have been black belts (it was yudansha testing) for months. What we are seeing here is just ceremony, these people have already earned it." Basically, they will not test you until you are ready. Why do that? It would just reflect poorly on student and instructor. Then again the tests only occur about every 6 months, so people have to be ready when they arrive. Seems like a good attitude to me.

The dojo I attend (just started two months ago) is super traditional and run by guys whose day jobs include police officers, firemen, etc.. They are great guys, very inspiring, and they work us to DEATH. In a class of 25 or 30 kids there are 1 or 2 black belts, about 7 brown belts, and the rest yellow or green. There are only like 4 white belts and we all signed up at the same time. I end every class sweating, sore, and dog-* tired. And I'm not even sparring yet! Everything we do is done with intensity and meaning. There is no negativity, only positive criticism (from anyone). I think it's great. Anyways, I guess you should look for these things (positive attitude, hard working, good 'belt distribution')?