Pacificshore

The most recent Black Belt magazine with Oleg Taktarov on the cover has an article about the US Marine Corps martial arts program.

When I trained in Shotokan I would pair up with my friend who was a female and a black belt. During self defense she had this look prior to technique, this look during , and then this look after

Howdy

It is never too late to start your martial arts training, nor is anyone too old to obtain their black belt. We have a 3rd degree black belt in our system who didn't even start his training until he retired from his job many years back. By that time he was easily in his late 50's or early 60's. As far as the pace of their training, I see the older martial artist moving as fast as they are comfortable. If needed, then I say add some private time with the instructor if they feel it is necessary. Since martial arts training is a life's journey for many, there are plenty of life experience the younger students can discover from the "older" students.

Well obviously the WB cancelled the show Black Sash............maybe they should cast Hu opposite Russell Wong and bring it back.

Howdy

Shotokan, a hard style of Japanese karate, but not necessarily hard on the body, sounds like it would suit you fine. The katas are pretty much straight forward, and as you learn the advance katas, there are no real difficult moves, but will further help you in balance and coordination. One of the big keys to learning how to properly execute the katas are all the little nuances of each movement even though it may not seem difficult. So in that respect, I think you'll find the depth in traditional karate training. Hope this is of help, and keep us posted if you decide to start up your Shotokan training. Plenty of folks here to bounce off ideas and question off of.

Have you sat down and evaluated what it is you want from your training? Could it be that you just need some "away" time to get re-focused? Maybe a short break or re-evaluation of your training is what you need right now. Hope it works out in the long run. Good luck!

BKJ1216, Since this is all new to you right now, just keep an open mind and absorb all you can. Listen and learn, train hard and all will begin to fall in place as it should. In the end only you will know your true abilities.

Welcome!

Welcome. I believe there are some Wado people on board. From my general knowledge, it is a Japanese hybrid of Shotokan, but somewhat of a softer version. In other words, rather than utilizing direct blocks and such, they deflect. Otherwise it's pretty much like Shotokan.

Bruce Lee will always be Bruce Lee, and no one else can compare to his accomplishments, because frankly he set the bar that everyone strives for in their own way. If I recall right, even in one of Jackie Chan's interviews, he has said that he didn't want to be the next "Bruce Lee". He just wants to be himself and be known for what he has accomplished. I think Chan has set his mark in the martial arts world, so has Jet Li, and any other martial artist/action star out there.

Welcome aboard

Like everyone else, I teach what I have been taught to any and all who are willing to learn, and try my hardest to pass on my art as I have originally learned, and continue to learn it.

Howdy

Welcome Aboard, and yet another Kenpoist, along with the karate of course!

Welcome Aboard!

Hmm....well tying a BB around your waist is like being married, I guess....Oh, you all meant marrying a person who is a BB, silly me . J/K of course, welcome aboard .

There are perhaps many ways to hold the Sai depending on the strike(s) you want to utilize. You can strike with the butt end as if you were punching, you could stab with the main shaft, or you can use the side prongs to hook, trap, and rip. You can also throw the Sai as if it were a large knife. Always remember that when you hold the Sai with the main shaft forward, don't hook your thumb(s) inside the prong. As for the the clubbing strikes vs. the stab, I'd describe the clubbing strike being done with more of a wrist snap effect. Not like the clubbing effect or say a baseball bat. If that makes any sense . It's like a whipping type strike, so as you strike your target, you have the added pull back like a punch. In one of our Sai katas, we even have a flat spin type of a move with the Sai. Very quick, but have to watch out for the feet in case you miss catching it at the right time . I hope this will help you in your decision, the Sai is in my opinion a nice weapon to workout with, but it does take some time to get use to. It will build the arms and all .

Well it all depends on the type of competition you are entering. If you go to Open tournaments, then I would say that the flashier weapons katas is the way to go, even with music, at least that's how I've seen it in the past. However if you attend a traditional tournament, and enter the Kobudo tounament, then do away with the flashy moves. Plus I've never heard a musical weapons kata at a traditional tourney. In regards to the Sai, they are a good weapon, it'll just boil down to the manipulation of the weapon, and of course the judges. I used the Sai in competition before, and unfortunately they tend to get heavy. I was relatively new to the Sai, as I've never really used them before or actually learned a kata for their use. The thing with the Sai which I have since learned is having good wrist snap to give the "bounce" effect. Also when bring the Sai around your head, make sure your whole arm goes around your head. That way you don't clip your noggin with one of the side prongs. It hurts . I've seen some Katana katas in competition, and again it came down to the use of the katana. Perhaps the best Katana comp. I've seen was when they actually had the cutting excercise. I forget the proper term for it, but that was more exciting than just the watching the kata. Well hope this was of some use.

aznkarateboi, If you do a search you'll find many posts on Kenpo/Kempo. There you'll find additional information about the art. Some of the past post also address the differnt styles of Kenpo/Kempo.

Back in the day...............when I was in college, fortunately for me, I didn't get to go home for the summer especially when home was several thousand miles away . Plus having my instructor as a roommate made for me constantly training .

Welcome Aboard!

Since it's been awhile.........be yourself, and treat her like a lady. Oh, and don't talk about yourself exclusively. If she asks you about you then that's fine just make sure you return the question.

Welcome