Pacificshore

Hi Sparkey, In my own opinion, you should take every opportunity to absorb as much as possible. So with that in mind, I think that attending the Kobudo training would help you greatly, even if your just beginning. Might I suggest that you find out if video cameras will be allowed. If so, set yours up out of the way and film your training. Even if you don't get the whole kata down, at least it'll be on tape. Plus with so many others there, you'll be able to help each other out in the areas you can't remember. Don't overwhelm yourself with trying to learn a new kata or whatever it'll be that you are learning that day, do your best to keep up and keep it fun. Even on my best day of training, once I stop what it is I'm learning, I usually forget when I hit the road. Hope this is of some help in your decision

A friend of mine who is a BB in TKD became an instructor at the school he was attending. Eventually they branched out and made him the head instructor at the new school. They were big into contracts and belt programs. It was amazing to hear many of the stories he shared with me in regards to the dojo he ran. There were many times he would tell me how parents would drop thousands of dollars for their kids to belong to the "blackbelt" club. One parent cashed out some CD's just to pay for her son to be in the "blackbelt" club. My friend, although not openly, tried to discourage the parent about spending so much money on her young son, but she insisted in paying out all that dough. My friend was conflicted for the longest time, but it was not his school to set up how it was operated. On the one hand he made bucks for it and the owners, but on the other he felt crappy. He finally is no longer associated with the TKD school, and has come back to his home in the art of kempo

Ok, for me it's called a Layout kick. It's in one of our katas. Essentially it is somewhat of a jumping back hook kick thing-a-ma-jig, and then your suppose to land on the ground(all layed out) like a cat. But in my case, when I do, I land like a ton of bricks When you all hear about a big earthquake that shook the westcoast, don't fret, it's just me working on the Layout kick

I think there are plenty of martial artists out there that have reached their point of "burnout" whether it be mental, emotional, or physical. We must remember that our training is a lifetime journey so pace ourselves. Don't be afraid to take a break once in awhile because you'll know when your break has over-extended it's stay.....you'll start to get the "itch" to train again

Or also known as Ed Parker's American Kenpo, has a philosophy based on scientific principles/concepts. They use terminology such as marriage of gravity, anchoring, economy of motion, cancellation, checking, and the list goes on. The art itself like many other Kenpo/Kempo arts are self defense oriented. They do possess katas that are made up by many if not all of their defense techniques. The kicks in Kenpo/Kempo tend to be low-lined for practicality. The work on speed which can equate to power. The self defense techniques do have a multitude of strikes, which sometimes is seen as "overkill". However, I see this as a postive thing. Why? Because if you hit a moving target, your first strike may not land right and you may need additional follow-up. If your first strike does the job then great! American Kenpo I would say is "modern" in terms of how long it has been around. However, they do have their traditions in the art just like many other martial arts. If Kenpo/Kempo is what you are interested in, then just like anything else, do your homework, ask questions of the instructor, students, and parents of students. Make sure you are comfortable in your environment, and if not look for the same art with a different instructor or something all together new. Whatever art you take, remember that it is a journey. Quick Pro/Con: Teaches you self defense against many different situations. Some incoporate the ground fighting and/or weapons. Con: Not necessarily ground friendly. This is a stand-up striking art. Well hope this is of some useful information.

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Howdy to the 2 of ya, and welcome!!

Excellent Only gets better after that

NidanWarrior: Check out https://www.okiadventures.com they are makers of traditional okinawan weapons. Haven't actually bought anything from them, but it's worth a look. Here's another site: https://www.weaponsconnection.com

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Hello and Welcome aboard

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Welcome Aboard RMM!!!

Unfortunately for those who have no background in martial arts, and is just starting out, if they run into one of those self promoted BB, then they'll never know any different. Now would these first time students learn something from the self promoted BB? Well I think so, unless they absolutely SUCK, that even the beginner should be able to recognize. The students should be able to learn up to point of where the self promoted BB had originally stopped his/her training. That's why it's important to do your homework on any perspective style you are looking to study.

Hi there Inky, sounds like your on a journey of rediscovering yourself. If that is the case, and martial arts was something in the past that you wanted to try, then I say go for it. It will lead to the things that your seek, but do keep in mind that it will take time and it sounds like you now have the time to accomplish your goals. If you have a dojo that is offering 3 months of free lessons plus uniform, then take full advantage of starting your journey into the martial arts. When you do find out the details, just make sure that there are no "catches" to the 3 months free. Sometimes that can happen and I'd hate for you to get duped at the very beginning of your journey. It can happen. Once you've decided to start your training, just focus on your present ablilities and work to improve each day, week, month, and year. Don't worry much about the other students or what they are thinking. Chances are they will be your biggest supporters. If you find that this particular dojo is not for you, then continue to shop around until you find one that you are comfortable in. Good luck to you and have a good time training!!

Well are you moving to a rural place with lots of space on your property? If so then maybe you can set up some workout stations. Home made wing-chun dummy for blocks and strikes. Balance beams or poles in another area. Heavy bag and focus targets in another, and the list goes on. Strike up some rural neighbors and get them involved in training that should take care with the sparring issue.

Since Century bought out Panther Videos, why not check out their website. I'm pretty sure they still carry the Shotokan videos be Funakoshi Sensei. Another source you can look at is https://www.martialartssuperstore.com they have a large selection of training videos at a lower cost. As far as the kihon goes, I'm pretty sure it's all the same in Shotokan.

Hey KK: Well I tried looking around for places that sold MA calendars, but no luck. I remember a friend of mine who was a Kung-Fu San Soo martial artist had a calendar made with photos of him doing self defense moves. It was pretty nice looking. Too bad I never asked him where he got it done. So there's one idea. Good luck on your search

Hi Yellowsnow and welcome to the board Well from what I can remember of my test, it was actually done outdoors in the Eastern Sierras. It was during the winter months, so it was cold and snowing. I remember being wakened at 0400am. We were driven up into the mountains, where we ran through mostly all of our system's criteria again. All the basics, drill, katas. We ran all around the area, did the standard push-up, sit-up routines. Got barefooted for more katas in the snow, rappelled(sp) down the side of a 40ft. drop. After doing all that until the sun dropped..........if it ever came out , we ended up at the natural hot springs to sooth the aching frozen body. That was many, many years ago, and I don't think I'd be crazy about barefoot training in the snow When you reach your black belt test, hope it is as memorable as mine was

Hi Katana: Welcome aboard, I'm sure you'll enjoy the forum and find plenty of useful information. First, look at your yellow pages and find out what's available. Second, do a search on the internet of the specific styles you have found and get some background info on each style if available. Third, try to define what you want to gain in your training. Fourth, call the dojos you are interested in and find out general information, such as how much they charge, if they deal on a month to month basis or contract. How long are the lessons, do they offer private lessons and how much. Next, narrow down the places and go visit them. Take a look around the dojo. Is it clean, parking in the area readily available, neighborhood it's located in, etc. Talk to the instuctor, parents or other students and get their feedback about the place. See if they offer a special deal like say $30.00 for 30 days of training or something similar. Keep in mind that it'll take more than 2 or 3 free lessons to know if this is the art you wish to train in, so set a realistic goal in regards to your journey into your martial arts training. Oh, and don't worry about how old you are or what kind of shape your in because in due time, you will see a change in yourself once you've been training for sometime. Good luck!

-Attention stance/heisoku-dachi -Open leg stance/hachiji-dachi -Horse stance/kiba-dachi -Forward stance/zenkutsu-dachi -Back stance/Kokutsu-dachi -Cat stance/Neko-ashi-dachi -Diagonal stance/sochin-dachi -Hour glass stance/Sanchin-dachi -Wide hour glass stance/Hangetsu-dachi -Reverse punch/Gyaku-zuki -Lunge punch/Oi-zuki -Spear hand/Nukite -Vertical punch/tate-zuki -Rising punch/Age-zuki -Roundhouse punch/Mawashi-zuki -Double punch/Morote-zuki -U punch/Yama-zuki -Upward block/Age-uki -Forearm block/Ude-uki -Knife hand block/Shuto-uke -Downward block/Gedan-barai -X block/Juji-uki -Front kick/Mae-geri -Side kick/Yoko-geri -Back kick/Ushiro-geri -Round kick/Mawashi-geri Hopefully this short list will be of some help in your training.

You sure that isn't a re-release of Madonna's................Vogue video

Although TKD and Shotokan have their similarities, they are still two totally different arts in respect to application. Shotokan is great for kihon or basics. It's great for developing punching techinques and low stances for developing strong stances. TKD on the other hand is great for taking your kicks to a new level. Their stances are higher in nature making you more mobile. I feel you can benefit from both, but as one member stated, try to get your basics down in one art, then transition to the other. After all a punch is a punch and a kick is still a kick. It'll just come down to how you apply each technique you learn. Good luck!

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