Pacificshore

Yes, your weight will be on which ever leg is forward. Depending if you kick with the front or rear leg will determine the push. If you kick with the rear leg then yes you will be pushing off the front leg and vice versa. Also the push will be generated by your hips moving forward with the kick. In the cat stance you refer to hollowing out the chest, or concave right? If that is done then your back becomes bowed. You have to keep your back straight. Turning in your front foot on the cat stance will naturally turn your thigh in to protect your groin area.

If I am not mistaken, Koei Kan Karate is a derivative of Shotokan karate/Japanese karate. It's focus is on punching and kicking, but I don't think that it focuses a lot on grappling.

Hello Bobby, Welcome aboard! Do drop by the Introduction Forum so that everyone else can properly welcome you aboard. Thanks! In regards to your question, do you mean the weight distribution in say the horse stance, front stance, cat stance, back stance If so then you are looking at 50/50 weight distribution in the horse stance, 60/40 in the front stance, 90/10 in the cat stance, and 60/40 in a back stance. As far as posture goes, you gotta keep your back straight/erect at all times. This will allow you to maintain your center so as to keep you balanced. I hope this answers your question.

Hmm....very good question. Guess that'll all depend on what the attacker wants from you. If it's my wallet then he/she can have it. But if it's for the shear fun of trying to cut you up for the he** of it, then it becomes a matter or survival and determination to live. In any case you will or will not sustain injury, just depends on the circumstances. As far has being fortunate to have a gun, they say that 21' is a good distance to be when facing a knife weilding attacker. However, he/she can cover 21' in a matter of seconds running at you. How you would combat this closing of distance is using what is called a tactical L movement. Which is basically moving off to your left or right in a continuous shuffle as you defend yourself by capping off your rounds.

Good Luck. Strike hard, strike fast, kick butt!!! But most importantly have fun!!!

Welcome aboard

Welcome back to da game!

Whazzzup!! Enjoy the forum and Welcome

Hapkido Cougar, Won Hop Kuen Do is a off shoot of the Kajukenbo system. It's focus is more soft style than hard style like it's parent system Kajukenbo. Kajukenbo was developed in Hawaii by 5 martial artists, and has been overseen by Sijo Emperado. It is known as a street self defense system. Won Hop Kune Do is a derivitive of that system, and utilizes all weapons from punches to kicks to ground grappling. Won Hop Kune Do was developed by Sifu Dacascos.

I've competed some in the past, but not anymore. I've never really followed all the ratings for tournaments, can you provide a little insight to how one gets rated by the different organizations? Thanks

Hello and Welcome look foward to your input!

I suscribe to the 3 basics. Black Belt, Inside Kung-Fu, and Martial Arts Combat and Sports. BB is okay, as are the others. Some months are better than others. I had a few of Terry O'neill's Fighting Arts International. That was a great magazine. It is now out of print. Focused mainly on traditional arts of Okinawa and Japan. Every now and then there was the occasional modern martial art.

Gun and Knife defense isn't taught until 3rd and 4th kyu in our system. My feeling about weapons defense/disarms/take-aways is that it needs to be practiced constantly, more so than unarmed defense. I've even taken a gun defense course put on by Krav Maga. That was a pretty intense course and for the most part I've found it to be simple and direct.

I agree, start with the Bo(staff). It is a weapon that is easy to learn yet can have many intricate maipulations to it.

How about rubber guns for gun defense/take-aways. A crash pad for throws. In addition to the clubs, how about some padded ones to start with for the beginners to defend against, then progress to the wooden ones.

You should check with what your country's weapon laws say, concealed of not.

From my experience with Shotokan, the style does not normally offer weapons training. However, the club I was with for several years incorporated kobudo training by hooking up with another instructor in Okinawan kobudo. It just depends on the club.

In my opinion once again, I really think that any martial arts can be street effective. It's just a matter of application/and understanding of techniques, being focused, and having a strong will to survive. The same would apply to any combat system where pure fighting is taught.

In my opinion it'll be the person that is the best trained practioner who has the most will and determination to win. The stances that one person uses in a fighting situation does not mean they will win or loose a fight. A well trained Shotokan stylist is not as easily swept as one might think base on their stance. As is the person with a "normal" fighting stance. Both would be in constant motion with continuous distance changes. To sweep a Shotokan stylist while they are rooted in their stance is a difficult thing. It'll all about timing. Just as it would be for the more "modern" karate stylist.

Although there are many variations of Kenpo/Kempo. These are the ones that were developed in the Uniteds States, specifically Hawaii: American Kenpo or Parker System Kara-Ho Kempo or Chow System Kajukenbo or Emperado System

Welcome

Kenpo/Kempo for it's multiple strikes and kicks.

Two types of personalities I've seen throughout my years of training are those who see martial arts as a way of life, and those who view it as something to accomplish, ie obtaining their black belt and moving on.

I don't necessarily think so. I've seen places that charge a rising scale for belt test, but charge students a reasonable amount for monthly lessons. For example, $50-$60 a month for lessons, and then $25, $30, $35, $40, etc. per belt level. Then there are those places that charge you plenty up front for a belt program, membership, and still a monthly fee, but then only charge a minimum amount for all belt testing, up until 1st degree black. In the end it's about how you preceive your training to be and what you look to gain from it.

Welcome to the forum