Kajukenbopr

Here in Okinawa that would only end with someone being seriously injured!!! lol If you plan to stay with your first instructor I believe the choice is his. I would also only consider it if it is a totally different style than you are presently in. Japanese and Chinese teachers are very jealous with their students, aren't they?

I think a good punch doesnt equal boxing perse. Although boxing does have devastating punches, other martial arts have their own kind of punching to get their desired effects: Karate- the rotation of the punch from the chambered position maximizes the speed and force of the blow- even if it seems unpractical to the outsider Wing Chun- the vertical punch employed in this style allows for shorter, more structurally stable punch. Also, according to their own theory, the vertical punch is easier to root, making it faster while well rooted. Xing Yi- the punch does not close tightly and one of the knuckles will be more prominent, as if making an arrow-head. their strikes are as if using a spear- the hits are as if using your fist like a hammer. I'm pretty sure other styles have their reason for punching the way they do. Although Boxing is great, not everyone will see the movement of boxing as "optimal" for their particular style.

I wish there had been more bagua in the movie though...

Im starting on this style

Maybe you could arrange to have the 2 schools visit each other, compare some of the material, and have some sparring to check each others weakneses and strengths.

I dont see FMA striking resembling boxing other than by using the hands for striking- the footwork is very different, the strikes usually occur with trapping, and the arm motions are different.

Honestly, it sounds like a scam to me... Go check out the other schools and compare what you see in practices not what they say they might be able to offer.

So, go ahead and charge more only if you will teach to the very best of your abilities. Isnt that the point of being a teacher? to teach a student the most effective way to attain the knowledge and abilities u have?

In my experience, the main money making aspect of teaching Martial Arts classes is through monthy tuition payments; not so much from testing payments. At our school, students don't test if they are not ready. Other schools can do this, too. Most students (adults, anyways) that sign up for a school are looking to improve themselves physically, and some mentally and spritually. They realize that they do this by working hard, and testing when they are ready. Not because the cycle has ended. Sometimes, when it appears that someone is getting bummed out about their lack of movement in ranks, you just have to have a talk with them, and tell them the reason, and what really is important, even if they don't realize it yet. I dont have a problem with people paying for being taught martial arts, Excessive costs though, is not right. even if it is to maintain a school. I dont have a problem with making a profit, but the cost of education shouldnt be the main reason why you stay away from martial arts. YES, I am fully aware that a lot of people can afford the extra 100, or even 200, maybe more, for monthly classes. Not everyone can though.

Exactly, to make money, you worry about money. If your school needs an average of 40 students but you only have 20, you have to tell them the school is closing, you cant teach them because you dont have the physical school? or you make them pay twice to cover the place's cost and your salary. Teaching in a school as your main income is not a bad plan, however, it doesnt really work to the students advantage, some can afford it, others cant- doesnt mean the ones that cant wouldnt be as good as the ones that can pay. However, if you are good, and you want to make a living out of it, instead of taking money off of your students, you could just get sponsors and maybe even programs from the city or the state to keep the school running without your student having to pay so much for what, 2- 3 , two-hour classes a week?

I dont have a problem with people making a profit, however, if you are thinking about making a profit, you are not overly thinking about the quality of your material, but of how many students you need to stay per month and how to keep expanding the business. That is how McDojos develop- you have a founder that decides to make a profit, he starts the first school with good material, then opens a series of other schools, even if the material is good, it has become a product for selling. So, if your students are not good because they are lazy, you could make them wait for their belts, or give them the material, acknowledge them as inheritors of the material(even if they havent mastered it), because they PAID for it. However, people that train in parks, out of their homes or community centers don't really have an obligation to the student. I'm not saying this is ALWAYS the case for schools that want to make a profit, and schools that don't make a profit. But if "profit" is the school means of survival, the material depends on commercial success.

read the first 5-6 pages of the thread. apparently the weapons were not as hard to manage as we might think. AND, they did have good training for fighting! look it up, we had a great discussion back then! Yes, these are accurate points. It is true that fighting in the plate armor was a little bit more limiting than fighting without armor on, but it was not as heavy or tiring as one would think. What made the armor so good is that not only did it offer great protection, the articulation also allowed for good mobility. The perception that an armored European Knight was slow and clunky, and would get his armored limbs chopped off by a quick Samurai is fictitous. Remember that the Europeans had a long history of war as well; look at the Vikings. They loved it. There were also many Medieval Masters-at-Arms that made their career training troops. I think that many times it is blown out of proportion as to the amount of time the Samurai spent training. Of course, depending on the soldiers' rank, that would also determine what other tasks they performed, and how much time they could spend training. Japanese culture does put a lot of emphasis on doing things perfectly well. I dont doubt for a second Samurais practiced religiously every day, even if it was different areas of their training. But yeah, i get your point, the difference shouldnt be THAT much

I've heard of people started Tai Chi at 60, kept on doing it well into their 90's... Take a chance, and have fun with it!

this is a problem I've seen when browsing schools in the states... Down in Puerto Rico, martial art classes cost about $40 a month, but apparently in the states it is common to see $80-90 a month... Just make sure the prices dont go soaring up as you go, personally I wouldnt pay more that $90 a month... UNLESS they were going to be training me personally, no group classes.

usually they work pretty well, and most schools should be pretty tough, as far as I've seen. They tend to be very good at close quarter combat

read the first 5-6 pages of the thread. apparently the weapons were not as hard to manage as we might think. AND, they did have good training for fighting! look it up, we had a great discussion back then!

I am not discussing whether it was true or not, however, most of their training is based on Japanese Jujitsu, before the MMA, jujitsu was the most complete traditional martial art -according to some-. Even if that was not accurate, you dont really need every type of striking, grappling and or internal arts to be effective for self defense or fighting. Also, their physical training would already give them a good advantage over the average man. I dont think if ninjas really did exist they would advertice their killings, they probably did little more than spy, sabotage and manipulate rivalries between warlords.

http://www.iganinja.jp/ they claim to be authentic, so much so that the goverment is sponsoring a program for people to learn to become ninjas with one BIG catch ( no one must ever know if you graduate this ninja school. Not just teaching fighting, they actually teach esoteric, military, strategy, explosive, acupuncture, diet, exercises, and many other ninja arts.

true... I'm not familiar with what he studied exactly... I do know he is not just a Wushu "dancer", stunt men in his movies do get hurt when he hits.

I was actually impressed to learn how good the chain mails of the European Knights worked, they could stand direct blows from swords! Now the question: which cuts better, the European sword or the Japanese swords?

Oh, yeah! it was those 2 Which lineages of Xing Yi and Baguazhang i wouldnt know... but its definitely those 2 arts, though the hand postures of the Xing Yi fists are kinda funky(to me: some schools have different ways of forming their fists) The baguazhang looks a lot like Wudang Bagua(Taoist Branch, not the one practiced by Dong HaiChuan) or maybe generic Wushu forms... The styles are portrayed, though, how authentic are the movements, most likely a choreography from Bagua and Xing Yi Wushu.

Kajukenbo Self Defense- it has Karate(kicks), Judo(holds and strangulation), Jujitsu(joint manipulations and throws), Kenpo(the base of the art-fast paced strikes), and Chinese Boxing(easier flow of techniques, as well as some hand/finger training) - in weapons we use the escrima(or eskrima) and the knife. Unofficially, it also has some boxing, other weapons, and some taichi concepts.

I agree with you

I agree here completely. Things like speed, strength, agility, always add to your various strengths, and help to overcome or hide your weaknesses. relying on strength alone though, will make u lose against someone stronger than you. Someone faster and/or with a better strategy will also win against someone who is not better, just stronger.

Good point as well. Another book I have is titled Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere... Another circular analogy. I think the cirlcle is a big part of how the human body moves. moving in circles is an alternative to our everyday movement, when we walk, or when you move your arms, be it for greetings or to move things. At least, that is my opinion.