G95champ

No not really. We go though 3 brown belt ranks but use the same belt. However it is hard to get a brown belt dirty. LOL. In the summer when I was going up the ranks my Sensei Harvey used to take us to the local camp ground a few weekends and we would train outside. We have not gotten together and done that in 4 years. However when we did that we did get pretty dirty. Stretching on the gound and stuff. However you are right the dojo should be very clean and the usual time between belts is 3 months they should ot get real dirty.

I would really doubt that and here is why. BJJ is groud combat. If you are in a battle as soon as you go the ground you become open for another person to stab you in the back or shoot you. Going to the gound is great if its one on one but when mass numbers of people are involved its the last thing you want. Akkido and Hipkido give you a lot of quick throws and breaks. Along with some good stick and knife defense. Judo gives you enough throws and take downs to work on the battlefield. Again Im guessing some combo of Akido and Judo with a touch of Hipikido is what we use. Im not saying they don't use soem BJJ moves but Ill bet money its not BJJ.....

A rule of thumb I try and teach is don't block what will not hurt you This is why I don't compete in point sparring LOL. However lots of times blocking will leave you open. A good fighter will set you up. Im sort of like Bon in that I take a lot of shots because I am a big guy and can.

If we were to spill something on them we will take a wet rag to them but to actually throw them in the washing machine. NO... My black belt is close to gray in places because the salt from my sweat have made it that way. LOL. Thats pretty goss. However when I look at it and a few loose threads I am so proud. LOL.... We do not allow our belts to touch the floor however it happens. Know what I mean. LOL I always instrcut my students not to wash their belt at any time. Even when they are new and stiff. We take a lot of pride in our belts even if they are white. We like to see them dirty but we try not to allow that to happen.

Yeah you will. I Espically use the down and rising blocks however they will have more of a natural swing to them instead of the robot like motion you do in class. With time you develpe speed and it becomes a reaction and you find yourself doing blocks without thinking. There is always a reason for doing a techinque. Think of it like learning to write When you are in Second Grade learing to make the letters you think Ill never write like this. However by the time you are in High School it is second nature. You have naturally added your own twist to each letter and made it your own. Martial Arts is the same way.

I would be shocked if Shotokan was taught in the US Army. Becasue its focus on low stances is not exactly combat ready. Most Shotokan students don't really become good fighters till later in their traing. The army wants the the best bang from the buck. ( BTW Im a Shotokan person myself.) I would expect the army to do more what the police do a mix of Akkido and Judo. Funakoshi did teach the army in Japan before WWII so that may be where that comes from. Because of the low stacnces, work on kata, and lack of weapons Shotokan is not want I would want to train the army in.

Baseball great Yogi Beara said ,"hit it where the aint." Makes a lot of sense. If they want to give you something try and take it. In a perfect world I would like to land a big side kick and finish the game. However its not perfect and I find myself using my hands 75% of the time or more. The kicks I do throw are low kicks or even sweeps. Its one thing to change to do what the attacker gives you but NEVER try and fight a style you are not confortable doing. I mean if you are a boxer don't try and tackle a BJJ guy because he won't box. The situation will always tell you what you can and can not do. We all have a game plan but the best laid plans don't always work.

Since I started training in Feb of 1993 it has slowly became the driving force in my day to day life. I started MA's to help me become a better football player. Which it did. It also helped me get in shape and most importatly control my emotions. Which is by far the greatest thing I have gotten from it. I may not physically train or teach everyday but I never go though a day without mentally training. Every night as Im going to sleep I ofter think about a kata or some new self defense techinque.

We work punching the leg when we trap a kick. Just to force a Charlie Horse. LOL.

I read Lee would build his power by like putting 400lbs on the bench press and holding it above him and just locking and unlocking his elbows. So he could build that power from the snap in his punch.

The sign of a true martial artist is to be man enough to walk away. Sticks and Stones will break my bones and names will never hurt me. You know that don't ya? Turn the other cheek. However I don't see your point.

Power comes from the hips. For max power turn and throw the hips more. However at times you need speed and less power so the situation tells you what to do.

I always teach new students closed hand blocks so they will not hurt their fingers. However as they slowly go up in rank I begin to open their hands and teach them how to grab the attackers leg or arm and work throws and takedowns.

Shotokan can be great for self-defense but it does not deal alot with joint locks and that type of stuff. Its more a strike defense not a counter lock. _________________ (General George S. Patton Jr.) "It's the unconquerable soul of man, and not the nature of the weapon he uses, that ensures victory." [ This Message was edited by: G95champ on 2002-06-19 16:09 ]

Welcome glad you found the site. With your 21 years you can add a lot to the fourm. Have fun.

KarateKid1975 The meaning of the oath refers to exactly what this post is about. It means respect all high ranks even if you can beat them up. It is understood that you respect and help lower ranks. Sort of think of it as helping a little kid across the road. All of us are going to grab the 5 year old by the hand and lead him. However not many of us will ask the 70 year old lady or man if they need help. (We can all beat up the 70 year old lady but we don't out of respect just as we smile and say yes sir to the head student who can't beat up the newest white belt) Respect all higher ranks becasue it is understood you will respect the lower ones. At least that is how we teach that idea.

Belts have nothing to do with how well you can fight. This is one of the biggerst misunderstandings in the Martial Arts. Yes a black belt should be able to defend himsef and put up a quality defense. However that does not mean he will always win. There are just some people out there who are MEAN and have never took a karate, boxing, or wrestling class. They are just hard nosed people who have had to fight or die growing up. Rank is a honor not a right. It don't mean much more than you have put your time and understand how your art works. I once taught a lady in a wheel chair for a few months. Because she can't kick don't mean she should not go up in rank! Your training idea with the white belt is the old way. I think that is cool that you do that. However most people need to see that they are making progress and differant color belts keeps them into it. Make you feel better. As far as paying for tests. I know some people really take advantage of students on this. However there are many like me who ony charge 10.00 this covers you belt, certificate and fram, and any shipping costs. In fact I loose money on some tests. However I have no problem with people charging for it because as all of us know we got to keep or schools open and extra income for tests don't hurt. Always respect rank even if you know you are physcially better because there is also a mental and emotional side to it you may not understand.

Well when I was training our Sensei was at every class no matter if he was teaching it or not. I do the same now. If your only problems is just being short a teacher that is not bad. Most school have to close because of bills. LOL..... If you got one guy pulling all the weight the only thing I can say is fix it to where all the classes are on the same day. Instead of having one class five days a week just have them 2 or 3 but run them back to back. That way you can save time. That way he don't have to be at the dojo everyday but can still offer the same amount of classes. I also found myself teaching early Sat. Mourinings. Thats a bad time but you get loyal students.

We have never had a dinner. Our tests usually takes a few days because part of it is for the person to teach a class or two. Then its pretty much a given at that point. I mean if you fail we just stop the test and don't get to the teaching stage. We like to do a sword presantation. The class will pitch in and buy a sword for show and we go though the knighting type thing and give the blackbelt to them. Sort of what you would see in Midevil Europe. Its pretty nice. I know clubs that take their blackbelts out to dinner we have never done that but it would be nice.

Thanks Shorinryu Sensei. You need to go to the introduction section and introduce yourself to the board. Hope to see you arround here some more.

You can cut a leg off.... Thats only 3 months dropping that much that fast would be more dangerous than cutting a leg off I would say. However if anyone has a quick fix Im all ears LOL.....

Before it is said yeah I like beating kids up. LOL.....

I had a kid like that once. His mom came to me and said he is being mean to other kids at school and using his karate on them. She said he had just been sent home for fighting for 3 days. She was like could you talk to him. I was like if you come to class I will do better. That night his mom came to class. When I spar with my younger kids I don't throw many techinques. I punch and block to protect myself but Im lucky to throw a kick. Most of my punches are slow so they can get the hang of blocking and moving. This kid was good for a 12 year old. He was the best fighter in that age group in class and a bit ****y because of it. Anyhow to make long story short I spent about 30 mins sweeping, throwing, and taking him down while we were sparring. I never hit him but I was using some really loud Kia's in his ear and just missing with a lot of swing strikes. Anyhow after about 30mins he was hin tears looking at his mom. He said well that is not fair you are bigger and stronger and better than me. I said,"Thats what your teachers say about you at school." His mom shook her head in approval. I set both him and his mom down after class and said this is your warning if I hear of you using karate for attack again your out of here. His mom said yeah and Ill call Sensei Justice over to take care of the punishment. The kid has never been a problem again. Im not saying might makes right. Every case has to be approached differantly (I would have never done that without his mother being presant and knowing) but I think it is our job as teachers to konow how our students are using our techinque outside the dojo. We had to always bring our report cards to Sensei Harvey. I don't require that because I am a teacher and see most of my kids at school but yeah we need to know.

The First class In Shotokan I recall stretching like crazy. Some nights we would stretch a lot more just to get a real good one in once a month or so. I remember after about 20 mins thinking so when do we get to do karate. We went on and worked basic moves all night but when it was over I was this a bunch of junk. Then I saw one of my friends (who got me in the class he had just made his black belt a few weeks before) spar with our sensei. I was COOL.... Then I was hooked..... So anytime I have new students I try and do something cool at the end of class to hook them in. Because as we all know it gets pretty dull at times. LOL....

I had not heard anything about it. However I do like the idea of haveing Marshall's on the plane. A class will not stop what happend on 9/11. However constant training will. I am so proud of those who fought back in PA. Those men and women are heros I would hope that I would react as they did if faced with that situation. I think anyone who deals with the public should have training. Because you never know when things may go wrong.