Fairfax_Uechi

Ah, but the key is to stay off the ground if at all possible, and to get up as quickly as possible. I agree with some of the others that knowing ground work with a striking style is best. But I want to avoid the ground as much as possible. Too many things can go wrong while on the ground. Stomping comes first to mind. Attacks from people you don't see, etc. Of the three styles listed, I'd probably choose Goju. As I understand it,(and this is based on my limited knowledge of the style) it has many similarities to Uechi which has a lot of grabs, and trapping. And come to think of it, if someone is going to the ground, I'd prefer it be the other guy!

I don't know that much about Goju Ryu but I do know that it and Uechi are both Okananawan and derive from China. The also both have Sanchin as one of the Katas. I think Seisan and Sanseru are also common. Uechi is based on 3 Kata brought from China, and currently has 8 kata. So I think the 3 are common to both styles. The other katas of each style aren't. Also we do Sanchin open handed and I understand that you do it closed handed (please correct me if I'm wrong).

Well it looks like my reply to you from yesterday didn't post. Look up Shelly Dunn he's in your area. I think he owns a gym in the lower level of a mall in Dundalk. He used to (and may still) teach at UMd Balt. From what I understand he's now teaching out of the gym and possibly at the university. He's and incredible person and would be a good person to talk to even if you don't decide to study under him. But if you talk to him, I think you would want to have him as a teacher. If you can't find him, send me a private message or e-mail and I'll get his number from another source. As for Uechi. It's roots are from South China Kung Fu and is based on Tiger, Dragon, and Crane forms. It's a compact style with many grabs, circular motions and is "Half Hard/ Half Soft". It's one of the 4 Okanawan styles and very popular in New England, Michigan, Florida and California. There are large pockets of Uechi folks in those areas. We're starting to get a good group in the Mid Atlantic also! Most Uechi in the area is taught in Rec Centers or gyms, and I don't know of any commercial Uechi dojos in the Mid Atlantic. (but I'm sure as soon as I say this that I'll come across one or two) The Uva Uechi club has a good website as does George Mattson. You should find more info there.

What part? There is an excellent Uechi black belt in the Baltimore area by the name of Shelly Dunn. He has a fairly small dojo and health club and I think he may still teach at UM Baltimore. In any case, if you're serious about studying a martial art, he would be an EXCELLENT person to contact and study under.

One point that folks didn't make about Creatine is that it breaks down in liquid fairly quickly. NEVER EVER buy it in liquid form. Also don't mix it up until you plan on using it. Liquid form is very expensive and a waste of money. Premixing it just turns it into a useless mixture.

What did you think of the training? I thought the father had a lot of determination. I'm not sure if the dojo they were studying in was ok or not. Some of the things they said, made me suspect. Others seemed good. Now many of the scenes seemed to be for the camera so it was hard to tell what was really going on and what was to impress the untrained eye. I agree that the kid had bad form, and when he was punching the bags had NO power. Anyone else?

How about telling us where you are (general city/state) and maybe someone can tell you of someone they know of? You may be suprised to learn that many of the best instructors teach in their homes, Rec Centers, YMCAs, etc and not commercial dojos. So you might need to look hard. In my case, I spent over a year looking for the perfect fit before I started trainng. And as far as learning from a book or video, I think you can learn some things, but you won't come close to learning what you could in a good dojo under a good instructor. And I won't even get into how hard it will be to unlearn bad habits that you teach yourself learning from a book. At the very least, try to find someone to train with who has studied for awhile or is willing to take time with you once in awhile and make sure you're learning good form.

I can't help you much on the first part of your post, but the last part I am working on and can tell you what I'm doing. First to improve your puches and kicks, you have to learn really good form. Next, you have to practice them REAL SLOW using PERFECT form until you're sick on it. Then mix up slow, medium and fast speed workouts. From there start hitting and kicking a heavy bag. It will take time, but if you keep a notebook and honestly look at what you're doing, you'll see that you can quickly improve. FYI, I've really improved my kicks in the last month. They're not close to what I want, but they're not as sorry as they used to be. (they do have a long way to go thought)

Well it sounds like you really learned the most important thing in Martial Arts ... Humility. The attitude that you were above wearing a white belt showed you had an ego. You're change and understanding shows that you've passed this and are beginning to understand that you can start over and learn new things. This is a huge success and something for you to be very proud of!

Often you'll see that because, unless someone has been training a very long time, they're revert to bad habits when the heat is on. It takes a long long time to be able to have skills so ingrained that you don't go to what you're describing. In our dojo we spend a lot of time doing slow speed drills. You do these over and over and over to get technique down. Then you speed it up once you have the technique down. Then you slow it down again to get even better. Doing techniques fast right away hides mistakes and doesn't allow you to see what you're doing wrong.

Wow. I'd suggest you realize that you're NORMAL. Please be kind to yourself. Most people have selft doubt, and at your age it's extremely common. Don't compare your insides to others outsides. If you have close friends I'd suggest talking with them. Or your folks if you can. If not, seek out a teacher, or other adult that you respect and talk with them. Help is there if things are horrible. If not, it's still there and if you make a little effort you'll be fine. Just don't forget that people do care and you will accomplish things. Actually you've probably had many accomplishments that you're not thinking about. AFterall you made it to 13. That's pretty cool as you're finally a teenager! Enjoy it! Those can be the best years of your life if you make them that way.

Are you serious? If the child truely has a mental health issue than this is actually a terrible attitude. I agree with what others have said, I'd personally start with talking to his folks, and working with them to have a plan on how to handle him. If this doesn't work, then you take additional steps. And what does volume have to do with anything? I didn't hear that he was deaf, only that he had a mental illness and wasn't behaving. Being loud doesn't always work, and can actually be a horrible thing for a child. The opposite MIGHT be better. Talk to him like any other child. Just adjust to his mental level as needed.

I agree with the others. I had a reply that I typed up yesterday but due to ISP problems it didn't post. Manabimasho1 said things better than I could ever. But I'll add my points anyway: 1. as an 18 year old you really don't have the experience or maturity to teach a "new style" 2. Based on your other posts and what you've said, you're just a beginner and really have no business teaching others the limited things that you've learned. 3. Just because you can beat your instructor in sparring doesn't mean that you are the ultimate fighter. I've spared my Sensei and have "beat" him on a few occasions. Some times it's been luck. Some times he's working a set of moves and I get in on him. Other times, I just executed a technique really well and managed to get it timed perfectly. Does this mean that I can beat him? No way. I'd be a fool to think that I am a better fighter than him. Do I have a technique or two that I do better than him? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe on a given day I could. But who cares, what matters is that I'm getting better each time I get into the dojo. 4. How much real time do you have in the dojo? How many seminars have you been to? How much time do you train? Who do you train with? How much conditioning do you do? 5. As for teaching. You'll find that it takes a great deal of time and effort to teach. Not only do you have to know what you're teaching really well, but you have to be able to understand your students, and be able to get them excited about what you're teaching. You also need to be sincere or eventually they'll realize you're a fraud. And what if you teach someone something and it doesn't work. Are you ready to deal with someone getting hurt, or even killed? Now not to make you feel like I'm bashing on you. So I'll offer some things I like about you. 1. You really seem sincere. This is good as you'll need it. 2. You're young and full of energy. Try to keep this as you get older. Teaching will wear you out at times and you'll need to be able to dig deep to get through the rough times. 3. You say you read a lot and study a lot. This is great. Don't ever stop. Keep learning. And some advice. 1. Go with your heart. 2. Listen to your elders, and hear what they're saying. Don't dismiss things and don't take them on faith. Learn to digest things and act on them once you process what they are trying to say 3. Ask questions. And make sure you're getting good answers. Also ask the RIGHT questions. Learn to see when someone is giving you an answer that is just what you want to hear, or if it's some stuff they made up, or if it's just junk getting repeated. 4. Finally, take everything in life with a gain of salt. Life is hard. So try to enjoy it while you can. And especially enjoy your youthg as life goes by fast.

Ah, if some of the folks here spent some time in a Uechi dojo maybe their would be less discussion of how many techniques and such similar stuff. I know that not too long ago, I was bored senseless doing the same exercise over and over and over. But as I grow, I'm learning that the more I do techniques, the more I need to improve. For instance, simple strikes, I've gone through learning the basic motion, to learning to keep elbows in to keeping the shoulder down. Not to over extend or to pull too soon. All of this sounds so simple but it's so difficult, and taken me years to understand, and I'm sure I'm just beginning to understand it (I have a long way to go). As for blocks, I'm in the same boat. My blocks are OK. But I know I have a great deal of work to do. Some day they may be really good, and at that point, I'll step back and start over to see what I really know. Until then, I'll keep working them over and over and over. The funny thing is watching folks of other styles. [disclaimer coming] As you know in Uechi we really put a lot of effort into learning the Mawashi Uke. Even an advanced beginner in Uechi looks good compared to some advanced folks in some other styles. [note SOME not all] I often wonder how these folks would actually protect themselves with a real strike coming in a full speed from someone big. My guess is that they'd be hit hard. It's amazing to me what a huge difference the difference between being in good Sanchin doing the Mawashi Uke correctly vs. bringing the block in say 2". And this is all before we talk about how it can be used as a strike (during the block) or as a tool to get someone off balance! Anyway, I'd love to hear some of your insight.

My Sensei suggests that we focus on the number 1. He says that you can use anything but to him, it's just something to clear your thoughts and to get into a medative state. I use it because that's what I learn. I also will sometimes repeat "slow, slow, slow...." as I tend to get wound up. To me it doesn't matter what you chose as long as it clams you and helps you relax and get into a medative state.

1. Avoid them if at all possible. Better to avoid a fight then get hurt. Baring that, Any martial art (not sport orientated) taught well, and practiced correctly will fit the bill. The trick is to find the one that is best for your body type. 2. see #1, when you're looking at dojo's talk to the instructor and see how much training they do on this. Also keep in mind that avoiding an attack by someone armed is always the best thing that you can do. 3. Again, avoid situations that get you into things like this. Keep your mouth shut, avoid bad areas, don't get drunk in public, etc. 4. Avoid these whenever possible. Now with all of that said, I'd suggest you look into finding a good dojo, and understand that it takes time to be a good martial artist. FYI, Uechi is an excellent all round style and one of the hallmarks of the style is that it has been coined "phonebooth fighting" since many of the movements are compact and require very little space. Also the style has a good combination of strikes, grabs, kicks, and blocks. Nothing overly fancy but highly effective in the real world. In your case I'd avoid commercial schools, and find an instructor who will work with you to help you find the inner art in you. You'll find that as you do this you'll have less desire to fight and more desire to have an ability to defend yourself if needed, but want to avoid conflict.

ShotokanKid, White Warlock said it better than I could. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, talk to your dad ASAP. FYI, if someone did this to my son, I'd have a long hard talk with them. I'd also talk to the pastor, and if I didn't like the responses, I'd be talking to the police or magistrate, and rest assured I'd get results. In your case, I understand the fear (we've all been young at one time), but think of this as a martial arts test to test your character. Sometimes we have a responsibility to ourselves and others. In this case, you owe it to yourself and others to speak out. Good luck and please let us know what happens.

I may be mistaken, but I think only the British use it. I have never been able to figure out what they use. Maybe someone can explain which systems they use and when. I think they use metric for most things but there are exceptions. So it would be nice to know.

Actually a pound of fat is about 2500 calories not 1000. The rest of this quote is DEAD on. Many folks try to lose weight too fast and it only back fires. One reason it's so hard to lose fat is that it's very easy to eat 1000, 2000 or more calories and not think about it. Just go to a mall and have a Cinnebun (sp?) or similar "treat". Even a large fry is over 800 calories!

There are some good sources for dealing with this on running sites. In our dojo several of us have had this. One guy tapes his feet. I caught my case early and a rest period of a couple of weeks off helped me recover. Depending on how bad you have it rest may work. If not see a good doctor ASAP. Things like this can become big problems when not taken care of.

Actually this is a myth, and if you do some research on modern body building techniques you'll find out that running can complement strength training to get a really ripped body. Now, if you simply do running either right before or after weight training without a good rest period (typically 8 hours or more) what you say is very true. Muscle breakdown occurs when you start the muscles. Properly fed, and with enough recovery time, intense cardio can actually help build muscle as it optimizes the cardio system which helps in the delivery of oxegen and nutrients to the muscles.

I voted other as I feel you need a combination to stay fit. Kata and martial arts are great, but running or stair steppers for cardio, weights for building muscle, and stretching are all necessary to be in great shape. Couple cardio, weights, stretching and martial arts and you have a great combination.

Losing fat takes time and effort. Basically the equation is to eat less calories than you need (but not too few or your system goes into starvation mode and tries to keep all the fat it can). The key is to eat a good balanced diet, get rid of any junk, and extras, control you portion sizes, and have a good mix of protein, carbs and (good) fats. Couple this with exercise and training and you'll lose fat. If you don't work all areas it's very hard. Sorry, to be the bearer of bad news but there are no long term short cuts. Fad diets don't work, and no magic pills exist that will help you.

Ouch, If I came to class without practicing between classes, I'd hear about it big time from my Sensei. I know I really have to work hard to make sure that I improve each week and that's working out on my own 5 days a week and taking 2 or 3 classes. I can't imagine going to class without doing anything.

For those that didn't see it, it will be shown again on 8/20.