redbutt

That would be because Okinawa had several military attaches that went to China and learned Chinese martial arts. Also, militart attaches from China came to Okinawa. Itosu and Azato, who taught Funakoshi, were almost certianly exposed to these Chinese influences.

Well, prodigy, looks like my post still stands on its own. I said if you hate Kata, find a new Martial art...you did. I said that it taks a LONG time to understand it (read...lifetime), you didn't wait that long. I'm not bashing you here, just pointing out that what I said is true. Understanding Kata is NOT easy...it take lots of work and time...lots of time. If you put in the effort, you will understand what the Kata has to offer. Thankfully, there are many Martial Arts out there with different teaching mechanisms. You've found ones that work for you and that is great! But, it is unfair to say that Kata is pointless. It would be fair to say (and you did), that you didn't LEARN anything from it. There is a reason that Kata has been passed on through the years...it's not just traditional. _________________ Daniel Shodan with Shotokan Karate of America [ This Message was edited by: redbutt on 2002-04-11 13:34 ]

I found this link. http://math.ucr.edu/~rkc/dalke.html I don't know if he was the first or not though. Master Ohshima taught the first Karate class in the US in 1956 but I don't know when he promoted the first non-Japanese student to Shodan. Info about Master Ohshima http://www.ska.org/ohshima.shtml

In a sense yes...but if the ref is doing his job, you shouldn't get the point unless you throw a good technique. ***** slapping someone doesn't get the job done and therefore should not get a point.

I should have specified what I was disagreeing with. I was disagreeing with the comment that the Yodan made to the guy who started this thread. I agree with you.

Oh...thank you for pointing this out!!!!! I was just having dinner with a girl last week who found out that I was a Black Belt and mentioned that she wanted to start Tae-bo to learn Self Defense! I damn near choked on the food in my mouth. It is SO irresposible of Billy Blanks to let those infomercials give the message that you can learn self defense and Karate from Tae-bo. I feel really sorry for some of those women on the commercials that say that they are ready to protect themselves from an attacker with no other traning than Tae-bo. Folks, if you want to excercise, have fun in a Tae-bo class. If you want to learn self defense techniques, join a dojo (pick a style that you like) or a REAL self defense class.

I did something similar at a Special Training and was told the same thing. Listen to your doctor. Let the knee rest.

Thank you for pointing this out!!!!!!!!

Annonymous put it best. You can teach anyone to break a board...it doesn't mean that you have learned any Karate. Bruce Lee's comment is also very good for this subject. True Karate is not about how many boards you can break. SKA does not require breaking in Dan tests.

I have to disagree in a major way here. The Shihan of SKA, Master Ohshima is a direct pupil of Funakoshi AND the one who translated (at the request of the Funakoshi family) Karate Do Kyohan (which we follow). To say that what Master Ohshima teaches is not "true" Shotokan is a load of crap. Yes, I am biased and passionate about this becuase he is my Shihan, but think about it...Karate has become a business and people will say anything to get your money. It is also worthwile to point out that SKA is the only NON-PROFIT Karate school dedicated to Karate-do. As for the differences between JKA and SKA, you have to remember that this is the result of two peoples interpretations of Master Funakoshi's teachings. There are bound to be differences. Also, something that Master Ohshima points out a lot is that you need to adjust for size. Remember that Funakoshi was only about 4'8".

Which school? JKA or SKA

If you think Kata is useless, find a different Martial art. Kata teaches you everything you need to know IF you learn what you are doing.. Kata is not something that you do just by running through the moves. Learning a Kata is a multi-step process. I agree that you will not be doing Heian Nidan in a real fight, but the concepts you learned from the Kata will be what get you through it. Are their other ways to learn the techniques? Probably, but Karate has chosen Kata as the teaching method. It works if you understand it, and that takes a LONG time and patience.

I've heard two versions of this last technique. Traditionally, it is a true nidan-geri...first kick chudan, second kick jodan. However, I have also been told that it can be executed by thinking as the first kick as possibly steping on your opponent to "climb" up them to deliver the jodan-geri. Take that fro what it's worth. However, either way, the jodan-geri should strike before your other foot hits the ground.

Belts are only a joke if you are the type of person that thinks that because you are a black belt, you are the ****. What you need to realize...and it sounds like everyone here does, is that no matter how much you know, there is always someone out there that knows more than you. Kumite is a great training aid, and it really shows you your weaknesses...if you can't score a point it'll be really hard to land an effective technique in a real situation. But, like everyone here has said, a real fight is a whole new world.

Just an observation here, but body blows are somewhat useless unless you are REALLY accurate and very powerful. This is especially true against big guys. I'm not that big at all and I have been blasted in the stomach, chest, etc....yeah it hurts, but it didn't stop me at all. Remember that the solarplexus is ont aboutt he size of a coin...it's hard to hit cleanly on a moving target. My personal favorite is a fumikomi (stomping kick) to the knee followed by an Uraken (back fist) to the temple or back of the jaw.