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I am doing some research on the different types of iron and bamboo fan forms. My wife has become interested in them after seeing a demonstartion. I am looking for any information on a flowing style of fan form that has a martial base to it. I am considering Tai Chi, Bagua, and Choy lay fut. If anyone has any input on a style that would have a good mix of flow and martial application I would appreciate the help.

If I were standing next to ernie Reyes, Sr. I would have to say it is great for publicity, but I don't think you would want to have practise for the team interupt your regular class time. If you are going to have a demo team you had better have a lot of experienced members for your team, that can work on their routines without a great deal of input from you, of course you are going to have to help them, but keep it to a minimum.

Be prepared to spend a little more time balancing the "corperate rut" and the full-time dojo for a while. It might be a good idea to stert out like so many of us have by teaching out of your garage or at a community center for a while, just until you get a good student base and some capital built up for the construction and day to day operations of your school.

I would have to say to anyone that is interested in someone in their school that you must be prepared for the consequences whether good or bad. I dated my assistant instructor that I had at my Master's school and then I guess I was glad I didn't listen to anyone who said not to, because I went and married her, the best decision of my life.

I am in full agreement with everyone that thinks contracts suck. I shudder to think what the masters of old would think of our contracts. I have not and will not ever use a contract. There is more to being an instructor than money.

Jane Doe, You might want to go to Turtel Press and look at some of the books that they have on drills and forhow to teach young children. I taught children from 4-8 years old for 4 years before I finally got another instructor to take over that class, it was the most difficult class I have ever taught, but it was one of the most rewarding too. Don't get to varied in your structure, the young students need structure and discipline in order for them to advance and keep focus and I understand that they can easily get bored so some variety is good. For you I would say just keep your focus on why you are teaching and the rewards and it will make every victory a hundred times greater.

Fairtex makes really good equipment, you might want to try them.

I do not train specifically in Yamanni-ryu, but I do several of the kata that are in the system. The Yamanni-ryu system is a very nice system if you want to really focus on the bo.

Try some techno and club dance music. Some people like Prodigy or The Crystal Method.

The styles I have studied have groundfighting. But to answer your question it depends on the style and the instructor. Some instructors don't teach groundfighting.

I am researching the Bo kata of Seisho Aragaki and I am hoping that someone on this sight can lead me to some useful information. I am hoping to find out any general or specific information on the subject. Aragaki's bo kata include Sesoku no kon, Aragaki no kon that I know he created. If anyone has any info especially on the focus of the kata and the duration of each it would be most appreciated.

I am in aggrement with sai in that when I have used a weapons with an empty hand kata it has lead me to a greater understanding of the bunkai of the kata. It is not to say that everything has to work out perfectly all of the time and that we are to only use weapons with the kata from column A and not with the kata from column B. It is all about the experience that you gain from experimentation.

You asked if there was anything you can do outside of class to get better at sparring? The answer is simple: when a runner wants to get better at running he has to run and when a fighter wants to get better at fighting he has to.............fight. Easy as it gets. and remember if you ever stop taking lumps it is time to move to a bigger pond.

I* have been on both sides of the fence in this area and I have to say that it doe srequire a great deal of time to get the routine down and it does look quite impressive in competition, but as for the combative aspects of this type of forms competition it is a bit of yes and no. The people doing them have to mix the flashier martial arts techniques with the extremely flashy gymnastics moves. It is intended to be more FLASH than combative and this is the reason it has its own division in competitions. Now as for the reason for doing this type of training it developes rhythm and timing. The Late and VERY great Mas Oyama himself said that if you gave him a dancer he can make them a fighter and I guess if anyone would know it would be him. Now as for not being willing to compete in a tourney that has these divisions I would have to ask if you are afraid of getting beat by someone doing these types of forms?

I am not sure what all you are looking for in this area, but I might be able to help you. If you are looking for some training videos you might want to look up Anthony Gallo videos available at Black and Blue Video Productions or you might try looking up information on Haidong Gumdo. If you are trying to get more proficient at Iaido there are several sights that are available with free information. Depending on how "experienced" you are you might want to get an instructor in Iaido, Bokken-jutsu, or a style like Haidong Gumdo. If you do decide to go it alone you will want to start by getting a Bokken, Suburi-to, or a shinai, in roder to reduce you level of injury, but don't think you can't get hurt or killed with these weapons, Musashi used to kill katana-weilding samurai with them. I hope this little bit of information will help.

I have always been lead to believe that the ranks up to 5th dan are what the style has done for you and above 5th is what you have done for the style Kyokushin Karate founder Mas Oyama refused to be promoted above 5th dan for that very reason.

I am trying to find out some information on the Monkey King Staff routine from the Hung Gar system. I would like to find out the level of difficulty of the routine and what the form focuses on as a whole ie if it places emphasis on striking, blocking, acrobatics, etc. Thanks for any information anyone can provide on the subject.

Sauzin is right in that the Bo or Kon is a very dangerous weapon and I see the point that the sword or kama, with their bladed edges are also very dangerous. The idea that one is more dangerous thatn the other is like comparing a landmine to a grenade, both are lethal and can be dangerous to the user. As to address the question of moves for the Bo I would say that you do need an instructor if you have no experience, but if insist on learning it yourself look up Ota Eihachi, Matayoshi Shinpo, Taira Shinken, etc. for traditional kata or Casey Marks, Gary Waugh, or Wayne Dalglish for a more flashy approach ie. open weapons. They are all really good and have very good instructional videos.

I am in agreement with KSN Doug. I have been competing in open weapons for a few years and the spinning that I use in my open for has helped me gain immense control over my bo in regards to my traditional kata. If there is still any question as to the effectiveness of spinning ask a wushu expert for a demonstration.

Sauzin, Thank you for the information. I have studied the Isshin-ryu kobudo and Taira Shinken liuneage of kobudo for about 5 years. The kobudo training I Started after several years of training in varying styles of kara-te and I am looking to add some variety to my bo knowledge. The information you provided is very helpful.

I am hoping that someone amongst the many kobudo-ka can help me with some information on the following Bo Kata: 1.) Sakugawa no kon 2.) Shirataru no kon 3.) Soeoshi no kon The information I am trying to get is the number of moves in each form and The level of complexity of each. I am trying to find 1 or 2 more Kata to compliment my existing Kata. They are: Shushi no kon no dai Tokumine no kon Urashi no kon Yonegawa no kon Any help anyone can provide would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

I guess that it depends on how well educated you are as to whether or not you would consider the parent system of all styles of karate major or not. Shorin ryu was around long before Goju ryu, Wado ryu, Shotokan or any other style of karate. The reason that shorin ryu would not be considered a major style is that the Okinawan people have not sold themselves ot the world like the main Japanese Islands. Even though I study Goju ryu and it would be considered a "major" style since it is recognized by the Olympics it is still a more closely guarded secret in the Okinawan version than the Other versions of the same style. Now as for Shorin ryu it was the style created long ago by Matsumura and then passed down over the years in secret and put together into shorin ryu that is practised today. Funakoshi did study shorin ryu and, as the story goes he remade it for the japanese public so that it would be better for exercise. Their are two villages that have contributed to the kata that are in shorin ryu Tomati and Shuri. So I have given you a little bit of info, it is up to you on whether or not you think it is "major" or not.

I agree with withers in that how you train is how you fight, so if you train to use them you will. And besides what purpose would it be to train to use something that is not going to be used.

If you change things around or "create" a new style you had better have a good reason and you had better be ready to back up your claims. This would be pretty nuts considering that everyone thinks they have the best style and are ready to fight to prove it. It is a lot better to seek out a style that suits you and get very good at it.

Hands by your head, stay relaxed, don't try anything that you haven't trained on, HAVE FUN, and if you are in range strike if not get away. Getting hit is a part of the game, but if you keep your hands up it will be less likely to be very bad. The last thing I can say is DON'T FORGET TO BREATHE. I know it sounds funny, but it is the hardest thing to teach. Most people hold their breathe