unknownstyle

This is the way my Shorin Ryu teacher does sparring- 10-7th kyu students throw hard contact punches from the belt up to the neck. no head contact, sweeps, or leg kicks. 6-4th kyu students have moderate head contact hard body shots, sweeps and groin contact. all fighting is done standing no going to the ground to finish them. 3rd-1st kyu have face and head contact usually hard hard body shots hard leg kicks, simulated contact to joints.(don't wanna take out a knee but should try and get to the ahot. when sparring the rules are dictated by the rank of the junior. this causes upper ranks to continue focus on other targets without having to worry about getting their heads knocked off. this is also when the upper rank students will focus on adjusting timing and rhythm against a lesser trained oppinent. by the time we made Shodan watching two blackbelts sparring was usually very boring as both were looking for that one shot to end it. at Shodan there also was little softening of the strikes we throw against each other in sparring. and all this training is done with just a pair of gloves. we don't suit up head to toe to avoid injury

As long as the underatanding is made that children are not learnibg karate like an adult would. i personally think 13 is a good time for starting. not all kids are going to have tge maturity to learn what is taught and use it wisely.

Very awesome article, thank you so much. what style of Shorin do you practice?

One of my absolute favorite thing to do is just be on the end of an attack. sometime even get a little of it. then i am close enough to attack. i tend to let others chase me and don't block as much. i am small and fast so usually I'm already gone before the attack gets close to hitting me.

I agree, you have to keep it fun and to the fundamentals. make a game out of learning. simon says using the basics is awesome. and during you can make corrections to the whole class if you see issues. setting up stations and have the kids work on certain things at certain stations can be fun. a obstacle course with stations can be fun. tine them and see who can complete it the fastest but make sure they aren't sacrificing good training for speed. competition usually drives most kids and it is a good way to raise the self esteem of sone of the children that don't have a lot. games with teams also will help. but don't sacrifice good technique for entertainment.

I found this article in the animal techniques of Uechi, wondering if anyone could hook me up with some more good links? http://www.karateblogger.com/stari/articles/bugeisha_uechi_1.htm

In the event that you don't use tai sabaki you are most likely redirecting the attack with some deflection after the block has been completed. when tai sabaki(body change) is used it is general going to be almost all deflection. block is the wrong word. in my research the Japanese word "uke" means to defend or to recieve deflection and redirection is what we practice as karateka so block would be an incorrect term

i don't seem to remember you being as humble about it with me, lol My proudest moment was my Shodan test. i broke my foot two days before during a kyu rank test. me and Zaine's instructor told me that i could test with a broken foot or wait 6 months, what would you choose? I was also told if i wrapped it all opponents would be directed to attack it. at the beginning of my test i was told in private that no one would be made aware it was broken as my teacher didn't want any ease of grading from mt test board. i completed all requirements fpr my test and was standing before the board when my teacher finally announced that i had completed my test with a broken foot. after he said what he needed to each member was given a chance to give feedback and ask me any questions they needed to. that's when it happened. Sifu Charles Rice said to me "this entire test i tried to find sonething wrong, and i couldn't. And now to know that you had a broken foot amazes me more." I will never forget that feeling that came over me. nothing in my martial arts life will ever top that. to be told good job by this man would have been great but those words were truly special.

Also if anyone is looking at getting one. you will save a few bucks buying directly fron them as opposed to your favorite online supplier. trust me i tried to find a lower price.

I say go for a ki intl heavyweight gi. they run$50-70 depending on color and material and are extremely comfortable.

If you are going traditional these are not the way to go. for training for real you need rope. also the length of rope should be short. less than one fist should fit between the two sides.

It will depend on what your intentions of use are. kyokushin seems to be very tournament based in my opinion. Wado and Shotokan will use longer stances than that of your okinawan styles. Uechi is about developing a hard body and using devasting attacks to beat an opponent. Goju also develops a hard body and tends to have more in depth kata training than the others. I have no knowledge pf Shaolin Kempo so i won't comment.The Okinawan styles tend to be a bit more hardcore in their training philosophy. Shotokan, Wado Ryu and Kyokushin you will see more in tournament than the otgers

And it sets up that knockout so nicely. This is my go to kicking target. I only weigh around 130 and this is how I beat guys twice my size.

One thing you can do to strengthen your feet and build arches is crumble newspaper with your toes. My teacher has flat feet due to his arches decreasing from years of being barefoot on the donor floor. This has worked well for him and is something you could do while sitting and watching TV or reading a book.

Soken is one of few though. I practice a style mostly based on Matsumura Seito so I've done lots of research oh Soken Sensei

IMHO both are watered down versions of Okinawan karate. Not that they do not have their strong points but I believe them to be easier to learn and more appealing to the masses. They are pretty to the untrained eye where Okinawan styles tend not to be. They don't focus so much on the physical and brutal training methods. And they seem more competition oriented. Like I said this is my opinion no disrespect to anyone as I love all karate, but when it comes down to what is most effective, Okinawan karate is always on the top of my list.

Why is it that the old masters from Shorin ryu styles seem to always look like they can barely walk, but you see another of the same age range from Goju or Uechi ryu and the move very fluidly and still with rather good speed?

I think a white belt should be worn except for in visiting situations. But it needs to be well known to others that you are a blackbelt. People not knowing this who are also low ranking may look and think if your are as crisp or talented as you are and are still wearing the same rank as them that they may as well give up because they think they can't achieve the same level.

You would think you would see it more in mma than you do, and its said you don't. Front snap kicks are about the most effective and easily set up.

It totally depends on the technique being performed. Heel to toe when stepping forward tends to add tons more power to the strike. When stepping back toe then heel has more advantage as it makes it easier to throw front kicks and if you have grappled your opponent on the way in you can slam your heel down and create energy in which his body will follow. There are times when shuffling forward that my heel will hit first bit as I pull my other leg in I will go up on the ball of the foot to get readyto throw kicks. When stepping across I land with the blade of the foot. Its just a matter of what your doing and what your next option is.

The vertical punches are far superior to horizontal when in close range and on an incoming opponent. A properly excited horizontal punch should corkscrew at the moment directly before impact. Shimabuku Sensei say this as weak because most often our opponent is charging at you. Therefore you never would get the full power of the strike in that situation.

I didn't say none of them teach it. They just tend to teach very simplified versions of the bunkai. More taking the kata for face value instead of exploring the options and being creative.

I agree. I got in trouble a year before my shodan and my choices were to drop three ranks and be able to test for shodan at the same time Zaine did. However my ego said no I am an Ikkyu and will not drop my rank and would rather wait the full year. In a way, I wish I had dropped rank but I think my choice was more humbling to me as I halost my position as the senior student and didn't get to share such a wonderful experience with my best friend.

Traditional Japanese schools tend to teach very basic or no bunkai at all. However, Okinawan style rely very heavily on bunkai and kata.

I was honored to have once been given this honor, sad to hear that it wont be continuing.