Zaine

Deja-fu from Discworld. Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu from Ruroni Kenshin. Rex Kwon Do from Napoleon Dynamite. No real background to most of these. Except maybe Rex Kwon Do, which is an amalgamation of machismo and McDojos. Pratchett's Deja-fu could be anything, as it is generally just the feeling of having been hit in that way before. He had some other funny ones that I can't remember right now. For example, one was just hopping, while another was just throwing bricks or something along those lines. Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu is just an anime style meant to be the best of the best. It could be compared to kendo, or other sword styles present in the Meiji era of Japan.

Provided that you stance is correct, the best thing you can do is practice. Do you watch tv? Do neko ashi dachi. Do you cook? Do neko ashi dachi. What you're focusing on here is muscular endurance, or your ability to continue holding a position for a period of time. I suggest looking up exercises that help you with your muscular endurance.

Welcome to KF! It's great to have you!

Welcome to KF! It's great to have you!

Welcome to KF! It's great to have you!

Welcome to KF! It's great to have you!

Welcome to KF! It's great to have you!

Congrats! Well deserved!

This is not what Plato meant. What Plato writes in The Apology is that human wisdom is worth little when we consider the wisdom of the gods. Furthermore, logic is not the absence of wisdom. Applying logic gives us a clear and defined path to our goal. The Chinese use logic as well. In Daoism, those in the School of Names were logicians. Again, I think it is incorrect to call philosophy exclusively Greek, and wisdom exclusively oriental. There are plenty of other branches and traditions of philosophy that aren't Greek, and Eastern philosophy has a rich and very ancient tradition. Wisdom is universal, and in the end I think that anyone can seek wisdom, regardless of what area of philosophy they ascribe themselves to. I think this particular statement is a little unfair. Silkworms are native to China. Would European nations have created silk if they were native to Europe? That's unknowable. Since it is unknowable, it's not something that we can really debate about. However, I will say that clothing depended heavily on the climate of the area. People that wore fur generally lived in frigid climates, whereas people in warmer climates moved to other, lighter materials when they could. I think this is also an unfair statement. Multiple countries offered Greece aid. Was it wisdom that caused Greece's collapse? It's unlikely. Nor do I think philosophy played a hand in the event either. Source? Eastern martial arts are certainly more globally popular, but Greece is far from the dominate area for WMA. We are beginning to see a restoration in interest in WMA, and it's been very awesome to be a part of. While this is true, I do not see how this is different from what Eastern cultures steal from the West. Culture is a constantly evolving thing. Every culture takes what it likes from others, and adapts it to themselves. China used firearms before the West did. Furthermore, Middle Eastern countries were the first to use what we generally think of as a gun in the 14th century. I couldn't find anything that agreed with this. The closest thing I found is that the Italian spaghetti noodle is likely a descendant of Asian noodles. Again, I think this goes back to my argument on cultures borrowing from others. The dish called spaghetti is solidly an Italian one. The earliest evidence of crop rotations we have are from around 6000BCE, and originated in the Middle East. So while that is still Asian in origin, it is not Chinese. It seems that the West knew about it long before the Middle Ages. Agriculture can also be traced back to this time. Again, the West knew about agriculture long before the Middle Ages. I think we would be in the same spot. This is a great forum, and I think that logic plays a large part in the questions and answers that make up this community. I think that it is important to remember that the goal of philosophy is wisdom, regardless of origin. Greek philosophy is big in the West because it is a part of Western culture. Chinese philosophy is big in the East because it is a part of Eastern culture. I think that as MAist, we pursue wisdom through philosophy. I think that as humans we pursue wisdom through philosophy.

I disagree. Wisdom is the application of knowledge, and I hesitate to say that it has much to do with luck. It certainly can help us hedge bets, and move away from pure luck in situations, but that's as far as I am willing to go. Philosophy, on the other hand, is far from being just Greek. We can certainly thank the Ancient Greeks for popularizing it in the Western world, but philosophy itself exists within many culture and is not exclusive to Greece. Philosophy is theory, in it's base form. The word philosophy means "lover of wisdom", and as such philosophers seek out wisdom in all forms. In the world of MA, this leads to our ambition to know more. If you want to label these two things within the world of MA, one could say that philosophy is theory, and wisdom is application. However, that would do a disservice to both of these concepts. There is so much more that goes into these two things, and to define them solidly would be difficult.

Welcome to KF! It's great to have you!

Like I said last year, there is just something about KF that always brought me back. The community is awesome, and is a really great representation of what the MA is really about. Happy birthday KF, here's to many more.

It's so great to have you with us Danielle. Thank you for everything you do!

I think that, on the surface, you're correct. I wouldn't necessarily recommend that someone start their cross training with Shorin Ryu if their base system is Goju Ryu. It's just too similar. That being said, I think that after you branch out into something different, like an internal system after your external one, then I think training in a similar system can have a lot of benefits. There's a lot of subtly in similar but different systems, and having a break from one and going to the other may make you appreciate that more. Otherwise, I wholeheartedly agree that if you practice an external system, that your next step should be internal if you want to take the cross training route (and I think everyone should).

I don't really know enough about Bujikan to answer that question. However, what rank are you in Goju Ryu? I would say that the length of time you have done it is more important. Any new system will bring with it a demand for new muscle memory, and it might be frustrating as you're trying to work against your existing muscle memory to do those techniques properly. I suggest that you talk with you CI about it. They will know, better than us, if it matches closely, and whether or not it would be viable to do for you.

I prefer a brisk walk before a run. It's like when you start your car to warm it up in the winter before taking it out on the road. It allows your joints and muscles to get some low impact movement, and makes ramping it up into a run a lot better for you.

You will be missed on the staff Heidi! Thank you for all that you have done.

I don't see why this should interfere with your flexibility. I would suggest, however, trying out a specific running program. I also hated running, but personally did C25K and found running to become more enjoyable. It's just a different type of exercise. What is your stretching routine before and after your run? Usually, when I run, I do a warm up and cool down walk in lieu of stretching.

This was a great prank. So, when will you be issuing refunds?

That's awesome! Congrats to your daughter, you must be incredibly proud.

When I was a teenager, my friend fell in love with Seisan, and I fell in love with Wanshu. We spent hours practicing our respective favorite kata. However, as I got older, I found myself practicing techniques in the Pinan set more than anything. I found myself employed those techniques in sparring, and have focused a lot of time on those.

Welcome to KF! It's great to have you!

Welcome to KF! It's great to have you!

I wouldn't worry too much about this. If that is how another club does business, then ignore them. Focus on making sure that you're club is running well. If it gets to the point of slander/libel, get a lawyer. Otherwise, just continuing doing the best you can.

I imagine what is covered would vary greatly depending on the school. The school I got my BB at had us sit down and essentially went over what the CI expected out of us with our instruction. Mostly, it was a recap; he just explained how he taught us the things we knew. It all depends on what you want out of your instructors. I would just give them your expectations. It seems that your list would be a perfect starting point. I don't think you necessarily need to go into finances and things like that for someone who is just an instructor, but having them first aid certified, or CPR certified is a pretty smart step. You could even get certified to certify people and cut out the middle man. I am not sure which certificate you are talking about having extra of, but if you are speaking towards the FA and CPR certificates then it's useful to have all instructors certified. You never know who will and will not be at the school, and it's good to have your instructors informed on proper technique and care of an injured student.