Zaine

So just to mirror the other comments here: those things focus on different areas. For technique, I would definitely suggest the makiwara. For speed I would recommend the bag. Though for strength I would recommend resistance training, and not necessarily any of the previous two by themselves. The point is, however, that neither one is better than the other because they do different things. I would definitely suggest getting both. You can easily make your own makiwara with a post, some twine, and something to anchor it (like a hole in the ground).

Still a Shodan. Not in a huge rush to get to Nidan either. My current rank is under an instructor who I have little relation with anymore. Honestly, I would be willing to start from 10th kyu under a new Shorin Ryu instructor if I find one I like.

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

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

Congrats! Well deserved!

Welcome to KF acott001! It's cool that you're doing a research project on karate. 1: I was bullied as a kid and wanted a way to defend myself. 2: I decided to practice Matsumura Seito Shorin-Ryu 3: I chose this because it was available. A family friend was an instructor and was having free classes at the time. 4: I am a Shodan in Shorin Ryu. However, I also have a Shodan in American Street Karate, and I am experienced in various other styles as well. 5: I read comic books, play video games, play various tabletop games, and read. 6: Century, Tapout, and Macho 7: I do research. I like my equipment to be of the best quality, and so I do research until I find that product. It doesn't really matter what the brand is for me, as long as it is good. 8: It depends on need. I generally end up buying only a few things throughout the year. That being said, I've been a martial artist for roughly 14 years, and have a lot of the stuff I need already. New purchases are usually replacements, new weapons I want to study, or impulse buys. 9: I have a local martial arts store. It's convenient, the owner will order things she doesn't have, and it's a great store. I've been going for as long as I've been practicing martial arts. She has quality items and I feel loyal to her. I hope this helps your research. You mention that you wish to identify the motivations of practitioners, but only ask what our initial motivation was. My motivation has changed many times, and has settled somewhere in the realm of me just loving martial arts. I no longer need to defend myself from bullies, and I have never had to defend myself since beginning martial arts. I just love what I do. It helps balance me mentally and physically. It also might be poignant to ask how martial arts has changed the behavior of those who have stuck with it. The person I was when I began and who I am now is radically different, and I think part of that is due to my involvement in martial arts. This is true for most of us. Martial arts has a way of changing the person who practices it. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

This is going to sound a bit corny, but it was my own struggles that kept me motivated. Whether it was a fellow student who told me I couldn't do it, or something my teenage mind decided was tragedy that re-focused my will, it was always pushing through my own short comings that let to my greatest accomplishments. Karate taught me how to do that, and it has translated fantastically into other aspects of my life.

Congrats! Well deserved!

I play Magic the Gathering and read an inordinate amount of comic books. I also really like to cook. In fact, one of my resolutions was to cook every part of a cow throughout the year.

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

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

I watch a couple of streamers. I mostly watch MTG streams, so HAUMPH and NumottheNummy are who I often watch. Other than that I watch a lot of souls streams and in that I enjoy Lobos JR. I also enjoy Weewooweemoo, who plays a few games. I think he's funny.

I haven't seen it yet! I plan on going when I get paid.

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! Wastelander is right! If you want, give Shorin Ryu another try to see if it will work for you still.

Welcome to KF! It's great to have you! Nice video. I have old sparring videos laying around that I will look at every once in awhile. It's always cool to see where we've been and how far we've come from then.

As a left hand forward fighter, welcome! I am right-handed, so I've always fought with my left hand forward. I would advise that you continue to practice with your right-hand forward as well. You never know when you might need to switch it up on the fly.

Great post! I love thought experiments like this! I would buy an island. On that island, I would build a college of sorts where students could enroll and stay upon the island taking various courses in martial arts. Apart from the physical side, I would have classrooms dedicated to various theory and philosophical classes. I would make sure to leave as much of the island untouched as possible, to allow for "expeditions" where students and teachers could go out into nature and train, or camp, or just go for a relaxing hike in their off time. If there is a training tool, it will be at the school. Various arts would mingle their and create new techniques and maybe even martial arts. Shorin Ryu would practice next to Hun Gar. TKD next to Krav Maga. Judo next to Boxing. It would be a martial arts paradise. Dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge.

Welcome to KF! It's great to have you, and welcome back to MA!

There is someone always looking for something beyond what we have here. For a lot of people, martial arts is where they go because it represents something more than just a defense system in their minds. As long as there are people looking for this, places like this will exist. Some will be great, teaching spirituality and martial arts side by side in perfect harmony. Some (maybe most) will be there to be prey on those who are desperate to know that there is some power outside themselves. For my part, I don't mind a little spirituality in the dojo. All I ask is that it is part of the tradition. Having someone open a school to simply create a cult-like setting seems predatory. I don't care what level of xyz they are, or how much money I could attain by planting my seed within your organization; I care that they are preying on those who are at a low point in their lives. It really irks me. However, like I said, I am okay with places like this existing if they are legit. There exists martial arts whose curriculum involve a spiritual path that helps its practitioners grow and do great things.

The philosophies that she speaks of are very Renaissance. These are all things that people like Descartes, Hume, and Locke were worried over when she talks about exploring within one's self. This should not be surprising, as Lee studied philosophy quite often. She is right, though; there is something magnetic about Bruce Lee. He was very charismatic and seemed to embody what being a martial artist is all about. A lot of martial artists look up to him and I think that they should. If we want to continue to grow, whether or not we do so as a martial artist, being honest with oneself is incredibly important. Lee saw that clearly, which is why he pushed for martial artists to live this way.

Congrats! Well deserved!

I actually have heard of them, they have a dojo in Huntsville AL. I have never had any interaction with them, but they did get into an argument with a friend for giving them an honest review after they were less than respectable to one of their young child students that culminated, as I understand it, in them being financially dishonest with the family. Afterwards the friend received a number of less than friendly emails that threatened various actions if she did not take the review down. So, my instinct is to stay away from them. However, they could be great in that location. Check them out, and trust your gut.

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