Zaine

This is an important question that I think that we need to ask throughout our Martial Arts life. When was the last time someone took a look at where we are? What have we let slip because no one has caught it? I think that it is when we allow ourselves to go unchecked for too long that we lose control of our egos and our martial arts.

The first and second ed are really special to me. They have this magic and mystery that I think that the later editions (to be fair, I have not played 5E as of yet) have failed to recreate in whole.

That pretty cool.

Agreed... Picking and choosing which "battles" ("spare time shenanigans", as you put it ) to engage in is the key. (And, D&D has become an "odd" thing, too, IMO... up to 5th Edition; our group sticks with a blend of the old 1st and 2nd Editions...) I played 2nd edition and a bit of 3rd edition under a great GM. If it just wasn't so damned time consuming... Hehehe... We call it the "Wayne's World Timewarp"... As soon as you break out the books, dice, and character sheets - doo-doo-doo-doo...doo-doo-doo-doo (space-time continuum blurring and waving)... It's 2 days later! Lol... I currently play Pathfinder once a week. I love table tops, they definitely make you forget about time (and how early you have to wake up the next morning).

Happy Birthday KF! It's awesome to have such a fantastic and accepting around and to be a part of it is both an honor an a privilege. Just as I found myself shaping my ideals of what it meant to be a martial artist based on what I learned here, I hope that in the future many other Martial Artists, young and old, will do the same.

Great post and questions Spartacus. Time, mostly. Time away from video games or other things that I love doing. They also take away from school and being with my family, so I have to budget my time wisely with these things so that I can get enough classroom training in to continue learning while at the same time being a good student, husband, and father. As far as material things go, I have not had to sacrifice much. Mostly, my passion for the various things in my life has necessitated an equal allotment to all of those things. The thing I struggled the most to let go of was pride, anger, selfishness; all of those things that martial arts is supposed to cull out of you.

Congrats Heidi! Thanks for all the awesome posts!

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

Happy Birthday Ken!

Train what you know! Remember that it is hard at first to keep good technique when you are far away from the dojo. Slow is correct, and as long as you don't rush through it and focus on doing this correctly.

Congrats! It's awesome that you had a great time! Good luck with your journey and keep us updated!

Congrats!

What style to you practice? Spodo Komodo makes some great observations, and those are things to consider. If I was doing a super traditional kata, red oak is my choice, and in general it seems to be the chose of Okinawan and most Japanese systems, while Chinese kung fu systems tend to move towards rattan for its flexibility.

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

I manage valets for a company who operates in the DFW airport. I am also an aspiring writer.

I disagree. I think there is a place for all of those things in karate while we maintain internal harmony. I don't believe that a focus on fighting necessitates a dis-focus from meditation or internal awareness.

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

Congrats!

Congrats!

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

I would have to say that the defining kata for me is Chinto. As Kusotare mentioned there seems to be a build up in many of the core kata to Chinto (via the Pinans, Naihanchis, etc).

I disagree. When it comes to the defense of your life, it is precisely the rehearsal (via kata, kumite, etc) that we use to defend ourselves. We practice a certain block against a certain technique so much because when that technique gets used against us, our bodies know what to do. This is the "rehearsal" you reference. We "rehearse" so that we can act immediately, without having to go through a database of knowledge to figure out how to defend. An actual fight does happen very fast, and its the practice and drilling that helps us use the time we have for defense more effectively. This is also why we focus on bunkai. This move can be translated into a defense against that. Then, we take that and drill it so that it becomes a part of us and then move on to the next technique. So yes, the difference between a martial artist and a non-martial artist is that we know how to move our bodies for defense, but there is so much more to that than you suggest. We know how to move our bodies if someone punches us, or kicks us, or throws any technique at all because we incessantly drill those movements via kata and other practices.

My school at one point was in a dojo for rent. It was a really great deal, and we used it for years before the school disbanded. From what I remember the experience that we had was enjoyable, and the requirements (other than rent) were that you left it clean and tidy after completing the class, which is something that most dojos require anyway for their own places.

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

That's awesome! Congrats to your Sensei! That was a very well executed Chinto.