Zaine

Of course they're gonna hold things back. You don't learn all the secrets in your first couple of months. You're also too worried about how other people are doing. Be worried about how you're doing.

Cayuga I think that we're just going to have to agree to disagree. I've seen it work, having a larger sensei than myself who trained me on how I would need to do it to make it work, but clearly you're very adamant about your position and I'm the same about mine. I would like to point out that this is a forum, where rhetoric is kinda the idea.

Cayuga I think that we're just going to have to agree to disagree. I've seen it work, having a larger sensei than myself who trained me on how I would need to do it to make it work, but clearly you're very adamant about your position and I'm the same about mine. I would like to point out that this is a forum, where rhetoric is kinda the idea.

Pretty good if he's trained it. It does seem like you're having this mix up. From what I've read of your posts you're fairly young, and also pretty new to martial arts, so let me give this advice to you. Everyone joins karate for different reasons, whether good or bad. For me, I was bullied a lot and I needed to have a way to defend myself. Despite the reasons, most of us have the goal to gain skill, and that comes through training. After awhile though, it ceases to become about skill and becomes about understanding. The people who allow martial arts to influence their lives understand that it isn't about how much skill you get, but that you understand not only the techniques that you, but how to live your life outside of martial arts. So don't let being the very best be your goal. Don't be worried about how many techniques you know or your belt color. Focus on being a good practitioner, and the rest will fall in line.

I agree with sojobo here. If you're gonna point out the stupid people in karate, you should also go to the length of pointing out the stupid people in every other style. On a side note, it's bunkai, bukkake is something ENTIRELY different.

I'm not quite sure what you're trying to say here, but from what I get there is not difference in what you're saying from what I am.

Trust me when I say that there are little to no move that are strictly aesthetic, my teacher rammed that in my head ad nauseam. If you feel that there isn't enough bunkai being taugtht to you, talk to your teacher about it. Most teachers are more than happy to give you some pointers on bunkai, and if you suggest a class strictly focused on bunkai they might agree and do it, but you'll never know until you talk to them.

What's your rank?

Any martial artist gains confidence as they train. The confidence isn't in their skill as a martial artist, it's confidence in themselves. One of the most amazing things that any martial art does is bestow confidence in oneself for those who are willing to stick with it.

Haha yeah those guys aren't joking around!

That is an incredibly interesting way to do it. I like that a lot.

I used to watch this show religiously. I miss it! It was for the most part fairly unbiased and it shed a good light on the systems it covered.

That's about the best advice that I think that anyone can give here.

Shorin Ryu certainly will give you the tools to do that, especially if you look at some of the katas, but a lot of it tends to err on the side of taking them down with somewhere from one to three strikes. Kenpo on the other hand does have more of the aspect of martial arts that you're looking for. However, if that's what you really want, try out longfist or some other kung fu style. Their katas are geared as if you were in a longer fight with someone, with every move being the next step in the fight (at least this is what my long fist instructor told me).

Kenpo is a great system. My suggestion would be to try a couple classes out and decide for yourself.

From what I understand it is an extremely well put together system. When I do hear complaints about it, it usually has to do with the intensity in which they train.

I don't know about that. I've heard many stories where an old man beat a younger guy who was trained plenty of times. I suppose it depends on whether or not the old person is training, and old masters tend to continue training to some extent throughout their lifetimes.

Maybe he just ages incredibly well?

Agreed. It's usually instructor preference here, and they will hold you to the standards of their dojo and make sure you fit their requirements before you advance anymore.

I couldn't disagree with you more. The Pinan Shodan that I do has the finger tip strike to the torso, and it doesn't take a decade or two to condition your fingers to withstand a strike like that. With the Pinan, the strike is to the diaphragm, so as to knock the wind out of the opponent. A fingertip strike would also be useful for getting in between the ribs, striking a pressure point or doing a cranes beak to the sternum. It isn't just theoretical, it's practical or it wouldn't be in a kata that has been around for quite a long time. Regardless of your intentions with the above line, you seem to be assuming that a teacher who teaches this is only equipping his students with this technique for an attack to the torso. When I learned Pinan Shodan it was made very clear that this was a technique that required finger strengthening exercises. Our teachers are always going to equip us with what we need to defend ourselves, and always push us to make sure our bodies are able to handle the techniques that we do. To say that it is foolish for a teacher to teach a student a technique is not only silly, but incredibly closed minded.

It's not an eastern vs western deal but a proper training vs improper training, by which I mean how the practitioner trains. The dynamics that you're seeing is that, first off, the old people have been doing it their entire lives, it's not rare that they would have the ability to mop floor with the younger fighters. It's also that some people have the brilliant thought not to destroy their bodies to train because it's not necessary. A good deal of my generation is of the mind that they need to train, train, train as hard and as fast as they can so they can see results faster. While on the other hand, older generations know that not only are you hurting yourself by doing that, you're actually slowing your progress due to the fact that your muscles aren't being given the time to rest, and therefore grow and be productive.

I don't see why not. The mind is a powerful thing and if you trained both your body and mind to take that I can certainly see it being genuine. The body conditioning is nothing foreign no me though, they seem to be doing the same way I did.

I need to find a new school.

Welcome to the community!

He shouldn't quit though. Clearly he likes it enough to find different ways to learn it.