Pralgo

IGM, Good point. I guess that I have been pretty fortunate to always have someone to train under. So I have never had the opportunity to train alone for a very lengthy time. This has been our family business for many years, so I haven't seen it from the same perspective as someone who may not have the time or resources to continue with the same DOJO.

Training on your own can be done, but takes alot of discipline. You also don't have the advantage of someone to spar with or practice self defense techniques. The advantage of training in a DOJO also includes working with people of different shapes and sizes. You might not fend off a short attacker and a tall attacker in the same manner. Some colleagues of my Father and Uncle are members of IOGKF (Okinawan GOJU), but don't train in a DOJO any more. They do however attend gasshukus and seminars that Morio Higaonna holds from time to time. They also would attend classes and promotions at our DOJO every so often. This also gives them an opportunitry to be corrected. When training alone you may be making mistakes that you may not realize. Someone else may be able to pcik them out. Training alone can be done, and has worked for some. There are some challenges .

I haven't found any indication that TKD is lethal. Just a sport. Anyone throwing those high flying kicks can be dragged down to the flooor easily.

16 year old minimum age

You will find quite a few very good Senseis that have a beer gut. However it does not seem to slow them down.

Example could be blocking or kicking. A shorter or taller martial artist might have a slight variation due to size or shape. The basic movement is there, but slightly tailored to the individual. I've been able to see some of the differences up close and personal. My Uncle is with the IOGKF. My father and I practice GOJU-KAI.

Funny that Goju Kai isn't being considered GOJU-RYU. Just like any of the Okinawan or Japanese schools of GOJU, there will be some slight differnences. You can see differences when comnparing Jundokan, IOGKF, Meibukan, etc. Each of Chojun Miyagi's students came away with something a little different. Although I may be GOJU-KAI, I've been solicited to join Okinawan GOJU organizations more than once. The main difference I see with GOJU-KAI, is that the style is molded to the student, as opposed to the student having to adapt to the style. I find this as a plus in GOJU-KAI. This way one person with a particular extreme body type (tall, short, stocky) can adapt well.

I don't know how far you are from San Leandro. One of the GOJU Greats, Gosei Yamaguchi's DOJO is there. His father was Gogen Yamaguchi the Patriarch of Japanese GOJU. Sensie Yamaguchi also teaches at San Francisso State University. The website is http://www.gojukai.com/ You can tell him that Michael, and Brian (Mike's Son) Pralgo recommended his DOJO if you go and check it out. Be prepared for a real workout.

You might want to try an Okinawan or Japanese are such as GOJU, WADO-RYU, Shorin RYU and stick with it for a while. It takes a long time to really absorb a style. Aikido takes years and years. If you you took a likeing to it, try it again and stick it out.

AS some mentioned earlier, it isn't only the style, but the school as well Kyokoshin is very good. Master Oyama was a genious. Goju-Kai (Yamaguchi style Goju-ryu) is a very street oriented art. It is considered the gutter style of GOJU. If you really want to learn for the street, stay away from any school that has a buch of trophies in the front window. Tournament fighting for points is not the real thing, and will cause bad habits. Tournament fighters are not street fighters. Also stay away from schools, that every color of rank that you can think of.

If a student that is being tested has an attitude problem, a Shodan-ho rank can be given. Basically a shodan, with a white stripe. Another way to go about it, is to give him an attitude ajdustment. If he is a testing for black belt, just put him up against someone that is more seasoned. In my Father's DOJO we had a prospective black belt with an attitude problem. At first the solution, was to make him fight me in the Kumite part of the test, and put him in his place. Instead, we grilled him on his bunkai after he completed his KATA portion of the test. It made him very nervous to have to explain each and every technique in front of 100 or so people, and got our point across. He shaped up afterwards.