AikiGuy

As JohnASE stated, sizes do vary a little with some brands. But most brands use the standard sizing chart. Just check with their chart to make sure your measurements fall into the size category you want before buying. I think Century has a standard sizing chart on their website with the gi selections. http://www.centurymartialarts.com/ With that said, I think I can help a lot here. I am exactly 5' 8-1/2" when barefoot and currently holding steady at 200 lbs. I have worn a size 5 gi for years and it was quite comfortable up to about 190 lbs. At 200, the jacket is just starting to get a little snug around the stomach but not enough to buy a new one. The pants still fit fine. If your normal weight is 200, you are probably borderline between a 5 and 6 jacket so it depends on how loose a fit you prefer. I have a medium weight cotton/polyester blend and it doesn't shrink noticably. Maybe the pants are an inch shorter but that's all. Hope that helps.

Yes absolutely tell the instructor. The tricky part is how to say it tactfully and without sounding like a whiny, over-protective parent. Even very good instructors cannot keep an eye on every student at every moment. So he may not be aware of what you are seeing. Just mention it as an observation and ask the instructor what should be done about it or how you can tell your son to react next time. That way it won't sound like you are complaining about how the class is run (which may sound offensive) or just being picky about who your son partners with. Instead you are just asking for his professional opinion on the issue (which is what he's paid for). He may suggest another partner or something else without you suggesting it at all. If not, go ahead and ask if it is an option to switch partners. Make sure you mention they do not get along. He should not be upset at the question although he may not suggest a different solution. And don't worry about the your son's age. Anyone who teaches kids is used to them. My son started when he was 6 and was goofy and very distracted but that was no surprise. If there are other kids in the class, this should not even be an issue. Good luck. I hope you get it resolved soon.

1. Respect. That includes respect for rules, instructors, students, style, etc. If this is lost it can be disruptive or even dangerous. It also takes time away from the class if you have to constantly remind students to follow the set policies. 2. Effort. Willingness to try even difficult things without giving up is nice to see in a student.

Don't get too hung up on the fact that you are new to this art. I don't think it should matter at all. Actually, it might help. Assuming this girl has more training than you, you can ask if she still trains then ask her to help you brush up a bit. It will give you a chance to see how she reacts to you outside of class without telling her everything.

When I taught kids I started them at 6. (My instructor starts them at 4.) Although they can learn younger than 6, they don't learn very well in my observation. It takes much longer to pick up a skill or to even learn to pay attention for several minutes at a time when you are 4 or 5. I determined this by teaching my son at home. I noticed at around 6, he would learn faster, remember longer, and be able to do most of the basic movements without tripping or losing balance. Armed with this (limited) knowlege, I started a kids' class and noticed that most 6 and 7 year old kids had a similar ability to learn as my son. This is sufficient proof to me that this is common. I made the age a rule to keep parents from feeling like their kids weren't getting their money's worth. And to keep kids from feeling like they failing at the attempt to learn what they (at that age) saw as very complicated movements.

A few years ago, I was thinking about some light weight low top shoes for Karate class. Then one day during sparring, we both kicked at the same time and his foot hit my Achilles tendon(?). I could walk but it was sore for a few hours. That day, I decided on high top shoes. I bought wrestling shoes from a store only because there's more of a selection. MA shoes and Wrestling shoes really are pretty much the same thing. Just my thoughts. As an alternative, I tell my students who prefer socks to buy those footies (half-socks) with the rubber pads on the bottom like hospital socks. Of course, in my class we can wear whatever we want: tennis shoes, MA shoes, wrestling shoes, socks, bare feet, steel-toed boots with 3 inch steel spikes on the toe and cowboy spurs on the heel... Ok maybe not that last one...

I just saw this show for the first time about a month ago and I love it. I love the action and the pacing. The fact that you can't retreat to stall/rest is great. This tests endurance and will just as much as technique. I hope they don't change much in the show. I think the name including "World" just implies that this sport is not limited to this country's competitors. Yes, big name fighters would help. However, I don't know if the less established fighters would want to compete then. It may hurt them in that way. I assume by "clown shoes" you mean the padded foot gear. I don't see the problem with this. Full contact sport like Boxing, MT, and MMA wear pads on the striking extremities. Why would this be any different? And why does it matter if they have long pants? It's not big on clinching and leg kicks because it's Chuck Noris' show. He isn't MMA, he's Karate. Although I do think they should either allow it any time or disallow it. That part doesn't make sense to me either. It is unfortunate that all strikers will not get to compete using their own rules but that's to be expected. If you or I decided to go into boxing, they would not expand the rules to let us kick, grapple, etc. So Chuck is just leaning toward his own specialty. I bet if one of the Gracies started a similar show/contest, it would be mostly grappling and not so much striking. These examples have more extreme differences but the idea is the same.

So how do you block a roundhouse kick? Do you also block front kicks differently than other traditional Karate styles?

Yes it could possibly sound like you would be interested under other circumstances. But remember this is only a suggestion of how to quickly end the conversation, not how to make yourself sound loyal. Escape is the goal here, nothing more. If an otherwise persistent person (*cough*stalker*cough*) thinks I may have low ethics, but still leaves me alone, I call that a success. I have explained this several times but I will reiterate one more time if it helps. This suggestion is only for times when other attempts do not deter your pursuer. It's for that pushy or slutty jerk who does not care if you say no or if you are married or anything else, and keeps insisting you consider his/her unwanted proposal. My point is that even such a low-life will usually not ask you to put yourself at risk for violence, etc. So it usually stops the advances. Again, this is not the case with the posted situation (although I initially thought it was). But it does work for it's intended purpose. I know because I have done it.

lol. This has happened to me so many times, and it is annoying.

You're not a 60 year old man, are you? If not, come back in several decades and see if you still have the same answer. I realize a majority of people would see this as a bit unusual but I would not call it abnormal. I know plenty of couples with 20, 30, or more years age difference. They say it's pretty normal. Yes of course that's an option too, but not the only one. I was suggesting a "last resort" response to get out of a situation where someone is very persistent (fortunately not the case here) and does not take "no" for an answer. It's a bit psychological I think. Because if I tell someone I'm not interested (for my own reasons), she may try to talk me out of my decision. (Yes this has happened to me before.) But if my reason comes from someone who is not there, then my pursuer has nobody to argue her point with. It totally shuts down every comeback she may have before she even thinks of it. This is just intended as a quick escape from a situation you suspect might become a bit too pushy or if it has already gotten to that point. Of course, if that is not an issue, then your comments apply and are preferable. The only catch to just flat out rejecting someone is when it is a friend, teacher, colleague, etc who you will see regularly. Rejection hurts and drives people to hold grudges (or sometimes retaliate). So if you are trying to preserve a necessary relationship of any kind, rejection may get you undesireable results later on. This was my only reason for my comments about just blaming the spouse and was intended only for this type of situation. Again your answers are more general and better for most cases. But this one seemed to be a tough spot that calls for a little subtlty.

I've sparred against a few different styles. My opinions would be similar to those already mentioned so I will skip them. The only one I can add is boxing. When I sparred (boxed) with a boxer, I noticed they do not "block" like we do. Instead they "cover". It was very interesting to see the differences in our techniques. I was surprised at how good he was at covering up his face whenever I would punch. I got a couple head shots past his defenses, but most of them just landed on his gloves. I pulled off a few more body shots though. He seemed equally surprised that my "blocking" was effective. Boxers are not used to seeing their punches stopped half way to their targets. I seemed to do this well out of reflex. Although a few good shots did get through to my head. We seemed to be fairly even at "hands" only combat even though I had more years of training. I think we would have to include kicking for me to have any sort of advantage. Boxers are also some of the best conditioned fighters you will find. I do regular aerobics, so I lasted the whole fight, but I was a bit more tired than he was.

Not sure if I'm picturing this correctly. I personally would not recommend juji ukes against a jodan oi tzuki. Although it seems very good for a chudan oi tzuki. Please clarify if this defense is something unique to your style. Or are you just experimenting to come up with your own defenses? If you are looking for options, my style usu does some sort of sideways block like a shuto or moroto uke. The resulting position opens up a bigger variety of counters IMO. Hope this helps. Not sure if I'm answering your question.

The first one that comes to mind is the mae geri (front kick). Since you use both hands for the juji uke, you can even grab and trap the attacking limb, then counter with various kicks or even a sweep if you are in position for it. BTW, what attack are you blocking with the juji? I guess it would make a difference.

Yes! I'm glad someone else sees the other side of this. This guy seems like he is propositioning you but isn't that normal for lots of people? He didn't try to talk you into something after you said no, so he gets points from me for backing off respectfully. In my book, there's nothing wrong with "asking" anything. There's only something wrong when someone won't take "no" for an answer. But he did, which is all I would ever ask for. I would still save the emails as others have suggested, just in case he gets wierd about it later you can have evidence as to who started the situation. I would also agree that you should tell your husband. However, I would not ask him to do anything or try to get your teacher in trouble for this. If he is willing to drop it, then just let it drop, provided you can get past the uncomfortable feeling you probably have about the whole thing. And before anyone asks, yes I would (and did) do the same thing myself. I have been propositioned a few times before and I never get offended as long as they don't pursue it after I say no. My wife was also propositioned with a rather kinky situation. I only asked her two questions: Have you already told him you're not interested? She said she did. And did he back off? She said yes he did. I was satisfied. How did the guy know if she was interested before asking? Lots of people would have said yes, so he should just ask and be prepared to drop it if she says no. He did and I can respect that. BTW, the best way to turn down advances without making enemies is to blame it on your spouse. I always say "I could never even consider that. My wife is very suspicious/paranoid and would probably find out even if I did" or "My wife has a terrible temper. If she heard a rumor, I'm afraid she would become violent". This way, you don't insult anyone by actually saying "no". You just give a reason why it would be impossible. I have done this more than once and I never loose a friend/acquaintance that way.

I don't know much about swords since I don't own one. Although I have dabbled a bit in Kendo so I have been in the market for one for a while. A couple things I look for are blade material and tang. Obviously you do not want a cheap aluminum blade if you want authenticity. Plus they can't be sharpened later. Also, the greater the tang the better. First reason is balance. A longer tang makes the weapon slightly heavier but also more balanced. Second reason is if you don't get at least half tang, the connection between handle and blade is very flimsy and may separate after a couple of years especially if you plan on taking it to class and swinging it around (either for demo or cuts). Half tang is decent but if you can afford it, go for full tang.

I prefer stand up sparring to grappling. Although I do like grappling, I don't get to do it much. To answer your question about improving grappling, I think practicing at about half speed may let you experiment without the pressure of a real match. I've never done this with grappling but I have with sparring, throws, etc and it really helps.

Exactly.

Armanox and PSBN Doug, you both are suggesting holding a single nunchaku with both ends when you block. Yes that would make it a stronger block against most weapons so you have a point if you are using it that way. However, if I were in an armed battle, I would prefer to have one in each hand so my comments are based on that. (I should have pointed that out earlier.) I realize having two weapons is causing part of the limitation on blocking, but I make up for it by having the element of surprise since I can strike from either side (or even both at once) so my opponent cannot predict my moves as easily. I have actually tried single and double nunchakus against longer reach weapons and double has more advantages as long as you are half decent at moving and evading. Also, back to the single nunchaku situation. Even though you can now block hard strikes, it will be slower. After striking, you now have to re-catch the loose handle before doing a two handed block. If you have the time (or some distance), this may work well. If not, you get smacked a lot before you can even block. Compare this to Escrimas: A strike/block sequence is two steps. With Nunchaku it's three steps (strike/catch/block) if you need a solid block. That is a serious disadvantage considering most practitioners with even a little training can go from a block to a strike in about half of a second. There is a second disadvantage to a single nunchaku: low blocks. Imagine a sword/bat swinging at your thigh/knee area. If you do a hard (two handed) block, you have to bend down so one handle is below the intended target. You cannot do this without bending down. So you are forced to compromise your defensive posture. An opponent may even be able to bluff you into bending down and offering the top of your head on a platter. Comparing to a solid weapon (escrima, sword, etc), you can simply do a low block on one side without even moving anything other than the arm holding that one weapon. This is the single biggest problem I have with nunchaku as a combat weapon. As I stated before, this is my favorite weapon and I have trained with it more than any other weapon, so I would never put it down if it were not legitimate. But there are just too many disadvantages to it to be a "choice" weapon against an equally skilled person with a better weapon.

Are you referring to the modified billy clubs that aren't really tonfa, but resemble them? If not, I'll just add that piece in as well. I think he talking more about a PR-54 or something like that. I think you're all referring to the same weapon. I have heard all of these terms used before. Bushido, I think yours is the official name for it. Although I thought it was PR-24 because it is 24 inches long. Not sure though. Are there different lengths for the police models?

I would have to disagree with this. I do actually know how to use Nunchaku very well. I consider it my specialty weapon as well as my personal favorite. But I still notice that you can only give a solid block with the handle you are holding, but not with the loose handle. If someone swings a bat/staff/sword at your mid section from the side and you do a block, what happens? His weapon will just bounce the loose handle out of the way and smack into you. Of course, the nunchaku will still slow or deflect the attack a bit, but that's not enough to stop a totally committed strike. Also, 2 feet of reach over your hand is still pretty limited. You only compared this to empty hands (not really the topic here) and other limited reach weapons (knife, sai, tonfa). At best, I would call it a mid-range striking weapon (similar to Escrima or Short Swords) counting the loose handle. But what about longer weapons (bo staff, long sword, 3-sectioned staff, chain whip, etc)? The nunchaku is not going to do well against those because you could never get close enough without being hit first unless your opponent is not very skilled at his weapon. But that's the exception, not the rule. I cannot claim the same level of proficiency with Sais as I do with Nunchaku. So you may have a point here. I did not think of keeping one in and one out at all times. Sais are still short reach weapons which is bad. But at least you have solved the "re-gripping" problem. I think your method could be used the same way as a sword and shield combo. I will have to try that.

Ok we all know how useful and versatile the sword, bo staff, etc. can be. But some weapons are just not very practical. I realize some traditional weapons were improvised long ago from whatever was available. So kudos to them for ingenuity. But given the choice, what weapon would you not want to take into battle against other weapons. Think armed tournament with your choice of any non-projectile weapon(s). For me it's a tie between the Nunchaku and the Sai. The nunchaku has speed and versatility but does not have solidity. Since it is a flexible weapon, it offers very limited blocking ability and only so-so striking reach. The Sai is good at blocking but does not have much length either. It also requires you to switch the way you grip it as you go from one movement to another (block w/ handle out, then strike w/ blade out). This can be a costly slowdown in a fight (real or practice). So what's your least favorite (in practical terms) weapon? Discuss.

That's what I thought too. That's why I asked what style he was. If he was purple in Karate, TKD, etc, he would do better at stand-up fighting, but perhaps not so good at ground fighting.

This is a matter of semantics. Sometimes the best defense for the situation is a block. It is possible to be in a situation where you cannot use evasion tactics. What if you are grappling with an attacker and each of you has only 1 hand free. You cannot use tai sabaki effectively to simply move away if you are being held. What if you need to move to your left to get away and there are people or furniture or a brick wall to your left? What's the best defense then? If all you know is tai sabaki, you will get clobbered. Yes of course evading is better when it is an option. It's just not always possible. So if the only available option is to block (if you cannot evade), what is the best solution? This is my interpretation of the topic. In that case, the two blocks mentioned here are both good. But each is better for a different type of attack.

My style teaches both ways to block. We do mostly one-bone blocks for defending against hand strikes but we also learn two-bone blocks for defenses against very hard attacks like a baseball bat or a kick. It certainly does have a purpose.