RichardHangHong

Welcome to KF Jason

Hi Scotty, Welcome to the forums I'm a bit further south. I'm down here in Essex. Got some friends up in Manchester though. Does that count?

Welcome to the forums Daniel

I trim, but never shave. Thought about getting my back waxed as it's all patchy tufts of hair on their. I get a lot of hair on my chest, stomach, legs, pits and personal areas. So usually about every 3 to 4 weeks I'll get the clippers out and trim it all down. Looks a lot neater and my fiancee loves it when I'm freshly trimmed too.

Essex, United Kingdom. Originally from Kent though.

Ditto to you there Jiffy!

I've seen a few fat teachers over the years. Don't think I ever saw them training for a whole session though. Perhaps for 10 minutes but not all at once. Most of the time they just stand at the front or in the corner andbark orders. I find it quite inspiring when they're in line with you doing the same and making it look so easy whilst you struggle to keep up. If gives you something to aspire to. When I've trained with Shihan Funakoshi he was always moving around the lines, joining in and training just as hard as everybody. He's in good shape if you ask me.

Is there a difference between the breathing in Sanchin and the breathing in Tensho? I always thought they were the same? Although I know there are soft forms of the same katas too.

Sounds a bit harsh to implement something like that. Doesn't sound the slightest bit fair. Kyu grade students are just as important as Dan grades IMHO. It's stuff like this which is exactly why I won't join into any organisations and stay independent. At some point or other it starts getting too controlling.

Never got to see it unfortunately. I don't think I have National Geographic anyway

Speak to the instructor and ask him to do something about it. Tell him you can't pair up with someone so unhygeinic. If you're doing grappling with the guy it's a health & safety risk if he has open cuts on him. If you get paired up with him just sit out and tell the guy you won't work with him. I'm sure others in the dojo feel the same but just be polite about it.

When I first started studying Iaido and I was using a bokken I regularly whacked myself in the back or side of the head when doing ochiburi (shaking the blood off the blade). Once I started using a sword I did poke myself a couple of times when doing noto (putting the blade back into the saya/sheath)

Yeah I recognise him. Tough as nails that guy! A good fighter and has a good sense of humour too. Don't you think he looks like a bulked up Colin Farrell?

I agree with the others. Go and watch some of the classes first to see which one(s) you prefer, have a chat with the instructors and let them know why you want to start training and see which one you're most comfortable with and start from there.

Let's see how many fun MA related facts we all can come up with. The more unusual and likelyhood of people not actually knowing them the better. I'll start. Did you know that.... Fumio Demura (Chief Instructor of Shito Ryu Genbu Kai in USA) was Pat Morita's stunt double in the Karate Kid Movies Chuck Norris retired from competitions with a karate record of 65-5 and he reversed all of his defeats. The first person to gain a black belt in Britain was Vernon Bell in 1952. Later, in 1957 he formed the British Karate Federation.

Hi Jiffy, I'm a little busy right now but I'll jot down the rest of the bunkai and post it up later this week. Richard

We've spent the last couple of weeks going through Bassai-Dai and it's applications in a fair bit of detail. A lot of grabs, locks/breaks and take downs in the kata. here's a few we came up with: Move #1 & 2 Attacker attempts a grab or strike to the groin. The receiver checks the grab with both hands. The left hand strikes inside the elbow, bending the arm up with the right hand. Continue pushing the attackers arm backwards and down. Once on their back the receiver uses his left hand to hold the attackers pinky and ring finger and pull up to secure the lock. At the same time the left knee is placed behind the attackers back to prevent them from turning around as well as to stablise the receiver. We found this to be a quite effective lock that can be very painful when applied. Moves 7-9 (right gedan barai, right soto uke/zenkutsu dachi, left uchi uke.) Attacker kicks with right mae geri. Receiver blocks kick and hooks leg into their arm. Left hand grabs their shoulder/stepping out with the right leg. Twist anti-clockwise to take them down to the floor. Left backfist to the face or throat. Moves 24-26 (double rising block, right knee strike, double tettsui/right leg zenkutsu dachi, right oitsuki) Attacker steps in grabbing lapels with both hands. Receiver pushes arms up and away to break hold. Knee strike to groin. Body check and strike double tettsui to kidneys. Drop onto one knee and slide hands halfway down their legs and pull sharply to put the attacker on their back. Punch to the groin. That's all for now. Got loads more but I have other stuff to do before class tonight.

Thanks Brandon, I know about this site but one of my students (a carpenter/cabinet maker) is making one for me but he needs the exact dimensions for a floor standing one as he has made the base already.

Can anyone give me the exact dimensions for a stand/floor mounted makiwara post please? I know the normal posts are 7 to 8ft in length but that is for the posts that are buried partly in the ground. I need: Length: Width: Thickness at the top: It it 1/4 or 1/2 inch? Thickness at the base: Which point to start tapering the post: Thanks in advance. Richard

Richard Gregory Titles: Quite a few 2nd and 3rd place trophies but can't remember all the dates. 3 x 1st place kata (2001, 2002, 2003 - Kenshukai Karate) 2 x 1st place kumite (2001-2002 - Kenshukai Karate) 2 x 1st place team kata (2001-2002 - Kenshukai Karate) 2 x 1st place team challenge tournament (2002-2003 - Kenshukai Karate) 1 x 3rd place kumite (2006 - Tokon Kai Invitational Tournament)Height: 5' 5" Weight 76kg Style: Seitou Ryu Karate (Shotokan & Okinawan Goju Ryu) Favorite Techniques: Spinning Side Kick, Front leg mawashi geri & Reverse punch

It's more of a Goju concept than Shotokan. An example of it would be in gedan barai, as you move your arm in a circular motion, your hand/wrist also rotates within that circle to generate more power. Also, with uchi uke as your arm travels horizontally in a circular motion outwards away and then inwards toward you, your hand then rotates on a difference angle. Hence, the circle within in a circle. To add to this, in shotokan, uke waza especially tend to have a more linear direct angle with the twist just at the end. E.g. uchi uke travels straight across the body and then the wrist rotates at the end. It is performed more as a striking block than as a hooking block. Just compare the blocks in any shotokan kata to those in a goju kata and you will see.

What are your thoughts on the concept of "The circle within a circle"?

Finally! Someone said it! I agree with you totally.

Practice, practice and more yep you guessed it, practice! Bassai-Dai is a great kata for showing effective hip rotation. Make sure that whether you're in hanmi or shomen niether hip drops or raises, keep them level with each other. Aslo, as you move in stance, be sure to keep your hips level with the floor. Don't raise up and down. This is good practice for suri ashi (gliding feet). I get my students to practice this with a bar across their lower back, just under the belt, that way they can see where their hips are going. Hope this helps. Richard

parkerlineage summed it up nicely, technique first, then power, then speed. Before all of them though must come spirit. It depends on what you're trying to show when you are performing a kata. Each movement has it's own individual meaning so it will always vary being slow or fast. For tournament performances, you will often see kata performed faster than usual as it looks more dare I say it, "flashy". Personally, I prefer the all-japan tournaments as you get to see some really good quality kata and they are done with power and precision and more impressive to watch. All katas are subject to an individuals interpretation so of course you will see variations but as you start to understand the kata more through bunkai, henka and oyo your timing and speed will change accordingly. It's always better, especially at a junior grade (pre-black belt) to be the last one to finish with the best technique than the first one with the worst. You will develop faster than those who try to rush through. Just remember the hare & the tortoise. Regards, Richard