CTTKDKing

I'm a little late to this thread but as i train with and help coach with the point sparring team and also take Muay Thai sparring classes to aid in my training, I figured i'd weigh in. I'm a big fan of the traditional martial arts but the way they are taught in most places in the US, is lacking in certain ways in a lot of schools. I view BOTH free sparring and point sparring as necessary tools if you want to be rounded (as well as grappling but we aren't discussing that here). Free sparring to work on strategies in a more "fight like" way as well as learning to take a harder hit, combos, etc., and point sparring for working on landing that precise high speed strike and learning to rapidly exploit openings. Point fighting is a bit safer and lighter contact than most continuous systems, so a lot of our lower belts try that before jumping into something heavier duty like Muay Thai or MMA sparring. This is awesome because many people in continuous fight only schools that teach traditional arts, wont spar because they are intimidated by standing toe to toe with someone and slugging it out, or they don't start it until they are like brown belts, so in my school they are encouraged to start with the point fighting and then add more in as they are comfortable. This gets them learning to use their moves in real time a lot earlier than in a lot of other schools that i've visited which means that their techniques they are using in the regular karate classes will be that much more effective, that much earlier which is quite important. It's one thing to practice something like a Kanpo defense technique in class with a person where it's pre-choreographed out but it's another at speed where the person isn't attacking in a predetermined way. All of it is useful though and can be learned from. They are just different tools on the Swiss Army knife that is the martial arts. For me, I did WTF TKD competitions for a number of years back in the early 2000's which is hard/full contact and continuous sparring but with certain restrictions, like no straight punches to the face and no grappling or take downs. Jump to the school i attend now after moving in 2012 and here i train in my school's karate system as a primary, as i mentioned above, and then i participate in Muay Thai sparring classes once a week as well as a point fighting class once a week. After years of training this way, as well as an occasional sparring match with people from our MMA team, my abilities have become extremely well rounded compared to where i was when TKD was the focus. We have a lot of MMA and BJJ guys that think karate is a waste or a joke, but for those of us that have put in the time on the mat for our karate system and practice both types of sparring, it shows and the people who are purely on the MT continuous sparring side of the coin usually have to take back their sentiments after experiencing it first hand with some of our senior belts.

Oh interesting. The only reason I'm looking is because I was asked. The form is not mine so I hadn't researched the history. I did find some traditional Iron Tessen's on a site that are made in what they claim to be the old world traditional manner, and I sent those over, but I'll pass on this information as well. Time to do some reading on this subject.

I have 2 people in my school learning a bladed fan form and they would like to obtain fans with actual blades. The closest we can find are the ones ranging from $20-$60 that are just hand fans with metal spokes. Does anyone here know where we can get fans with actual blades on them. They can be blunted but with the actual blades, they are weighted differently and will work better on this form.

I can't say if diversity has changed across the entire area of martial arts, but a close friend of mine was certified as a Sensei in our school's primary system of Sho Biyn Ju last year. She's the first female Sensei in the system nationally, but per the UMAA there are only 3 Sensei's in the system period so maybe this isn't an ideal example. I also had a friend from a previous job who started training under a female Sensei in Kenpo years back. She ran a school on the other side of CT from me, and from what I understand, she was very talented. I do not know if she's still running that school though. I've seen many female black belts but not a lot certified as Sensei's which is a shame, especially in self defense oriented styles. I feel like in some cases, people might find women Sensei's more approachable especially for those cases where someone is looking to learn to defend themselves after something bad has already happened. I know I've personally worked with several female victims of rape and assault, in this way over the years and while it worked out fine, I think they would have been more comfortable in the beginning with a woman teacher. Or maybe I'm thinking in a sexist way here, I dunno.

I was 20 years old and 418lbs but I had always wanted to try a martial arts class so despite the rough start I fell in love with it immediately. I threw up when my instructor showed me how to do a front kick and had me do 50 on each leg while facing the mirror. I threw up a few more times over that first few weeks, but I'd never felt so alive. Here I am now 13 years later, and about 100lbs lighter and holding a 2nd dan in TKD and a 1st degree BB in Sho Biyn Ju. Based on how bad of condition I was in at the beginning with the throwing up i mentioned I'd say that martial arts literally saved my life, so I'm glad I made it through that rough beginning to where I am today. I still have some weight loss I want to take care of, but the progress over this past decade and change has been life altering.

I'm in the unusual place that I can actually answer this question exactly. I do hold a 2nd Dan in WTF TKD, but this past summer I got my 1st Degree BB in Sho Biyn Ju and in that system we have 39 black belts certified under my instructor in CT. The cooler thing IMO is that nationally there are 3 people with the rank of Sensei in the system and I had the pleasure of having the first female Sensei testing along side of me this past summer. for her Sensei-ship. While I was honored to do so, I was assigned to be her uki for defense demonstration and I do have to say that, I hurt more than everyone else at the test at the end. She really laid into me. Ha ha

Hey thanks everyone. Glad to be a part of this community.

Hmm That is interesting. I'll add it to my bookmarked list. If they wouldn't sharpen it, and this is something I get into long term, I might consider it for live demo with a partner.

Hello, I'm going to be studying katana sword for part of my cross training requirements for 1st to 2nd degree BB in Sho Byin Jyu and I have gotten some advice on what I should buy for my first blade for cutting practice. I'm posting here because I was wondering what all of you that have participated in this art form have to say from your experiences over the years. I've been told pretty much anything from the below linked manufacturer is fantastic for a starter blade for the money (the model called Tenchi is owned by someone I know that's been cutting with it for years). These are full tang weapons designed for dojo cutting and kata, not live reenactments with other people using live weapons. That was my only real requirement. I wanted something that'll hold up on cutting targets and that's properly weighted and balanced for kata. If we end up doing a 2 person form of any kind we will be using bokkans so live combat steel isn't necessary. I want to stay in the $200-$400 range which based on what I know now, seems reasonable. But what are your thoughts. Any additional advice would be appreciated. I've also been told that Paul Chen's weapons are nice, but I like the styling of the below better. http://www.chenessinc.com/katanas.htm

I'm curious as to why you'd think that Kyokushin is more dangerous than other forms of martial arts, and specifically for girls? We have girls on our fight team for Muay Thai in our gym as well as our karate sparring team and MMA team which is all hard contact. We don't separate by gender either as there's no reason that a (for example) 130lb female can't fight a 130lb male.

How exciting! Promotion and competition are 2 forms of tests for yourself that are both very important. Promotion tests your knowledge on your specific style, and competition tests your applied skills. Good luck on both of these endeavors. I hope you do well.

Congrats CTTKDKing! What did the test entail? So there are some tasks that our instructor has requested we not share with anyone but other people that are black belts in our system as they are something that only he does and offer a very unique spin on a black belt exam that he'd prefer to keep private to our school. That said, we had 2 days of closed door testing with no observers except my head instructor. After one of the tasks I wont discuss, we spent the rest of the first 2 days going through all of our curriculum belt by belt, and between each piece we had a severe physical exercise we would have to execute to whatever standard he decided. Example, we did a set of defense techniques for a belt, then ran suicides for 15 min, and then ran the forms for that same belt, then some cross-fit exercises for 10 min, then the rest of the strikes and kicks for that belt. Then 1 more physical activity and then you'd move to the next belt. You basically had to re-earn each belt from white to advance brown. You get back up to advance brown before the end of day 2 and then you do it all over again at the open door test on day 3. After you've covered the entire curriculum again with shorter intervals of exercises between on Saturday (due to time constraints), when you're totally exhausted (at about hour 3), you then get to put on the sparring gear. I had to fight 2 rounds with some of our Thai Boxers who were nice and fresh and then had to do a 3 min BJJ match with the head instructor (who's actively competing and is fantastic). It was funny because I was reaching the point of muscle failure when i got to sparring. I couldn't kick with my right leg and my abs were cramping horribly. After that it's 10 min of horse stance and you receive your belt. Also while the fight portion is happening, since i was not the only one testing, you have more exercises you're doing while you wait your turn so there is literally never a break. Saturday's portion of the test was 4.5 hours of non-stop high intensity exercise. He makes the test this hard, because he wants to test your heart. He doesn't allow people to test until he knows they are ready knowlegwise so he pushes you to a point where he wants everyone to consider quitting, and then to push through it. It also shows if you really do know your curriculum because you are so tired you cannot think. So if you can execute defense techniques and forms under this much duress then you REALLY know it. It's funny because as I went through it, I hit my breaking point on the day 1 portion due to poor choices in my breakfast, and the fact that I had a stomach bug 2 days before day 1 and the last hour of the exam period I literally was fighting through the room spinning around my head. The other 3 test candidates turned into cheerleaders, especially this 14 year old girl (going for youth black belt) that I've become friends with in there. Their encouragement got me through day 1 but as I finished, the first day it made me want the promotion that much more. In fact I hit a point where I never wanted anything more, and it might sound cheesy but i felt a fire in me on day 2 when we began and I knew the only way I'd quit is if something broke. The other 3 candidates, hit their breaking point on the 2nd day. All 3 of them had a lot of trouble on a specific cross-fit exercise that we had to do for a very long time and I turned into their cheerleader. That 14 year old girl was in so much pain on it that she was sobbing. She made it through it, and almost collapsed. I half carried her over to get her next belt. She got her bearings and pushed through it to finish day 2. Day 3 my wife, who finds the whole concept of practicing martial arts to be quite boring and off-putting, saw what we were going through and even she was screaming encouragements and getting really into it. This test was a life changing experience. I think we all shed some tears at the end when we got our belts. Was an intense experience that I think only others who've done it and maybe some of you can understand. Sorry for the long response. I waited until I got home to answer your question because I wanted to convey what it was really like. I still don't think I am doing it justice. I already had a 1st and 2nd Dan in WTF TKD, and this black belt means so much more to me than that. I'm still proud of my TKD ranks, but I KNOW what my 1st degree in Sho Bin Ju took to get. I earned my TKD black belts, I became a Sho Bin Ju black belt. Trial by fire.

Indeed. I don't plan on rushing anything at this point, but the quickest anyone has ever earned 2nd degree BB is about 3-4 years after first (and those are teachers in the school that train every morning). It's probably going to take me a while anyway simply because I'm going to cross train some in the mean time. My ground game is a bit weak so I'm thinking I might roll a day or 2 a week with our jujitsu guys to help that part of my game. I'm just not a fan of grappling so I've put it off but it's probably time. Also would like to get back into Kali if I can find the time.

I'm happy to say that after what turned out to be 10.5 hours (4.5 of which was this past Saturday) of what was literally the most physically/mentally demanding test I've ever taken this week, I came out victorious. My ribs look like someone took a hammer to them (knees from the sparring portion of the test), and I'm the sorest I've been in years, but I feel great. My instructor really makes you earn your black belt. Almost feels weird being back in work today. Ha ha.

Perhaps I should elaborate on what I meant earlier. My concern actually lies in the recovery time. The 3 days of this test this week are Monday (tomorrow), Wednesday and then Saturday is open door so our families can come watch as well as other people from the school. The days are spaced out exactly so you're on that 2nd to 3rd day, which for a 20-25 year old should be feeling a bit better from soreness and whatnot with a little stretching. I find my recovery puts me at my sorest on that 2nd to 3rd day after extreme exertion, so this test should be quite challenging. That said, I've been taking it easy today and doing a lot of thinking and reflecting and I'm feeling pretty good. I've thought about my training both ongoing and the intensive cardio I've been doing since my summer semester ended in mid July, and I literally couldn't fit any more in, without neglecting my family, even if I'd wanted to. I'm as ready as I can possibly be and am looking forward to starting this challenge tomorrow. That and I can hardly wait to start training to what comes next after black belt. Our school is structured so that you basically build your own requirements to go to 2nd degree. There are requirements that all have to do but a good 50% of your higher degrees, in our school, are entirely your choosing. I like Sho Bin Ju a lot and find it to be rounded and fit what I like and what my goals are, but it'll be very nice to tailor it even more so as I start teaching, and start my higher levels of training so that my art properly reflects me.

Sho bin Ju is a hybrid system built from Ed Parker's American Kenpo and elements of Chinese and Japanese systems. It builds on the principle to keep what is useful and throw away what is not. As my prior exclusive was in Taekwondo which was heavily engrained in sport (50/50 split at my old school) and this system is 100% built for self defense it seemed a great way to round myself out. Here's a description link if interested. http://www.teamplusone.com/martial-art-styles/sho-biyn-jiu/

I appreciate your kind words.

My body and brain don't agree on my age anymore either. Brain still thinks I'm 22. Ha ha

This Monday, for the second time in my life, I will be stepping onto the mat to be tested to see if I'm worthy of earning the rank of Black Belt, this time in Sho Bin Ju. Years back I tested for my second degree black belt in Taekwondo, but changed styles when I moved due to a lack of quality Taekwondo schools in the area of my new home and the desire to round myself as a martial artist. The test is to be about 10 hours over the course of 3 days starting on Monday. I'm both nervous and excited. I've been training very hard. I find at age 32 my body is less forgiving than when I was 22. I know for some of you 32 will sound young but I definitely feel the difference in that decade of time and this test is known in my area to be quite grueling. A black belt from my head instructor is worn in my school as both a symbol of respect and the highest level of achievement. I hope I'm equal to the task.

While I agree with the above sentiment of calling the police, I also recommend constant vigilance. While you are collecting your proof you are still vulnerable. If the person is dangerous then an awareness of your surroundings and safety are also a necessity. I believe I this being something you should be doing anyway, but even more so if you are dealing with a stalker.

So I can see both sides of this, and what I really think it comes down to is the mentality of the practitioner. I don't recommend someone with no experience learn from online videos or books unless there's no other alternative, but if a person with no alternative options has the drive, I think they could learn quite a bit in this way. Now they might not be the picture perfect traditional martial artist with flawless katas/poomse, but they could definitely learn a thing or two about basic self defense. Now again, they might not be perfectly executed one step sparring techniques, but they can learn places to strike, ways to avoid dangerous situations, and some basic strikes and some kicks that if practiced on a bag, target or other appropriate medium, could be made effective enough to use if needed. The mentality of the person needs to be that they try these techniques in every way they can think of to find what's effective for their body type, height, weight, etc. If approached in this way, then I would imagine they could learn enough to be efficient in self defense. On another side of this, as a semi-experienced practitioner (about 12 years now) I often supplement my training, more for ideas than anything else, with online videos. Guys on YouTube like Jake Mace, or Master Wu of Taekwonwoo, or Master Wong (wing chun and self defense instructor) are fantastic resources for self defense technique ideas, drills for me to bring to my sparring class, supplemental workout lessons/ideas, among other things. I'm coming from the perspective that, I'm a senior student that helps teach every now and again, so seeing how other more experienced instructors from outside my dojo do things, helps me have a rounded perspective when I do teach and also allows me to offer something a little different to our students from what the other assistant instructors offer. I typically take what I find online and then break it apart and reassemble it into a lesson that applied to our school's curriculum. Sorry for the ramble, but I do think online videos, books, etc can be very useful when properly integrated into someone's training. Working with a good teacher is an irreplaceable experience, but if applied correctly these alternative sources of info are far from useless.

The defense techniques in Sho Bin Ju are built off American Kenpo, with some modifications and some of the more useless defenses removed. That said there's an American Kenpo technique out of Ed Parker's system which was removed from the Sho Bin Ju system called Striking Whip. For those who don't know Kenpo defenses are done like One Step Sparring techniques in TKD and Karate. This defense involved an attacker who was charging at you as if to tackle you at the waist. You were to receive them with your front palm and back-fist around to the back of the head. You then bring that hand back around front, and lift the attacker by the nose, exposing the throat, pulling the first hand back and panther striking the throat. We learned the removed techniques more as a joke than anything, but this one was so directly ineffective that it always stuck with me.

Motivational source has varied for me over the years. Initially I started TKD to lose weight so my first inspiration was a friend that was doing TKD, and then I was my own motivator. Then when I started getting better at it, I liked the competition and in that time my peers in the dojang and I would push each other for more and more intensive training. Since I've moved and also moved dojos about 4.5 years ago, my point of view has shifted and so my motivational sources have also shifted. The style I practice now is rooted strongly in self defense. TKD was about 50/50 self defense and sport respectively in my old school, whereas what I practice now is 90% street applicable defense with traditional aspects woven throughout. Because of this I now find that it's not just generally all of my competing peers but the peers that specifically invoke deep thought when discussing self defense practices, and bunkai behind different movements from forms and whatnot. They and the assistant instructors at my school and I all get along very well and we are constantly pushing each other, challenging one another and learning from one another. These days, this type of interaction is what intrigues and motivates me most and so we plan 1 day a week where we are all there together so that we can have this give and take. We all train several days in addition to this some together, some not but that 1 day is where it all comes in and that day is what keeps me going most. That and the other side of it is that karate keeps me sane. Training my 3 times a week in the dojo (plus what I do at home on a daily basis) burns through so much of the stress buildup from the other parts of my life. I work full time with overtime, have a family, go to school online, own a house, and assist in teaching as a sub when some of the karate instructors can't make it in. Busy life, but karate keeps me centered throughout.

2nd Dan TKD Advance Brown in Sho Bin Ju - excited because I'm scheduled to test for black belt in mid august.

So if it's not too late to chime in, it's never too late. I started practicing at 20 years old, having always wanted to as a child but never having the opportunity. I'm 32 now and still going. I'm not the inspirational story here though. Right around the same time I signed up for TKD classes at my first school, my friend Jeff also signed up. At the time he was 45. 4 Years later we had the opportunity to test for our black belts together as as it turned out another 4.5 years later we tested for our 2nd Dan's together. We've both since moved on from that school to other things but the point is, he started at 45 and is still going 12 years later. So at 16, you have more than enough time to do anything you want.