lordtariel

Welcome to the forums!

I think straight sword and broadsword really need to be defined. They mean different things in the eastern and western world.

Are you referring to a weighted vest that you can work out in? http://www.karatedepot.com/tr-ex-51.html

So has anyone seen this yet? The reviews said it was pretty gory.

Ok, so the angles aren't great but here you go: Pinan Yodan Pinan Shodan

So apparently my sensei has a pair of shuredo tonfas that he brought in for me to practice with the other day. These things feel rock solid, but at the same time, they're kind of strange to use. I'm not entirely sure I'm willing to shell out the money for them but they are pretty nice. Maybe if I finally decide to settle on tonfa as my primary weapon focus I'll pick up a pair.

Best of luck! Remember... we like updates.

My next testing kata is Pinan Shodan, however; I have been doing Pinan Yodan for just as long and is it one of the requirements for applying for the next test. So I'm technically proficient with both and both are within my current rank. I guess I was wondering which one you guys think looks more impressive from a judge's standpoint.

As everyone else said, the biggest thing to do is make sure you relax and enjoy it. The first tournament is a learning experience. Don't go into it thinking about how well you're going to do, go into it thinking about how much you're going to learn. I remember spending so much time obsessing about how I was going to do in my first tournament that I tripped myself up when it finally came down to my turn.

The reason they are getting more on their cd is that they're compressing the video using what is called a codec. This degrades the quality of the video slightly, but as a result you get a better file size. The problem with doing this is that most dvd players don't read video files with codecs such as DivX, so you'll only be able to play the video on your computer. I've never found a free program that compresses video very well. There are lots of options out there if you want to buy one though. However, considering the cost of these software packages, you might be better served buying a cheap single-layer DVD burner and start burning videos at the 4.7G size.

Best of luck! Just relax and you'll do fine.

So I've got a tournament coming up and I have to pick a kata. I've narrowed it down to two of them: Pinan Shodan and Pinan Yodan. Has anyone here had more success with one or the other? I can preform both of them with equal skill so I'm looking for the one that looks more impressive. Any opinions would be great.

I don't think there's any one reason why I'm a junkie. It just feels right when I'm practicing.

Nothing wrong with using your emotions in a fight, I was referring to totally losing it.

The broomstick... I'd sweep the floor with myself(Wait for the groans) I'd pick it simply for the range advantage I'd have over a knife. I'd probably spend more time thrusting with the thing than I would striking since broomsticks aren't very heavy or robust.

You should never let your emotions take over in a fight. It'll either blind you, or make you take it too far.

Your impact is focused on a small, hard point so the penetration is going to be better. I'm not entirely sure they're legal in my state though. I've never looked into it. Any other Oregonianites here know?

Hm... last one I saw in the theaters was Eragon. Looking forward to watching TMNT at the end of the month though. Last movie I watched on DVD was Open Season.

I have to agree that weapons forms are things you should learn with an instructor, not on your own. Once you have the basics of the weapon down, learning additional forms isn't so bad, but you need to understand the weapon before you try and interpret anything. Have you thought about looking to see if there's any places you could take a few day crash course in weapons?

It looks like a good movie, I hope it lives up to the hype. I hate it when the only good scenes in a movie are in the trailer.

I agree, the martial arts is one of those things that has to be regularly practiced to be maintained.

I imagine that motor skills and co-ordination probably would improve a little bit, but I'm really not sure. I've never been in a position too judge for myself, but it stands to reason the better shape you're in, the better your physical skills would be.

I think any physical activity improves your motor skills. How much it improves will vary based on what you're doing.

We started working on this a little while ago. You run along the mats in an "S" shape so you run down to the front of the dojo, turn 90, run half way, turn 90 again, run to the back of the dojo, turn... you get the idea. We do various sets on each straight: Sprint, Sidestep, Sprint, Sidestep Sprint, Backpedal, Sprint, Backpedal Sprint, Sidestep, Backpedal, Sprint You can mix it up however you want with whatever stepping you want. Sometimes after we've been run ragged, we'll line up for some sparring. Sparring when you're winded is much different than normal sparring and something I feel kind of useful. You never know if you'll need to turn and fight after running from or towards something.

Just a little note, you need to make sure of the measurements of the sai. Ask them what the length from the tip to the guard and from the guard to the pommel tip is. The reason for this is that while a weapon might say a specific length like 18 inches, those two measurements will vary by an inch or two from place to place. It'll still be 18 inches but you may find yourself with a sai with too short a blade and too long a handle or vice versa.