lordtariel

Sticky blocking... I know what it is but I really have problems explaining it to other students. I learned it in the context of the gim and I'm trying to apply the same principle to the bo. We had a few great drills for the sword, but unfortunatly they don't really transfer to the bo. Anyone out there have any good drills to work on this technique?

Unfortunatly, I do not know any of those katas... I know one called Shu shi no kon(sho and dai) as well as rohai no kon I'd try and see if you can find videos on the web of these katas on places like youtube and other video hosting sites. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

Well, you just gotta break the bo over your knee or someone's head and go at it escrima style. Seriously though, I would say there's no one "superior" weapon, just a superior wielder. A pair of sai's would be lost on me since I don't know how to use them as well as I would a pair of tonfa, which someone else might not know how to use. For myself though, I would be most effective with a bo.

I agree with what's been said here. Another thing you can do that's a little less harsh than telling him to find another dojo is to invite him to a better dojo for a couple of lessons to better understand different styles, let him come to the decision himself.

Hey, as long as you're not hurting yourself, there's nothing wrong with the schedule. Be careful though, it is easy for some people to burn out if you go from zero to all out every day but as far as I'm concerned, it's good for you.

I don't know... I've seen some pretty fast chiuahuas... Try to take the legs out from under it, the dog has fewer attack options available on the ground. Usually you can pin a dog on the ground fairly easily when it's on it's backprovided you weigh more and are bigger(I've seen dogs that weigh more than I do... wouldn't try it on a mastif.) If you can straddle the sides of the dog, keeping your knees tight against it's sides so it can't wiggle. Do a cross block across it's neck and pull the scruff on both sides to the ground, usually the dog's done. This is more dangerous because you have to get in close but can be quite effective. I also hate to say this because the attacks can cripple the dog and I've had one, but tall dogs like danes sometimes tend to have bad hips and legs. A broken limb on a smaller dog doesn't inconvienence it too much, but it's vital for a horse like a great dane. Having a pet that likes to wrestle is good because you can practice pinning the dog without worring that your going to get your face taken off if you do it wrong.

This has got to be somebody's compilation of video clips they've harvested from the internet. You do find some of this stuff on youtube.

I haven't started the sai yet so i can't help you too much. Here's a list of kata's listed in the wiki. At least it will give you a starting point for searching: Tsukenshitahaku no Sai Hamahiga no Sai Yaka no Sai Hantaguwa Kojo Tawata Chatanyara no Sai Manji no Sai Jigen no Sai Try searching for these terms on google video, youtube and other video sites. If you have a strong grip on the fundamentals, you might be able to pick something up this way.

heh... my backside saw my parent's hand many a time and it didn't mess me up. As long as it's not done in anger, spanking's not a big deal. My parent's also had a lot of luck through punishment by exercize. We had an acre yard and I had to run many laps as well.

I understand about the fraud thing, but is he influential? I'd never heard of him.

I can't say I liked the second one all that well, but the first one was pretty good.

It depends on your kata, I know three different katas, and the kiais are all in different spots with different moves. What katas are you referring to? I hope that's what you're reffering to and kiyai isn't an actual term for something. I wouldn't be able to help you there.

I feel like society in general has gotten a lot more disrespectful... not just focused on martial arts. How often do you see people throwing a temper tantrum at the store or bank trying to get their way? How often have you almost been in an accident because someone passed you on the shoulder of the road and flipped you off while doing it? It's kind of sad.

I only have the occasional drink in social situations. I'm not really into drinking but don't see the harm in it if it's in moderation.

It gets easier the more you do it. Good luck!

I love the spinning ankle kicks

I love going out in the park with my friends and going to town. It's great once you get over the fear of getting hit.

Here's a drill I've found works well in kobudo for the bo I have the students pair up, one has a weapon, the other doesn't. The student with the weapon slowly does one of the strikes from the katas(carefully if they're using a bo and not one of the padded ones) From that finished strike position, they must strike them a second time, then a third... up to five times. The two students trade off untill they both have some familiarity with chaining attacks together. After that, we start again, this time both students have weapons. One student attacks and the other blocks. From the point of the block, the two students discuss where all the openings are for a second attack. The attacker then chooses one of those openings to attack and the blocker has to figure out how to block it. Again, they do this for five strikes and switch. We spar in martial arts all the time and can do it with reasonable safety. It's too dangerous to spar with real weapons and this gives the students new meaning and understanding to the pros and cons of the moves in the katas.

Be careful if you're practicing Kobudo in public though. There's the safety issue and you don't want some person freaking out cause they see some crazy guy in white pajamas swinging a weapon around.

Some dojos are that way, but I feel only it's only acceptable when a student goes "above and beyond" what's expected of him, not because he's "good enough". For example, we had a 6th Kyu get special permission to attend this year's gashkyu(don't know if I spelled that right) The panel of black belts noticed his skill, participation and dedication during the training and felt he was performing at a brown belt level. They promoted him to 3rd kyu. He still has to fulfill the previous rank requirements and learn all the techniques before he advances again, but he still gets to wear the brown belt. Your sensei may seem to be nitpicking, but it may be that because you push yourself hard, he sees that you are serious, so he trains you more seriously.

You actually fight with real blades? isn't that alittle dangerous. afterall , someone could mess up and die Forms, not sparring... We've also cut tatami(soaked bamboo mats stood upright on a stand.) No, we wouldn't actually spar with a live blade... that would be silly.

Unfortunately for me, I have a history of heart disease and diabetes in my family and I have the body type that carries all my weight in my stomach, so it's actually vital for me to loose the weight while I'm younger and it's easier to do. It's part of why I put tai chi on the shelf for a while and took up karate.(that and the weapons of course )

I have to second this(sorry about the pun)... I remember my first tournament. I was so focused on watching how people messed up or performed and how it was going to impact my placing that I couldn't focus when time came for me to spar or do my forms and I wound up doing lousy. It's a tournament, just participating puts you up over all those people that good or bad, didn't have the courage to compete... Don't worry about placing. Also, try for a smaller tournament a first so you get the hang of how they work. It's a little less stressful. Our sensei puts on a mock tournament every year to get the student's feet wet when it comes to competing. We get a couple of dojos to come to ours and it's a very relaxed, laid back affair. That way we don't feel overwhelmed by a district or regional tournament.

My girlfriend has started taking up walking after work to blow off some steam and I go with her since I don't like her wandering a track in the dark. I've decided to spend the time doing some serious exercise outside of class but I'm not sure what route to go. I was thinking of doing some distance running since I could stand to loose some weight(my goal is to drop 20-25 pounds... I'm 5'9" and weigh 200) and my endurance isn't up to where it should be. On the other hand, I was thinking about focusing on sprints and footwork since it would help my sparring. (my 100m time is about 14 seconds... I'd like to get it down to about 11 seconds) I need to focus on one or the other or I probably won't stick with it. So what do you think would be more useful? Doing some distance running to loose some weight and build endurance or doing sprints to build up my speed.

Well, after taking a class from her, I found her one of those "average" instructors... a little more on the holistic side than the martial side, but at least she had legitimate knowledge, not just someone who has taken dance and thinks they can fake a martial art. I'm torn between going to support my workplace bringing in this sort of class and just going to karate. (There's a class time at the same time as the qigong)