lordtariel

It's not supposed to mean anything, it's just a poem using the symbols... oh well... how about something else. Anyone read the tao of programming? http://www.canonical.org/~kragen/tao-of-programming.html

I think this is a good idea, but I also think it traslates easier with some weapons than with others. The sais and tonfas are great because of how they are held, and punching motions can easily be translated into stabs/strikes. The tonfa is also great because of the blocking aspect that the weapon allows. However, when it comes to more complex weapons, like the sword, and two handed weapons, such as the bo, I don't think the translations are that ready-made. The bo definitly transfers, it's part of why it's such a good beginner weapon, but yes, not all weapons transfer.

you have to read it out loud... it's just the names of the symbols... oh well, guess it's a programmer thing.

If you don't know your sensei that well, try asking other students what types of things he's into.

I think you can gain self-confidence from any good MA school. But it take more effort than just showing up to class, you have to try hard as well.

That's pretty tough. For those of us in oregon, we actually have a ban on smoking in public buildings. This might set off a bit of fireworks, but I believe it's a good idea and should be implemented more states.

Through doing some research I've found it's part of the yang family system also known as guang ping. However, most of the things I've read about it talk about how it's the "secret" master system of yang style tai chi and also the most martial oriented. I always get nervous when instructors throw the word "secret" around.

I find it kind of ironic that this post usually sits right next to "the uselessness of kata" post. I feel kata is necessary, but someone who's good with kata won't necessarily make them a good fighter

Then here you go: <>!*''# ^"`$$- !*=@$_ %*<>~#4 &[].>./ |{,, SYSTEM HALTED And here's the translation... <>!*''# Waka waka bang splat tick tick hash, ^ " ` $ $ - Caret quote back-tick dollar dollar dash, ! * = @ $ _ Bang splat equal at dollar under-score, % * < > ~ # 4 Percent splat waka waka tilde number four, & [ ] . . / Ampersand bracket bracket dot dot slash, | { , , SYSTEM HALTED Vertical-bar curly-bracket comma comma CRASH.

Congrats to you.

Sweet! Don't forget "Dare" Eminem: Loose Yourself Till I Collapse Fort Minor: Remember the Name Linkin Park(Most of their music is good) Kinda funny cause I'm not a big hip-hop fan unless I'm working out.

Unfortunately nowdays, a lot of children don't get any of that from home or school so the time in the dojo's the only time they get that stuff. Not to mention if that information doesn't get taught, pretty soon it will be lost forever. It might be important for fighting skill, but I see no harm in incorporating a little of it in your classes. As to the main topic, if the parent wants to enroll the child in a class where she gets those sorts of things, that's up to her... she's the one who's paying.

I finaly got through Hamahiga No Tonfa(Tonfa Kata) this last Wedensday. Got a little suprise that Friday. Sensei said he wanted me to perform it at the demo the next day. Only issue was I learned the entire last third of the kata on wedensday and had only gone all the way through about twice that night. Well, I was lucky that I actually practiced between Wedensday and Friday(Don't always have time during the weekday to practice weapons) so I had kept it in my head. I managed to get through it with only a couple of mistakes. Sensei had taught me some drills previously so I just broke into the drill for a momemnt until I could remember what to do next. One of the guys said it was fairly seemless actually so I feel I lucked out. Fortunatly tonfa's such an obscure weapon that nobody noticed. On the plus side, I probably won't mess up on that spot again.

Good for you. It's sometimes hard to get back into the groove after you've messed up. As for the nervousness, it'll go away after a few ranks.

Plain white for me. You're wearing it for training, not to look good.

You can practice breathing in any stance you want, or in no stance at all. As long as your stances are correct there's no harm in it... and possibly some benifit as you're strengthening yourself in those stances. I agree though that you may not want to try qigong at first without some instruction. A guess as to why you're finding your burping is because by breathing into your gut, you may be pressing down with your diaphram and it's compressing your innards down there. Make sure you're not forcing the inhalation too hard. I'm not an expert in biomechanics by any means though so I could be completely off.

That's a pretty thick bo isn't it? Mine's a 1 1/4" bo made out of white oak and it's about as thick and heavy as I would want to ever use. Just remember, a dowel like that is probably going to be made out of something like pine so it's not going to be as heavy, or as high of quality, although it is considerably cheaper and will be free of varinsh.

When I started learning the tonfa, my sensei had me using them with the kihon katas. It was a great way to get used to handling the weapons without having to worry about learning too many new moves, and it gave me something I could work on at home without fear of developing bad habits.

Our work is hosting a qigong instructor for a couple of introductory lessons. She claims to have studied Kuang Ping style of tai chi. I was wondering if anyone has heard of this style and if it's a variation of one of the major family trees of tai chi(Yang, Chen, Wu, ect.), or something else.

What family style are you learning?

Not sure if this should be in the weapons forum or here... Sometimes when I've been to tournaments, I've noticed that different weapons have scored higher, seemingly on the fact that it's a specific weapon. Anyone experience this bias in their own circuits?

I was listening to sensei talking about some of the wierd things he's seen in his dojo since he's moved here. From a woman breastfeeding an 8 year old child on the benches to a couple hippies that were changing into their uniforms on the mats, there were some pretty crazy ones. So my question is this... What's the craziest thing that's happened in your dojo?

I've done a little with a jump rope, but the house is too small and the yard is very uneven and soft, so the only place I can really do it is in the driveway and I'm a little self-concious.

I've never seen any. Can you take one of the long/short sword katas and just do them with two of the wakizashi?

Tough break... I'd repeat what everyone else is saying. Hope you get back on your feet soon.