bushido_man96

Practice, practice, practice. I know about 22 different forms, and it just comes with practice. And once you learn them, and go to the next rank, keep practicing them. One of the biggest problems we have in our school is getting the kids to keep reviewing all of their old material that way when they test for black, they don't have to spend a lot of time cramming to remember old stuff.

I have a brother who lives in MO, near St. Clair. It is actually chunk5422 on this forum! Is that close to where the games will be held?

I have always enjoyed the action in his movies. From what I understand, he is very highly respected in Japan, for his aikido, and as a sword master as well. He is very skilled, and quick for a large man. I think he is 6' 6", or something like that. His footwork is incredible.

I hear that when you start learning to meditate, that you may need some quiet time and a quiet place to do so, but as you advance, you can do it anywhere. Is this the case with anyone here? If so, how long did it take to reach that level?

I think starting a physical activity early on is great for kids. Look how obese our society is in the U.S. compared to other countries. I wish I would have started that early.

What would this include?

I was just wondering, how many times a week do you train, and for how long?

What kind of hand blocking drills do you do for fast punching?

It sounds like a good time. I have always had great admiration of the coditioning that both boxers and wrestlers have. I know that I am no where close to being in that kind of shape. Incidentally, Cross, why not train both?

Thanks for the infio. I love learning new things about different arts.

You are right, Cathal, this is a common topic of discussion for the MA's. However, what we could talk about is how we could use lighter contact to help us with hard contact situations. Do you think that they both benefit from each other?

When you do the bunkai, do you have preset attacks, or do you make up attacks at random? How much do you modify things? Do you change attack levels, how the block works, or even change some techniques alltogether? Do you start with techniques from the forms, and then add some to finish? Let me know.

Never heard of it before. I don't hear much about seminars in my neck of the woods.

Welcome to the forums!!

P. A. L. is right, your body just needs to acclimate to the training regimine. Try extra stretching on your off days to release some of the acid build up and relax your muscles.

Thank you. I have the article myself...can't bring myself to throw away all of those old magazines away There were some interesting combinations and concepts in that article. I loved the way he put them together.

No problem bushido_man96. You basically perform your kata but rather than being alone you have a few people with you that attack. Rather than sparring you will be only going through the kata so it is very much like a choreographed fight scene. In doing this you will appreciate why a technique is being applied at a certain time, and even have different attacks and blocks when you go through it, which teaches you to be adaptive to the situation. After going through the bunkai several times you will realize you've got a much deeper understanding of the kata and of course its practical applications. Thank you very much!!

Good luck, and have fun

I have read of mushin, but have never been able to achieve it, or meditate successfully. I think I will start trying.

There are always some rude people in every crowd that want to ruin someone else's fun.

Most definitely. I don't think you can truly understand a kata, or it's intent, until you go over several aspects of the techniques and their possible applications. This may sound silly, but can you give me a description of the method of how you do it? I could practice with my wife and my brother.

I like this article! I especially like the point it makes about assumptions. The level of specializations are very critical points as well. I really like the analogy made about the knife fighter. It is also refreshing to know that there are some instructors out there who will tell you that there is no ultimate style to learn, especially their own.

My personal opinion is that there is no single art that is a "beginner" style. They all have there strong points. What you should do is go watch a few classes at some different schools, and see what fits you best. And don't just focus on the physical aspects of the classes; see what their philosophies, goals, and outlooks of the staff of the schools are like. They are just as important.

Although I don't think that full contact is necessary for good training, I do believe that you have to make some more "earnest" contact from time to time in training. It is a good thing to get in some smacks every now and then, so we know what it will feel like. Just putting a little more 'emphasis,' shall we say, on a technique from time to time. Sometimes you block differently when the techniques aren't coming so hard.

Good job of using your surroundings. You have to really get used to that adrenaline rush. I was just listening to some guys at the jail yesterday night get riled up about cell searches, and that got mine going.