bushido_man96

I can take it or leave it. Neither bothers me, and I have worn my belt both ways.

Possibly they LIKED it! Their style of sparring fit into their needs! The Kumite they practiced was effective! These are just some of the possible reasons as to why certain styles of Karate "get attached to one particular style of sparring." And aside from this, competition drives a vast amount of people, and Martial Artist fall into this, as well. So, different ways of competing come into vogue.

Our school has a 5 colored belt system, but each has a low and a high rank (except white). Brown has 3 levels, actually. So, don't be turned off by it. Its a legit system of ranking.

What do you mean by head work??

I'd say that if you start out at 3 days a week, you should be good. See how you feel, and if a day off every other day is enough for your body to recover. If it isn't, back off to 2 days per week.

I've been reading in Harry Cook's Shotokan Karate, A Precise History. There is a point made in the book that the Okinawan people, in general, were a nice, polite society as a whole, and followed the Confucian beliefs that I think came from their contact with the Chinese. So.... ...I don't really think that all of the moral/ethical underpinnings that came out of Okinawan-based styles have anything to really do with the practice of the style itself, but more to do with the culture of the people. When you take something into a different culture, I think things start to take on characteristics of the culture that they are in. Just a thought...

Absolutely!!! I couldn't agree more here. When it comes down to it, you have really got to the meat of the discussion here. Great suggestions, too, Toptomcat.

What you need to be concerned about is if it will draw the wrong kind of attention to you in the areas you travel. If it does, then you should maybe wear a sweat suit over it or something.

I agree with ps1. You'll learn as you go. You may even find out that some of the moves you do know may be legal to use, with a bit of modification.

I see statements like this a lot concerning cross training. Although I think that following this method does have merit, I don't think it is necessary in becoming an effective practitioner in multiple styles. I think the appearance of more and more MMA gyms will lend to this, as well. If there are good resources available for someone who wants to cross train, or better yet, a facility that makes it an all-in-one endeavor, then I think it is just as beneficial to cross train right out of the gate.

Hello, Snapdragon. Welcome to KF. Reading your post here, if you have muscled legs, Judo may very well be worth your while. By learning to leverage in Judo, you would make great use of a strong set of legs. You might think about it...

Congrats, Bob. Well deserved.

Ok, got that done now. Thanks, Patrick.

So, you completely failed the rank from a failed board break? Yep, had a no-change. There is a 90, 80, 70, 60 scale on all sections of the testing, and you have to accumulate so many points to pass. At the board breaking stations, you can miss twice, but after that, its pretty well downhill from there. Good point. But a martial art test is designed to observe the skill of the student based upon past performance until point of test. If the student could not do it before the test, the instructor should not have given the test. I would think the test is not a real test but a review, set upon by skill which is already known to exist, and not dogmatic knowledge. If there isn't a risk for failure, then you can't really call it a test. As an instructor, I do all that I can to make sure that a student is ready to test. If they get there and freeze up, or just have a bad day, then I have no control over that. I also think that although the instructor should hold some accountability for his students, I also think that the student needs to hold him/herself accountable, as well. There comes a time when the training wheels have to come off. Would I feel bad if I had a student that didn't pass? Sure. Would I be kicking myself and blaming myself because that student didn't pass. No. Why? Because the student has to take some responsibility and prepare. They also need to realize that if they do fail, then they just have to get back to work, and hit it the next time.

The gym I go to has a machine that does this now. I am going to try to make a habit out of stopping by it when I am there.

Those sound like good progressions. Very nice ways of building on the technique.

It happens. I would just try to correct them, and move on, in a polite manner.

Who's to say? Every situation is different. Look at Kimbo Slice, who played football in college, then basically got into street fighting. Many think that Brock Lesnar's physicality outweighs his skill at fighting, but he does win. He is also getting better, and is an exerienced collegiate Wrestler.

I understand the motivation behind the actions. But, that doesn't make it right.

Yeah, that's how I'd look at it. Like ATM...it has become its own word, for the most part, so no one thinks about what the letters stand for. They just say ATM machine because they don't think of the words.

I've heard of a football player beat up a skilled collegiate Wrestler. It can happen both ways.

I was doing a mid-term test as a 1st dan in the ATA. I missed a board break. It happens at times. If there isn't the possibility of a failure, then why is it called a test?

I think it can, at times. Not always, but it is a force multiplier in itself.

Well, bo becomes anglized, in a way, and is its own word. Then staff is added to it. It wasn't understood that bo meant staff, but the term becomes commonplace anyways.

If the test is physically difficult, and mentally straining, it can happen. I've failed one myself.