bushido_man96

In any form of MA training, there are bound to be bumps in the road. I don't think you should let this affect you that much. Just keep moving along, and everything will fall in place in time. Your signature says "Learning for my black belt." This is just another experience to learn from. Don't let it defeat you....keep going.

Welcome to the forums! Glad to have you here! I have seen a few other members of your association floating around, so you are not alone! I can't remember who it was off the top of my head, though.

Welcome to KF, Fujiwara Kaito! Glad to have you. As far as your questions, it isn't too late, and you can compete if you want to. If I were you, I would go check out each school around you, and talk with all of the instructors. Find out what the classes are like, and check out their teaching styles. Choose the one you think fits you best. Enjoy the journey!

I read a book by Iain Abernethy on the application of these forms. The reason that it was the first kata was because it dealt more with the first stage of combat, which is the initial exchange of limbs. The succeeding katas dealt with coming to grips, and eventually grappling.

most of white crane is about A.Evading the first strike B.Hitting eye or throat ( sometimes a pressure point) C.killing body in many cases the same blocking hand (front hand) does the strike too, and if back hand does the blocking then front hand fingers hit the eyes at the same time. here is Matayoshi sensei doing a crane(could be snak or Mantis)? kata and a Monkey form This is a nice form as well. Those low stances would absolutely KILL my knees. Just out of curiosity, in the original post, is that your sensie? No, I have trained with him( very nice guy) but he is not my direct sensei, he is my instructor's sensei in Okinawan white crane karate jutsu. He is a export in Okinawan weaponary and Okinawan white crane family styles, his base style is MAtsumura seito shorin ryu, he is a 8th dan and has a dojo around Austin. Very cool indeed. Chances like that have to be taken advantage of.

This sounds like the kind of person I would love to study with. Thanks for sharing! You are very lucky.

absolutly 100% agreed I got similar advice from my parents as well.

Same thoughts that I had as well.

I try not to think of the concepts that alsey mentions as one from karate, and one from this or that. I try to think of them as fighting concepts, and try to keep open minded to allow other concepts to come to me.

This was a very interesting article, and I love reading history anyways. There could be some things in the article to take as legitimate. There could be a lot of different branches on the tree of Wing Chun, so you have to gather as much info as possible, and then start sorting out the material. Very interesting. Thanks for the post.

Keep talking with your instructor about the problems you are having. It will take more than 4 days to notice changes. Another option is to look into Tai Chi and Qu Gong. These arts specialize in breathing techniques.

wow that's hardcore. though if a school told me that i'd actually find it quite encouraging. I have been reading up on the BJJ, and they do claim this. I would love to be able to get into it, I don't care how long it would take to gain rank.

Which quarterback is it?

As for cost of 3rd dan...in business and professional societies there is a cost for certification testing and it is usually a few hundred dollars. For example, there are a number of security related certifications and the testing is $300 plus there is a recertification fee (about 50 bucks) every three years. My point is certification of any kind costs $$. I agree that it should not be that way. It is almost as if you need to have money to advance in anything. It is not enough to know your stuff. You have to pay someone a fee to acknowledge that you know it. Sometimes I have a difficult time with that. Good luck in April! Hey, thanks! I will need it.

The block will pass with time. I would get so frustrated with writers block, but after the frustration, I would write for hours on end. It would just flow. I like Killer Miller's suggestions. One I would add is to have someone that doesn't know much about martial arts read it. That way, you don't assume that your audience knows what you are talking about. (This is based on the assumption that you are writing to the general public.) As far as your last paragraph goes, maybe talk about what you want for your future in the martial arts, and what progress could possibly be made. Also, don't forget to wrap up with a good conclusion.

Dojang: Sun Yi's Academy of Tradtional Taekwondo Organization: Traditional Taekwondo Association Location: Main Street Gym and Fitness City: Hays, KS Instructor: Master Scott Biskie, 5th dan.

These are very good points here. Not everyone can be the thin and trim athlete. Also, big people can be athletic. Look at sumo wrestlers. I think we would all agree that they don't live the healthiest lifestyles, but they are dedictated to their sport, and do what it requires. These big men are also fairly quick, and quite strong.

I have to say, that being a Korean stylist, and enjoying my forms and the kicks we do in some of them, that I have come to enjoy watching these different karate forms that get posted from time to time. It sounds like the karate-kas have a little more freedom to specialize in certain forms as well. When I test, I have the form for my rank, and then all below it, and at competitions, I must do my rank form, or get docked points. I just enjoy the freedom it seems like you guys get.

Try to focus more. When you perform a technique, think about where it is going, how fast it is going, and what kind of result it will have when it gets there. Try to visualize someone in front of you going down after the execution of each technique. Or visualize combinations, your opponent reeling, and then moving in for the finishing strike. Tigers are not raging beasts. As Red J stated, they calculate, they stalk, then they finish. Nothing wasted. They are machines. Hope this helps!

Very nice post, TriangleMan. Those are basically my feelings on pressure points as well.

Good question. Not that I am aware of. Bruce Lee wasn't too keen on much of the classical karate setup, with point sparring, and this may have included rank systems as well. By the way, welcome to KF!

Perhaps the kickboxer thought that with your previous experience, you could perhaps handle a higher level of contact. Kickboxing is know for making a little more contact in their competitions.

Depends on the art. If you study an art that involves many high kicks, joint manipulations, or grappling, flexibility is very important for self-defense. As far as the original poster's question, simple stretches like seated toe touches and modified hurdlers stretches do wonders for hamstring and lower back flexibility, but like anything else, they need to be performed regularly for benefit. You won't get good results from stretching only 2-3 times per week, rather you should stretch daily following a short warmup. I was only able to significantly increase my flexibility when I began stretching daily, and it made a huge difference. One other point, too many people don't hold their stretches long enough to derive proper benefit. Hold your stretches for a minimum of 30 seconds--60 seconds or more is better. We share our dojo with a gymnastics team and I have been fortunate to have gotten great tips on stretching from the coaches and girls at the club. With respect, Sohan Good info, Sohan. I had always heard different times about holding stretches. Now that I know 60 seconds is good, that is what I will go by. As far as the self-defense point is concerned, I agree with you. I merely made my statement in regards to the thought that kicking high in self-defense is pointless, then so is stretching to gain flexibility. Being in TKD, I understand the benefits of stretching and flexibility, and in my 13 years of TKD training, I have had fewer muscle pulls than most of the other athletes I have known, who play sports like football or basketball.

most of white crane is about A.Evading the first strike B.Hitting eye or throat ( sometimes a pressure point) C.killing body in many cases the same blocking hand (front hand) does the strike too, and if back hand does the blocking then front hand fingers hit the eyes at the same time. here is Matayoshi sensei doing a crane(could be snak or Mantis)? kata and a Monkey form This is a nice form as well. Those low stances would absolutely KILL my knees. Just out of curiosity, in the original post, is that your sensie?

Isn't Pinan Shodan one of the early katas? I read a book on the applied bunkai applications for this kata, and the other Pinan/Heian katas. Very cool stuff.