Sohan

There is a difference in doing kata as a group and doing it on your own. When doing kata as a group, you should follow the movements of the people around you (who all should be following Sensei's lead), and the movements should be synchronized and appear simultaneous. This provides you with a great sense of awareness of what is occurring around you in a fight and is beautiful to watch when executed well. Performing kata solo allows you more freedom to incorporate pauses and vary speed of movement, thus imprinting your personal tastes on the kata. That is the time to be creative, but it is not while performing as a group. With respect, Sohan

At 65 years old, what do you think Bruce Lee would be like today? How do you think he would have spent the past 33 years? Would he have continued as a star, or would he have faded quickly as kung fu movies fell out of favor? Could he have adapted and continued as an action hero in the 70's and 80's like Chuck Norris? Would he be hawking "Bowflex" products on informercials and doing hair replacement commercials with Christie Brinkley? And how would his success have affected other stars of the past 30 years? What do you think? With respect, Sohan

Jaymac, I agree with you about not underestimating them, though I have met more than a few Buddha-esque karate masters who have let their conditioning get away from them and I think they underestimate those who are in fantastic shape. Some of our most revered masters sometimes seem to believe that technique is everything, which it most certainly is not . A fat old master who huffs and puffs up a flight of stairs might be able to take out a couple untrained, unarmed punks on the street, but against a skilled, highly trained professional NHB fighter? Uh, I don't think so. Look at a guy like Helio Gracie. Though not a karate master, at the ancient age of 92, he would still probably eat some guys half his age for lunch. Or how about Joe Lewis? I hope I'm in near that good of shape at 60+. Those are the masters I respect the most--and I only wish I could have had the pleasure of seeing what kind of shape Bruce Lee would have been in this year at age 65. With respect, Sohan

Nice job! With respect, Sohan

Interesting. Very similar to Georgia's laws on self-defense. My mom was from Texas and her dad carried a gun on his hip at all time, as I remember. He taught my mom to shoot for self-defense when she was a kid and she was one of the top shooters when she was in the Air Force, even into her late 40's. "Don't mess with Texas" With respect, Sohan

Wasn't the winner of UFC 3 a practioner of Ninjitsu? With respect, Sohan

Oh, I've slowed down a lot since my wife began rationing my internet hours. With respect, Sohan

Looks great! I would give my five cents but it would be coming from the perspective of another style, and I don't really think it's appropriate for a Shorin-ryu stylist to comment on a Shotokan stylist. But I was nonetheless impressed. Nice work, especially after the hike! With respect, Sohan

Actually, in martial arts that focus on "one punch finishes" to fights, a one rep max would indeed be of great interest. However, I personally find a five rep max a better determinant of applicable strength for most martial arts combat. With respect, Sohan

Also, if you use bleach on your gi, I have found that it makes the gi fall apart sooner because it weakens the fabric. With respect, Sohan

For what it's worth, I teach Hispanic children that speak little English, so I have to teach them the techniques in Spanish and Japanese, THEN I have to teach the rest of the kids with English as well. So we have at least 3 languages floating around. Makes for an interesting class! With respect, Sohan

Yeah, my grip was pretty wide--outside the marks on the bar, nearly to the uprights. It helped me develop my pecs really well and I had great explosiveness from my chest, not to mention less distance to travel with the bar. The difference was that my sticking point was higher up due to triceps involvement later in the lift. Good tri benchers can usually lock it out if they get it off their chest, which is why the gear works so well for them. Gear helps you "spring" the weight from your chest, which is of less help to strong pec benchers. It really depends on your build. If you have big arms and a weak chest, a narrow grip is better, though a wider grip practiced regularly may help develop that lagging bodypart. Same with the opposite. If you have strong pecs, close grip benches can help your lockout. With respect, Sohan

Brass knuckles work great for that. They make plastic ones that can go through metal detectors, too.... With respect, Sohan

Indeed, life is not just about martial arts, and you are right that you need to pursue activities that you find most fulfilling an rewarding. I have taken several "breaks" in my career, once simply out-and-out quitting, but I have always been drawn back. Perhaps you will, perhaps you won't, but you must do what is best for you. Best wishes for the future. With respect, Sohan

Unequivocably, yes. Great deadlifters are rarely great benchers (Lamar Gant was an exception). Usually the best deadlifters have long arms and torsos coupled with short legs and a very strong back. Great benchers have big chests and well-developed pecs with short arms. Extra note: You may see today that many great benchers are all triceps, but that is due to the advent of the latest lifting gear which favors tricep benching. Bench pressing done "raw" or without gear, usually favors strong pecs. I benched well over 400 "raw" in competition as a 19 year old with strong pecs and average tricep strength using a wide grip bench press. Today, with creatine and the latest in powerlifting gear, that's a 500+ bench. With respect, Sohan

It will certainly heal, but in my experience (motorcycle wreck in '88 among others), once a joint is severely sprained, you likely may have issues with it again in the future. My right ankle swells up ever now and then for almost no reason at all. You must realize how much stress you are placing on it by practicing MA--a whole bunch, I assure you. Rest it, and then when it's better rest it some more and then do some basic ankle raises and other exercises to strengthen the joint. Might be a good idea to use a brace for quite a bit, perhaps permanently, though I dislike being dependent on braces. Practice balancing movements with counterweights to develop lateral movement strength as well. With respect, Sohan

Bad idea. Verrry bad idea. Learn plyometrics if you want to increase your vertical jump. Google it and you should find tons of info on the subject. With respect, Sohan

Um, my current class fave: GUUUULPPP!!!!!! This is EXACTLY what it sounds like.... With respect, Sohan

You're only fifteen? Oh, well, then I recommend you up the run to six miles, twice per day, add three days a week of hill running in combat boots (at least a 20 percent incline), and wrestle a grizzly bear every Thursday before tea. You should be in top condition in no time flat. With respect, Sohan

Kata is not sprinting. Performing kata effectively is a far more complex biomechanical activity than running a 100 meter dash, so the comparison doesn't work. And doing kata slowly is hardly an "aerobic" activity. It is actually a distinctly anaerobic activity when performed with proper intensity, creating lactic acid buildup in the muscles through carbohydrate metabolism, regardless of whether it is performed fast or slow. I began boxing more than 30 years ago and I've performed combinations of faster and slower movements in all my martial arts training since. I have always been known for having developed exceptional speed and control and I credit it to varying the pace and rhythm of my repetitions. Many respected MA experts agree with this, including Loren Christensen and even Bruce Lee, who used slow motion training in his own workout regimen. And with regards to Evander Holyfield, who I have personally had the privilege of training with here in my hometown of Atlanta, he performs superslow motion rep training as well and has found it very beneficial to his balance. However, I don't believe I ever recalled him performing kata, so he really isn't relevant to this discussion. ***By the way, the day NEVER passes when one has mastered a kata, or as you put it, "to get the movements right". My great Master Walter Todd said (just before he died at 72) that he regretted that he was yet still a beginner with his kata and had much to improve upon--in his eyes, of course. With respect, Sohan

Cool. I live in Atlanta, myself. Northside of town. Welcome to KF. With respect, Sohan

Welcome! With respect, Sohan

Welcome! With respect, Sohan

Welcome! With respect, Sohan

Welcome! Nice website. Almost looks like my home state of Georgia from those pics. I'm sure it's a great experience to train in such an environment. With respect, Sohan