blackxpress

I moved to SW Ohio in November and since then have had a heck of a time finding a place to train. Not that there aren't plenty of dojos here but it was difficult to find one that was similar to where I came from. The system I trained in back in Georgia was Wado, plus the instructor was a cop who taught LE Self Defense (mostly Jujitsu based) and had added that to his curriculum. It was a great program and hard to duplicate. I've been going around to different dojos and taking free lessons looking for something similar and am thrilled to say that yesterday I found it here: http://tamamartialarts.com/ When I first looked over the website I thought it was too good to be true. Master Taningco seemed like a Filipino version of Chuck Norris. I've always been suspicious of Martial Artists with overly impressive resumes. But, after training with him, I think he's the real deal. He's also a really nice guy. Anyway, I'm training in his Kenpo/Jujitsu system, which is very similar to what I'm used to. The Karate component is different from Wado but I have trained in Kenpo in the past so it isn't completely foreign either. I have to start as a white belt but that's O.K. with me. Anyhow, I'm stoked. Can't wait to get back there and train some more.

Thanks, NightOwl. That's the kind of input I'm looking for.

Sensei Nash just e-mailed me back. He isn't aware of any Wado clubs in this area. He did recommend a traditional karate dojo in Cincy but it's a little too far away to be practical. Looks like I'll be training in a new system. Oh well, I'm only 5th kyu anyway. It's not like I'm preparing for my black belt test or something. Variety's the spice of life, isn't it?

Thanks, Zanshin. I just sent him an e-mail. Keeping my fingers crossed. As for Budo Taijutsu, it does seem legit. I visited a school and studied up on the Sensei. His resume is very impressive. I haven't actually trained there yet but will probably take advantage of the one free class very soon.

pittbullJudoka beat me to it. The cup. Never leave home without it.

Hello all. I recently moved to Ohio from North Georgia. I am a member of USEWF (Wado Ryu Federation) and have been practicing Wado for the past couple of years. I trained for a couple of months in traditional Okinawan Karate but other than that don't have much knowledge of other systems. My problem is that there are no Wado schools within driving distance of my home (none that I can find anyway) so I'm having to consider a new system. There are a couple Bujinkan dojos in Dayton. I visited one Saturday and met with the sensei there. Nice guy. Their system seems very interesting to me for a couple of reasons. First, they do a lot of joint manipulation and ground fighting which is similar to what we did. Second, the sensei is a law enforcement trainer same as my old sensei was. The school I left trained in Wado and Jujitsu with a lot of law enforcement self defense tactics as supplements to the curriculum. Seems like this might be a good fit for me. Just wondering if any of you train in this system and could shed more light on it for me.

Wow. Just, wow.

You didn't mention what belt rank you are but I am assuming your promotion has something to do with preparing you for your black belt test. In our system you have to demonstrate your ability to teach the class before you can be approved to test for 1st Dan. Does your system have a similar requirement? If so, this is a natural part of your progression and you can't afford to resist it. I'm guessing your Sensei knows what he's doing. That's why he's the Sensei.

Define "normal height." I'm 6'5". People have always told me I'd be great at MA because of my long arms and legs. Sounds good but I'm not so sure it's true. After all, the originators of Karate were Asian. How many 6'5" Asians have you ever seen? There are a few but, by and large, Asian people are much shorter than me and there are plenty of them that are much better Martial Artists than me too.

I wouldn't think it would make much difference if you throw your punches properly. A proper Karate punch is thrown so that you make contact with the first two large knuckles, which transfers the shock up the 2nd and 3rd metacarpal bones and up the forearm. If your alignment is correct it should be a pretty devastating strike in any case. Besides, what happens to the lighter if you open your hand for a palm strike or knife hand, for example? Also, what if you need to do a takedown or submission hold? Pretty hard to do while clenching a lighter in your hand.

Practice, practice, practice. I have the same problem but it's getting a lot better these days. I spend a lot of time standing on one foot. One thing you can do is pick a spot in the distance and focus your eyes on that spot. Also, make sure you don't lock your plant leg. Keep the knee flexible so that your plant leg is kind of like a shock absorber. Other than that, just spend some time every day standing on one leg. See how long you can stand there without losing balance.

I see you're a Wado practitioner. I saw a video of Ohtsuka Sensei running kata on cobblestones in his bare feet. He was way up in years when the video was filmed but boy oh boy did he look sharp. Those must of been some mighty tough feet too.

I'm not saying you shouldn't listen to your doctor, I'm just wondering if you should get a second opinion. You say your doctor is a "bone doctor". Do you mean he's an orthopedist? If so, he still may not be the right doctor for your particular problem. Some types of rheumatoid like arthritic conditions are difficult to diagnose. The fact that you're having pain in your fingers makes me suspect the problem may be something other than karate.

Is your doctor a rheumatologist or a general practitioner? The reason I ask is that I had a similar problem about 10 yrs. ago. I went to a couple of different doctors with terrible joint pain and they couldn't figure out what was causing it. The second one referred me to the rheumatology clinic and Vanderbilt University and they diagnosed it as Rieter's Syndrome, a form of reactive arthritis similar to rheumatoid. It took a while but I eventually got back to normal (pretty much anyway). I was 39 at the time. I'm 49 now and train very hard with no adverse effects on my joints. At your age, I would suspect your problem is caused by something other than karate training. A normal healthy 15 year old should be able to train wide open and off the hook with no ill effects. My advice? Find a good rheumatologist.

Are you sure they aren't? Boxers and MMA fighters are training to go up against fighters with similar training and skill levels. Every now and then you see a professional fight that ends a few seconds into the first round because one of the fighters missed a block and got K.O.ed. Most of the time the fight lasts longer because the fighters are skilled enough to block the knockout strike. In a self defense situation on the street it's unlikely that your opponent will be a trained martial artist. Think, for example, what would happen if some untrained street punk started a fight with Chuck Liddell.

My sensei would agree. He just preached us a sermon on that very subject last Wed. night. He said that he wouldn't discourage us from taking part in tournament competition but that he, personally, doesn't have much use for it. He believes our training should be oriented toward real world self defense which, as he puts it, was the original purpose of karate.

The way we were taught to do it is to break fall and then roll onto your side and chamber your leg for a kick. If you can get off a good kick before your attacker gets on top of you, well and good. If not, you're in a better position to keep him from pinning you to the ground and getting a submission hold on you.

The label says "Kamikaze" at the top, has a picture of the sun in the middle and the word "Line" at the bottom. It was shipped from Canada. Don't really care if it's a real kamikaze from Germany or not. It's a real nice gi and I like it a whole lot better than my other two.

I'm sure we all have been taught the various reasons for kiai so I won't go into them here. All I know is there seems to be much more spirit on the floor when there are lots of kiais. I visited a different dojo Tuesday night and they don't kiai. It seemed really weird to me. I did it several times out of force of habit and felt really out of place. It finally occurred to me that I needed to keep it under control for fear that the others would think I was trying to show off. It was a pretty good class but not a very spirited class like I'm used to.

Same size as the new one. 7

It just came in the mail. My brand new heavyweight Kamikaze. I love it. I've been wearing a heavyweight Century that I never did like that much. The trousers are O.K. but the top is like wearing a big piece of canvas. It never did fit that well. Had to have it altered before I could even wear it. It's always so wrinkled it's embarassing. Looks like I just drug it out from under the car seat. I've tried ironing, fabric softener, hanging it out in the sun. Nothing can get the wrinkles out of that thing. I also have a lightweight Century that I got when I first started training. Never did like it either. I always admired the Kamikaze gi's my Sensei wears so finally broke down and ordered myself one. Tried it on and it fits perfectly right out of the bag. Did I mention I love my new Kamikaze gi? Can't wait to get to class tonight. Amazing how excited I can get over a couple pieces of cloth.

I'm with bushido_man96. As your technique improves your speed will naturally follow. One key is to try and stay relaxed until just before the point of impact.

" Crunches are better than sit-ups as well. I'm not sure why, but for some reason the Army still uses the sit-up in their physical testings. I wonder why they don't use the crunch?" There's the right way, the wrong way, and the Army way. We did hundreds of sit-ups and leg lifts (from a lying flat position) when I was in Navy boot camp. It's a wonder any of us can stand up straight.

Leg lifts can strain your lower back if you don't do them properly. The proper way to do them is to place your hands under your buttocks and lift your head off the floor. That puts most of the strain on your abs where you want it to be. Traditional situps are bad for your lower back because they use the lower back muscles to get your head and shoulders off the floor. Crunches work the abs without straining the lower back.

Definitely tell your sensei.