Shui Tora

Well; the distance varies (as of gradings) but I normall shoot at about 28 metres... The bow is fairly heavy (I have a bamboo one) but you can also get carbon-fibre ones which are lighter, I think the overall pulling force is small (because of the distance, but I have heard of some people pulling more... ) As for the arrows, they are near enough similar to Long Bow arrows, but you would have to be carfeul of the distance between pulling and the arrow shaft... They are made out of either Carbon-fibres or Aluminium... Kyudo starts off by getting familiar with the bow, after that, you begin to refine you technique, so to not concentrate on the distance or pulling force, but concentrating on where to hit the target... It is all about Spiritual development, and finding the balance within yourself... A very good sport... Hope that helps, anything else, just ask!

Has anyone tried this? I have been doing it for nearly 3 yrs now, and it is very good... Basically, it is like Archery, but you do not have all the "advanced" technology... You have a simply bamboo yumi (bow) some arrows, and shot away (not literally) as you have no sight, you have to trust instinct etc, and it is very formal... You have to practice how you stand in the Dojo, how you present your bow, the way you hold your bow, how you draw it etc... It is very relaxing as it is silence when shooting, and all you hear is the arrows hitting the target... Anyhow, your views? Great sport, and of course, you do grade... You have to shot at certain distances, in certain times, with parts of equipment etc...

Well it depends... If you are going to be a qualified instructor, then you will going to be needing that piece of paper... However, I read somewhere that all Balck Belts must be registered? I dunno, it was somewhere though... Either way, it doesn't make you less than a Balck Belt... In my view, i think that having that piece of paper (even to not be an insturctor) would be good because then you belong to a larger community than just your Dojo... Credibility has nothing to do with it...

^ Sorry I shall tranlsate for you... Is that better?

Hey, thanks P.A.L for the list of Kata, i was trying to look for those, but couldn't find them on the site! Cheers! Out of those 21, I can do 12 of them! Cool!

I think that a low maswashi-geri (or Ashi-beri) to the lower part of the leg (so that it hits the side of the leg) would be effective, as there are about 8 different pressure points there, and with a good, powerful kick would be good... Anyone agree?

Hey, welcome to the Fourm Ace! (can i call you that?) Nice to know that you are a Karate-ka in Shotokan What belt are you?

Arigato kaiin no tuski! (Thankyou Member of the Month! )

My sensei always said that Cross-triaing is better; then you'll get a wider experience in how self-defence works, and also what different styles are like...

I think i have put a link up to Blitz Sports... They do a wide, and varied range of everything... Here it is; http://www.blitzsport.com/default.asp

I too am a pianist! I've been playing for over 10 years now! Yes, i s'pose that that theory can be plausable...

Oh boy; i have a lot of these! 1.) "The wisest mind still has something to learn" ~ George Santanya 2.) "Wisdom and Virture are like the two wheels of a cart" ~ Japanese Proverb 3.) "A wise mand can see more from the bottom of a well than a fool can from a moutain top" ~ Unknown Just a few!

The reason Shotokan is seen as a sport based system is because the WKF and AMA etc (all those Karate groups) added in sport style like kicks and punches... Before that Shoto was created by Funakoshi merging two styles (Shorei and Shorin) to create a more simpler yet effective style - Shotokan... And I agree with what Killer said, that just because it is now recognised as a sport like system, we Karate-ka do not go out and pick fights... Shoto is all about understanding how a situation is going to happen, anticpating your opponents move; using your body effectively to avoid the attack... Shoto, I belive is an Art in which we learn how to use our bodies, as well as to understand, in a fight. It is all about learning how to deal with an attack and defend from it. Is that what Karate not about? Not going out there and hurting someone on instinct...? And for the answer to the question - I have had to use techniques from Shoto to defend myself, and they proved effective... If you learn a style of Karate properly, then you'll understand how to use if properly...

Wow... Wish my school done that! But they didn't, so I'm not gonna complain about it...

when you continue to read into it to gain a better understanding...

Well; this is interesting... Well; the body can do very "unexplained" things during times of stress... In a way, it can be... Adrenaline is a hormone, which helps the body convert more glucose and oxygen into energy... So in way, Ki can be the cause of it... Not trying to sound padantic, but if you can not explain the use of it, then you can not be able to control it... As for your experience that you described, I think it is just pure rage... You must remember that people experience things differently, hence why we are unique... Yours sounds like your body was recieving too much adrenaline, and it couldn't cope with it... Going back to T.C.M, your experience with only rage and ager etc seems to be with the Yin side of the Yin-Yang, and to preserve the mind, I don't think you can do... Once you've realised that it only uses Rage etc to use, then i think only Rage it is that can create it...

Thanks Admin... Or shall I call you O-sensei?

How about you do an offerl say like: get the first two months lesson for half the price!? Or; do an open evening, where anyone can come along and get a free lesson and see a demo on what Shoto is about...?

^ Thanks... Yeah, i'll do that later, but i thought i should intorduce myself a bit better!

I take it that you are all talking about Kyusho and the use if Dim Mak (obvisously from the past posts! ) The use of Dim Mak does work, there are several places on your body that if hit properly with a gyaki-zuki then it can cause that person to die (like i said, if hit properly) Other areas on the body are called "Pressure Points" in which if you hit them then the person would fall to the ground... There are lines in which your Qi (energy) flows, in turn are called Meridians. In certain points of these meridians, are the pressure points (in other words, these are just a small cluster of nerves, and different points along the lines...) There are different meridians... You have the Stomach, Liver, Lungs etc... and literally, if you hit one of these pressure points on one of the meridian (say Lung Meridian) then you cause that person the gasp quickly... If you did the same to a stomach meridian, then you'll make the person feel queezy... These meridians flow throughout your body, not in the same place as the name of the meridian... For example, your Lung meridian doesn't start at the lungs, in fact it starts near your collar bone... Now, the vital organs have two "symmetrical" meridians, while the others like eyes and nose only have one... If you hit (say on the left) a stomach meridian, then you MUST NEVER hit on the oppsite side. This is so as the opposite side will help to heal the other side as quickly as possible. However, if you you hit the Nose meridian, then you won't be able to recover as qucikly, only time can do so... Hope that clears it up! Anything more about Dim Mak and Kyusho, don't hesitate to PM or ask me!

ps1 Is right... If White's leg hadn't been there, then the Blue could've stepped with his right leg and performed a good take down...

Hey GreenDragon, try out this website; http://www.blitzsport.com/default.asp They do everything from Karate to Jiu-Jitsu suits plus more...

Our club have a lot of younger grades (a large majority of them are under 5th Kyu) and so with som e senior grades included in the lesson, it gets a bit harder for the sensei to teach the syllabus... Luckily, with our own Dojo, our Sensei can set up extra lessons (need it be) for the senior grades to practice but also to learn too... I'm not saying that we should stop having new people joining (after all, Karate is for everyone) but most people tend to drop out of karate after they get to about 4th Kyu (either as it is too much, or that education is on the list, which is understandable), and so there are more novicies joining, than there are senior grades...

My Sensei is a 4th Dan, while O-sensei is 6th Dan...

Hmmm? I'm not sure... I would either go with my arms (which are built well) or my legs from cycling... I would have to go with my arms, definately... my friends comment on how "good-looking" they are. Can arms be "Good looking"?