shuriken_girl

"The Essence of Shaolin White Crane: martial power and qigong" is a great book by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming. It's given me so much motivation to do my very best in my martial arts, taught me a lot about the different types of martial arts, what qi is and in instructive photographs shows some real Shaolin White Crane Kungfu techniques. Of particular interest is how it shows the difference between hard and soft styles, and how soft styles are so powerful when they hardly use any muscle power at all. It's also great to read if you practice Buddhism. As for me, I am not religious but I do study and follow Buddhist philosophy. *---* Excerpt (it's a short story): "There is a story told to me by one of my students. There was once a samurai swordsman who came to visit an old Zen master. The warrior said: "Respectable master! I have been a samurai swordsman for many, many years. However, I have heard that you are a very knowledgeable master, so I have come to ask you a very serious question and hopefully you may give me the answer. Will you teach me about heaven and hell?" The old master snapped his head up in disgust and said, "Teach you about heaven and hell? I doubt you could even keep your own sword from rusting, you ignorant fool. How dare you suppose that you could understand anything that I might have to say?" The old man went on and on, becoming even more insulting, while the young swordsman's surprise turned first to confusion, then to hot anger, rising by the minute. Master or no master, who can insult a samurai and live? At last, with teeth clenched and blood nearly boiling with fury, the warrior blindly drew his sword and prepared to end the old man's sharp toungue and life all in one moment. The master looked straight into his eyes and said gently, "That's hell." At the peak of his rage, the samurai realized that this was indeed his teaching; the master had bounded him into a living hell, driven by uncontrolled anger and ego. The young man, profoundly humbled, sheathed his sword and bowed to this great spiritual teacher. Looking up into the wise man's aged, beaming face, he felt more love and compassion than he had ever felt in his life, at which point the master raised his index finger, as would a schoolteacher and said, "And that's heaven."" (end excerpt) *---* The book has given me a whole other view on what it means to be a martial artist. Anyone read a book or seen a video by Dr. Yang, or know another great book on the subject of martial arts theory/practice?

Um...I'm a videogamer with a PS2, and I definently do not believe this game is bad for anyone. It's very well-made, with a realistic and complex city to drive around and do as you please in. The level of violence in the game depends on the gamer themselves. You *can* go on a killing spree, if you so wish, but there's no reason to and it'll hurt your position in the game more than help it. It's a great game. It has a proper rating. No problem.

What is it? i.e. How is it different from other styles of karate? I can't find info on it because it isn't one of the major karate styles. I do shorin-ryu karate with influences from white-crane kung fu.

I do "white crane karate". What it is is Shorin-ryu Okinawan karate, with influences from Chinese White Crane Kung Fu. We do the white crane tensho kata, if you've ever seen it. It's beautiful. Interesting history: White Crane Gongfu is the root of Okinawan karate. We're very traditional.

That's really cool, much more complicated than most of the stuff I heard about it. Ninjutsu is so awesome.

I totally agree...plus if he's messed up from drugs he'll be easier to grab and then strangle.

Ninjutsu=art of assasination Hmmm I wonder whythey'd kill eachother using their techniques...*cough**cough* Hey can you tell us something about your training? Like if you learned to walk silently etc.? *jumps around like a hyper little kid* I have a cool ninja T-shirt by the way. And does anyone know what my name means? (It *basically* means that I like ninjas...)

Ignorance... It's everywhere. Whenever someone doesn't understand someone else, be it their race or something they do, inevitably they're gonna take some crap for it. People even get teased for silly things like wearing glasses...I mean, everyone gets mocked in life for something or other, because most people aren't very sensitive when they make fun of people for their own amusement. Bottom line?...that's just how life is, and if we don't get it for doing martial arts, we'll get it for something else. Crazy path of destruction: Conflict...they hit us, we hit back, escalating conflict and then in the end it wasn't worth it because we only hurt ourselves. It takes two people to start a fight. So don't hit back...don't let it get to you...don't even notice it, if that's possible.

It all depends on the situation...but a few CDs stolen from you is definently better than either of you getting hurt. Of course I'd kick their @$$ though if they were hurting someone I care about. But then again, that situation is totally different...

*puts on glasses and takes out a book on dreams* Would you like me to give you a Freudian analyzation of your introduction? But the only thing that annoyed me about that, was "it was a cold summer day...100 degrees out..."

You really gotta work on your abdominals. It's absolutely necessary you have strong abs. I do 90 bicycles every day (look it up on a fitness site if you don't know what it is) If you know what bicycles are and you really do them right, you know that they are difficult and very effective at toning your stomache. My stomache is in better shape than any of my other muscles (it's got visible muscles even relaxed), but I hope to change that soon and bring my arms up to par. Running 20 minutes *every day* or 30 minutes every other day will keep your endurance up. It's no good having great muscles if you get tired 10 mins into the fight. The example you gave had some good elements to it, but you should spread it out more. Who has time to spend all day training? And also, you shouldn't rest a whole day either. The key to training is balance and consistency. And don't forget to practice by sparring and reviewing your technique.

I saw the first fight only. All I gotta say is it's not really worth watching. The MMA guy throws the kung fu guy to the ground as soon as he's attacked, and the kung fu guy scrambles under MMA's grip for two minutes until you hear a soft crack of one of kung fu guy's bones in the end. MMA gains an easy win. Kung-fu had no idea what to do when pinned down; he either had no experience or he was dumb. Uninteresting fight.

Astrological signs have associated elements too. Like I'm scorpio, which is water. Born November 16 1986 so I'm a fire tiger. I don't know why but being a metal rat seems really cool So are dragons. That's like the coolest chinese zodiac animal there is other than a tiger... Why is this silly birth sign stuff so fun?

Sparring is what will teach you to actually fight. That's part of the reason why karateka win less in tournaments against types of arts that sparr more, such as muay thai and bjj. Karateka have less experience in real fights, generally, so they have a disadvantage in the ring. Sparring is very good, IMO. It develops you in many ways.

You're right, it's only a year and if I just practice what I can during that time, the inconvenience can only make me stronger afterward. I'm sorry to hear that Nickgarren and Saifight I admire your strength. One cool thing I can do now though is a low roundhouse kick we just learned. It's easy but I'm practicing it a lot anyway. I think the worst thing about this brace, besides poor mobility and pain is how I have to wear really loose clothes now. Equally marring my looks is that the straight plastic skims over my butt, making it appear completely flat. I'm a flat-butt!! (hehe even though it *is* rather misfortunate, I can't help laughing at my own reflection in the mirror. my butt really does look totally flat, if you can imagine that)

Hi, welcome to karateforums...IMO this is the best martial arts message board on the net. I like your name by the way.

whoops...made a mistake. We're based on *Shorin-ryu*, not shotokan. Does anyone know the difference between the two?

Thanks everyone! And thanks kickchick, that's really cool. I know just a little history from our sensei. White Crane karate is basically shotokan karate (the most common type of karate), except there's heavy influence from white crane Kung Fu (that's the one you just told us about). For example, White Crane Karate has more moves than regular old shotokan, different stances and a slightly different technique. It's also more well-rounded because it combines the soft and hard styles. We even do this weird kung fu tai-chi type thing called tensho...it's like a dance with your hands that looks beautiful but it's actually a bunch of strikes and blocks. It's very tiring when our sensei makes us do it a million times...your arms get tired. When we're more advanced we'll learn the foot movements which he says are complex. We have a great sensei. He speaks calmly but firmly all the time, and you'd be amazed to see how he can control a bunch of fidgeting little 6-year-olds. (Um...I'm in a beginning class...*cough cough*) He's very strict but nice too. I've been taking it for a month now, and I'm getting better so slowly that I don't notice it. We take things slow in class (doing basic moves over and over) but when I look at how I was when I started compared to how I am now, it's pretty impressive. I'm having so much fun doing this! I have discovered the wonderful world of martial arts...lol

Scoliosis is a lateral curve of your spinal column. When your spine is curved 40 degrees or more they do surgery and put metal bolts in your spine...my worst curve is 33 degrees... So I have a back brace to prevent it from getting worse and having to get surgery. I'm 15 so they caught the scoliosis late. Anyway, this back brace makes it so I can't bend my whole midsection. I can take it off 4 hours a week, so I get to take it off when I have karate class (3 hours a week). FORTUNATELY I only have to wear it for a year. I want to practice karate and be able to work out, but the brace makes it very hard. Has anyone else had this kind of problem or have any ideas of practice I can do just using my arms? Maybe I should punch pillows. That would also help with the frustration...

I am karateka. I drive my friends crazy talking about the arts. I'm trying to master the spinning back kick as of now. That kick is FUN! We're gonna start sparring soon. I'm so excited! (heehee...can you guys tell I'm hyper?)

I love these forums...the people are great and the design is really pretty... Well anyway, I hadn't oficially started anything when I joined but now I'm taking white crane karate.

Ninjas... "Real" (and I stress "real") ninjas are no longer around. Some historians doubt they even existed in the first place. I think they did, but I don't think they lived by a code of honor. My definition, take it or leave it - "Secretive assasins and spies who have dedicated their lives to training in a variety of arts including fighting, infiltration, mixing poison, disguise, acupuncture and healing. They are mercenaries for hire with no loyalty to any one person, and will sell their services to the highest bidder. They lived and trained in secret clans in feudal Japan." Has anyone else here read Shogun? Anyway, ninjas are clouded in mystery and lore, so to know the real truth about them isn't as easy as buying a book or surfing the internet. Seeking the truth may be dangerous. Isn't it an interesting thought, that maybe the reason we know so little about them now is because they make it that way for their own protection? Or maybe the whole ninja thing spawned from something else altogether and evolved through made-up stories into what we know them as today. Or maybe half of what we know is true and half isn't, simply due to poor documentation on this secretive matter. Asia still keeps secrets that the West can't comprehend...

I got a karate book, "Dynamic Karate" by M. Nakayama, who was a student of Funakoshi Gichin. Great book, highly reccomended. He basically wrote the book out of concern since karate has been having growing popularity as a sport, not as a way of life. In the U.S. the martial arts are definently losing quality. If you look at arts like Judo or Ju jitsu they've been really watered down from their original form. Used to be more fighting and less wrestling, and a good example of how arts can get worse over time instead of better. (My opinion) I think the arts will survive mostly in their home countries and not in western countries.

Crosstraining would be awesome...karate for a basis and to start learning to fight quickly, and kung fu to get really skilled once I advance. That would be ideal, but I'd also crosstrain in either muay thai, ninjutsu or kenpo, if I could only find a school for one of them. Unfortunately though, I live in a somewhat isolated part of Maui (small island) and my parents aren't willing to drive me too far. This really limits my options. But thankfully I found two great karate schools. One at the YMCA that I checked out with two great instructors and another smaller dojo I have yet to see but have heard good things about. Now I can take karate for sure!! *does happy dance* ahem...anyways, these two karate schools, tae kwon do, judo, and aikido are the only available arts I could find in the yellow pages and the bulletin board of the martial arts supply store. So karate was the only real fighting striking art there. But I haven't given up hope that there might be a low-profile school or someplace I simply haven't found yet. Especially since I live in a Chinese community. (I'm not Chinese though) So do you think maybe there's a place I haven't found yet? Or have any ideas where to look? I just want to be sure of what's out there before I make my descision...looking at only two karate schools isn't quite satisfying. How do I know there's not something completely different I'd rather take instead? Who knows... I guess I just have an insatiable (sp?) curiosity...but nevertheless, I'm very happy to have found such great karate dojos.

Thanks for all the advice. I'll be sure to really check out lots of schools. What I was kind of wondering though was, what specific arts might I like. I'm not looking for *only* self-defense, so I don't want anything like aikido which I tried and hated. Self-defense kind of comes along with whatever art yuo take automatically anyway. I'm not looking for grappling arts like judo. I'm not looking for sport arts, and I'm not looking for anything that's "aesthetic". I don't care what it looks like, if it looks cool or whatever. I may be one of the rare people who wants to really "be all that you can be" and all that and push myself to my limits. I want to learn a wide variety of techniques that are useful, like maybe learn a little bit of weapons techniques along with hand-to-hand, nerve points (is that what it's called?) etc. I liked the straightforward effectiveness of karate and seeming versatility of kenpo. But I'm not sure and so I'm turning to you experienced people. thanks