Kain

A bag can be used as a shield. A pen can be used as a knife. Coins can be used as shuriken (they damn hurt). Now, I don't but I'd like to have folded somewhere in my bag my favourite weapon: A chain. If I wrap and place it nicely, I doubt anyone will notice it, even though it would be in plain view, and it's not illegal either... Also, since I study cooking (will be a chef one day), I usually carry my knives since I have to bring them every day with me... Talk about deadly...

('Ts been a while. Hello again! ) Well, I have a question about cross training... Sensei says, we have to learn to block without thinking, to make the block part of our reflexes. But when you are cross-training you learn different blocks for the same kind of attack. Now, if you want to really improve in both of your styles, you have to make both blocks become reflexive moves. But then, will you be able to actually choose which one you'll use, so that you can counter attack in a different way? Or will you have to make the second style you learn a secondary, alternative style? Also, if you are a genius and be able to learn three or more different styles really good, this problem expands. What do you think?

Some days ago, a friend of a friend told me about a device to exercise your ki or something like this. It's just an 8 cm long pin with the head pinned in an eraser. On top is a piece of paper 8 cm^2 (8*, folded and opened so that it takes a small pyramid like shape. Now this thing is REALLY unstable, it can rotate even whith the air waves of you scratching your nose, so you have to be alone in a quiet room and very careful. You place your hands at the sides, keeping some little distance, concentrate on the movement of the pyramid, and... Well, it is supposed to rotate if you do it correctly. It is hard to tell, really, because it moves with almost nothing. I tried it, it hardly (but did) work, and I still don't know if I just saw what I want to see, since I never exercised my concentration (at least never without doing karate moves). I just want to know the name of this device and find more information about it. Do you know it? Have you tried it? Does it work? Tell me what you think, I'm really curious. http://img15.imgspot.com/u/07/117/17/Picture3.jpg

Thanks everybody for your suggestions! I didn't ask my sensei because I was sure he would say the same thing. I just wanted your opinion about it and of course to express the idea. Since I am a starter at Shotokan and MA generally, I guess I'll wait a bit more before trying it out. If I fail to achieve the goal I've set for this year (taking a double belt at one of the exams) it'll mean I'm not good enough, I'll have to rethink about my training, talk to sensei about my goal and my idea, and listen to what he have to say about it. Until then, I'll stick at my Shotokan training, and be as serious as I can about it.

I am an orange belt at Shotokan, and I'd like to experiment with this MA a little. So I was wondering: Can I take katas from other MAs and adjust them to Shotokan by changing the moves to the closest ones there are at Shotokan? Will it help me at all? Will it cause any trouble in my training (messing up my teckniques, overflowing my memory and forgetting the essencial Shotokan Katas etc)? Is it even possible? And what if I adjust Katas from other Karate styles, such as Shito-Ryu? Also, I already know Heian Shodan, Nidan, Sandan, Yodan and Tekki Shodan (but not Heian Godan). If there is no problem of me trying out the above idea, is it better to try it now or to wait some time to improve some more and then do it? I'm open to suggestions.

Don't know if posted before, though: The defeated enemies are still enemies. The convinced enemies are becoming friends.

Chain! It's strong enough to use it as a shield even against a katana, flexible enough to use it like a whip or rope, heavy enough to use it as a club, and you can also tie or disarm your opponent. If there is an ultimate meele weapon, that would be it. Happy new year, btw.

I heard something about a 5-style Kung Fu with the crane, snake, tiger, dragon and drunken styles (I think). Does it have anything to do with the crane and snake styles you mentioned? 'Coz someone told me once about a dojo that teaches this style in my region.

Is there any style that uses the chain as a weapon? Not a rope or a thin chain with sth in the end, just a thick, ordinary chain which can be found almost anywhere.

Thanks everybody for the suggestions. Hopefully, I am obsessed with keeping my hands clean, so an infection is inprobable. Recently, I changed the way I do the finger push-ups, and I found that I was doing them completely wrong. I can do only 25 per hour of my new push-ups, since they are harder. I want to be sure this time, so can sb tell me what is the right way to do the finger push-ups? Even a picture of the position of the fingers would be a great help. One of these days I'm gonna take a picture of how I do them and post it here, to take some opinions... @ P.A.L. : Crane, Mantis, Snake! I'll do a search for these styles. Are the finger strokes on the nerves or they're just in weak spots of the body?

Other than Jin, is there anyone in other fighting games (from Street Fighter to DOA) that uses any form of actual Karate (Shotokan or anything)? I've seen a lot of Kung Fu's, but why don't they use Karate so much in those games?

Hello there, everyone. Glad I found this Forum. As I say in my post at the Introduction section, I am a 9 kyu Shotokan student. I study Shotokan for over a year, though I took the exams for the next belt only once (various reasons for that, time to take it seriously ). I am the only one at my class who can do push-ups with only the fingers instead of the whole palm, and I'm kinda proud of it. My recod is 15 in a raw and 50 in a day (in an hour, to be precice). I train my fingers at the end of every lesson (5 one hour lessons every week) and I wanted to ask some questions and, of course, for some advice. First question: I admit it, I bite my nails, and quite badly, too. Is this going to affect my finger training? (If you know a way to make me stop it, please go ahead and tell me). Second one: I train my fingers because I want to learn to hit in nerves to make numb parts of the body. Is there any specific style for that? If not, where should I look for help in learning where and how to hit? Final question: Can doing finger push ups damage my fingers at any way? And is there a wrong and a right way to do this excercise? I'm also open for advices in that matter! Sorry if my English were bad at times, gonna excercise the language too . (Me from Greece)

Hello, everyone! I'm a 9 Kyu (Yellow Belt) Shotokan student from Greece who was looking for some tips of advice and people to discuss about Martial Arts with. Glad I found this Forum, hope I learn one thing or two since I like studying the History and effectiveness of Martial Arts. Sorry if my English get bad at times, I'm not used at using them yet.