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Kata are basically an artistic form of repetetive training. I disagree with a lot of the methods employed by Karate instructors, which tend to go along the lines of: do this kata; when you're done, do that kata, blah blah blah blah blah... Before you teach someone a kata, I think it is important that they know what the kata means. Show them the techniques, show them how they are applied, and let them figure out how it all fits in to the kata. That way, they are putting together the puzzle as they perform, instead of just copying movements. Beyond this, the primary purpose of kata is sort of as an encyclopedia of the art's techniques. A lot of people hate kata, and that is understandable, but the key to it all is understanding the kata. Only then will it do you any good.

'Kara' can mean 'empty' or 'China' in the Okinawan dialect, but Funakoshi had it officially declared 'empty-hand'. Anyway, my favorite is Shotokan. As far as any empty-hand fighting art, probably Baguazhang, but I guess that doesn't belong in the Karate section.

In my opinion, the 'art' aspect of martial arts refers to applying what Musashi calls 'military science'. In other words, running at your opponent swing your fists like a thug is not a martial art. That is simply martial aggression. Detering your enemy with coutners, finding an opening, and striking a vital point would be considered a martial art, because you are applying techique to it. Although many martial arts systems, like Piguazhang and Pentjak Silat, are beautiful to watch, this artistic beauty is a by-product of their effectiveness. Also, intention matters above all. Okinawa-Te, an old form of Karate rarely practiced today, was a type of training method that conditioned a fighter to kill with one strike. And yet, if the practitioner is not willing to kill, should it come to blows, his training has been wasted. An inexperienced civilian fighting for his life would be able to kill the karateka, if the karateka were to hesitate. That's intention. It's not hard to kill; it's hard to control.

You can train as many arts as you want, as long as you understand the basis of each one. For example, if you take Shotokan, understand how to deliver strikes, how the attacks are initiated, and the general attitude and philosophy of the art. From there, you have a solid footing in the art, and practice will yield results. But if you take several arts at once without first understanding each one and its meaning, you're lost. Some arts, like Shotokan and Taijiquan, just don't go together, and you're sure to mess your training up badly if you try to attend both classes at the same time. On the other hand, Jujutsu and Aikido classes would go great together, because they're dealing with the same basic formula, just with different approaches. The key is to get the most out of each art and not overwork yourself. There's no set rules to this; you just have to know how much you should, and can, handle.

I look forward to starting it whenever I get a chance. Hiya, what style of Wing Chun are you taking? I'm considering Yip Man's Centerline methods, which seem to be the most effective.

The problem is that they're not always right by the skin. A lot of the time, you have to push down, sort of cut them off the way you cut off water from a hose. Your opponent doesn't feel it right away, but it quickly builds up into a sharp, piercing pain. Before I knew what I was doing with pressure points, I accidentally finished an opponent with one rather dramatically (this was several years back). I brushed against the guy's left side with a glancing blow, thinking I hadn't done much damage. He sort of flinched, but regained composure. As we circled, he just sort of went loose and fell straight over on his face. Until my sensei explained, I didn't even know what the f*ck I had done, and that's what really got me interested in pressure points. They're not easy to do, by any means, but they're a great addition to any martial art, expecially grappling arts.

I think belt tying began as some sort of Okinawan torture ritual I hate tying 'em too, but you get the hang of it after a while. Thanks for all the input; this has really given me a new perspective on belts and what they mean. I'm sorry about coming on so strong in the original post, and I'm sorry if I offended anyone. Again, thanx for the replies.

Always has been a bit turbulent. Currently in Houston, though. As soon as the USSR fell, we knew we were in for it, so we hauled a** for the States. If we had stayed...well, take a look. The place is a wasteland. A pity, really, but times change, things get better. Hopefully sooner than later.

Belts cover two inches of your a**. Your skill covers the rest. Although belts were once a decent indication of prowess, they mean almost nothing now. Many training halls, dojos and dojangs alike, give out belts like cotton candy. I once saw a green belt beat a 3rd degree blackbelt to the ground with no effort. Since then, I put my belts aside. I now wear only my white belt, stained with sweat, dirt, and occasionally blood . It's now a pleasant brownish/red, almost black, after training so long and hard. In my opinion, belt systems should be kept simple. Beginner, intermediate, advanced, instructor. Or simply teacher, student. I don't see the need for 12 belts, when they mean nothing except more money for belt tests, and another new color to inflate the practitioner's ego. Your thoughts?

I have heard all sorts of views about Wing Chun. What concerns me is how it fares as an anti-boxer art. I have heard from many people that it is very good against boxing, and heard from others that it is ineffective against boxing. This is adressed to any Wing Chun practitioners: how does it fare against boxers, and what are its basic philosophies? I was thinking of taking it, and really need a good art to go against boxers, my most common opponents.

Here's a nice website, but keep in mind that you need a good instructor, nothing less, to teach you properly: http://pressurepointfighting.com/public_html/dim_mak_taiji_points.htm That's a chart of the points. For info on the system: http://www.vincitydesign.com/kwoon/index2.html Browse around, you'll find pressure point fighting somewhere in there. And yes, I agree that pressure point fighting can be simplified, but like all things, there are two levels of it: structure and substance. You can simply learn some effective strikes and be able to get out of a bad situation, which would be substance. Or you could learn the methods behind it, its philosophies, etc, and become a master of it, being able to apply it for any situation. That would be structure. Although structure is superior to mere substance, it's understandable that convinience is a factor, too. Anyone can learn a few good pressure points and have their fighting ability drastically improved. But like I said before, you MUST find a good instructor, and you MUST have a feel for the human body, because nerves shift under the skin, and you have to know exactly what you're doing.

I really don't see how that dissed Kung Fu , no need to get defensive.

There are two categories of Dim Mak, vital points and pressure points. Vital points are strikes to any general weak point, such as a punch to the throat or solar plexus. Pressure points are something else altogether. Simply put, they are areas where you can apply pressure to nerves near the skin, resulting in stimulated pain. It creates a false signal to the brain, the brain thinks an invading organism is giving the signal, and it gives out an alert. The result is pain. Of course, it's not an invading organism, it's just a glitch of sorts in the nervous system, but you're manipulating the brain into causing panic. There are 360 pressure points on the human body, 60 to each of five meridians, wood, fire, earth, metal, and water (liver, heart, spleen, lung, and kidney). Using the pentagram, you can use these rows of pressure points to heal (accupuncture) or cause pain (Dim Mak). Although any pressure point hit hard enough and at the proper angle will result in knockout, here's the proper medical technique: 1 point stimulated in any given element meridian: intense pain in local region (strike to temple, result: headache) 2 points: intense pain between points (strike to opposite sides of ribs, result: intense heart pain/difficulty breathing) 3 points: loss of voluntary muscle activity in the region (strike to wrist, elbow, and shoulder, result: arm paralysis) 4 points: knockout, possible coma 5 points stimulated in any order, along any meridian: Instant death

My first day of martial arts happened to be my birthday, and it just happened to be Shotokan. As a lot of karateka can tell you, birthday rituals in the dojo are not pleasant. The first taste of Karate I got was a Tiger Tail, in a class of nearly 40. It was not pleasant, to put it lightly

A lot of the time, it just depends on what you're exposed to. A close friend of mine, a Hung Gar sifu, tried this out on his kids (your guess is as good as mine as to why, though): He home-schooled them, teaching one a lifestyle and academics based on the Book of Five Rings, and the other based on the Tao Teh Ching. His first son, raised under the guidance of Musashi's writings, grew up to be fierce, competetive, and somewhat viscious. He became a businessman. His second son, raise by Lao Tzu's teachings, grew up quite timid and soft-spoken, and went on to be a medical doctor. Both are great guys, just in different ways. So I suppose it just depends. Our views are always, to some extent, subjective, and what we grew up with has a huge effect on what we become. After all, we wouldn't have modern science if it weren't for fundementalist religion. Ironic, no?

Hehe. Karate sort of came from Kung Fu, actually. Anyway, that was quite a welcome. I wasn't expecting so many replies. Great to meet all of you. If you're wondering about the name, it's the 'smile now, cry later', the universal symbol for comedy/tragedy. Just my way of expressing my screwed-up heritage. Get used to it, 'cause you'll be hearing from me a lot. The one forum I was on before this, I averaged 13 posts a day. Within half a year, I had 2500 and counting. I talk a lot; that's just me. Anyway, great to meet y'all, and again, thanks for the warm welcome.

Many martial arts instructors consider their methods combat effective, yet I've seen 3rd and 4th degree blackbelts decimated by boxers. It's sad, really. I don't think it's enough to simply teach kicking and punching and call it a martial art. You have to teach them the flow of the fight, and how to adapt to it. I suppose Tae Bo could be used to whup a**, but only against an inexperienced fighter. It makes me wanna cry just watching those guys...

Taught properly, traditional Jujutsu, such as Danzan and Daito-Ryu, encompasses both ground fighting and upright striking. Many schools, in favor of self-defense over sport, never even take it to the ground; they simply hold down an opponent (arm lock or such), and finish 'em with a good hard strike. For self-defense, I'd much prefer traditional styles over the more recent BJJ.

Taught properly, traditional Jujutsu, such as Danzan and Daito-Ryu, encompasses both ground fighting and upright striking. Many schools, in favor of self-defense over sport, never even take it to the ground; they simply hold down an opponent (arm lock or such), and finish 'em with a good hard strike. For self-defense, I'd much prefer traditional styles over the more recent BJJ.

Although taking it to the ground is the last thing you want to do in a street fight, ground fighting is necessary. Shuai Chiao is a powerful and brutal ground-fighting art that deals with both grappling and hard strikes, as well as pressure points and such. It is an ideal style to learn if you want to take your opponent down, thrash them into pulp, and get back on your feet quickly.

Where to start... Okay, first off, pressure points are very hard to do. Very, very hard. You can strike the same spot twice and get different reactions, because nerve clusters and such shift beneath the skin. You can't simply look at a diagram, poke someone, and knock them out. After years, sometimes decades of practice, you get a feel for the human body, where the nerves are, how to strike around tendons, ligaments, gaps in between muscle, etc. It's pretty complicated. If anyone's seriously interested, I can get into detail about how the pressure points work, the Five Elements, the infamous 'death touch' (yes, it's real, but not the way they show it), and how it all relates to human anotomy and physiology. That is, if anyone's interested. otherwise, it's an awful lot of writing. L8erz.

As far as famous icons, Morihei Ueshiba. Japanese Jesus, that man was.

Hello, everyone. I'm new to these boards and to online forums in general. I've been reading your posts for some months now, and I love it here, so I decided to join. I'm currently a student of Shotokan Karate, have been for 2 1/2 years, orange belt (though belts hardly matter), and am lucky to have met a good instructor and friend, Rick Davey. I live in Houston, where the humidity is a good 90%, and the temperature well into the high 80s...in winter. You don't even want to hear about the summers here, but I'm not one to complain; sweating's good for you, though I can't say the same about dehydration Anyway, nice to meet y'all. Before anyone asks, I am NOT, repeat NOT, a redneck. L8erz.