Shorinryu Sensei

Score on him before he scores on you? Well OK...this has been answered throughly if you want to check on the Sport Karate Forum section. You'll find some great (and some not so great) advice there I'm sure.

Actually, it didn't hurt that bad...but sure bled! Yeah, that took a while for my students to get over the jokes and snickering. I just told them to think of it as a "What NOT to do" lesson.

I start my people at shodan level myself. The only serious accident I've had with them is stabbing myself in the ball of my foot trying to do the kama in Pinan Yondan...damn, that HURT! Yeah I know...not my brightest moment. It bled like crazy, and this was just minutes before my class was to show up. Ever try to bandage a gouge on the ball of your foot that wants to bleed like crazy...and then try to teach a karate class?

Welcome to the martial arts! Your instructor shoudl teach you about handling multiple attackers, but there are some general "rules of thumb" pertaining to dealing with them, and this will vary from system to system, so my methods might not be the same as yours and others. 1. Learn to work your opponents against each other through your movements and actions. An example: If you have two people attackign you, move insuch a way as to keep one person in the middle. That way you are only dealing with one person at a time. Easy to do if you have the room to do it. 2. When you strike a person, you have to attempt to do a disabling technique on them thefirst time. You don't want to have to fight multiple people more than one time each. They have the advantage of numbers and if they're smart,they will use that advantage. You need to take them out as quickly as possible. There are otherthings, but I need to get going on my taxes here *sigh*

True...how about broom sticks?

COOL! It's an easy drive (I think anyway) from Seattle to Kalispell. Take I-90 to St. Regis, MT...get off the interstate and foillow the signs that say "Glacier Park". Bring your wife if you'd like to..and the boss if she's cute and single! Any questions you might have, please ask. You have my regular email? tallpaul@sofast.net

No, I don't use wooden kama, foam nunchaku, rubber sai's, rattan/lightweight bo's or PVC tonfa. There is no point IMHO, as they don't feel the same as the real thing, nor move the same. The kama I use are dulled, but the identicle to sharp ones in every aspect.

Never. Unfortunately, where I'm at now, I don't have a bag setup or anyway to do it.

Well....OK...I guess I can bend a bit...but just this once! I've faced sharp weapons before and don't have a problem with that, but I don't like to practice with sharp ones in the dojo. Remind me when I see you in June to tell you about the kid at the tournament that had sharp kama, and what happened to him.

*grimacing here*..this is probably the first time I've ever disagreed with you Shorin Ryuu, but personally, I don't like sharp weapons, and those hardware kama come VERY sharp. I've been cut once myself severely by a chain saw , and seen a kid get cut really bad (almost lost his thumb) at a tournament using sharp kama . Nope...don't like, nor recommend a sharp blade myself, especially if the person is a kid...which we don't know if the author is or not. Just my opinion. You'll see in June what I'm talking about in regards to the chainsaw.

A waste of money. My sensei and our class chipped in and bought a surplus bag...good as new, and did what you describe. It lasted less than 10 minutes of punching and kicking it. We bought a 2nd bag and inserted the 1st bag into it. It lasted maybe 15 minutes. Both tore apart in the middle where we were kicking it. They aren't made for that sort of impact.

Cool Mu Ryuk! Nice feeling, isn't it!

Yep (dating myself here)...The Pink Panther series of movies from the mid-60's to mid-70's starring Petter Sellers as Inspector Cleasuoe (hukd on foniks werks 4 me ) and his manservent Kato (takeoff on Bruce Lee's Kato from The Green Hornet series). Kato and the inspector used to fight each other often in the movie using pretty much strictly open hand techniques and stances. They smashed everything..tables, chairs, walls, each other. Pretty hokey, but at the time it was a parody of the martial arts. Classic movies I watched as a kid and young man. still would if I caught one on TV.

yeah...you, Shorin Ryuu and me...that's it. A lot have expressed interest and a desire to attend, but distance is the problem, and the date is also. I had to pick a date and set it so people could make plans. Everybody wants it in THEIR town of course.

I don't know of any "martial art dojo locator", but have you tried google and typing in "martial arts, (your town)"?

I've gotten this also many times. My response is usually "I don't know of any technique besides putting my size 13 tennis shoe up their *** that would cause me to want to kick somebody in the butt."

You do NOT want to look at a persons eyes. Some people (my origional sensei was good at this) can psych you out that way. Also, by watching the eyes you will miss kicks because you are looking to high. You also don't want to watch a persons feet for the same reason...you'll miss his punches. Focus your eyes on the center of their chest. You can see everything that way and can't be psyched out by their looks.

Despite what your sensei may be telling you, you are not training to be "a warrior". You are training to be a martial artist...BIG difference there. The arts aren't so much about being a fighter, as they are about being a better person. Being able to defend yourself is a part of this, and a path to this. TKD tends to favor taller individuals, as it's primarily a kicking art. Taller people have longer legs...that's why they're taller! Perhaps you're in the wrong martial art for what you're looking for? Tall or short, everybody has their strong, and their weak points. You need to find your strong points (speed and agility for example) and work them hard, and learn what a taller opponents weakness's are and work towards using those to your advantage.

Most often I'll have people ask me how many boards I can break. I tell them "I've never broken a board yet...but I have broken a few peoples arms, legs and cracked a back once." That usually shuts them up. Then of course, I explain to them that I was kidding. I don't want people thinking I'm someone they have to be afraid of.

Hey now..I resemble that remark! Uhhh...I mean... resent that remark!!! Good for you kicks! What we may lack in speed, we make up for in expertise. One of my favoite sayings is... "Age and deceit will always overcome youth and skill"...or something like that.

I haven't had to kick anybody out of my dojo for being to aggressive and hurting others, but one of two things will happen to them in m yexperience 1. They will beginbto exercise more control...problem solved. 2. They quit coming to class...problem solved. Either way works fine for me.

Trust me...if you can make it to one of Sensei Lindsey's seminars...do it. The man is the real deal in old style Shorin Ryu. There are only a few people in this country that I would consider a true master of the art, and he is one of them.

I disagree. Meeting force with force is an unskilled way of fighting IMHO. That's not what you should be learning in your training. Take a 6' 21 year old man with big muscles and an attitude. Put that man up against a woman that is 5'5" tall and slim build. She is not going to be able to match force for force in a fight, yet she should be able to come out triuphantly if she uses her skill, knowledge, experience and training. This depends on what you mean by holding back. if you're talking about going all out on this young man, that doesn't teach him a lesson, but rather will stroke your ego. I don't think I've ever given anyone my best fight...ever. Not in 30 years. The person that I will give my all to in a fight is the man that I intend goiing into the fight, to kill or cripple for life. Thus far, I haven't encountered a situation that I feel I need to go all out in, thus I hold back.

You're correct that that is what it's SUPPOSED to be but like I said, many of the young practitioners want to prove themselves . I've had a number of these "overzealous" young men in my class in the past that felt they needed to hit harder than they were supposed to. I will warn them a few times about it, and if it isn't doing any good, then I will spar them at the same level they are sparring at. I tell them this right up front that if they want to get rough, I will also. It usually only takes a minute or less and they understand that they need to tone it down a notch or two.

I bet taht will be interesting and informative. I've never met Sensei Lindsey, but had talked to him a number of times over the phone maybe 15 years ago or so, and I have some videos he sent me that I use for reference now and then. This guy is the real deal people!