Shorinryu Sensei

Actually, they wake up groggy, disoriented, grouchy, hungry and generally not in a good mood. I would surmise they are fairly weak also from lack of eating for so long, but not so weak that they can't still defend themselves quite well. The first thing they do is start looking for food. Just about anything edible will do. You don't generally want to run into a bear at this time. The local ski hill here (Big Mountain) closes down about the time the bears are expected to come out of hibernation every year, because they don't want any skiiers running into them.

My experiences with Shotokan are limited to what is being taught locally. The sensei had in the past asked me to come into his class and teach them defenses against a grab because he did not know any himself. Whether this is true of all Shotokan, I can't say. This was a number of years ago also, and the sensei at that time was a shodan (1st degree black belt). He is no longer in this area, but his class is still running with two lady instructors.

That's the very same year I was born. That just goes to show. For some knowledge is a thing that is learned, for others it is an experiance. Then there's old fogies who have been kicking around dirt since before it was dirt. Got to watch out for them. Me I've had a black belt for a little over 5 years now and haven't yet gotten started. My style is also next to my handle on the left. Man, you people sure know how to make a fella feel old with one foot in the hole, and the other on a banana peel!

Well...I didn't find any actual websites for your area, but being a University town, there should be more than just a couple of martial arts schools I would think, including on campus clubs...which are usually cheaper. Here's what I found: American Karate Center (The Shotokan School) 1622 Gallia St, Portsmouth, OH 45662 Tel: (740) 353-0215 That's about it...sorry I couldn't help you more. Try health clubs, chamber of commerce, asking around. There's got to be a bunch hidng here and there.

Shotokan is a good system from what I've seen, but a bit to "stiff" for my own personal tastes. If you're looking for striking, you need to go with the karate over the judo/jj dojo's. Neither is really a striking art. I guess what you need to do is check them all out and see what fits what you're looking for in a system. Most dojo's will let you try out a few classes (I let people try 2 weeks of free classes myself) and see how you like them. Try to watch some advanced classes if possible and see what the higher levels are doing, and if that's what you want to do. I always tell people that the sensei will tell you what he is doing is best. Of course they will, because they believe that. If they didn't, they wouldn't be doing it...right? You need to watch and listen to what is going on in the classes and make your own determination. You also need to watch out for extended contracts that lock you into a long term commitment to that dojo. That's fine if you are planning on staying long term, but if you're not sure and you've signed a contract, you're pretty much stuck paying for the class whether you like it or not. Can you tell me where you're located and I can see if there's any websites or information on these dojo's on the net? A city/state/country would be cool. If you don't want to post it on here, PM me.

I'd trade you some of those 26 extra years in exchange for some of your youth bud!

My belt is black since June 19th, 1978...my style is posted under my name to the left.

Which system of karate is it? The word "karate" is a generic term, just like saying "I own a car." The judo and JJ are grappling arts and mostly where you want totake your opponent to the ground. In my opinion, they are both good arts, but their biggest drawback is that they are designed to fight one person at a time, not multiple opponents.

One thing you need to keep in mind here, and I always stress this to my own students, is that your sensei knows where you're at in your training better than you do. He/She sees you in every class, sees how hard you work, knows your strengths and weakness's and what you need improvement on. Trust his/her judgement that you're ready to test. Myself, as soon as I determine that they are at the level they need to be for their next belt...they have basically passed the test at that point.

This is true...but it's a bad "telegraph" if the person you're fighting knows what he's doing and he can "check" or block your lead foot easily.

This hasn't been determined yet. If we go to Glacier Park..it'll be an outside orkout. In town, nice weather..outside in a city park, or inside at a gymnastics school taht a friend of mine owns.

You actually want to be hunted, shot, stripped of your skin, have sausage made of your meat and your hide hung on some idiots wall? Or is it the sleeping for 4 months of the year that sounds good to you?

Well, judo is good against somebody that wants to grab you and/or take you to the ground. As far as I've seen, judo doesn't do any defenses at all for in regards to someone that stands back and punches at you and tries to keep their distance from you. There may be exceptions of course from dojo (school) to dojo, and there are combat (old style before it became a sport) judo schools around I'm sure, the the majority of judo schools are sport oriented...which means grappling. By the way...do you know that judo means "gentle way"? Trust me...I sure haven't figured out where they get that from the local judo I've seen. These people grab you and slam you to the mat so friggin' hard...how do they figure that's gentle?

Check out this site..has darn near everything on it! http://www.howstuffworks.com/ However, that site didn't have anything on Swiss cheese..so I went to Google andhere ya go! "A search on "swiss cheese holes" revealed that gassy bacteria are behind all that holey cheese. In order to make cheese, you need the help of bacteria. Starter cultures containing bacteria are added to milk, where they create lactic acid, essential for producing cheese. Various types of bacteria can be used to make cheese, and some cheeses require several different bacteria to give them a particular flavor. Propionibacter shermani is one of the three types of bacteria used to make Swiss cheese, and it's responsible for the cheese's distinctive holes. Once P. shermani is added to the cheese mixture and warmed, bubbles of carbon dioxide form. These bubbles become holes in the final product. Cheesemakers can control the size of the holes by changing the acidity, temperature, and curing time of the mixture. Incidentally, those holes are technically called "eyes," and the proper Swiss name for the cheese is Emmentaler (also spelled Emmental or Emmenthaler). Swiss cheese has been in the news recently because the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) created new guidelines that regulate the hole size of domestically produced Swiss cheese. The USDA reduced the standard size of the holes by half because new cheese-slicing machinery got caught on larger holes. The Swiss weren't pleased by the revised guidelines and insist that Emmentaler must have large holes. Considering how iconic those eyes are, we think they have a good point."

Montana, USA. About 60 miles from Canada, 90 from Idaho. Pretty much "in the sticks" as it were...that's why we love it!

Actually, in most street fights, you end up real close to your opponent in a fight and can easily end up onb the ground...which is what judo is good for. But like I said, if the guy has a boxing or martial arts background...then you are going to have problems because he will want to stay on his feet usually and take shots at you. You would have to lunge at the guy to grab him. It all depends on who you get in a fight with I guess.

You know, if you'd be willing to pay MY way over there to the UK...I'd love to go! I have an ex-fiance over there and we've been talking about trying again...if one or the other of us can get the money together to travel to the other person. So far, not looking real good! She's in the Norwich area..

Depending on how far you want to travel for classes, there's a 6th Dan by the name of James Knoblett that teaches Okinawan Shorin Ryu that I would recommend. The last I heard, he's in the University District of Seattle. Check out the phone book...he should be listed in there. Tell him "Tall" Paul in Montana sent you. I went through this with another guy a while back...check out these old posts. http://www.karateforums.com/archive/o_t/t_14973/start_0/

My goodness. Maybe I'll start a thread on that later. Trust me, it has plenty of uses. Well, the Matsumura Seito that I've learned, the cat stance is more of a transition movement than an actual stance. And yes, it definitely has its uses!

I voted "Effective". It's great for self-defense...but (always a but somewhere) it has some drawbacks. It's not designed for defense against a puncher or kicker, or someone carrying a weapon. Judo is a grappling martial art, meaning you have to get close and grab the guy, flip/toss/wrestle/sweep them to the ground and choke them out. Once you get your hands on the person, judo is GREAT! However, against someone like a boxer that dances around and takes shots at your head...you'd have to lunge at them to get your hands on them for your judo to work.

He changed your style? Can you explain that more please?

No, I'm not famous. But I am related so a very famous couple. Adam and Eve! Famous people I have met and talked to. Meryl Streep and Kevin Bacon (and the rest of the cast and crew) while filming the movie "The River wild"..which much of was shot in this area. I was also Ms Streep's body guard while she was up here when she and the Director or Producer wanted to go out somewhere for a nice dinner. Not as big a deal as it sounds...mostly seeing that she wasn't bothered much. She's a sweetie...but Bacon? Well, no comment. I have also met Ed Parker a couple of years before he died at a seminar. We talked a bit about my system and he asked some question. Nice guy...open minded. I've talked to Emilio Estevez, Danny Devito, Doug Betters (pro-football hall of famer), Drew Bledso (ex-QB for the Patriots) and John Lithgo (lives here) and a bunch of other minor stars and celebrities used to pop into a small store where I was the night manager now and then. Most I didn't know who they were until they left and somebody else told me about it. Ithought they looked familiar!!! I didn';t meet him, but was out dancing one night at a R&R place and Bruce Springsting (sp?) went up the the lead guitarist between songs (he was sporting a short bead and baseball hat) and asked him if he let anybody come up and play. The lead singer says "Do you know how to play?" Just then, he recognized Springsting and let "The Boss" play 4 songs. It was one heck of a Rockin' 15-20 minutes in that place!!!

Let's not get started here talking about some guy playing "bear fighter" with an old "tame" bear please . We've gone around this subject before on this foum, and there's no way a full grown man..martial artist of not..can defeat a real, angry and aggressive bear with his bare hands..period. Anybody that's been around bears will tell you the same thing. And yes, before you ask...I have been around bears..not tame ones either.

This is, IMHO, the best. Who knows better where you are in your training than your sensei? Interesting. I don't know about tournaments in your area, but around here, if a person wants to go up a division and compete against higher belts, it's OK if the sensei agrees with it. You can't go down of course. How about wearing a black belt (in appearance only) just for the tournaments then? A drawback...or up here anyway..is that once you show up at a tournament in a black belt, you'd better not come to the next one wearing something lower. We've caught people doing that at our tournaments and made themn compete in black belt divisions..regardless of what they have around their waist. If they don't want to...they don't compete. So..you've not met the requirements for black belt from your sensei..which takes me back to my origional thoughts. If you're not where you need to be in your sensei's eyes for a black belt..then for me, it makes no sense to give you one. OK..that's cool. So your sensei isn't doing it for the test money...that's a good thing! Like I said earlier, I'm not trying to bash this shodan ho thing...I'm just trying to understand the reasoning behind it. Which...I still don't understand by the way!

Don't get me wrong here, I'm not "knocking" this "pre-black belt" or shodan ho thing...but what really puzzles me is this. Why not just test for a black belt, and not this "pre" stuff? What is the purpose of it, other than make you test yet again later on? Do you get charged for the "pre-BB" testing? if so, I'm concerned that it's just another way for the sensei to make more money...either by test fees or the cost of the belt. What it makes me thing is...are you a black belt...or not? If you're not...then you should be wearing a belt below black...or if you are..then wear a black belt. It just seems odd to me. When I promote one of my students..they get that belt..period. No "pre-this or that" Either you're that rank...or you're not. Black..or white...no gray areas, which this seems to be to me. But anyway...congratulations on your promiotion...uhhhh..whatever rank you are?