Shorinryu Sensei

*groan*..I just typed out a HUGE post on here, then accidently bumped my back button on my mouse and lost it all....soooo...here I go again! The majority of the responses I'm getting on the forum, PM or via email are people telling me that they will come if we have this "gathering of friends" in their home town. Well, unless we do a travelling road show...I can't see that happening. I am however, getting some interest..which I'm glad to see..from people that are willing to travel to my location in the wilds of Northwestern Montana. So, with that in mind, I am officially offering my services to sponser the first "Gathering of Friends 2005" (hey, this might be a yearly thing!) in Kalispell, Montana (where the heck is that???). Now, some of you, particularity those from larger cities like San Francisco, Houston, Chicago, etc, might be a bit shy about wanting to come to such a "remote" corner of the world, and I can understand that. But hey, we do have indoor plumbing here, electricity, cars/trucks, cell phone coverage...and the Beatles are still the hottest new group on the charts! Some of my rambling thoughts on how I'd like to see this go down, and what we need to think about and what you need to know to make your plans: If you type in "Kalispell, Mt" in google, you can find tons of information about the area. Do some research...it's a GREAT area for recreation and outdoor fun. Dates: Well, this isn't determined yet, but the 4th of July is on a Monday this year, so most will have a 3 day weekend. I'm thinking if people can arrive on Friday, and use the 4th to head home..that would be a good time. Possibly later in the summer would work out better. Those that are seriously contemplating coming, please tell me via PM or email what dates work best for you. The majority rules. I think July/August are the best times. Any earlier and Glacier Park might not be fully open yet, and that is a GREAT plce to show you people! If you plan on flying into the area, you need to book reservations to Glacier International Airport (code FCA), or on AMTRAK to Whitefish, Mt. I can pick you up in my car (can have 4 passengers) or in my pickup truck (BIG back seat ). I can supply driving directions to my house if you're driving up or I recommend using https://www.mapquest.com and it will bring you to my doorstep. Accommodations: If the weather is crappy (rain/snow), I have a fair amount of room here and can accommodate men/women/kids OK, but with just one bathroom (no using the bushes please) we have to learn how to share. If the weather's nice, I'd suggest camping in Glacier Park. They have modern campgrounds and bathroom facilities..but no showers. Hey, that's the fun part of camping...roughing it! You can shower at my house on Saturday night before we go to the Blue Moon. You people have JUST gotta go to the Moon...it's GREAT! Must be 21 or older though...sorry. Expenses: Since I haven't hit the lottery yet , you will, of course, be responsible for chipping in on food, campground fees (can get a group camp site in the park), park entrance fees, your own refreshments, travel expenses, etc. My house is free to all of course. I don't see where expenses would run you much more than maybe $50 once you';re here though, unless you go shopping. BTW..there is no sales tax in Montana! Come and buy a car if you want to! I think this needs to be a very non-political Gathering in the sense that I don't want to hear any "Mine is better than yours" stuff, but rather a sharing of ideas, concepts, war stories, * and techniques among friends with similar interests and lifestyles. I'm not thinking of this gathering so much as a bunch of people coming to workout together, but as a group of people coming together to meet one another and have some fun. If you want to work out...that's just fine with me! We can use my friends gymnastics school if the weather's bad (might be a small fee to use it though), or the park in the sunshine (hopefully). Spouses, boy/girlfriends (not both please ) kids and any really tall single ladies are welcome (sorry, just had to add that ) to attend. More will be added as this progresses, but I think this is a decent start. Suggestions/commments are appreciated. *EDIT* I should also add that this gathering is not sponsered by, endorsed by, supported by, funded by (rats!) recommended by or in any way connected with https://www.karateforums.com, its sponsors, mods, or anybody else connected or associated with the operation of https://www.karateforums.com. There ya go Patrick...you're covered! lol And no people, he did not ask me to write that..but I think it's a good thing for people to know. I'm just offering my area as a place to have a get together. Also, if you're under 18 and thinking of coming, I think it is a good idea to have a letter from your parent(s) or guardian(s) giving you permission to attend and also a waiver of responsibility to me. I won't be responsible for any misfortune or accidents, such as car accidents or bear attacks that may occur to participants. Besides...if you sued me, you wouldn't get much! You will be doing this at your own risk...but don't let that scare you off...it's perfectly safe up here. A heck of a lot safer than walking the streets of most major cities in this world after dark!

I think this can happen in any system though. For example, years ago a friend of mine (now ex-friend) who was a 7th Dan BB in TKD (my opinion is ) brought several of his students into my area to work out with my class. We had several of the same results you're talking about with our tuitte (grappling/joint manipulating). Also, one of my kids...14 years old and just a yellow belt, whipped up pretty good on his 1st degree ADULT black belt that he brought with him. The TKD BB was pretty embarassed by it. If you were to take me into a BJJ or judo class for instance and make me spar/fight using their citeria, I'd probably not do well either. Let me fight my own fight...well, let's just say I'd stand a much better chance of success.

I agree with the others. I lso think that when you punched him, you lucked out and hit a nerve, causing his arm to go numb and hurt more than his punch to you did. Knowing how to punch, and where to punch is much more important and effective than how much you can bench and lift. Myself, I'm a big guy at 6'6" tall and 240lbs, but I'm still considered slim and have never had good upper body strength. Heck, I'm lucky if I can crank out 20 pushups on a good day! However, I have very good punching power with speed and accuracy.

Ahhhh..the age old question. Can someone use karate to whip a bear? I submit proof... http://www.cutefunnyanimals.com/manvsbear.shtml Enjoy...it's one of my favorites.

You're right...I stand corrected.

At this point, I have 3-4 people that have expressed an interest. The location for it would have to be made for sure before anybody is going to want to commit totally to it. Several of the more serious people (I'll let them decide if they want to tell who they are) have said coming to Montana would be cool. Definitely different than what most of you are used to. No humidity in the summer, not many bugs (the grizzly eat them ), beautiful scenery, etc.

Do a search on Google for him...you'll find tons of stuff I'm sure. He's the guy that the VanDamm movie "Kickboxer" was "supposedly" based on. Won the super secret "kumite" Problem is...he's never been able to provide one shred of proof about it.

An inexperienced person doesn't have the technique to do effective attacks or more importantly, defenses. They will be awkward, have more openings, less power, slower, etc. An experienced, trained individual will exploit any weakness's you might have in your defense, be a good counter fighter and knowwhen to attack, and when to defend.

Agreed! Start now,

I've never heard of it myself, but I did a bit of "Googling" and came up with some websites about it. This is a quote from the first one I found. http://www.jungyae.com/ Jungyae Moosul Theories and Principles All of the martial arts in existence can be expressed through one theorem – the Um/Yang or Ying/Yang symbol. E can use many different ways of explaining this simple yet universal symbol. This symbol represents the root of martial arts. In Jungyae Moosul, we do not simply learn techniques; but rather, we focus our energies on learning the root theories and principles behind the techniques. Basically..this isn't saying anything that any other traditional martial art doesn't say IMHO. It's also a Korean Martial Art started in the 80's based on TaeKwonDo, so maybe you'll get better responses if you post in on the Korean Martial Arts Forum? You also might want to check out this link that talks about bad experiences with this system. http://www.bullshido.net/forums/archive/index.php/t-11047.html[/i]

Congratulations on Member of the Month Pacificshore!

There is a very good and experienced aikido sensei here locally and I used to watch his classes quite often. He and I have talked many times about our arts. Basically, from what I've seen and talked to this sensei about, is that aikido is an effective art, but it takes a VERY long time to master it where you can use it effectively in a real sitution.

If you want to camp in Glacier Park (recommended), it's pretty cheap. We can reserve a group camp site. Entrance to the park has gone up...I think it's about $20/car now or close to that. Distance from Kalispell, MT where I live to West Glacier (park entrance) is 33 miles. If you've never been there, do a search for Glacier national Park and take a gander. Simply SPECTACULAR! The Going to the Sun Road is an engineering marvel. I wish I lived closer to Yellowstone Park..that also is great!

So far the responses I'm seeing on the forum and via email...everybody wants to have it where they live! lol Come on people..like Master Jules says...ROAD TRIP!!!

Glacier National Park is just down the road from me about 25 miles or so. Absolutely SPECTACULAR in the summer. A friend where I used to teach classes has a gymnastics school with TONS of workout area, showers and bathrooms right in town and easy to find. I'd love to host this thing if everybody wanted ot see Montana and the Rockies. If nothing else, I can pretty well guarantee it'll be different than most people have ever experienced...especiallywhen I drag all you guys out dancing at the Blue Moon! lol

I see no problems on you teachingy your son the forms that you've learned. There are few enough opportunities for a father and son to "bond" and learn from each other as it is (I have 2 sons myself), and if he's interested..go for it! Always take any opportunity to do things together that you can.

I have 3 regrets actually. 1. That I didn't go to Okinawa when I was younger and train for a year. 2. That I didn't get to train with Master Kuda Yuichi any more than the two times that I had. 3. That I wouldn't have walked away from a challenge from that loud mouth, TKD black belt bully years ago...and cleaned his clock instead!

1. not everybody carrys a weapon. 2. Most figts start our in close proximity to each other. ID: grabbing, swinging haymakers, physiocally approaching you with obvious intent to attack, etc. 3. Your average person on the street has no clue of how to effectively defend themselves or others. I'm sure there are other reasons...exercise of course...and just plain FUN!

Hi all! I've been talking a bit with a couple of people, and I've seen it mentioned on this forum before, but how many of you would SERIOUSLY be interested in having a get together somewhere, possibly this summer? Obviously we have people from all over this planet that post on this forum, but the majority I think are from the states (USA). Of course, if you want to come from Down Under, you'd be more than welcome! What I'm thinking here is that someone (I'm volunteering actually) could start collecting information from those that are seriously interested and see where you all would prefer to meet. Obviously, most people will want it somewhere close to themselves, and I personally can't afford to travel very far. Las Vegas I'm sure would be mentioned a lot, as it has a vast variety of hotels and entertainment, but speaking for myself, I'm looking to meet a bunch of you people and get to know and work with you, not gamble and go to shows. Any suggestions would be appreciated. At this point, I'm just in the "information gathering" phase. If you are interested, please send me an email and include: User name Real Name Mail Address Primary Phone # Secondary Phone # Where do you think would be a good place to meet? My email is tallpaul@sofast.net[/b]

Take their balance, yes..and coltrol the weapon at all times. Also you want to stay to the outside of the arm that hs the weapon because they have less power and striking ability there than they do to their inside. I find it very difficult to explain in type how to approach a lot of the questions that are asked about specific techniques. It's much easier to show than to type it. If people would just hop a plane and come here, I'd be glad to demo these things to them.

Agreed/ Frank Dux has made many claims over the years, and has NEVER been able to prove any of them. In legitimate martial arts circles, he's considered as phony as a Bill Clinton $3 bill. Besides, I'm VERY skeptical of ninjitsu anyway as being not quite legitimate. My personal opinion please people...don't jump all over me! lol I also have not heard of that system of kung fu, but then I don't travel in those circles.

1st bit of advice..toss the kiddie/play "chucks" made out of foam into the garbage. They don't move, feel or react anything like the real thing and you will learn little using them. 2. Call your local police department and ask them. Explain that you are a beginning martial artist and want to know what the laws are that pertain to the possession and carrying of the weapon.

Think of it this way. there was the first car...then from there, many people thought they could build a better, or different car. So now we have how many different makes of cars out there in the world, and within each of those different makes, there are sub-catagories. The martial arts are about the same. There are basic Okinawan, Japanese, Chinese and Korean systems (and others of course), and within each of these are a vast number of sub systems. Under the Okinawan/Japanese systems, you have karate, JJ, aikido, sumo, judo, etc. Korean you have TKD, TSD, Hapkido, etc. Chinese is kungfu, gunfu, etc. Does that help...or confuse you more?

OOPS! I screwed that up didn't I? Try 1st amendment...sorry. It is actually the 2nd Amendment of the Constitition: Bill of Rights Amendment I Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Amendment II A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. Oh man...and I used to be a school teacher too! I'm sooooo embarassed!

OOPS! I screwed that up didn't I? Try 1st amendment...sorry.