Shorinryu Sensei

That's a crane stance? Hmmmm..interesting, and totally different than what I have always understood a crane stance to be. Not that it's wrong...just different.

*smacking Wap alongside the head* Well, sure it is. I guess I need to clarify. I'm not in the business of dictating lifestyle choices..such as being gay, drinking, smoking...that sort of thing. Better?

I think the best question to ask you is this. What do you have available in your area? I mean, what good does it do for us to suggest different systems, if they aren't available in your area? If you live in Calgary for example, you probably have access to quite a few different choices. But if you live in Medicine Hat, your choices would be more limited...see what I mean?

As an instructor (my feelings anyway), it isn't my job or responsability to tell adults how to run their lives. If they want to smoke, drink, have unprotected sex, drive over the posted speed limit....whatever, that is their choice, not mine. If a student comes to class smelling of alcohol or marajuana, and this has happened a few times, I send them home and tell them not do show up that way again. If they had a cigarette just before class...I don't have a problem with that (have a mint though please)..as that is their choice as an adult. I feel the same with religion. Some classes I've seen have a prayer before/after class, or teach Buddist principles. Sorry, I leave that to your priest or the monk down the street...not my job. I'm here to teach them karate. Period. I don't teach morality, weight loss, religion or lifestyles.

Unfortunately, I've seen quite a bit of this at tournaments. The tournaments I judge/referree arent' the big national ones..just small, local state ones with 100 competitors or less attending...but it happens here too. The worst one I've seen was at a Parker's Kenpo tournament a number of years ago where the tounrament promoter pulled judges out of the ring (I being one of them) so that he could load up the judges favorably for the kenpo stylists that were entered. I walked off the floor at that point and sat in the stands and refused to judge any more. I havent' been back to that yearly tournament since. Some of the worst judging I've seen is in the weapons competitons. They will put judges on the panel (usually 5 judges) that have absolutly NO experience with weapons in their systems, or are "self-taught" weapons people. These people, IMHO, have no business being judges, since they have no idea what they are looking at and wouldn't know good technique if it hit them in the face. I've also seen many times where a judge will score their own students, or students in the same system, a higher score on kata...or score points in sparring when there was obiously no point scored. I'm not the least bit shy about going up to these people and trying to straighten them out...but it's seldom helped. I will then usually approach the promoter (I know all of these people personally) and advise them to please watch these judges, and some have been pulled out of rings for their actions...while others were left in. I guess all I can advise is that you get what you get. I'm not into competition and view judging as a social outlet and fun for me. I seldom take any of my own students to the events, so I don't have any problems being fair to everybody because I have nothing at stake as to who wins or loses. That's one of the reasons I'm usually the center referee and judge at tournaments. I'm not prejudiced...I hate everybody equally!

A lot of it depends on what sort of a dojo you have I think. A "McDojo" that passes out black belts like so much confetti will have black belts of all ages (4 years and up) within under 2 years (I've seen 13 months to BB locally). Of those that become instructors...for me, I'd say that when they get their BB, they are qualified to teach. It is a pre-requisite ofmine taht they don't get a BB unless they can teach it. As for getting higher degrees than 1st degree black belt...probably around 1 in 10 maybe. The higher you go, the smaller that percentage gets.

I would say at MOST, 1 out of 100..but of course, that can vary fronm dojo to dojo. I'm a picky bugger, and since 1978 I've only promoted 3 people to BB. The only one still practicing will be getting his Sandan soon. Maybe 20-some to various brown belt levels, but they weren't willing to give me that extra bit of effort that I was looking for, and work hard enough to get their black belts. I've seen McDojo's around here that will give out BB's within as little as 13 MONTHS, so there are quite a few of them running around I suppose.

Thanks for that input Shorin Ryuu...good to have somebody else that feels the same way I do aboyut the system. I think that if you have/had a good instructor in Shorinryu that knew what they were doing, then yes, it encompasses all of those different aspects nicely. I think most people feel that the older, more traditional systems, are lacking...but that isn't so. All I can vouch for is the system that I practice, and it encompasses everything that I feel a martial arts should....and I've been hooked on it for a long time now.

I don't teach using weapons/kobudo until students reach their brown belt level, but we learn defense against weapons (clubs, knives, etc) immediately in class.

Calgary is a heck of a lot closer than the East Coast is for me...that's for sure. Around 4-5 hour drive I think. Good excuse to visit our nothern neighbors too, since I haven't been over the border in probably 25 years. It's not going to be this year, but maybe sometime next year might work out. Thanks.

If you're doing Ed Parker Kenpo, I'm surprised that you are being able to block a groin strike that way. If they are doing it properly, they are kicking with the ball of the foot pointing upwards, not like an upward roundhouse kick with the top flat of the foot. Doing it with the ball of the foot can't be block the way you describe...and that's generally how we attack the groin as it's far more penetrating.

I was about to say "I rest my case"...but then see that you weren't serious! lol Anybody that thinks they can front snap kick someone while that someone is holding onto your throat...please try it. You can't do it I'll bet. Knee to the groin...yes, but not a front snap kick. And why would you want to? You can't generate any power from it at that close range...even if you could do it. It would be a push, not a kick. Now, using your hands...that's a totally different story. A multitude of possabilities there.

I disagree. Look at the physics behind what he's describing. A guy, taller or not is grabbing you by the throat. If he does not let go of that throat, you can't bring your foot up and do a front snap kick to his sternum. You're just to close. Try it yourself. Also something to think about is when yo ubring your foot off the floor, you have a guy holding your throat...wouldn't he be pushing against that throat, or at least most likely be doing so? So if you bring one foot off the floor to kick him, you have just lost any balance you had and he will push you back, probably dropping him on his rear end. OK..if that happened, then he may lost his hold on the throat...and then as you're falling backwards, you could kick him in the sternum...but that's not what the poster said. A roundhouse to the knee...yes. Groin...yes. Not the sternum. The guy's to close.

I finsd almost nothing on Google about Sagawa Kara-Fu, so I have no real information about it. My gut feeling, just by the name Kara-Fu..is that it is a blend of karate and kungfu (DUH! ), which for me sort of brings up a "caution" flag or two. I'm not a big fan of combining arts because most of what I've seen from people that do that is that you get a poor sampling of two arts, and don't end up with a real good finished product. My thoughts...but like I said, I don't know anything about this Kara-Fu personally.

Oh...we have fun I think. One other one that I forgot was where one student will stand in a strong horse stance, hands behind his back, and another student will be to his/her side and roundhouse kick....again as hard as the person can take...to the stomach. No "flinching" llowed. Again, they need to be breathing during this. It's a good exercies to get used to being hit in the stomach. I can take a pretty good shot to the stomach and not be hurt.

Uhhhh..your friend would have to be VERY short for that to work. Even then, I think what you're saying isn't possible unless the tall guy let go and they seperated a bit. And to do a kick like you're talking about when the attacker has you around the throat is just plain dumb IMHO. The attacker has physical contact with you, and you're going to take one of your feet off the ground and become unstable? *shaking my head here*....not to smart if you ask me....even if it was possible. Uhhhh...how did the attacker do that? Knock the wind out of him...yes...but lose consciousness? Doubtful.

I don't know if it's unusual or not, but I haven't seen anybody else doing it. Occassionally, I will have my students lay down on the floor on their backs lying side to side, but alternating which end their heads are facing. They interlink their arms so that their stomaches are all nicely lined up. Then I will have the lightest student walk along their stomachs one at a time, pausing on each person in turn as the student that is getting stood on recites the alphabet. They are required to breathe during this...inhale and exhale. Then, I will get a heavier students and do the same thing. Object of the exercise is tightening your stomach while still being able to breathe. It's an old technique that my high school choir teacher, Miss B, did now and then. She also would hit you HARD in the stomach multiple times while singing...but I've heard some of my students sing before, so I don't do that. We also do what are called (hope this is spelled correctly) kotoate drills. Basically, body toughing. We kick as hard as the person can take (I won't bore you with exact procedures and precautions) to the outside/inside of the thigh, forearms, shoulder blades and lower ribs (watching out for the kidneys/spine). I tell my students that you are doing your partner no favors by being to gentle on them, and the person being kicked is told to tell the other person whther it is hard enough and they can take more...or "that's just a wee bit to much".

Just like in the animal kingdom, staring can be percieved as an open challenge. If they back down to your stare...cool...you won. However, one of these days you'll run into somebody that won't back down and will challenge yo ueither verbally, or physically. And for what purpose? I've had people stare at me blatently in an attempt to intimidate. I stare back for a few moments...change the expression of my eyes to "boring!", and look away. If he wants to consider himself the "winner"..fine by me. BTW Ricochet...I'm assuming you're female? Or are you male and attracting "creepy guys"?

***Shaking my head here*** Half of the things in my closet is older than you are!

Isn't that what the builder and Captain of the Titanic said? OK..people are human. Human's are fallable. To put a child intentially in a situation that potentially has the risk of severe or permanent injury is just plain stupid! You referring to car accidents is also, I think, rather lame. Granted, if you have a young child and don't buckle them in...again, you're endangering that child needlessly. If you do buckle them in, or use a proper child safety seat..you are being a responsible adult and making the best effort to protect your child from potential harm. Having your child stand there as a target so that you can make people think you are a big hotshot is pure *, and I wouldn't hesitate to tell that man that if I saw it in person. I would not have the same issues if he was using an adult for the same demonstration, as adults can make their own decisions regarding their safety, and accept responsability for their own actions.

I'm finding everybody's comments about head kicks not being a good idea in a fight very interesting...and unexpected. Why then, if it's generally agreed upon that head kicks are potentially suicidal in a street fight, are they taught at all? Sure, they're fun..but so is playing pool and driving go carts...but is "fun" what the martial arts is all about? Personally, I think dancing with a beautiful woman in my arms is much more fun than any martial arts class I've been in. Yes, practicing high kicks improve flesability and balance...but there are better was to do both. So, somebody please try to explain to me why some martial artists will spend hours and hours, years and years trying to kick higher and fly farther, knowing full well that you'd never..or rarely ever use that technique in a real situation? Wouldn't the time be better spent working on a side kick, back kick, or just a basic front snap kicks?

Ahhhhhhh.....soooooooo...well, today almost slipped away without me learning anything new. Thanks!

Forgive my ignorance...but isn't his first name Dan?

Uhhhh...agreed. However, the objective of fighting against a knife is to deflect, disarm or control the weapon, not punch the guy while he's attacking, yet still holds, or has total control over the weapon. Oh...OK...uhhhh...and I'm supposed to know who Guro Inosanto is I guess? I obviously don't travel in the same circles as you do, as those names mean nothing to me. The only Inosanto I know of is Bruce Lee's student.