Shorinryu Sensei

Might it be possible...even likely..that this is a kick for movie effect only? I mean, look at it from a practical viewpoint...what use is it other than for show and flash? Do you really think an opponent, with any minute degree of fighting ability, is going to stand still long enough to let you do a kick like that to them?

I'm going to go with the assumption that this post was meant as humor, and not in seriousness? I certainly hope it was meant as such, as #'s 1-4 are TERRIBLE things to teach a woman as "effective" means of defending themselves against an attack by a man. If it was not meant as humor, please..let me know and I'll explain why..

I agree with Fat Donkey on the circling part. Keep moving. A stationary target is generally an easier target to hit. Moving left for a while,then changing to right quickly and then back again will make it harder for your opponent to adjust and hit a target (you). I don't agree that staying in close will work, but in TKD (depending on the rules of course) punches are discouraged often times, and yes, it's harder to kick someone in close. In my system, we use hands and feet both, and NEVER head kicks because the groin is a viable target for us...as is every other part of the body. Keep moving, angle your attacks and counters, get in close and then get out fast..but above all...keep moving.

I guess I'm one ofthose long legged people you'd have problems with also, so maybe I can help. My inseam is 36" and I'm 6'6" tall. I'd suggest angling yoru attack and defense. By that I mean, don't just go straight at the guy, but rather angle left/right of his attack to close the distance. Also, you should be able to effectively deflect/block his legs as you angle in, thus giving you more of an opening. These are a few of the techniques we work on often in class, and they do work.

OK...this is what I got in reply to my own sensei (6th Dan) regarding the jumping kick in Chinto. "First off please remember that Chinto is a chinese form and that Bunkai is subjective. If you look at the move right before the kick, you are grabbing and pulling the opponent toward you. The first movement with the leg is a fake or knee to the groin or inside of the thigh to open up the legs for the second part. The second part or actual kick would be to the groin, inside knee, or pressure points in the thigh." I hope this helps?

I just emailed my sensei (6th Dan) with the same question and hope to have an answer tonight that I'll post. Funny, I really never gave it much thought either, so I want to know to! lol

I've always believed that women should be treated no differently then men in my classes. I also believe taht for self-defense purposes, you would do women an injustice if you had a "women only" class, as they are most likely to be attacked by a man, not a woman, so why not learn how a man attacks...not a woman? Yes, I believe that most women are lax about personal self-protection, and don't take it seriously. Not all of course, as I've had ladies in my classes that could do some major damage to a man that attacked them. To me, a womans primary advantage in such a situation is the advantage of surprise, and that's what we dwell on and spend the most amount of time on. Surprise the attacker, and do MAJOR damage, then escape. I've had the opportunity to teach 3 seminars on this subject in the past.

My first gut instinct is to say GOOD!!!! You don't deserve to have the weapon if you don't know how to pronounce or spell them! OK, with that said (sorry, a personal pet peeve of mine ), yes, I've had almost all of my kobudo weapons stolen a number of years ago by two men that broke into my dojo. I had 4 pair of sai, 6 pair of NUNCHAKU, 2 pairs of kama and a few other "toys" I had including a .22 cal pistol I used for weapons defense practice. The thieves left the bo, tonfa, canes and other things they weren't interested in. Total value of the items lost was $800-something, and I had $1,000 deductable insurance *sigh*.

True, but unless you're a constantly training fighter, such as a contending professional boxer...is anybody ever at their full potential all of the time? My perspective is this. Karate is for self-defense, not sport. Sure, if you want to do sport, that's fine...but that's not what I believe that the arts are for. With that in mind, I personally believe that ANYBODY, regardless of their physical condition, handicaps, sex, beliefs, temperment, etc is capable of learning, and becoming proficient in the martial arts. Since over half of the people in this country (USA) are overweight, bordering on obese, I feel that anyone can effectively learn the arts and become proficient in protecting themselves, or others if they choose, in a real confrontation. Pot bellys or not. Myself, due to an accident years ago, I am classified by the state as 44% disabled. I also have had knee surgery which still gives me problems sometimes, plus back issues. Despite that, I have successfully defended myself on several occasions (including once against 3 attackers) despite those limitations that I have. Am I at my full portential? No, of course not. At 51 years of age, I've long ago seen my "prime" in physical conditioning, yet in the martial arts, I still continue to grow and get better with my reflexes, timing and speed. OOPS...sorry. I got a bit wordy there.

Just to be clear here...you have two schools locally. One teaches kobudo, and the other Wushu? I know next to nothing about Wushu (Chinese something-or-other), so I can't advise you there, but "kobudo" is an Okinawan/Japanese term refering to the weapons aspect of the martial arts. Kobudo is to weapons, that karate is to hands/feet. Get my drift? I'd suggest asking the kobudo people if they are doing empty hand karate also, and if so, what system.

Personally, I'd think the middle-weight pants would be just fine. Just don't forget to wear underwear on class nights! Oh yeah...and if you do wear underwear, leave the leopard print thongs in the back of your undies drawer for that big date Saturday night, not for martial arts class.

I can't say I disagree with your sensei, but the more important aspects of Shorinryu aren't so much the physical conditioning, but rather the training of your body to react, and react correctly, to an offensive technique thrown at you. Most higher up sensei of Shorinryu that I know have pot guts, and aren't in the best of shape...like you'd think of a professional fighter for example, but those people can MOVE and react like you wouldn't believe!

I'll third the two posts above me here. The "free uniform/gift" isn't free, because the sensei is adding the costs of them into his prices. The same thing applies to any business that offers something for free. You end up paying for them somewhere along the line, or the sensei is losing money. Yes, it's odd that he wants you to pay for 8 weeks at a time. Monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or yearly are more normal. And where he said "He said that they incorporate that other stuff so the students won't get bored." also bothers me. A sensei isn't there to entertain his students, but rather to pass on knowledge that he has to his students. I don't know, but that dojo doesn't sit well in my gut and I'd suggest caution.

I used to have more of a formal testing process, but now I just watch the students during every class, and when I see that a student is where I want them to be for their next belt, and that they have been working hard, I just call them to the front of the class and announce to them they they are promoted to their next belt. Basically, I don't make a big deal of it, as the skill advancement is more important (to me anyway) than the attaining a different colored belt and that is the message I try to convey to them.

I'm still trying to figure out the survey here. How long before you're allowed to join a club? Wow, that seems a lot different than what I'm used to. Around here, and in my dojo, you just have a short interview with the sensei if you want to join and he/she asks a few questions. If the sensei is satisfied with your answers, then you're in. What I personally look for is attitude mostly. If a prospective new students tells me "I want to learn how to kicks some *!", or something similar...I show them the door. Different strokes...... My personal philosophy is that karate should be available to the masses. I can see if the class is full in the sense that there isn't room for new students, but otherwise, I'll take anybody, regardless of age or physical conditions, as long as they have a good attitude towards learning, and their reasons for being there.

Personally, if I had a student that was willing to drive 75 miles to train with me once/week, I wouldn't charge them at all. I'd admire their dedication and willingness to stay with me...that would be payment enough. $35/hour? Geeze, maybe I should start charging more! Unless my calculator's screwing up, at $40/mo for 16 hours/mo of classes...that's just $2.50/hr? *sigh* No wonder I'm broke all of the time!

I did a little research on Google for Ontario, Or and it looks like it's got about 12,000 people, so I would guess there's probably several martial arts schools there. You might want to ask around and see if you can find someone teaching out of their home. I've always felt that was generally better than a commercial establishment anyway.

Yeah, you guys are right. I did jump the gun and come down hard on you, and I apoligise. It started out as a bad day this morning, to end what has been generally a bad week for me anyway. I also come from a small town (maybe 12,000 people) in Montana when I got my shodan back in 1978, and my sensei moved to Minneapolis shortly afterwards. I was on my own for the next 9 years, with (as far as I knew) not one other sensei of this particular system in the entire country that I knew of. I just continued to train in what I knew as faithfully as possible until Lo and Behold, I stumbled upon several other sensei in this system that could help me on my journey. That journey continues to this day. 75 miles isn't really that bad of a drive. Heck, you can make that in little over an hour (less if you kick your cycle in the butt like I always do), and a once/week trip isn't outragous I'd say to continue training. That would be the way that I'd go if I were you, instead of looking for video training, which I have a low regard for. There's nothing like one-on-one with a sensei to get things right, and explained correctly also.

Personally, I'd put little, or no faith in a videotape training and testing series, asthey are primarily interested in your dollars, not your progression in the arts. The is TONS more involved in learning the arts than just the movements. Question: Why not continue training under your old sensei, since he/she knows you already and where you're at in your training? Even if you are no longer in close proximity to them, they should be willing to help you after 5 years. Ahhhh...now we see the root of your issue I think. You want to teach and feel you need a black belt for credability reasons...right? I'm sure there are a number of websites that will gladly take your money and eventually give you a black belt. How legit are they? I have no experience with them personally, but I wouldn't give any stock in somebody that told me they got their black belt by mail order (basically). Gaining validity through competition? I don't think so. Some of the best tournament people I've seen are terrible martial artists and couldn't whip a 5th grade girl in a playground fight. Have you considered volunteering at the local food bank? It's far more legitimate than trying to find a videotaped "black belt" somewhere in helping people. Sorry bud, but I think your reasoning for wanting to find a video-black belt suck.

I wear glasses also (no contacts) and in a real fight, they would be the first things to get tossed off. I can see well enough at arm/leg length away from me. I've been at this a long time and have never sparred with my glasses on, so I'm used to it.

A suggestion. In a city the size of NYC, I would imagine there is a martial arts rournament nearly every weekend, especially in the summer. Go and check it out and maybe talk to some students sitting on the sidelines about any backyard dojo's that they might know about. For me, $100/month is outragous and I wouldn't pay for it myself. I teach out of my attached garage and charge $40/month, but half my class is freebies anyway, and the other half are newbies that come and go. Think about this. Do you need a juice bar in your dojo? Weights? Sauna/hottub, secretary, business manager, etc? You're paying for them if they have them.

Here's something else to think about ghostman. Myself, I would recommend steering away from the flashy, expensive commercial schools. In a city the size of NYC, there has to be hundreds of backyard dojo's taught by skilled sensei that aren't in it to make a living, but rather to pass on their knowledge to others. Those are, IMHO, some of the best people to learn from (that's how I did) because money isn't a factor in their teaching, but rather teaching something they love and want to share with others. Just my 2 cents worth.

I agree that your sensei is the one that needs to answer those questions for you. As for me, there are no pads anywhere, including my hands, feet, head or groin. I figure that on the street, I'd better damn well learn how to protect myself, and I feel that the use of those pads is like a crutch. You lean on them and depend on them for protection, and sacrifice your defense because of them. It's just me folks...my class is "required" (but I never check) to wear a cup...nothing more for sparring.

Exactly what I was thinking as I read the posts. As an adult, homeowner and parent of two strapping 6'+ sons, the first thing I thought of is "What if one of these boys gets hurt?" Teeth knocked out, knees/ligaments torn, head cracked, etc are always a possability in sparring situations, and I'd get an OK from yoru parents first before doing what you're talking about. If an injury happens to one of the other kids, your parents are most likely liable for the costs of doctors, hospitals, etc, plus possibly litigation (lawsuits).

This is something that I do in my classes periodically, and I was wondering if others did also. About once/month or so, we will setup chairs and a table or two in the dojo and practice "scenerios" against an attack while we are sitting or standing with these objects in the way. We'll set the tables with candles, salt/pepper shakers, silverware (sometimes), glasses (we use plastic ones so that accidental glass breakage doesn't cut someone severely), beer bottles, plates, etc. We'll have several students sit around the table pretending to eat, or just relaxing (leaned back, legs crossed) as they would be in a bar setting, and have an attacker attack from the rear (grabbing/choking) or the front (grabbing, striking or kicking). I've found it is a very effective way of working on realistic training without the benefit of nearly unlimited room to move, and how to utilize your environment for weapons that can be used within easy reach. There are a few periodic drawbacks though, such as 7 chairs and two tables that have been destroyed during the practice, not to mention a couple of broken beer bottles that had to be vacuumed out of the rug when they broke against something solid (not a head thank God!) Plus, I and my students have a lot of fun with this! We wear street clothes on those days, including the women wearing dresses (with shorts on underneath of course) and high heels if they do on a real occassion.