Shorinryu Sensei

Is it made out of bamboo strips, rather than one solid piece of bamboo? If so, you have a shanai (sp?), not a boken. A boken is made of a single piece of hardwood, not bamboo..or the ones I've seen and used anyway. As for how to use it..take an aikido class, as I think they all (most?) teach that as a part of their art. Kendo also. Akijutsu? I use both a boken and shanai in class, but have no formal training in them. I use them as weapons to attack with, where the other person has a weapon that I am familiar with and teach, such as the bo, sai, tonfa, kama and nunchauku. Maybe do a seach for a video or book perhaps, but I don't have a lot of faith in learning good technique from either of those methods.

I'll just make comments about things I feel are...well...comment worthy! -- I know very little about goju. Good system as far as I know. -- This, I DO NOT LIKE! Not enough time to accomplish anything, IMHO. -- not a bad thing, but you lose some of the "art" aspects I think. -- Is this a problem? A 3rd degree should make a fine teacher (I'm a 3rd myself! lol) -- I really don't like this. There is no way (IMHO) that you can get all of the necessary stretching done effectively in so little time. -- Well...are you? I haven't seen the class of course. Maybe you should watch a different class for comparison? -- This is OK..but is that ALL you do? -- This is what I have my class do also at the end of every class. Takes about 20-30 minutes. -- uhhh..is the only reason you do this is because of the movie? Does goju normally do weapopns..particularily Swahihi sticks? -- Depends on the school and how traditional it is. If the head of the school..and the association say it's OK, you can wear pink with purple polka-dots if you want to I suppose. I allow solid white, or solid black gi only for below black belt. Instructors/*'t Instructors may wear a combination of black pants/white tops, or visa versa. -- what belt are you? By brown belt, they should be looking pretty darn sharp IMHO. -- with a 45 minute class, he is wasting your time, and your money if he does this frequently. A nicely said nudge, such as "Sensei, can we start now?" might be all that is needed. -- this sounds like sparring is a seperate class??? Why??? And what do you get for $150? That sounds pretty high to me. -- Again, maybe you should check out another local dojo for comparison purposes. Maybe take in a tournament sometime close by. -- again, without seeing your class, I have no comment. -- I believe that you should spar with everybody in the dojo. What better way to learn than by trying your skills against a better opponent? HOWEVER, higher belts should NOT be hurting you, other than a little bump here and there..but nothing serious. Nor should ANYBODY in the class, EXPECIALLY an instructor, be calling you a wimp. Just a question...are you a complainer? When I, or one of my senior belts spars a much lower belt, we primarily do defense and let the lower belt try soem techniques. However, if they aren't doing much, or are showing very bad openings, we will be a bit more aggressive. And like was aid earlier by others, we coach constantly when we spar. I coach my 2nd dan Sempai all the time when we spar, and it's all I can do to keep him from getting me sometimes! lol *shhhh..don't tell him I said that. -- rules are rules, and they should be followed by EVERYBODY. Keep in mind that in the heat of sparring, accidents will happen, and you need to accept that. You're going to get whacked now and then. However, if it's a consistant problem, especially with the black belts, then you have (it sounds like to me) a bunch of over-bearing bullies for instructors. -- This is pure *! He's a 7th dan black belt, and he can't stop when he wants to? That's a crock of you-know-what. He's sloppy, or doesn't want to stop. It sounds generally like you're not real happy with the class anyway. Perhaps it's time to find another one?

About your financial situation. Have you talked to your sensei about possibly doing things for him in leau of money in exchange for classes? Do you have a talent he needs, such as mechanic, carpenter, plumber, etc that you could exchange work for classes? Seriously, about 1/4 of my small class is freebies like this. But whenever my truck "hiccups"a, my pipes leak, I want to rewire a room, or my trees need trimming, I have students that have offered these things because, like you, they can't always afford the $40/month for classes. Times are hard in this area and they are good, dedicated students that I don't want to lose over something as trivial as money. But then again, if you're sensei is trying to make a living from his dojo, this may not be an option. Good luck.

Nope, I don't do Goju-ryu...nor Shotokan. I'll give you a couple of hints. 1. It's Okinawan. 2. It's the 2nd oldest form of Okinawan karate..behind Okinawan Te (as far as I know anyway). 3. (Correct me if I'm wrong here) I believe that Goju and Shotokan and Isshinryu, and a whole bunch of other systems, as based on it. 4. I believe that Gichin Funakoshi was a practioner or this system when he went to Japan...(yes/no?) And if you still haven't figured it out...look at my name again. Signed respectfully, Shorinryu[b/] Sensei

I don't do Goju, so am not familiar with who Master Ken Funakoshi is. But I'd say that if the martial art you're practicing isn't good for a self defense situation, then you'd be just as well off taking ballet, square dancing or underwater basket weaving for exercise. Try aerobics or jogging, then at least you should be able to outrun most attackers. And yes, I've used my karate about 5-6 times I think in a real self defense situation with posative results. Reverse punch, backfist, front snap kick, double palm heel strike, and tuite (joint lock)..they all worked well.

I thought I'd never see the day, but I have to agree with JerryLove on this. Or at least, from the numerous TKD black belts from various organizations I have seen anyway. You try to pull that spinning, jumping and high kicks one one person is questionable, but on multiple opponents..it's almost commiting suicide. The TKD classes I've seen (and I've seen a lot of them) put very little emphasis on much to do with the hands let alone grappling, take downs, etc. I hate to sound like I'm bashing TKD, but in this scenerio, then yes, I'd have to agree that TKD is a pretty poor art to chose when talking about fighting multiples.

I agree. Depending on the system of course, I would surmise that most, if not all forms of karate and kungfu would have as a part of their system the techniques for fighting more than one opponent. Not to say that all of them practice it, as I've seen that in other schools myself. Some systems, like judo aren't designed for more than one-on-one combat. Groin shots are cheap methods? In a street fight, where are the rules and the referree's that are going to cry "FOUL!" if you use a groin shot? Especially if you're fighting multiple opponents. To me, there is no such thing as a cheap shot in a fight, nor an illegal technique. You do what you have to do to survive the confrontation. If that means groin techniques...fine. Throats, eyes, kidneys, spines and knees..they're all good.

I ran that "CPanel error" through the Microsoft website. I assume you're running WindowsNT? Check this out, it's rather complicated, but if you're still having the same issue, might be worth a look. However, if you're at work and have an IT person, I'd just go to them first and let them handle it. Anyway, here's the url for what I found. http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;207750

I had to dig out my old certificates..would you believe it was March of 1975! lol It took me about 2 1/2 months. Minimum required is 2 months..that's about normal, but I have a blue belt that hasn't been promoted in over 10 YEARS! We joking call him Master Blue Belt.

We use 3 levels of sparring. 1. Light contact consists of everything is a target from the groin area and above. Some people wear gloves, most do not and it is universally accepted. Groin cups are mandatory, but as I explain to adults, that is the rule, but you won't have one on in the street, so you'd better get used to blocking it. Under 18 years of age, it is required or they don't spar. I, personally, rarely wear one..and have paid the price more than a few times! It tells me when I'm a bit slow and open. Adults may wear them, or not, and are aware that it is required, but I don't physically go around and check them for compliance. 2. Medium contact is the same as above, but hand pads are worn (we never wear foot pads or helmets). Same target areas as above, but more contact is allowed. If two higher belts are sparring, more contact is allowed, but MUST be controlled. Body contact can be much harder than head contact, but a good smack to the head is allowed. 3. Full contact is done using full Okinawan bugu gear. This is a head and chest piece wiyth leather (not foam) gloves. Medium groin kicks are allowed (cups are MANDATORY), and full contact is allowed to the front and sides of the body and head. The majority of our sparring is with medium contact, will full contact sparring being done maybe once/twice per month. Light contact sparring is done when we are doing almost a whole class of sparring practice in arotation setting, where everybody is fighting nearly every fight. If at all, you might sit out for a minute or two..that's it. Beginners always spar with senior students (and me) until they become more comfortable and gain more control of their techniques. All three levels allow take downs and low (ankle height) sweeps. No contact to the knee is allowed for obvious reasons, but it is taught frequently as a target area. Besides the forementioned target areas, the only rule is..."If the referree says stop..then STOP!" We try to be as realistic as possible, and the goal of sparring is to learn control, distancing, timing, accuracy, looking for openings, learning where YOU'RE open, movement, practicing techniques and gaining experience.

I'm a counter-fighter and prefer if the other guy is very aggressive. The more aggressive, the better! Because of that, I like to use change of body..also known as body shifting, where the opponent steps in and launches his attack and I wait until the last possible moment (takes a lot of practice and timing to get it right), move laterally while executing a block (not always) and a counter strike at the same time. The combination of your movement, your opponents movement and the velocity of your attacking appendage gives you tremendous striking power. It also leaves you very well protected and fully prepared for follow up techniques. I've had great success with this technique both in the dojo, and a couple of times on the street. In my dojo we work on this technique frequently with as much realism as possible using bogu full contact sparring gear on your opponent so you get used to hitting them.

You might want to try https://www.ebudo.com also. It's another martial arts forum with some incredibly excperienced martial artist that have lived and trained extensively on Okinawa. They'd be glad to help you I'm sure.

Just another angle to consider if we encourage, or they pass a law for everyone to carry a firearm. What would it be like to be a cop in that given situation, where you know every situation, whether it be a traffic stop, domestic disturbance call, or even sitting down in a restaurant while on duty and having a cup of coffee? Now, they have to assume that everyone is armed and act accordingly, but a law requiring people to be armed, or at least easingthe restrictions on carrying a weapon where everybody can legally..would make their job a whole lot harder I would think.

I think quality over quanity is a good rule of thumb in most things. Being able to perform 50 mediocre kata does you little good if you don't fully understand them, but being able to fully understand 10 kata and all of their applications during the course of your studys is more beneficial.

It's massive amounts of work, commitment and time..but can be very rewarding. also frustrating! lol Are you going to use contracts? I didn't because I didn't believe in them, but I understand why many sensei do use them. Good luck!

Thanks for the stats gheinisch. That town is roughly about the same size as where I'm at, minus all the surrounding people in smaller towns near here, and the thousands that live in the woods. Counting the surround area we have around 32,000 I guess. That is really most impressive considering the large jump in population! I wonder what the local police think about it? I did a little research and came up with these stats for my area..kind of an eye opener actually. In 2001: 1 murder (7.0 per 100,000) 0 rapes (0.0 per 100,000) 1 robbery (7.0 per 100,000) 40 assaults (281.2 per 100,000) 100 burglaries (703.1 per 100,000) 1,126 larceny counts (7916.8 per 100,000) 44 auto thefts (309.4 per 100,000) City-data.com crime index = 456.0 (higher means more crime, US average = 330.6) It appears we're almost twice the national average in burglaries, which I wasn't aware of. Interesting stuff.

Granted..I can't see a priest, minister or rabbi walking down the street "packing"! Absolutly on violent offenders, or those commiting a felony and using a weapon, such as robbery and such. No question about that. A person commits a felony, he deserves to lose some rights IMHO. You will always have people that break the law. I'm no angel myself because I drive faster than the posted speed limit on the highways most of the time, but otherwise, I'm pretty much you're average Joe and abide by the laws of the people. Yes, I'm sure your average person isn't a problem, but again, anger and rage can turn your average peson, in certain circumstances, into raging lunatics. I believe it's called temporary insanity. Have you ever lost your temper and hit something in anger? A wall perhaps, kicked the dog, or yelled at your kids for something that didn't need to happen? That's an example of tempory loss of control, and your average Joe Citizern would probably be able to control it wel lenough not to be a danger to others. But of course, not everyone is your average Joe. What about people with mental problems and are on meds? Maybe they forgot to take them that morning, or are a few hours late taking them? You want these people carrying guns? This could go on and on, but I think you get my drift. I agree with what you're saying, really I do. I just get this wrentching in my gut when I see people on this, anbd other forums telling people to start packing guns for protection. That's how all of this started anyway. [quiote]I apologize, by the way, if I sound in previous posts like I'm labeling you as anti-gun, etc. That wasn't my intent... but instead, I see a lot of people out there who believe in what some politicians call "common sense" gun control that sounds sensible on the surface, but when really thought about... has major problems. No apoligy needed..I didn't take it that way. personally, I own a .44, .357, and two .22cal's and a 9mm pistol. I also have 2 12 guage shotguns, one a marine model riot gun (never been shot). the other a bird gun, which hasn't been used in many years. So, am I anti-gun? HA! Not hardly, but I do advocate the proper usage and training with guns. Do I carry any of these firearms on my person at any time? Yes, but only when I'm hunting or going camping/hiking. There's lots of critters that bite up here ya know, and a man in the woods isn't necessarily at the top of the food chain. There is a disturbing trend in the world for giving up all firearms. England has already outlawed all guns a few years ago, including shotguns for sport only, unless (and correct me if I'm wrong) you belong to a licensed hunting, or gun club. All of those guns are to be kept at the club, not in the home...isn't that correct someone? I believe it was last year that Australia enacted a similar law, and all guns were required to be turned in by a specified date. I seem to recall that Canada is looking at something like this also??? Can anybody confirm or deny this? I don't want to see that happen in this country, but also, i don't want to see every person packing a weapon on themselves either.

I apoligise for not responding sooner tommarker. I agree with this. To be good at anything, especially a firearm, takes practice. And yes, I agree that it should be considered a "martial art". I am not a proponent of gun control. Geeze, if I was, I'd be hustled right out of the state on the next stage! However, I'm also not a proponent of unrestricted, everybody can carry a firearm, either. I think it's amazing that that small town in Georgia REQUIRES every homeowner or head of family to have a gun. Does anybody know how many people live in that town by chance? What concerns me is if everybody in this country starts "packing" a weapon, the rate of murders is goiong to skyrocket. Why? (This is my opinion, so leave it alone) Because there are a lot of mentally unstable people in this world. People, that if they had a gun on their person, might be prone, in the heat of the moment, to draw it out and kill their wife or husband that day, or their boss, or a co-worker, whereas if they didn't have ready access to it, they would have time to cool down and think rationally about it....as most normal people do. Anger or rage can make a person do things that they normally wouldn't do. Take road-rage for example. You're late for work, the boss is a pain in the butt, your wife just left you for another woman. Whatever, but you have a gun on you because of some neighborhood punks have been hanging out on your corner eyeing your new Lexus so your feel compelled, and it's legal, to carry a weapon to protect your property. You get to work and your boss lets you have it..threatens to fire you, dumps a weeks worth of work on your desk and tells you he wants it yesterday..whatever. Now, say this guy is a bit frazzled..we've all been there, right? He thinks to himself..."that ungrateful butthead..how dare he treat me like that...if I had a gun..." And wow, look at that...he DOES have a gun! Sure, most RATIONAL people would stop there and get on with their lives, but when anger and rage kick in, rationality sometimes takes a hike. Ever hear of going "postal"? It just bothers me to think that every whacko out there could have a weapon, and if I do the wrong thing at the wrong moment, I could get myself, or a loved one...killed. All you have to do in Montana to get a concealed permit is to go before a judge and state your first admendment rights? He will sign the order, and you can legally carry a concealed weapon anywhere in the state. Yes, it's that easy. As for car jackers..my opinion is if they're standing in front of you, step on the gas! Alongside you? Duck and step on the gas! I agree that you can't always avoid confrontations with people or situations. But there are ways to lessen the chances of it. Awareness is one, training is another. Also, doing what you can to lessen the chances of problems, such as gang violence. If you don't want to be hassled by gangs in your neighborhood, then move to another neighborhood! This is a free country, and you can move anywhere that you like..there are no laws stopping you. We get tons of Californians and Texans moving here all the time that are trying to escape the life they had there, and find something better. I don't like it, but can't fault their efforts to improve their lives either. Life is a matter of choices that we make daily. If your solution is to carry a gun to make yourself safer, then that is your choice. If everybody does that, you'd better stop running yellow lights (that jogger might have a .44 cal Desert Eagle in her spandex waistband) and cutting that little old lady off at the intersection (she has a Uzi in her purse), because you just might PO the wrong person some day, and end up dead. I just feel, in my opinion, that we, as a society, are just getting to darn paranoid about this stuff, and I think the majority of it is caused by movies and television. I do not feel that hte solution is for everybody to "pack a gun". I do have, I think, a viable alternative..but that's a whole different thread.

EDIT: My apoligies to KSN Doug and to those reading my posts. If I'm out of line, please post it here or PM me. I didn't see your post Doug, until I'd already submitted this response. ----------------------------------------------------- This is the last response I'll ever make to you JerryLove, so I hope you'll enjoy it. If you'll notice on ANY other thread, people respond with their opinions without attacking a persons position or thoughts. They might say "I disagree, and here's why", but you on the other hand DEMAND proof and support for a persons opinion. It's my stated opinion, nothing more, nothing less..and proof for a persons opinion is not a requirement of this board. I was looking forward to some good discussion by others, not ARGUMENTS...as I've stated before, you seem to enjoy. If you don't like my posts, or threads that I start, then don't read or don't respond to them. Your attempts to get me angry by goading me won't work, and henceforth I am chosing to ignore you and anything you have to say in regards to my postings.[/b]

I agree with just about everything delta1 says...except there are two g's in aggressor bud. Sorry...couldn't resist.

Well, I've seen a multitude of instructors out there that..in my opinion of course..didn't know their rear ends from a hole in the ground, and were teaching such worthless, ineffective and basic techniques to belts of all levels, it was a shame! Fortunately, this is a minority of the dojos I've seen, but still, a disturbing trend in the arts I fear. The problem with these sensei isn't probably with them personally, as I honestly don't think they any of them knew any differance, but rather I think the problem is with whoever taught them...or on up the ladder somewhere. Somewhere along the line, somebody is dropping the ball and allowing very weak instructors to teach others, and the line just gets weaker and weaker. It's an unfortuante result that there are no laws or rules governing these people, regardless if they're in an association of some sort or not. Getting back to the lady in question that wrote the articles...I feel that she was just expressing her frustration at what I just mentioned. Bad/weak instructors tecaching bad/weak technique, and turning out bad/weak students as a result. What I fear is those students are going to go out and do the same thing, and with each generation, the technique gets worse and worse. To bad none of you got to watch a Montana Freestyle class that was in my area for a while. All you would need is ONE class by a good teacher to recognize how truly pathetic they were. And yes, I knoiw I'm bad-mouthing another system and instructor...but you have no idea how bad those people were, and yet turned out 5 or 6 black belts in a little over a year. Fortunately, as far as I know, none of them are teaching around here any more...thank God!

Black and White Poem" (Under age 40? You might not understand) You could hardly see for all the snow, Spread the rabbit ears as far as they go; Pull a chair up to the TV set, "Good Night, David. Good Night, Chet." Depending on the channel you tuned, You got Rob and Laura - or Ward and June; It felt so good. It felt so right, Life looked better in black and white. I Love Lucy, The Real McCoys, Dennis the Menace, the Cleaver boys; Rawhide, Gunsmoke, Wagon Train, Superman, Jimmy and Lois Lane. Father Knows Best, Patty Duke, Rin Tin Tin and Lassie too; Donna Reed on Thursday night! -- Life looked better in black and white. I wanna go back to black and white, Everything always turned out right; Simple people, simple lives... Good guys always won the fights. Now nothing is the way it seems, In living color on the TV screen; Too many murders, too many fights, I wanna go back to black and white. In God they trusted; alone in bed they slept, A promise made was a promise kept; They never cussed or broke their vows, They'd never make the network now. But if I could, I'd rather be, In a TV town in '53; It felt so good. It felt so right, Life looked better in black and white. I'd trade all the channels on the satellite, If I could just turn back the clock tonight; To when everybody knew wrong from right, Life was better in black and white!

I can't argue that the woman in question is very blunt, but I found her writings written with a humourous intent, and as was said, brutal honesty. I don't know how many of you out there take the opportuity in your travels here and there, to visit other dojo's in the world? personally, I've taken the opportunity to visit dojo's in California, Texas, Georgia, Missouri, Minnesota, Florida, Washington state, Idaho, England and France during my travels. Some of the schools were nothing short of excellent in my opinion, while others...well, let's just say...I didn't have many good thoughts about them. I formed my opinions of the the sensei I met, the dojo they were in, and in some cases, the art they were practicing. Without going back and re-reading her storys, as I recall, she had recently moved into a new area and was seeking what she considered suitable training by a suitable sensei...correct? Keep in mind that a suitable dojo and sensei will be defined differently by everyone, and what I would look for isn't the same as what you would look for. I think that is what her point was in her storys. She didn't find anything, that in her mind, was suitable! And she was rather vocal about why! Is this a bad thing? No, not since free speech in this country came about some 200+ years ago. I applaud her humor and sense of writing style. Sure, it grates a bit, but that's what I liked about it.

JerryLove, as usual (and typical), you are arguing solely for the sake of argument, and I will NOT respond to senseless comments about nit-picky crap just for the sake of argument. I posted the thread for discussion purposes and stated MY personal opinions. You are welcome to yours of course, pro or con, but as I've stated to you on PREVIOUS THREADS, and I will state yet again on this one...I will not respond to senseless, meaningless arguments made by you just because you like to argue. As I recall, a moderator in the last one made a comment to the same effect..that you argue just for the sake of arguing. What relavence do seatbelts and airbags have on this subject? NONE! They are a totally different subject and situation entirely. How stupid is it to suggest EVERYBODY carry a gun! Are you that desperate to argue any point that you would suggest that??? God help us if you ever run for public office!!! Get a life JerryLove. I refuse to spar with you until you come up with something worth saying.

Did I miss something here? I'm paranoid? I'm not walking around with a "blade" or a "piece" and worrying about every time I walk out my front door whether or not I'm going to get shot. If every gang member in your neighborhood has a gun..then move to another neighborhjood and let them have that one. I've seen a few storys in the news the past couple of years, where a neighborhood has banded together for the common good..turned in dope dealers and gang members, etc, and basically took back their neighborhood! To me, that sounds like the good 'ol American spirit at work. Granted, where I live is totally different than gang enfested big citys, but I have no qualms at all about going out at night and rapping on some kids vibrating car window next door and asking him to turn down his stereo at 3am because it's keeping me awake. Plus there's another, little known institution that's developed over the years that many people never think of. It's called...the POLICE! Use them people..that's what they're there for, and what we pay them to do. Let THEM carry the guns and deal with street punks...because that's all they are...punks! Dang...I need to start working on myu Readers digest condensed version skills...my posts are getting just to darn long!