hobbitbob

That was true. I did appreciate that. The W/C segment alone would have made a good promotional video. I recall seeing something somewhere about an Isshin-Ryu school in Pennsylvania that has a deaf instructor. I think WJZ-13 in Baltimore ran a piece on her last Fall. She was very impressive, too. Excellent technique! BRTW.. "Guido Karate".. I Love it.

I am choosing to take this as a compliment, rather than the usual stunning example of pedophagy.

After 22 years of blocking with my shins I have no hair on them, but on the rest of the leg I have thick, black, curly hair (blame my Arab ancestors ). this always provokes interesting comments from new girlfirends.

My favourite part of teh videos was the blonde female instructor with the big hair. Sigh...I miss the 80s...

Young man, I'm 20 years older than you, and I have days when simply walking without tripping over my own feet is difficult!

I trim elsewhere, but not legs........

I try for four nights/week, buyt after tweaking my left knee (again) lweek before last, I'm down to two-three.

Be vey wary of people claiming to teach Ninpo. There are very few real teachers out there.

I don't know of any woman who would be attracted to a guy solely due to his practice of MA. Certainly bragging about it would be offensive. In my past relationships, the subject has come up when I have had to explain bruises on my arms, legs, torso, etc... Usually the resonse is, "Why do you do it if you get hurt?'" Many women see practicing karate to be an example of testosterone filled chest beating,and it takes a while for them to be convinced otherwise. I've only dated a fellow Dojo member once, and it went VERY bad VERY fast. I wouldn't reccomend it.

errr...no. Goju is likely related to Fujian white crane, there is an excellent article on the origins of Naha Te in the fall 2002 issue of Dragon times. It might be in the archives at https://www.dragon-tsunami.org. If anything, the Satsuma would have added Jujutsu techniques. However, considering that Ti was primarily the preserve of two groups: the Okinawan Nobility,and the wealthier merchants, it is unlikely any of the Shimazu would have learned Ti.

One of our yudansha had studied at a TSK location as a child. He was 3d dan at 16 (this in itself should say something). He began training in Wado at University,and was not overly pleased with what he had done before.The TSK system has become somehting of a buffet, judging by their website (Karate, BJJ, kickboxing, etc...). A few of our University Karate club members at UMBC had had experience with TSK and their skills were marginal. Also bear in mind that the chain was the loser in a fraud lawsuit a few years back, where it came out that students were paying upwards of $10-15,000/year in contract "upgrades."

Some other good ones are: "Identity and Resistance in Okinawa," Matthew Allen. Oxford University Press, 2002. "Women of the Sacred Groves: Divine Priestesses of Okinawa." Susan Sered, Oxford University Press, 1998. "Okinawa: History of an Island People" George Kerr, Tuttle, 1952. The Kerr book is the "gold standard," but is very dated. Mitsugo Sakigahara's study on the Omori Soshi, or sacred chants/foundation stories of the Uchinaa is quite good, although hard to find. The only one I've ever found was in Suzallo Library at the U. of Washington,and appears to have been a private printing. Its a bit difficult if you haven't a strong background in religious theory, which I hadn't at the time. Fortunately I spent a good portion of a GI Bill check at Kinkos copying it (note to children...DON'T try this at home!)! Fro an analysis of the troubled relationship between Japan and Uchinaa, "Japan and Okinawa: Structure and Subjectivity," (ed. Hook and Siddle), University of Hawaii Press, 2002. is excellent, though dense. I found the Kerr book in 1986 or 87, by asking the person at Waldenbooks for the "book that Daniel read on the plane in KArate Kid II."

As one of my instructors would have said: "Yosh, pain good, builds spirit. Only no-guts people not understand." Needless to say, I don't train with him anymore.

Proper blocking technique (twisting the forearm) is better than slow, bulky masses of muscles. I do use grippers, more for their grip benefit than anything else. I have relatively thick wrists, but I owe those more to genetics than anything else. Striking a heavy bag/makiwara, and fist press-ups will build wrist strength and stability.

A quick, popular book, thart should be available in your library, is "Okinawa Dreams OK." It discusses the tensions between the Uchinaa and the Japanese, as wella s the strong "Anti-Base" movement.

Your seniors are there to help you with things like this. You should not be embarrassed. You come across in your posts like an intense, angry young man. Please let go of your anger and just practice. AS a beginner no one expects perfection from you. You are expected to be awkard and clumsy. Let go of your expectations and just enjoy learning Karate.

If your school is affiliated with the late Robert Trias, then it should be allright. Trias himself was of questionable lineage, but he produced accomplished martial artists. The E-Budo froum has more about Mr. Trias in the Baffling Budo section.

In the Army we used a system that used height, neck measurement,and abdominal girth. It was quite innacurate, however,and easy to "flub", which may have been deliberate. Find a copy of Kenneth Coopers "Aerobics." He has a great chart in there. Hope your knee feels better.

I read some of these posts with a certain amount of chagrin. I would hope that no one on this forum is out there "looking" for fights. Having said that, the only way to tell if you will be successful in an encounter is to have the encounter. If you have lived your entire life without confrontation I would gladly bow to you! A major point many of the posts so far lack is mention of knowing when to fight. Would you fight if someone insults you? How about if a person with a knife or gun wants your wallet, etc... but shows no sign of wishing to injure you? For me, the only times I have resorted to violence have been times when my life, or the life of someone else was in true danger. I gave up my wallet, satchel, etc.. a few times when I lived in Baltimore. My life or the aggressor's life are woth more than the cost of replacing a few material objects. I fought when confronted by individuals who meant me, or those I was with harm. I consider these occaisions failures, however, because I did not take appropriate steps to avoid these encounters. I could have walked down a different street, shushed noisy friends, etc... Any fight is a betrayal of why we train.

No, Fireka. Heavy weights are usualluy used by "traditional" Karateka. They last longer, and wick away persperation better. The obsession with heavyweight Gi is rather humourous when one considers their origin. In the immediate post-war period, with shortages in almost everything, the Japanese Karateka used old canvas, often pilfered form supplies that would have been used for ground cloths, to make their trainng unifors. This saved better quality closth for everyday clothing. These heavy canvas Gis became the standard,and became a status symbol for American and European Karateka.

I think the major problem with a younger (less experienced) person as the primary instructor lies in the impossibility of truly comprehending the techniqes in less than ten or so years of training. Many teens and young adults are quite capable of "repeating the movements," and are also usually able to show iters how to do the same, but they may not understand applications. The perfect example of this may be seen when you look at some of the early instructors in the US. Many were american servicemen with a year or so of training. It was only after ten or twenty years of training that they changed from teaching punck/kick to teaching avoid/counter. The early JKA instructors are another example of the same phenomenon. The way Yaguchi Sensei teaches in 2001 is vastly different from how he taught in 1970 according to amny of the "old timers." The other trait a teeager lacks is compassion and understanding for the difficulties involved in learning Karate for different groups, like the elderly, women, etc... Only time can teach one to allow for the effects of age or the lack of previous physical exercize. At 36 I teach quite differently from how I did at 26, and it is becasue I have had additional time to experience life. Right, then...everyone pounce!

In Seibukan we spend a great deal of time in advanced classes doing Bunkai/Oyo training. If we were to only do techniques from Sesan, we would probably never do the same set of techniqes twice. I think "knowing all" of any style is impossible. Monkeygirl, when you say you know every form in your branch of TKD, what you are really saying is that you can repeat the outer shape of them, not that you really understand them.

YOu would know them as Hyung.

Good to know, but not the question addressed in the topic.

Yes indeed. I have five, and they get rotated.