hobbitbob

I have made a hobby of trying to learn all of the variations of Bassai that I can! I love that kata too! I also like Kanku Dai (or, as I tend to call it after practicing it: Kanku I feel like I'm going to die!).

George Mattson's Site has a Hayashi-Ha Shoito ryu person doning the form and an Okinawan Goju person doing the form. http://www.uechi-ryu.com. Click on videos, then go to "masters and other styles."

Hello! WKF Wado-Kai from 1981-1991. 2d Dan. Shotokan (JKA style) from 1992-1999. No gradings taken WTF Tae Kwon Do from 1999-Present. KKW 1st Dan.

I agree, sort of. Unfortunately its rather easy to "hit back" harder,and eventually both you and your partner (remember that word!) become upset at each other. I find that when sparring aparticular student in our club who has a tendency toward lack of control, that using evasion, and stiking softly at obvoiously vulnerable targets tends to get the message across far better than pummelling him would. I started in a dojo where the "tough guy" mentality prevailed, and it took a long time for me to get over the impulse to pound my partner (there's that word again) into submission. Eventually I realized that when sparring, I am working with a partner who is learning just like I am, not an "opponent" whom I am attempting to injure.

there is a great article in the current issue of "Black Belt" by Phillip Ameris, discussing adapting your martial art to your body type.

I guess I'm a little different form many of you, "getting even" never even crossed my mind.

Just began training in Shorinjiryu at the Japan karate Centre in Owings Mills. COMPLETELY different from Shotokan . So...10th Kyu! My favorite rank!

troll: Detritus( Don't salute!)!

perhaps the main lesson to be learned is that we are practicing techniques designed to maim and kill another human being, and should be aware of this fact and act accordingly. This is why I am soooooo opposed the the "sport" mentality in Karate/TKD today.

Similar situation. A couple of years ago near the end of Spring 2000 semester at my university TKD club I was doing one step sparring with a red belt. I stepped, punched, froze, and my partner did a series of spinning heel kicks to head level, the last one without looking. I recall a sound not unlike the sound of a tennis ball hitting teh "sweet spot" on a tennis racket. When I woke up, my first thoughts were: Have I all of my teeth, and are my glasses okay? With some reluctance I allowed a friend to drive me to (my own!) ED to be seen. i thought, hey, motrin and an ace pack and I'll be okay! I won a three day stay in Neuro IMC for a fracture of my right temporal bone with associated pneumocephalus (air in the skull.). The accident was caused by lack of control by a partner. I still haev mixed emotions about the whole incident. The person I was working with left the club, due to our being not "tough" enough for him. I felt guilty( and still sort of do to this day) for the injury, as if I should have guarded my face. I have a head CT q 6 months now to ensure that I haven't any sequelae forim the injury, and anytime I get a headache I have that background (oh, oh, is this it?) feeling of anxiety. I was also back in class the week after getting out of the hospital and practicing Kumite again within a week. Is there a moral here? Perhaps teh moral is that I'm too dumb to quit Karate! Ordinarily, accidents are just that...accidents. If one exercises adequate control, then hopefully no serious incidents will occur. But this is still a martial art, adn serious injuries can occur. Robert, Baltimore.

The best reference on Sanchin I've seen is from Tsunami Video, MOrio Higanna's Goju Ryu Technical Series tape #2. It is all about Sanchin. The video first looks at the historical development of the kata, then dissects it. I don't know that one could learn the kata from the video, but it does increase one's understanding of the form.

Tsunami videos (https://www.dragon-tsunami.org) has several videos that feature footage/photographs of the pre WWII crowd.

I agree. The "Sanchin=Hypertension link is a little too tenuous. Anyone out there doing gradiuate work in Kinesiology intertested in pursuing this? I happen to think that Sanchin is a very importanat kata, and have incorporated it into my personal training, along with Tensho.

At the first place I trained, a Wado-Kai dojo, we were told that uwagi sleeves were to come to just above our wrists, and Zubon legs to just above the ankles. At my second school, 10 ys later, in Germany, (Shukokai ****o-ryu), we weent given specific directions about sleeve/leg length. In Seattle I did Shotkan and dabbled in Hayashi-Ha ****o-ryu, the standards for sleeve, leg length were as at my first dojo. I think it may be individual instructor's choice. I personally find the slightly shorter length more comfortable, but that may be bacause its what I "grew up" with.

Re Punching form the waist: Okay, coming from a traditional Karate background, I do use the withdrawing hand concept during sparring. My guard is the typical "Japanese Karateka" guard, with hands held in front, and in a modified front stance. If one keeps in mind that sparring is for training distancing and timing, and not training self defence, then the utility of the withdrawing hand makes sense. Just as practicing the blocks with a complete chambering motion may trranslate into joint locking techniques, practicing the punching with the hikite motion trains pulling one's opponent into the technique. It seems that a common mistake made by many younger TKD-ka is to asume that forms are without utility, or are only the "art" of TKD. THis is, of course false. A similar mistake is the myth of the "multiple attackers." In fact, forms practice trains one to become proficient against common attacks, like bear hugs, swinigng punches, etc... This said, it makes some sense to practice a modified from of "self defense" sparring, where elbows, knees, etc.. are allowed. Often this is done in our Dojo using the "one step sparring" paradigm, where one person is the attacker and the other defends. Okay, stepping off my soapbox.

Sorry. I can do French, German, Latin, Provencal, Middle English, and Old Florentine Italian, but no Vietnamese.

Hello. Just a link to our parent Dojang. http://www.vietnamtkd.org

Horribly jealous! I lived in Seattle for five years and always wanted to Study Hung Gar (with John Leong, no less!) and never had the time.

One important thing about beginning to spar is that the new student should be paired with a fairly experience student (2d kyu or up.). Sparring can be frightening. Also, obviously, beginners do unusual things. I've been injured more often by petite female newbies who did somehting completely unexpected than I have by sparring higher belts. For many people, it is dificult to bring out any sense of aggressiveness. Especially in women (although this may sound sexist, it seems to be true.). Women are taught to be passive, adn so seem to have difficulty attacking. That said, many women go on to become excellent at Kumite. One of my early instructors was all of 4'11" tall, weighed probably 100Lb. soaking wet, and was one of the toughest sparrers I have ever seen. My friend Dan is 6'4", 260ish, and is a purely defensive sparrer. Oh well.

WE do Palgwe, not Taeguk, and the Yudansha forms seem to "mix" better that with the Taeguks. That said, the Chang-Hon Yudansha forms are also quite interesting. Has anyone else noticed Naha-te influences in the WTF BB Forms? I'm thinking specifically about bits of Cheongkwan and Keumgang.

The definite advantage of Shotokan is its "portability." My first love is Wado-Ryu, but since 1989 I've never managed to even be in the same STATE as a Wado Dojo. Shoto is also in many ways the essence of "generic Karate (By design, some would say.)." Good Kihon in the Shotkan style will correspond with good Kihon in other styles. The direction of hip rotation may differ, but overall the basics will be quite similar. [ This Message was edited by: hobbitbob on 2002-07-13 23:19 ]

About seven years ago: She: Redently separated, similar interests (Karate, Biology, etc...). ME: Recently out of Army, new to area, etc... two months later: Sghe is back with hubby, I'm invloved with someone else, and we try to avoid being in the same classes. Definitely NOT worth it! Now: Assistant instructor at a University club. She: Cute 18 y.o. ME: not as cute 35 y.o. Chemistry? Yes. Action? NO!!!

Cute cartoon. Considering the treatment the Koreans received for the Japanese during the Pacific war its not suprising that the myth of "ancient TKD" continues.

though my tournament days are long gone (I'm 35, and y "KI has sunk ...toward my belt!), I used to do Unsu and Sochin. After watching ESPN the other night,a dn not seeeing anything resembling karate, though there was a lot of "kuhROTTy," I don't know what to tell you. In traditional tournaments, Unsu usually cleans up. One of my seniors has done reasonably well with Gankaku.

"playing" with Saifa (Goju) this week. Rather fond of it. Also Seiunchin (Hayashi Ha Shi-To). I also find some of the WTF yudansha Kata interesting.