larryjf

i think it would be very important not to let anger get the best of you. When adreniline is pumping it is harder to control yourself. Also, targeting is extremely important.

i use my hip for power. at the moment of impact my supporting foot turns to point in the opposite direction of my opponent.

i work out 3 times a week. and, because of all the sweating that i do i wash my belt once a week. i think it's pretty nasty to have a sweat-filled belt that you wear all the time.

martial_artist has a very good point about being off balance even when throwing punches. This is one of the things taught in jujitsu - how to take someones punch and use their force to take them down to the ground.

Treebranch, I think you missed Bruce Lee's point - he agrees with you. He would NOT kick to the head.

i would recommend shaolin or kempo. kempo (not kenpo) is the where shaolin came from - so it is very ancient and chinese in origin.

it is a valid style. It is Chinese and internal. Because it is internal some people have a problem with the "spiritual" side of the art conflicting with their own spiritual beliefs.

Try and see which martial art is more in tune with your personality (look at a good number of martial arts, not just a couple). Then, go with the one that best suits you.

Bruce Lee said something like this... "I would no more kick someone in the head than I would punch them in the foot" Just something to consider.

I study shotokan in the USA

The only problem that i can see with sport karate is that it trains you to hit at non-vital targets. In a real situation one of the most important things is targeting. So, if you are doing sports karate i would suggest you also take time to train on targeting certain areas of an attacker (ie: knee, groin, etc.)

I am a black belt in shotokan, training for my 2nd degree now. I am a black belt in Jujitsu (1st degree). But, my focus now is on shotokan.

Here is a link to the article that tells about this "secret double bone block". It sounds pretty interesting, please let me know what you guys think about it. http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/article.php?id=334 Thanx.

One of my favourite techniques (not for the ring)... lead side kick to knee - backfist to temple - reverse punch to throat - front kick to groin - knee to face I really like combinations.

I would say that i practice mainly for fun and it is a great way of excersize. There may be better ways of excersizing, but none that i would have fun with. I really enjoy the martial arts, and i think that if you have an excersize routine that you actually enjoy then the excersize will pay off more because you won't make excuses not to workout. Also, for self-preservation - i rely on God for that. There is always someone who can beat you down in a real fight. There is no one who can defeat God. So, my best bet is to trust in Him.

I learned Shotokan from an instructor, but i use the following book for reference alot and i think it would be a good one for you... "The Shotokan Karate Handbook: Beginner to Black Belt", by Gursharan Sahota here is a link to it at amazon http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0952463806/qid=1049491523/sr=1-14/ref=sr_1_14/002-7900390-5124055?v=glance&s=books Also, if you want I would be happy to go over what you would need to know and learn by email or telephone if you want. And, we could even set up something where I could maybe rank you for your belts. I wouldn't charge anything (except maybe postage and stuff). Just let me know. You can email me at... larryicr@yahoo.com Good luck.

for my shodan in shotokan i had to learn 11 katas, 6 kumite's, 2 sets (offensive and defensive), and tena kata dai.

karate-mart.com and karatedepot.com are both pretty good, but karate-mart.com has better prices.

100% of all fights start standing up.

I would recommend against training for one strike to end a fight. What if you miss the 1st strike? In my opinion it is always best to train in combinations. 1 - lead side kick to knee 2 - as foot comes down, lead backfist to temple 3 - lead punch to throat as turning hips forward for power 4 - now that hips are turned, rear front kick to groin 5 - as put foot down, grab opponents head and pull down as rear knee in face hopefully, some of these will connect and you will be able to walk away. Always be concerned with where you are hitting, targeting is very important.

I used to study Shaolin, and i thought is was fantastic. There are so many different styles - north, south, animals, etc. Some Shaolin schools get "spiritual", so it would be a problem for christian,jewish,muslim,etc. to get involved with.

It's an excellent punch and helps to understand a good way to get power.

take a good striking art... shotokan tang soo do tae kwon do karate kempo kenpo (American) - has especially fast hand work. I find that it's easier to find a striking type school than a jujitsu type school.

I would suggest Krav Maga. The problem with Brazilian JuJitsu is that it is not sufficient if there are multiple attackers. They take everything to the ground. If other people jump into the fight (which happens in real life), you don't want to be on the ground. BJJ will tell you that 90% of all fights end up on the ground. But, 100% of all fights start standing up. Don't get me wrong, i like BJJ - but for real life it's only good for 1 on 1 fights. Krav Maga tries to use your natural reactions to form self defense which allows for reaction instead of thought + action.

if it's a front stance, make the stance wider and square up the shoulders and hips so that they are facing forward.