James Bullock

Hi scad, Personally I have found that it is best to use the simplest methods to write my curriculum's...word pad... seriously though every type of windows computer will read word pad. All of my backup files, articles, curriculum's, you name it I back it up in word pad. When I write my curriculum I separate it by rank and by categories.. such as Offensive movements Defensive movements Footwork and stances Strategies Drills Principles of the techniques Forms/kata Terminology and so on. No program I have come across has ever fit my needs so I go with the basics...word pad. If I want to do more with it that word pad can offer I transfer it to Microsoft Word to make tables and such. But my core curriculum stays unchanged in word pad.

Thanks for sharing the video... For it only being 6 months of training it looks like you are on the right track. My only suggestion is that whether you are hitting a bag, or doing a drill always keep your hands up like you are in a fight. A good quote I always keep in mind is "you will fight how you train". Keep up the good work..

School: GoJu Ryu Budokai Location: Nevada, MO / and Commerce Oklahoma Instructors: Hachidan (8th dan) Don Douglas, Renshi (6th dan) Scott Baker, Renshi (5th dan) Pete Andrews, Sandan (3rd dan) James Bullock

You are very welcome.. Glad I could be of help. Sanchin does appear barbaric when you see it with no explanation..

I completely agree with cathal on this one. I know what you are thinking....it was a three word response. Yes there are..... Here are my thoughts... Whether a movement (block or strike) is soft is not dictated by the style but by the manner in which it is executed. If you meet force with force then it is "considered" hard. If you receive, guide, dissolve, or deflect the force then it is "considered" soft. Techniques are rooted in principles of movement and energy. ANY block or strike can be soft depending on the method of delivery and situational application. All my opinion..

Good post Ottman, The principles of JKD can most definitely be applied to other systems. I too believe that cross training can and is very beneficial. Unfortunately people abandon great arts like Karate for other modern arts. I see the benefit of having both tradition and non-tradition.

Thanks for sharing the vid... I think you did well. Experience will make you better rather quickly...

I concur with bushido_man, very well put indeed.

Here is a video of Sanchin Kata being performed by an Isshinryu Master in 1966. The movements are slightly different than GoJu but the speed and tempo are very similar. This is the best representation of Sanchin that I have found on youtube so far.

Given the choice between the crescent and the round kick I would most definitely choose the round kick. Especially when speaking about the street.

I hate to say that any body does something wrong necessarily but I do not agree with how they are doing the Sanchin Kata in the video. They seem to be only focusing on the "tense" aspect of the kata. The movements are different than what I am accustomed to as well. I would have to say that is NOT the way I would do or teach Sanchin kata. The breathing is somewhat audible but it doesn't need to be like that.

In my personal opinion it is the person that makes the style not the other way around. I have seen Karate guys that can defend themselves for real. I have seen reality based self defense guys that couldn't fight their way out of a dry paper bag let alone a wet one. I have also see the opposite of the above as well. Its all in how you train what you do. I teach reality based self defense and I teach traditional karate. The difference in the way I teach GoJu is that I use realistic drills and scenarios the same way I teach the RBSD curriculum. Those that are only concerned with survival I teach RBSD. Those that want an art I teach GoJu with combative drills so they can learn to use the art to defend themselves as well.

Great thread on the Crescent kick... From a GoJu perspective there is only one high kick in the entire system. There is an inward crescent kick done in the very last kata of the system. It is in petchurin/supurimpei. The rest of the kicks in GoJu are knee joint high or groin high. From a combat perspective it can be a devastating kick when done correctly as many have already stated.

Thank you very much for the welcome. You are welcome for the info as well.

Hello, I am new to these forums so I will start by introducing myself. My name is James Bullock and I have studied GoJu Ryu Karate for the past 17 years. I have been teaching martial arts for quite some time as well. I just came across this website today and decided to join. Looks like there is a great group of individuals here and I hope to be able to contribute and learn a great deal as well. About Sanchin, Sanchin is considered one of the two basic Kata's. The second being Tensho. The breathing used within Sanchin is yoi ibuki breathing (hard). It is known as "protective" breathing. This kata is ideal to learn how to receive various strikes to the body without incurring damage. Of course it translates as the three battles or jewels...Mind...Body...and Spirit. The visual movements of Sanchin look rather simple and uncomplicated, but the complexity lies in the internal dynamics and structure of the movements. There are many "advanced" principles that are developed with the practice of Sanchin Kata. I have done the kata for a very long time now and I still learn things from it regularly. Many consider this kata as a means to become physically stronger and tougher through dynamic tension of the muscles. This is just one small aspect of this powerful kata. There are high level black belts that do not see or understand the importance of Sanchin or even any of the kata's. It depends on what their instructor teaches them as well as their level of introspection within their own personal training.