Montana

I just tell them..."When you're ready..."

This varies alot..in our system skill has to be done along with time in grade for advancement up to, and including 7th Dan..after that it's rpetty much if you're still active and contributing to the art...administrative so to speak I guess. We don't test in physical abilites (ie: pushups, situps,m etc) in any of our tests...it's martial arts skills and good, solid techdnique that is looked at.

It's not uncommon for Okinawan (legitimate anyway) masters to gather and train together from time to time. As for Chuck Norris...I'm not sure who promoted him, but I'd assume that as the founder of his system he's pretty much understood to be a 10th dan...he certainly has the time and effort into it imo. I'm not a fan of the Korean systems, but for years CN has cross trained with other systems so the TSD he origionally learned is just the core system for his organization, which bears little semblance to TSD as he learned it. He sold his franchises many years ago (they still have his name on them though) and only trains the black belts once/year in Las Vegas..or that's what he was doing some time ago. I don't follow him so no clue what he does any longer.

Uhhhh...being 62 years old and not really up on all this "blogger" stuff..isn't what you're talking about the same thing as what we're doing here on this site???

Chest here. You can see the arms and legs from there. I never liked looking at their face as some people are pretty good with faking with their expression. My origional sensei was real good at scaring the heck out of you with his expressions!!! lol

The nearest schoot teaching a similar, or same art as myself was...ohhh...maybe 500 miles away or so. I taught in Montana and the nearest school doing the same thing was in Seattle to the West, or Minnesota to the East, and Texas to the South.

Yeah, it does look like fun! I wouldn't be interested in the competitive aspect, but in the dojo...yeah, I'd do it!

I used to subscribe to BB mag for many years, but it became such a joke during the "Ninja craze" in the '80's with various "masters" doing stupid, rediculous things and claims that I got fed up with it and cancelled the subscription. I came to realize that I really didn't care much about what other people were doing and concentrated on my own studies for the most part. If I was curious about what other systems were doing I would seek out information and instructors that were teaching it and talk to them an/or watch their classes.

It looks like slap fighting we did fooling around in high school..some 45 years ago! lol Plus adding in soem breakdancing for the heck of it. PASS!

Yeah..what he said! lol I aqree. Using both hands..or really, any 2 parts of your body (hands/hands, hands/feet, hands/body shifting, biody shifting/feet, etc), simultanously, is generally worked on very early in Shorin Ryu.

Good Lord..he looks more like 12 than 16!!! I'd give a big thumbs down to this.

I'll stick my head out and say this...in my 40 years in the arts, I'd personally estimate that phony 9-10th dan "masters" is well OVER half of them, especially in the US. I'd bet it's more like the 80%+ range. But I guess if you start your own style, you can make yourself any rank you want...right? That's why you see 30-something year old 9-10th dans. Do they have the skills or experienc to back up the rank? Of course not...but they aren't breaking any laws, so why not. Oh, by the way, I'd like to announce that I started my own system just today..and I'm now a 15th Dan ULTRAMASTER (Chrome belt) of the martial arts! ALL HAIL THE GREAT, AND POWERFUL MONTANA!!!

Nice..but not my style. I prefer garages, parks, basements and such. I'd be afraid the blood would stain the nice fancy carpet.

I had ever intention of going to my senseis class, as I had been doing for abotu 2 years and hardly ever missed one. But..my girlfriend made me an offer I couldn't refuse.

Agreed. IMHO, getting TKD into the Olympics ruined the art. How rediculous is it to stand nose to nose and try to kick someone in the head...sheer nonsense IMO.

That would have been something I'd have loved to attend...and I'm a vet. However, I'm pretty much retired and my body complains alot when I practice to hard now days.

In my origional instructors class (all adults and mostly men), NOBODY wore cups. There was no rule against it, but we just didn't. Or train of thought was that you won't be wearing one on the street (unless you're really strange) so you'd better start learning how to protect yourself in that area. And yes, before you ask, the groin is most DEFINITELY a target. Now, in my own classes I required young men under the age of 18 to wear a cup at all times. But from age 18 and up, it was optional. Most did...I never did. And yes, I've been put to the ground before because of it.

Do some comparison shopping the the exact same equipment to get a price comparison..and if it's the same, buy from the sensei. The sensei buys at wholesale and sells for retail, which you, the consumer, pays. Generally, wholesale is about HALF the retail price. If you find he is charging OVER retail prices, buy it elsewhere.

Personally, I have a tendancy to overheat easily, so I never wear a t-shirt under my gi. For my students, girls are required to wear a t-shirt under their gi top, guys it's optional unless there's an "issue" with them wanting to expose their chests frequently and flauntingly (yes, it has happened more than once). However, because most of the places that I've used as dojos in the past were NOT air conditioned, I allowed my students to wear gi pants and solid color t-shirts during the hot summer months. We didn't practice alot of grabbing techniques in the summer because of it..but no biggie..there are 9 other months to do that!

I'm certainly no expert at this (my youngest son is however and does TV shows for a living), but I had to keep hitting pause to allow me to read the script and then look at what it was referring to. Otherwise I'd never be able to keep up with it. And the music...personally, it would have been better with no music, rather than THAT music. lol

Congrats! Alas, I'll never make it there myself. To old and falling apart.

THANK GOD somebody is teaching the use of the nunchaku CORRECTLY!!!

In all honesty, I could teach a weeks worth of classes (that's 3 - 2 hour classes/week) on any kata, starting with Pinan Shodan and going up from there. Lesson 1: Just teaching the kata itself, without putting much time into what the movements/bunkai means. Lesson 2: Bunkai...bunkai...bunkai...plus fixing what the students are not gettign right in the kata. Lesson 3: More bunkai..and fixing more issues as they arise. Then for the next 30 years or so..continuing to improve that kata and make it better.

I could explain it to you, but then I'd have to hunt you all down and kill you! I've never heard of that particular technique, and doubt if there really is such a thing. On a quick personal note about something my original sensei witnessed during his training on Okinawa..he told me that there were often people that would stop and look in the open windows of mys dojo as he practiced with his sense, and sometimes the grandmaster...Soken Hohan. On one occasion while OSensei Soken was visiting and working with the class, a american Military Policeman (off duty) with his trained German Shepard stopped and watched the class. The dog continually barked and barked and OSensei Soken eventual;ly tired of it and went over to the serviceman and asked him, thru an interepter since he spoke no English, if he would please silence the dog. The military policeman just smiled and said nothing...and the dog continued to bark at OSensei. After a few minutes of this, OSensei walked over to the dog and slapped it on the nose..which of course infuriated the dog, causing the dog to lunge at OSensei...who BTW, was in his mid-80's at the time, and stood maybe 5'4" tall and thin. When the dog opened his mouth to bite OSensei, OSensei, without hesitatiion, quickly reached in the dogs mouth and grabbed his tongue and held it. The dog immediately stopped his aggression and started whimpering. OSensei proceeded (In Okinawan) to chastise the dog and basically tell it to behave...then released the dog. There were no further issues with that dog. I didn't see it, but my sensei witnessed it, and I've never known him to lie to me.

Something else to try regarding speed..RELAX...RELAX...AND THEN RELAX SOME MORE! Tense muscles move more slowly..relax and throw your kick/punch and tense the muscles jut before impact...of full extension.