Montana

Exactly. It's not the belt that verifys you recieved your rank (you can buy those easily online) but rather a signed, and usually personally stamped (in the case of our system) by the instructor and often the head of the system.

I've never seen Shindokan before, but I suspect it's similar to Shorin Ryu in its philosopy and approach to the martial arts. Shorter stances, 50/50 hands/feet, lower kicks, tuite, etc. Comments Sensei8?

We do a lot of "block and grab" techniques where you would block an attack and grab the leg, arm, etc nd execute your counter technique. Strong fingers and hands are essential for this.

I found this one on utube No resemblence to the old Nahachin that I do excepty in the most general martial arts sense (has kicks, blocks and punches) Or this one, which actually does have a few techniques which are similar, but to say Nahachin came from it would be a stretch IMO.

In my opinion, yes, it is. The long term effects of that sort of conditioning, such as severe arthritis, makes it dangerous, and there are no applications in the real world for it. Light conditioning, such as a makiwara or bag training is OK...I do that, but to this extent...no.

Honestly, I have no idea what you are asking.

I have hit bare handed walls, makiwara, heavy bags, etc. I don't get aches all them time. If I strike something exceptionally hard, my hand will hurt for a few days but nothing after it heals. Makiwara andheavy bags have "give"..they move when you hit them. A stone does not. HUGE difference there. Not to mention the actual substance difference between a makiwara/heavy bag and a stone.

Bruce Lee...However, there's no verifiable proof of this, but Lee's school in Oakland was one of the first martial arts schools to use electronic devices to measure technique speed, reaction time, and hitting force. Therefore, my question is purely hypothetical. Can't we let the man rest in peace? Bruce Lee has been elevated, in some martial arts circles, nearly to God-like status. People, he was a man, just like you (to the men out there) and me. He wasn't, despite peoples opinions, perfection in the flesh. Sure, he was a great martial artist, but he was also a great self-promoter and a movie star. Was he the best that ever lived? There is no way to compare him or others unless you stacked them all together in the same room and had some way to measure..which in itself would be utter chaos! His greatest claim to fame was to bring the arts out into the open and get the public interested in them. He, thru his movies and short-lived TV series (The Green Hornet) were instumental in filling dojos around the world with new students. As you mentioned sensei8, there is no "proof", and the timing/force pads they had at that time were inaccurate and unreliable. We had one of those in our dojo for a time in the mid-70's. They were fun to play with though.

I've seen people, with no prior experience, get it in as little as 11 months...from certain systems. Are they any good? Depends on your definition of good I guess. I'd say no, they aren't very good at all.

Very impressive demonstration. I wonder how bad his hands ache all of the time?

98-year-old woman becomes first woman ever to earn Judo's highest-degree black belt Todays link from Yahoo's website. http://shine.yahoo.com/event/vitality/98-year-old-woman-becomes-first-woman-ever-to-earn-judos-highest-degree-black-belt-2523297/

Probably dead bodies under the floor boards I bet.

VERY impressive young man! And yeah, turn the sound off first...lol

Um...what's wrong with this whole picture? A 9th Dan doesn't know where to buy a belt??? Sorry...just strikes me as odd. VERY odd. How old is this guy and how long has he been in the arts? Just curious.

I don't pay my sempai anything...why should I? He teaches class now and then (maybe 10-20% of the classes) as a part of his training. However, I stop charging my students for classes when they reach their black belt. I expect them to teach and train harder at that point. I don't teach classes trying to make a profit..if I break even, I'm happy.

I've been doing Nahachin since 1975 and I sure didn't see it in that demo. There was a sweep..yes, is that what you're referring to? Not just the sweep, but also the upper arm movements with that sweep. While we are both Shorin Ryu stylists, our katas may be slightly different. Yeah, they must be because there are no punches like that in Nahachin 1-3...the older version anyway.

Shorin Ryu also..and I concur with your concur.

I've been doing Nahachin since 1975 and I sure didn't see it in that demo. There was a sweep..yes, is that what you're referring to?

Agreed...step behind is the way we do it also.

I've always found a couple of shots of Yukon Jack really loosens me up...wait, JUST KIDDING! Practice and more practice..with awareness of what you're doibng and making a conscience effort to relax should work. It takes time to be relaxed in a fight.

When I started the arts, computers were the size of a HOUSE! Internet? What's that??? lol Now, yes, I'd say a website is a good idea if you're looking to bring in students and especially if you're planning on making a profit from teaching. I tried the commercial route for 3 years back in the late 80's, but preferred smaller classes and less headache of trying to make a living at it. As more of a "hobby" I found I enjoyed it more. I have no website and truthfully, never will. Word of mouth works best in my situation and I get a better class of students that way.

In the early 80's I was teaching a class of about a dozen students in my basement. I didn't advertise nor have any signs outside my home. All was done via word of mouth. Anyway, one day towards the end of class there was a knock on my front door and when I answered it there were 2 20-something guys askibng if they coyuld watch the class. They seated themselves in a couple of chairs while I continued the class. After about 5 minutes, while I was lettign my students take a water break, one of the young men asked if I'd spar with him. I said sure, if he wanted to join the class and ibn a week or so I'd be glad to spar with him. He said he wanted to fight...NOW! The look in his face and tone of his voice made me ask him to leave my home immediately. His response was to call me "chicken". At that point I turned to my senior student and asked them to go upstairs and call the police to have these two removed from my home. I then turned to these two intruders, took off my obi (black belt) and said to them..."OK, these are the rules...there are none. Ready?" To which the guy says "Wait a second, I just wanted to spar a little and see if I could beat you.' I told the guy ..."You come into my home, in front of my class and challenge me to a fight, I respectfully decline and ask you to leave, then you DEMAND to fight me? Well buddy, if you want to fight, then fine. No rules..that's your option." To which they left.

My niece was a competitive cheerleader, and she's tougher than me. I think you need to train harder then MP *running out the door*

Based on my limited knowledge of it, I would say no. As far as i know, there are no "fighting techniques" involved in the activity.

Agreed. The guy that was demonstrated on was a non-martial artist (supposedly, but did slap the mat when he fell backwards) and didn't know what to expect. Nothing special at all about this in my opinion.