Montana

I teach, and use feints often, but not always because in class my students get wise to it and don't fall for them any more. Where feints are good are with someone taht doesn't know how you fight. Bringing yoru foot up like you're going to front kick him in the groin will usually cause your "not-so-skilled opponent to bend slightly at the waist, breaking their center of gravity, and also usually makes them lower their guard/hands. Watching yoru opponents reaction to a feint you use is useful so that you can set them up later with that same technique, but this time follow it with a punch to the face or whatever. Same thing applies with a feint of a punch. Often it causes the inexperienced opponent to brinbg his hands up to cover his face, which in turn leaves his groin and torso exposed to a kick. I've used them successfully in a SD situation also and they work GREAT!

The competitions/tournaments that I judge/ref are all open to any system, so basically just about anything goes within reason. There are no extra points for kicks. Realistically, in a street fight, hands are going to be used 90% of the time over kicks. Not to say that YOU can kick if you want to, but the vast majority of untrained fighters will be using their fists and aiming at your head.

When I take off my belt---I ALWAYS feel good!

I've seen advertisements that say "Get your blackbelt in one YEAR!", and of course they're belt factories. I've told my students that I'd give them a black belt anytime they wanted it...and to prove a point I've passed out all of my old black belts (5 I think) and had them take off theirs and put them on, plus any new BB's I had at the time and any brown belts also so that nobody was to left out. After they put them on, amid jokes and appropriate "HiYaws..LOOK AT ME!" I asked them...now, do you feel any differently? Do you feel you know more or could perform better now with that belt on? Of course, they didn't. Point being that it's not the belt that makes you any good, it's knowledge and training. Now, back to the origional question on this thread. Which system do I feel it's easiest to get a BB in? In my experience, hands down, it's TKD. Which art takes the longest? I don't know..I've heard of one that takes a minimum of 9 years.

I don't know who this Jim Wagner is, but he's wrong...SERIOUSLY WRONG!

I dont quite understand....please explain...thanks I don't quite understand your question..why don't I charge, or why did I quit charging? I quit charging because I wasn't teaching for the income. Sure, the extra money was always nice, but I felt I had knowledge that I wanted to pass on to others that were so inclined and felt there was no need to charge them for this knowledge. I had even stopped charging for classes at one time, but that was a disaster! (another long story, but I won't get into it here).

Wow, take away my backfist and you might as well cut my hands off! I've knocked a guy out with a backfist years ago in a fight, and it's probably the fastest, and most accurate hand technique to the head that there is in my opinion. Personally, there's no way I'd enter a tournament where they put that sort of limitation on a match. But that's me. I've never understood why some tournaments (most notably TKD tournaments) don't allow hardly any hand techniques anyway.

I started my martial arts journey way back in the stone age (1975) also when I was in college. I had formal 3 hour classes with my sensei 3 days/week and practiced at least an hour/day on my own. I was a full time student and worked 25-30 hours/week at my job, and I still had plenty of time to party hardy with my friends, date and enjoy life. What I did was I always had an hour or two during the day between classes and I would keep my gi in the car and run to the gym and work out for an hour between classes. Basics and kata mostly. Sometimes there would be another student that would join me and we could work on techniques we had been learning. Another way to get practice time is to incorporate practice into your home routine. For example, I would walk from one room of the house to another doing the walk I learned in class and practicing my basics as I went. Kicks, blocks and punches. If I was at home studying and was approaching that point where I was burning out on the school work, I would sometimes take a 5 minute break and do kata or beat on the heavy bag...then I'd return mentally refreshed to my studies. There's always free time here and there that you can train...it doesn't have to be a set time daily, unless you have that luxury.

Pretty much, yes, karate is empty handed. Weapons practice, or Kobudo, is a totally seperate, but connected, art. Karate comes from China origionally...in part anyway..then to Okinawan, which was a major trading island at the time. Okinawan had its own hard martial art, which when combined with the softer kung fu from traders to the island, became what we know of today as modern day karate. Japan didn't get "karate" until the early 20th century, and they got it from Okinawa. No, karate was in existence long before the weapons ban, but it became more pronounced after that time. I assume you're still talking karate here? True "old school" karate doesn't do jumping kicks. Or at least, not high jumping kicks. The systems that are doing those now have added that technique within the past 30 years or so. Honestly, I'm not sure, but I doubt it. Karate, Kung Fu are generic terms, like saying cars/automobile...it denotes a generalized "thing", not a specific, such as a Toyota car. Can they be the same? Not really, as the emphasis of each is different than the other. Also, karate denotes a fighting system from Okinawan/Japan, whereas kunk fu and quan fa denote a Chinese influence.

From and instructors (since 1978) perspective, if I'd heard one of my students was starting to teach somebody outside of class, I'd be more than a little miffed. Depending on your instructor and the organization he represents, you might want to consider these factors: 1. You PAY your instructor to teach you...and yet you're going to give this knowledge away to someone else without consideration to your instructor in this area. 2. Are you under contract to your instructor? If so, you might want to read that contract because there could possibly be a clause in there about you NOT teaching until such time as your instructor deems you able to do so. If you are found not honoring your part of the contract, you could face legal litigation if the instructor wanted to pursue it. 3. Are you qualified to teach others? Since you didnj't mention your belt level, nor experience in the arts, are you a low/mid level kyu belt, or a dan rank? There's a big difference between those ranks when it comes to teaching. 4. You, yourself, could be possibly opening yourself up for a lawsuit if you accidently hurt your new student. People with little experience teaching, but think they know what they're doing, can easily hurt someone else while attempting to teach them a technique that they themselves aren't really that good at. You say he's your friend...well, friends are one thing, hurting that friend through negligence and he comes after you with a lawsuit is quite another. 5. As an instructor, I'd be angry at one of my students that was teaching others and didn't come to me first and ask permission. Angry enough to dismiss the student? Possibly.

Stop and think about it for a moment...do a figure 8 and then have somebody stick another bo, broomstick or such straight at you in the middle of your figure 8ing..and what happens? You probably just dropped your bo ON THE GROUND! The only person it would intimidate is an inexperienced opponent. Waste of time and effort in my opinion. Spend that same time working on good techniques.

CONGRATULATIONS!!! Now quit screwing around on here and patting yourself on the back and get to training harder!

For many years I charged: $20 for 9-7 kyu tests $25 for 6-4 kyu tests $30 for 3-1 kyu tests $100 for Dan tests Then about 15 years ago or so I quit charging...period. They can buy their belts locally at a TKD dojang, or I can order them one.

Agreed. If the technique you've been shown is legitimate (meaning not just for show, but actually a good technique), then the strength of your opponent should make little difference.

Exactly.

Yeah..that's all fine and good and all, but is there anything there that's an actual good technique, or just twirling crap? Behind the neck, figure 8's, and hand/finger rolls are good if you're going to be a baton twirler in a marching band, but have no use in the martial arts except for show. My opinion after 30+ years training in, and teaching Okinawan Kobudo anyway.

Looking at the video twice to allow me to see each child do their kata I would say that your sons stances were stronger and from what I could see they both had very good technique for their ages and belt levels. I agree that the other kids head was better at turning before he moved, which is something I look for when judging kata. I don't like it when 2 or more participants all do their kata at the same time because you can't see everything and really give a fair judging when competitors are close in skill level, which I think these two were. All judges look for different things. Power was good for both, speed and "snap" was good, and in general you should be proud of BOTH of these young martial artists.

The best advice I can give you is to see if his instructor, or a senior student (preferably black belt) watched the match and ask them these questions. They should be able to give you an answer to your questions. I've been a tournament judge for well over 20 years and one thing I've learned is that judges are human, and humans see things differently. What one judge will see as a point or good technique, another won't.

What has surprised you most about my style? Well, after working on it since January of 1975, what surprises me the most is how much sense it makes, and how practical it is in philosopy and in application of its techniques. It's not fancy, nor flashy, but in the half dozen times or so that I've had to use it in the street, it has NEVER failed me. The one time I tried it in a tournament (black belt level) I walked away with 2 trophies (2nd in kata, 3rd in sparring--single elimination) and a plaque for Outstanding Tournament Competitor. I have total faith in this system for what I chose to take if for...which is to protect myself, my family...and anybody else I chose to protect during my life. It isn't designed to function as a competition/tournament system, but from my own experiences and those of a few students that compete occassionally, it does quite well if you stick to the priciples that it teaches you and use them as they are intended. Oh...and we don't break boards either...

I don't teach people how to shoot in my class (most know already) but we spend time monthly learning disarms and control against opponents that are holding a gun on you. I have an old .22 cal revolver that we use. One person holds the weapon (verified by all in the class that it is unloaded) on another and we practice techniques for gaining control and disarming. The very first, and most important lesson I teach in that respect is... "If someone points a gun at you and says "Give me your wallet/purse ..."...GIVE THEM YOUR WALLET AND PURSE! No amount of money that you have in your wallet/purse is worth dying for, so give it to them as nicely and slowly as you can. Heck, write them a check if you have to! Disarming techniques are used ONLY if, and when, you feel your life is in danger regardless of what you do to comply with your assailant.

I NEVER use physical punishment in my dojo..ever! If the problem is with a child in class, I talk to them about it. If the problem persists, I talk to the parents about it. If it still persists, I kick them out of the class. If the problem is with an adult..I talk to them about it. If the problem persists, I kick them out of class. Can you tell I'm not trying to make a living out of teaching? lol Basically, I teach people that are there to learn. If they want to waste my time and theirs, then I don't want them in class.

In Shorin Ryu we can go either to the inside, or the outside--depending on what you want to accomplish or what technique you're going to use. A lot of it depends on if you have the room, what foot you're on, and of course, what you are comfortable doing. As has been stated, going to the inside gives you a few more "targets", but also makes you more vulnerable to your opponents weapons also, so the outside is generally encouraged.

I used to have several books by Tadashi Yamashita concerning proper use of various weapons (sai, tonfa, kama, nunchaku and bo I believe, but over the years I've loaned them out to various students and never got them back. As I recall they were pretty good in how to do basic movements, proper holding of the weapons (which the majority of videos I've seen forget to do) and I believe a basic kata or two.

Mats? They make mats to fall on in training? OK..when I joined my instructors class he had 8 adults working out in the living room of his duplex apartment...proably 15' x 12' in size. If nothing else, you learned accuracy with your kicks or you'd kick one of the other people in the class...which wasn't good, because they'd kick back! Personally, I always liked a cramped, small workout area better than all the room in the world. Why? Because if you train with all sorts of room to manuever, then get in a fight in tight quarters and don't have much room to move, it can really upset your fighting ability. However if you're used to no room then all of a sudden have it...wow..this is cool!

100% in agreement with you on this one! If I'm with a "friend" that is carrying a large knife, nunchauku or worse, a gun...well, I wouldn't be with them in the first place. To paranoid for me, or we're someplace we don't need to be in the first place. I carry a kobutan on my keychain and it serves a dual purpose. First, combined with the snap hook that snaps to my belt loop and the kobutan slips in my back pocket, so I've never lost my keys in carrying them this way in 30 years...and yes, I have the kobutan if I need it...and actually have used it a couple of times in self defense. Someone that carrys a large knife for the sole purpose of defense scares me. someone that carries nunchaku because they anticipate problems...well, I don't hang with people that think like that. And guns...forget it and get the heck away from me!