Montana

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!

No natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornados or earthquakes here, but winters can be a real pain. The past 2 years we've had OVER 6 FEET of snow which can cause a lot of problems getting around, especially when you live 15 miles out of town in the woods. As for how I've prepared, my wife and I have 2 4x4 vehicles (truck and SUV), 1 AWD SUV, and a neighbor with a Catapiller plow. Last winter, I never missed one day of work because of weather. We keep the pantry well stocked in the winter with at least 2-3 weeks of food and we have an excellent well tapped into an underground river. If need be, I could boil snow for water easily. If power goes out, which happened several times last winter, we have a generator which won't power the whole house, but will power the well, a few lights and the pellet stove for heat. I have 30 bags of pellets on hand which would last 2 months or more. For cooking food I have a gas BBQ with 2 tanks of propane and a camping cook stove with plenty of Coleman fuel. I also have 2 camp laterns powered by the same fuel. I have tents, sleeping bags and just about anything else needed to survive in the woods. Worse comes to worse, because I live in the woods, there are game birds, LOTS of deer and 1 moose around my property or close by. If it really got severe, I have 3 horses that I can use for transportation...or food if needed. (God forbid!) I'm well armed with a 30-06, Chinese SKS, shotgun, .357 Mag, .44 Mag, 9mm, and several .22's and plenty of ammo for each. I have 5 acres total and plenty of trees on it. If I needed to, I can cut down trees and we can move into the 3 stall garage, which is totally insulated and keep warm with the wood store. I have about 2 cords of wood cut and stacked now.

I give two weeks of free lesson and toss the new prospective student right into the general population of white-black belts and they experience the exact same training and lessons as everybody else gets. I pair the new prospective student with a mid-rank (green/blue belt usually) student that helps them as nuch as possible. Basically, it's the "sink or swim" introduction method. I make sure they understand that they can expect to be totally lost for the first few classes, but they catch on fast normally and within those 2 weeks they are holding their own pretty good. It's 8 hours of training in all.

Just curious here...how old are you and how much formal martial arts training do you have, and in what systems?

Currently I teach out of my home in the garage, but I've taught in church basements, college/high school gymnasiums, a commercial dojo, 2 health clubs, my living room (that was interesting..), a telephone company's conference room, parks, fields, drive ways, alleys, back yards, swimming pool (water training)..probably a few more, but that's all that comes to mind at the moment.

Whether karate does, or does not, get included in the Olympic games makes little difference to me. It won't change what, or how, I teach. Personally, I think that when judo and tkd were added to the Olympics, it made those arts less than what they used to be.

A "strike" kick, as in a punch, hits the opponent, penetrates, then withdraws just as fast as it went out. A thrust hits the opponent and then keeps going...basically more like a push.

I'll use a broom handle or such and place the tip against the inside of the non-kicking knee and make them kick over the stick and return it the same way. That's how we kick and I want them to learn it the right way the first time, not develope bad habits from the start and have to break them later.

I've been teaching for over 30 years and never had insurance...nor ever needed it. I must know 50 other instructors of various styles and we've had this discussion before..very few of them carry insurance either. None of us have ever so much as even HEARD of someone suing over an injury. Not to say it can't happen... The key is to prevent gross negligence. In other words, don't do anythign stupid in the dojo. People expect to get bumps and bruises..and a little blood letting now and then. This is the martial arts afterall...not square dancing. I guess the best answer is to do what you think is best for you.

My rule on gi's is that they need to be clean, in good repair (frayed/worn a bit is OK but not torn) and relatively wrinkle free. Doesn't have to be ironed exactly, just not a wrinkled mess. I have a brown belt thats been with me many years that I have to remind now and then about the wrinkle rule. He just stuffs it in a bag after class.

Ah..the simple chair. Such a marvelous martial art weapon. We have several folding chairs in our dojo that we use for various training situations. ie: 1. Defender sits in the chair and attacker comes from behind and tries to choke them. Defender grabs attackers arm and while still seated moves his feet back a bit and bends forward...it throws the attacker right over the defenders shoulder and on to his head..right in front of you for easy "mop up"... 2. As has been said before, blocking and striking with the feet, legs, arms and hands are also taught while seated. 3. We also will set 3-5 chairs around the sparring area and fight around them..teaching the usefullness of obsticals in your way and how to avoid them, and how to use them to your advantage. 4. Oh yeah, we also can use the chairs as a self-defense weapon for blocking, "jabbing", or as a distraction.

I like to mix it up and teach a little of this, and a little of that..one night fairly basic techniques to the entire class, regardless of rank..and the next night brown/black belt level techniques. What I've found in 30+ years of teaching classes is that beginners, although not as pretty and precise in the movements, can nomally handle the harder techniques just fine. Understanding them fully--well, that takes practice and experience.

I can think of a few dozen (or more) "martial arts" that I've seen since 1975 that I thought were a joke...but they weren't really all that funny.

100% in agreement with you bud!

In the situation described... 1. You're to close to do an "effective" kicking technique as they've described. A foot stomp or side kick to the knee would be more plausible. 2. Look at the videos again. The attacker is soooo wide open for a punch to his floating ribs, which causes serious pain, if not cracking/breaking the rib, and the fight will end there. 3. Anybody really know what the high block is used for besides blocking something coming at/down to your head? It's an arm break guys. You put one hand (like in the video) on the guys arm to keep it where it is and do a high block to his elbow. Of the 3 videos, the first is the only real plausible technique..the others work great in the classroom with a partner that goes along with what you're doing, but doubtful in the street.

Agreed on all counts.

I'm 6'6" and 250lbs with a 38" inseam and long arms. Your best advantage at that height is to kick low and use yoru hands a lot..or so has been my experience since 1975 anyway. Kicking above the waist leaves my groin wide open and vulnerable. My advantage is reach, mass and strength and I use it to my advantage. As for tall people being unable to "in fight"..well, I seem to keep the little guys pretty well under control if, and when they get close.

I'd have to see the kick to be sure of course, but yes, Shorin Ryu certainly has low kicks to the inside and outside of the leg.

If you really get into the bunkai of the block, you'll discover that the "double block" has actually several applications. It can be a double block, or a block and a trap, or a block and a strike, or 2 strikes, or...

It was a relatifvely small TKD organization (International Korean Karate Association I believe) led by a man (now deceased) in Great Falls, MT. I don't know how many dojos were involved in the organization, but I believe the organization passed with his passing. I never put much stock in the certificate other than as a curiosity. One thing though is that after he gave that certificate to me, he asked if I would, in turn, give him an honorary Dan ranking in my system (I'm not, nor ever have been, the head of that system.) I politly refused stating that I didn't believe in "honorary" rankings, but told him that if he wished to join my classes and work his way up through the ranks like everybody else has to do, then I'd be more than happy to issue him certificates of rank for whatever ranks he successfully could test at. He declined.

4th Dan Shorin Ryu Matsumura Kenpo (Formerly Matsumura Seito) Karate/Kobudo 3rd Dan TaeKwonDo---and interestingly enough, I've not taken so much as ONE TKD class! Honorary..certificate hangs on the wall as a conversation piece.

Way back in the summer of 1978, my Sensei, Dennis Miller had invited the head of our system, Sensei Kuda Yuichi to come and visit us in a small town (about 12,000 people) in Montana. This was Sensei Kuda's first trip to America. Sensei Kuda spent 3 GLORIOUS (well, for me anyway) weeks in Montana training us. To say it was fantastic would be a gross understatement. Anyway, I was an first degree brown belt (just before shodan) and 2nd highest student in the class. During the 3rd week of Sensei Kuda's visit he had us line up against the wall by rank in a sitting position, and one by one, starting with my Sensei, had us stand before him as he asked us to show him various kata and other techniques. Each person spent about 10 minutes before Sensei Kuda doing as he asked. I was the 3rd person called up and performed what Sensei Kuda asked of me, and when I finished and returned to my place along the wall, my Sensei leaned over to me and extended his had. I thought he was going to say something like "Good job" or such, but instead he said...and I'll never forget this...he said "Congratulations...SHODAN!" I said "WHAT??? He said "You were just tested and passed for shodan..." I didn't know, or I would have been nervous as heck! My sensei had trained under Sensei Kuda for several years and knew how he tested, I didn't. There are a couple of pictures towards the bottom of this page of Sensei Kuda and I (I'm the really tall, skinny guy)-- http://www.geocities.com/rohai.geo/page.html Sensei Kuda passed in 1999--he was a true Okinawan Master of his art, a find and gentle person and is greatly missed by those that knew him or had the opportunity to learn from him.

My students are told that they are tested literally every day in class. They are tested on attendance, participation, effort, attitude, knowledge and improved speed, power, and accuracy in each technique they use. They are required to perform whatever kata for the level that they are at, plus any other previous kata that I feel like asking them to do for me. Students are coached by me during each class about what they are doing well, and what they need to work on to improve. I am a "hands on" instructor, which means I'm involved in each and every class, with each and every student I teach. I have an open door policy when means students can come in anytime and ask me anything, martial arts related or otherwise. The actual test itself is a formality really. I run them through kata mostly, but often ask them to perform a series of self defense techniques against one or more opponents. These are realistic drills, not prearranged. There are NO physical fitness requirements for advancement. Showing how many pushups you can do has nothing to do with advancement. I don't care if you can do 5---or 500! As for sparring..yes, we finish the class/test with sparring. Win or lose, I don't care because I've been testing them all along in each class, so I know what they are capable of. Students are not told when they are testing. I take a prospective rank advancement student and have them show me a kata or other techniques, which I do often anyway, so they don't know if at that time they are testing, or just having me watch them. I find it keeps them on their toes and stops the "When am I going to test?" questions.