Montana

Funny you should mention this...once in a while (can't do it often or they get used to it) I will throw both hands into the air while sparring and KIAI loudly...it really does startle your opponet! Makes for a good opening for a snap kick. Give it a try.

Agreed. In my school, everybody is equal. We don't make a big deal about the genders. The groin to the head are targets and you either protect them, ot get hit., You learn real fast that way. Now don't misunderstand me here...if a man intentionally starts attacking a womans breasts in other than normal sparring sense, he will be pulled aside and talked to about it and it will either stop, or he will be either excluded from sparring until he shapes up, or expelled if he doesn't. We don't use "gear" as a general rule (you won't have it on the street) unless the individual wants to get their own and use it. You learn to block or take the hit.

PRACTICE--PRACTICE--AND MORE PRACTICE! With an emphasis one the basics and kata DAILY! As for how do I prepare for the next rank? Well...I don't worry about it. I got my shodan in 1978 and my yandan in 2004 and there has not been one time that I have actually trained for advancement. I practice my karate to the best of my ability as frequently, and accurately, as I can, and if a promotion happens..great. If not...no biggie.

One thing I learned during my 30+ years in the arts is that NOBODY is unbeatable, regardless of system, size or experience. To assume otherwise is foolish.

Shorin Ryu Matsumura Seito (we call it Kenpo now) under the late Kuda Yuichi.

ShorinRyu Matsumura Kenpo (aka Matsumura Seito Karate) Started in January of 1975 (34 years) 4th Dan (Yondan)

Agreed. The kama is a slashing/poking weapon whereas the sai is more of a poking/striking weapon. As tallgeese said, victory would no doubt go the the more skilled person...or the luckiest.

Kobudo is a seperate art within the art of karate, and as such, has a seperate ranking system also. Myself, I teach karate and kobudo as one art, but the kobudo training doesn't begin until sankyu karate level. I wouldn't say that kobudo training is "mandatory", but rather it's taught more like just going to another level in your karate training. Primarily, the weapons are taught in this order. Bo/Jo Sai Tonfa Kama Nunchauku Niton Bo Ikku I also toss in the cane here and there, which in my opinion, is the best. Go to your local farm and ranch store and get a "bull" cane. Literally, it's a cane used to prod and handle bulls...lightweight, but thick and very strong.

Not all martial arts schools now days are what I call "shake and bake" black belt factories...although I personally think the majority of them lean that way. Some dojo/sensei actually *gasp* make a student earn a black belt. I've judged and ref'd open style tournaments since 1983, and my personal opinion of the quality of the competing black belts today is...well...poor to terrible compared to when I started judging/reffing. We had a 8 year old 3rd Dan BB at one tournament that was simple a joke. Yet his sensei and parents walked about nearly throwing roses in his path as he strutted around the tournament. I was throughly happy when a 9 year old blue belt girl beat him in sparring..quite easily too! For me, I believe a black belt should have the knowledge, skills and abilities to be able to teach a class on their own, without supervision, on literally everything they have learned up to that point.

Pinan means Peaceful Mind also. As to the Pinan and Heian being the same...uhhh...yes, and no. The Pinan are much older and in my experience, considerably more indepth as to their bunkai that the Japanese Heian interpretations. Or so I've seen from the shotokan sensei that I've worked with. The movements of the Pinan bunkai are more subtle and with the slightest of changes, can be altered considerably in their meaning.

Agreed. As soon as the video said "George Dillman"...well, enough said if you ask me. There's a long, bad history between Dillman and the late head of my system (OSensei Soken Hohan) about where he got his "techniques". I tried to do a link about this, but it triggered an automatic "No No" device on here, so I'd suggest doing a search for "George Dillman Hohan Soken" and see what you get.

Congrats! Wow...that got me to thinking, so I did some digging through some boxes in the garage and came up with my 9th Kyu certificate, dated March 14th, 1975! ARGH...man, do I feel old right now!

I've been involved in Shorin Ryu for 30+ years, so of course I'd recommend that. As for it being a "hard" style...well, it gets a whole lot softer as you progress. Anyway, I don't know much about Goju, but I like what I've seen and heard, so that would be choice #2 for me. As for goju kenpo? No clue...sorry.

I voted "Yes, I believe I have the neccessary skills for 2-3 people", because I have faith in the system I practice, and I've successfully defended myself once against 3 opponents and another time, two. These were street fights, not dojo sparring.

My classes were 2 hours long. I test those that are ready...might be one student, might be 10. Whichever, all testings, whether yellow belt or black, are done within the normal class time. All day, or multiple day tests are silly if you ask me.

I saw it (didn't you? )...the bricks moved...did a change of body movement...very subtle...old Okinawan Shorin Ryu technique...quite effective.

BRAVO! FINALLY, somebody that knows what they're talking about! I get so blamed tired of hearing about spinning "chucks" around their hands or necks or between their legs, and that's good technique. BAH!

Well, let me put my response this way... Have you ever actually watched someone that is "self-taught" (learned only from books and videos)? I have....

All good points.

They adjust very quickly (they have to). The more experience they have and practice at it, the quicker they shift gears and tactics. As for how often they win...there is no winning involved in that training. No points, just sparring. What I ask of my "attackers" is that if the defender gets in a good technique that would knock them back or disable them, then to back of for a few seconds. You see, we don't wear any pads of any sort in class (most don't wear groing cups), but I expect powerful techniques with good control.

In our system, we believe that a black belt test isn't any different than any other belt test. In all tests, the student needs to be better than their last test (basically) and meet the requirements of that test. My own 4 black black belt tests each were a surprise to me and I didn't know I was being tested at the time until they were over. My Shodan and Sandan tests were given to me by the head of the system.

When I mentioned kata is designed for learning to defend against more than one opponent, I didn't mean that kata alone would be sufficient training. Not at all. What kata teaches you in that aspect is how to move and how to get your body in tune with doing more than one thing at a time and moving quickly. In my class we spar against numerous opponents frequently. Sometimes, just for the heck of it, when two of my students are sparring, I will suddenly jump in and attack one of them, or have 1...2...or even 3 other students join the fray unexpectedly. It gets pretty interesting at times, and a whole lot of fun!

One thing I'd like to mention regarding training for multiple attackers is this. Kata is training for multiple attackers. It teaches you to move, shift directions quickly and solidly, attack at various levels and strengths, etc. In my fight against the 3 (I call them the 3 stooges), they were lined up 1-2-3 in front of me with the leader (or the only one that did the talking anyway) on my far left. His attack (which I was ready for from what we call a natural stance) was to bring his arm back to swing in a classic haymaker punch. When I hit him square in the nose, his right hand was still behind his head winding up. The 2nd guy (in the middle) took a step towards me, and that's when I kicked him in the stomach and dropped him. The fight last really only a few seconds, and I had the shakes from the adrenaline rush for several minutes afterwards. I went to the police station after they drove off and filed a report (CYA) in case this fight came back to haunt me, which it never did. The police said I did the right thing filing a report first, before they did. I learned a couple of important lessons in this fight. 1. Hit hard and hit fast and accurately. 2. Don't assume a threatening posture when in a fight situation. 3. The element of surprise is your friend! 4. Report to the police immediately after the incident and press charges against the attackers (yes, even if YOU won the fight!)

I believe, but not positive, that that is the Chinese version of the Okinawan/Japanese Sai.

Well, speaking only from my own personal experience, I fought 3 young men (early 20's) that attacked me (I was in my mid-30's) and the fight consisted of one badly bloodied (maybe broken?) nose from a fast reverse punch (assailant #1), one loss of breath from a snap kick to the gut (assailant #2), and assailant #3 looked at his two friends on the ground, then at me, and decided he didn't want to play alone with me. I helped #3 get his friends in their car, and that was that. The whole "fight" lasted less than 5 seconds from the time assailant #1 made his aggressive move on me. Me - 3 Assailants - 0 I also know a long time instructor that had to fight 5 men that attacked him, and he successfully defended himself with nothing more than a few bruises. In my opinion, if the system you are training in isn't training you how to handle multiple opponents, then it's time to find another system, or take up long distance running or badmiton. There are very successful tactics and strategies designed for how to handle multiple opponents...none of which include running away or going to the ground (unless you have no other option).