Montana

We'll no doubt get a lot of different opinions on this one. For me, TMA's are those that have withstood the test of time, whereas many died out because they just didn't work, or weren't effective. Systems like Shorin Ryu, Goju, etc have been around a long time because they worked as well 200 years ago, as they do now. Maybe not in a sporting aspect, such as the UFC and such, because that isn't what the were developed for. They work well for self-defense purposes, because that is what they were developed for.

I totally agree with this. I've seen many 20-something year olds that strut around calling themselves "master", and all I can do is shake my head in disgust. A true master of an art IMO is one that not only knows the moves, but knows the system inside and out. This takes years of dedication and practice to that system. There is no set number of years to reach true mastery of any given system, but I don't believe that a mere 20 years is sufficient to understand any one system. Those claiming "master" status of multiple systems and are under 80 years old (my opinion of course) are only fooling themselves and people that don't understand the arts. I've been in the system I practice since January of 1975 and still feel I have so much more to learn. I've had fellow martial artists from other systems introduce me, or refer to me, as "Master", and I've stopped that practice immediately. I am no master of this art and doubt if I would ever be anywhere near that level.Back in the late 1970's there was an article in Black Belt Magazine (before it went down hill) that stated there were more "masters" in any large American city than there was in the entire Orient! A sad commentary on the American mindset if you ask me.

A. TaeKwonDo B. Probably MMA C. TaeKwonDo D. Undecided

I'll be the oddball here and state that I believe that pressure point knowledge, whether punches/kicks are being thrown, or in a grappling situation, do work and are effective. If you ever get a chance to par someone with good PP knowledge and skills, you'll find that your punches are going to hurt you, as will your kicks. A good PP fighter can strike accurtely specific points of your body causing lose of usuge of that limb (arm/leg). It takes practice, accuracy, knowledge, speed and confidence in your abilities.

I currently train in Shorin Ryu Matsumura Seito (we call it Kenpo) and have for over 30 years. The only other system that has ever interested me was Aikido, to enhance the Okinawan veersion of joint manipulation that we call tuitte.

The roundhouse kick is good for "soft" targets, like the sides/back of the knee, inside/outside of the thigh, groin, stomach and ribs (we don't do head kicks). It's great to get a person to lower their hands, take out a knee, whack the groin, knock the wind out of them, or bruise a rib.

My rule used to be ages 6-8 could try the class for a few weeks, then I would sit down with the parent and tell them whether or not I felt they were ready for the class. I don't condone martial art "baby sitting", where they play games while wearing gi's, and call that karate training. My young students learned nearly everything that the adult classes do, and have the same requirements for testing. If I felt the young student wasn't ready, I would advise the parent to try the local TKD class down the street, as they take anybody that has the money. I don't teach for the money, or try to make my living at it. In the last 10 years or so, I've changed my classes and only teach adults, or older children that can, and are willing, to train with, and like adults. It's a much harder work out, including full contact (with protective gear) sparring.

I don't agree. That stance only works if your opponent has sloppy technique and poor accuracy. We use the shin to block a groin kick (yeah it hurts...until you get used to it.) That, and a sweeping kick where your foot comes up and crosses in front of the opposite knee. This is a good technique because when you catch his kick then put your foot on the ground, it spins your opponent and causes them to lose balance, possibly fall. The technique is hard to describe, but it's the "knee slapping" technique found in Nahachin 1.

Linseed oil...it makes the wood harder/tougher and resists moisture. I use it on all of my wooden weapons (bo, tonfa, kama handles, niton bo, and nunchauku)...have since about 1980...works for me.

Put your belt in a clothes dryer for about 30 minutes, low heat...and toss in a tennis shoe or two. The shoes will beat the belt into submission and it will come out much less stiff.

We do that. The object is to have someone...not the heaviest in class, but not the lightest either, stand on your stomach as you recite the alphabet or something else. It has to do with learning muscle control combined with continued breathing.

Heck...even I can beat Bruce Lee! Come on...bring him on!

The martial arts trail is thus: From China (kung fu) to Okinawa (karate), to Japan (Shotokan), to Korea (TKD)....roughly of course.

Agreed...not to mention the fact that while you're standing there visualizing your technique, your opponent is trying their best to get at you. Not a good idea I think.

I prefer the music of my hands, feet, elbows and knees slapping my 80 lb heavy bag personally.

I weigh around 240 lbs...haven't a clue as to how many stones (or is it rocks? ) that is.

I'm not a good grappler, but one thing always comes to mind in that scenerio is that where the head goes, the body follows. One hand under his chin, the other behind his head (assuming of course you can reach it) or grabbing his hair and twisting hard...VERY hard. Basically like bulldogging a steer. That, or attacking his eyes and throat viciously. Put him on the defensive until you can get to your feet.

If I'm understanding correctly, looking at the chest has nothing to do with it other than to be able to see the entrie person as much as possible, but lifting the leg (and leaning into the technique) is probably making your weight go forward into the tuitte (lock) technique...forcing your opponents hand forward a bit more, thus causing more pain. No chi involved here...just body mechanics.

Pure CRAPOLA in my opinion.

OSensei Soken Hohan. Probably filmed (not video taped) in late 1960's. OSensei was probably in his mid to late 70's when he did this.

I own several handguns and several knives...my questions is...why are we choosing one...for what? Selfdefense?

I've always had an open door policy towards any visitors. I've run into the same problem as you've described and the sensei needs to talk to the person as the problem happens and let them know that they are welcome to watch the class, but need to control their kids, as they are disrupting the class. The same goes with talking or any other activity that distracts from the class. Cell phones are a problem now days and I require that people either turn them off, or put them on vibrate...NO TALKING ON CELLS DURING CLASS. Yes, they are "paying customers", but YOU are the boss in that environment and if they can't respect that, I would ask them to leave. If they take their student with them....oh well.

Oh yeah...least practical...probably the tonfa (Okinawan weapons anyway). It's a good weapon in general, but has limitations against weapons such as knives. It's more designed for defense against heavy hitting weapons, such as the bo, baseball bat and the like.

Periodically I have my students bring whatever they want into the dojo and we spend time working on everyday items as potential self-defense weapons. Also once per year I take my students for a "walk about" around town in street clothes to see what might be usable in a street defense scenerio. We walk down alleys, go into a bar or two (I always talk to the owner/manager prior to doing this so he knows what's up) and just wander down the street. Just about anything can be used to help defend yourself if you open your mind and understand the concepts of weapons and how they can affect the human body. Finding a bo-sized weapon or cue stick is unrealistic, as is having a tire iron at your fingertips. My tire iron is under a mat in the back of my SUV and would take a precious minute or two to dig out, but my bull cane (a heavy cane used to prod cattle) is within easy reach from my drivers seat.

Just about any Okinawan Karate system (Shorin Ryu, Goju Ryu, Issinryu, etc) would be a good all around system.