[KF 500k] Member Interview: ShoriKid

[Patrick]

Member Profile

ShoriKid (View Profile)

Joined: December 14, 2007

Posts: 766

Interview

Where are you from?

Oneida, Tennessee near the Big South Fork National Park.

Why did you get started in the martial arts?

I guess I have always had an interest in the martial arts. Like a lot of kids, I grew up watching action films and of course Bruce Lee and the old Kung Fu series played a part in that as well. In part, I wanted to better learn to fight and defend myself.

Why have you continued to practice them?

Is it okay to say that I'm addicted? A big part of what has kept me involved is the individual challenge that the martial arts pose. The depth martial arts offers has kept me at it as well. Whenever you think you've discovered everything that is out there, you find something new and that keeps you training.

Please briefly describe the styles of martial arts that you have taken.

I wrestled in school before anything else.

Matsubayashi Ryu, a branch of Shorin Ryu was my first "martial art." It depends on high, mobile stances and close tight movements of offense and defense. Judo in college, but only for a few months as the drive was killing me. Aikido, also in college with the same man that taught defensive tactics at the state police academy.

Shotokan karate from a very small linage with heavy aikijutsu influences. Arnis very briefly and through one of my instructors from Shotokan.

BJJ thanks to my brother, pittbullJudoka.

Finally, Makotokan karate, being the amalgamation of several arts with a karate core as taught by our instructors from the Shotokan linage.

What is your grade or level?

Currently 3rd dan, with a solid, no stripe white belt in BJJ.

Do you teach?

Yes, at a small dojo my brother and I run together.

What are your first memories from training?

I remember the first night in class struggling to get my gi on right and having the belt knot off to the side. It was how the kung fu guys in the movies did it and the thing felt in the way. It was a night of bare bones basics which I struggled with.

What has been the highlight of your training?

I have to say it's been a tie between seminars I attended by Frank Grant (currently Hanshi in the World Shorin-Ryu Karate Federation), and one with Luiz Palhares (7th degree black belt, BJJ). Both men had an incredible ability to teach and spot tiny details in what you were doing in order to help make improvements.

What do you do when you're not training?

I read a lot, mostly spend time with my family and make a few knives here and there.

What do you do for a living?

I'm a lender at a small local bank. Which is sort of funny as my first karate instructor had the same job.

Who are or were your martial arts heroes?

One was a pro fighter and friend Larry Jarrett. Another would be Frank Grant that I mentioned above.

What are your favorite martial arts films and/or shows?

I still love the old Kung Fu series, cheesy as it was! Fist of Legend, Best of the Best, The Karate Kid and Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Where do you see yourself going in your martial arts journey in the next few years?

That's a really good question. One I haven't sat down and thought on all that much. I think I really want to delve into application for our kata and start bringing along some of the more long term students on this path as well.

Do you remember how you found KarateForums.com? Why did you join?

I think I was researching something and kept hitting discussions on KarateForums.com. I lurked around for more than a year before I joined. What got me to join was the good, clean discussion that had really good content.

Why did you stay?

I've gotten to know, as much as one can, some of the other members here. The maturity, depth of knowledge and lack of teenaged ego have a lot to do with why I've stayed.

You've been a member since December 14, 2007. During this time, how has KarateForums.com changed in your eyes, if at all?

There has been turn over in membership, of course. The level of discussion and topics seem to have matured. That may be due to the age of many of the posters, or the community seems to have grown up a little.

How, if at all, have you used KarateForums.com in your classes or training?

Topics and posts on KarateForums.com have been the genesis of classes, lessons and drills in both my training and teaching. From large to small things, I've taken a lot from what is discussed here and put it to work on the floor of the dojo. A lot of it is a spark, driving me to think about what we train, how I train and what my goals are.

Are there any members here who have had a particular influence or impact on you?

If I had to single out just a few, they would have to be tallgeese, bushido_man96 and sensei8. All three are thoughtful, seem to come at things from an angle I can grasp even when they are very different than my own and they are honest in their approach to posting and martial arts.

Can you share a memorable moment within the community where you received great advice or an experience that really affected you and your martial arts journey?

This is something I find hard to pin down. Taking six years of exposure to thoughts and ideas on these forums and distilling it down to a single moment or piece of advice. It's been a culmination of things over the years. Is it fair to say I can't pick just one?

[Patrick]

Thank you for sharing this with us, ShoriKid. I'm glad to have you and your brother at KarateForums.com. I appreciate the contributions that you have made to our community.

Thanks,

Patrick

[pittbullJudoka]

Good read brother. No one else I'd rather be struggling through this journey we all call martial arts. I'm blown away that the seminar with Luiz was a highlight in all your years in the martial arts.

[sensei8]

Great interview!!

Your MA knowledge and insight is exciting to read because everyone learns something MA related no matter one rank and/or knowledge, and I'm no exception to that rule; I learn and you're one that I learn from. Solid across the board in every aspect in and out of the MA.

Thank you for all you've done for KF over the years.

[DWx]

Good interview. Both yourself and pitbullJudoka have always seemed very knowledgeable about all aspects of martial arts and I look forward to reading your posts

[ShoriKid]

I seem knowledgeable? man have I got you guys fooled! I really enjoy being part of this community. It's part of my daily net stops, a primary one even if I don't post daily. Sometimes everyone has covered everything intelligent, and funny, that I can think of to say.

Learning from Luiz was definitely a highlight for me. It was great to be learning from someone that good at teaching, getting the personal attention and just getting to be a pure student again in an art I enjoy even if I'm not good. There are many smaller, much more personal things that have stuck with me. Like a comment by Shihan Terry at the end of my nidan testing. A discussion with Larry over a beer or six that you were in on PittbullJudoka.

I always love seeing what people write on here. Even when I disagree with them, like I do with Tallgeese on kata, I learn from it and know it isn't about ego or anything like that.

[tallgeese]

I always love seeing what people write on here. Even when I disagree with them, like I do with Tallgeese on kata, I learn from it and know it isn't about ego or anything like that.

This is one of those things I love about this site, and by extension the people who post here, we can disagree over aspects of the arts but we can do so in an adult, respectful manner. And I agree, even when we don't see I to eye I can appreciate what others are saying and learn from them. It's always a pleasure to be on an active thread with you ShoriKid.

[bushido_man96]

ShoriKid, you've been a great contributor to the community, and I enjoy reading your posts. I think its great that you and your brother are able to share your MA journey together.

[CredoTe]

Great interview! Yes, you are knowledgeable, especially as a fellow Shorin-Ryu karateka. I always look forward to seeing your posts!