Topic: KARATE anyone else practice?

[Hush]

Sensei Nishimura (6th dan) told me once I should stop practicing and get it right!
I've been doing Karate most of my life I guess, did Kyokushinkai when I was a kid then later on switched to JKA (Shotokan).
I've been a Black Belt since 96 (had to blow dust off framed certificate to confirm)
My son (and ex wife) also B/B's in Shotokan, ran my own club for a few years but shift work at the Prison meant my students were not getting as much training as they should have so gave that away 2 years ago.
Had been in Karate limbo for the last few years, training when I could with other instructors but having no one on the whole East Coast of NZ who practiced Shotokan my training suffered.
When my son moved to my city last year we had planned to open a Dojo together but his Police hours where worse than mine.
Luckily this year a very good international instructor (7th Dan) moved to Napier from USA and I am slowly getting my hand back in and am enjoying the training and exercise again.
So anyone else train in the martial arts who also owns a SOHC4?

[74cb750]

I used to do T'ai Chi and Mou Tau (advanced street fighting basically).
But that was 30 years ago, now I do Wife's TO DO List mostly. 

[Duke McDukiedook]

Used to do Tae Kwan Do in high school.

Would like to find a nice Aikido dojo to learn/practice at.
Those seem to be hard to find around here though.
 

[rhos1355]

Sorry mate, any type of strenous excercise is against my religion.

Bbbbwwahahahah.

But I can lift a litre of beer to mouth level pretty niftily, though.

[Pinhead]

Does boxing count?

[Hush]

Ah well it was worth a try.
Aikido is a very good art, it's were all our wrist locks we use in the Corrections system come from, I cross trained with an Aikido master for a while, massive art but after so many years of linear punching and kicking it felt so different and I spent a lot of time staring up at the roof thinking "now how did I get here"?

[Duke McDukiedook]

Cousin of mine was in St. Louis recently visiting my mom and pop for classes taught by the people who studied and taught jeet kune do with Bruce Lee. They said he is studying to be a jeet kune do instructor and wanted to train and learn under the original teachers.

I wrestled in high school and college and my friend on my team taught me some simple Aikido moves, I think that would be a good martial art to blend with my knowledge of grappling.

.
 

[jesus freek]

I practiced Kempo Karate for a while during college years. As I am approaching 40 I would like to get back into it. I would like to do it as a family though.

[gregimotis]

I did some TKD and Shotokan in my 20's.  Then I got involved with BJJ really heavy for a few years.  That school also taught Muay Thai.  I fought amateur kickboxing and some grappling tournaments.  I fought four amateur boxing matches and worked some Pekiti-Tirsa Kali.

I coached Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with more wins than losses.  I quit coaching/teaching a few years ago when I realized I wasn't really putting as much into it as I used to...  Didn't seem like I should be representing myself that way when there are so many people who really love martial arts and want to train it right.


I don't know quite what happened, but at some point I didn't really care to fight anymore.  I didn't want to train hard... just kinda lost the love.

[masonryman]

I did Tae Kwan Do for 2 years I found it to be very enjoyable till I was in a car crash that put me down for about 6 months.

 I just never got back in the gym my workout partner was in the same wreck and was in coma for 3 months at that point I started working out with and coaching a high school wrestling team.

Later I started coaching a club gymnastic team, training and spotting mostly. I just recently quit doing the gymnastics, that went on for about 8 years.

The gymnastics was the most intense of the sports I have been involved in, but also the shortest career

[Hush]

That happens Gregimotis, I'm getting back into it for more the physical training than the competition, most fighters are past their prime by 25, my son who is devilish quick and can still hold his own would not be good enough to enter the Shoto Cup or other such international event.
I find as I age the balance I had when I was training is slipping from me, I first noticed it when I started riding motorbikes again, just seemed to have lost that edge and as they say "use it or lose it"!

Jesus freak, there is no better family bonding thing than martial arts, both my kids did it and my daughter was green belt ( 6th Kyu) when she went to a major city on her own to attend university.
It held her in good stead as not only does it teach you to defend yourself it also teaches you how to avoid the confrontation in the first place, well JKA/Shotokan does anyway.
My son my ex wife and myself all trained and competed as a family for many years (in fact my ex ran off with our Karate instructor of 2 decades but that's another story altogether  ) My suggestion, find a good (not egotistical or cruel, watch how he treats the kids in his class) instructor and enrol, it's usually cheaper than the gym and works more muscles as well as teaching some vital and useful skills.

[pee wee]

 I'm a instructor in aikido as well as my two daughters and cousin .
beware of the fluffy aikido, theres a lot of crap out there.

[Hush]

Aikido is very rare here in New Zealand pee wee, I have yet to meet an Aikido instructor I don't respect, man that #$%* is truly amazing.
There's probably only half a dozen truly good Aikido Masters through out  NZ.
One of the strangest things I have noticed over the years is the build of really good martial artists, don't be over awed by the big guy with all the muscles in the Dojo, check out the little skinny guy blending into the background.
I have been dropped by more 4 foot 6" tall Japanese (men and ladies) than I care to admit to.

[BIKE]

No Karate, but my 9 year old has been in Muay Thai for a while.  He loves it. 

Many year ago I was a yellow belt in Taekwondo.

[74cb750]

I'm seriously thinking of getting back into Tai Chi
as it is more suited to us older people. 

[Hush]

I did some night classes of Tai Chi but after so many years of dynamic Karate I nearly went to sleep.

[gregimotis]

I'm seriously thinking of getting back into Tai Chi
as it is more suited to us older people. 

Suited in the sense that it's slow, little to no contact, low impact, meditative, and obsessive compulsive.



If all that appeals to you, look up Iaido.  At least then you get to play with long sharp things.

[Frankenkit]

Ah well it was worth a try.
Aikido is a very good art, it's were all our wrist locks we use in the Corrections system come from, I cross trained with an Aikido master for a while, massive art but after so many years of linear punching and kicking it felt so different and I spent a lot of time staring up at the roof thinking "now how did I get here"?

I'm actually very much considering getting into Aikido (or as a couple of friends call it: "The Falling-Down Dance")
I'd more be into the spiritual/philosophical element, but learning how to guide big people into the ground under their own redirected power could ultimately come in handy.  I'd be studying at the Oregon Ki Society, which shouldn't be the 'fluff' aikido I know I've seen out there, too.

[gregimotis]

Aikido and Japanese jiu-Jitsu are very difficult to make functional.  Not saying it can't work, but it is exponentially more difficult than wrestling and striking styles such as boxing.  Of course, busting somebodies nose is not going to be acceptable if one works in... say, a hospital; however it's going to take a ton of work and time.

A big part of the problem is that adrenaline makes fine motor skills go out the window.  Thus the grabs and small joint holds become even harder under pressure than they were in class.

Another problem is the way classes are often set up - in the 'real world' one isn't going to be fighting another person who wants to work grabs and holds, one is going to be fighting someone who wants to swing punches at your head and use his brute force against you.  The only way to really simulate that in a class is to put on some headgear and get used to taking punches while working your technique.  Often classes try to water this down with dead drills (He comes in with this punch, then I do this, then he does this)  but it isn't at all the same as sparring:  he comes in and tries to knock me out with whatever he's got while I try to grab his wrist with an inside grip and...

As another poster alluded, it's the ugly stuff that works best.  The simplest and most direct stuff is easiest to learn and easiest to use when it counts.


This is turning into a long post, but what I'm getting around to is this:

The more concerned you are with minimizing the level of violence in a fight, the harder you will have to work on your skills.  The best self-defense in the world is probably 'buy a knife or pistol, practice drawing it and using it', carry it at all times; second best is 'learn to hit hard and often; third is 'learn to wrestle (only third because ground fighting opens you up to things like getting kicked by your enemies girlfriend) and fourth is small joint manipulation and energy redirect.




NOTE:  This post is in no way meant to slight Aikido and related arts.  I am pointing out to whomever might be reading that much of the technique of these styles is very difficult to master, not that they are inherently ineffective.

[Frankenkit]

I think Aikido focuses more on the aspect of ki and its use within than necessarily the use without.  It's not really a 'fighting' art but more one concentrated on mastering the body and the psychological aspects of avoiding and redirecting conflict rather than creating and engaging in it.
...but I could have it all wrong. That's just what I've picked up from the different books I've read on it.

[gregimotis]

I think Aikido focuses more on the aspect of ki and its use within than necessarily the use without...

I think you may be right, and re-reading you're post you did say that was you're focus.  My interest in Martial arts has always been more towards the sweat and the blood... so I guess I projected my own priorities a bit in my response.


Also, dropping some ape on his face with a small step and a wrist twist is pretty sheik.

[Hush]

I have to recertify yearly at work in C&R (control and restraint) which is our basic take down big uglies real fast without actually hurting them techniques, it is totally at odds with all my Shotokan skills where take down your opponent with kicks and punches is the name of the game.
It has taken me 17 years as a Corrections Officer to finally find some middle ground where I'm happy that I will not break the nose of the big uglies as a first reaction.
Not that Karate has not had it's advantages over the years behind the bars, I was holding in my right arm a box of lunches for a wing of 12 prisoners one day, as the prisoners came to the grill to recieve their sandwiches one dickhead gang member threw up what he thought was a real fast roundhouse kick.
Without dropping the lunchbox I blocked and then with a twist caught his leg at about the ankle and held it their suspending him in mid kick.
All his mates said "ha ha look that old screw caught your leg bro", I just looked surprised and lifting his leg a bit higher flicked him back into the wing, "Damn how did that happen" I said ha ha

[Operator]

Hush ,

After reading your last post, I would comment to the fact that I have found in my experience, it is not always the specific details of the defence that make the difference, it is the time it takes to make that defence happen. Often times the guy with the quicker reaction time, whether the motion is completed or not, is the one with the immediate advantage. In your case you followed through...but had you only blocked with your arm, he likely still would have ended up on his ass, or at least off balance, providing you a further opportunity to neutralize the situation.

Either way, your story made me laugh a little bit

[mrblasty]

I practiced Hapkido for awhile in Portland.  I liked it for the reason it taught me to get out of the way of an attacker and be ready to control the fight simultaneously.  It seemed like a good balance of traditional style training and conditioning and down and dirty fighting.

[Hush]

Yeah Operator that's why we use C&R within the prison, no frills take-down and control the situation quick as.
I've watched Hapkido train Mrblasty, similar to TKD in a lot of ways, one of my mates at work is a Hapkido instructor who has trained in Korea with some top guys, I never let him have my wrists when he says "here I'll show you something"!