Patience, young Seeker, patience.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bidoofdude
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Patience, young Seeker, patience.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bidoofdude
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
Actually... we're both wrong. Thundercracker has incendiary guns. Starscream has null rays, and Skywarp has machine guns! *tsk* Look at us getting our Seeker weapons mixed up! :pQuote:
Originally Posted by Bidoofdude
And you call yourselves fans! :pQuote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
*quietly leaves thread before anybody realises i missed it too*
Sparred last night... been sore all day today. :o
What are the sparring guidelines?Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
No attacks to the face. Everything else is fair game. Only "soft" strikes to the groin and ribs are allowed. I found that the students' that I sparred with:Quote:
Originally Posted by Bartrim
+ Good defence below the neck - excellent groin defence. ;)
+ Craphouse defence above the neck. :rolleyes:
+ Students were good with long range fighting but poor at close range fighting. Students were utterly inept at countering any form of grappling and were completely incapable of performing breakfalls. I don't think these students have ever been grabbed or thrown before! :eek: I was speaking to another Karate practitioner earlier today who said that at his Dojo one of the first things they learn is breakfalling - and he raised an excellent point - because beginners are far more likely to _need_ to know how to breakfall than a more experienced student! :) One student actually went, "Ow!Ow!Ow!Ow!Ow!Ow!" when I put him in a wrist lock. :eek: It wasn't even that "intense" of a wrist lock... I think he just had never felt what it's like to be wrist locked before!
Most of the time when I closed in to drop my opponent to the ground, I ended up having to also cradle them as they fell down to prevent neck/head injury (no mats in the Dojo - probably because nobody ever grapples/throws). :eek:
I asked the instructor how often they did grappling training, and he answered "We don't really do much of that here." Alright... you guys don't believe in grappling... that's fine. But at least learn how to counter a grapple! It's the same when I hear people tell me that they don't believe in groin strikes (because they think it's a "dog" move) -- okay fine, you don't have to use these techniques, but you really ought to learn how to protect yourself from these kinds of attacks!
Oh, then it came time to spar with the instructor. He said to me, "Watch this, I'll show you something cool," and the threw a punch toward my head which I blocked, followed immediately by a sweeping kick to my front leg, so I instantly lifted my leg to avoid the sweep. That was it. The instructor then said, "Good! Good! You managed to avoid that!" He then showed me an alternative counter to that attack, which involved dropping back into a Renoji-Dachi, then coming forward into a Zenkutsu-Dachi with a counter punch. I personally just simultaneously blocked the punch and lifted my front leg into Crane Stance... if I wanted to launch a counterstrike, I could easily throw a Maegeri from that stance, or step into his position into a Zenkutsu-dachi etc. *shrugs* His technique works too, so I'm not faulting it per se... but IMO if my technique ain't broke, I don't see the need to change it. :o (nor should he change his technique to mimic mine if it's working for him - as I always say, the best technique is the one that works for that individual ;)).
Went to a nice big Italian Wedding on Sunday Night in Sydney and the floor show entertainment during the meal was a Brazilian dance/Capoeira show. So some guys play some drums some girls wearing very little clothing (seriously I think my Dad needed blood pressure tablets after this show:p) did some dancing then the capoeira team started showing their moves. Then one guy searches for an audience member to join in and by coincidence he picked... me! At first I was real nervous and didn't want to do it. Then I got coaxed up onto the dance floor. After getting me to do several pushups and stretches to warm up he slowly got me to do the ginga movement (I think that's what it's called, the rocking back and forth, switching legs thing). Once I built up some speed doing that he thought he would have some fun by adding some kicks in. Thank God I have 3.5 years practice so I didn't look like a total moron. It was quite fun and because I don't advertise my martial arts training so I surprised both the Capoeira guy and a lot of wedding guests with my ability. So after a couple of various turning kicks and a crescent kick (which I performed at head height) my grand finale was a cartwheel. Even though we don't train to do cart wheels in class I have had one brown belt teach me cartwheels before and after class a couple of times for fun. So I got quite the round of applause when I pulled it off.
I just thought it was funny coincidence that with all the guests at this wedding I got picked to do the martial arts demonstration. I even asked my cousin (the bride) if she told them to pick me and she said no, it was all coincidence.:)
I've got my very first grading coming up in about 5 weeks' time... I'm already starting to feel nervous! A few days ago I was talking to another bloke who's a 3rd Dan in Goju Karate, and he was complaining to me about how a lot of guys get to Black Belt and think that they're "all that," but fail to appreciate that Black Belt is the Beginner's level and that everything before then is just preliminary preparation. I then said that the problem and reason for why that happens is because there's just so many belts/levels before then, that it inevitably builds up this massive sense of accomplishment - so by time you get to Black Belt it feels like you've accomplished so much only to be smacked in the face by the reality that you're still a novice! This wouldn't be so bad if there were just less (a lot less) grades/belts before black belt -- like in Japan where there are only 2 belts before black (white and brown). Or better yet, just get rid of the whole belt/grading system altogether and get back to what Karate was originally like prior to the 20th Century!! :rolleyes: I'm only doing my _first_ grading as a white belt, and I'm already feeling the excitement/anticipation of getting my first coloured belt! I know I shouldn't, but I do! When I was driving home from training, I was thinking about how I was feeling, and there was one line from "The Incredibles" that sums it all up so well...
"They keep creating new ways to celebrate mediocrity..." - Bob Parr
Then there's the money. I haven't even bought a Gi yet, and they won't let me grade without one (seriously... why? :confused:) - that's $45. Then it's $40 for the grading (which I'm guessing still has to be paid regardless of pass/fail - and Sensei is a notoriously hard marker), and then $10 for the belt if I pass. So I'm looking at $95 between now and grading, and that's not even including the $10/class lessons in between ... I go once a week, so that's an additional $50... so by the time of grading, I will have spent $145! :eek: :eek:
Alright, ranting aside, does anyone have any tips/advice they'd like to offer for first time grading? :o
Relax. That is the most important thing. Also talk to your Sensei and see if there is anything in particular you need to focus on for the grading. I'm assuming the grading will be more gruelling then a regular lesson. If that's the case I would suggest do some extra cardio work. As well as my classes I attend I also do 100 push ups and sit ups every night and I run 3 klms twice a week. Leading up to grading I increase that to 300 push ups and sit ups and run 5 klms twice a week. I find that is plenty of cardio work which doesn't take too much time. The push ups and sit ups take about 15 minutes and the running takes about 18-20 minutes.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
I've been told that it's the basic strikes, blocks and stances/movements. No kata. I might ask another instructor if he can do a trial grading with me before the date.
Sounds like you've aleady got it in the bag.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch. The instructor who does the gradings is a notoriously hard marker, and while the stuff I'm learning is incredibly basic, some of it is quite different from what I'm used to and Sensei's like uber strict on everything being exactly the way he wants it to look like (form over function :rolleyes:).Quote:
Originally Posted by Sinnertwin
Some things I'm still getting used to include:
+ The Sanchin ("Three Battles") stance; we don't have this stance in Tai Chi or even most other forms of Kung Fu (especially Northern Kung Fu). This stance originates from Southern Fujian Kung Fu (which is where Karate is descendant from) and is principally used in Fujian styles; none of which I'm terribly familiar with! I've been finding this stance the most difficult to master -- but last week I was talking this Karateka, black belt 3rd dan... I showed him my Sanchin stance and he told me it was 'perfect.' :) Last Saturday's class was the first time I didn't get corrected on my Sanchin stance!
+ Front kick (maegeri) -- as strange as it sounds, I'm having some issues with this, and I think it comes down to the fact that the Karate front kick has some subtle differences to the Tai Chi/Kung Fu front kick, but also we've never formally done any bag work* in class. In Karate the front kick turns off the ball of the foot of the supporting leg and impacts with the ball of the foot of the kicking leg; in Tai Chi/Kung Fu it's the heels (in Tai Chi the front kick is also called the "heel stomping kick"). Both methods of kicking have their advantages, but it'd be easier for me to learn the Karate version if I were able to actually kick something!
+ Fist's nest (i.e. where the non-attacking fist rests on the body). In Nothern Kung Fu/Tai Chi the fist's nest is typically held at the hips, whereas in Southern Kung Fu and Karate it's typically held at the chest level. So it's something new I gotta get used to, but honestly I don't put all that much thought into it because fist's nest is something that's more important to raw beginners. You don't use it in a real fight, but it's purpose is as a visual aide for beginning students to clearly see how their waists are positioned. So it's a useful technique for novice students, but once you move beyond that noob stage it becomes rather superfluous... because beyond novice level, you're taught to use both hands at the same time, which is what I'm used to doing. It seems like such a minor point, but it's gonna be something that Sensei's gonna nitpick on, so I gotta make sure I'm doing it right.
...and that's what I prefer about Thursday lessons which is taught by a Sempai over the Saturday lessons taught by Sensei. Sempai might not be as highly qualified as Sensei, but I prefer him as a teacher because for me he can see that a lot of these basics are quite simple for me, and he's willing to show me more advanced techniques -- he lets me try more advanced katas and even lets me spar (which ungraded students aren't meant to do). He didn't do all this in the first lesson, but after getting to know me he can tell that I would benefit more from lessons if he shows me and lets me try more advanced techniques.
My Chen Tai Chi teacher wouldn't bore a new student with prior martial arts experience by teaching him from the very beginning. He would at first, just to gauge when their level is like, but once he got to know them, he would just let them skip past the basics -- sometimes skip right past certain forms and up to whatever level best suited the student. He saw no point in teaching someone how to do stances all over again, even if some of our stances and basics differed from what that student had done, he just let the student learn the new way as he went along, and if a student needed attention with a particular basic technique, then he'd focus on that. For example, do I really need to continually practice Zenkutsudachi (forward stance)? There's a very similar stance in Tai Chi called the Bow Stance. The Neko-ashi dachi (Cat Stance) is quite similar to Tai Chi's Empty Stance. As I said, the only stance that I've experienced difficulty with was the Sanchin stance, simply because we don't use it in Tai Chi (whereas a person with experience in say Fujian Kung Fu or another style of Karate would find it quite easy).
The Sensei's class is primarily teacher-centred. The only student attention you get is if you stuff something up. :( The Sempai's class is far more student-centred, and student-centred learning is more effective than teacher-centred learning. Granted the Sensei's classes are much larger - but that's another reason why I like Sempai's classes... fewer students, greater individual attention from the teacher. :)
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*I did get to kick a shield once in one of Sempai's lessons (it was before the class had formally started) - he was holding the shield and asked us to do different kinds of kicks. It was funny... the graded students went first, and just gently tapped the shield with their kicks. Then it was my turn and the hall just echoed with "WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!" and I could see Sempai having to work to absorb the impact of my kicks. None of the other students were able to issue any power in their kicks. Little wonder if they hardly ever (never?) do bag/padwork. :(
Saw this tragic story about a 9 year old boy who was attacked in the groin by a bully and has consequently lost one of his testicles. :( If you pause the video at 1:23 there's a copy of the medical report in English. Basically after being attacked, the victim was admitted to hospital and cleared to go home, but later at home he noticed that one of his testicles was swollen and turned black... after going back to hospital, the doctor declared that the tissue inside had already died and they had to surgically remove it. Small consolation is that the remaining testicle is fine and he ought to be able to reproduce with that in the future, but the child continues to suffer psychological damage and nightmares which will may very well take much longer to heal than his physical injuries. :( The technique that the bully used where he grabbed the boy's testicle and twisted it is something that is taught in several martial arts; mimicking a martial arts technique known as "Monkey steals the Peach" (from the story of Saiyuuki (Monkey Magic) where Son Gokuu (Monkey) steals the Peach of Immortality from the Heavenly Garden). I think it's a solemn reminder as to just how dangerous groin attacks can be - even if you walk away thinking that you're alright. As with a lot of internal damage, symptoms may crop up long after the initial strike.
Disclaimer: I'm in NO way validating/condoning the bully's attack in this story, nor am I attempting to place the victim under any scrutiny here. IMO the attack was a completely abhorrent and deplorable act, and I hope that the attacker will be suitably dealt with. The victim is only 9 years old and was completely set up by a person he considered his friend (and thus implicitly trusted). I'm only referring to this story to demonstrate what the consequences of a groin attack can be.
>>>Now comes my typical rant about groin-defence; long time readers of this thread may choose to tune out now<<< :p
As most of you know, I've witnessed far too many martial arts practitioners who just don't adequately protect the groin, especially people who train for competition fights. And I've encountered a lot of people who steadfastly believe that they don't need to defend their groins - that it's a "dog" move, that they would never do it, and that anyone who does it is scum. Sure, they're scum... but they're scum who may very well cause permanent damage to your doo-dads! I can totally understand people who have personal objections to using groin attacks... okay, that's fine. But what I don't understand is people who object to learning how to defend themselves from a groin attack! I personally don't carry a knife around to attack people with, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't learn how to defend myself against a knife attack!
I still cannot believe the number of martial artists I've come across who, when I try to discuss groin defence with them, actually get really angry. I've had people scream at me, verbally abuse me and just walk away refusing to train with me if I so much as suggest incorporating groin attacks/defence. It's as if it's some kind of massive taboo for them to even think about it. I get that it's incredibly unpleasant... but what part of being assaulted is pleasant anyway? Surely self defence is about protecting ourselves from horrible nasty people who would consider doing horrible nasty things to us. Some people seem to have a mindset that they only need to defend themselves from a noble attacker... but noble people don't attack others! :rolleyes:
Ha! Awesome.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
On the whole groin attack thing. At my last grading we had to partner and go through self defence. We have six basic attacks that we drill. Because it was an advanced grading (brown belts and up) they made us come up with something on our own instead of doing the normal drill. The first attack is basically a standard haymaker. When it was my turn to demonstrate, my partner went to throw the punch and I simulated (ie: didn't actually make contact) a snap kick to the groin. Our Kyoshi and founder of our schools stopped us and told everyone that it was the best self defence technique because it was the most simple and effective.:)
Sparred last night with the second highest ranking student in the class (we don't pick our partners - they get assigned to us). Good range fighting. Excellent groin defence and solid guard overall. He made it more challenging for me to close the distance - I coudn't just walk into his range like I did with previous opponents, but I found it was pretty easy to spring/hop into range to quickly close the gap. Once I got in close, he would flounder and whenever I commenced a takedown, my opponent was utterly incapable to countering (or even breakfalling). I was quite slow/gentle with my takedowns, I would move in and engage him with furious speed, but as soon as I felt that he'd lost his balance and had started falling, I slowed down to "Tai Chi practice" speed and let him gently fall down - so he was never in any danger of being injured (since we don't ever use mats and he's just falling on solid floor). Whenever he fell down he'd just lie on his back splayed out like he's having a nap, so I'd gently put my knee on his chest and throw punches toward his head (stopping just a few cm short of contact) before helping him get up. My opponent seemed quite competent at defending himself from someone who's going to box at him from a distance, but not against an up close attack (and seemed utterly defenceless against grappling).
I only go to Karate once a week, but the instructor encouraged me to come along to this Sat's class as apparently there's some tournament thing happening with people from around Australia and Japan coming. I was just gonna pop in for a minute to purchase my Gi, but I'm considering staying for the lesson if it's gonna be something special.
Did he get justice?Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
how come you don't spar with strikes to the head?
Against the rules of the Dojo (and as a result some of the students have predictably incredibly poor head defence). :( My guess is that they don't want to risk head injuries as that can cause traumatic brain injury/concussion etc. All martial arts schools/teachers have a legal duty of care over their students. But I honestly think it's an unnecessary precaution (that's also counter-intuitive to self defence training). At sparring we're already told to basically make light contact, because nobody wears any protective gear (other than hand guards that pad the knuckles, that's it). So basically all hits land with the force of someone tipping you in the schoolyard. And that's fine... so I really don't see the need of being extra cautious in totally disallowing head strikes. Groin strikes are allowed, and as a result everyone at this school has excellent groin defence! If they allowed head strikes I reckon students would quickly learn to improve defending their heads too! (funny that ;)).Quote:
Originally Posted by sifun
Quite frankly, as much as I try not to strike the head, I do get a few head shots in (with minimal opposition). I'm not intentionally defying the rules, but the fact of the matter is that when you're sparring/fighting you're mostly moving automatically and reflexively. If I see an opening, I'm just going to take it. If my opponent keeps leaving a part of their body exposed - groin, head, whatever - I'm going to attack it. I consciously try not to, which means I'm able to suppress most of my head strikes, but every now and then a hit is going to get in. Usually when my opponent attacks me harder and faster and I have to react more quickly - there's no time to think and I just attack whatever's open. Thankfully for my opponent's I'm quite used to 'soft contact' sparring, so I'm not hitting with any real force. The fact that we all wear padded gloves makes it even softer. :p
I suppose the good thing is that none of my opponents have ever cried foul when I have hit them in the head... unlike some other sparring partners I've had in the past who've been less the courteous when I've hit them in the groin. ;) I guess it's because even a 'gentle' hit to the groin can still hurt a lot! As Eddie Murphy once said - you can just graze a man in the nads and it'd still take him down. (link not suitable for kids)
So I went to training yesterday - first time I decided to do a second class in the same week. Finally bought a Gi (goodbye $45 :(). It was a special tournament class, but as an ungraded student I was only allowed to do the Kata competition, where they pair you with another student and you both do kata and they declare one person a winner. :eek: I lost.
This may sound like a case of sour grapes, but I'm really not fond of making people 'compete' against each other with Kata. The reason for this is because I just don't see the educational benefit of it. As you all know I've never been a fan of competition martial arts in general -- in traditional martial arts the only person you should be competing with is yourself, striving for self improvement and achieving your personal best. But I suppose some might argue that making a competition out of it might introduce an element of 'fun' and some students might thrive on the competition element (especially boys). So I can see how it might suit that personality type -- that's fine. But the thing that bothers me about it is that, for the 'losing' student, there's NO constructive feedback as to why they lost!
When it comes to learning things, there's nothing wrong with making mistakes - the important thing is that we _learn_ from our mistakes. If my kata is wrong, then tell me what I did wrong! There's no explicit correction of mistakes. Also, Sensei claims that the Kihon Kata only has one stance - Zenkutsudachi... but honestly it has more. Namely the transitional stances... I don't know what they're called (as nobody seems to even view them as stances or positions in their own right), but one is like a highly contracted Nekoashidachi (essentially a Tiger Riding Stance), and the other is a contracted Jade Ring Stance (only that the rear knee is aligned with the front leg's knee/calf instead of stepping across it; I don't know the name for this variation of the Jade Ring Stance) -- both of these stances are important in turning during the form... yet there's little focus on how to do it and also which direction to turn during the form. :rolleyes: The teaching of the kata seems to focused on just the 'end result' of stepping in Zenkutsudachi, but glazing over how to actually get there in the first place.
Teaching isn't just about "Here's the right way to do it," but importantly, "Here's how it's done correctly." I don't mind being told that I've made a mistake... but I'd also like to be properly corrected and instructed on how to improve on my mistake. Isn't that what we're paying money to instructors for? If they want me to just figure it out on my own... I can do that at home and save myself the money. :o
I only know this from studying to become an accreditated instructor but there are severe legal raminifications if anyone suffers a head injury in a Martial Arts School. I disagree with it as I prefer head shots and if I am alone with my Sensei he allows me to put on headgear and we spar with head shots. The same goes for groin shots. The protective equipment worn does not 100% prevent injury so head and groin shots are not allowed. It is that bad now that when knife defence is practiced a dojo is not covered legally if the students to not wear eye protection.
Have you asked for feedback Gok? From what I've seen in big tournaments there usually isn't time on the spot to explain to the loser what went wrong but if you asked an instructor/judge later they will be more then happy to explain.
I think you have to let go of your love of traditional martial arts too. The rise in popularity in MMA has caused a rather quick evolution in martial arts and society has changed so much that there is no real practical need for traditional martial arts. This again goes back to what I've learnt doing my accreditation. Using traditional martial arts in self defence can often leave you on the wrong side of the law. We did numourous case studies where the mugger took the victim to court because of the harm done to them because the victim was a martial artist. There is a fine line between self defence and assault. That line becomes even finer when you are a practicing martial artist and can get quite blurred easily for a judge. Tha is why most schools that teach self defence will tell you physical defence is the last resort! Traditonal Martial Arts are great but they are just not practical in todays world and I seriously think you need to understand that.
Yeah but there are still ways around it like getting the attacker to apply "light contact" attacks, or just pulling their strikes a few cm from contact (do the latter with inexperienced students, and allow more experienced students to do the former). Or just mix up junior and senior students together more often in training -- the more experience senior students will know how to safely execute a simulated head or groin strike without causing serious injury, and they also know how to defend themselves from incoming strikes from the inexperienced junior student. The risk I think comes more from when you put two inexperienced students together, neither possessing the skill/experience to execute a head or groin shot in practice safely. Or heck, just give the attacker a pair of feather dusters and ask them to use those to attack you. You can still feel the feather dusters touching you, but they're too soft to injure you.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bartrim
There were a lot of instructors at the Dojo that day, but they were all busy with the tournaments (which only graded students could participate in) and the ungraded students were made to do basics. There were 3-4 instructors who watched us when we did the Kata competition to judge, surely at least one of them could've come along to the sideline and had a quiet chat with the 'losing' student to give them constructive feedback. The instructor in charge is someone I've trained with before, and he hardly ever gives constructive feedback in his classes. Another instructor that I sometimes train with whom I find far more constructive was also there, so I'll ask him if he can give me any feedback when I see him next (if he remembers my performance :p).Quote:
Originally Posted by Bartrim
I see traditional martial arts as still being useful for civilian self defence in today's society. You're right in that it's no longer useful for its original purpose (combat), and it's definitely not suited for modern competition fighting either.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bartrim
I've never come across any martial arts school that didn't teach physical defence as a last resort; traditional, modern or otherwise.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bartrim
In cases where people have abused their martial arts training in self defence, I wouldn't say that the problem lies in Traditional martial arts, but rather in people who didn't know how to use the techniques appropriately. And that may very well come down to the teaching/learning aspect; and when you're teaching martial arts for self defence one ought to be mindful to remind students that the law allows for the reasonable use of force in self defence. But I think any kind of martial arts training can be abused in self defence -- traditional or otherwise.
As you know one of my pet peeves about martial arts schools (including traditional ones) are those who fail to be more selective in who they teach. I'm a firm believer that people with thuggish tendencies should not be trained in any kind of martial arts or fighting sport; that martial arts teachers/schools have a moral responsibility to either exclude these students, or modify their teaching of that student (so that the student is unable to use any techiques learnt from the school to harm someone else); e.g. exclusively teach passive/defensive techniques.
IMO a good martial arts instructor aims to teach his/her students to defend themselves from violent thugs but without becoming violent thugs themselves. But in order to become proficient at that, you need to understand how violent thugs attack ("Know the enemy as you know yourself and you shall not fear the results of a hundred battles" - Sun Tzu, The Art of War). One thing I see with some people who are "too defensive" in their training (i.e. never learn how to strike) is that when they train/spar with each other, they're defending themselves from incredibly weak and unrealistic attacks. Just look at this Aikido demonstration -- the attacks are far too "nice." There is that element of what 5FDP calls 'over compliance' from the attacker which makes it unrealistically too easy for the defender to counter. And I don't just mean to pick on Aikido, a lot of martial arts schools do this, including Tai Chi (many Tai Chi practitioners start with the attacker and defender already in contact, so there's no real learning of how to bridge that initial gap).
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Also... got any tips on how to tie up an Obi? Any good web sites with good illustrations or decent videos you can recommend? :)
Managed to grade 5th kyu in Iai last week. Not happy that I have to cut down my training this semester to once a week with my classes clashing and therefore not training as hard as I could have. Doing strikes at home isn't cutting it. On the bright side I must be doing right as my hands are developing tons of calluses.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...oudidthere.jpg :pQuote:
Originally Posted by Raptormesh
Correct me if I'm wrong, but Iai is predominantly Kata training, isn't it? (i.e. you don't do forms of sparring/fighting with bokken/bokuto or shinai). The beauty of learning Kata is that you can continue practising them at any time. Although admittedly it's really not as effective as in a class where people can correct or refine your techniques... and it's also just more fun when practising with someone else. :) Iai also has two-person Kata, right? That would be jolly hard to do on your own. At least you're still training once a week - that's not as bad as completely quitting. :o
Heh, that wasn't entirely intentional...obviously :P
Yup it's mostly Kata based. However our sensei do get us to practice Kendo Katas with the bokuto to get a sense of distance, which is very useful to make our Katas "believable". Self practice works if you're still learning the steps, but is quite hard to develop the metsuke or zanshin required without external observation. Like my sempai said, it's pretty obvious if you're not taking it seriously or lack training as you'll just be dancing with a sword.
There are paired Katas as well, but that's pretty advanced stuff called koryu where it becomes more practical(for 15th century Japan at least) using shinken so mistakes can be a danger.
Myself, I got into Iai to discipline my mind, and to focus.
I have to do a bo staff kata at my next grading. I've tried it a few times and I am hell unco:o
I massively suck at weapons too. Admittedly it's something that doesn't personally interest me. :o
Fair enough. And I can appreciate you wanting to perfect your techniques and form too; even if weapon arts aren't something one learns for self defence, if you're gonna learn it you might as well do it right! :) A former colleague of mine is one of the top ranking Kendoka in NSW and he also practises Iai.Quote:
Originally Posted by Raptormesh
Do you guys ever do demonstrations at Medieval/Renaissance Fairs? I'd love to see that -- I find that they're all too often very Euro-centric, and it'd be nice if they included elements of other cultures from that same historical period. Though technically the modern Gi and certainly your belts wouldn't be historically accurate... but ignorance may be on your side. ;) Cos I know if you go to these events with a European persona, other people will ruthlessly nitpick everything! (e.g. "Look at that person in Elizabethan gown with a Byzantine belt! Har!!") ... oh, and I've been told that in Western European martial arts, a white belt means you're a Knight, soyou'd^I'd be likely to get challenged if I walked around one of those in my Gi! :D :p
Haha, no I don't imagine we ever demo'd at those fairs but we do demo at Japanese Festivals if there are requests here in VIC. Would be a bit weird trolling those fairs in our gear to be honest :D.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
Even when we do demo it's usually insanely quiet and subdued unlike other martial arts. My sensei and sempais even point out if I make a sound drawing or sheathing my iaito. My dojo has a huge complement of Kendokas and people training naginata as well. Most of the senseis for iai and naginata also train in Kendo and I plan to as well. Well, either that or Jodo.
Far from it, I think you'll find that anyone with a non-European persona at a Medieval/Renaissance recreational event is more likely to draw a lot of positive attention as they're just so rare and thus seen as highly exotic! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Raptormesh
A lot of martial arts don't do any shouting. In Tai Chi we're never taught to shout -- Tai Chi forms and drills are practised with an air of serenity. But having said that, I do find that even Tai Chi fighters will end up making noises during actual fight practice (e.g. fight drills, sparring etc.) - but it's more like a 'subdued tennis grunt.' :pQuote:
Originally Posted by Raptormesh
Went to training for the very first time in a Karate Gi! (though not the first time I've trained in a Gi, I did wear a Gi when I did Aikido -- but I've totally forgotten how to tie an Obi! :p)
The class I went to had a 50:50 ratio of adult and kid students. One of the youngins was a yellow belt who was continually not paying attention to Sensei and talking with another young orange belt. It was incredibly distracting. On top of that, he kept turning around to a young white belt and taunting him. Sensei wasn't doing anything to pull him in line because he would only muck up when Sensei's back was turned and he was constantly whispering and making silly gestures so as not to get noticed by Sensei. I could see that the young white belt wasn't enjoying being taunted by the yellow belt, and I was finding it a distraction. So I looked at the yellow belt and gestured for him to face the front. He gave me an unhappy look but complied. Then afterwards he started mucking around again, and I again gave him another gesture to turn around. He then gave me this incredibly dirty look... I maintained my gaze and gestured for him to turn around again. Then he got really sullen, but complied. And for the rest of the lesson was pretty much sulking in silence. I could see the young white belt smiling - relieved that the yellow belt was now leaving him alone. :) I later heard him whispering to the young orange belt, and I think he referred to me as a 'smart (bum)'. Was he upset that a 'lower ranking' white belt had reprimanded him? Wateva... he was giving a young white belt a hard time, and I got him to stop it in a discreet manner. Nobody else saw me gesturing to him except for the white belt that he was picking on - i.e. anyone who wasn't involved didn't see it. :rolleyes:
On a more positive note, Sensei told me what I did wrong with the Kata on Saturday and we went through the whole thing and corrected me on what I was doing wrong. :D That was really useful.
I also did something incredibly stupid. I initially intended to just go straight to training and back home, but on the way back I remembered that we were out of milk. So I stopped by a supermarket to get some -- still wearing my full Gi (cos I hadn't brought a change of clothes like everyone else does!). Felt like a complete goose. :rolleyes: I also bumped into a former sempai from GKR... extra embarrassment. :p She was still wearing her Gi pants, but at least had the common sense to change her top.
<facepalm.self> http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...imeratchet.jpg
Had my first grading today. As you all know, I've never been a fan of the coloured belt grading system; it's always seemed like a massive WOFTAM to me. But now having experienced a grading first hand, I gotta say...
...sometimes I hate being proven right. :(
Anyway, I shan't bore you all to death again with yet another rantage about martial arts grades other than it's just all form over function. :rolleyes:
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P.S.: if anyone's curious, yes I passed. I think. I was 1.5 marks off a perfect score, so I didn't qualify for a yellow belt but instead got a redlittle sliver of ribbontip for my white belt. $40 well spent. :rolleyes:
GP, How often does your dojo conduct gradings?
Not entirely sure -- might ask that next lesson. I'm guessing once every couple of months. The frequency itself doesn't bother me so much as the cost. $40 just for the privilege of taking the test - and an additional $10 for the lesson itself. So today I spent $50 on a single Karate lesson. That's only a few dollars less than what I paid for MP Lambor. :( Wouldn't be so bad if I walked away with some kickass ninja skillz... but instead I walked away feeling more jaded than when I walked in. The only minor consolation is that I saved myself $10 because I didn't qualify for a yellow belt. But honestly, it's a false victory because when I try to go for my yellow belt again, I'll have to spend another freaking $40 for my next grading. GRAAAAARGH!
Whatever... some of the guys I saw who got yellow belts can hardly even stand or punch straight. I've sparred w/ two orange belts (one w/ a green tip) at this school, both times I was able to repeatedly and consistently put them on the floor. At no times were they ever to put me on the floor or even get me off balance. Now that I've graded I hope that they'll let me do more sparring (and hopefully with even higher grades beyond orange belts ;)).
The teaching methodology at this Dojo seems based on dogmatic rote learning and memorisation rather than higher order thinking and learning (my old Chen Tai Chi school was certainly more geared toward higher order learning). For those who may not know, the modern way of looking at learning objectives is through a classification system called Bloom's Taxonomy, and it works like this...
From lowest to highest order of learning:
+ Knowledge: The ability to remember and recall, but without necessarily fully understanding what it is you've remembered. <---the bulk of the Karate training I've witnessed/experienced so far appears to be happening at this lowest level. :(
+ Comprehension: Demonstrating understanding of what you have learned. Describing, interpreting, extrapolating etc.
+ Application: Using the acquired knowledge. The ability to solve problems in new situations by applying acquired knowledge in a different ways.
+ Analysis: Breaking information into parts and examining them by making inferences and seeking evidence to support ideas.
+ Evaluation: Making judgments about the validity or quality of techniques based on a set of criteria and internal evidence.
+ Synthesis (Creation): Using creativity and originality to combine information to form something unique/new.
I was curious as to how often they would grade students despite their difference in rank within the same dojo. Do black belts get graded as often as say a white or yellow belt? Is it 3 ribbons/tip on your belt and 3 more $40 gradings before you achieve the next colour?
I would assume so considering that black belt 1st dan (shodan) = beginner level. So one would have to go for gradings to achieve anything above beginner's level (2nd dan, 3rd dan etc.). Having said that, there are very few black belts. I find Karate schools to be quite "bottom heavy" where white belts far outnumber black belts. I find that schools that don't have gradings are more "top heavy" where the more experienced and senior students outnumber beginners. Bottom heavy schools indicate a higher rate of enrolment but lower rate of student retention (i.e. higher rates of students dropping out before reaching higher levels), whereas top heavy schools reflect the opposite.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sinnertwin
Primus I hope not. I'd like to actually stick with this style and hopefully reach black belt some day... but if they're gonna stuff me around with multiple ribbons between belts then that's really gonna test my already highly jaded patience with gradings and belts. :/Quote:
Originally Posted by Sinnertwin
Hurt my hand in school sport today. Looks like I'll just have to spar with one hand tonight. ;) :D
Saw a new guy come to the Dojo last night. He's an ungraded white belt, but he told me that he did Kyokushinkai Karate a long time ago where he was on the "third belt." He's bigger, stronger, faster and has impressively good lightning reflexes! He's also not into being an "over compliant" partner either. i.e. when he grabs you, it's a super tight vice-like grip! I can't wait to spar with this guy! :D
I hate how our classes run like the school year. I hate having a break for so long. I have already started getting myself ready for my full brown belt grading in September.
Still coming to terms with Anderson Silva losing. Kinda like being told that Santa doesn't exist :p That being said Weidman did fight smart and Silva was maybe a fraction too arrogant.
he got tagged.
He'll be hungry for that belt again