Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in martial artists' LiveJournal:

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Tuesday, July 7th, 2009
3:35 pm [lyonesse]	AIKIDO SEMINAR UPCOMING!!! Saturday July 11, 2-5PM Littleton Kokikai Aikido, at Flying Squirrel Consortium: Littleton Mill Building at 410 Great Rd, Littleton, Ma cost $20, working scholarships available for financial hardship . Theme: "Harmony and Contact: Grab Attacks" . Ukemi: front and back falls, work on rolling, two attacks (katatori, katatetori: shoulder and wrist grabs) . Ki voice practice (counting, kiai, possibly misogi if there's time) All levels (no experience -> black belt) welcome. To be taught by yours truly, chief instructor, Littleton Kokikai, with my fellow instructors and y'all :) Wear comfy, easy-to-roll-around-in clothes or gi, plan to be barefoot if possible. BRING A WATER BOTTLE OR REFRESHMENT DRINK! RSVP or questions in comments (email to this account @ lj works too :) Current Mood: excited (Comment on this)
Monday, June 29th, 2009
8:51 pm [lyonesse]	martial art vs martial art so i just had an interesting online interview with somebody who was looking for a woman martial artist to help teach some couple-hour self-defense seminars. their philosophy appears to be "groin kick or grab their face, then run". since i am an aikidoka, not to mention i was wearing crocs all day, i am not too impressed by this, especially the groin-kick aspect. the moai (fighting distance) for a snap kick is pretty close, the groin is not a large target, and it's useless if your attacker is say coming from the side. not to mention that i am not the fastest person in the world, and i'd rather get to a different point then running away from someone i've just pissed off. i do think i have a few practical self-defense skills to share, which might be listed thus: . how not to be afraid or upset during conflict . how to use voice and posture to help de-escalate a situation . how not to get hit by strikes or kicks . how to escape from grabs . how to take down a person who is attacking you, or send them on their way without getting hurt but hey, it's a different curriculum, even if compressed into a few hours. i *am* tempted to try this as an outline for the next seminar, though. discussion solicited.... (40 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, June 28th, 2009
11:28 pm [bunny_tsukino]	Hey there. My name is Laura and I've been training in Wado Kai karate for a few years now. I got my brown belt a couple of months ago, and have been working very hard already in preperation for my black belt grading, which is still a long ways off. Anyway, I thought I would say hi! And if anyone is interested, I started a blog to chronicle my year leading up to my black belt. It's completely public, and more for myself but thought I'd share. http://sensei-pretty.dreamwidth.org/profile (9 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, June 7th, 2009
11:40 pm [supaiku]	What to do? I've got a question for anyone who can answer it for me. What would you guys do if you moved to a place where there were nothing but the so-called "McDojos" and none of the styles you want to learn? I'm currently in that situation. I would love to take a martial art. Honestly I'd kill to learn some authentic Jeet Kune Do, Krav Maga, Kung Fu, Hakko-ryu Jujutsu (or perhaps just any Jujutsu) or even Wado-ryu. The problem is that in this area all I've been able to find has been Tae Kwon Do and in one case Ninjutsu (which somehow seems really fishy to me). I've checked into a lot of these places to see if maybe they're offering something non-advertised, but they're not. The dojos themselves seem almost the very definition of McDojo. I know MMA and BJJ seem to be extremely popular now-a-days but there's nothing even remotely like that around here either. Which I guess is okay, since I have no real interest in MMA as it is portrayed (UFC doesn't interest me either). So am I basically out of luck until I pack up and move somewhere that has more options? I don't trust trying to learn anything via book or video (as I know the importance of not only having a teacher but to have sparring sessions to try and practice/train). (14 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009
9:51 pm [lyonesse]	AIKIDO SEMINAR! Saturday June 13, 2-5PM Littleton Kokikai Aikido, at Flying Squirrel Consortium: Littleton Mill Building at 410 Great Rd, Littleton, Ma cost $20, working scholarships available for financial hardship . Theme: "Five Forms of Harmony" . Ukemi: front and back falls, introduction to rolling, one attack (tsuki; stomach punch) . Techniques: kotegaishi, kokyunage "comi nage", kokyunage "straight through", kaitenage, ikkyo . Ki voice practice (counting, kiai, possibly misogi if there's time) All levels (no experience -> black belt) welcome. To be taught by yours truly, chief instructor, Littleton Kokikai, with my fellow instructors and y'all :) @ear comfy, easy-to-roll-around-in clothes or gi, plan to be barefoot if possible. BRING A WATER BOTTLE OR REFRESHMENT DRINK! RSVP or questions in comments (email to this account @ lj works too :) Current Mood: excited (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, May 3rd, 2009
11:54 pm [me_so_geeky]	Footwear? Hi.  I'm pretty new to karate and I have a question.  I'd like to practice kata at home, but I live in the dorms so the only place to practice is outside.  I've tried practicing in bare feet, but it hurts on concrete and not an option on grass (allergies=rash).  I've also tried in shoes, but it just feels wrong.  So I was wondering if anyone knows of/has tried any footwear.  I was thinking something along the lines of ballet shoes?  The incongruity is horrible and cringe worthy.  I don't know anything about ballet shoes, by the way.  They just came to mind while thinking thin and flexible foot wear.  Please help! (cross posted to karate_do ) ETA:  Oh!  I'm sorry, I forgot to mention I'm vegan, so leather won't work for me.  (I claim it was late for the forgetfulness. ^_^)   Current Mood: tired (8 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, April 14th, 2009
8:22 pm [tattooedkingpin]	Follow-Up Many, many thanks for the multitude of replies and encouragement - all your advice has been extremely helpful. Based on the replies I recieved to my first post, I've done the following in regards to finding the right school/style for me: I've done a bit of research, and it seems that in area immediately around my home, there are: About five Karate schools (One specifies that they teach Kenpo, the others don't say) One Krav Maga school One Wushu school One "mixed martial arts" center that appears to have classes in every fighting style possible And one place that teaches something called "combatitude". I have no idea what "combatitude" is, but it seems a bit..."hollywood" to me. *shrug* I've emailed and called most of the schools asking for information, so hopefully they'll get back to me soon. As soon as the current semester ends, I'll be able to visit some schools and observe/ask questions. So yeah. Once again, huge thanks for the advice everyone shared, it's helped me get a handle on what I need to think about and what questions to ask when I'm able to really start hunting for a school. I guess the only thing left, is to ask if those of ya'll with experience in any of the styles listed could give me your opinions and personal observations as far as the pros/cons of them. Thanks! (7 Comments |Comment on this)
7:51 am [fan_of_happosai]	Okinawan Karate I was reading a newsletter for my neighborhood's HOA, and there is a guy who wants to teach Okinawan Karate. I've studied Tae Kwon Do, and a variant of Hap Ki Do in the past, and I'm definitely interested... but my google-fu is not turning up anything on what it's like. Does anyone here study Okinawan Karate? Is it pretty much like TKD? Just punches and kicks? Is there much grappling, throwing, and joint-locking? Finally, I what's the difference between Okinawan, Shotokan, and every other kind of karate? Thanks in advance! EDIT: I looked up the paper again, and this guy teaches Isshinryu. According to wikipedia, it's a combination of Shorin-ryu, Goju-ryu, and Kobudo. Looking up each style seems to only confuse me that much more. Anyone know anything about Isshinryu that is willing to help a curious guy out? (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, April 13th, 2009
11:35 pm [tattooedkingpin]	Where do I start? Hey all - Just joined, and I hope ya'll can help me out - I need some advice on finding the right martial art for me. A little background: I'm 27, overweight (5'10"/380lbs) and recently ruptured a disc in my lumbar spine. I originally injured my back in November of last year, but I re-injured it (slightly less seriously) early in March of this year, and then again just before the end of March. I'm still recovering from that last incident. Basically, my situation is this - I have a lot of my mobility back, but I am still (and always will be from now on) at risk of re-injuring the ruptured disc. My doctor has basically told me that the only sure way to keep myself healthy and reduce the risk of another episode is to lose weight and really increase my core strength. As much as I've tried, I'm just not one for the gym. I can't stay motivated to go in and run around a track, or lift weights or whatever. I have to be invested and interested in what I'm doing when it comes to excercise. I took a few jiu-jitsu classes when I was younger, and remember really liking it. So, long story short - what (if any) martial art(s) would you folks suggest I look into? I obviously need something that will be accessible by a complete noob, while still giving me a workout that will build up my strength and help me drop some weight. I've done a little reading online here and there, and I really like the looks of Krav Maga, but I know that they tend to really smoke you during training sessions, and I don't know how good of an idea that would be in regards to my back injury. And that's about it. Thanks very much for any help ya'll are able to offer! (11 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, April 10th, 2009
1:32 pm [strang_er]	going down Checking out the website of a local martial arts club, i came across that old statement that "90% of real fights will end up going to the ground". Now, i'm sure i've read somewhere that that statistic actually refers to mixed martial arts matches between trained fighters, not random punch-ups. Does anyone know the real story? (20 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009
9:06 pm [dojogrl]	hakkoryu jujutsu conference coming in July Hey everyone, I wanted to get the news out there to all of you that our school, Suigetsu Dojo, is hosting a very exciting event this summer. It's called the HMAF Gasshuku (sponsored by the Hakkoryu Martial Arts Federation) and it's going to be an intense & fun weekend of training on Long Island. The "official" press release is below, but feel free to ask any questions if you have them! Thanks, and hope to see you there! (Didn't mean for this post to sound "spammy" but I didn't know how else to get the word out to you all!) -------------------- Hakkoryu Jujutsu Gasshuku July 24-26, 2009, New York The Hakkoryu Martial Arts Federation is sponsoring a weekend of intensive training in Hakkoryu Jujutsu- July 24-26, 2009 at Suigetsu Dojo in Greenlawn, NY, USA. This Gasshuku is open to all martial artists of all styles and affiliations. The HMAF is a strong believer in passing along the knowledge of Hakkoryu Jujutsu. Included in your weekend: 12 hours of intensive training led by Dara Masi, Kaiden Shihan Sandaikichu All levels of Hakkoryu waza will be reviewed Rank promotion opportunities will be available for HMAF members In the tradition of Dennis G Palumbo, founder of the Hakkoryu Martial Arts Federation, the price is kept as low as possible and includes 2 meals, beverages and snacks throughout the weekend, and enjoyable networking and social time. For more information on this invaluable opportunity to experience Hakkoryu Jujutsu, review and refine technique with Shihans present in every session, and to join a grouping group of dedicated martial artists devoted to this unique art: visit www.hakkoryumartialartsfederation.com or write to HMAFinfo@aol.com. Hakkoryu Jujutsu, founded by Shodai Soke Okuyama Ryuho in 1941, has strong roots in Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu. This art uses the principles of "no challenge, no resistance, no injury" to effectively disable an opponent without injury. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Saturday, March 7th, 2009
11:35 am [roundrockronin]	Saino Kon Ki Seminar with Shihan Shawn Gray April 25th and 26th, 2009 Present 戸隠流忍法体術セミナールと師範ショングレイ Saino Kon Ki Seminar with Shihan Shawn Gray Saturday and Sunday, April 25th and 26th, 2009 ( Seminar details behind the cut ) (Comment on this)
Wednesday, March 4th, 2009
6:17 pm [ktnzgtklws]	Women's Groin Gaurd? My martial arts school allows goin shots is sparring. Consequently everyone, men AND women, must wear groin protection. Which leaves me, a) being a woman, and b) never having been in a system where such a thing was permited, in the realm of things I know NOTHING about. o.0 I've heard that women can wear the Jr. sized strap and cup? I've looked at the items that are marketed as women's groin gaurds, but they look like they'd be really uncomfortable? I found this: http://www.gungfu.com/htm-training-gear/protective-gear/training-gear-protective-gear-groin-guards-female-shock-doctor-power-ma-short-with-pelvic-protector.htm And it looks to be a lot more conforming and not as bulky as a lot of others, even though I'm not thrilled by the whole shorts-under gi pants (I'm in AZ, so less is better) option that goes with it. :-( So I guess my question is; to those ladies out there that use groin gaurds, which do you use and why? Pros? Cons? Current Mood: curious (21 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, February 11th, 2009
11:59 am [sins_of_pride]	Just a quick question! I'm running late for my next class, so I must make this short. Do any of you happen to have any good sites for improving flexibility? Especially in the legs? I have a history of being rather inflexible, infact when I worked factory and got my mandatory physicals the Nurse used to comment on how tight my leg muscles were and was suprised I wasn't in pain and down in the waiting room all the time. I want to limber up and get rid of this winter weight I put on, so it would be of great help when I get back into the swing of things. Thanks, Tyler Current Mood: rushed Current Music: Clack-clack-clack (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, February 5th, 2009
10:06 am [fr0w]	Ninja Parade ( Autoplay News ) (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, February 4th, 2009
11:18 am [kymus]	where can I find martial sports on TV and online? Hey folks, hopefully one of you knows something I do not. I'm in the (slow) process of building an HTPC and so I've started to pay more attention to what's actually on TV (I don't get cable since 95% of programming I have no interest in except for documentaries) and I would really like to follow some martial sports such as: Sumo wrestling (I've heard it's on ESPN sometimes...) Muay Thai Shuai Jiao (is this even aired on TV? I'm guessing no..) San Da (again, not sure if it's aired anywhere) Judo (is this televised outside of the olympics?) Old kung fu movies are great too I've caught the first two on TV here and there in the past at random, but I have no idea if the last 3 are televised on any national or international network. I've heard that Sumo is streamed from some japanese website, but I have no clue as to the scheduling or if there is any sort of english commentary or subtitling (doubt it). Since I'm using Boxee, a plugin can be made for online media, so if there is somewhere online that airs regular matches, that would be great too! (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, January 19th, 2009
4:53 pm [swirlingchaos]	fun and extremely silly training drill This is pretty ridiculous, but a lot of fun, and great for training hand speed, reaction time, overall coordination, and spatial awareness. Its incredibly simple too. What you need: 1 grocery receipt, non-folded, about 6 inches long. ... thats it. -Take the receipt by one end, and fling it up into the air above your head, as high as you can. -Wait at least a second or 2, then catch it, using a punching snatching motion relevant to your martial art of choice. -repeat. The receipt flutters down in different patterns and directions every time, and its bloody hard to nail on your first try, even with arcing sweeps instead of punches, so you have to shoot for it over and over until it finally hits the ground or you catch it. Make sure you get the receipt thrown up high enough that it establishes a random flutter before you go to catch it - catching it right away is cheating, and kinda dumb. If you catch it, you win. If you dont, you lose. If you hit another object while trying to hit the receipt, you hurt (doorframes R bad, m'kay?) If you hit yourself, or the paper smacks you in the face, you fail. :) You can elevate the challenge by confining your space such that you are standing within arms reach of a number of things that will hurt if you flail around and whack them. You could also fling it over your head behind you so that you have to spin around before trying to catch it, or have a friend fling it. Catching it as close as you can manage to another object or the floor is worth bonus points (no there isnt a point system... but if there WAS...). Flinging it such that it has to pass by your face before you catch it will get you using your bobs, weaves, slips (snicker) and dodges too. Dont forget to try both hands. Hell, i suppose you could try kicking it too if you want. up to you. Be careful who you let people catch you doing it though, since you look about as silly as a cat trying to catch butterflies (which is essentially what you are replicating, without the guck factor when you succeed) have fun! (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
12:18 pm [dukhat]	finding large martial arts shoes I am having a devil of a time finding martial arts shoes that have any reasonable chance of fitting me. I wear either mens 16 or mens 15EEEE (extra extra wide). There must be some huge guys who do martial arts that need shoes just like me! Where do they get them? The closest I have found is mens 15 at http://www.martialartssupplies.com/adlowtopshbl.html but I would really like to find a shoe that went up to size 16 in case the 15 doesn't fit me. These shoes would need to be suitable for Hapkido practice. I have a host of foot problems and I really need to keep my feet covered at the very least. Any advice? Since this is my first post here, let me also introduce myself as a martial artist. I practice Kokikai Aikido (2nd kyu) and Hapkido (no rank). (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, January 11th, 2009
3:49 am [weirddave]	Doing the right thing is hard And it ruined the game for me. I went out to my regular local watering hole to watch the Ravens game tonight. It's a neighborhood bar that really gets packed with Ravens fans for the games, so it's an excellent and fun place to watch the game. The game was tight, it was intense, and it was fun. Fourth quarter rolls around, and the game is tight. Between plays, I hear one guy say to his friend, a big, older gentleman "That was your wife? I thought it was your daughter!" I was standing right next to them, and I laughed, because it was funny. The big guy looks at me, and then walks away. I thought nothing of it, but 30 seconds later he's suddenly in my face, dragging his mortified wife, saying "Does this look like my daughter bitch?" WTF? I don't know this guy from Adam. Haven't said word one to him all night. His wife is trying to pull him back, but he's ignoring her, he's in my face. Aggressively. Joe, who is another regular at this bar and who apparently knows this guy is talking to him, trying to cool him down. I apologize to him, saying I'm sorry if I offended him, it was not my intention, let me buy him a drink. He's having none of it. So I ignore him. Flat out, don't even respond to his taunts. I try to watch the game, but he's making it hard. As soon as the game ended, I walk out of the bar and go home (I had to go back later in the night to pay my tab). I get home and play with my wonderful 4 year old son. I know I did the right thing. I wasn't scared of the guy, I just see no point in engaging in a pointless fight. Here's the thing. He was just a loud, drunk bully, looking for a fight. I didn't give it to him, and his taunts became more personal the more I ignored him. "You're just a chickenshit, I'm done with you, you're not worth my time, I know I wouldn't walk away from someone in my face, a real man wouldn't", etc...etc... I don't look for fights, I try to avoid them. I've actually never fought anyone in my life except in a ring. But I've been studying mixed marshal arts for a few years now, and the system that I study is very much geared towards fighting in real life situations. He never laid a hand on me, he was trying to goad me. If he had laid a hand on me, I would have taken him. Easily. He was nothing but a sloppy drunk. I wasn't drunk in the least. But...I walked away. First call I made when I got home was to my instructor. He's an impressive fighter, black belts in 13 different marshal arts, 30 some years of training and combat behind him, including a stint as an instructor for U.S. special forces. He agreed with me, told me I had done the right thing, said that he would have done exactly the same. I'm a neophyte, he could destroy a dozen of the guy giving me grief without even breaking a sweat. I felt better after talking to him. Still, I walked away. I WALKED AWAY. I know I'm not, but the taunts of "coward" still ring in my ears. It bothers me. It shouldn't, but it does. Like I said, doing the right thing is hard. And although he is not a regular at the bar during the times that I go there, he is still a regular, and I'm concerned that he might think me a craven target and look to start something those times he does see me there. If he lays a hand on me he's done, but I really don't want to have to endure future goads ruining my good time at my local pub. What really pisses me off is that this guy ruined a great football game for me. The fourth quarter was fantastic, and I only got to see it around assface's ugly mug as he tried to get me to swing on him. Current Mood: emasculated (16 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
9:37 am [wishmaster_ein]	A Brief Nunchaku FYI. When you put bandanas on the ends of your nunchaku it slows them down significantly. It also makes a unigue wooshing sounds when you use your wrists the right way. So here's what happens. This builds resistance in your wrists and makes them stronger. I found this out by accident when I took off the bandanas and practiced normally. With consistent training, you can develop an insane amount of speed with my technique. I just thought I'd throw that out there. I think it's a great wrist exercise for nunchaku. And I imagine a ton of people already know this. lol (4 Comments |Comment on this)