h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi and welcome to h2g2.

I'm Captain Kebab and I'm an ACE, or Assistant Community Editor, which means I've volunteered to help greet new researchers and try to make them feel at home here on h2g2.

You can indulge all the bees in your bonnet here, and you'll find people who share all your interests (not necessarily all the same people ). You say in your intro that you're interested in martial arts - that's one of my interests - what do you practise?

There's loads to do here, so I've put together a page with some h2g2 links that you might find useful - you can get there by clicking this link: A794991. If you'd like to know any more or just want to talk you can click on the 'reply' button you'll see at the bottom of the page and I'll get back to you, or click on my name at the top and you'll find yourself at my personal space. You can leave a message for me there by clicking on 'discuss this entry'.

I hope to see you around soon...

Hello Captain Kebab

Thank's for your warm welcome CK.
I plan to dip into your selection of links in the near future.

Re Martial arts: I trained in art of Shotokan Karate for many years but stopped training about 4 years ago.However for the last year I've been training in Ka Aikido. MMM very different. What are your interests in the m.arts?

I will look forward to finding my way around the site & poking my nose in here and there.

By for now...

Martial arts - I train in Shotokan, and have since 1986. We're not in the KUGB, not really interested in competition - we're trying to get back to Shotokan as it was in Funakoshi's early days. Before Shotokan I studied Goju Ryu for 6 years.

I've recently (this year) also taken up Tai Chi (Cheng man Ching style) - also very different. I'm really enjoying it, and it's amazing what I've been able to take from it - all the slow relaxed movement has allowed me to re-examine my body dynamics and the result is that my karate basics has got noticeably faster! The last thing I expected - when I mentioned it to my Tai Chi teacher he said, 'Of course!' Well, he would, wouldn't he?

I also do a little kick-boxing, but mainly for fitness - the class I attend is more of a workout than martial arts, but that's what I want from it.

A friend of mine who trained in karate with me for years also stopped and took up Aikido a few years back - just got his shodan. He's been down to show us a bit of what he does a couple of times - fascinating!

You might want to take a look at A649749 - see if you think it's the ultimate martial art. It's not what you might expect...

Thanks for responding C.K.
sorry for the dalay in replying -

I share your sentiments regarding compatitions. We too have tried to follow the 'old ways' of Master Funakoshi, I like his poem in the 'Kyohan'? --- 'To search for the old is to understand the new---'
etc ( one of these days I may even understand it!)

It's interesting that you practice other forms of martial art as well as Shotokan. At present I'm finding quite a conflict in some ways between my perceptions formed when training in Shotokan compared with my Ka Aikido training, but it's early days yet. (yes I know the saying 'it's all the same union just different layers etc etc'.)

I read the Ultimet Martial Arts article and had a good laugh (a good defence in it's self in some cercumstances)_

Must go now

Happy new year to you