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

My writing skills do not match yours KZ so would need to approach prepaing a Karate article with care, there is already a couple quite a good ones there already.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/A268409
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/A307289

What I may do in the future is post a version of a 3000 worded document I have to prepare in due course for my pending 4th dan grading, not sure when I will actually get around to it, life keeps getting in the way. I have already mapped out the plan for this mini thesis, now the hard part is putting it into words.

Tell all!

Sounds like it would be interesting.

The working title is Transitional Posture &Technique.....if I was to demonstrate or instruct it in the Dojo there is not problem, but putting it down on paper is the hard bit

Been reading this thread about Funakoshi.
Thought I'd share it with you.

http://judoforum.com/index.php?showtopic=4644&st=36

Thanks KZ, have not time to read at the moment but have bookmarked it

It may be you know all that stuff already, but it's new to me.

This is interesting. Just a little karate snippet.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=F_vhuhqIROw

Kung fu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=govHyDOsivw&NR=1

Owwww! Absolutely brilliant!

Found this article about James Figg mighty interesting:

http://www.practical-martial-arts.co.uk/practical_karate/iain_abernethy/ia_james_figg.html


It's actually written by karate expert Ian Abernethy.

very interesting...that Iain Abernethy has a reputation within the karate world for his very practical methods

http://www.umich.edu/~ece/student_projects/martial_arts/unarmed.html

how do you find these things....James Figg looks one hard bloke

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I don't know really.
Just googled something about the history of boxing and up it popped!

All very interesting stuff guys, and very much relevent i think.



Ian Abernethy i have heard of , and i have long wanted to read his books on kata bunkai, and this is a subject i think alot of people doing karate would have strong views upon.

most clubs do not actually teach any worthwhile bunkai it seems

( while this is ok i suppose when you look at it from a Zen Budhist point of view , but the sensei in class is surely not a Zen Budhist and is not trying to lead his students to the gates of enlightenment through katate-do[unfortunately], my opinion is he or she only has a vague idea of what the proper bunkai is themselves, and onlty teaches what they know which seems to be directed towards competition techniques )

The bunkai is only hinted upon, it takes many years to click tbh , i feel if the competition element, ( surely kumite/sparring need not have to take on a sports emphasis in class or even worse, like some sort of play/game ( you remember playtime in the playgroeund ?) , it really does have an affect on the whole direction of training in karate techniques, i think.

I really think partner work is great, but this free sparring playtime environment we so easily fall into, is cosey and fun, but not really any part of what karate-do is about.

OK Rant over for now

I'm lucky, my instructor, Aidan Trimble, is very good a bunkai both from a traditional aspect and a applied combat method, training with Bunkai really brings the kata alive.

Free sparring, as in competition kumite is also importantas if develops timing ,distancing and intuitive response, but it is important a more rounded knowledge of combat is practiced.

I think i was just relating my own personal training experience, people , even in the same dojo would come away with diferent. It is just the karate way i think, there is alot of things that are done and not explained so you need to have a good deal of faith in your instructor, i think. There are alot of reasons we do karate, if we did it purely as it was intended to be done, we would condition our hands and feet and arms and legs etc... and we would not engage in kumite atall unless it was full contact, but still the most affective techs would be off limit,eyes/groin/throat(chin?)etc....boy we have a few targets to aim for dont we lol? But we live in a modern age , dont we where we do not need to condition ourselves fully or train to use lethal techs on people, as we go about the business of our everyday lives.

maybe i digress, ( Again?) but all i can think of at the mo is nukite, which is one of my favourite techs, but not to the solar plexis as we are taught , or even the ribs , or the throat ( getting warmer tho) , cant see any point in but aiming for the eyes tbh, but its not the sort of thing i would ever really dream of doing to another human being really, unless my life depended on it.

Kumite is fun, its the only time i would ever feel confident enough to pull off an ashiro mawashi where did we get that from i wonder, cant think of Funakoshi teaching things like that.

" How important is fundamental?" Keinosuke Enoeda

He's right: oitzuke/ zentutsudachi, gyakatzuke ...

I think if you belive in the Buddhist origins of karate tho that really the whole point is to excercise the body, and thereby the mind . That is another way of approaching karate which in my view seems probably the right way really in a civilized society.

I appologise for any derogatory comments about anything or anyone, i am not qualified to judge, but only to try and express what i think , as a ( lapsed) student.

BTW an entry about the major shcools of karate would be good i feel, their different training methods etc ; many faces of the same art.

I would start with shotokan ( most popular in world and mine and Sims style ), Goju from Okinawa etc.. ( retaining direct Chinese influense plus lots more interesting differences to our style ), and Kyokoshin ( a blend of the two by a famous master, full contact sport etc..) .....

I would personally describe in depth only another , maybe 3 styles to describe the karate world and its interesting differences( and a mention to any others ), in the most general but informative way, there is something to suit everybody in karate, as well as all other martial arts, depending on what you are willing to put in, and what you would like to get out.