Disqus - Latest Comments for noahl

Re: A New Look and Multiple Updates for IkigaiWay!

Noah L — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 12:17:58 -0000

It's fancy--I like it!

Re: Kata (The Film) Giveaway! Now-1/25/14

Noah L — Tue, 07 Jan 2014 13:16:12 -0000

Contributed and shared!

Re: Dear friends who are "too cool" to go to prom, Have fun sitting at home by yourselves while I'm having a great time with our other friends. Sincerely, It's a once in a life time experience you'll r...

Noah L — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:39:54 -0000

I didn't go to my Junior or Senior proms, and it hasn't bothered me at all in the 6-7 years that have passed since then. Overrated "once-in-a-lifetime" events are overrated.

Re: Reader Question: Go Back Now? Or Wait?

Noah L — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 20:59:21 -0000

Your weight does not define you--your actions do! From reading that story I think the best action that Heather could possibly take is get back in the dojo and resume her training. Training will help make her healthier, both in body and in spirit!

Re: Arm Bar from Front Mount

Noah L — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 10:26:49 -0000

I learned this method as well, but a trick that I learned to use in conjunction with it is to lock your arms with a lever grip (same type you use for a rear naked choke) around the arm you want to armbar and sit back at an angle (11 o'clock or 1 o'clock) to help break their grip. All that said, the easiest way I have ever seen someone break the defensive grip to get an armbar was shown to me by a kenpo guy that comes to our dojo to spar on occasion. All he did was violently shake the leg that was crossed over his partner's face, which caused his head to bounce against the floor--it was effortless and mean at the same time ;)

Re: Different Types of Sparring – Part II

Noah L — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 13:54:40 -0000

There are a few drills you can do solo to help improve your grappling, such as working transitions with a heavy bag, shrimping, bridging, practicing air-armbars and air-triangle-chokes, practicing throws in the air or on a heavy bag or dummy, etc., but you will always need to practice with a partner to make any of it work. :)

Re: Gojushiho

Noah L — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 11:49:35 -0000

Thanks, Myke! In looking back at my study materials (I had forgot about this comment) I agree that it is the Matsumura version. In regards to Ted's comment about the "drunken style" method of performing it, I've never been terribly fond of that, and I recently came across an interesting discussion online about similarities between Useishi/Gojushiho and some Black Tiger Style techniques mentioned in the Bubishi, which could be a link to its Chinese origins.

Re: Takedowns in Karate

Noah L — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 08:32:56 -0000

Thanks, Billy!

Re: Six Billion Secrets - Moving is always harder than you think...

Noah L — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 15:32:00 -0000

I moved to Arizona with my girlfriend at the time (now my wife) from Illinois after living there my entire life (20 years, at the time), leaving behind all my friends and family on about 2 weeks notice. It's a little scary at first, I will admit, but it isn't as bad as it seems--you will adjust :)

Re: Simple Rotation Toss

Noah L — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 12:14:37 -0000

Well, although the karate version is slightly different, we still use the Aikido term for that throw and call it "kaiten nage" which, boringly enough, means "rotation throw." I think I've heard it called "steering the ship" before (imagine the large wheel used to steer old sailing ships) but I could be wrong.

Re: Dear Weightloss Commercials, Losing weight does not give you abs. Sincerely, I'm on to you.

Noah L — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 11:10:03 -0000

Yes it does, actually--everyone has "abs" naturally, they are just underneath a layer of fat. To see them you either need to lose that fat or make the muscles bulky enough to be seen through the fat.

Re: Gojushiho

Noah L — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 09:08:18 -0000

This is a higher level kata, but in my dojo we are required to be able to perform all of the kata in the Shorinkan curriculum before black belt, which is why I have already learned it despite being a brown belt. Gojushiho was originally called Useishi, and there are two versions that I am aware of--Oyadomari Useishi (Tomari-Te) and Matsumura Useishi (Shuri-Te). I believe that this is the Matsumura version, but I would have to double-check. Unfortunately, although I study a lot of history, I have a terrible memory and constantly have to refer back to my materials :P

Re: Enpi/Empi Sho

Noah L — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 08:58:40 -0000

Much of Shuri-Ryu (which is the style I learned this kata in) has strong resemblance to Shotokan due to Trias training with Gima and Konishi. Unfortunately, I am not entirely certain who he learned this kata from, although my guess would be Gima.

Re: Gojushiho

Noah L — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 08:55:57 -0000

I actually recorded this video after learning Gojushiho and practicing it for just a few weeks, so I should think that I have gotten better at it since then, as it has been a few months. I would agree that my cat stance needs work, although part of that is transitioning from a style that uses a wide cat stance to one that uses a narrow one. Can I perform it at a master level? Of course not--I can't perform ANYTHING at a master level. I am a kyu-ranked student, so of course my recording is of a kyu-level performance. Also, as with all of my kata videos, it was recorded after I had already been training for a couple hours, so I am typically not at my best by then, anyway. I seem to have offended you, and I am sorry for that, but I assure you that I am not attempting to pass myself off as a "master" and I did not intend for this to be an instructional video. If you would really like to see a recording of a master level performance, I have a video of Nakazato Minoru Sensei performing it at the Winterhaven Shorinkan Camp this past November that I can send to you.

Re: Kyusho-jutsu

Noah L — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 11:41:20 -0000

Hi Emmanuel. The use of pressure points should always be part of a larger system, rather than a system by itself, and just like the rest of martial arts it is something that is nearly impossible to learn without a qualified instructor. If you are truly interested in pressure points, but do not have a martial arts school nearby that includes them in their curriculum, you may be interested in studying acupuncture or acupressure massage.

Re: Enpi/Empi Sho

Noah L — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 10:16:17 -0000

The mudra, in this case, is a series of hand positions that were added to the kata of the Shuri-Ryu system by Robert Trias to represent your actions following the use of your karate in self defense. This is the sequence:

The morote gedan uke, or double low block, represents the defensive nature of karate, signifying that it should only be used in defense of yourself, your loved ones and your country.

An open hand covering a fist (often seen in kenpo) representing the physical self governing the mental self (right hand over left) because our country is at war, but this would be reversed in peace time to the left covering the right, representing the mental self containing the physical self. Sometimes this is also said to represent the "big hand of China" covering the "fist of Okinawa" but this seems like a stretch to me.

The fingers forming a triangle and being pushed away from the body and then being raised to the sky, representing the three aspects of karate-do (physical, mental, spiritual) and the act of searching earth and the heavens for perfection of those aspects of yourself.

The gassho, or praying hands position, representing a prayer for forgiveness for the act of using your karate against another person.

The hakkaijoin, or cupped hands position, representing the act of meditating upon your actions to calm yourself and reflect on what you could have done better.

Re: Neck Wrench Takedown

Noah L — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 18:46:56 -0000

Lol, I completely understand--better safe than sorry!

Re: Neck Wrench Takedown

Noah L — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 12:50:29 -0000

Nice demonstration, Ted! When we work this technique we typically do it pretty close to full speed, if not full speed, because the nature of the grip on the head prevents you from twisting or tilting it too far in any direction so it is fairly safe--this technique is done often (at full speed) in Muay Thai competitions without injuring anybody, so we aren't terribly worried about it. There are certainly other techniques that involve twisting or titling the head that we do slow down on to avoid injury, though. The way that I like to do them is quickly get into the position required to execute the technique, then slowly initiate the takedown and when they are already on their way down I finish the movement as quickly as possible. That process may seem awkward to some but, for me, it is a way that I can work entry and completion at full speed without injuring my partner during the execution phase of the technique, and I do it with the hope that, under stress, the speed from the first and third phases carries over into the second when I need it to.

Re: Free Upcoming Seminar: China’s Impact on the Development of Karate

Noah L — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 11:17:46 -0000

I would love to attend, but will be flying back to Arizona from Illinois on that day, so there is no way I could make it up there for that. I'll be sure to tag Theodore Kruczek on this on Facebook, though, in case he can make it up from Colorado Springs.

Re: Hikite

Noah L — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 23:19:55 -0000

Hikite is one of the most fundamental concepts of karate, so for those whose practice has not given them a viable explanation for it this is a fantastic introduction! I also definitely like the intro for the video!

Re: When More Stops Being Better

Noah L — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 20:24:53 -0000

Great article, Matt! I periodically have to do the same evaluation of myself because I tend to obsess over certain things and focus on them to the neglect of other aspects of my training.

Re: Partner Drills

Noah L — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 19:45:06 -0000

Thanks! I feel that we sometimes lose sight of the goals of our drills when we always practice them for simultaneous mutual benefit, because we end up practicing formalized defenses to formalized attacks that just aren't realistic. That said, periodically training partners should switch roles so that they do still both benefit from the drill in the end.

Re: Rank vs Years in Training

Noah L — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 10:05:35 -0000

I like your idea of rewarding students and making it easier for other students to see each others' experience levels, and I think that a student's time training is relevant IF their commitment and learning has been consistent. Someone who trains once a week for a year is not going to have achieved the same level of skill and understanding as someone who trains 3 times a week for a year, and that person will not have achieved the same level of skill and understanding as someone who trains 5 times a week for a year. I almost feel as though class hours would be more relevant than time spans--perhaps achievement recognition for 500 hours (which would be about equivalent to three 1-hour classes a week for a year), 1,000 hours (2 years at the same rate), 2,000 hours (4 years), 5,000 hours (10 years), etc. Even with that, though, some people do more practice and study outside of class that can't really be confirmed other than by observation, and that would be where the belt system comes in, making it a separate recognition and goal-setting system from the time recognition system. It is certainly an interesting idea to toy with.

Re: Promotion to Yondan

Noah L — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 11:20:28 -0000

Congratulations, Ted, and well deserved!

Re: Adapting Traditional Martial Arts to MMA

Noah L — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 22:16:57 -0000

Thanks for the feedback! It isn't so much that I meant that I need to unlearn my instincts from karate and judo, so much as modify them slightly--and if I am honest about it, I mostly need to integrate the more. When I start to grapple I tend to get into "judo mode" and my striking instincts from karate take second chair to my grappling instincts, which leaves me open to transitions that put my opponent in a position that is advantageous for their striking. If I can integrate my striking instincts from karate into my grappling instincts from judo, I feel that I can be very effective. My techniques will all work the same, no matter where I use them, but the tactics used to achieve them must be modified slightly. I find that this is a very good learning experience, and anyone who hasn't done MMA-style sparring (both striking and grappling allowed) is missing a fantastic opportunity to learn and develop themselves as martial artists.