Uechi-Ryu.com

Hi Marcus,

If you are reading this...at my stage I use the elliptical trainer at my gym, set at random and at 20th level. Gets pretty close to the tabata method I would think, though not quite, correct?

Then I get to the weights equipment…several times per week. It does wonders for me on the dojo floor.

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Van

Marcus

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Van

Thanks for the information and the link, Marcus...

I see here something I was doing wrong

The duration is what caught my attention. I do 30 minutes of it, which is probably a bit much.

By cutting back to 20 minutes, I will be safer and probably able to up the intensity a bit...do you agree?

How about you, Bill?

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Van

Source: http://www.mma-id.com/DarrickPatrick/?mod=blog&uid=5647&blid=895

That being said, one can see what that there are different ways to train for both cardio and strength.

On the other hand, back at the dojo Jay, who has a degree in Physical Education (He's just a gym teacher as we call him) for adaptive PE have assisted me in developing plyometric exercises somewhat like the following:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Adnxy7sfQhY&feature=player_embedded

Believe me, besides cardio, it really works the student's legs etc. that allows for quicker muscle reactions. ( I will leave the deep explanation to Bill for this.) If you do not have the plastic step up platforms, I often have one student kneel like a turtle position and they kick 2 mae geri and jump over the guy on the ground twisting the body to face back towards where he came from; then 2 two kicks over the guy's body and back. The guy in the turtle position gets up and then its their turn.

But, I digress from the original question of seniority. I agree with many of the posts thus far discussing an instructor's ability to stay in shape. Yet there are several good instructor's that have been injured throughout the years and cannot perform as well as before due to various health problems. A friend, due to a degenerative nerve problem is now in a wheel chair put continues to teach a few days a week. Despite his inability to demonstrate he has some excellent students because he knew what was going to happen to him and focused a lot on his senior students making them teachers rather than just black belts that know a curriculum. Chinen a long-time diabetic over looked the doju kun that also says "Take Care of Your Health" but remains a world class instructor. See article on my linked in docs- this is the link to peruse the info: https://www.box.net/shared/joc2l005in8o751jsqce

I believe that it was from Peter Urban's book "The Karate Dojo" wherein he wrote: "Young masters are respected but the old masters are venerated".

http://youtu.be/Gd1bCPCbB_A Shugoro Nakazato, Katsuya Miyaharo, and Yuchoku Higa all had the same teacher (Choshin Chibana) yet formed different associations. Would one deny their seniority because of their age? Or question their knowledge of kata and its applications due to their infirmities? Yes, the number of arrogant statements of today's students that I have deleted over the years from this video and several similar videos commenting and deriding these teachers are but one example of karate-ka of today misunderstanding of ''seniority'' and the term ''Shihan or Hanshi'' because of the watering down of many different karate dojo that have the 25 year old "Shihan" running them.

More later, Yoroshiko, JP

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Jim Prouty
New England Budo Center

JP, my good friend, just one fabulous post...thank you...please give us more.

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Van

Thanks Van, I have been receiving notes from the few blogs that I belong to and I owe an Israeli Goju-ka who trained with Chinen with me a post and also Victor Smith in NH is owed a post on his blog re: the withdrawing hands in our Tensho & Sanchin actually is grabbing the skin near the floating ribs and twisting and pulling. But, due to ''seniority'' you got my post first!!

JP

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Jim Prouty
New England Budo Center

Interesting discussion on the HIIT and references to other training methods (e.g. plyometrics). Yes... we could go on a long time on this.

Many years ago I remember arguing with Dr. Ian about a healthy world which wasn't so obsessed with aerobics. There I was not practicing the chosen fad, with perfect biometric measurements. My spouse as well preferred weights to spandex and disco. Thankfully the peer-reviewed literature caught up with we scientist/athletes who were putting theory to trial-and-error practice in the gym and the dojo.

It's great to see so many gurus touting their spins on the principles. I know just enough not to pick winners and losers here; others have obviously given this much greater consideration. Frankly the more methods the merrier. Choice and variety are good; it keeps us from getting bored.

The plyometric training mentioned is less about energy, strength, and endurance, and more about explosive power. Rather than muscular, it's all about NEUROmuscular training and capabilities. Some of the oldest of old-school exercises (e.g. Olympic-style weight training) employ it. Again... now we have many more spins on the same theme. It's all good. We're less likely to get bored and/or get repetitive motion injuries.

It has been mentioned (indirectly) and it's worth emphasizing again that we need to adapt methods and practices to our lot in life. Many of us older warriors have our battle wounds, some of mine dating back to junior high football. As our bodies change, we need to adjust accordingly. Thankfully having more things to think about (all this plus core training and more...) gives us more ways to challenge ourselves without worrying so much about what we can't do.

- Bill

Thanks for this JP. Funny thing I teach the grabbing of the skin under the 'armpits' and twisting and pulling...[as in our sanchin double arm thrusting and turning/twisting and it can make people scream in pain] but never really thought of it the same way you put it. Many thanks for the information and the 'seniority' reference.

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Van

Thank you Bill. It is indeed interesting especially the comments on 'boredom' the silent killer.

By the information we have seen posted, it should be obvious that 'depth of knowledge' has many faces in ways applicable to martial arts prowess.

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Van

Bill, great post. Just a quick note that the younger adults love re: plyometrics is that they sit in a chair with feet flat on the floor. I would hold a striking pad high about 2 feet away from them and they must jump using their leg strength and strike the bag. I don't care if it is a perfect karate punch, or a boxing strike but as long as it hits like a superman punch on the bag before the feet hit the ground. A 1/2 dozen on each side is a fantastic work out.

Speaking of boredom, I have a good friend who received our shodan grade together with in the 70's in the Yamaguchi-ha Goju ryu. Mr Yamaguchi was a professor at San Fran State College for many years and he developed a step by step curriculum for all ranks. The kihon, known as Program 1 were done in our dojo and after spending 8 years with my then sensei, I had it with my lack of progression. I had stepped out of his fishbowl and into the reef like "Finding Emo" and met my Shorin ryu Sensei and started learning the karate and kobudo of that style. That being said, my friend has stayed in his small dojo after leaving our first Sensei (unfortunately, when I left, I was the guy that was teaching all his classes for him, so the whole black belt cadre left him to train with me because I was exploring new stuff and teaching advanced concepts that I started to learn from Chinen and Motobu ha's Shogo Kuniba. I was like a sponge sopping up the knowledge. In fact, my Shorin ryu has become the predominant style that I teach because it is actually easier on my body.

My friend at my urging started with Mr. Merriman who was teaching near him rather than driving 40 miles to Mass. weekly. He left him because Merriman did not train the same way that he was used to. Yet, my friend has had me visit over the years and he would ask me to do "Program One"- I would proceed with a similar exercise that include all the techniques but in a different manner. His black belts were totally lost trying to perform the very same techniques they performed but in a different sequence. I started training in Jan 72, for my 15th birthday present from my Dad, my friend started a few months later. So, he has 1 year of teaching experience 35 times.

I would suggest that this is an excellent example of 'depth of knowledge' and sad because he has good technique but is afraid to step through the 'Gate-less Gate'.

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Jim Prouty
New England Budo Center

Jim.. Are you speaking of Teruo Chinen Sensei?? He was with the Jundokan Goju Ryu system while I was there.. I'm thinking you are as I saw that you refered to Mr. Merriman as in Chuck?? Anyways, if you are still in contact with Teruo Sensei please let me know if he is coming over.. I love this guy!!!He and I are sister styles but relate as brothers.. Especially after we were drinking Orion for a few hours together!! He would teach me bad Japanese language, and I would refresh him on the finer points of American street slang until Kiyohide told me to shut up..

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SILENCE!!! I Kill You!!!!

Hi Steve, yes I trained with Chinen Sensei for almost 24 years but we separated on good terms. My main focus is Kyudokan Shorin ryu of Minoru Higa now. His dojo is very close to Higaonna sensei's. I will PM some other info.

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Jim Prouty
New England Budo Center