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Collected Tips from Soke

Tips collected from posts made by Soke Hausel on AllExperts.com.


Expert: Dan
Date: 8/12/2001
Subject: Straight/High kicks



Question


Hello there, I hope you are well...though given your history shown I trust you will be :) I used to be a capoeira student..hence i am used to fluent and momentum-based moves. I was wondering, i see often, for example on the front of martial arts videos and magazines...the martial artist kicking straight up, sidekick, almost doing the splits. I was wondering, obviously one has to be able to do the splits, but how would I go about training for such height? i find it difficult to keep my foot at head height, and my hip starts to hurt...how would I acheive such height? I thank you in advance. best wishes

-Mark

Answer


Hello Mark,
Thanks for asking, I'm doing well. I typically don't train for high kicks. Being a Shorin-Ryu stylist, most kicks are directed to targets below the neck - besides I hate to stretch. I do as little stretching as possible. The few exercises I do include stretching with a partner,placing my leg on their shoulder (for front kicks)and when I feel relaxed enough, I have them slowly lift my foot above their head (same for side kicks). When I train with weights, I always include stretching on a Roman Chair in the same manner - by lifting my legs up to armrests of the chair. I'm not sure how practical it is to kick above one's head especially when all you need (in self defense) is to kick to the knee or groin. Hope I've been able to help.

Sincerely,
Dan


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Expert: Dan
Date: 3/9/2004
Subject: Should my daughters study Judo?



Question


Hello. Thank you for taking my question. I have two daughters, 7 and 15 years old. They took a week of Karate classes a few months ago on a free trial and both instantly wanted to study Karate. After a few sessions, I found that the cost of studying Karate at that studio was far out of my budget. The girls both enjoyed this so much and I have every reason to believe that it would be beneficial to them in many ways. I began looking around for a program that I could afford, and found a Judo program at our local rec. center. I understand that Judo is not Kartate. What I do not understand what the major distinctions are between the two. If my children enjoyed Karate training will they also like Judo, or is it completely different? Can you give me any guidance in looking for a program that best benefits them? I don't know where to begin. Thank you for your time and your input. Gina


Answer


Hello Gina,
I'm so sorry to hear that the karate is not within your budget, but I understand. Judo is dramatically different from karate. In karate, one learns kata (forms) and stand up punching, kicking and self-defense, but the most important thing is the instructor - the instructor is the one that makes it interesting, and I get the impression that you apparently ran into a good karate instructor.

Judo is a sport, rather than self-defense, even so, it does have good self-defense applications. Judo is more like wrestling with throws, joint locks, pressure point activations and chokes. Although there are many kids who take judo, I would check it out thoroughly before taking your daughters, as I'm not convinced that joint locks are very good for young children, and it would also be very important to see how many kids are in the class, if the instructor is good with kids, etc. As an example, I teach jujutsu (which is similar to judo, but is a self-defense art rather that sport art), but I teach only adults with rare exceptions. I have one exception right now, a Chinese boy (14 years old) that I allow into the class, and I will allow him to perform joint locks and chokes on the adults, but not vise versa.

I hope this is helpful, and if you need any other advice, please do not hesitate to contact me. My website address is www.seiyo-shorinryu.org and you can contact me at either of the email addresses on the website.

Good luck - I think what you are doing is great. I believe that all kids should train in some type of martial art - I think it would improve society.

Sincerely,
Dan


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Expert: Dan
Date: 4/22/2003
Subject: different martial arts



Question


Hello. I'm thinking about taking a martial arts class. The styles I'm considering are Kung Fu, Karate or Jujitsu. I don't know if I should pick one and stick with that one or try them all out. I'm not young, then again, I'm not that old. I'm 35 years old and I'm in good shape. I run, play basketball and workout regularly. I've always been interested in the self defense, discipline and confidence martial arts gives a person. Can you tell me about the above three styles? I understand that the difference in training methods are basically either "forms" or "scenario". Does this mean that training in "forms", a person could train on his own while he's not in class? An example of this would be, Tai Chi Chuan. Any information you might have would be great. - Thanks al


Answer


Hello Al,
35 years is a good age to start in the martial arts. Personally, I would pick one of the martial arts and start training, as there is enough difference that it could become a little difficult keeping the different arts straight. However, if you wanted to try two martial arts, I would pick karate + jujutsu, or kung fu + jujutsu as they could compliment one another. About 1/3rd of my students learn karate and jujutsu at the same time, others stick to one or the other.

However, more important than the martial art is the instructor, and the only way you can find out about the instructor is to talk to him/her or to talk to some students and get their impressions. Yes, one basic thing taught in most styles of karate and kung fu are forms. These forms will allow you to train by yourself (somewhat), but you will also need to add some contact or "scenario" to make them practical. In jujutsu, most techniques are done with a partner, but you can also practice these techniques just like forms, with an imaginary partner. I teach my students to practice all of their waza (techniques) with imaginary partners, as well as with a living partner.

Good Luck - hope all works well for you.

Sincerely,
Dan


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Expert: Dan
Date: 2/26/2003
Subject: want to be MA expert.



Question


Dear Dan

I am 23 years old male, I am very curious Martial Arts but don't find anyone to guide me , i want to be martial expert and explore my innerself and use self defence , can u pls guide me in the right direction, and also tell me that without any master anyone can learn i mean if u can teach me or tell me the practices and exercises so that i can practice and be expert, pls answer me in detail.

Thanks. I hope to hear u soon.


Answer


Hello Imran,
There are many subtlties making it impossible to learn martial arts from a book, email, etc. You would need an instructor to guide you in learning the martial arts. I would recommend finding a traditional (rather than sport) martial arts instructor. Some of the styles you might check into include Shorin-Ryu, Shinto-Ryu or Shotokan.


Sincerely,
Dan


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Expert: Dan
Date: 10/11/2002
Subject: Which Martial Art?



Question


Hi,
My name is Daniel and I would like to start training a martial art. I just don�t know which one and I thought you could maybe help me deciding, since my knowledge is extremely limited. I understand that it is not possible to answer questions like "What is the best martial art?", because they are simply different, not better or worse. I guess it depends on what is the best art for one specific person. But how do I know what is best for me? I will start by giving you some information about myself. Maybe then you could suggest a fitting art. I am 19 years old, male, 1.86 m (about 6�2�) tall and weigh about 75 kg. I have two main goals concerning training martial arts. First: I want to learn street-appliable self-defense. Second: I want to shape my character, explore myself, etc. I have no interest whatsoever in taking part in competitions or other sporting events. I have already spent some time looking through the internet for information. I think I prefer well balanced martial arts, that use soft and hard techniques, punches and kicks and locks and utiliarize circular as well as linear motions, while tending more to circular and soft than to linear and hard movements. Also it should not be extremely physically demanding. I do not want to spent all of my free time doing body workouts. But since I have absolutely no experience with martial arts, I would not take these preferences too seriously, since they might change when I start training something and begin to understand what that stuff is all about.

By browsing the web I have found the following arts to be interesting:

HapKiDo
Wing Chun
Jeet Kune Do
Baguazhang (Pa Kua Chang)
Hwa Rang Do
Praying Mantis (Tanglangquan/Tanglangpai)
Shogerijutsu
Shuaijiao
Xingyiquan
Yoseikan Budo

Now, the problem is, that in order to really decide between these arts, I guess I would have to try them all out. And not only once, but for a year at least. That is, of course, not possible. :-( That�s why I am asking for your help.

Thank you very much,
Daniel


Answer


Most important in deciding which art to train in is the instructor. Find out what people think about the training and the instructor. Of the arts you list, I guess I would have a greater interest in taking a look at Hapkido. As for practical self-defense, hapkido is a good art, but otherwise I would look for a good Japanese art such as Shorin-Ryu, Shotokan, Shinto -Ryu or Goju Ryu. Many jujitsu and aikido arts are also very good for conditioning and especially for self-defense. Good Luck.

Sincerely,
Dan


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Expert: Dan
Date: 9/5/2002
Subject: strength training books



Question


WHAT IS THE BEST BOOK ABOUT "strength training" in MARTIAL ARTS ?about the development of FUNCTIONAL strength. i want a number of books,, about was only concerned with functional strength and power, observed the difference in being strong, and being able to effectively use that strength and power in an ever changing and dynamic environment like combat


Answer


Good Afternoon Hgarh,
I'm not aware of very many martial arts strength training books. The only one that I have in my library is "Power Training In Kung Fu and Karate by Ron Marchini and Leo Fong, 1975, Ohara Publications. It has some useful information for dynamic power.

Sincerely,
Dan


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Expert: Dan
Date: 9/18/2001
Subject: I'm just starting with the nunchaku



Question


Hi,I just started with the nunchaku about 5 weaks ago and I must say that they are very fun to use. Anyway,I was wondering what advice an expert like yourself would give to a beginner like me. I plan to practice every day(as I have been doing)to become the best I can be,so anything that you can tell me that you think will help out a novice,I would be glad to heir from you.Thanks


Answer


Hello John,
I agree, the nunchuku is great to practice. I first learned to use the nunchuku nearly 35 years ago. In those days, all that was available were wooden chucks, so we received many bruses. Today, there are several foam rubber chucks on the market. I require my students to train with these for safety.
I would also recommend that you obtain a video on nunchuku applications to assist you in the understanding of how the weapon can be used. Master Yamashita has one very good video out through Panther Productions. While practicing, keep in mind that the string or chain of the chucks are designed to break the momentum of the sticks. This will be obvious when watching Yamashita's video.

Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.

Sincerely,
Dan


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Expert: Dan
Date: 8/28/2001
Subject: Sai



Question


Dear Dan,

First let me thank you for taking time to read and answer our questions, that's very kind of you. I am very interested in learning how to use the sai, and I have been thinking about doing it on my own by using a book. I do know that the movements and application of the sai is intimately connected to the movements, strikes, blocks and strategies of Karate. I have never studied Karate, however I have practiced Tae Kwon Do and Capoeira in the past. I would like to know what pointers you would give to someone like me who wants to try to learn on his own. I know that the best thing would be to find a qualified instructor in my area, but at the moment I don't have a flexible schedule to do so. Thank you very much for your thoughts, and once again, I really appreciate your kindness in giving us some of your time. The best to you and your family.

Edson


Answer


Hello Edson,
The sai is a very nice weapon to work with. Think of it as an expansion of your hands and arms, and it is used much like you would use your empty hands for blocks and strikes. When you purchase a set of sai and begin to practice, the sai is formed of a handle with blade and two hooks extending out from the handle. Place one of the hooks between your thumb and first finger so that the handle is pointing away from you, and the blade fits in the palm of your hand. This is a very good starting position. In this position, you can punch, down block, high block, inward block etc. Next rotate ("flip")the sai so that the blade is now pointing away from you. In this position, you can again block, strike, etc. If you have the basic Tae Kwon Do strikes and blocks down, you really don't need much basic instruction on the sai, as you can pick most of the techniques up by youself. My recommendation is to forget getting a book - there aren't any good ones, instead, find a good video on the sai. Tsunami productions and Panther Videos will have a couple of videos. As a warning, there are a couple of very poorly done sai videos and some very good ones. Look for the videos related to Okinawan kobudo. I'm sorry to say, but there is one video on the market by a Tae Kwon do husband and wife that is terrible. I would try to avoid it.

If you live in Wyoming. We will be having an all day clinic on the sai and kama on Saturday October 13th in Saratoga (see www.seiyo-shorinryu.org). This will include basic techniques, one kata for each weapon, and the applications of the kata (forms). It is open to anyone and the fee for training is only $25.
I wish I could explain the use of the sai better, but it is difficult to describe with words only.
I hope this has helped a little, and please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions.


Sincerely,
Dan


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Expert: Dan
Date: 7/20/2001
Subject: Best Book



Question


sir.pleas answer my question:
1-WHAT IS THE BEST BOOK ABOUT ( MARTIAL ARTS )?
2-WHAT IS THE BEST BOOK ABOUT ( SELF DEFENSE )?
3-WHAT IS THE BEST BOOK ABOUT ( KUNG FU )?
I WANT TO KNOW SUCH BOOKS THAT CONTAIN A DETAILED EXPLANATION ABOUT HOW TO PRACTISE THIS SPORT STEP BY STEP,I WOULD LIKE TO TRAIN ALONE AND PERFECT THE MOVES OF THE BOOK MYSELF.
I hope you will answer my question.


Answer


Aorrs,
I am away from my library at the moment, but I have never found a very good training manual. I guess the only book I could recommend would be Karate Do Kyhon, by Gichin Funakoshi. Otherwise, I would recommend looking for training videos, as there are several good ones on the market. I've found some excellent videos available through Panther Productions and also through Tsunami Productions. Both should have web sites.


Sincerely,
Dan


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Expert: Dan
Date: 4/20/2004
Subject: nunchaku wrist spin



Question


Hi
I have studied TKD for 10 years I have always been interested in the Nunchaku i have learnt the basics figure of 8 over the shoulder etc, but i can not do the Continuous wrist spin or finger spin would you be able to explain how these are done or if there is a good book or site i can try. I am also having trouble getting the moves to flow this will probably come with time.
any advice would be most appreciated
thanks
Tracey


Answer


Hello Tracy,
This is very difficult to explain, and much easier to show. If you hold the nunchuku in a vertical position, grab the upper stick with your right hand so that your thumb is pointing up (the chain or string will be below your hand). At this point, you will need to swing the lower stick back towards your wrist and let the chucks wrap around your wrist.

It is probably better to refer to a video. I would recommend getting a copy of Panther Production's Tadashi Yamashita's nunchuku video, as he demonstrates this technique on the video. You may be able to get a copy from Century Martial arts supplies.

Good Luck,

Sincerely,
Dan


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Expert: Dan
Date: 9/8/2004
Subject: Kobudo



Question


Please, could you tell me about the origin of kobudo?


Answer


Good Morning Dan,

Kobudo is a martial art involving the use of implements (typically old farming implements) as weapons. The Okinawan martial artists developed a number of weapons after their King Shoshin outlawed bladed weapons in the 1400s. Please refer to my website for additional informatioin - www.seiyo-shorinryu.org.

Sincerely,
Dan


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