# Left in Awe..



## Tony Starks (Nov 15, 2002)

Hey people!
     well today i signed up for shotokan karate! im so excited, ive been looking for a new style for along time and i kept on running into places that i didnt feel were legitimate, or "McDojos", as they are commonly refered to in this forum. I searched all different types of styles and saw they way they taught their class, but i didnt see the instructor at the shotokan teach his class, instead i was impressed of his military and martial art background and also that he has been at the same location for 30 years! (i read a lot of messages saying that you should have a lot of confidence in ur instructor and this guy i feel is up to par). tonight i might go for my first class so ill tell u'all how it went

                                 -T.S.


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## arnisador (Nov 15, 2002)

Yes, please let us know!


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## Tony Starks (Nov 16, 2002)

you know arnisador, your a very freindly person. I see in ur replys to people comments you always have something nice and/or informative to say.....

      My first day went pretty well, we just did basic blocks and some real-life scenarios on how to take away a gun or a knife, and also how to break some locks (fullnelson, half nelson, bulldog..) I really have to get used to staying down low (im 6'3), and also to keep my hands closed tight. 

                                  -T.S.


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## celtic bhoy (Nov 16, 2002)

I like him too!!


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## arnisador (Nov 16, 2002)

Definitely sounds like a self-defense oriented school.


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## Mike Clarke (Nov 18, 2002)

Hi Tony,

I read your thread a few days ago and at first thought you were just kidding folk with the story of what you "learnt" on your first nights training.

I'm wondering if you (or anyone else in the class) asked your instructor what experience they had with removing guns and knifes from people who were out to 'really' hurt you?

I'm also wondering what on earth the instructor was thinking when they introduced you to this sort of thing on your first night. I take it you have already learnt to control your body and your emotions when in a real fight then ?

I'm not attacking you Tony, not at all, but I'd be very careful about being in "awe" of anyone in the martial arts world. It's those sorts of fellings that have allowed some people to get away with all sorts of rubbish and abuse over the years (having students who are in awe of them). Any good teacher would tell you not to feel this wayabout them.

Remember this, "In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king."

I hope you stay in the martial arts for the rest of your life and grow and learn as you get older. If you do, I'm sure you'll see things a little differently than you do at present.

Good luck.
Mike.


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## Tony Starks (Nov 18, 2002)

Mr. Clarke, 

   I appreciate ur commentary and ur concern, and u raise good points in ur reply. I suppose "awe" was slightly too strong of a word, i think what i meant is i found confidence in my instructor. He has been studying shotokan karate since 1963, he has experience as a marine, and his dojo has been around for 30 years. Thats what impressed me, not just the guns and knives thing, sorry if the way i wrote it made it difficult to understand. I am a "newbie" in this martial art world and i have been trying to find a new style, because my limalama instructor wasnt to good. I found a shotokan karate dojo reasonably close to my house, and despite all this talk about karate taking too long to learn self-defense and things like that, i guess i need to test the waters for myself to see what its truely about.

                              - T.S.


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## Mike Clarke (Nov 19, 2002)

Hey Tony,

Yeh, I was just trying to be helpfull. As I said, the martial arts world is full of very strange folk, and my concern was that you don't become a zombie like follower of a person not really qualifide to be teaching.
It sounds like you have found someone who is well able to guide you and I'm please for you. If you wouldn't mind just one more bit of advice ? Don't pay too much attention to what others tell you regarding how long it takes to learn karate etc... unless they have 'done' what their commenting on themselves. If they haven't, you have to ask yourself what their basing their opinions on? And anyway, what's the rush?

I wish you well in your training.

Mike.


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## jlhenry (Nov 19, 2002)

Hi Tony,
 Sorry if I am getting a little off topic here but what type of art is limalima? I have never heard of it. Thanks:asian:


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## chufeng (Nov 19, 2002)

Hi Tony,

I'm with Mike...don't worry about how long it takes to develop self-defense skills...If you practice as your Sensei says, the skill will develop...you may not even be aware of it.

A boxer or wrestler who doesn't practice on a regular basis gets rusty...
A musician who puts his instrument down for an extended period gets rusty...

So the key to developing skill is consistency...and of course, practicing correctly...if you practice wrong, you'll be very good at doing something wrong...that is where having blind faith in your instructor can get you into trouble...

Sounds like you did your homework and found a reputable Sensei...good for you. Now you must trust him to a point, but you must also ask questions when things don't make sense to you...
If he's worth his salt, he'll explain the "why" of a given technique.

As you travel the path you've chosen, you will eventually find that the "defensive skills" you develop are not as important as the other things you'll discover...enjoy the trip.

:asian:
chufeng


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## arnisador (Nov 19, 2002)

I've heard the advice that it takes at least a year to begin getting the "feel" of karate and to begin to develop a punch that's apt to be better than your intuitive street-fighting punch, and three years before you can really start to defend yourself with it. I more-or-less agree.


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## Tony Starks (Nov 20, 2002)

wow thanks a lot for the advice guys, i really appreciate it. You all raise good points.

 -jhenry limalama is said to be similar to american kempo. I think its like a mixed martial art thing because it takes different things from different styles. I think its a good iidea but my instructor made things a little too confusing for me and thats why i left.

 i think the website my old instructor has is at Nokaoi-online.com

   i think thats it, oh and its a polynesian martial art

                            -T.S.


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## TkdWarrior (Nov 20, 2002)

Mr Tony welcome to the awesome world of Martial arts 
don't worry u'll be left with awe's n owws more often than not...  
my Tkd teacher first day kicked on the pad(about 2.5 inch thick) i was holding n man i like wat happened n couldn't fold my hand for 3 days, felt pain in my shoulder too...coudln't see the kick when it came n when it got down 
it's was after when i had 2.5 yrs of Muai thai training 
now i can give those feeling to all newbies  
as other said "Don't listen to ppl...they all talk crap "
even i hav heard(still hearing)bad things about TKD but my luv grow day after day for this art...
more power to ur training 
PS: i thought lialama was influnced from tibetan kungfu...i hav heard something like that... not sure...anyways ur link doesn't work..
-TkdWarrior-


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## arnisador (Nov 20, 2002)

I think lima lama is Polynesian but there may be a lama kung fu style from Tibet.


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## TkdWarrior (Nov 20, 2002)

most of tibetan kungfu is called as Lama kungfu(much like generic term) because tibetans r called lama(at least here in india). there is one style called bandobanshi it's something close to wrestling n qin na togther but it involves more than qin-na it uses the art of breaking n setting of bones like in Indian wrestling...
well anisdor who know there r thousands of kungfu style...may be it's polynesian...
-TkdWarrior-


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## arnisador (Nov 20, 2002)

I had heard of Tibetan lama kung fu before but didn't realize why it was called lama style!


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## Matt Stone (Nov 20, 2002)

If you look at the background behind the art, you will quickly find that it is, in fact, _not_ a Polynesian art, but rather a _Peruvian_ art...

Lima, Peru, is where the art originated, and due to a poor transliteration of some of the ancient Peruvian texts into other languages, the "lama" portion was incorrectly written with only one "L."

Properly, the art should be calle "Lima*ll*ama."

The art is actually an imitative animal style, where the practitioner crawls around craftily on all fours, deceiving his opponent with his surefootedness, and eventually defeating his opponent with a display of incredible stubbornness and hairballs...

Gambarimasu.


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## Tony Starks (Nov 21, 2002)

hmmm, i think u guys are talking about another limalama. This limalama is not peruvian and we dont immitate animal movements as monkey kung fu does. 

                          - T.S.


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## Matt Stone (Nov 21, 2002)

Yo, Tony...

That was meant to be a stab at martial humor...

Try to keep up, huh? 

Gambarimasu.


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## Tony Starks (Nov 22, 2002)

hahahha, now i get it hahah
   sorry im still a little wet behind the ears lol


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