Just starting out, need opinions.

**Chance** · Posted On: 2/06/2006 6:07pm

This is the correct way to catch a knife, the first step is becoming a comic book character after that's it's quite straightforward

**Jatsu** · Posted On: 2/07/2006 1:45pm

Your lucky man, the only contact karate I have been able to find around here is Wado-Ryu, which is part karate, part jujutsu. Well I guess in this case its also part judo being that the instructor is also a 7th dan in it.

**VikingPower** · Posted On: 2/07/2006 1:51pm

Canuck beat me to it. It looks like a great school to me, I'd stick with it.

**Shawarma** · Posted On: 2/07/2006 2:21pm

Man, ninjas even got owned in comic books.

***Plasma*** · Posted On: 2/07/2006 3:07pm

Looks like a good school.

As for the blade catching thing. unless you got a pair of shuko (hand claws) you're not catching a trained swordsman blade.

All that **** probably got started as circus tricks.

**Invictus** · Posted On: 2/07/2006 3:40pm

Even with shuko you're probably not catching a trained swordsman's blade. If you're ever interested in testing the proposition, Kato-sensei's dojo probably still does challenges. :P

It sucks to admit that the cool fancy tricks are useless, but generally you have to work *around* the blade, rather than *with* it.

**Shawarma** · Posted On: 2/07/2006 5:27pm

Are these what you want to catch sword strikes with?

**Ryno** · Posted On: 2/07/2006 5:39pm

Catching swords, sheesh. What is the world coming to? It's ridiculous to practice such an outrageous feat. I mean come on. Everyone knows that people use guns now.

So at my school, we practice catching bullets.

***Plasma*** · Posted On: 2/07/2006 10:33pm

Originally Posted by Shawarma

Are these what you want to catch sword strikes with?

Yes, that the weapon.

However, let me rephrase.

Shuko is a hidden weapon. Its meant to be worned under the tekko and concealled. The shuko and the tekko are dark in color so when its at night they are well hidden. Therefore, it very unexpected when the swordsman goes to attack the unarmed shinobi that his sword is stop by a hand. Think less about the clapping stop and more about stopping a down cut with a plam (acutally it will hit the metal band) then clamping down with the other claw.

If you show the shuko and continously going to "catch" the sword, thats just retarded. Hatsumi has a good demostration of the shuko uses on the Togakure Ryu Ninpo Taijutsu Video and Hayes did something for the discovery channel last year. Remeber though the primary use of shuko were climbing aids.

Its not easy, and it kinda of a last resort (versus running the **** away or throwing shaken). The key is the weapon is all about surprise. "Holy **** his hand stopped the sword"

***Plasma*** · Posted On: 2/07/2006 10:41pm

Originally Posted by Invictus

Even with shuko you're probably not catching a trained swordsman's blade. If you're ever interested in testing the proposition, Kato-sensei's dojo probably still does challenges. :P

It sucks to admit that the cool fancy tricks are useless, but generally you have to work *around* the blade, rather than *with* it.

Shuko is a real Ninjutsu weapon, not a Bujutsu or Dueling weapon. As I said in the above post, it used for climbing. So think a shinobi scaling a wall and meeting a swordsman on top. The swords man cuts, the shinobi stops the blade with the shuko. Or Hops and locks the blade with the claws.

It makes no sense to duel with the weapon, is not designed for that. I was simply pointing out "catching a blade" is bullshit. But there were Japanese weapons, that gave that illusion. Its still takes an extrodinary about of skill.