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watched the first season and will watch the second shortly. Have been watching the anime with my son from the start though - we are now partway through the Fishman Island arc so about episode 540 or so!

How about a huge Karate tournament where we all fight each other? All kidding aside, 25 years is a long time for a message board. This site started around the same time I took my first MA class, which was in the fall of 2000. I don't have any ideas right now, but if I think of anything I will let you know. Unless you do want a huge Karate tournament where we all fight each other!

This goes out to @Patrick who lives in Los Angeles and @sensei8 who lives in Las Vegas. Hope you are staying cool in this crazy record heat wave that is happening where you are. Same to anyone else out there who is in the southwest, including Arizona where in Phoenix it has been over 100 degrees! Triple digit temps in March is bonkers, even for Arizona. I mean, technically it is still winter. Stay safe out there!

I hope you DO get to write about KF and how it’s impacted your life; I look forward to reading it.

I have been in a reading slump for a while. Work stress + the rigmarole of every day life. However, I have begun to pick through my TBR (which is big because not reading didn't stop me from buying). I am going to start with a graphic novel This Ends Tonight. It is drawn by my favorite comic artist Jae Lee. We will see where we go from there.

25 years! In internet terms, that's basically an eternity! We truly are among the OGs of the information super highway. I would love to write a longer post about this community and the impact that it has made on my life. That said, I have an M.A. in English and Creative Writing so it might be long. I have word counts to hit . I know years ago we did a video call. I think for 25 years, it would be cool to do a series of video interviews with some of the people here. Ask them about their backgrounds and how this forum has impacted their lives. I know that is going to require no small amount of editing, but perhaps there are people here who would like to donate their time to assist. I would be happy to be the interviewer for some of the videos. If nothing else, I think an interview from you about the creation of this site and the last 25 years would be very appropriate. From iFroggy to today. Creating a forum that has thrived 25 years is no small feat. Staking an enduring place on the internet requires some amount of luck, but it is also clear the amount of hard work you put into this place. Documenting that journey sounds like an interesting use of time.

Thank you so much! To paraphrase Bilbo Baggins I was 15 when I found this website, I am now 35. I signed up on August 31st, my mother's birthday. She turned 35 that day, ironically enough. I don't quite remember what kyu rank I was, but I have been a part of this website so long that it has seen me through to my Nidan, a marriage, a child (now 12), 2 college degrees, and so much more. Martial arts is my most enduring passion. As someone with ADHD, hobbies come and go quickly. I know a very detailed amount of things about a litany of subjects simply because I heard a sound bite on a random Tuesday and dove head first into research. I heard someone with ADHD say that they have all of that information in their head and all they're waiting for is the write combination of words to activate that file. Like a trivia sleeper agent. That also seems to be the case for me . Martial arts, however, has been the consistent hobby in my life. So much so that I consider it to be more than a hobby. It's an essential part of who I am. I am not John Asbill with karate. This community, too, has been the consistent pillar in that journey as I sought advice and then, one day, found myself giving it out. I've said it before, and I will say it again. This is the best community of martial artists out there. The compassion of the people here and the desire to see others grow is so unique. I love this place. Thank you @Patrick for giving us a place to speak.

Congratulations @Zaine , well done! 20yrs is a fair innings too!

Monday 16th March Karate Session First session at new club. Really enjoyed it. Nice atmosphere and lots of very skilled karateka to learn from. Everyone was very welcoming. Also got to learn some new stuff i have never tried before (they covered some advanced kata which is typically used for 4th Dan grading but said it was useful for us to all get some exposure). Great class and i think i am currently very happy with my decision to move!

Friday 13 March Lifting Session Back squat 20kg x 5 40kg x 3 60kg x 2 86kg x 5 86kg x 5 86kg x 5 Bench press 20kg x 5 40kg x 3 60kg x 2 69kg x 5 69kg x 5 69kg x 5 Really tight on time here so tried to get the minimum in for the key lifts

Update Re: Karate unfortunately due to multiple things i have decided to change clubs (so wont be sitting grading!). It has become quite obvious that the instructor (for whatever reason) is not treating me fairly. Not going to go into details here but i would prefer to change clubs and wait a year or more to sit grading than stay in this one now. It is a shame but to use the awful phrase "it is what it is"

Saturday 7 March Lifting Session Back squat 20kg x 5 40kg x 3 60kg x 2 86kg x 5 86kg x 5 86kg x 5 86kg x 5 Bench press 20kg x 5 40kg x 3 60kg x 2 69kg x 5 69kg x 5 69kg x 5 69kg x 5 Pull up assisted -40kg x 5 -40kg x 5 -40kg x 5 -40kg x 5 Standing military press 34kg x 10 34kg x 10 34kg x 10 Triceps pushdown straight bar 20kg x 10 20kg x 10 20kg x 10 E-Z Bar curl 26kg x 10 26kg x 10 26kg x 10

Thursday 5th March Lifting session Quick one here. Got a new set of catchers for my rack and wanted to test them as i can now do incline barbell bench if i use them (coildnt get bench into place beforehand) incline bench 20kg x 10 30kg x 10 40kg x 8 45kg x 5 50kg x 5 55kg x 5 55kg x 5 55kg x 5 Pendlay row 55kg x 8 55kg x 8 55kg x 8

Wednesday 4th MArch Karate Session Getting more annoyed now tbh. Literally did not get called up for kata when everyone got called up by grade (was only one left out with no comment made). Then when the entire class got up and ran through kata from Kihon kata to Bassai Dai the instructor literally stood behind me and faced away.

Tuesday 3rd March Conditioning workout quick one here. EMOM ABC complex with 2 x 16kg KB. did 16 sets just to get a little movement in

Monday 2nd March Karate Session This class was warm up, then kihon then lots of kata. Tbh was not very happy as i am meant to be grading in two weeks and got literally 0 comments from the instructor. As we are a small class this is a little concerning - when i think about it it has also been the same for the last couple of weeks. Hopefully it is that i am just so amazing (lol i doubt that) but i should be getting more feedback

Monday 23rd February Karate Session Same session as per usual: grade required kihon, kata and then kumite. Nothing too exciting to report tbh

Congrats @Zaine; well deserved!!

Hey all, May 21 will mark 25 years since KarateForums.com launched. I know. That's pretty wild. Thank you for being a part of it. Obviously, I want to mark the occasion. Amongst the staff, we're kicking around some ideas. For example: We'll dig into the stats a bit and come up with some interesting lists and data. Maybe we could open up a submission form for members to talk about what the community means to them and publish those stories. And the ideas build from there! But I wanted to put out a public call, too, because I'd love to hear from you and any ideas that you might have. If you'd prefer it be private, please send me a private message. Obviously, I can't make any guarantees on any particular idea, just because it's based on the time I have available, but it would still be wonderful to hear more about anything that comes to mind for you. Thank you for reading this. Patrick

Anyone else watch the One Piece live action series on Netflix? It's such a fun show.

Had to take a break from Iron Flame as it was due back at the library. In that time, I read the X-Men Noir: Mark of Cain paperback, and now I am working on wrapping up Ultimate Iron Man: Volume 1 before I go back to finish the last 30% or so of Iron Flame.

Hey all, Thank you for visiting KarateForums.com. We recognize one member every month as the KarateForums.com Member of the Month for their positive contributions to this community. Our honoree this time is... @Zaine for the fourth time! Last August, Zaine marked 20 years of being a member here at KarateForums.com! That's an incredible period of time, but it is easily exceeded by the quality of your contributions over the years, John. Thank you for being such a big part of our community! Patrick

The ups and down of being the parent of an athlete. Enjoyed reading these. Sounds like Kenneth gave it his very best.

I've got a sheet of these now and have used a few. They are pretty cool. Bruce is doing a flying side kick on it.

I was in line for them during the PRE SALE and there were still 299,317 people in front of me! I gave up quickly