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I am nowhere even close to a black belt, ...if I do get to that point I'd like to stick around and help other students, but we'll see.

There is something to be said about finding the right community. Great people with great attitudes in a great atmosphere goes a long way in keeping people around.

dont worry or over think it. just go..... meet people, make friends. the rest will come naturally. try for at least three times per week. and practice what you can at home. even if its just slow forms practice to get the movement, kick, punch etc perfect... places teach differently so cant comment much on the training. some are better than others for beginners and have a better schedule and layout of classes, adult beginner classes, some even have an intermediate class once a week and then advanced classes. while some places just have an adult class with everyone lumped in together. while these can be confusing for some at first they can still be good dojos to learn from. you just have to go... you will learn it and get better as time progresses. dont be so hard on yourself or lose interest before you really give yourself a chance.

I didn't know that! I might look into it then, I like holding the magazine when I read articles.

Absolutely. Culture of the school is just as important, if not more, than what you're learning. I would much rather go to a place that was welcoming and friendly than somewhere that had a reputation for good martial arts but bad attitudes.

100% agree on all of that. There are always a few players who midway / nearer the end of their career everyone talks about as "surefire first ballot HoFer", even cases like (ignoring the steroids issue) ones like Barry Bonds where the comments were "clear first ballor HoFer, definite inner circle player up there with Ted Williams, Willie Mays, Babe Ruth etc." Players like that, where it is so so so obvious that they should be in should basically always be unanimous in my opinion. When it comes to the voters i can see the argument for it not being the writers but then unfortunately you run the risk of personal bias amongst players creeping in even more. Using another sport, football, as an example: the Spanish football team used to have an issue in the past where the Barcelona players and Real Madrid players would flatly refuse to pass to each other during games due to rivalries; i live in Glasgow and the rivalry between Rangers and Celtic is rather well known and would lead to similar issues. Journalists seem like the least bad option to me tbh unless it becomes a set of statistical criteria which them removes some of the mystique (eg if it became need to average 2 standard deviations more home runs over a ten year span that players from comparative sample A, plus have metric B plus metric C).

I actually really like the fact that they are still kicking and punching, gives you more things to worry about as well as the bo...

When it's time to go it is time to go.

It has come to my attention that I am becoming more sensitive to caffeine and am feeling it sick for a bit after I drink it. I mostly drink caffeine after lunch because I feel a drop in energy and usually start to feel sick about 30-60 minutes after I start the caffeine. So I am getting off the caffeine, but would be curious to know what you drink for a pick me up during the day if you are feeling sluggish that is not caffeinated? I have the same problem now with fried chicken, it makes me feel sick to my stomach. I did not have these problems a few years ago, just a sign of getting older I guess.

Hey all, Thank you for visiting KarateForums.com. Our April Fools' Day joke this year was requiring that all posts end with "oss!" or "osu!" But not just requiring it, automatically inserting it into the bottom of all posts, just to ensure that you would not run afoul of our community guidelines. Respect is a big deal in our community, and we do pride ourselves on being a friendly, respectful discussion community. But forcing specific language into posts is not something that would help us accomplish that. So, this was just us poking a bit of fun at a martial arts custom. I hope everyone had a fun day. Thank you to @Nidan Melbourne for coming up with the main concept for this year's joke. I'll go ahead and leave it online for a couple of days so that folks that missed it can see. Thanks, Patrick

Update: This was our 2025 April Fools' Day joke! Hey all, Thank you for visiting KarateForums.com. As you'll know if you've spent any amount of time here, we aim to create a friendly, respectful environment where difficult martial arts conversations can be had without disrespectful comments or personal attacks. Today, I'm happy to announce that we are adding a new policy to further this ideal. We will be updating our community guidelines to require that all posts end with "Oss!" or "Osu!" It is a popular phrase in the martial arts, intended to convey respect. But don't worry, we're making it easy to follow this guideline: All posts will automatically have "Oss!" at the end of them. If you'd like to add it in other spots, you are welcome to do so, but this one mention will ensure that all members are participating within our guidelines. We will quickly follow this announcement with a new feature in your profile where you will be able to select your preferred spelling: Either "Oss!" or "Osu!," which will then automatically be added to all of your posts. I appreciate your time and understanding. Thanks, Patrick

Thanks for being for a good sport, @KarateKen! You're right, this was our April Fools' Day joke for 2025! I hope that everyone had a fun day.

Oss is certainly my preference. Maybe I will but this on my emails, or when I sign checks out at restaurants. Just make sure the o does not look like an a. That would change everything! Oss!

It's a lot of fun if you've played those games in the past. I found it fun revisiting some of my favorites.

That's good. I was about to recommend you go to the doctor! I always keep some Pepto in the house, and when I travel. I had bad stomach problems once at a hotel in Dallas that kept me up half the night. I've carried it with me when I travel ever since! Plus it was Dec 31, so not a great way to start the new year!

Thanks for checking. No, no, I'm not. I just decided I would try to be prepared for next time (or when someone in my family has it happen).

I am still on the PS4 also, but I have not played in a long time. I was using it daily during the pandemic lockdown but not much in the last couple of years.

Hello, 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 for November is... @crash for the second time! Happy to see you pop back up again recently after a few years away, crash, and thank you for all of the contributions that you have made over the last 22 years! Thanks, Patrick

The steroid era is a tough one tbh as it is almost impossible to know how many people were on them. It isn't guaranteed that you become massive when you are on steroids (ala the change in Bonds over time) with different substances having different results - just need to look at Tour De France cyclists using steroids / performance enhancing drugs to improve other aspects of fitness. Just because someone was not massive doesn't mean they didn't take something to avoid injury / increase stamina etc. My personal solution would be to have a "steroid era wing" (not labelled as this but with the years instead) and have the players in that and some exhibits for context. I just keep coming back to the fact that all the players had to compete in the same environment: yes they may have been stronger and able to hit further but defenders may have been faster and able to chase down more hits / jump higher for an above the wall catch; pitchers may have been throwing harder or had more break due to ability to grip harder and impart more spin. In my head it is kinda like baseball having to lower the mound after the absolute domination from Bob Gibson - the mound obviously benefitted him but does it invalidate his numbers ? For me it doesn't. I do take the argument though that it was self inflicted! Plus it is nice to have halls of fame: it isn't something that we really have over here - plenty of footballers who are club legends and legends of the game but there isn't a museum dedicated to them etc.

Congrats @crash; well deserved!!

My wife’s has said to me that the owner of where she works is now asking the teachers to make only positive comments about the center on the 3 different network, like Facebook. My wife refuses to do that. Not a good idea for the owner of the center!!

Hello everyone Not sure if this is OK to post ..but is it worth it to subscribe to the magazine? or is anything else worth out there subscribing to? regarding karate or martial arts..

Congrats!

There were thousands of people with complaints about how MLB TV was not working properly for opening day. However, if you still wanted to get MLB TV for free you can if you use T-Mobile. I am not sure of all the details but there is an app you can download as a T-Mobile customer that gives you one year for free. You have get singed up by April 1.

The Wild hung around for most of the game but it got ugly in the last five minutes or so. Knights win it 5-1.

Thats a fair point. They have some very odd stances - such as Ichiro not being unanimous to the Hall. Granted i have some slight bias as a Mariners fan, but i can't see how he is anything but a top tier hall of famer. I understand the historical precedents for this in prior years but once Mariano went in unanimous then i thought that should set the precedent going forwards for guys like Ichiro, Pujols (when it's his turn), Verlander etc. The stigma of being the first player to be unanimous and making sure they were deserving has been dealt with and there are multiple guys now who should get it.

I've recently been watching a lot of kata video from various competitions. Something that I have noticed is the difference of length of the kiai in Okinawan/Japanese martial arts (Shotokan, Goju Ryu, etc.) and Korean martial arts (TKD, Tang Soo Do, etc.). Okinawan/Japanese styles tend to draw out their kiai, whereas Korean styles keep it short. For the Okinawan/Japanese styles, I can attest to being taught to draw it out a little. My sensei preferred deep, guttural kiai that came from the diaphragm. The Korean poomsae I have seen seem to prefer short kiai from the throat. Can anyone help fill in my lack of knowledge?

Depends on the severity and the cause, for me. If it's mild, I can generally use mint or ginger to calm my stomach. If that doesn't cut it, I take dramamine, and after that I can take Zofran or Fenergan, but those are prescriptions. If the nausea is caused by migraine, I have Ubrelvy to stop the migraine and reduce the symptoms, but that's also prescription.

Trained on many different surfaces, mostly wood floor now, but did go through a period of a couple of years only training in a dojo with a matt floor, then going back to a wood floor, I found for the next 8ish months I was getting blisters, so either my feet went soft training on the matts, and jumping back on a harder floor was a surprise to them... Or I just got better at moving around on a floor to avoid blisters... Side note... when I first saw this topic I thought it was going to be about outside surfaces, uneven ground, slopes etc... Obviously most of our training carried out in the dojo is on nice level floors... from a self defence point of view we aren't always going to be attacked in our dojos... I used to do some training in the woods where the ground was particular uneven, practising the ability to adapt to the uneven surface and not too be caught too off-guard when moving around an uneven surface that can knock us off-balance.

Thanks for the kind words, @KarateKen. I appreciate that. I do feel confident we are past any meaningful issues and now I can spend the time that I have working on advancements. There are some staff-side ones that are sorely needed, so that'll be a focus for me.

I like what I've seen from RIck Hotton and Steven Ubl. I wish shotokan would have had more folks like them when I was younger.

I haven't seen or experienced any hiccups in a while, looks to be running great @Patrick

Chiefs traded Joe Thuney, likely in a move to clear up space to sign Trey Smith long term. It sucks to see him go, but I trust the powers that be know what they are doing. They currently have to LT's on the roster that aren't so good at playing LT, so it's likely one of them will bump in to guard. Or, they feel that Caliendo filled in well enough when they kicked Thuney out to LT that they feel comfortable going with him at LG moving forward. I'm sorry to see him go; he's been a great mainstay for an awesome interior line. But, that's the business of football. On another note, the Seahawks released Tyler Lockett, and shortly thereafter DK Metcalf requested a trade. Those are some good receivers hitting the market.

Thanks. I met with the first one and frankly couldn't get out of there fast enough. Still waiting for a response from the Shorinkan. I have a Goju Ryu school lined up if I can't find Shorin Ryu. It's not ideal but it's a solid operation with good people.

As a non American (so i wasn't exposed to the mythos around certain sports growing up) i have always found some of the rules in the baseball hall of fame to be a little funny. Personally, since pretty much everyone accepts that Rose never bet against himself or his team (And there were no allegations - that i am aware of - that he tried to get opponents to underperform) i don't see why he can't be allowed in now. I have always found the outcry against the 'steroid players' to be a little silly based on some of the players who are in. I have always thought it should be either all proven cheaters out or look at eras etc : there are several players in the hall that openly admitted to corking their bats; taking 'greenies' (how is this not performance enhancing since it let them play better); greasing the balls etc. so i don't see how that is fundamentally different to some players taking steroids (since players on both sides of the ball did so an argument could be made that they may 'net off'). From the little i know about the Black Sox scandal several of the players should be in as they didn't cheat and actually had an excellent series!

oops! I meant 100% SHEESH! I'm old, give me a break here! lol

Great information from the standpoint of a LEO; thanks, Brian!!

I saw a screenshot of a post on Facebook and it got me thinking about Kumite, and how much some people struggle to adapt to how different some people fight especially when they are preparing for their Shodan. In my mind; this is sometimes something that I have noticed some clubs don't really teach or have people consider. For instance, I fight somewhat like a MMA Fighter; biding my time and making opportunities. Along with being a pain in the butt by fighting "Dirty" which a lot of people hate. But by "Dirty" I mean: low kicks, making the person look at my hands and then kick them again. Also annoyingly having a lot of "sticky hands" when I fight.

Absolutely!! There’s so much to Kata than memorizing the embusen. Because of that, drilling said kata over and over on the intricacies that belongs to said kata is critical.

I actually think it's pretty widespread because enforcement is rare, I suspect that is within the martial arts world, too. You really have to be very blatant to get caught, so I suspect most don't expect there will ever be any repercussions.

I like this view a lot. I have a Masters degree in English, so technically I am recognized as a Master of the English language. What this really means, in my summation, is that I have the ability to teach it and understand it at a high level. It doesn't mean that I've mastered every aspect of it, just that my understanding is keen and has been sharpened to the point where I wield the language better than most.

I look it at more as being a 'master instructor,' like how one might earn a master's degree in a field at college. I don't truly feel that I'm a "master" of the martial arts, but I do feel that I can competently teach another person at a high level.

"Old man tricks" - I like the sound of that -- that's a lot of what I do when I spar. For example, if someone does a roundhouse kick to my midsection, I'll eat it, grab it, and then step in, give them (what would be) a good solid punch to the midsection, grab them by the gi, step in again and take them down to the mat (again, with good control). I also keep an eye on my opponent's feet - when they step in to deliver a jab, I'll do a quick sweep of their front foot -- like a kouchi gari in Judo. The idea is to land this right BEFORE their foot hits the ground, but they've already committed to the step. If done right, it won't necessarily take them down, but it'll off-balance them enough that you can step in and land a few strikes on them. Also, in our sparring legs are a valid target, so I like going after the front thigh with a low roundhouse kick. The usual defense to that is to lift up the leg in a crane block. Do that once or twice, then step in a bit deeper, and when they raise up for the crane block, follow that roundhouse kick through to take out the back of their opposing thigh. Again, it may or may not take them down, but it'll distract/unbalance them long enough to let you land a few strikes. Do I do these in such a way to hurt my partner, absolutely not. I make sure to never strike at a joint, or put my partner in a position to get injured (bad fall, etc), and I don't strike hard enough to injure. But you know what they say, "old age and treachery wins everytime"

I am exactly the same... I am the dirty fighter in our dojo, distraction techniques. "watch out behind you" etc... One of my favourite ones that works really well on my instructor is stepping on his lead foot, it's not a stamp, just stepping on it pinning in momentarily and distracting him from the punch that comes in, it really throws him off and the punch goes through every time. He thinks it's brilliant! Another tactic that I stole from someone is throwing techniques to limbs, not just legs but arms, keep striking their arms, in some cases it will wind them up, and they will become conditioned to it and less likely to defend your real techniques that come through.

Well I do now.

There isn’t anything complicated about the concept of kiai in Japanese/Okinawan martial arts. This is one of those things where knowing/understanding the Japanese terminology. Ki=breath, ai=to gather or to bring together. So a kiai is not ever one of those ridiculous over drawn out screams. It’s a short sound that comes from the diaphragm. It isn’t even a thing specific to martial arts. In Japanese people refer to it all the time when describing the sound one makes when exerting a burst of physical effort such as when pushing or lifting a heavy object. Try and observe people doing this kind of action and it is everywhere. Batters in baseball do it, tennis players or any job where one needs to put maximum effort and power. Imagine lifting a heavy box off the floor or better still hammering in a large fencepost with a sledgehammer. All those often are done with some sort of sound with the effort. That is kiai and people do this without even thinking about it. The Japanese just have a name for it, but it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist across all human cultures. One of the primary functions seldom mentioned is that it trains the body to breathe through properly while exerting effort. It teaches the karate adept to synchronize their breathing with their movements and avoiding gassing out. Compare as an experiment doing a series of movements without breathing out as you move to the same with maximum effort, coordinated breathing AND kiai. There is a clear difference as to which is more energy efficient and naturally comfortable.

We kiai only during Kata. Yes, we understand the importance of the kiai and all that. We'd kiai away from the kiai as the time was called from whomever felt it necessary from time to time, which usually was whenever a student wanted to express themselves during kumite. Many tournaments' open kata divisions with the long drawn out kiai makes me cringe no matter its reason(s).

I agree with Montana. I try to bring my kihaps from the gut, and tend to keep them short. Watching Olympic TKD sparring is a burden for me. Too much yelling, and none of it is from the gut. It's just a kihap per technique, which is not the point. In our classes, we kihap often in basics. I find that the more frequent we kihap, the less likely I am to find it from the gut each time. For our black belt three-steps, the GM wanted us to kihap on each frickin' technique, including the blocks. And I hate it. It's just too much.

These are some thoughts I jotted down one day while I was reading a book on Aikido. The passages just caught me and caused me to think about things more, and it helps to write it down. It also makes it easy to share here with everyone and see the thoughts of others with more experience than me. Notes on reading Aikido and the Harmony of Nature, by Mitsugi Saotome: 3/29/2024, reading pg. 191 about Shomenuchi Ikkyo: I guess I never thought of defending a kick or a punch this way. But in sparring, techniques come at you so fast, one can get overwhelmed. I will try to focus more on this concept, and not just think about blocking a strike. The strike coming at you is a concrete thing; the idea of the direction of the force seems more an abstract way of thinking about it. In the end, perhaps it simplifies things? Instead of thinking about how to defend a side kick or a front kick or a straight punch, think about the direction of the force, which these three different strikes produce a similar direction of force. Defend that direction of force. Also important here is to pay attention to their center, and how you can affect it through defense. If I only deal with the striking tool, I leave myself to the mercy of the other striking tools, whereas if I deal with the center, I can perhaps better control the other striking tools. The passage then goes on to talk about subtly changing that direction. Sensei Brandon has referred to this as “blending.” I will try to see it more when I train. Saotome wrote about some class teaching experiences in which he’d focus on a particular movement or feeling (like a particular technique). He said the beginners will be the ones really conscious of the point he made, but the more advanced students, who have done it more, are often filled with preconceptions of what the technique should be. He stated, “that they have forgotten how to see.” This makes me think of complacency. I’m sure I do this in my Taekwondo training, but I do it less in Aikido right now, as it is still fresh and new, and I can view things through “the eyes of a beginner.” 3/30/2024, reading pg. 197 about de-ai, “the meeting”: Sensei Brandon talks often about using our center when doing techniques, keeping weight under center and the like. As a new student trying to get techniques down, I find myself thinking of what I’m doing or what I’m doing wrong all the time. I try to keep track of where my center is, but thinking about the center of the two of us is going to be difficult. But I’m going to try to make the effort to be cognizant of it. I think once I get the hang of keeping my center where I want it, being aware of the center of both of us will come more easily (yet still be difficult!).[/i]

I wouldn't necessarily call kakedameshi a drill, since it is supposed to be free-form, like sparring, but for a specific context. We could certainly just be using different terms for the same thing, though We promote and teach the close range techniques, the closer the better, and our goal is to get behind our opponent, as often as possible. If it's not feasible enough to get behind our opponent, then remaining up close and personal is quite acceptable. Cut the distance by remaining in the close range proximity with our opponent that is where most MAist shy away from due to the uncomfortable feeling that that type of combat. We describe this our brand of close range techniques as it being akin to being claustrophobic. It's just not for everyone, and most assuredly, what Noah is offering here is quite worth to explore....taste as see if it's good for your MA betterment. Surely, it can't hurt to try, you just might like it. Thank you! I know that training at close range like that does make some people uncomfortable, but I definitely find it very valuable! The wrist-to-wrist scene you're talking about can definitely be one of the positions in kakedameshi. I typically try to stay connected to both arms, unless I'm actively executing a technique, though, so I'm not usually in that particular position quite so long. I have recorded some light kakedameshi, focused on flow and not really worrying about resistance or strength, although I haven't recorded harder kakedameshi. I mostly did that with my Sensei, before he passed, and I wish I had video of it. Now there are only two people in the dojo I can do that with, on occasion, and it's usually rather spontaneous, so I don't set up a camera. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85TyUOWckR8