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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.

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?

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

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.

caffeine can raise blood sugar levels, as can fried chicken, which can make one sluggish or cause nausea or a "sick" feeling after eating,. while chicken itself is a protein the breading is usually flour based which is all carbs. and depending on what spices are used... you may want to have an a1c test next visit to the docs just to rule out anything medical..... probably nothing but helps to know for sure.

Great idea, Patrick. There’s nothing better than providing respect to each other. It’s not the worse idea, that’s for sure!!

I am new to this term. As many say, "you never stop learning." Edit: Awwwww I just looked at the date. Is this an April fools' prank?

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 have played it a bit, but I think I have it on Switch.

Thanks everyone

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!!

The more I think about season 6 the less impressed I am by it. Seasons 1-5 were awesome, six was eh. As much as I enjoyed the return of the Karate Kid/Cobra Kai world, I am fine with it being over.

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.

Hi guys, been a while....... i think for most getting their blackbelt is a sign of completion in this type of activity. it dousnt become a lifestyle so much for most, especially if the dojo is focused on mainly self defense or competition. for fitness purposes a gym is in most ways better and less expensive. it also depends on the style and the atmosphere of the dojo in question. is it run as a business (do students feel only like a number on the floor?) or does it have that "family" feel to it?. retention of students can be hard after B.B, people go on to other things or ways of staying in shape. teaching or bringing up 2nd or 3rd or higher levels is OK but in all honesty its just a way for the dojo to make money on testing. once someone reaches blackbelt they should know how to create their own forms, have the basics perfected and be able to perform more advanced techniques or movements on their own with a little thought...(if they cant then perhaps they were given the BB too soon. sometimes a diagrammed "plan" or curriculum isnt the best way to go... or at least it needs to be fluid) after blackbelt one thing that may retain students is pricing, be competitive with the local gyms, even it if means 25 dollars a month (if the biggest competition is workout anytime, planet fitness or such), for those who've earned their B.B... but building a comradery and friendships is key to retention, go out to dinner, (pizza huts used to be perfect for this...lol), the movies, have a bar b q once a month in the warm months, whatever it takes to build a "family" unit of friendships......

Alex Ovechkin is now at 889 goals, putting him six away from breaking Gretzky's record. The Capitals have 11 games left this season so breaking it by the end of the season is possible. If not, he will break it early in the 25-26 season. The Capitals are the only team in the East to have clinched a playoff spot, the Jets are the only team in the West to have also done so.

I agree on the unanimous thing. It's just sort of a hang-up that carried over from a different era. Ichiro, Jeter, Rivera, Griffey, Randy Johnson, Glavine, Maddux, etc. all should have been unanimous, and Pujols totally should be, too. I can understand the point on the writers voting, but I do see the merit in having people voting who were strict observers and don't have as many personal relationships. No one is going to be objective and everyone has their favorites, of course, but I think having only players voting probably wouldn't lead to a more satisfying result. That doesn't mean players can't lobby, of course, and use their influence to make the case for folks they think should be in the hall.

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.

It's no big deal. It was fun to participate in, and I liked the movie.

The only thing I wish we had gotten was a fight between Terry Silver and Mike Barnes, it would be awesome to see Barnes fight his former boss who also burned down his store.

I just finished it up tonight. I was kind of getting dragged down by the overly-dramatic things going on, and in the back of my mind I kept wondering why it was titled Cobra Kai when everything seemed to be turning up Miyagi-Do? But then they brought everything full circle, and did a pretty masterful job of it. Great end.

I take a Dramamine here and there to try to quell it. If things get really bad, I have some more potent prescriptions. If there is anything natural that anyone knows of, I'm all ears, too.

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.

That’s awesome. Like so many martial arts fans, it’s inspiring to see an icon such as Chuck Norris still alive and well at an advanced age, even more so if the man in question is still training and maintains a high level of skill. Many martial artists can only hope and dream to reach that age and still be strong.

If it were easy, everyone would do it!

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.

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

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

So, last two tournaments: first one, he had a rough day, went 0-2. Next up was regionals. This regional was probably the toughest regional for heavyweights in 3-2-1A KS. He lost his first match to a senior, then went to the backside of the bracket and had a couple of byes. He met up with a sophomore he's wrestled several times, and he pinned him, moving on. The last match was against a really talented freshman. Kenneth wrestled great, went all three periods with the kid, but lost 9-2. He had two great standups against him, which showed me he couldn't keep Kenneth down. Kenneth had two takedowns that were great; the first I think was well out of the ring, so didn't count. The second he definitely still has a foot in the ring, but the ref called them out, and the only reason I can guess that is because they were close to the scorer's table. As I think about it, they should have had those tables backed off from the mats more so the wrestlers got the full use of the ring. But either way, it is what it is. If he would have won that match, he'd have wrestled in the 3rd/4th place match, and gone to state. I'm super proud of his effort; he worked really hard. He finished the season right at a .500 record, 17-17 or 18-18, can't remember which. What's really a stinker is the region west of us had a freshman in it that Kenneth has worked all year long. That kid finished 4th and got into state. That region was considerable weaker. Kenneth's region had last year's state runner-up and third place finisher. So, with the high school season closed out for him, he's signed up for Kid's Wrestling, and has this year to wrestle 14U again. He's going to give it his all in the hopes of making a run to the podium.

I actually made my own bo a few months ago out of a chunk of purpleheart. I had purchased a 6.5' x 8" x 2" slab of purpleheart a number of years ago. I ran it through my table saw to make a 1 3/8" square, then went to octagonal (by turning the saw to 45 degrees and adjusting the fence. I then knocked down the corners with a hand plane and sanded the entire thing down to 400 grit. Next I used a buffing wheel with several different compounds, and finished it with gun stock oil (birchwood-casey Tru Oil) It's an absolute beast to wield, but it's fantastic exercise. I only use it for regular training classes; I would never test with it. But it looks and feels awesome; just the right amount of grip

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.

Scorpion is my favorite! GET OVER HERE!!!!!

This was part of my morning training from yesterday, I did add that note section just in case I forgot what shorthand I used also I knew that if I shared I could make it easy to show you guys.

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.

"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 think it's very important to spar with different body types, ranks, and experience levels. It's good to see something you haven't seen before, and it makes you better. Sparring tall opponents has always been a problem for me, so I like to spar taller people when I get the chance. I tend to spar the others in our dojang using what I call "old man tricks." I get in close and punch a lot. When kicks come in, sometimes I'll pin my elbow into my ribs and end up blocking with my elbow. I'll take a shot to deliver a shot of my own. I don't bounce around a lot when I spar anymore, and I'll sit down and kind of "tank up," letting them come to me and then retaliate with some quick bursts. Reaching out and hooking their hand is fun, too. They think about that and try to avoid it, opening up something else.

I'm a very defensive/counter fighter. I love an aggressive opponent! Everybody has their preferences. I'm 6'6" tall with long legs and the groin is a favorite front leg roundhouse target for me. Ore a front snap kick to the stomach as they come in. We also use a lot of body shifting and misdirecting. That takes a lot of practice, but when you get it where you don't have to think about it, it works really, REALLY GREAT!

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.

What I've seen over the last 45 years is a longer, more aggressive "tournament kiai"..one aimed at intimidating, impressing or "SEE ME" type of kiai. There are 3 purposed of a kiai: 1. Startle your opponent. 2. Tighten your body to absorb impact. 3. Add strength to your technique. IMO, these long Kiai, especially at the beginning of a kata, are ridiculous!

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