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There was one Okinawan teacher who got rid of yakuza types who attempted to intimidate him thinking he was an easily scared old man. They would not so subtly remind everyone that the building where the dojo was and many other parts of the neighborhood was their turf, and therefore owed them something. They often showed up acting arrogant, threatening and belligerent demanding recognition and « respect ». Instead of cowering in fear, the 9th dan 70 something sensei invited the yakuza in and showed them his personal makiwara, which was basically a piece of iron/steel sheet. After striking it a few dozen times with his hands and then with his toes(similar to sokusen kick in uechiryu), he asked if any of the yakuza characters wanted to have a go. One tried to look tough not to loose face, but visibly winced and very obviously could not continue beyond a couple of halfhearted punches. The sensei asked if anyone else wanted to try, but they all looked at each other, gave a sheepish bow and left. They never bothered him afterwards, even ignoring him if they saw him.

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...

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?

Thanks. I actually had a blood test done about six weeks ago and everything was normal.

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

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.

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!

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).

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

Thanks everyone

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.

Way to go @crash

Now at 100 points Dallas becomes the third team to clinch a playoff spot.

Congrats!

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 am also turned off by the amount of gambling ads and how it has seeped into the sports. I really, really don't like it. But I also think Pete Rose's worst enemy on his HOF candidacy was himself, unfortunately. I went through a bunch of positions over the years on him. When I was younger, I wanted him to be let him. As I got older, I came to really see himself as someone who really dug himself a hole that was hard to get out of, and he became someone it was hard to advocate for as more and more things came out about him, including the relationship with a minor (which he also handled awfully when it was revealed). Of course, there are plenty of bad people in the Hall of Fame. But then I ask myself: Why does it need one more? Ultimately, if he makes it in one day, I will consider that to be justified for his playing career, but it doesn't make any sense to me to celebrate it.

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.

Sub-Zero is my all time favorite!! Those were the days. I use to spend a lot of time playing Mortal Kombat but then lost interest for some reason. Oh well, I still have fond memories.

Also, i am very much looking forward to the season starting in anger soon! Go Mariners!! Though i will be visiting Toronto this summer and fingers crossed i manage to catch Scherzer pitching whilst there!

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.

Talking along the line of migraines, I recently was prescribed Verapamil to take daily. Last Saturday was a bad day, but Sunday when I got to eat some breakfast and take that pill, it made a difference. I also have prescription diazapem in case of severe cases of vertigo.

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 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.

If it were easy, everyone would do it!

Several years ago, I wrote an article that focused on a class full of front kicking, with lots of component breakdown and variations on the basic front kick. I shamelessly plug that article here: Just the other day in class I found myself breaking down the flying side kick we do in our version of Choong Moo hyung, and it's enough material to be considered a class all on it's own as well. So I thought I'd share an article in the same vein here. I referenced the process I used in that class in a post in The Martial Artists' Training Log, but I've refined it much more here. Enjoy, and I look forward to KF feedback! The Choong Moo Flying Side Kick Breakdown Class Here is a step-by-step breakdown to help students better understand the nuances of the flying side kick in our version of Choong Moo hyung. Where noted, a Wavemaster standing bag will be used to give the student feedback on the alignment and power direction of the kick. The student starts in a left foot forward back stance, double knife hand block, just like in the hyung. The only difference is I'll have them switch and do both sides. The kick is only done with the right leg in the hyung. This teaching progression is also good for the 3rd dan and higher ranks that have to the flying side kick over obstacles for their testing. The flying side kick is done after taking two steps, then jumping by throwing the back leg up and using it as the momentum to get up, turn sideways, and kick. It's not done like the traditional ITF version of Choong Moo; this version is easier. This version is basically a back leg side kick just done in the air, and I like to break things down all the way to the most basic movement. The big focus in a good back leg side kick is getting the knee chambered up tight and around so the body is side-on to the target and then finishing by pivoting the base leg foot and turning the hips to get power. The two steps done prior to the flying side kick shouldn’t be great big, bounding steps. Instead, they should be more controlled steps that help build a little bit of momentum and then allow the student to spring up as high as possible to kick. The goal of this kick is not to travel a huge amount of distance, but to jump high while advancing about another stance length while kicking and then recovering with a controlled landing and double knife hand blocks in back stance. Constantly remind the students that they have to keep the knee tight and get it around so they don’t end up kicking with the toes or the ball of the foot. If the pivot isn’t tight, the toes or ball of the foot tend to lead the kick instead of the heel. The pivot is just as important when done in the air as it is when done on the ground. 1. Back leg (#2) side kick. Floor drill, no bag or shield. 2. Back Leg (#2) side kick, this time on Wavemaster bag, both sides. Many reps. Partners could also hold kicking shields for each other, backing up for each new rep. 3. Add the two steps for the flying side kick, done at my count; 1st step, then 2nd step, then chamber position, focusing on getting the chamber around and tight by pivoting the base foot. Three counts, no kick, no bag, no jump. Do as floor drill, starting and finishing with double knife hand blocks (remember hand/foot timing!). 4. Same as step 3, at my count, but adding a fourth count, which is to back leg (#2) side kick. So four counts at this point in the progression. Floor drill, no bag or shield, no jump. Finish with the double knife hand blocks in back stance. 5. Same as step 4, but now done with a partner holding a kicking shield, backing up for each rep. Partners then switch roles once they get to the end of the floor. Or use Wavemaster. 6. Same drill as step 5, but now the student has to put it all together and at his own pace and count. Here is where you start to see them cheating on the chamber and have to correct it. Slow and smooth, smooth is faster. 7. From the back stance and double knife hand blocks, bring the back leg up to that chamber position, getting the chamber around while jumping into the air (not taking the two steps, and not kicking). The goal is to "throw" the back leg up while "pivoting" in the air to get the body turned side-on, keeping the knee tight. The knee is thrown up to gain momentum in the jump, much the way we do with our jump front snap kicks in basics; we just add the turn here. The student finishes by landing and setting down into the double knife hand block in back stance with the other leg forward. Floor drill advancing about one stance length with each jump, no kick. 8. The next progression is adding the "cannonball" aspect (that's how Master Biskie referred to it). When running and jumping, you want to pull the knees up as high as possible. The student takes two quick steps, bursts off the ground by throwing that back knee up high and turning, “pivoting” while in the air, and pulling up and tucking the knees as high and tight as they can (the “cannonball”). I shall affectionately refer to this drill as “The Cannonball Run.” 9. Now the students do the flying side kick, all together at their own count. Start in the back stance/double knife hand blocks and finish in the back stance/double knife hand blocks. The trick here is to land on the base leg foot with the kicking foot rechambered, then reach back and set down into the blocks. Again, hand/foot timing! 10. For the students preparing for flying side kicks over obstacles (which is usually two or three people) for testing, the next progression is to set up some kicking shields or other obstacles on the ground in front of the Wavemaster. I set the shields on their sides and about 6 inches apart from each other to represent the obstacles. This version of the kick is usually done with more distance and taking more steps and has more of a forward trajectory than the kick in Choon Moo hyung.

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!

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!!!!!

Perhaps the disappointment might be less important when there are less students. The matter of fact is that it is a normal thing to occur, even just for a fleeting moment. It does no good to dwell on it, especially when students and prospective students are abundant. That could hardly be considered coldness. It’s just how teaching works and, a wise instructor knows from the beginning that most students will probably quit well before the 4-5 years(average) required to even get to shodan(or equivalent). Never mind beyond that.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Well I do now.

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!

Great topic, Brian; thanks for sharing it. I've not read this specific book; might be worth the gander. Many think that Aikido is ineffective, whereas I think that Aikido is another methodology/ideology that is effective, and imho, what's ineffective is not the style, but the practitioner. My thoughts... This is akin to what's taught in basketball 101. In basketball, if the defender watches their opponents center, and not the hands, the defender can see everywhere the opponent is moving, thus, not being faked-out. Where the center of the opponent goes, so does the body. Same thing applies to the MA. We concentrate primarily at the attackers' center, with the occasional glimpse here and there as mere visual checks. By concentrating at the attackers' center, one can see the whole picture, therefore, feints, for example, are easier decerned. This seems to be one of Aikido's modus operandi. Allowing the force to continue without resisting it, therefore, using the attackers force against them. Like the saying goes..."Why fight it?!". To me, it's akin to what we do in Shindokan. Allowing our attacker to move into our space of their own volition, of which, we turn their advance against them. For us, it aides us in getting behind our attacker, which IS our modus operandi. For sure!! Without our combined centers being in concert with one another, there can be no awareness, and awareness of how both can, might, and/or will move in any given direction(s). One can't move without the other detecting said movement(s) and/or any given intent. Bruce Lee speaks about just that, and to the immediate quote above... “A good fight should be like a small play, but played seriously. A good martial artist does not become tense, but ready. Not thinking, yet not dreaming. Ready for whatever may come. When the opponent expands, I contract. When he contracts, I expand. And when there is an opportunity, I do not hit. It hits all by itself.”~Bruce Lee It's Bruce's quote, the two centers are in combination of one another. Who comes out the victor?? Perhaps then the combined centers brought the juxtaposed fight to light. Imho!!

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