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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 have to avoid caffeine due to Meniere's disease. However, years ago I started struggling with fried or greasier foods and found out that I had Chron's disease. You might get with a gastroenterologist to see if you have developed Chron's or colitis.

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.

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

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.

Lots of moving. I saw some rules are being talked over. The playoff OT rules are now extended to the regular season. The suggestion to ban the "tush push" has been tabled at this time.

Nah, no red flags. That's how wrestling works. Plenty of great athletes have flamed out of the NFL and gone on to be successful in other careers: Brock Lesnar had a decent MMA career, but got cut in Vikings camp I believe. Dwayne Johnson also didn't make the cut for the NFL. Kimbo Slice played football collegiately for Florida State University and enjoyed his own run of fame. Carl Weathers was cut from the Raiders roster and enjoyed a movie career. Steveson is going to be just fine. The opponent he lost to, Wyatt Hendrickson, is no slouch of a wrestler, and he is also going to the Olympic trials. So no red flags; this is the competitive nature of wrestling.

Yes. My late Sensei made use of heavy bags, sometimes double-end bags, and plenty of strength and conditioning equipment. I don't currently have the ability to put up a hanging bag of any kind, but I do still make use of a lot of strength and conditioning equipment. I incorporate some degree of strength and conditioning at the beginning of my classes, just as my late Sensei did, but class time is mainly for actual martial arts training, so real dedicated S&C workouts are probably only once or twice a month. Students are expected to work on that on their own.

I am seeing more of those old school arcade games being sold to people. You can buy the full arcade version and put it in your home. It would be cool to do if I had the space and extra cash for it.

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

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.

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!!

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!

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 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.

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

Thanks everyone

Congrats!

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.

Way to go @crash

you will get there. dedication is all it takes and it soon becomes a lifestyle. of course life changes and interests come and go but this is one that can and will follow you throughout, even when those times of other endeavors come along this is something you can always fall back into. ive been in this since 1980, moved from coast to coast. tried different styles and dojos along the way. built memories ill never forget and friendships and acquaintances that will always bring a smile to me. as the years pass you will learn more that it is as much about growth and life in general as it is about sport, or self defense. a continuing journey of realization and learning..... good luck on your journey. and may you too one day be passing on what you have learned along your path.

Congrats!

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.

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.

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 would echo the other posters comments but also mention that trying to self teach, without significant prior experience, is likely to result in learning faulty movement patterns and having a lot of hassle down the line trying to fix the faulty muscle memory. Once someone has a lot of experience and has developed a lot of awareness of exactly what their body is doing when they perform a technique then yes you can probably self teach to an extent e.g. bushido_man has his 5th dan in TKD : he can probably relatively easily pick up variants of techniques from karate etc. and seek to add it to his technique repository by making some adjustments. Personally, i would suggest googling all the clubs in the styles you like the look of that are near you and just popping along for a trial lesson and see what you actually like when you try it for real. Plenty of times things are different in practice to what they seem like when viewing from a distance

Well I do now.