tori

It would definitely be jujitsu. I love takedowns.

I saw this tiny little young lady once sparring. She couldn't have gone 90 lbs. She was wearing one of those female chest gear. You know the ones, they have formed foam breasts. Well, the chest gear was too big for her, so these formed things were actually around her waist. I assumed that she was forced to wear that in accordance to her own school requirements because the other girls had them too. It just looked funny. She couldve been wearing a rib gaurd that was meant for children. All in all, I would not force any woman to wear something like that. Its embarrassing.

We also keep the belt given to us at Shodan. At each belt testing, you receive another stripe to add to the left side. At 4th Dan, you do get a Renshi belt and a stripe to add to your current black belt. It's your choice which belt to wear or you can alternate the belts.

It's only one of the reasons that I don't go anymore. The other reason is their is little tradition left in the styles being represented at the tournament. Only goal is to win trophies. Not even viewed as a learning experience anymore.

Dan Stripes on the left. Last name in kanji on the right.

That is bad. I can't imagine what my instructor would do had I been there and behaved that way. There would never be tournaments for me again, and I bet I would set the record for most push ups ever done.

When I was a kid, my mother was an alcoholic. I just wanted out of the house. One day I followed an older friend who I really admired to a Martial Arts class. I stayed, she didn't. I was hooked. I got my black belt, but soon after, my instructor died. I went back years later to another style and was hooked again. I stay now because I love it.

In our school, rank stripes are displayed on the left. As for etiquette, if you need to adjust your obi, kyu ranks turn and face the back on one knee and fix the gi/obi. Dan ranks turn to the front on one knee and do the same.

Allegedly we have junior ranks, but everyone has the same belt. That is one of the things I wish was done differently at our school, but it's not my school.

Overall, it has been a great year. I took and passed my Sandan grading. I was surprised at myself in that I physically made it through. I was very afraid of being older and not being able to keep up that day with the younger testers. My instructor has given me more responsibilities in the dojo and training of other students and Black Belts. It is going well. We have hit some bumpy road on some things, but that will improve. I look forward to 2009. I will make it a good training year.

I have to say, I really liked the Traditional Shotokan. The instructor has a great deal of experience in exactly what you are looking for. Shotokan traditionally is a standing art. There are take downs, but typically the individual does not follow the opponent to the ground. The other thing I like ALOT and wish was true in my own dojo, Only adult students. You are not going to be in a belt factory with this school. Guaranteed.

Not all shotokan is sports oriented. Our instructor is very traditonal. He does not promote sport oriented martial arts. He also does not condemn them but feels training only to tournament/compete does not provide a student the means to truly defend themselves. I have on my own, gone to tournaments and competed against a sport oriented style shotokan and was surprised in the vast difference. I did well and met alot of great other people from all styles. Also learned how much I appreciate my instructors teachings and also my style. Tournamenting is fun, once in awhile, but I prefer just traditional training.

Great, it worked itself out. Again congratulations to you and your instructor. I have been in Martial Arts for quite awhile. I wanted to share this piece of information that my instructor shared with me once. Honestly, I don't know why he shared it with me. I hadn't questioned anything, but think someone must have - anyways it has stuck with me. He told me that a good instructor sees everything going on with his students and his dojo. He wont always give praise, but will always give encouragement, advice, and discipline. He will never accept questioning about personal rank from a student unless it is based on what can I do to get better. He said he will advance a students rank when he feels they are ready and never before. A rank is earned and never given. I think it is good advice. I just go to class and do my best and never expect to ge given a rank. I will get it when I get it. I just love being there.

Firstly, it must be nearly impossible to get through a 100 + person grading and scrutinize over every movement made by each individual. Secondly, you mentioned that it was not your instructor conducting the test. So does that mean the BB in charge of the grading doesn't really know you very well. If your instructor was confident that you were ready to rank, then you were ready. Approaching a head instructor with negative criticsm is never a good idea. Instead, approach with a "what can I do to improve" manner. I am sorry if I misunderstand what tips mean. I was under assumption at first that it was goals or ideas to improve, but am now wondering if it is stripes at the end of your belt. Keep your head up. Your future tests are going to demand more and be harder.

I believe it was said that she did try another school before coming to this current one. She was treated poorly by the class and instructor. So in all honesty, she probably did "dabble" in Karate. Counting in Japanese is not a hard thing to learn. Pretty sure I picked that up by my 4th class. I am not sure what the issue is. She was protecting herself from being treated poorly by students/instructors until she could trust the new dojo and its participants with her information. She just wants to be treated fairly and like everyone else. Lots of people come to dojo's with previous experience. It isn't a crime. It's Karate.

Just keep going and staying dedicated. Trust me, your instructor is not overlooking you. We are having a BB grading next week. I am glad that I am sitting and watching and not taking. I just ranked to Sandan in the summer though. I wont test for at least 4 years. I bet I will be anxious by then. Be patient. You only have to wait for a few short months.

I was very nervous for my first test. I remember being the last person in in line and looking down this long line of students who were testing for white up to Ikkyu. I realized quickly that not only did we have to do push up for wrong movement, techniques...but we had to do push ups for answering questions incorrectly. I vowed never to have that happen again. It did't either. I continued to be nervous at every test, but my shodan testing was ridiculous. I thought I was going to pass out. Still nervous at Nidan, less nervous at Sandan. Think I will be crazy nervous for Yondan because I will probably be 40.

I have often thought what I would do if I would no longer train in my style and go to another style school and train. I know that I would tell the head instructor that I had previous training but would wish to start at white belt. I would not want any special treatment at all. Of course it is a different style and even though I would have knowledge on doing certain techniques, I would like to be open minded enough to learn something new or learn a different way to do something I know. I also know that I would not share my prior knowledge with other students for awhile, just because I wouldn't want to give the perception that I am a "know it all." Maybe she is doing the same. Let her come to you when she is ready to share her knowledge with you. I don't think she is trying to be deceiving, she just wants to be like any other student in your classes.

I would just say "I was reading this article and I thought it had some great benefits to warm ups. Would you be interested in reading it?" My own approach has always been to let the ideas come from the instructor, even if I made a small suggestion to get the change. I let my instructor take the lead to decide if he wants to change or not. It isn't a big deal that you would rather keep the subject of this "major flaw" under wraps, but if it isn't hurting anyone, could it really be a "major" flaw. Just a thought to keep in mind if your instructor is reluctant to change his own program.

6 years ago

Over reacting or not. If someone has recurring symptoms and is nervous enough to share this with strangers, he/she needs to see a physician. I do not feel comfortable telling someone whom Ive never met, dont know their own personal medical history, or their family history to take a wait and see attitude. I have (in the past), taken a young persons complaint in the ER with a "whatever" attitude and found the persons complaints were quit valid and thanking god they came in. For your own sake, just get it checked out. Let a doctor tell you that it is not enough oxygen, or your blood pressure is dropping with position changes. Not us.

I really thought this movie was awful. Yes, I liked the main character, but they did nothing with a story that was ultimately predictable and a total let down at the end. I enjoyed Kung Fu panda much more than this movie. Sometimes I wonder if the people reviewing these movies are 98 years old, hard of hearing and far sighted. (kidding). For reals though, Kung Fu panda was good!

If you already haven't done so, run a special just for beginners. Hold classes only for them to get used to being new. Sometimes when a new white belt comes into classes and sees that everyone in there is brown belt and above, they feel overwhelmed and out of place. We lost several new students for the same reason. We decided to hold beginner classes until they reach a certain rank, and then acclimate them into the other program.

John, dizziness, headaches, and blurred vision is NEVER something to think you can adapt to over time. Those can be directly related to something serious like a neurological problem. It could be related something easily taken care of like high blood pressure, low blood sugar... These are things that you need to get checked out by a physician and not wait for something bad to happen. They can monitor you in an office while you are on a treadmill. They will monitor your heart rhythm, heart rate, blood pressure, and symptomatic complaints. This is called a stress test. It is NOT normal for a 25 year old to experience these things. Get it checked out so you can safely continue training and not wonder if you are ok or not.

And the aching can last for days! Well done. It just makes you want to learn more, doesnt it?!