Tiger1962

Exactly, the other thing is I happen to enjoy life even when it seems to stink. There are lots of thing I want to do and accomplish and things I don't want to miss out on in addition to all the things that Bushido_Man mentioned. Add that to the list of reasons why people fear death.

Congratulations on that !

I don't shop for clothes with self defense in mind, however, I think what we learn in class, we all know that it might not be appropriate for every single real life situation. Which is why some schools probably show variations of a technique or try to incorporate sneaks of another style in class. I think once a student becomes more experienced and proficient at the style they train in, they learn to also become good at creating variations of what they learn and apply it towards real life situations. That's if you're really into the self defense part of it. New students and students that haven't been training too long, won't yet be "trained" enough to think this way. I would say - give it time, and you will discover ways that your style can adapt to real life situations. It won't always be a literal translation though. I wear corporate clothes to work, and I'd really hate to ruin them if I were ever in a fight! But as I'm commuting to work, I often go over "what if" scenarios in my head and what would I do or how would I react. Often times, I don't even think raising my leg to do a kick. I'd probably pull something sharp out of my bag - pen, letter opener, or use my nails in a close quarters situation. It all depends. I wouldn't stress too much about your clothes being self defense oriented unless you are in a law enforcement type job or working in a dangerous area. I think if time comes and you've trained enough years, defending yourself will be second nature regardless of whatever it is you are wearing.

LOL - these married martial arts stories sound like scenes out of the movie "Mr & Mrs Smith", which incidentally, was one of my favorites. Ok, ok, sorry for getting off topic, please forgive me - back to business....

You could always keep this technique "on the back burner" for later use at a tournament. True there's rules, but I find there's always someone who will surprise you with some type of punch that they're *technically* not supposed to use, but get away with. (but you didn't hear that from me) LOL

I agree what someone said about the role playing thing. That's a good idea. Let's say you work in a nightclub as a bouncer or waiter and you have to dress up every day, you should role play when you're home with friends to see how you'd react in certain situations. I believe if you think about it - you can come up with creative ways to use what you are wearing so that it wouldn't hinder your movement. Let's say you are wearing a tie or a cumberbund. If you're fast at removing it, who's to say you could not use that to supress an attacker by wrapping it around their neck or eyes? If you're female and you're wearing high heels, one of those shoes could easily become a stabbing weapon. Role playing with different outfits would make you think how to react in certain situations. But having your outfits fit a little looser WOULD help.

It's the give and take --- the ying and yang part of it. You hit me, I block; I hit you, you block.

LOL !!! yours does that too? I felt silly mentioning it but since you did - I will say that we too often break into sparring mode sometimes out of nowhere.

Found this topic and thought it would be good to revive....curious to see how many others in this group are around here.

Nope. Learned on my own.

I would recommend / suggest activities that are presented as "fun" but will also help them in improving their stances, kicks, punches & endurance in class. Any combination of these can be presented in the form of a "race" between each other or as "stations" in which they rotate from one collection of movements to another. Also using the equipment your school has that they normally use in class, but again presented in a way that they view as "fun" but will help them improve in class. Example: they line up and run and do jump kicks to a target that another adult is holding. This should help them practice and improve their jumps and kicks and also aim/focus. This is what I've done when I've taught class. Hope that helps!

Hi NoVice - welcome to the forums! Becoming flexible takes time & lots of practice and I know you're eager (I was too) so be patient with yourself. Speaking from my own personal experience, height in kicking comes on gradually from daily stretches and practicing kicking drills. What I would do is I would try to get to class at least a half hour early to stretch out carefully & warm up all over, especially my calves and legs. Then during the kicking drills in class, I'd start off kicking low and then by half way through them, I'd attempt to kick higher. The more warmed up your joints are, the easier (I've found) it to kick higher. When you are at home and let's say, watching TV, you could sit on the floor with legs open and GRADUALLY try to stretch further a little each time. Do not attempt to overstretch too much too soon because you could tear something. I've also found that doing some easy yoga poses are helpful as well. All the other suggestions that are mentioned by others are excellent too. Question regarding your style: when you signed up, didn't the chief instructor or studio owner tell you what style it is that you'd be practicing?

Hey, you got the RIGHT idea. Don't laugh but I found a brand new pair of crutches at a garage sale. I hope I never need them but if I do, I have them. My orthopedic devices are my "trophies" these days and I have a library of stretching exercises that various doctors have printed out and given to me.

Yep...I've been "suffering" from it for many years now. LMAO !!

Yeah, and I definitely would not get rid of any devices you get from your doctor for any injuries. I've collected some over the years - LOL - and unfortunately, have had to use them a FEW times. Not that I wish this on anyone, but it CAN save you some bucks in the long run.

I would take this to mean: put more intent into what you are doing. Whether its a block or a punch. Do it like you mean it; forcefully, not like (for example) as if you were swatting a fly away. If you are going to punch a target, put force into your punch as if you were really striking an enemy who's about to hit you. Does that help a bit ?

Exactly --- I found this true also. So if you're offered an opportunity, take it, otherwise your instructor could assume you're not picking up on it.

The BB of C wrote: As a matter of fact, I happen to like martial arts AND shoe shopping !

I heard about this and was wondering if it was worth renting. Think I'll check out the preview - thanks!

Old post but I'm hearing this from a few lately. Anyone getting this injury definitely needs to rest it. I've done this a few times myself and had to go through a couple months of physical therapy. Calf stretches are very important before working out to avoid it happening again. Takes more than 2 weeks to heal. Go slowly, listen to what your M.D. and P.T. tell you to do.

Welcome !!

LOL ! I don't know anyone who uses ANY of these words when they speak.

If a student is required to put their name on a feedback survey, I would almost guess 100% that they won't be honest especially if any of them have any gripes. And that's not because the students would be intimidated. I think they would feel singled out if they put down a flaw they see in their instructor or assistant. I think greater input would be given if it were anonymous. If a parent doesn't have any qualms about putting their names, great. Teens, young adults and possibly some adults might not be 100% honest. That is what I've seen & heard from other people who have schools as well.

I would ask the student to evaluate ALL the instructors and assistant instructors in different categories. The head instructor knows what the students need work on and which students need improvement in certain areas so evaluating all the instructors lets the chief instructor know what's truly going on in the dojo, how the students feel about their instructors and assistants. Surveys are a great way to get feedback from your students on the instructors so this way they feel like their opinion on the quality of training is important. It also lets the chief instructor know if their assistants are doing their job and doing it correctly.

Great idea to do - it can only help make the school better, in my opinion.