Tiger1962

Politics in martial arts school can be downright infuriating - I know as I have experience some. To me, I think you did the right thing. Imagine if his 10 yr old was with someone going full force sparring with her... I would weigh the advantages and disadvantages of continuing your training at this school. You just may have to pick up and train elsewhere to get non-biased scoring in your testing. Good luck!

WOW ! How inspirational! In no way are my injuries this serious but this would be a good article for me to re-read anytime I start to feel bummed out about it.

When you use a side kick, back kick or roundhouse kick to close the refrigerator door. (I think this is probably common among all of us)

Every since I was held up at gunpoint ages ago, I've developed a habit I have when walking down the street. I don't stare down at the concrete or just straight ahead, my eyes do a scan from one side to the other. I mean, not constantly, I'd get motion sick if I did, but you get the gist of it. Also, and this might sound paranoid, I'm very sensitive to strange noises in my home, and anyone I don't know who stands too close to me in public. I don't have a sixth sense, I'm just very, very cautious of my surroundings. What's that saying: "Once bitten, twice shy" - something to that effect.

Congratulations!

Thank you

Yep, it's true. When my husband talks to me about baseball, my eyes kinda glaze over but bring up martial arts and my ears perk up and vice versa if I talk to him about martial arts.

That's really cool. The first picture immediately reminded me of sushi for some reason.

Sad, he was a great actor indeed.

LOL - I've noticed over the years in regard to relationships and karate, that it seems to work best if both partners are either involved in some kind of martial arts or at the very least very familiar with it. Who else can understand our hobby / past time / obsession but a fellow practitioner? Just my observation. If I'm wrong - someone please give a "shout out" -

Exactly, Ozpunker!

Hi there First of all, know that you are not alone in being nervous performing at tournaments. Even masters and instructors get nervous. I used to get extremely nervous but I think I have learned how to tone down my nervousness over the past couple of years and have done a lot of thinking about it. I don't know how your school operates but in my school, tournaments are optional. It is not mandatory to compete in a tournament. If you do it, it's because YOU want to. Secondly, how important is it to you to WIN at a tournament? To me, if I win fine, if not, that's fine too. How much pressure do you put on yourself to win first place? Are you nervous about the actual competition and doing well, or is your nervousness more of a stage fright thing where you are self conscious about performing in front of people? If you are competing, I'm assuming you practiced your kata enough times to visualize yourself doing it in your head. So, you are well-prepared. Cross that worry off your list. My answers to these questions for MYSELF were: I enjoy the sport of competing. Meaning, if I win 1st, 2nd or 3rd place, that is great and a boost for my self esteem for that day. If I don't win anything, I don't drive home sad, angry or depressed. Why? Because for me, I am doing it for the FUN of it. Of course, everyone wants to do well and win. But look at it this way, if you don't, it's still a win-win situation because it takes GUTS to go out there and perform in front of judges and all your peers. There are a lot of people who don't compete because they are too timid or not confident enough. You have guts, so commend yourself on that. I think once you start putting the focus on having FUN instead of winning, you will find that your nerves relax gradually. You are there because YOU want to be, not because you MUST. You can turn around and walk out anytime you want to. At least, that's how it is in my case and I've noticed that I am not as nervous as I used to be. In my case, it was stage fright more so than anything. I've been to tournaments where I've done very well and ones that I've done not so well. In both cases, I was happy and felt like I accomplished something. I had fun, I learned from my mistakes, picked up techniques from the higher ups and enjoyed watching the other competitors. In the situations where I did very well, I felt very fortunate. My instructor doesn't seem to care one way or another if I win or not either. If you don't, you just chalk it up as a learning experience for next time. The only thing that makes me angry about tournament is when they are not run fairly or if the judges appear to be biased. When or if that happens, it doesn't matter how good or not you are, the decision is already there. Take it with a grain of salt because remember, trophies do not validate you or mean you are a great martial artist. Don't be so hard on yourself or put so much pressure on yourself. Make it about having fun not about a perfect score and you'll see you will relax more.

Argh. Problem must be on my end then. Oh well, thanks anyway.

I voted "no" but I will use/do everything to try. I have practiced sparring against multiple attackers in school many times and it wasn't realistic to me at all. In real life if there were multiple attackers, they would be coming at you all at once. Not like in the movies, where they form a circle and "take turns" attacking you. In any case, in a situation like that, your best bet is to run for your life if you can or if you have a stick in your hands, just keep wacking away at random in hopes that you'd smack one on the jaw, and another in the head. But how many people actually walk around carrying a stick?

I agree with you 200% and that's exactly what I would do. I think a gun pointed in my face is the only way I might not.

How sweet !! It is so refreshing to hear of someone so humble in the martial arts world. Too often you hear of the opposite. I wish you all the best !!

I have participated in a lot of tournaments over the years and its sad to say that the rules are often broken, from either the judges themselves or the participant. The rules could be light contact and heavy contact is done or NO contact and you SEE contact even if its clearly stated NO contact. There are other things too such as incorrect scoring, favoritism, etc. The list goes on. I have also often helped out at tournaments as either a scorekeeper or judge. It really disappoints me to see things *sometimes* that go on that really shouldn't. I really love participating in tournaments but lately its become more of a disappointment. It didn't happen at EVERY tournament I've been to, but the last few it has and most recently. Take it with a grain of salt, that's my advice. Sometimes you can't fight "city hall" or "politics".

I respect your feelings on this, JKD, although I believe you're directing your posting to a "street" situation. My original posting was that I found myself hesitating in a self-defense technique with a woman--my instructor--in the dojang. As a man, do you find yourself hesitating or reluctant when in contact or non-contact situations in the dojo/dojang when your partner (sparring or self-defense technique) is a woman? It's been very interesting, reading the responses not only of the men, but of the women regarding what they expect of fellow students who are male. My honest opinion on this is if your chief instructor is a woman - I would absolutely NOT hold back. After all, she is supposedly a trained blackbelt at whatever degree level. And if she runs your school and is the chief instructor - I am assuming she has many years under her belt (no pun intended) of experience. I am also assuming she wouldn't hold back with you unless you were a brand new white belt. There's no guarantee that someday you might be walking the streets and get attacked by a gang (of girls) or find yourself a victim of another situation where a woman is involved. I know we all look harmless, but some of us actually aren't. ( just kidding )

Well, as September comes to a close, I just want to thank you again. I really enjoy reading and posting here!

I'm sort of the same way in that I don't start trouble nor do I go looking for it. But, if someone starts with me, I try to quickly assess the situation and act accordingly. I will admit though, sometimes, my tolerance level is low especially after a horrific day at work and if someone pushes the wrong buttons, I might react quicker & with more force than I normally would. I'm no doormat but I'm not a martyr either.

Congratulations to you !!

Ditto - I'd either make movies & money or else I'd open up a martial arts school to teach law enforcement people.

I think changing partners in class is good so you get a feel for different types of fighters. Even paired with someone who is not so adept at sparring is good because you learn what NOT to do and you can also use that opportunity to focus & work on other parts of your technique. Every instance is an opportunity to learn something - you just have to apply yourself.

Welcome - welcome !

Kiah's don't intimidate me - if anything they make me want to cover my ears if they are loud enough. LOL Personally I use them to release energy and emphasize a strike. I agree with what several posters said earlier, the right stare-down can be intimidating to people. I've been told I have an intense intimidating stare. But I didn't know whether to be flattered or insulted. LOL Speaking for myself, what I find intimidating or un-nerving are sparring partners who have an extremely muscular upper body. One other on that list are those with long legs. I see them as having a more "reach advantage" especially when doing those axe kicks or spin kicks. LOL