Shinta

Apart from the makiwara training which has already been mentioned I'd like to say something that has not been said directly yet. Also focus on your hara ( center of gravity / abs ). You're probably contracting it already without thinking about it but try to lower it. It will be harder on your legs but it will make your rotations more solid and make you contract torso muscles easier, specially upper-back that's what makes your punches solid.

When I was learning that kick, I was always told to begin as I would to perform a mae-geri (only pulling your knee high) and then rotate. If you try to do this slowly you will find it very hard to do without dropping your knee (when starting to rotate). However, if you train like this, when going to full speed, you will feel a lot more solid and balanced. And that is what most people miss when doing this kick. That's why they are completly unbalanced if the partner blocks them. Hope this helps. I just find it hard to describe body movements

I've never felt something like "poundage on the joints". But mae-geri in the beginning can be a little harsh on your knees but as long as control it it's ok. But that's not just shotokan... The rest was said by Killer Miller

It kind of makes me wonder... You're training Unsu without knowing something I learnt on my first training? Uhmmm...

Working on it for hundreds of times... It worked for me Well, just start by trying to do it and land standing up - start on kokutsu-dashi and land on zenkutsu-dashi don't worry about the kick in the begining, just try to keep yourself in the air as long as possible. Keep on doing this until you start feeling like you really spend some time in the air and don't have to rotate as fast. This is because when you add the kick, your angular momentum increases and you will rotate slower. then you just have to rotate as fast as you can and you will still feel the same way as without the kick. (hope this made sense) Then focus on the landing, once again you can just forget the kick for now. Just jump and land as you should land (can't really describe it shortly). Then just add the kick and you have it Lastly, practice really a lot and frequently. I find it difficult to keep up with the quality previously achieved if I don't practice at least 2 times a week... Hope this helps!

You can see here, SKIF world championship bareknuckle. I've had the pleasure of training with all the three in the ring for more than once

Yes, the point system is waza ari/ippon in competitions. I'd rather keep silent about my nationality if you don't mind however I can tell you I'm not in an english speaking country I can also tell you that we practice a slightly less point oriented competition in our internal competitions

Until last year we would compete bare knuckled in my country, as a part of S.K.I.F.

I believe that training gear can help you to approach more realistic situations in a more friendly way. And I totally agree with you when you say that the mindset is key. What I was talking about was something that I saw on other competitors' attitude in competitions... More point oriented and less fight oriented...

I've always competed bare-handed, only last year gloves were introduced... I only wore a teeth protector before Now it's a teeth protector and gloves and I think the quality of the fights imediately went down... People don't concentrate as much and leave the face open a lot more just to score a few more points - getting away from true fighting, true karate...

Hope you like

I love to train basics again and again alone. And then see my evolution with a partner I believe that if you master basics, everything else will come pretty much naturally. You'll have the balance, power, endurance, correctness of posture...

Nice post Joesteph!

In Kyokushin it isn't allowed to punch the face. That's partially why they use that guard... For me, I don't have a specific guard, I just keep on changing them through out the fight but I always guard myself. I believe that throwing your arms down is just stupid and disrespectfull. Well, in my style of fighting, I count mostly on antecipation and dodging. As for street fighting, I do not allow anyone to come close to me. I attack first when they enter the my security circle - might look too aggresive to outsiders, but I prefer to be the one standing up in the end... I usually throw a couple of punches and then try to throw them down (while they're still recovering) and try to make sure they don't get up again... I use kicks mainly for defensive purposes, keep distance, etc. As I believe they aren't that effective and have a greater risk associated with them...

I tend to agree with Zanshin about the utility of shows. But I must say this was a decent show (I'm assuming the audience wasn't MA related) It's ok to have those acrobatic movements but I must say that you could have done better in the more traditional parts. Perhaps a little less matrix style without power and more of a tsuki that actually hits your partner. You've done it for fun but, why not karate in the bits where you got nearer to it? Continue training and improving!

I believe it is not meant to be understood literally as a physical attack. It just says that it shouldn't be you the one who starts the fight or, in other words, the one who does something that lead to the fight. Whereas when already fighting, there's no considering about being first or last - you just have to win.

Hi, I'd like to know which are your favourite Oriental Proverbs My favourite is: Koketsu ni irazunba koji o ezu If you do not enter the tiger's cave, you will not catch its cub. My sensei keep on saying that when I'm fighting so it now means a lot to me Another favourite is: I no naka no kawazu taikai o shirazu A frog in a well does not know the great sea. Which is your favourite?

I found it rather funny that you called me SKI S.K.I. stands for Shotokan Karate International My real name is somehow similar

In terms of combative purposes, seiza means nothing to was. At least directly. However, in the past in Japan, it was the starting position for many fights as it was present as a daily life position. For that reason, in my dojo, we still train on and from that position. Obviously just for traditional purposes I like it, others don't. People have different views on karate. Even if they are affiliated to a style, they still practice theirs karate as they feel is correct. Good training and sorry for any spelling mistakes, I'm not a native speaker and I live in a country with a very different language

I have a mother that pretty much takes care of my diet and I can't complain Lot's of soup, meat, fish, rice, potatos and noodles! Always salad and at least 3 pieces of fruit everyday. No fast food in the last 3 year, no alcohol, no drinks with gas. I do not change my diet to compete but I like to have about half a litre of sensha tea the day before and one hour before competing honey and bananas sometimes in the breaks between fights, I lick some more honey and have another bite at bananas. Nothing scientific, just what I like

I can do the splits but I don't believe it is important... After you can kick above you own height, doing the splits or not doesn't change much. You can actually lose control and power. But it is still good as it is pretty much a mental exercise. Be careful, as said before, it is very important to know the difference between good and bad pain. The rule is more or less this one: if it is the muscle that hurts is ok, if you are pulling ligaments STOP! And please, be patient enough not to rip yourself apart...

I don't want to be harsh and I'm sorry if I was interpreted that way. What I mean is simply that I believe that's the way to see things - you don't win, train harder. - you don't win and you believe it was referee's fault, train even harder If you are really good and much better than the others, you won't give a chance to the referee to make bad judges. Talking objectively here: imagine you were slightly better than your opponent and that the judge made a bad judgement (something perfectly natural, just as you make mistakes, he has the right to make them). Now imagine that your kata/ippon was perfect (or as near to than as your ability allows) and that it was significantly better than that of your opponent, I bet the judge would fall to your side. To sum up, if you can be better than the error range of the referee, you are sure to win. I don't like or dislike referees, their just a part of something I do not care when competing. I competitions, when I do a Kata, I do it the best I can and with a martial spirit, not a competitive one. When I do kumite, I really do kumite, not a sport - I do not search for the point, I search for pure kumite. The results have been good so far but I still haven't won against anyone, only against my own limits. Sorry for the long post and slightly off-topic. I hate when Karate is treated like a sport but I respect whoever sees it as one, just different interpretations.

To me seiza is probably the most important stance in Karate. It's the one we use to show the most respect towards something, for example, when doing the full rei; while chanting the dojo-kun; when you harm someone during training or competition, you wait in seiza for the other to recover and it is even used to punish people who don't behave. And it's the perfect position to meditate! Just get used to it, the only problem you have is that you'll become more flexible However, make sure you do it correctly or you might injury yourself. I know seiza is mainly japanese and that other ma tend to leave it aside but if you practice karate, you really should be confortable with it...

Kata have associated ranks?? Your son lost? He should train harder... He doesn't like competition? I, at least, do not compete in championships and I still win them. Karate is not a sport.

People who like to "chop wood" are great training partners as long as you don't play their games. Try to avoid their attacks both by blocking or simply by (moving in order to escape) and make sure you seize every opportunity to throw your attacks without worrying about power (even if I believe power should be there) - this is as close as you'll get to street fighting inside your dojo. No need for you to start "chopping wood" as he will get frustrated pretty soon... Then you will just regret that he quited that soon...