Kuma

Good luck, but please make sure your instructor gives you proper instruction and supervises you from time to time. If your instructor does not know how to use one, I would highly advise against trying to teach yourself. In the long run improper makiwara use does a lot more harm than good.

For strengthening the knuckles the makiwara does work but it's a secondary effect, not the primary one. Precision-wise it will help some but putting different colored targets on a heavy bag would be more effective. The makiwara is at one height and you can't train many combinations or kicks with it. The heavy bag and knuckle push-ups would be my recommendation.

By slapping with the arms you dissipate the energy of the fall by a great deal. It gives the force a way out of your body if that makes sense - I forget the actual scientific terminology but there's a reason for it. Because of this you can take serious impacts. There's many stories of Judokas falling from great heights or being thrown from cars/motorcycles and managing to pull off a slapping breakfall and walking away without serious injury. Judo has front breakfalls as well (as what you are describing sounds exactly like the third technique demonstrated on this page: http://www.judo-ch.jp/english/knowledge/ukemi/ ). Dropping right onto the ground can happen with some throws and falls, but in others with the forward momentum used you need to be able to roll safely from that throw.

Posture. Breathing. Efficiency. Balance. Footwork. Leverage. Utilization of the body as a whole unit. Deflection (e.g. not meeting force on force if you can help it). Focus. There's loads I can think of.

Sweeping generalizations typically don't hold a lot of merit. In many military combatives programs worldwide, Judo has been a strong influence. And for good reason.

You've got a very busy schedule as it is, so your best bet if you want to develop your strength and explosiveness is to stick with two very short workouts a week for now. Any longer and you'll be cutting way into your recovery time and it'll make it much tougher to stick with it. What kind of access do you have to a gym or other workout equipment?

Being a beginner, your best bet aside from constantly working on your basics both inside and outside of class is to start establishing a basic strength and conditioning program. It doesn't need to be karate-specific at this time, just general strengthening of the entire body and getting some cardio in will pay big dividends in the long run. This is the time to build the foundation for your fighting ability.

Well done, and congratulations!

I would not use elastic bands until your form is darn near impeccable first.

At your level - practice the kicks as you learn them and get in the dojo as much as possible.

I can see why people might have some doubts considering your age and having five black belts, especially a 4th dan at 21 years of age. For most people a yondan takes 15 to 20 years. The GJJ, Judo, and Kyokushin black belts are also known to be quite difficult to earn as well.

Since age three, that's fantastic. One of my sons is almost 4 and he can't stand still for anything much less to learn martial arts, so that says a lot of good things about you. How old are you now? I have the same dream of opening up my own school, though I miss so many testings it may be quite some time. Work always seems to get in the way of the weekend belt tests. I remember testing for blue belt with a friend of mine who is now a nidan, but that's just how it goes I guess.

I've been training in Kyokushin since 2004, so about 9 years now. Boxing and a bit of Goju Ryu, some Muay Thai, and now also a Judo student. I have to say - that's quite a collection of black belts. How long did it take to acquire them all?

Very cool. You're quite fortunate. 6 years is a good time frame for a Kyokushin shodan in most organizations. Which one is Sensei Ivany in? There's so many nowadays it's hard to keep track.

Goodness, do you even sleep? I see you're a Kyokushin black belt. Who did you study under? Some good Kyokushin karateka in Canada. Yes I do. And Sensei Ivany. He is not with us anymore he is in Hong Kong now he got transferred, he is a school teacher. He made me work extra hard and made me train more so I would get my BB exam quicker. Miss him a lot Not sure if I know of him. Which organization is he with? You are very fortunate to have an instructor so invested in your progress. How long did it take you with his help?

Uki Goshi is another decent one just from my limited experience. I'm starting to like it a lot, along with the various foot sweeps.

Kyokushin. Prior to that, Goju Ryu.

Goodness, do you even sleep? I see you're a Kyokushin black belt. Who did you study under? Some good Kyokushin karateka in Canada.

From day one, with appropriate contact depending on the person.

Hiza geri (knee strike), empi (elbow), gedan mawashi geri (low roundhouse kick), tettsui (hammerfist), shita tsuki (uppercut), kagi tsuki (hook punch), gyaku tsuki (reverse punch), kinteki geri (groin kick), and kansetsu geri (knee joint kick) I've used in some way shape or form over the years.

I've never done a somersault in my Judo class. It's always been a forward shoulder roll. This link has a good picture. http://www.judo-ch.jp/english/knowledge/ukemi/

Kyokushin and its fellow knockdown systems aren't as popular as its Internet exposure would lead us to believe. I am sure that is a big part of it.

I'd have to disagree with that. A regular part of Kyokushin training is jissen kumite which is full contact fighting. Students regularly spar in class, and often with moderate to hard contact. Human beings are much sturdier than you think, and even a well trained strike from a martial artist is not always the killing blow (or even fight finisher) we think it is. This is the Kyokushin way of sparring. Note too that we rarely get any kind of serious injuries from this kind of sparring in the dojo too.

I would consider the jab both effective and efficient. A well placed jab is like the key to the city: once the gates are open, you can come right in. Because of its efficiency, it may not be as effective as other techniques individually but as part of a combination it becomes quite effective. For self protection purposes, the jab is a great tool to utilize in a situation where you are faced with an aggressor(s) where you need to exhibit some semblance of control. A problem with many martial artists is we tend to focus on the extremes in many cases and don't always consider that there may be a time when we don't need to respond full blast. If some drunk is picking a fight with you that you can't avoid, the jab combined with some defensive slipping will be enough to convince him of the error of his ways, or at least stall things long enough for others nearby to break up the fight. In this way you maintain control of the situation without seriously injuring the nincompoop who wouldn't back down.

The roundhouse kick (mawashi geri) in Kyokushin is a hybrid of traditional karate and Muay Thai. The biggest difference is that with the Kyokushin round kick you still chamber the leg prior to execution. Otherwise the arm movements, placement and use of the support foot, and hip motion are very similar. This should give you a visual idea: