skullsplitter

Thank you all. This forum has been a great resource for our family's martial arts journey,

We reopened for in person classes on 5/26. The first few weeks we had about 25% of our enrolled students coming back. Now we have all but 10 of the originally enrolled students PLUS 25-30 new students so we have more than we started with now. The owner think's it might be the Cobra Kai show stirring interest. A new shutdown is looming though with at least 1 neighboring state closing gyms this week.

Thanks all! I appreciate the support and knowledge from the KF folks!

It went well! I almost outsmarted myself though. I got to chose my order for kata so I went ji-in, hangestu, meikyo, wankan, nijushiho, and gankaku. I'm a big 48 year old guy with limited endurance. My thought was to put the very short wankan in the middle for a little bit of a breather then end with gankaku (that's the one I felt least confident in so didn't want to start off with a bad impression.) By the time I got to the end I realized my mistake. My legs were about done so gankaku maybe should have been 1st! haha

There have been a handful of in person tournaments in a few of the open circuits the last couple of months. We've not attended, but I've heard people feel safe with how they are setup. They are using sessions to lo limit the number of people in the arena (9am-11am for intermediates for example). Disinfecting the mats and spectator areas after each session. Masks and gloves for judges. Mask for all spectators. Masks for competitors while waiting for their turn. There have been a ton of virtual kata and weapon events too. A couple of PPV sparring leagues have popped up too, ProPoint and Virtual Fight Tour.

Haven't been on here for a while, but wanted to pop in and post that I earned my 3rd degree. Kata list was ji-in, hangestu, meikyo, wankan, nijushiho, and gankaku

Our school has a teen and adult combined class and we have very few adults at the moment. I'm often the only the adult in class with several teens and I really enjoy it. I find myself feeding off of their energy and pushing myself to try to keep up with them.

Here's an interesting list.... https://martialartsactionmovies.com/the-ultimate-list-celebrity-black-belts-martial-artists/

Ray Park (Star Wars, GI Joe, X-Men) - Northern Shaolin Kung Fu

There's a Lightsaber Academy 2.5 hours from my town. They even had a tournament this year.

Hangetsu Jitte Jiin Sochin Meikyo

Any suggestions for a protective case for an eku for flying?

Both of sons have issues to deal with. My oldest was a slight case of cerebral palsy. It's given him tight hamstrings and heal chords so no matter how much he trains and stretches some stances are never quite "perfect". My youngest has ADHD and auditory processing disorder. He struggles with focus and quickly interpreting instructions. Some days its painful to watch him as I can see on his face his frustration with trying to keep up and keep on task in class. My advice to both has been to worry about the things they have actual control over and give their personal best effort. Our dojo has seen junior arthritis, hypoplastic left heart disorder, folks with cancer, amongst other things. Out instructor does a great job of treating each as individuals with their own limits and goals.

I ran across this on Sports Illustrated and Blackbelt Magazine. Karate Combat Full Contact League. Looks interesting. Maybe something to compete with MMA eventually. https://blackbeltmag.com/arts/karate/karate-combat-organization-launches-full-contact-fighting-league/

I have a wonderful update on this young lady....this weekend just 5 months after this awful wreck she showed up at a regional event and competed in forms division. She was shaky, stumbled, off balance at times, but it was the most wonderful form I've ever seen. Her parents have shared her goals list she made while bed ridden and her last item was "I will compete again". Now it's time for a new list of goals.