skullsplitter

Like MMA? No, but an open format where all(most) styles are welcome to attend. These will include a wide range of styles. I'm not sure where in TX you are, but here are some I know of.... Houston - http://www.jamallnationals.com/#!home/c14q Grapevine, TX - TForce Elite Internationals 8/13/16 San Antonio - http://www.yellowrosenationals.com/ Austin - Lonestar Open normally in October Also check the NBL site - http://www.nblskil.com/pages/tournamentlisting.html And these sites too - http://theaok.org/Tournaments.aspx, http://www.texaskarate.com/tournaments.htm, http://tklonline.com/tournaments.html And finally, if you use Facebook follow 'Buckeye Karate Tournaments, Seminars, & More'. Folks post a lot of tournaments there.

After talking to some others about it we decided not to directly give to them so as to not cause any awkward feelings. We do however need some things done to the house so we are hiring the dad instead.

Not sure where this belongs so move it if needed. A family at our karate school has fallen on hard times right before Christmas. Their situation hasn't been all that great throughout the year, but it just got worse. I'm friends with them, my son is friends with their kids, and I think the world of the kids too. Now my family is by no means well off, but my mom gives me money for Christmas still and I've decided to give that to this family in need. My dilema in my mind is how to do it. My fear is that if I offer the help to them that they will feel awkward around me or even be mad that I think they need my help. I don't want to cause any drama at the dojo, but I also can't in good faith not offer help. So I guess my question here is how best to go about this?

Are you looking for open style tournaments?

I have 2 sons and I've been right there with you until recently. My oldest son took to martial arts immediately and we've never had to nudge him or make him to go classes. Normally it's the opposite where we make him take a day or so off. Youngest son is now 8 and he normally says he does not want to go to class. But then again he doesn't want to leave the house for anything else either. He's addicted to the devices. He does enjoy class once he gets there though. Everyone is different and they take to things at different paces. With a 5 year old it's a game of patience and waiting.

Can any of you identify this form? Or is it "made up"? He announces the form at the beginning and end, but I can't make it out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Kgattyvmrs

Video! Have someone video your matches and see what worked and didn't work. And watch others too. There is a ton of point matches on youtube. Study some of the top guys/gals and see what they do that may also work for your style.

Very true. The 5 from our school that made the team were already friends from being at the school together. But since early this year they spent hours a day with each other, pushing and helping each other toward their common goal. Then they were there for each other at the tourney when things didn't go well, propping each other up. It's been an excellent bonding experience that really strengthened their friendships.

Yes we are spread out. Members from both coasts, as far north as Michigan, and as far South as Florida/Texas. We don't have a full team training session, at least not for WKU. Can't speak to all of the other WK* associations. Luckily my son's instructor is the US coach so he was with her 5 or 6 days a week as well as the others from our school that made it. There are regional training sessions setup through out the year. For example, there were multiple sessions at our school and another school for those nearby Indiana, Tennesee, and Kentucky. He put 2-4 hours in a day during the week based on his school work load. Then normally 4 on Saturdays and took Sundays off.

Made it back, but no medals again. It was a great experience though. 40ish countries doing forms, weapons, kumite, point, continuous, full contact, K1, and kyokushin. Perhaps one of the best displays of sportsmanship. We made a friend from Germany at this last year. This year the USA had several kids doing kumite. We aren't as well versed in it as we are in point, but the kids are interested in learning new things. Our friend volunteered to coach our US team in kumite. His German teammates were not happy with him as one of our girls beat one of German's girls (she hadnt lost a world level match in 5 years). To make it better the main German coach explained to his team that in order to grow kumite then this is what needs to happen. It was just refreshing to see this helping hand from another country. IT was the first exposure to kyokushin for most of our juniors. Most of them fell in love with it. My son even traded his USA team jacket with one of the Danish kyo adults. These types of tournaments are an excellent way to broaden horizons.

More of a proud dad post more than anything.... We fly out tomorrow to head to Albir, Spain for the WKU World Championships. My teen son is competing in kumite, musical weapons, and team sync for the the USA team. He's put in many hours of training and has sacrificed a lot of time with his buddies to prepare for this.

My son uses these from Kwon - https://kwonusa.com/sportkaratekickboxing/safety/safety/572-hand-protectors/P40141-anatomic-gloves-40141-red-40142-blue-40143-black-40144-white I use the Century dipped foam for now

I wanted to share this article because it really hit home with me. My son has a very slight case of cerebral palsy and it was a therapist at a Shriners Hospital that first suggested we look into martial arts. That was 10 years ago and he's still going strong. There's always a debate about sport vs practical, or who should get a black belt, or what is a mcdojo, but for some people martial arts is just a way to get better and be involved with others and to give them some sense of "normalcy". http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/local/2015/08/18/karate-powerful-therapy-disabled-kids/31905341/

My son and some friends have taken an interest in ippon kumite. They aren't exposed to it much as most tournaments we attend use the point sparring format, but they practice in class and compete when they can. My question is who are good people to watch on youtube for ippon kumite techniques and strategy? We know the top guys/ladies in the point sparring world, but don't know who the top people are in the kumite realm.

Thanks for the videos. A couple of things our instructor tells us... 1. Don't worry about winning. Focus on improving a little at each tourney. Our instructor didn't win a lot at first, but focused on closing the point spread with her main competitors at each tourney. Eventually she caught them and ended up being multiple time world champ. 2. Think of your move set as a toolbox. Learn about 3 main moves as your main tools (backfist, upper block/reverse punch, side kick for me) then have a couple of specialty moves to round out your toolbox (ridgehand, hammer fist for me). A handyman has a ton of tools in his box, but probably only uses a few on a regular basis. 3. Don't always be on attack. A lot of points can be had from defense (defensive side kick, etc).

Underdog Kids is out today via streaming and DVD. I haven't watched it yet, but the buzz from a couple of kids I know is positive. Several younger and older martial artists in it: Phillip Rhee Benny 'the Jet' Urquidez Don 'the Dragon' Wilson Aidan Considine Dallas Liu Tyler Weaver and probably more I don't recognize. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3150574/

Saw that Ernie Reyes Jr has some health issues. Passing this along since he's done some martial arts work in the movies. Sorry if this has already been posted. http://www.thebattleofatlanta.com/#!ernie/cvn2

For our school's 25th our owner had an open house/homecoming type day. We gilled burgers and hot dogs and had other snack type foods. Past students dropped in to visit. General public was welcome to take classes that day for free. We did a free self defense class too. Also had the demo team put on a show. It was a fun day.

Definitely not a mutual agreement. He sent his 2 week notice via a text message which I find immature and cowardly (just my opinion). Our instructor feels blind sided and betrayed. The person that left wanted to take our school in a different direction, more MMA and kickboxing, and less kata and point fighting. Multiple times the head instructor allowed this person to try to get an MMA program going at the school and each time the interest just wasn't there to continue. Also, the head instructor and his family often times helped this individual with bills when he couldn't afford something and provided him with the school's van when he couldn't afford car repairs. This plus the recruiting of students are the main pain points. I knew he wasn't happy, but I feel the whole way he handled things was unprofessional. I've wished him well and thanked him for his work with my sons.

I don't have a problem with he or anyone else opening a school. In previous jobs I was prohibited from leaving a company and going to work for a competitor, etc. That's why I asked. I don't know how things work in the MA world. Some background though. This was not a clean break from our school. Notice was given that he was leaving via a text message of all things. Recruiting had been going on previous to his leaving. There are some veiled shots at our school on the new school's web site. Thanks for all of the responses.

One of our instructors left and has opened a new school about 10 minutes away. I was surprised that our owner did not have a no compete clause in place. Is a no compete clause common in the martial arts world or do most use an honor system? It's been an interesting few weeks watching to see who, if anyone, is leaving for the new school. So far just one family.

This is the main one for me. There are a few Facebook pages/groups I follow: Sport Karate Memes - mostly poking fun at various things in the sport karate world (sparkly weapons, too much screaming, etc). It's normally a lighthearted page. Occasionally someone gets offended. Point Fighter - great for results for some of the larger sport tourneys. A lot of discussion on technique, rules, issues, etc Pointfigthing.org - same as above, but not very active as of late. Karatebyjesse too

The week of I normally make sure I get a couple of good sparring sessions in. If I plan on doing kata at the tourney then I get an instructor to check me out one last time. The day before I don’t really do anything other than when I have time I try to visualize myself sparring at the tourney. At the tourney I do little other than stretching. I’m old and I need whatever energy I have to for the matches. My son….during the week leading up to a tourney he’s in class and any open floor times just fine tuning things and getting an extra sparring session in. He typically does not train at all the day before the tourney. He uses that day to relax and let his body rest. He likes to get to the tourney about 90 minutes before start time. He’ll stretch, run through his weapon and kata, socialize with his friends from other schools, and help any younger students from his school to prepare. Almost always he will have at least one headphone on for music. Before point sparring starts, he’ll have someone hold focus gloves so he can warm up his combos.

My son participated in the US team trials for the World Kickboxing and Karate Union (WKU). He tried our for 7 divisions and made 3: kumite, musical weapons, and team sync. He heads to Albir, Spain for the WKU Worlds in late October. He made the team last year and came up a little short at Worlds so he's been hungry for this since then.