Shizentai

My most painful injuries definitely happened before I trained karate (like chopping off the very tip of my middle finger while cooking, or getting hit by cars while on my bike). The worst karate injury I ever had was from being punched in the mouth during the finals of a tournament. I had a mouthpiece on so I was alright, but I chose to eat softer foods for a few days. Thank God my opponent was controling to some extent, otherwise I might not have had any front teeth. Also, once while being the attacker in one step sparing (yes, I said one-step sparing) my over-zealous kohai forgot that as uke he had to control his counterattack and punched me so hard in the solarplexus that I couldn't inhale properly for a good minute or two.... the sound I made was kind-of like a rubber ducky. It was rather amusing, albeit painful in every sense of the word. The good news is that I was completely fine afterwards and went right on back to training.

In my experience Tokaido (also Hirota and Yamaga) that I purchased in Japan will shrink about 1 to 2 cm over time, even washed in cold water and hung to dry. On the other hand, I throw my American bought Mugen orange label in the drier all the time (in attempts to make it a little smaller) and the size never changes at all. The reason why is that gi companies pre-shrink their fabrics in the US, but not in Japan. By the way, if anyone here ever buys a Mizuno from Japan, NEVER put that thing in a drier! Even if its WAY too big. o_o Mine is like the size of a child's gi now. Hope that helped! Good luck!

>_< LMAO lol YES! The worst part is that, having trained in Japan, I've been made very aware of my own overuse, and I am probably one of the quietest in my American dojo. I think the problem is that it becomes more of a reflex than an actual word to certain people. Funny story, I was riding my bike on a sidewalk around my neighborhood and some >ahem< college students suddenly rounded the corner too sharply in a truck and hopped the curb, nearly running me over as they honked their horn frantically. For some reason, my reaction to this was to take a flying leap off my bike into some bushes screaming the lousest reflexive "OSSU!" I've ever heard in my life. I felt like such a dork getting back on my bike. I'm glad there was no one to witness that. Personally, the thing I find most weird in traditional competitions (which is all I know really) is when I see someone scrunching up his/her face and acting ticked off the whole length of the kata. It's as if they're trying to broadcast "LOOK AT ME! I NEED MROE FIBER IN MY DIET!"

You know, this is what I really love about karate: you get out of it what you put into it. When I train alone I sometimes use 10lb ankle weights on my wrists, and repeat each of my kata at least 5 times without stopping (5x13=65kata reps). The side effect of this is that at first I get a pretty exhausing workout (as flinging 20% of my bodyweight at arms' length for an hour will tend to do). However over time I learn to use the techniques more efficiently and correctly. After a few months it becomes easy, even for a shrimp like me... until I learn a new kata and the process begins anew that is @_@

train relaxation! you'll move faster when you are more relaxed at the start of almost any technique. This is true for anyone of any size.

I think this is more what they have come to represent. "Dansei" is the Japanese for male (I guess you could extrapolate Dan from this), but i am not sure that "Kyu" means boy as "kun" is boy as far as I understand. But I guess the Senpai / Kohai relationship is constant in your description. WNM You really have to look at the kanji and context. Japanese has a more limited sylablery than English and thus has lots of repeat usages of the same sounding word: As you can see: 男性 ＝dansei = man/masculine ...is totally different from... 段 = dan = black belt rank Also, both kanji dan (段) and kyu (級) mean basically just "class," "grade," "rank" or "step." There is no other meaning to my knowledge (well, not relevant ones anyway). Lastly, the kanji for "kun" (君) not only means "young boy," but is also used for "kimi" or　a casual way of saying "you." I have no reason to believe there is any common origin (nor radicle similarity might I add) with kyu (級).

Being a 109lb anemic asthmatic and joint compromised blackbelt woman who has won tournaments in both kata and kumite, I find the excuse of being a "skinny guy who gets hurt easily" rather laughable. However, as I possess a similar physique, I do understand nooob's concern for not joining one of those shady dojos where they do nothing but punch eachother into bloody messes. That kind of so called "kumite training" is something that doesn't interest me either. Nooob, you probably stopped reading this thread by now, but in the off chance that you see this, I urge you to consider a school that teaches both kata and partner work (which is not all free sparing by the way), because without one it's very hard to understand the meaning of the other.

I think you are misunderstanding my meaning of "tense." When I say it, I don't mean rigid or stiff-bodied at all. I mean "the contraction of a muscle." At any instant while you are standing you are in part tense and in part relaxed (yet again the balance thing). It's impossible to stand while being truly 100% relaxed, much less move (save being rolled down a hill or something). There are different muscle groups we can tense and relax independently and to different degrees. I was speaking specifically about the muscles in the hand, armpit and abs. I agree that muscles like your deltoids or neck muscles (for instance) should stay as relaxed as possible throughout. Tensing the hand into a tight fist protects the fingers. Tensing armpit muscles keeps the arm in alignment. Tensing the abs and buttock connects the punch to the hip and thereby the ground since it's what your legs are standing on. That doesn't mean pushing. If you're tense opposing groups before the moment of impact, that's pushing. Why connect to the ground? Newton's 3rd law: "To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." See, as a 109 lb girl, the amount of force I can strike with when I am using nothing but my own weight behind a punch is severely limited due to my body's backward motion with every strike I make. However, if I simply connect my legs to the ground and send my momentum forward, (some people call this "kinetic linking" I think), I can hit with more force. Punch force from a ~150lb man has been measured over a ton per square inch using this method (not a weak punch in my opinion). The "tensing" I was talking about was simply this leg/hip thrust since you have to tense a muscle in order to step in. I hope that cleared it up, because I think I agree with you on most things and I didn't mean to make it seem otherwise. Just for the record, I totally 100% disagree with the idea that this is just a training thing, but I've already explained why so I won't go into it.

Heh heh, I know I shouldn't laugh, but you guys are all right in my opinion, so it's funny to see an argument erupting over it. In my experience with karate, and from what every sensei I trained under for the past 9 years has told me, the key to executing any technique correctly is the contrast. In other words, it's all about the balance. For instance: - A punch must be 100% relaxed while moving, but 100% tense only in the instant of its strike. - Steps should be fluid while moving between techniques (so that you are fast and don't get "stuck" as wnm said), but rooted and firm in the very split second of the execution of a block or strike (to make it as powerful as possible like everyone else said). - Timing cannot be too early or too late. So we practice moving slow and quickly in kata. - Distance cannot be too close or too near. So we practice both close and far distance in training. The examples can go on and on. That's why Having the capacity to create these polar opposites in your body, and what's more so, developing full command of them are what will allow you to improve. There are no short cuts, no secrets or cheats I can tell you better than this. best of luck with your punches

Man, this is definitely my least favorite technique. I can do it just fine on any floor, but lately we've been training in grass outside and I keep getting my toes stuck on roots and spraining them when I turn... and I'm pretty sure it's one of the sensei's favorite technique. My poor toes. @_@ It's an ok technique but in general I find it's less than reliable for most people in most situations, which is not simply my opinion, but rather the opinion of several sensei I've had over the years.

I think it might also be "aikika" (or at least that's what the people I know call themselves). Granted, the people I know (including my boyfriend) all train in the USA so there's no telling what aikido practitioners call themselves in Japan.

Personally I'd recommend knuckle push-ups and makiwara training if you have access to one. Punching bags are good for some things but terrible for others. Case in point, when you punch a human body, it won't spin around in a circle on you like a bag might. The makiwara allows you to practice your striking surface and wrist alignment without the spinning. That way when you go to strike something squishier and rounder like a bag (or in application a body) you should be able to do so without straining your wrist as much.

I've never use pads for anything personally. We even practice throws on wood floors. It hurts when you mess up, I won't lie. I'll tell you what though, you learn to fall right REALLY quick.

I have traveled a bit with my karate and I find that there are certain kata moves about which even students of the same sensei disagree. Thankfully, your question of a knee raise is not the worst of the bunch. However, my experience is that certain organizations vary in terms of what is considered correct with this. I know that at least schools of the JKA, ISKF, & ITKF teach that lifting the knee in front and then stepping straight down is correct. In fact, this is the way I was taught. However, I have also met some American karate organization members who insist that this was meant to be a crescent kick. Oddly enough, I've also met an SKIF member who felt it was a crescent as well... though I'm pretty sure that their founder, Kanazawa sensei doesn't do it that way. I know it's easier if someone just says "do this" or "do that" but hopefully the above will be of more help to you in the long run. As for the distinction between kata technique and kata application goes, I was always told that any particular kata has MANY different applications, which is why it is so useful to practice. Training kata helps improve muscle memory of various different techniques at the same time! ...unfortunately, that means that application arguments tend to go on and on forever @_@.

wow! That's really cool! Thanks for posting that! It makes me wish I had the aptitude for doing kata like sanchin well.

you know, I'm a 5'3" and 24" waist myself and I've often encountered that same problem. It seems like when things fit length wise they tend to billow out at my gut region. I mean, your gi pants should be a little lose before being pulled tight, but I think those pants you described sound just plain too big for you. Personally, I find there are certain brands that have cuts that fit better on thinner-waisted people. I would recommend the following if you decide to purchase another gi: 1. 10 oz KI - Mugen Orange Label This one is pretty much the best slim-fitting medium weight gi I've ever worn for under $40. I'd highly recommend it. 2. 13.74 oz KI - Mugen Yellow Label This is more like the weight of the one you described and It's only about $60. But if you're interested in a more expensive gi all of these are generally tighter-waisted and can actually be custom ordered for your size (though you'll have to convert into centimeters): 3. Hirota 4. Tokaido 5. Mizuno

1. my gi 2. my unembroidered plain black belt I lost everything else in a flood a few years back. Honestly, I haven't missed any of it yet.

ouch! Yeah, I've never been asked to do anything like that before. The shot put for me was definitely the weirdest... though a close second was the day my sensei asked me to walk across the floor and step up onto a chair like four times in a row while everyone watched me without any sort of explanation. HAHA! I was so confused.

well that just figures. I always get weird training exercises for some reason.

haha! Nah, I was born in the USA. I just lived there for a little while during high school & college. As for "kaikan," I think that's just a suffix meaning like "school" or "organization." I do have a stupid question though, when you guys trained in Ashihara... did you get shot put balls thrown at you by any chance? ...man that sounds violent. I mean "to" you... very quickly?

OH! Hey! Yeah, I trained in an Ashihara dojo in Maizurushi in Japan's Kyoto Prefecture. I was only there for 2 months, but it was fun while it lasted. It was very different from shotokan (the style I train in typically), but I learned a lot while there.

Hi, I'm new here. ...guess I'm supposed to talk about my martial arts experience or something. I've studied shotokan karate for going on 9 years now. Most of that time I studied in the US but I also have trained in Japan on several study abroad trips during high school and college. I got my shodan in May 2005 and I have been trainng often while dodging my nidan test for two years now I'm 23 years old, oh- I'm a chick (forgot to mention that). I also write, and illustrate a kid-friendly comic about karate (link in sig.) in my spare time. So it's nice to meet you.

I know exactly how you feel. I'm anemic & asthmatic myself. I've passed out doing almost anything you can think of from karate to stepping off of a bus as a bus stop (which was kind of painful actually). 1. Is your anemia an iron deficiency or a different type of anemia? I ask because the situation you're describing with the clammy hands and lightheaded feeling sounds like me when I forget to take my iron supplement. Maybe you should tell your doctor about these symptoms and ask him/her about the quantity of iron you are taking (if any) to treat your anemia. When I had those symptoms I upped my iron intake and I felt much better. 2. As for the air conditioning, those do bother my allergies which can lead to my asthma flaring up, but if you're having an asthma attack you should feel a little bit of airway constriction right? Do you find you're short of breath? If so, it could be either your anemia or asthma, or even both working together maniacally against you. This is a big problem for me sometimes. 3. Another possible reason you only have problems at that facility might be because they may train you harder when you're there. I know it sounds silly, but when I'm training on a real wood floor classes are usually MUCH faster paced and difficult, even when the instructor goes over the same techniques. I think a nice clean floor makes people more confident with their footing so instructors don't feel bad about tearing them to shreds with moving more across the dojo. 4. Also, last but not least, we anemics need to eat regularly, especially when we exercise (though I'm sure you're aware of this). I like to eat a medium-sized meal about 2 hours before class so that I'm full of energy by the time I train. Drink a lot of water throughout the day too, not just before and after class. I have passed out due to many different combinations of the above factors. Though your situation I'm sure is very unique I hope this may be of some use to you.

wow, I guess I'm kind of different then... - I wasn't terribly interested in martial arts on TV as a child - I didn't want to fight back against some bully in school - My parents had no part in my decision to join My motivation was different. Everyone I knew told me I was weak before karate, and I was. I had trouble passing a single day without spraining one or both of my ankles. In PE alone I had lost consciousness three times. I ate and ate and ate but I was still behind all the other girls in size, weight, and physical ability. My appearance was gaunt and I was constantly getting sent home from school. People I knew, even family and friends said I had a weak stomach, weak lungs, weak joints, weak eyesight, weak work ethic. "weak, weak, weak" is all I ever heard... So one day at age 14 I wandered into a college karate club. When the sensei asked me why I wanted to train with them the answer came surprisingly easily: "I want to know what strength is, so that I can see for myself if I am weak." One side effect of training for the past 9 years is that stance training seems to have made my ankle joints more stable, allowing me to walk every day without pain. Nearly a decade of relentless kihon exercises has also increased my air capacity, combating my asthma, bronchitis, and anemia. Though being able to defend myself in a fight is my ultimate purpose in being a martial artist, I am motivated to train every day because with karate I have a better quality of life. That is why no matter how I do at tournaments, I will never slack on training.

my parents specifically discouraged me from learning martial arts, or doing any sort of high physical contact anything. I was a very fragile child and they worried I'd somehow hurt myself. My dad actually encouraged me to learn to race bikes and do track and field instead. Ironically, I'm covered in scars from riding bikes, but I don't have a single mark on me from karate, which I started once I was old enough to make my own decision about the matter. In retrospect, I'm glad it worked out that way. If my parents had started me in martial arts as a child, I think I'd feel differently about it. After all, is it just me or is there nothing in the world scarier than badly behaved karate parents? As it stands the only one who motivates me to go to the dojo has always been me. It's been 100% my responsibility since the beginning even though I started at 14.