KickChick

Very good wise advice monkeygirl (...sure you're 15?? ) It's not any different when you're an "older" instructor believe me. It requires "patience" .... and the ability to bite your tongue when all you want to do is kick their butt! .... just kidding really! It will get better as they get used to you and your teaching ... and more importantly as you get used to handling them! Good Luck 360!! ...you are really going places these days aren't you??

Hi Angus ... yes I remember you!

Advanced classes are conducted a bit differently ... but in the typical adult class we have a 10 min. warm up .... floor techniques for 20 or so. All levels begin together and as techniques progress up to advanced levels those lower ranks are bowed out and go over to heavy bags to work on kicks or practice their form. Then the class does forms all together starting at 1st form to the form of the highest belt. Each student is bowed out or can continue to do their own form if the next form called out is not their form (next belt rank form). Ususally the last 15 min. ... we do stations, drill work, jump kicks to hanging heavy bag (jumping over chairs or kick targets mounted one on top ot the other) .... roll the wavemasters out for kick drills or focus pad drill s... or sparring. Some classes will have self defense (aikido too) takedown techniques, breaking class, (--the owner instructor like to mix it up for variety).....

I touched upon this in this thread http://www.karateforums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=52716#52716 .... but how does your paticular school conduct "testing day"

Children are given a red stripe if they have performed their form with no errors. They are given a white stripe for every 10 lessons. When they have the required amount of stripes including that red stripe.... then they are eligible to test for their next belt. We have student ID cards that we scan every time we take class that counts down the number of classes. It notifies student that they are ready for a white stripe. When count goes to zero you are put on a pretest list where you will be given an "in class" pretest by the instructor. He fills in a sheet showing your strong and weak points and areas that you need to work on. If you pass you are put on the list to test. There is a test every last Sat. of the month. The master of the school grades those going for black and dan levels and available black belts of the school grade the other students. We are given a sheet for each student and we grade their Forms / Sparring / Floor Techniques / and Breaks. We fill in our own critique area trying to offer both the positives and the areas that requires more work in the future. It is rare that a student fails (mainly because of the pretest) unless he fails to perform his breaks wherein he comes back the following month. I'm the one that usually draws the smiley faces on students grading papers!

I think the most difficult thing in grading is to be consistent. You must hold the same standards for each student. If its 3 mistakes or 2 mistakes or whatever allowed on forms ... than that is it. You have to also consider the nervousness of the student. Many times during the course of the test I have seen graders take a student aside and tell them to "focus" remind them the importance of performing at 100% effort. Sometimes this is enough to "snap" them to attention. Consistensy in your judgement is crucial ... if you feel you are strict, you may be .... but then your students are all the better because of that. Thing is not to be too strict whereby you begin to lose your students.

My particular class was cut to 45 min. (All Black Belt class). Because of this cut in time our "warmup" time has been cut so it's 7 min. warmup and the rest of the class is advanced techniques/sparring or a t/and forms, or sparring/breaking. The adult classes up to brown (belt before black) is 1 hour. I found that I really do miss those 15 minutes! Ideally I would like to see 90 min. classes 15 min. warmup (dynamic stretching with variety of kicks and stretching/conditioning exercises and a 15 min. cool down afterwards (which is just as important IMO as a warm up!)

Siily me.... we were always trained with ball of foot for rounds....oooh I can feel the pain from over here! ,,, Yes, I guess speed helps the pain quotient too ,, never thought of that!

Body for Life by Bill Philips owns the EAS supplement company. There are only a few references to supplementation (mainly Myoplex shakes as a source of protein). You are not required to use any supplements on this plan, and it does not even mention several common supplements like creatine or ECA stacks. The book is 50% information, 49% motivation, and only 1% devoted to pushing EAS products. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060193395/104-4319466-4083922 Body For Life is a 12-week fitness plan. You eat a high protein diet and exercise regularly. It is not a very low calorie diet, so you do not feel deprived and you have plenty of energy. Overweight individuals can expect a gradual weight loss of 1-2 pounds a week. You will lose bodyfat and gain muscle on this program. THE DIET This diet is not a temporary change in your eating habits. It is intended to be a lifestyle change. The calories are low enough for overweight individuals to lose weight, but high enough for an average adult to maintain a reasonable weight. When you reach your desired weight you simply maintain your new eating habits. Portions are emphasized, not counting calories. You eat six meals a day. A meal consists of one portion of protein and one portion of carbohydrates. In addition, you add a vegetable to two of the meals. Once a week, you are allowed a cheat day to splurge on your favorite foods. Each meal is small and low in calories, but you eat so often that you do not get hungry. You are given lists of appropriate foods, and sample meal plans. You must be willing to exercise regularly in order to use the Body For Life plan. When people diet without exercising, their bodies burn muscle in addition to fat. This results in a lower metabolism, which is exactly what you want to avoid if you are having difficulty with your weight. You perform vigorous cardio exercises three times a week, for twenty minutes each session. This increases your aerobic fitness and burns calories. You also lift weights three days a week (for about 45 minutes per session). Building muscle causes your metabolism to increase, in addition to giving you a leaner harder physique. I say ... it sounds like a healthy diet that won't leave you hungry or tired. But I still hate DIETS!!! But is you must.... I suppose this is better than some because I do like that it instructs you to make a nutritional lifetime change.

http://www.karateforums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4231&highlight=splits Check out this page that holds a bunch of threads on doing "splits" ... my fav subject! What you are referring to is static tretching which is a full range of motion stretching of joints without emphasis on speed of movement. It involves holding a stretch for 10-60 sec.s by finishing your workout woth this stretch you will alleviate the delayed onset of muscle soreness. Checkout this thread for the importance of warming up prior to stretching. http://www.karateforums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4228&highlight=

... you guys know me so well... sure I have something to add (although LeaF you're right on target there with that post)....but let me add this quote from me... from a very early post made in H&F forum in regards to the importance of warming up before your stretching which should help you out kirby. "whatever activity you are going to be doing, is that same activity in a slower and more controlled manner. Keep in mind that the warm up should be some sort of cardiovascular movement that will gradually elevate your heart rate, while increasing your body's core temperature. For instance, a kickboxer would shadow kickbox starting with low kicks and short, slow punches...in tae kwon do one would do a series of rising kicks gradually increasing height and speed. Another misconception is that one should stretch before he/she warms up. I don't know if any of you know about the "spaghetti theory" but here is is: Let’s say you pull a box of spaghetti out of the cabinet and pull out a few strands. What would happen if you immediately tried to bend the pasta? It would break. So what would happen if you put that same pasta in a pot of warm water for five minutes and tried to bend it? It would give a bit, but if you tried to bend it all the way ... it would still break. So what if we left that same pasta in the pot to boil for ten minutes and then tried to bend it? It would be all over the place right? Totally flexible. Well, that is exactly the way your body works. If you attempt to stretch out before an appropriate warm up, you are very likely to pull or tear something. Once you do warm-up however, keep in mind that the preliminary stretching is for injury prevention only. It is not a time to try and gain flexibility. Just like the spaghetti, if you go too far ... you may break! Once you have completed your workout (boiled), then you will want to stretch for the purposes of gaining added flexibility. In my kickboxing class that we teach at the school we do exactly as stated above...gradually working up the heart rate...with kicks & punches, lunges, working up to rapid jabs/hooks, switch & jump kicks." As far as amount of training you should do .... your're a novice yet ... get a feel for what works for you keep a day of rest in between for starters.... Check out these posts on these pages for other training tips which appear in Health/Fitness/Training Forum http://www.karateforums.com/forums/search.php?search_id=400371265&start=30 http://www.karateforums.com/forums/search.php?search_id=400371265&start=60 http://www.karateforums.com/forums/search.php?search_id=400371265&start=0

Thanks to all of you for your advice ... you said it G95, I am definitely going for the technique that I can do the best. KSN, I do like the hook but I may try that one. My girlfriend (master's wife) held her board in front of her and just popped a jump front kick. I may try that..... I have trouble with my 360 round karatekid1975, I'm jealous of you now! Seems I can't pull back my toes and kick with the ball of my foot on that particular round technique. I manage to kick with the instep intead and that won't work. So next time I will try the hook and a "pop" round off the lead... (.... I did do the round off the back leg and no go!) and Pacific, no I'm keeping rather simple for the "speed" break but maybe something a bit crazy for my "power" break ... hmmmmm I will be working on the bag preparing for some more breaks ... I'm truly surprised that my knuckles aren't a bit sore after last night .... must be all the supplements I'm on!

You didn't say whether you are WTF or ITF (sport or traditional). We spar usually the last 15 min-20 min. of class (1 hr.) class. Ocassionally in our black belt classes it may be an all sparring class night (or breaking or forms). We are geared up and maybe 3-4 matches are going on at same time for 3 minutes (sometimes more if no one tends to the clock! ) We spar with control ... liht contact to head if yur partner agrees ... the black belts tend to go all out ... while if matched with lower belt we tend to hold back a bit and offer pointers and 's for good executed strikes.

Joe and John were identical twins. Joe owned an old dilapidated boat and kept pretty much to himself. One day he rented out his boat to a group of out-of-staters who ended up sinking it. He spent all day trying to salvage as much stuff as he could from the sunken vessel and was out of touch all that day and most of the evening. Unbeknownst to him, his brother John's wife had died suddenly in his absence. When he got back on shore he went into town to pick up a few things at the grocery. A kind old woman there mistook him for John and said, "I'm so sorry for your loss. You must feel terrible." Joe, thinking she was talking about his boat said, "Hell no! Fact is I'm sort of glad to be rid of her. She was a rotten old thing from the beginning. Her bottom was all shriveled up and she smelled like old dead fish. She was always holding water. She had a bad crack in the back and a pretty big hole in the front too. Every time I used her, her hole got bigger and she leaked like crazy." "I guess what finally finished her off was when I rented her to those four guys looking for a good time. I warned them that she wasn't very good and that she smelled bad. But they wanted her anyway. The damn fools tried to get in her all at one time and she split right up the middle." The old woman fainted.

In ancient Israel, it came to pass that a trader by the name of Abraham Com, did take unto himself a young wife by the name of Dot. And Dot Com was a comely woman, broad of shoulder and long of leg. Indeed, she had been called Amazon Dot Com. She said unto Abraham, her husband, "Why doth thou travel far from town to town with thy goods, when thou can trade without ever leaving thy tent?" And Abraham did look at her as though she were several saddle bags short of a camel load, but simply said, "How, Dear?" And Dot replied, "I will place drums in all the towns and drums in between to send messages saying what you have for sale, and they will reply telling you which hath the best price. And the sale can be made on the drums and delivery made by Uriah's Pony Stable (UPS)." Abraham thought long and decided he would let Dot have her way with the drums. The drums rang out and were an immediate success. Abraham sold all the goods he had at the top price, without ever moving from his tent. But this success did arouse envy. A man named Maccabia did secret himself inside Abraham's drum and was accused of insider trading. And the young men did take to Dot Com's trading as doth the greedy horsefly take to camel dung. They were called Nomadic Ecclesiastical Rich Dominican Siderites, or NERDS for short. And lo, the land was so feverish with joy at the new riches and the deafening sound of drums that no one noticed that the real riches were going to the drum maker, one Brother William of Gates, who bought up every drum company in the land. And indeed did insist on making drums that would work only with Brother Gates' drumheads and drumsticks. Dot did say, "Oh, Abraham, what we have started is being taken over by others." And as Abraham looked out over the Bay of Ezekiel, or as it came to be Known "eBay" he said, "We need a name that reflects what we are," and Dot replied, "Young Ambitious Hebrew Owner Operators." "YAHOO", said Abraham. And that is how it all began. It wasn't Al Gore after all.

" Speed Breaks" It is not the amount of 'muscle' which you hit the object with, it's the speed at which you hit it that matters. You can produce just as much power by striking the object at a higher speed while using less 'muscle'." One of the break requirements for my next dan are 2 speed breaks where the boards are held only held at the top or bottom. This type of breaking is very difficult and requires speed. You have to be quick enough to strike through the board before it has moved back from the force of the strike. This type of setup is used for horizontal strikes like punches. However last night in class I tried a "hook" punch speed break that my master said he had never seen demonstrated. I felt pretty confident as I feel I have a mean hook. I broke 2nd shot n/p. So I got that break down. Next I need to concentrate on the kick. Now opinions please..... should the kick come from the lead foot (hence in my opinion more speed) or the back leg (yes, more power but by the time foot connects speed I feel is diminished). Any comments, tips, web sites ...

Here are previous threads on FootWork ... In future do a Search clicking icon above. Putting in the words "footwork" brings up many threads for you to check out.... some of which are these. So I will close this thread. Thanks! http://www.karateforums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3092&highlight=footwork http://www.karateforums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1635&highlight=footwork http://www.karateforums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=567&highlight=footwork

Welcome kirby! (Please stop by our Introductions Forum and do tell us more about you! I know that you're new so I placed your post in our brand-spanking new forum here! Hope you can find some other tips here also. I somewhat agree with the others.... I have no idea how "chunky" you are, your age, etc. etc. so I can only offer a suggestion or 2 or 3 or.... To burn fat, you need to be doing aerobic exercise ... and you will be getting that from your kickboxing classes I'm sure. But what you will find is that you are going to get mighty winded in the beginning. May I suggest you start walking/jogging a bit to work on your cardio endurance to at least get you through your class. You have made a start in the right direction but please don't think that your martial arts training is going to be a cure-all for that weight problem of yours. You need to look at your diet .. (I didn't say d-i-e-t) look at what you eat nutrition-wise. Less calories. Cut down on excesssive carbs, fats and sweets. Don't eliminate them all ... moderation. Lots of tips in our Health & Fitness Forum .... take a look through all the threads, I'm sure you'll find lots of tips. Good Luck ... and do come back and post how your week week went (don't judge the first class) And please give the weight some time to come off ... . I'm sure it didn't get there overnight!

Hey I read "The Complete Idiot's Guide To British Royalty" .... no need to go there Bits!

Thanks for joining KarateForums ... so glad shaolinprincess told you about us! Hope you can stay awhile ... !!

I see shuriken you are "assuming" again ... you know what happens when you "assume"????? y'know what .... I am no genius but I know when to quit when I am ahead .... and at this point in the thread I am taking it upon myself to close this subject... because "I", in fact, CAN CHANGE it!

Nice to see someone else has that talent of being able to find just the right thread to bring up an educating piece of enlightment. Thank you G95!

That's OK.... You are forgiven ...

I am sooooo happy! My daughter who is 15 (who aslso follows in her mom's footsteps) took time off after getting her black belt to pursue dance for 2 years. (actually a cheerleading/dance team which they won Best in Nation last year). With that "under her belt" so-to-speak and not making the high school squad in try outs, ... I have been trying to get her back into TKD! Well, she finally went back this past Monday and did very well. Techniques and forms all came back to her. I think that was why she was hesitant. I explained .... "Once a black belt .... always a black belt" ( .... however we did find she may need a bigger belt! ..... it was a wee bit short). She will be going back to class tonight! YAY!!! It is a breaking/sparring class tonight so now she is nervous about that! I do hope she plans on continuing .... maybe we will have a "KickChickee" on KF!

At my 8 yr. old's son's last checkup, I was warned that we need to keep watch on his spine because he "may" have the beginning signs of scoliosis. Honestly I didn't know too too much aboit it so I began to see maybe I didn't take precautionarty measures when I was pregnant or maybe its genetic or So with the start of school in a couple weeks I thought I would add this to your post shuriken. (.... and to educate those further who do not know about your condition) Scoliosis is a sideways curving of the spine that can often result in an 'S' shape or 'C' shape in the spine. If someone runs there fingers down the spine either side of the vertibrae they will leave two red lines. It is often easier to see the curving of the spine in these red lines.Scoliosis is often a result of an imbalance in the muscles caused by one sided activities such as throwing or racket sports. Children can develop it through carrying heavy bags on one shoulder all day at school. Curvature develops slowly, usually during the growth years from age 12-16. In severe cases the spinal curvature may be disfiguring and cause the ribs to compress the heart and lungs affecting the function of these organs. How can you prevent scoliosis in young people? Avoid carrying heavy bags on one shoulder. Get a rucksack type bag and wear it properly or regularly alternate carrying arms and shoulders. If you are a one sided sports person e.g. Javelin thrower, hurdler or tennis player, at the end of each practice make sure you throw a few times with your wrong arm or hit a few balls with the other arm. Get into the habbit - it will be worth it in the long run. What can you do about it? Keep yourself supple and strengthen the back. Do those core muscle exercises! See a sports injury specialist Warning signs you may look for: (this is how it was detected at my son's exam) While standing behind your child, place your fingers on the hips, then the shoulders and finally just under the ears, checking for equal heights. ask the child to bend forward while you are standing behind. Check to see if the shoulder blades and ribs are at the same height on each side. Also, pay attention to any symptoms your child may report, such as "growing pains", fatigue, back pain or pain in the knees or ankles