KarateGeorge

Aikido class 9.5 mile run...was going for 10, but started to hit a "wall" and just couldn't push myself any further. Still awesome though and a quarter mile past my previous max distance. Some push-ups and pull-ups to round out the day.

Welcome to KF!

Welcome to KF!

I think learning the Japanese terms is good from a cultural perspective to gain a greater appreciation for where the art came from. However, as sensei8 stated, I don't think it provides any real benefit to the actual practice of the art. I think learning the techniques in your own language, whatever that may be, can help students pick things up easier, especially in the beginning. If you don't know what they're asking you to do, then its hard to perform the requested technique. However, different people take martial arts with different interests and goals in mind, and its a big world, so there's plenty of room for those who teach in Japanese and those who don't. My personal preference is to teach and be taught in English as its my primary language, but I don't begrudge anybody who wants to do otherwise.

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Agreed. About the only time I really use a hook kick when sparring is in combination with a roundhouse. Do a hook kick with the expectation of not hitting the target but rather to draw their attention to blocking the kick, then re-extending the kick back into a roundhouse. I've also managed to use it to sneak in a few rib shots on occasion, but overall I really don't use a standard hook kick all that often. Other than that, as Toptomcat said, it seems its primary usefulness is to prepare you for learning the spinning hook kick, which can be a great kick if you can pull it off successfully.

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Heh, true. We should play nice in tournaments, but what goes around tends to come around. Accidents happen, but if its obvious someone has broken the rules intentionally, then they should be prepared to expect the others to act in the same manner back towards them.

Pitbulljudoka makes a wise point. You really don't know what could happen in a physical confrontation, and in reality, by maintaining a proper awareness of one's surroundings, and the events happening, many times a situation can either be avoided entirely or at least diffused before it becomes a problem. Some people just have a knack for detecting confrontations and avoiding or diffusing them, but with experience and training, most anybody can hone this ability. Physical confrontation should not be the first option. But, if a physical confrontation is inevitable, the first sign of aggressive intent is enough. I'm not going t wait for that first punch to land if I can avoid it. That could something such as the initial movements of a punch (assuming I can react faster than they can throw the punch) or revealing a weapon.

Welcome, Mac!

4/10: Aikido class 4 mile run Rollerblading approx 1 hour Chest/shoulders/abs/back/arms 4/11: 2 mile run abs

As everybody else here said...don't let left-handedness/footedness be a hindrance to taking up karate. I'm a lefty as well. It shouldn't be an issue, as was stated previously, many techniques are taught on both sides, and we're encouraged to practice both ways, so the "righties" have the same disadvantage when doing things with their left side.

Yeah...I call this..."I'll get a turn too!" Yep! In the dojo, or in a tournament, you gotta "play nice" but in a real self-defense situation, the rules go away. You gotta do what you gotta do to get away safely!

Welcome back!

My karate school is fairly non-traditional on the uniforms. Our uniform is gi pants (of any color) with a "school" t-shirt. However, now that I'm starting Aikido classes, they actually use traditional white gis at the school, with higher ranks wearing hakama. For the first few weeks, we can get away without a gi, but in a few weeks I'll have to pick up a white Aikido or Judo Gi. If I stick with Aikido, I'll eventually need to pick up some hakama pants as well.

Agreed, there are definitely too many factors to just state a standard response. There are so many things that play into how one would respond. A single punch to the face may not drop the person, but it may be enough to get them to back off. It depends in large part on their intent, and their state of mind. Ultimately, my goal would be to create an opening for me to get out of the situation safely, but how I would go about that would depend on the situation. That may or may not even require "throwing a punch" at all if the situation can be diffused without violence. If a physical response is required, it could range from a simple punch to something more drastic such as breaking joints, depending on the level of force necessary to remove myself safely.

Welcome and good luck on the test! As far as the site goes, if you ever have questions, just ask us.

Happy Easter! I'm a fan of the chocolate bunny.

Bassai Dai is my favorite kata (though not my best one. )

Welcome to the forums!

Well, I went to my first Aikido class today. It was REALLY fun and interesting. I think it will add some nice compliments to my existing karate and wing chun backgrounds. It will present some challenges for me though, because it has some very different approaches to things from what I've done in the past. It doesn't contradict anything I've learned, they just come at it from a different approach. The footwork is especially going to be an area for me to focus on. My prior background used very direct steps into and away from the attacker or at angles. Aikido seems to use a lot of circular stepping, working around your opponent as you bring them down towards the ground. I enjoyed it quite a bit and I think I'll definitely gain some new insights from training in Aikido. The hardest part for me I think will be initially "emptying myself" so that I can learn the new stuff, and then again at later stages, incorporating them together into a more cohesive whole.

Congrats!

Ridgehand and backfist for me.

Yeah. Though genetics do play a role in our weight, diet and exercise play an integral role as well. The trick is that though it's really not all that hard to just plain gain or lose weight, trying to specifically gain muscle is a little trickier. As mr_obvious stated, you'll need to increase overall calories, but you want to ensure that you're still consuming "quality" calories. I'm not sure what your current daily protein consumption is, but you'll probably want to increase protein intake further, maybe with a whey protein supplement, or something along those lines. Ultimately, if you're not providing your body with the proper fuel to build muscle, you're not going to really gain much mass. As far as strength training goes, I'm not sure what you're doing now, but building muscle mass usually comes from doing less reps at a higher weight. More reps at a lower weight increases lean muscle and improves tone and definition, but higher weights and less reps is generally used for building pure strength and mass. If you have access to a physical trainer, I would consult with them as they can examine what you're doing now in greater detail and help you develop both a diet plan and an exercise plan to help you gain weight.

Thanks for the advice! It's good to get some insight from someone who's trained more extensively in ground work. Yeah, it was a sad day. Ultimately, if and when classes start back up again is going to hinge on the sensei finding a new place to teach. They're starting to look into some options, but ultimately, they have the family matters to deal with first, so its not high on the priority list. I'm looking forward to learning some Aikido though. Its quite different from what my main focus has been, so I think it will provide a good compliment and hopefully bring some new insights and understanding.