KarateGeorge

Well stated. While learning the techniques individually is an important first step, I think it needs to ultimately follow through to some form of free fighting training. It helps improve the ability of how to use and apply your knowledge in a constantly changing scenario like that found in a real self defense situation and train physical and mental control in the face of the stress you might encounter should you have to truly defend yourself.

One of the running jokes among the black belts at my school has always been when someone messes something up in a fairly humorous way, such as nearly falling from dizziness after attempting too many spinning techniques in a row, we'll laugh and say something along the lines of "That was a 1st degree move, we'll teach you that after you get your black belt" or "That was a 3rd degree move..." or whatever their rank happens to be.

Welcome to the forums! I hope you find the right school for you, it sounds like you have several options where you live. One thing to look for in the school, beyond just the style, is the teaching quality of the instructors as well as their personalities. As you visit the schools, see how well they are able to pass their knowledge on to the students. Remember, just because someone teaches a class or owns a school doesn't necessarily make them a good teacher. Some are just better at passing on their knowledge than others. Also, pay attention to the personality of the instructors and other students. These are people you're going to potentially be spending a fair amount of time around, so you want to make sure they're people you want to be around, at least within the confines of your class times.

I'm generally fairly open about the fact that I'm a martial artist. It's part of who I am and is an activity I love to participate in, so I'm not afraid to talk about it. I don't go around making a big deal about it and tell everybody I meet, but most of my friends know its something I do.

Strength plays a role in the power of your punch, but as has been echoed in the prior posts, technique is really where a technique's power comes from. Make sure your footwork is good, that you're turning your hips properly, etc. Examine your technique and work on perfecting it, then once you get the technique down, work on the speed of the punch. The speed of the punch has a greater impact on force than the mass behind the punch...it's science. Also, as DWx suggested, get some bag work in if you can.

Welcome to the forums!

Welcome to the forums!

As for the country I live in, I love being here in the U.S. Though its a large country and there are many other parts of the country beyond my current home that I would think would be awesome places to live if I ever had the opportunity to move there.

That's really awesome!

This summer I'm enrolled at the local community college in an adult continuing education class to learn Italian. I don't expect to be fluent off a 2 month course, but its something I've wanted to learn for a while, and you have to start somewhere. I'm also planning a trip to Florida later this summer. Other than that, just work, continue training for my upcoming half-marathon, and going to karate classes.

I took up running about a year ago. I started out at running for just 5 minutes or so. The first month was pretty rough on me, as I was in a constant state of pain because I'd gotten away from significant exercise for so long my body wasn't used to it. But I persevered, and now a year later I consider a short run to be about 2 miles, and when I push myself, I can do a 10 mile run. I'm training to run a half-marathon this fall too.

DWx makes a great point. The lightweights tend to be quicker, have more stamina and have better technical skill, but those heavyweights can really take and dish out the hits. They may not be as fast, but if they land something on you, you're really feel like you just got hit by a freight train. I've personally gone the fat loss route and trimmed up, going from just shy of 200 pounds to about 145 pounds over the past year, and have built up some good endurance from long duration cardio exercises. I wouldn't mind gaining about 10-15 pounds of muscle, but really no more than that, as I personally don't want to sacrifice the speed and agility advantages of being a lighter weight.

Ours are done in front of a panel.

Congrats GeoGiant!

Welcome to Karate Forums!

The quality of the students is an interesting one. Its a very useful tool in judging a school. However, someone new to martial arts may not know how to properly judge the students. Granted, you could make some extreme examples, but for the average school, someone with no prior background may have difficulty looking at a black belt, or a blue belt or whatever, and saying to themselves "Is that how they should look at their level?" Or even knowing the difference between a 1st degree black belt and a 5th degree black belt. Credentials, as a result, I think tend to be very important for someone new to the martial arts. You may not know what you're supposed to be looking at, but you at least can determine their background and reputation. Other factors that may play a role are time/availability of classes, prices, class sizes (large vs. small), distance from home, participation in tournaments, general atmosphere of the classes and personality of the instructor (ie, would you be able to enjoy learning from them).

9 years, wow! Way to go!

Yesterday - 10 mile run

Welcome Evan!

Awesome, Heidi! Here's to the next five! Thanks for all you do!

Welcome to KF!

Welcome to KF!

As everybody else has said: train, train, train. All the advice has been exactly on target. One other thing I'd add is if you're having trouble doing more than just one or two different moves when sparring, start thinking of developing combos. Think of ways you can start piecing the techniques together. Rather than thinking of each technique as a separate component that stands alone, start thinking about the bigger picture...what works well together and what doesn't? Different things apply to different situations as well, start to look at where and when different techniques are most applicable. Then, practice, practice, practice.

You know, I never could get into the Wheel of Time series. The setting was really cool, but I found I didn't like his writing style. I got to about the 5th book in the series and jI ust kind of trailed off on reading them any further having started to lose interest. Maybe I'll pick them back up and give them another try at some point, because I did really like the setting.

I'm with Toptomcat on this. I think questions should be encouraged, if they are legitimate questions concerning a technique. I'd throw the "This doesn't really work, does it?" type of question in that group though but only if its truly a legitimate concern about a technique's effectiveness. When I'm being shown a technique, or if I'm showing a technique, I want to be sure that it would actually accomplish its stated purpose. However, just like Toptomcat said, if they're just asking rediculous questions to be difficult, then those should be best left at home. When asking questions in class, they should be limited to questions where you have a true concern, but if someone does have a question, I'd rather it be asked than to be left unanswered.