Lupin1

It's definitely good to focus on one style until you get comfortable with it before trying to learn more. Trying to learn 4-5 styles at the same time right off the bat would be very confusing to most people. The man who tries to chase two rabbits at the same time catches neither.

Welcome!

I was just diagnosed with costochondritis yesterday and I saw your post so I thought I'd respond even though I don't really have any advice for you. I'd never even heard of this before yesterday. I just started having mild pain two or three weeks ago. At first I thought it was normal female chest pains and didn't think anything of it. Then over the weekend I got a bad cold and was coughing a lot, which brought the pain from mild to pretty severe and prompted me to go to the doctor. The doctor actually said I probably hurt my chest at karate-- probably got hit in the sternum too hard at some point causing the cartilage to become inflamed. No karate for at least a week and then I have to be careful for a few months-- no getting hit in the chest, no pushups, stopping if anything starts hurting, etc. One nice thing is I'm not allowed to shovel snow for a few months which will probably bring us to the end of the winter, so that's a plus, I guess. I'm also icing it and taking some prescription strength ibuprofen, but mostly it's just rest and letting it heal. The doctor said it should heal on its own in a few months, but I've come across a lot of people like yourself for whom it's become a chronic condition. I'm really hoping mine heals, so I plan on taking it really easy for awhile.

I have to admit, I'd really like a Patriot's win just to show the NFL that the four game suspension did nothing to stop us.

Have a quiet word with the sensei and let him know you were distracted and worried about the safety of the kids running across the floor while the adults are training (that'd be my worry, at least). Let him talk to the parents and set/enforce any rules he feels necessary to combat the problem. It's HIS dojo and it's up to him to manage it.

Sorry Bob. It was a REALLY good game, though, and we were pulling for the Cowboys.

A lot of it depends on where you live. Here $100 for 3x a week would be an amazing deal. The cheapest I've found around here, other than my free program, is around $100 a month for 2x a week and that was a school where it wasn't the instructors' main job and they only held those two classes a week and it's in a smaller town sort of in the middle of nowhere. The average in this area for a commercial dojo with full time instructors and multiple programs seems to run around $120 for 2-3 time per week. The most expensive in this area is Buzz Durkin's school-- $200 a month with a contract and deposit or $275 a month without a contract. And that's for 100 lessons a year, which averages to less than twice a week. Granted, they're an amazing school with a lot of amenities and great training, but I consider that outrageous. He's in a very well off town (it's actually the town I work in) and people there are willing to pay it, but it's too rich for my blood, unfortunately (if it were closer to $150 a month, that's totally where I'd be).

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday!

Sorry I couldn't make the stream, but congratulations Brian! I've learned so much from you during my time here and you're an amazing asset to this community. Thank you for all the time you put into helping those of us who are newer to the martial arts world!

As a Patriots fan, all I can say is good season, especially after that crazy first four weeks. Looking forward to the post season.

There a ton of Isshinryu black belts, but my instructor formed his own curriculum with multiple forms, drills, and movement sets from other styles in addition to the standard Isshinryu requirements. He's been teaching 35 years and last December I had the honor of becoming the 15th person he's promoted to black belt. Unfortunately due to the nature of our club being at a youth center that kids usually stop attending once they reach high school, not too many people stick around long enough to make Shodan. I trained as a kid and left when I hit high school like most do, but I was the first one in 35 years to ever go back as an adult and make it to black belt.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Year!

In a few weeks we'll turn the page to a new chapter-- the year 2017. 365 pristine blank pages lay before you. What are you going to do to fill them up? Benjamin Franklin said "let each new year find you a better man. (or woman)" What steps will you take to ensure you're a better martial artist by the time we reach that last page? This can include goals for training, teaching, learning, health and fitness, or anything that relates in any way to martial arts.

Ok guys and gals-- let's see how we did. Be honest, now. I'll post a new thread for 2017 goals as well. Well, I have to say I dropped the ball big time this year. I didn't get a single one of these goals. I didn't lose any weight and even gained some, though I've stepped up my game in the past few weeks and have started losing again recently. I started a new job in April that requires evening hours, which seriously cut into my martial arts time. So I haven't been teaching as much as I was, but right now I am working with the intermediate kids rather than the beginners, so I'm learning to teach a new level, at least. I still want to eventually start my own program probably through the rec department, but that's down the line a bit. Same thing with the sparring and seminars-- the new job cut into those as well. I was actually signed up for a seminar last spring that I had to back out of last minute because it was the day I was supposed to start my new job. I'd say a disappointing year overall for my MAs, which is disappointing as I got my black belt in the last class of 2015, so this year was my first as a black belt. Not much progress and I didn't get nearly as many classes or as much practice in as I would've wanted. I think I let myself fall into that "new black belt slump".

We don't hit each other in the face for sparring, so I just wear them. I've gotten popped in the glasses a few times accidentally, but nothing bad enough to damage them-- usually just hurts the bridge of my nose or scratches it a bit. If I were to be in an style with head strikes, I'd do what I do for Judo and wear contacts.

This. People have to make a living. Most have families to support. To denigrate MA instructors who are trying to keep the lights on in both the dojo and their home is wrong. I think the problem people have is MA instructors who offer subpar instruction and milk students for every last penny with inflexible contracts (I have nothing against contracts, but they need to be used to protect both parties, not just the dojo at the expense of the student), exorbitant testing and promotion fees, black belt clubs that hold students back from advanced training until they pay more, etc. An instructor who's offering quality instruction in a quality facility can and should charge a premium for that. As long as the price is fair to those involved and there are no hidden prices or shady sales tactics, an instructor SHOULD be trying to turn enough profit to support himself and his family.

I found training Judo to really help with my fear. In Judo, if you let your fear get in the way even a little bit, it increases your chances of getting hurt or hurting someone else. Techniques have to be executed all or nothing with no hesitation. In karate we don't do too much I'm afraid of, but there are times I'm afraid for legitimate reasons (for example-- we have one nidan who's a little wild with whom I'm afraid to do anything involving striking at or sweeping the knees. I just don't trust him with my knees). That type of fear I think is good and forces me to take precautions to protect myself. Other than that I'm not too afraid of things. I've been hit before. I've been accidentally (and not-so-accidentally) punched in the nose before. I'm not too afraid of those things. Things involving joints with inexperienced or wild people scare me and, I think, there's very good reason for that.

I'd also like to add that I enjoy visiting new schools to see how different places do things. Despite being a black belt at my school, when I visit a new school I wear a white belt and I go in with an open mind knowing that they will do things differently and that I am a complete beginner in their way of doing things. It's not insulting or degrading for someone with experience to wear a white belt. It just means you're new to that school and are learning their way of doing things.

There is no universal standard. You could award yourself a 10th degree rainbow belt and open your own school tomorrow and no one would stop you. But that doesn't mean it's the right way to do it. It's been awhile since you've trained and you've only trained with this one guy. Everyone does things differently and it's good to have multiple teachers and training partners to become a well-rounded martial artist. I say your best bet would be to find a local school and enroll. Know that you're most likely going to have to wear a white belt for awhile. As I said-- white belts, especially adult white belts, who have experience are pretty common and you'll be treated a bit differently than a white belt with no experience. White belt just means you're new at that school and are still getting used to the way that school does things. Most likely you'll wear a white belt for a few months and then get promoted. Depending on the school, you may get skipped ranks to where the instructor thinks you fit best or, if they do things very differently than your stepfather did, you may find yourself needing to go up the ranks one by one as you learn the new school's curriculum. Since you've never set foot in a dojo and have only had one teacher and it was awhile ago when you were teenager, I'd be weary of trying to take on students before you get some experience with the wider martial arts world by enrolling in a school for awhile. I also wouldn't award yourself any rank. That's a big no no. If you're still in contact with your stepfather, see if he'll give you an official rank if that's important to you. Otherwise your best bet is to join a local school and get rank through them. Again-- they might test you and offer you a higher rank right off the bat or they may want you to pay your dues and earn your rank through their school. It depends on the school and how they do things.

It depends on the school and the instructor. Different schools, even in the same style, have different requirements for ranks and tend to do things slightly differently. Since you were never given a rank, you'll most likely start at white belt. Since you trained before, you'll probably advance faster than a typical white belt, but since it's a new school that will do things differently from what your stepfather did and it's been over twenty years since you last formally trained, you'll probably have to relearn and/or tweak a lot of things to make them the way the new school wants them. People will recognize that you have prior experience as soon as they see you move and so they won't treat you like a total beginner (even if they do have you wear a white belt), but it's also important for you to empty your cup a bit. Realize that this new school will most likely want you to do things slightly differently than you've been doing them and you need to try to do things their way and that's going to take an adjustment period. Same thing with karate tournaments-- they're going to have different rules and different strategies than the kickboxing tournaments you've done. Definitely don't put on a black belt and go enter a random tournament. Join a school and wear whatever rank they give you. If that's a white belt, than that's a white belt. Don't go giving yourself rank. A lot of people start new styles after having done other styles or come back after years off. People who have been in martial arts for awhile know not all white belts are blank slates and white belts with experience are actually pretty common. A white belt just means that you're new at that school. Just stop worrying about rank, go with the flow, and you'll settle into where you belong soon enough.

I agree with the others-- the best thing you can do with a kid that age is let her have fun and enjoy class. If she asks you to practice with her outside of class, do it for awhile, but never force her or do it longer than she's interested or she might start disliking it and thinking of it as a chore. The best thing you can do to help her improve is play with her let and let play on her own in many different ways. Children learn through play and they need to crawl, climb, jump, balance, swing, spin, throw, catch, etc. The more ways she can move her body, the more she'll develop coordination and athleticism-- all by playing. Play games where you crawl across the yard or hop from rock to rock. Get her a structure she can climb on and jump from. Let her roll down a hill or balance across a log. Pick her up and spin her around. Basically just encourage active play-- preferably in nature.

I'd focus on teaching only a few actual moves, but do a lot of discussion on common sense self-defense. Very few people can learn something and drill it one day and then most likely never touch it again and be able to do it under pressure in an actual self-defense situation. If you are going to do a one day self-defense class-- focus mostly on common sense prevention. Don't go alone to seedy areas. Travel in groups. Don't leave your drink unattended. If you're alone and get nervous, pull your phone out and call someone, let them know exactly where you are and be talking to them (attackers are less likely to attack you if they know the person on the other line will hear it and call for help). Carry a whistle attached near the collar of your jacket and blow it to scare the guy off. If someone does try to get you, run (while blowing your whistle) the second you get a chance-- don't stay and try to fight them. Most attackers are looking for easy targets. The riskier you make yourself to attack (talking to someone, making lots of noise, traveling in a group in a well-lit area, etc) the less likely they are to try it. Tips like these are going to do a lot more to keep untrained people safe than training a bunch of moves. I also think stuff like this should be required learning in the first few weeks at any school that claims to teach self-defense-- for both men and women (although the male version would focus more on deescalating people wanting to fight them as they're more likely to have people wanting to start fights with them rather than being randomly attacked [not that that doesn't happen]). The best self-defense is preventing the fight in the first place.

I recommend the book The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. Willpower is a muscle. You build it by exercising it. The more you exercise your willpower, the more you have. It can also get exhausted, though, so if you use a ton of willpower in the morning, you may have less available by the time you get home from work. But the more you work it, the more you'll gain.

The adult class doesn't line up or bow at all ever. We also don't do warmups. Adults are responsible for coming in early and warming themselves up before class. We just jump right into training once the kids leave. The kids class lines up and bows at the start and end of every class. The head instructor calls for them to line up. We line up with more advanced kids in the front and beginners in the back with the instructors in front facing the class. They stand at the "attention" stance with their heels together at a 45* angle and hands at their sides. Once they're all in nice lines (this can take a little adjusting for the smaller/newer ones), he calls out the senior students' name. The senior student calls "kiyotsuke rei" and all students bow to the instructors and the instructors bow to the students at the same time. It's quick and simple, but it gives a nice structure to class and a definitive and satisfying beginning and end.