Spodo Komodo

Congratulations and thanks to you Patrick and a big thanks to the team who keep this place one of the friendliest places on the net.

You can't teach a martial art through visual representation alone, nor can you just explain techniques and expect them to be repeated perfectly. A student only learns by feeling the technique for themselves. The first time I threw a good punch it was like a revelation, I knew from my instructor what to do but I only learned by feeling it work, feeling the efficiency and power transfer rather than just putting my fist out with a bit of force. If you can enable your students to feel how a technique works by some combination of methods then your teaching is going to be effective.

I used to be a regular on Karate Underground which was a lovely place, like here but with more of a Karate focus. Unfortunately the guy who ran it stopped for some reason which is when I started coming here. I also frequent Martial Arts Planet but discussion on there can be somewhat robust, especially when styles and lineages are discussed.

LIVER SHOCK! has to be the best thing I have seen in any beat-em-up. It has made me feel hungry as well...

OK sorry, read that wrong - the my referred to the instructor, not you.

So was he saying that the only thing stopping you from grading is your own lack of confidence? If so then you know what to do...what have you got to lose by trying?

It depends what kind of kata you want to do. Modern stuff is very fast and spinny, more suited to a lighter flexible bo. Traditional kata are a lot more solid and look great when you work out how to tense the muscles properly to get a crisp stop to a strike. For these kata a more solid, heavier and stiffer bo works best. Not being a fan of the freestyle forms thing that goes on today I would go for an oak bo every time. I use one of these. You can twirl it as well but it takes a bit of doing.

My belt is nearer 50mm and it stays tied well enough. The thing that determines its ability to be tied is its flexibility, not its width. Stiff belts look great but don't stay tied. If it keeps coming undone, give it a good twisting workout or bung it in the tumble drier with something that won't stain.

True. In order to explain something effectively you first need to understand it yourself, teaching others is a good way to explore the gaps in your own knowledge that are not always easy to spot on their own. However you can only teach people (young or old) who wish to be taught. I am not a great fan of children but the ones who turn up just to go through the motions are still subsidising my own training so I can thank them for their contribution to the running of the club.

When I was 30 my head kicks were fearsome, now I am 47 a side kick to the armpit is about the best I can do. Relax, practice diligently and let your kicks find their own level. Don't try to force them higher, a hip injury can put you out of the dojo for a long time.

I think there is a difference between being visible to the newer students and being classmates with them. There is as much to learn from working with the lower kyus as they learn from crossing fists with the dan grades. To me this is the difference between the military and the academic models. The military model emphasises the need for detachment in order to command, the higher grades work with each other and ranks tend to stick together throughout their dojo life. The academic model emphasises the need for experience to be shared as widely as possible so the higher ranks are encouraged to work alongside the lower ranks in order to gain humility and perspective as much as to pass on their insights. With the military model cliques are inevitable, the whole system is set up so that they form naturally. With the academic model their formation can be problematic, and they have to be broken up as much as possible. Training together is great for breaking up cliques as you prove.

I think it is good for the higher grades to mix with the lower grades, it reminds everyone of where they came from and where they are aiming for. Having said that on training days you want to do some quality training at your own level so I prefer days that are split, maybe a couple of hours all in together for warmup and basics then off into two groups (8th-4th kyu, 3rd kyu upwards) for more specific training. If there is a shortage of instructors for the coloured belt class then rotate the higher grades in and out of there, teaching can be training as well.

I don't think I have a Gi with any ties! Since they are the first thing to go I just remove them and rely on my belt to keep the uwagi closed. The gi comes open when the eri is grabbed which gives you a little distance to get the elbows in while my opponent marvels at my manly chest and chiselled abs Some of the above may be a lie...

You are not kidding! I don't eat much meat, only fish and occasionally chicken and I find it a constant battle to keep carbs under control while eating somewhere near enough protein.

It isn't easy to diagnose over the internet especially when I only have a lapsed first aid certificate... but... I know that training affects my mood. When I am training regularly I feel "lighter" in spirit and can cope with much more than if I am not training or training irregularly as and when I can. Whether it is due to endorphins, the general aches that seem to be kept at bay by not being chained to a PC for 16 hours a day or just being able to completely focus on one task instead of fire-fighting a dozen or more I do not know. I do know that when I start training again and get that fire back in my soul it doesn't seem half as bad. One thing I would say to anyone in such a situation - if you are feeling down on a regular basis and feel that your personality or habits have changed even slightly then please go and see a doctor. There are lots of things that can be done to help but you can't easily self-diagnose, you need a trained eye to help with that. A pinch of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

I have been an AI research assistant, rock climbing instructor, systems analyst, history & classical studies teacher, maths teacher and accounts assistant but having recently been made redundant I am now looking for something new and exciting to do (definitely not accountancy!). If only schools still taught classics...I enjoyed that

I am trying to lose a bit of weight after a long layoff from Karate so I log all my food every day. It is a good idea as you can go back and review your diet from time to time to make sure it is giving you the fuel to perform. I use My Fitness Pal but there are quite a few diet logging sites out there. The better ones will give you a breakdown of protein/fat/carbs etc and maybe even your vitamins but more features will probably only come at a cost. As for what I eat, I generally start with good old porridge (oatmeal?) can't beat it as a breakfast. Lunch is generally fish based with a starchy accompaniment such as potatoes or rice with fresh green veg and dinner is always soup. I make a batch of soup stuffed with veg at the start of the week and freeze portions in cheap plastic mugs. I try to get at least 200g of veg in each portion and flavour it with tomatoes and curry paste. I can't always eat much when I come in from training so soup is a digestible and healthy way to get an evening meal.

There is a big difference between knowing a kata and really knowing one in its very bones. I know the 15 Wado Ryu kata but I really only properly know Kushanku, Naifanchi and maybe Bassai. Kushanku is the reason for the Pinans and represent the very core of the style for me, if I had to limit myself to a single kata that would be the one. Each of the other kata add a few techniques until you get into the really different ones such as Niseishi and Jion but Kushanku has most of the basic kata techniques.

I was 32 when I started but before then I was a keen rock climber and although I was (and still am) overweight, I wasn't particularly unfit. Needless to say I'm not particularly highly skilled though.

I can't say I have ever really come across any armchair instructors. Family don't tend to stick their noses into anything that doesn't concern them, I suppose I am lucky in that respect. In classes the most I have ever had is a whispered reminder if I have got the wrong foot forward, if there is a disagreement on how a technique is performed we ask someone who knows rather than chip in. I practice kata on a public field but the only advice I have been given was obscene and anatomically impossible so I don't think it counts as armchair instruction. Having said that, I have been asked by family and friends to help them learn kata/forms/drills or to take a look at classes to see if they are ok so maybe I am the armchair instructor around here

There's the culprit! Eat sensibly, keep hydrated, everything in moderation.

Sorry, that was me being unclear, I meant the stance was the same as Gyakuzuki no Tsukkomi, the punch is definitely downwards.

Over here you can have sai and nunchaku without a license, you just can't carry them in public without good reason. I can practise with any martial arts weapon I like in private but the minute you set foot outside your property you need a reason to carry even a screwdriver in public. It always made me laugh (inwardly, I don't want no trouble!) that the Police confiscated straight razors, stanley knives and the like from youths at the bus station while I sat there with a razor sharp shinken by my side. I occasionally had to show my BKA license to prove I was a bona fide martial artist and always avoided travelling during football matches but on the whole I had no trouble. These days I only ever carry small weapons in a padlocked bag at the bottom of my kitbag so I never even get stopped.

I was taught as a punch down, gyakuzuki no tsukkomi, presumably punching to the shin/knee of an incoming kick. A low gedan barai in that stance would deflect the kick towards your right knee due to the wide profile to the front so I am not sure I could convince myself of the bunkai to that one. However the punch comes as the body is travelling to the left so even a block would follow a more direct locus than a normal gedan barai. Maybe it was originally halfway between block and punch? If in doubt go with what you were taught and keep other interpretations handy for bunkai practise.

It is very hard to say what is wrong (if anything) without going along and seeing a class. There can be lots of reasons for class drop-offs, a lot of people underestimate the difficulty of training, some don't like the formal atmosphere of a karate dojo, kids losing interest (as they do) can drag parents off to the next craze. Add in external factors such as season, holidays, work, school and a McDojo down the road offering easier lessons with more (irrelevant) incentives and you have a whole host of things that might have an effect without there being anything wrong with the school itself.