Virgil Damian

Any idea what kind of throws or takedowns are allowed by WKF regulations?

What kinds of throws/ takedowns can I use in sports karate? Would appreciate as detailed a list as soon as possible. Thanks!

I'm having my first sport karate tournament in about a month. Now this is relatively new for me because even though Shito-ryu is a sport karate, I usually take a knockdown approach in sparring, whereby I always win by incapicitation. So how can I be more controlled and still dominate my fights?

I want to improve the power of my kicks greatly. What exercises/ stretches should I do to improve my leg power?

Thanks for the advice guys. Swimming doesn't really improve the abdominals though, right?

I've just gotten back to training after being out of commission for 2 weeks due to a spinal injury. Should I do swimming or jogging with weights for now? And if I was to do breaststroke, which aspects of my body will be improved?

I just saw the video, it's way awesome. And he does it like it's nothing too!

Hmmm yeah agreed. The only thing I don't like about Karate in general is that during Kumite practice, instructors don't generally teach throws. And that's funny, since a throw followed by a strike is worth 3 points. Plus it looks cool.

Muay thai has throws? D'you have any videos of those?

I prefer to go for osoto gari, but if it fails I'll transition to either a kani basami or tomoe nage. Both aren't allowed in tournaments though, right?

What's your favourite throw to use in Kumite? If you have a video please share the link too, thanks!

It's a spinal injury, or a lower spinal one to be more specific. I'm quite afraid that it'll affect my training or my way of life in the long run.

I recently started experiencing short bursts of pain in my spine. I was wondering, is it because of we have to step down hard when we punch? And is there any exercise I can do to strengthen my spine? I need your opinions guys.

I heard that rope training is very good for an overall workout, but I can't really find much information on it online. Anyone willing to share the benefits of rope training and what variations of rope training are there?

I have 2 questions: 1. I'm able to endure punches thrown by people, but I still want to better myself. Any advice from the sempais? Btw I'm doing leg raises on a daily basis and bench presses 2 times a week. 2. I've heard that there are Karateka whose blocks are like attacks, which must mean their bones are extremely dense. What exercises do you guys recommend for building this kinda power?

I DO have bag work, that's why I think my punches are good. But. . . my sempais have shown me otherwise. It's a humbling experience, but a good one too.

That's one of the things I'm worried about. I always wonder if my hips are moving like they should when I'm spamming punches. Thanks everyone for all your advice!

I was thinking of doing elastic band training or weighted ankles and wrist training, but after reading articles from other threads I found out they're not really recommended for people my level. So should I just perfect posture/ stance/ footwork/ precision atm?

I used to think my punches were good, because I'm usually able to make people several ranks higher than myself recoil with just one punch during free sparring. However, I was recently exposed to an uncomfortable truth. I was sparring with the black belts in my dojo (I'm 5th kyu atm), and I realised that my punches barely affected them, while one punch from them was enough to make me recoil and lose my breath. So my question is, how do I improve on my striking power? My current training involves doing elevated knuckle pushups and occasionally weights training.

I usually do a quick workout in the morning when I wake up, to maintain my fitness if anything. This is what I usually do: 90 deg leg stretches, both legs Shiko-dachi stance, 30 seconds Basic leg stretches (the one they usually show at the start of aerobics videos) 20 Elevated knuckle pushups (I find this very good as it trains your chest muscles, bicep muscles, and conditions your wrists and knuckles at the same time) 50 Leg raises

I'm thinking of trying resistance band training. Has anyone tried doing resistance band training to improve punches/ kicks? If you have, do you find it useful?