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Yeah, that's pretty cool! Just out of curiosity, what style of Karate is it that they teach?

OSU Dobbersky, I am very much hoping to someday train in BJJ. The problem is my knees and back could absolutely not stand up to it at this time, and they might not ever. I am hoping that they will someday though. I want to have a ground game for sure! Only it isn't safe now. I've a friend who cross-trains his Kyokushin students in some complimentary Muay Thai techniques and they really give them a nice edge on the mat! OSU

Muay Thai is great! Some day I intend to cross-train in it. It has some really useful stuff!

How about politely calling and asking to get them back? If that won't work out, do you have a friend who is pretty low-key and even keel who could go ask for them for you? Try to de-escalate any potential problems. Take the high road.

Heh, I thought of this thread last night. My drilling partner wears his belt low. Really really low. It was hot and I was seriously off my game. Got him twice with mae geris. Poor guy, heh! He wasn't wearing a cup. Probably sitting on some ice today. He already got slammed hard by our head Sensei, but still no cup. I guess we're insane over here, heh!

Well wow, heh! I'd think you'd at least find one instructor there you liked, haha! That's pretty interesting, really. My Sensei went to a martial arts club that was similar to that out in Texas, and he really liked it. Didn't like every instructor, but some he liked quite a bit. :} I like that the website isn't tacky. I really like that there are no contracts. That is also a good sign. Fascinating concept. Look for the tough instructors, haha. I mean that's a personal preference for me, but the ones that push you can really take you far, imo! I say check it out, if it gives you a good feeling. No contract, so if you find you don't like it, you can always move on. OSU!

Hah, everyone knows about me. *shrugs* but I write for a karate magazine. :}

I know they allow cups at my dojo... and people will sometimes wear them for tournaments. Sometimes someone will wear them for a while, but usually they end up stopping at some point. Not sure why!

Welcome to Karate Forums! I hope you have fun here. :}

I'm not, but welcome to the forums anyway. :}

Heh, nobody in my dojo wears a cup... but we aren't supposed to purposefully kick one another in the groin. I hear they pinch and are generally really uncomfortable. That being said, groin kicks do occasionally happen. I've kicked a few of my male training partners in the groin on accident. Nobody was hurt though. They just did the make 'em drop again dance and then we carried on... There is a risk there. But then there's also a risk to knees and fingers. I'm told broken fingers are one of the most common injuries in the dojo...

Congratulations!

Most of all, it needs to be fun and entertaining, and it needs to have just enough challenge to not be boring. After that... it needs to not feel like an obligation or a grindfest. Nowadays I am much more likely to walk away from something, be it a movie or a game or anything else meant for sit-down entertainment, if I don't feel like it's worth my time. Life is too short. I used to play WoW. It started to feel like an unpaid, full-time job. I joined the top raiding guild on the server and I ended up having to devote 5 nights a week for 8 hours to raiding. At one point I realized that it wasn't actually fun for me any more. Then my back got injured and I couldn't walk any more. The ONLY thing I could really do was play WoW. After my back got better, I lost all patience for it. I wanted to go outside and do all the things I'd taken for granted before I got injured. Life's much better now. :} I still game, but I limit my time, for sure, which means it had better really be fun and interesting. As an artist and a rather visual person, graphics do count for a lot with me, but I will also play old games with (by today's standards) terrible, primitive graphics if I find them to be enjoyable enough.

My dojo provides basic sparring gear. Kids are required to get their own mouthguards ($3) and if they are going to spar in a tournament that requires a bunch of gear, sometimes they get their own... but if they cannot afford it, they can borrow the dojo gear. On the other hand, my dojo is owned and run by people who have (other) day jobs, so I am sure that makes a difference!

OSU, I agree. I am very very lucky and blessed to have the great instructors that I do, and I know that they sacrifice a LOT to teach us. It's a lot of hard work and grief and money. I just love my school and adore my instructors. Honestly I wish I could do more to help out. What I DO though, is put my whole heart into my training. I try to always absorb what they tell me, always obey (they're trustworthy that way) and work on what they have taught me on my own time as well. They care enough to dedicate time to teaching me. I care enough to not take that for granted, and not just leave it behind when I walk out of the dojo. OSU

OSU, Thanks Dobbersky! :} I just got more responsibilities, haha! I often check in with my instructors, asking what I need to improve on and how. I actually had intended, when I first started training, to never test for rank. I was just going to remain a white belt forever. That kind of went out the window when I joined a formal dojo, however. :} I don't think I'm getting out of it next ranking though! I'm working on my kata a lot, and working on asking my sempai and senseis to spar. At least the ones whom it's okay to ask to spar with. The high protocol types who say "YOU ARE CHALLENGING MEEEE???!?!?!" I have to HINT at, lol. OSU!

I work with horses, and ride them when possible. I am an artist, specializing in freehand digital illustration and photo restoration. I play the harp on occasion, and sing often. I read a lot. I socialize a lot. Garden. Cook. Dance. Play computer games. Hike. Lots of photography too, mostly nature.

Pretty much you need the right kind of rice, (like calrose) rice vinegar, sugar, seaweed (if you're making maki or the like) nad hm, that's pretty much it, then whatever you want to put on it. Sushi is just the rice, actually. Just google some sushi rice recipes.

In our little odd branch of Kyokushin, we used to have white, green, brown, black. Now we have white, blue, green, brown, black. Totally not standard for our style but so far the sky hasn't fallen, LOL! I honestly think it doesn't really matter all that much, so long as you hold high standards to your ranking process. As an aside, the OCD part of me wants it all to be in rainbow order, and the artist in me is sad that we don't have a purple belt. I love purple. OSU

Heh, I am not a Christian, but it was my Methodist pastor father who first taught me how to meditate. It is used in some sects of Christianity.

Keep the calluses, is my advice!

You are not alone... that's most kata for me, haha!

You are welcome! I know some people down that way. If you'd like I could ask around a bit... though I will tell you now that everyone in the martial arts has a biased opinion, lol!

I guess I have a different perspective because my Shihan only taught military personnel and their families for 25 years. To me it seems normal that adults get push-ups.

I wouldn't sign my kid up for that, personally. Sounds like they take you for all the money they can! As a contrast, here in NorCal my dojo charges $70 a month, usually with a deal like $50 for the first month, with no contract, just fees are monthly. Kids can go to up to three classes a week. The dogi is free. Ranking is $25 a rank, not because of the cost of the belt, but to get a little more income for the school, which is very inexpensive. Ranking happens every 2 to 3 months but usually kids don't go up for rank every single ranking- only when they are ready. Also, what style of martial art is this? I suggest that you also do some research into different styles. I would happily put in a recommendation for a dojo to you, though I do not know what they charge for anything, if you're open to ideas? If you are anywhere near Torrance, CA, I suggest you check out Yamaki dojo. I have a friend who goes there (his kids do too) and they are very good. Shihan Yamaki is a living legend in martial arts, and what is taught there is very good, very solid. Don't get suckered in to a school that charges a ton for every little thing! Do a google search for "what is a McDojo?" Check out schools on Yelp, but remember that people can be biased. And finally, best of luck!