KumitePanda

i loathe kata! i'm naturally more ferocious in a sparring kihon kumite setting and all of my instructors have noticed that. but i've worked out that i try to like it if i imagine and do the timing like i was in a 4 on 1 situation. ohh and we have a Kata team called Team Kata!

i train shotokan and we don't lift our heels but when in freestyle its a natural thing to lift them, i have also done boxing and it doesnt feel as natural. Everyone in my dojo lifts their heels in freestyle

ok so i have broken all of my fingers in sport - played basketball and the ball landed and my fingertips a fair bit.

point sparring? is that it!

do they not do 5 step kihon kumite in the competitions in Poland?

actually thats not a myth we do it at my dojo. because its true. even now i've been told at white belt w/ black tip level i could put someone in a coma so what will i be like when i get to black belt...just with a kizami i could kill someone. and so could half the BB at my dojo. in australia its a legal thing What is a Kizami?? a fast punch to the jaw area. when standing freestyle the punch is made with the fist that is forward the most. http://www.okclips.com/sports/Shotokan-Karate-Focus-Pads-Training-Drill-Kizami-Zuki-gyaku-Zuki-Video-20266/ its the first punch!

yes at my dojo it is crucial that the head is turned before any movement is made. for example Heian Shodan: turn head left THEN gidan bari. from the start we are taught this and are told to imagine a person might be attacking us, we wont know if we don't turn our heads as to which block we'll need to use. hence the turning of the heads. i myself have admittly been lazy at times and not done it but mainly because i was having a REALLY BAD session and it was at the end of the night and we were doing katas like tekki shodan so i just couldnt be bothered as i dont need it anyway...not yet.

actually thats not a myth we do it at my dojo. because its true. even now i've been told at white belt w/ black tip level i could put someone in a coma so what will i be like when i get to black belt...just with a kizami i could kill someone. and so could half the BB at my dojo. in australia its a legal thing

i believe that in the judicial systems around the world, MA is totally misunderstood. we're seen to be trained thugs that have nothing better to do with our time than beat the snot out of people, but really when it comes down to it if some loser has a knife and attacks but misses and we hit him, maybe break his jaw or a rib and we go to court for grievious bodily harm or something our personalities will totally get overlooked and the fact we even practice a MA will be taken into account.

so at my dojo we have a 14yr old 2nd dan who knows every kata right up to advanced kata. we have a 8yr old who is green belt and i dare say the rate shes going she'll be a 1st dan by 10yrs old and my brother who's 12 would have been a 1st dan next yr but he gave up karate. we go by skill aquirement and knowlegde retainment. no pecking order, if you have the skills to get to BB by 10 and you have the correct techniques then you diserve it.

in the dojo its sensei or sempai depending on who your talking to but outside the dojo its by their first names. the only exception is takahashi and he is to be called shihan or shihan takahashi at all times. for those of you that dont know who he is; he is an 8th dan chief instructor of TSKF and is highly respected.

i love to spar. but we (lower grades) can only do basic controlled sparring. sometimes sensei will make an exception with me if im partnered with my dad coz he's old and slow *hehehehe*

about a month ago i had this guy i knew from my youth that got banned attack me with a knife. i had apparently said some stuff about his GF but it was lies. before he had a chance to pull the knife i punched kizami and sweeped his leg. called the cops and he was still out of it by the time they arrived. oh btw im a white belt grading to yellow.

shihan takahashi's BB is almost a peice of string!!! and when you come off probation at my dojo takahashi gives you your belt with your name embroided on it in japanese.

at my dojo ours are white white w/ black tip yellow orange green blue purple low brown advanced brown black

it depends if its a dojo grading or a shihan grading. heres the prices Shihan grading/seminars for 2 days: $60 kyu $200 US dollar (note* when grading to 1st dan you have to hand up $220 US currency to shihan) Dojo grading with head instructor: $20 annual fees: $100

@kuma: Yellow belt is 8th kyu

my first comp will be next year in tasmania at TSKF nationals. shihan takahashi is there and takes training most the time. this year they did round about 1400 kicks in training

i managed to get a guy that was going to stab me on the ground with a kizami and a leg sweep. the guy was out long enough for the cops to be called and have them arrive....25mins. he was arrested and charged. he was a 23yr old male built alot heavier than me and slightly taller than me plus im female. so you dont need to mix MA with street to protect yourself if you understand each technique and its purpose.

the problem is that i'm not quite sure where my hands/arms need to be after the second round of shuto. i know upto the first ki ai (spear hand strike) after that i get baffled. uhmm shihan takahashi comes to australia twice a year. my first two gradings HAVE to be with him then i can do a dojo grading but the dojo grading has been so i wont be orange belt for nationals

we know when our gradings are. i like that coz it means im able to prepare and try to perfect my movements and techniques

hi, im grading to yellow belt in a few weeks and its only the second part of nidan that i just carnt figure. i know up to the first ki ai HELP!!! shihan takahashi is doing the grading