Wastelander

I've learned how to kick with all three striking surfaces, but most of the time I use the bony mass on the instep, just below my ankle. Most people who kick hard prefer to use their shin, but the instep/ankle area works best for me. I've broken my big toes a couple times without letting them heal properly, so it's difficult for me to pull them back for any kicks with the ball of the foot.

I'm going to have to slightly disagree here. I get the impression that just because Itosu invented the Pinan (Heian) kata for school children it appears to me most do not put much value in their importance. While they may have been made for school children the move is going to be the same, but the application changes. Iha sensei of Shorin Ryu Shidokan once told us there is a mudansha (lower grade) bunkai and yudansha (black belt holder) bunkai. For example there is a move in Pinan Godan that is exactly the same in Chinto. While teaching it to the lower grades you teach the "basic" bunkai which is a block and counter, When it gets to the advance kata the application taught is an advance tuite technique. By then the student has a better mastery of the moves. From my training and experience what made the kata much better suited for school children was their length and lack of teaching the advance applications. In other words, they are much shorter by about a third of the advance kata. If any of you have taught children you know that their attention span is much shorter. Also they were being taught in the school system with a limited amount of time. Here's something else, use the Pinan kata as your basics like basic math and multiplication. It's the foundation to the advance techniques. It opens that door. Without it, it makes it that much harder. Anyway, my humble opinion. I think everyone here has given some outstanding advice. I'm not surprised that you disagree--most people do, actually. My point of view on the Pinan kata can be a bit inflammatory, so I don't get into it in public forums too often. Suffice it to say that I subscribe to the idea that if you have time to practice the Pinan kata, you have time to practice Passai, Kusanku, and Chinto instead.

A bunch of those guys were actually wearing their gi earlier in the day, but there was a no-gi division at the end of the event, so they took them off. I wasn't feeling up to going any more rounds, so I just hung out in my gi. Thanks!

We do it at the beginning and end of belt tests, but not regular classes. Every now and then, I will meditate on my own, but I learned meditation from what most would consider to be an "unusual" source before I ever started training in martial arts.

Banah certainly sounds like it would have come from somewhere other than karate, but the other two sound like poorly-pronounced Japanese words. I would propose that "I-Hon Kata" may actually be "Kihon Kata" as pronounced by someone with a bad accent. The word "kihon" means "basic" or "foundation," and breath kata are often considered "kihongata" in karate, so this makes sense. Do you have a video of it, by any chance? This is the only video I could find that might be it: Chonan isn't a kata I had ever heard of, but if it's this one ( ) then it looks like a modern creation--probably post-WW2. The movements look very much like the basics of modern karate, with one or two throwbacks to old techniques.

http://s16.postimg.org/5q1w6u6z9/Freestyle_Judo_Scrimmage_Blue_Collar_Fighter.jpg Today, despite my ongoing (non-contagious) health issues, I participated in an open Freestyle Judo scrimmage event--sort of a small, "practice tournament"--at a local MMA gym. My division only had four people in it, and one of them had to leave early, so I only ended up having two matches. I won the first one by a pretty good margin on points for a throw, reversals, and submission attempts. I lost my second one by a narrow margin on points against a guy who is either a blue belt or a purple belt (I'm colorblind, so I can't tell which it was) in BJJ. Considering the fact that I have zero cardio because I haven't been able to train with any intensity for about 6 months, I feel like I did pretty well. In the photo, above, I'm the goofy-looking guy in the off-white gi top, just right of center in the back row.

The first thing I would mention is that the Pinan kata aren't a great place to be looking for the original intent of any technique, for the very reason that CredoTe mentions--they were made for school children. To see the techniques in the proper context, you should look at them as they exist in the older kata that they came from. In this case, Kusanku--some versions of which do it on both sides, although most do it on one. That said, I completely agree with CredoTe that it doesn't really matter if the kata does it on one side or on both, since you practice it on both sides on a partner. For this technique, as with most techniques in kata, there are many ways to use it. You might use it as a throw if you do it against a right hand punch, but if you started to do the same thing against a left hand punch, you might use it as an arm lock instead. Same movement, different application--just like "wax on, wax off"

I'm not surprised that you're having a hard time--kickboxing and karate are similar enough to cause a lot of difficulties, particularly if you haven't been training in one for quite a while before starting the other. To be honest, though, you'll have to decide for yourself which one you want to do. From the way you've written your post, it sounds like you've already decided that you prefer kickboxing to karate. If that's the case, then you should drop karate and continue with your kickboxing.

With regard to your second topic, I would go with about a 60/40 split between enthusiasm and physical ability. In my experience, enthusiasm can make up for a lack of physical ability, but there is a limit to how much of a lack it can make up for. I think the 60/40 is a pretty good balance, since the higher level of enthusiasm keeps them working at improving, and they are still physically able enough to make decent improvement through their practice. Once again, though, that's the "ideal."

Karate belts are primarily for holding your gi closed--the pants have drawstrings these days When it comes to ranks, senior students and instructors use them to be able to quickly tell what material a lower rank student should know. It also helps them figure out what they will need to work on, and at what level. All of those judgements are fluid, though, and once a senior student or instructor starts working with you, they will have a better understanding of you, as a martial artist, and won't need to judge you by your belt anymore.

Welcome to the forum, Iskrax! Don't worry about making mistakes--you've been training for 9 months, so no one expects you to be perfect! Honestly, I've been training for nearly 8 years, and I still make mistakes. When an instructor is watching you, and you make a mistake, it is simply something to correct and move on. They don't dwell on it or think that someone is terrible just for that. Karate is a lifelong pursuit, so you have lots of time to fix your mistakes

I'm also in agreement with tallgeese--when the arts are as different as BJJ and karate, it isn't as important to have a solid foundation in one before starting the other. That would definitely be the case if you wanted to cross-train in similar arts, though.

I like a lot of Iain Abernethy's material and, as sensei8 said, when I don't like it, it's usually just a disagreement on it's relation to the kata in question. His Kusanku material is, in my opinion, pretty good--some of it is even what we teach at our dojo. Thanks for sharing!

Well, if we're talking about "ideal," then I suppose they would be: Humble Patient Interested in martial arts Mid- to late-teens in age Healthy and fit Talented in physical movement In reality, though, I'm thrilled any time I get the first three things in that list

If you do not have any grappling experience, it would be best for you to wait for a normal training session. Open randori sessions are great, but if you don't have any grappling experience then you really won't get much out of it other than a lot of breakfall practice.

Congratulations!

I learned the basics of bo, sai, tonfa, and nunchaku when I trained in Shuri-Ryu, and learned some bo and sai kata. That said, I haven't really been focused on kobudo for the past several years. When you say "theory," do you mean how they adapt the weapons to empty hand techniques/kata? I might remember some, and I am still in regular contact with Shuri-Ryu people back home that I can ask about it, but asking your Sensei and taking notes would be better.

Welcome to the forum! I actually used to study Shuri-Ryu in Illinois

My belt doesn't have a label, so it doesn't matter which way I tie mine on, but I think most people try to put the label on the right. These days I tie my belt this way: http://www.karatebyjesse.com/how-to-tie-karate-belt-correctly/ We don't subscribe to the philosophical reasons that Jesse describes in that article, but that is the process that my Sensei and I use when tying our belts, and that's how we teach new student to do it. That said, I used to do a "full overlap" so you couldn't see the belt cross over itself in the back. I also learned a "lock-down knot" for the belt in judo, but stopped using it some time ago.

Welcome to the forum!

Typically, when I practice kata on my own, I will vary the speed. Sometimes, I go with a metronomic pace throughout every kata, but other times I will go faster or slower on certain movements, depending on the applications I'm thinking of. I also like to, occasionally, run through kata as fast as I can, and then go through slowly, with dynamic tension. If I'm having a tough time with a certain section of a kata, then I will break out that section and drill it separately, over and over again. When it comes to mistakes, if I'm by myself, I will usually either repeat the movement I messed up, but if I skipped a section or messed it up very badly, I'll start the kata over.

We certainly are!

I completely agree! I have done this throw against resistant partners, so I'm quite comfortable with it. The techniques you see in the "Walk the Line" drill video are fairly new to me, so I'm still working on them. Once I feel good about them against non-resistant opponents, I'll start working them on resistant ones. That said, from what I experienced working with Sensei Karlsson, I discovered that the harder you try to hit him, the easier it was for him to use his techniques.

It doesn't really make sense, to me, to strike quickly without power, or powerfully without speed. As with all things, there must be balance. When it comes to a self defense situation, though, I pretty much just have to go with how my body reacts, and with the openings my attacker gives me.

Welcome to the forum!