zalexia

what shoe would be recommended then? cause martial art shoes are hard to come by?

I know w/ ms karate has helped me immensley but, i will never get " better". as far as cured. Stronger maybe til the point it decides its time for me to stop fighting it. Although balance practicing you most likely will have to work a lot harder than most people in your class. i know i have to practice routinely to keep my body able to do stuff. I looked at the wrestling shoes on line, they're a bit more cumbersome than water shoes. Watershoes soles are not hard and the tops are soft. for kicking the wrestling shoes are pointed and they're high tops. Which would restrict ankle movement for front kick and spinning back kick etc. slippers could work if they are like berkenstock soles but not that soft u have to be aware of how you kick someone when you do have a shoe on. if u have issues w/ balance practicing while holding on to something til you figure out ur center of gravity is a good idea has helped me a lot. i personally dont feel the bottom of my feet. i can to walk and drive but bare foot on floor no. w/ shoe yes. i live in shoes 24.7:(.

we're instructed to get full force by ur punches by making sure ur shoulder blades are pretty much touching, hips turned to the side, punch in the chamber flick at the end when it impacts so it has optimal force. now its great and powerful if u can set up but if u are actually fighting u will show your opponent and he will counter it or she.. Not to mention the chances of setting up properly in a real fighting situation slim to none so whats the best way to practice that cause he has us practice both aspects but i have not gotten that hidden speed down yet.

today i screwed something up and knew it and i was an idiot for falling asleep during the move lol it wasnt major but u know its wrong when its wrong if u are taught right. my shihan is very "old school" we have junior shodan level and black belts adults. very different from what the junior shodan learn and we learn but we learn the same things just at a different level. Not only does my shihan teach the moves where most if u watch they dont know the bunkai, they dont know the stances and they have no power. If u got hit by most the black belts in the world , i wouldnt worry too much. today we did the first kata and i'm not gonna try to spell the name because i'm tired . i'm on bassai dai but, he worked hip rotation and power through the punches. we had to count how many hip rotations in each part there were . he made sure our hands were where they were supposed to be and we were loaded as if we were fighting for the next move we didnt even get all the way through pinan nidan:( . lol so slow motion for me a lot harder i fell asleep and didnt turn the right way one part i was kicking myself in the pants. if u watch on line blackbelts notice their hands are wrong, their stances etc. i can tell if they are doing it right now i may not do all my moves right as far as drive and power yet, but omg tonight we were working the front leg kick so that it affected the hamstring muscle and omg ow! not all karate is taught the same. shihan said what we're learning in his dojo is how to throw the techniques w/ minimal force and have optimal power. takes 1000 punches to learn to do it correctly.

it doesnt hurt to ask, i did the same as you but I have ms. Most people aka dojo's do it for respect to the culture or they just dont want to replace their mats. I find that u can use water shoes if u ask . i do not feel the ground when i walk barefoot (sensory thing). Which i've tried w/ no shoes 3 times worse. my shihan lets me and i am thankful. i do find water shoes are soft on the top atleast and let u have more flexibility but if u want something softer try a lyrical shoe or a ballet slipper. Sometimes slippers can work too but the soles u have to watch for being too hard or too slippery. u just have to remember when ur kicking ppl u have something on your feet they dont so just keep in mind how u kick.

for the stance question, i was told ur back foot should really be at 0 gravity meaning u can throw a punch or a kick at any time so in a fighting situation ur moving all around so stances are important for a technical point of view but from a fighting point may not always happen. if u pre pull ur hand back they're gonna know ur gonna punch them and get ready for the block. Also if they're faster than u leaves you open for a counter when ur not blocking cause ur pulled back.watch boxing they never show which hands gonna throw first. practicing hip rotation is where ur power actually comes from. i always swear by watching crappy action videos /movies. The guy says kill them and a girls fist will barely make a scratch but yet he falls out a 3 story window. key is to not let ur opponent know what ur doing even in sparring ur fighting stances should be minimal not only would having a wide stance be bad , they could foot sweep u and u end up on the ground. power of the punches is in your hip rotation and then when ur coming through u want to pretty much pretend theres a brick wall infront of you u have to move. Also moving brings u power i find doing a shuffle step and grinding that back foot adds more drive for the punch plus it was a great tool for me to learn when to stop hyperextending. btw hyperextending brings pain. just keep reminding urself u gotta go through a person thats probably bigger then u watch uerself in the mirror and ask urself does that look like its gonna scare ur opponent. thats kinda what i do when i know i'm not strong on something. just dont punch the mirror. I had trouble hyperextending my arm too much as soon as they got stronger. there is also a flick at the end atleast what i was told that will drive ur punch through the person instead of pushing the person w/ ur fist.

then i remind my husband how much home health care costs when i cant walk when my ms progresses cause i'm not staying healthy. Though with the gas increases and recession the karate instructors are raising prices. my karate costs 80 dollars a month. Thats not including promotion fees and gear. i took a month off for payment and getting my kids ready to start school but i practiced every day. if u have the fundamentals just keep practicing when u cant afford it careful w/ videos on line , many are wrong. go w/ friends if they're in class and watch. Sometimes ur teachers are nice if they know ur having a difficult time and do go to watch my shihan would let u join in once in a while. find another solution cheapest place but it isnt always the best instruction is the ymca. return ur friends bottles for money etc. maybe go a month or so then stop just let the instructor know. if ur college has a gym and a punching bag keep practicing ur punches. also if u have a karate center like i do they do fund raising on holiday times and at certain times of year for ppl that cant afford karate. basically a friend refers them and pays 5 dollars in donations that gets them a gee or belt not sure (white) and then they're allowed to take it for so long . its a promotional thing but also helps ppl that cant afford it.

theres two new kicks shihan taught us saturday a twist on spinning back kick which seems to me to be a lot like tkd 's spinning hook kick . Theres also this move we're doing where u go from a low round house fake kick and then change in the middle of it w/o resetting to an upper round house. Now for us people who have had kids, our hips are not that shingshing if u get that . for the spinning one u basically do a normal version of that but instead of straight back u would go up and over like a back wards crescant almost i am just trying to visualize it for u. i can do spinning but lifting up is hard. where is the power w/o losing balance from the fake low round house to the upper because it seems part way i lose momentum w/o resetting. Also flying wishbone i think its called basically a split kick in the air do u have to be a gymnist for that?

I am also brown belt and i find that the rapid rate they are showing us new and more complex kicks are driving me nuts too. I currently have multiple sclerosis and balance is always an issue for it. Although practice practice practice has helped me w/ balance. Take spinning back kick for example. I felt i couldnt do it , hated it yet i went home and practiced holding on to a counter and just getting the motion down. then i figured out where the center of gravity is and weight distrubtion, once u get all that down i figured out where the power came from. Try asking your teachers too for help sometimes mine will take the time to show me where the balance is i am missing or some part i am missing. i now can do a spinning back kick pretty well but still want to practice impacting the pad more. I always work my good side first if i dont have it right and then i know how it feels and what i have to do on my weak side. i am allotted to actually wear water shoes in class due to my ms. I can't feel the ground if i am in bare feet. may ask ur teacher if thats ok. water shoes arent that hard and make sure u get one that are soft on the top if u do.

was not to obtain black belt but i'm almost near it and i work real hard and practice daily. goal when i started karate was to spend time w/ my daughter who was also in it but she lost interest. Now my main goal is to become strong so that i may beat ms. so far i have muscle definition now which i didnt, i am most fit i ever been. i grow stronger daily and multiple sclerosis wont win i will. Main goal to feel confident that i can protect myself.

what is grappling not something my instructors mentioned i can ask him too but...

ok after goofing around w/ my husband last night i realized, that if i was attacked by a man of his size, the chances of a punch or kick actually moving someone would be slim to none. now we were just goofing and playing around obviously wouldnt attack him but i'm 130 lbs, and if ur fighting a man lets say 200-230 lbs thats solid and firm the idea of any of the skills being affective are gonna be situational. is it highly feasible for a girl to go through a 200 lb man? i mean w/o throwing ur self in another worse situation. its just hypothetical of course.

i got promoted tonight and am sankyu brown belt one tip, then it goes nikyu and ikkyu , he said theres one more real promotion before black belt. yet i am confused as to also the 1st dan, 2nd etc i think karate goes up to 10th right? Also that when we got our brown belt it started w/ a tip unlike others i'm not sure what that was about lol but technically it isnt official i'm guessing til u got the paper. is there special training for dan level? Generally how long does that take?

Black belt and skilled blk belt? Im pretty sure u have to b skilled to earn a blk belt? I ve studied MA for over 20 yrs so i prettymuch know all about self control. there were three of them against me. Acorrding to this states law allows me the right to kill during the commission of a class x felony-Mob Action. I felt bad because i have a good heart. It wasnt my kids hands i had to subdue. My point is maybe i could of used less force but when i get attacked i react. Try useing self control when there is a fight envolving 20 people and three of them are running at u. At that time your conditioned responses take over. Are you sure about that? I've never heard of such a law... So say, if you have taken boxing or muay thai in a year for years, you're fine, but if a mcdojo gave you a blackbelt in 6 months after learning a couple katas/forms and/or seeing a couple videos from 'senseis", then you're a weapon? What's this law's name? It needs to be repealed. pretty sure i'll double check it but i was told theres a registration fee but technically if ur a black belt and u throw the first punch you are "liable". i'll look it up though . know we have a registration fee when we do get a black belt so will double check. least that is what i was told.

My question was only because, after being only brown belt, i've seen how experienced my shihan is. Knowing he teaches us how to do things correctly after watching many youtube videoes to try and learn the actual moves i realized that even black belts many of their forms and stances are wrong/poor. you should punch w/ the same effect that you're going into battle. Reason i asked this question was after watching many of the kids in karate class that are "eager " to just fight many dont realize the severity of what they're doing or comprehend why. Guess i'm stubborn and dont like to do things hap hazzardly. its funny he teaches us throws and i hate the falling part, but as u said doesnt mean someone wont try it on you. Yet makes me wonder if its smart to teach certain levels those moves? i mean we started learning the those moves as early as yellow belt? Yet i know it takes a while to master most techniques.

I was in my advanced brown/black belt class today and one of the sensei's ( mostly black belt class) was saying as we were doing inside crescent kick (sp ) i'm not fully awake yet that it is illegal in competitions because u have no control over the weight of ur foot when its going down theres no interrupting it. I see at even the low levels learning this. Wouldn't it be wise to tell the students when they're younger the dangers of it?

well as i have ms i find i have to constantly practice to keep up w/ the agile kids. i find the kinect boxing is great for stamina if u have that if not, at night when the kids are in bed i go downstairs and i found a good way to practice fighting when u dont have a sparring partner is, stand in a room w/ a big window. Reason i say at night is, u get ur reflection in the window if u leave the light on behind you. then i aim for my head etc. i will practice all the stutter stepping , shuffling up and do it for the same time u would spar w/ your class. keep ur combinations going. Also just keep moving ur feet fast and kinda think to urself if they threw this at me i'ld do this to compensate. it keeps me moving keeps me on my game and i think is very helpful.

seems once i've done it correctly and work the kinks out it stops bothering me but to get to that point. I try very hard not to hyperextend, find that a stutter step helps train me for that cause i step and i stop extending. Doesnt help that i'm hyper mobile and naturally over extend. yea i have pain meds the good kind for the ms lol but i'm the stubborn type of person that will practice til its right. i dont like being wrong:P. So til i feel its good i'll muster through it but sigh lol its a work in progress on that side. not really concerned bout the pain pain i can deal w/ but when ur body wants to favor that one side to work through it is gonna be a pain literally. practice makes perfect:(.

you have fully mastered the techniques you're learning. we are told that you will not master it til u have done 1000 times the technique correctly. When u get that one moment where it "feels right" you've mastered it and you'll know . In fighting katas and everything else are not taught as dances, they're techniques that can be applied to every battle. if u know the bunkai u will be able to apply them to any situation. There are reasons masters are old. if u want to street fight fine, anything goes, if u wanna fight knowing the reasons for the fighting then apply your own technique on the street. many pro martial artists take more than one martial art cause each has its bonuses. Chances of us being allowed just to kick butt are slim to none, but having the knowledge to know you can use this to get out of this situation "priceless".

i have had to disable my kids hands before because they threw punches at me but i did not punch. In nys you are considered a weapon if you're a black belt even if ur not a really skilled black belt. Shihan said as long as you don't throw the first punch ur fine, but, karate is all about self control. there are kids in my class the shihan has to watch closely on spar nights. one kid was scaring the younger blackbelt and i stepped in and just said yea u may be able to try that w/ him but not me and i was a brown belt. Yet i was not gonna take flack from someone younger either. You only learn self control by experience. You feel bad so there for chances are you wont do it again it is a learning experience, but ur next learning experience pending on your own self discipline may be something worse. To avoid any other future issues, step back and look at the other masters. we have a whole list of them on our wall for shito ryu karate and they all meditated and have implicable self control. You see these old guys that generally u would think u'ld be able to take out in two seconds that wont throw a punch til ur in their favor. You wont be able to blink and u'ld be on the ground so .. Way i look at it is, in the art world (i'm an artist) there is always someone better than you... In the karate world, there is always someone better, bigger and faster than u . If u want to stay in one piece, learn self control. Life is all one big learning experience, humble thing would be if hes in ur dojo, apologize and move on and learn from it. Cowering and being upset will just make them want to get even w/ you.

I have a question, i currently developed w/ shihan a tecnique to improve my punch strength and speed, as i am a girl and not bulk, i have found that between the point where u are learning it and it gets better, it hurts my joint pretty bad. Afraid i'm gonna injure it how do i avoid that? Did it on my strong side, got the technique shihan was impressed w/ my punch strength but i went through a lot of pain for a few weeks. W/ my ms, my left side is weaker so i have to work that harder well finally got it right on that side now it hurts! doesnt help that i'm carrying my son around in a cast to help him get from point a to point b. How do u make ur joints hurt less? my left arm is killin me.

could be seeing different variations of the kata . when i first took the ymca 's karate they were a diff style. so u could be right . their bassai dai is way down the road as was annanko. Yet i am in the "advanced" class so maybe the arm breaks and as you meantioned are more advanced in what we're doing. wish they spent more time showing us why we learn the kata's . we do practice the moves individually in class but its nice to actually watch the bunkai. makes so much more sense when you see it done. ahh thats why i do that. Also helps to see where to send ur center of gravity etc and how your stances should be exactly.

Currently am a 35 year old mother of 2. I received my brown belt this year for shito ryu karate style and am loving every minute of it. Although my shihan is cautious w/ the throws w/ me as i have multiple sclerosis. Origionally started out w/ my daughter doing it but she lost interest (so sad). Anyway i have a question. i try to look at many of the bunkai for the kata i am currently learning which is bassai dai. I have the basic kata down, but am learning technique now. I am also needing to know the bunkai. i watch some videos on line to help and did find a great one but some of what my shihan taught us is off from a lot of the videos and all the videos are different. i trust my shihans teaching as he is a 7th dan i think its called or 7th degree. he is very very strict about technique. so in bassai dai when u do the first arm break everyone acts like its a kick . i have seen the bunkai for it where its basically almost an akido style move where they flip the arm back (terms eluding me) then press on the arm socket to break the arm but it could be a misinterpretation could anyone direct me to what exactly that move is in bunkai? its basically the first arm break then in the other direction left shuto right shuto etc.. would be very curious to know thanks in advance. also any videos if u have them on kata's that are "current". i like staying on top as i'm older and the ms slows me down so i like to learn as i go. sarah