deckerdude

Go Swimming!! More specificaly, try to do resistance exercises in a Swiming pool, punches/kicks/blocks. Believe me, they work and you WILL feel it!

Some trivia for you all.....based on Scientific fact: ''The human brain has the capacity for 3 lifetimes, we only use a mere fraction of it by the time we are in our 80's'' So go ahead, learn as many Kata as you like, you will never learn them all based on that fact! Our brains are like sponges until we get to mid, then late age, when it deteriorates with age and slow use. But if we keep it active in learning new things, if we keep it 'topped up' with new information, ideas and applications, then there is no reason NOT to learn all the Karate Kata that is out there, surely!?!

Interesting to see that 'Jissen Dai' Dobbersky-not heard of that Kata before-any vids of it around!?! When you say 'my creations', as in the Taikyoku Kata 1 through 3, are they YOUR additions, or 'add-on's'?

LoL JusticeZero!! I am normaly quite good at Spelling, must have missed those two words then--but i somehow think that the misspelt word complements the post in general, well spotted that man!!

@LittleW There are 27 Katas in Shotokan, including a long a long lost one too!!! It is called ''Hyakuhachiho''

I think you are correct Drew! Most numpties on a Friday or Saturday night are p1ssheads who have nought but a flick or pen knife and will not be skilled up in knife fighting. For them it would be the 'fear' aspect that they rely on. But we, as MAists, (including us 'newbies', it has to be said!) should be aware of ANY possibility of danger, AT ALL TIMES, because we just DO NOT KNOW what that person has in his hands.

Im with andym on this one. One cannot learn the correct 'Kime', or focus, from a dvd/youtube video. Nor 'Ki', or inner power-spirit. Neither can one learn 'Mokuso', or 'Ma-ai', meditation and distancing respectively. These things have to be taught by a Sempai, (Senior), or a Sensei, (teacher) to get the best out of you and to put the goodness of Karate INTO you. Please dont take me wrong here! I love watching the old masters at work in their Kata on youtube, and i have a shed load of books devoted to my favoured Karate style BUT.....they are for notes for reference only and are really no substitute for real, practicle training from a trained practitioner! Hey, welcome to the forum and your first post, big up to you too for wanting to learn!!

To quote John Van Weenan MBE, 7th Dan&Chief instructor: Traditional Association of Shotokan Karate and from HIS instructor, Kanazawa Sensei: ''MAE GERI: Front Kick performed from Zenkutsu Dachi is a snap kick acquiring its power from the snapping action of the lower leg aided by the application of the hips. There are three positions that constitute this kick. Firstly, the kicking leg knee is raised in in front and to the center of the body. Secondly, the leg is straightened, the hips applied, instep straightened, and the toes curled back. Thirdly, the leg is snapped back assuming the first position, and with the hips returned to THEIR original position. The back should be straight and balance maintained. Balance is a key factor in kicking and keeping the sole of the supporting foot firmly on the floor ensures maximum stability''.

Good Evening! I am a relative newbie to the world of Maritial Arts, and Shotokan Karate, having only been practising now for eight weeks. My wife wants to get a bit more fitter and to lose some weight, so with that in mind, we joined a Tai Chi Class last week. Tomorrow is our second week at this particular Maritial Art. Because i still consider myself a 'newbie' in Karate, this 'cross training' that i am doing is, i'm afraid, lost on me at the moment! I cannot see what you regular guy's and gal's can see with regards this cross training, and this is because of ''the newness of it all'' to me, but i'm pretty sure i'll have a better basic understanding of it in about six months or so, as we both cannot wait for Saturday's now!

I wholeheartedly agree with you traffic142! ''Taikyoku Shodan'' or 'Kihon Kata' as some call it, IS overlooked. I love this Kata of one block, one attack and one stance because once someone is able to perform this and the other two in the series proficently enough, then they can understand the other Kata with relative ease. To quote Funakoshi: ''Because of its simplicity, the Kata is easily learned by beginners'' ''Nevertheless, as its name implies*, this form is of the most profound character and one to which, upon mastery of the art of Karate, an expert will return to select it as the ultimate training Kata''. *Taikyoku is a philosophical term denoting the macrocosm before its differentiation into heaven and earth: Hence, chaos, or the void. The Kata is in the shape of the letter 'H' turned on its side.

Perhaps Korttihai_84, you ''hear'' too much stupid stuff? Perhaps ''researching'' the information would be time better spent?

Just my two penneth worth here, but i'm no expert!! It seems, (to me at any rate) that Mas Oyama is sitting for a photo shoot, rather than the Sosai above him, who actually LOOKS like he is sitting in the Seiza position. Agreed Bushido_man96, ALWAYS i get the cramps when in Seiza, never fails!

Hya Liam888! Swimming is also a very good excercise which brings almost all of the bodys muscles into play. You COULD try your kicks in a deep(ish!) pool, you will meet resistance whilst in the water and this can only be a good thing. Zaine and the other posters are correct in what they say about warm-up exercises, but not a lot of people mention 'cool-down' exercises, ALSO most important!!

OSS! EXCELLENT Evergrey!! Your adaptation of your GIception is wonderful-well done!

WELL! I have to say Javykixs, that my time in Wado Ryu was anything BUT geared towards the Maritial Arts!! In a 1.5 hour session, (for my first four lessons), our lesson consisted of thus: 20 press ups. 20 sit ups. Running 10 times around the gym, (equaliing 1 mile, a young girl had one of those timers strapped to her ankle!), 20 squats. 20 star jumps. 5 minutes running on the spot. Then we ran the perimeter of the gymnasium 3 times. Then we did ten basic choku zuki, (straight punch), in Hachiji Dachi stance, THEN all the above exercises again. Then ten basic oi zuki, (stepping punches), then all the above exercises again. THEN we cooled down and finished! This was the same format in all four lessons! I dont mind having a workout at any time, you have to expect that in Maritial Arts Training, AND its good for you. But maybe i picked the wrong School to go to, the wrong teacher, i dont know, i gave up after 4 lessons, i felt it was more of a cardio/exercise class, rather than a Maritial Arts class. I found a Shotokan Karate Club soon after, which is more in tune with my needs and has a mixture of both exercise AND Traditional Karate. I know i wont be practising 'Wado' anytime in the near future!

Ooh dear! ''Tips to memorise ''that crap ''!! I dont particularly like 'Kumite', but i do it because in Karate you cannot have Karate without Kumite. Same as the Katas. Karate cannot exist without the Katas. Kumite and Katas are essential in the art of Karate. I absolutely LOVE the Katas in Karate, and will eventually specialise in them, (hopefully!), but i realise that i have to do the Kumite as well.

Hya guy's and gal's! Like many others i'm new here. I have tried many times over the last month or so to get on this site, but there seems to have been a problem in registering! It is solved now though and i'm now on!! So let me tell you a little of myself. My name/s are Michael, or mikky, or decker dude. 'Micheal' is sooo formal, so lets forget that straight away!! Everyone in the village i live in, AND at work calls me 'mikky', though some people on other forums call me 'decker dude' because i drive a double decker School Bus for a living, and i use it as a user name. So please feel free to call me either mikky or decker, i'm not fussed! I took up Shotokan Karate about 6 weeks ago, after a 24 year lay-off for various reasons. I was a White Belt then and am obviously STILL a White Belt now.....with the same GI and the same OBI.....they still fit after all these years LoL. I had aspirations all those years ago to gain the coveted Black Belt. I will be 55 this year and have NO such aspirations now! I am practising Shotokan Karate for my health and well being, and would not presume to think that i would be good enough to try for Shodan, prefering instead to try to gain a Purple Belt and see what happens after that. I particularly like to do the Kata exercises, against 'the self' if you like, and if there was a specialist part of Karate, then i would like to specialise in the Katas. I have chewed yer ears off more than enough now, so i'll end there. Thank you very much for letting me introduce myself!! Mikky.