TheKarateAngler

Next Thursday, can't wait for it! Orange is 7th Kyu by the way in our system, so not a major event but still can't wait!

I think most instructors will only allow a student to test if they are sure they will pass, so maybe they didn't fail the girl because they were trying to protect their own pass rate in their dojo. Still sounds a bit pointless though as the rank will then mean nothing. Also 6 does seem a young age to be a 5th Kyu.

I do karate and like to go fishing. Simple really.

That is the level of contact we use when sparring as well. Unless it's one of the blackbelts teaching a kid how to spar in their first few lessons of course.

LOL Ok another point taken, but I think I will stick to sparring during training. If some people don't want to then that's their choice, but I find it useful and fun. Just out of interest how often do you spar with people?

It just seemed crazy because aren't the martial arts there primarily to teach people how to defend themselves. I know some don't train for that reason, I train because it's fun not because I wanna be able to fight well (although it is a nice bonus), but if the MA's were originally intended for defense then sparring would seem to be an important part of it. I know this is all my opinion, but it just seems a bit obvious if you get where I'm coming from.

Ok, I can see how speed would take away from power just didnt quite understand how they would be blocking themselves. Think I may have been thinking too literally though.

I ask this because I see sparring as an important part of training and I do 4 hours a week at the dojo, 1 of which is spent sparring (half an hour at the end of each 2 hour session). However I met someone who is a blue belt in shotokan the other day and he hadn't done any sparring at all. He said his sensei says sparring is overrated and unimportant. That sounds crazy to me, what do you guys think?

About £4.50 for a 2 hour session. I do 2 of these a week. Think that's about $7, not sure.

Interested by what you mean when you say they 'block' themselves. Is it to do with them continually striking and so not seeing the chance for something more effective?

I haven't really done much fishing for preds except for perch so i wont say that I know all about it, but that's what they generally use. Lures only really get used as far as I know when exploring a knew awter that is known to contain preds (looking for ambush points etc), but after that most people here will use live or dead baits. I personally like to fish a non-selective bait such as sweetcorn with groundbait in the feeder on a quivertip rod and see what happens, but the carp boys like to turn up with a tent and chuck out a big bait then go to bed

Cant argue that there's no better way to spend a nice summer day than at the side of a lake with a rod in 1 hand and a cold beer in the other. In the UK most people fish exclusively for carp (which I've been told are apparently classed as vermin in the US?), but i like to fish for anything that happens to bite. We also mainly use bait, whereas I believe US anglers prefer lures? Lures are only really used by pike and zander anglers in the UK, but even they prefer to use a dead or live bait. Nice one teaching the kids, I'm hoping to get my lil bro started in a couple years when he's old enough to sit still for 5 mins.

Just wondering if anybody else on here likes to waste a day chasin fish aswell, or am i alone in this other never ending challenge (a challenge that the fish are currently winning at).

Thanks for the reply's. I was just hoping that there might be a way to speed it up. O well i suppose i will just have to patient

Hi I was just wondering if anybody could help with the height of my kicks. I cant get any higher than my stomach with my right leg or my waist with my left leg. My instructor tells me I've just got to keep working on flexibility and leg strength and eventually the height will come. But i was just wondering if anyone knew a quick solution to improving height when kicking. Thanks in advance for any advice.