Hawkmoon

..legs kicks... ...and issues? from my own experience (it is all I have) I'd have to say, No! I'd point out that a Kyokushin fighter has been kicked and is kicking legs from (in many cases) day one of there MA career! A Kyokushin fighter has as a result of this 'blocked/deflected' even 'rolled' with the attack so often its second nature to them! Legs do get tough, and the pain is dulled as a result, kick boxers do the same with there shins! Its a normal result to the training, nothing new or magical about a Kyokushin fighter here! Maybe this next bit stems form 'general' not individual misconceptions of what Kyokushin karate is.... ...Punches to the heart... ...... sorry what? Not picking a fight, pointing at anyone, certainly not trying to insult, simply exploring the 'concept'.... I'm asking to step back and consider the 'idea'. Punch someone in the chest and to an untrained eye, it was a heart punch! No matter who the viewer is, (I'm of the opinion we need to keep this in mind that however small (or large) the influence of the following is) MA is to many still a mystical far eastern dark art of fighting! So to the 3rd party who maybe considers MA as legal violence a punch the chest and its a punch that is trying to trigger a heart attack! Not so, else there would be a few deaths and a public outcry to ban the practice of MA! We all practice/perform a contact sport, yet I suspect (if we look) that there are more deaths in boxing or even motor sport than MA records. MA competitions, tournaments training camps, dojo sessions happen far more often, everyday, every weekend with much more regularity than these sports that do record such incidents! Full power or not without exception every school teaches chudan punches, punches to the chest...so everyone is subject/guilty? No, I don't think so. ....does this makes sense?

This kyokushinkai karate!

hehehe! (can't hurt so to speak) Why not find a Kyokushin dojo, work with them get the rules of play and the nature of ' knockdown fight' in your blood, level the playing field a bit! No matter what you call it when you think you are ready to have a try, well set it up!! Ask 100 fighters to come along, with clear understanding of what they are to do and what thy are not to do do. Setup the mat or ring, Have medics on hand. Place educated and impartial persons on a panel. Video stands clocks blah..blah! Be assured for as much as I love the idea, the dream it inspires, this is not me, to old, to past it no desire for that glory! I love the spectacle I love the dream, I love what it means and what it represents, total admiration of anyone that takes it on, complete respect to anyone that passes!

How long does it take? Who establishes it? You'd love my grandma's cooking; traditional!! Or you could love my cooking from a box; modern. If I was you, I'd eat grandma's cooking WAY before I'd eat mine. Again, labels have the ability to destroy the core of the MA!! Spot on! Labels! yes We say Martial Arts, and when we do images of Ancient warriors, Samurai, Shoguns, Kanji characters, Bushido code and maybe even Confucius and his quotes come to mind and with that we see honor, respect, humility and grey haired old masters all of this we associate with the far east. MMA on the other hand is new, its modern and stems from the western world, it has no such imagery or history, what we need to understand is it correctly uses the term Martial Arts in its name as it is a collection of these traditional systems put together into a new fighting system. ....but we still hear 'martial Arts' and when we do we get all that ancient imagery come racing back again! The mistake is ours for the assumption not there mistake for working with a new system, its ours they don't have a history like Karate or Judo. They have yet to make a history to look back upon, to generate such images and points from events past. MMA'ists who remembers 'Tank' Abbot or an easier one to recall Ken Shamrock? Honestly? Without looking them up on the web? Who watched them fight? MMA is new and will be the new kid in the MA world for a few more years yet! (This is nothing to do with respect or honor simply acceptance by the population/the masses of it as a Martial Art like karate and judo....)

hehe ! Back when I started MA (back in the '80 ...or something ) we would say it at the end of each and every lesson! This is not done in this dojo and as only a handful of us remember 'them days' we do wonder if we are to start at some point saying it again! the Kyokushin dojo kun: http://www.masutatsuoyama.com/en/home/dojokun.htm

I would recommend checking with your GP if you are deficient in Iron or Vitamin B12 as both deficiencies might cause tiredness and fatigue Great post yes exactly! To this I'll add check your diet, you maybe simply not getting what the body needs or at the least enough of what it needs! from my own experiences! I was working towards the national championships last year, and being so focused on that single task I completely lost track of the larger picture, the result was for about a week ten days I was a slug always tiered and feeling weak. I'd manged to completely remove carbs from diet! Not sure how I managed it but as soon as I had a good handful of sandwiches and bowls of grain based cereal I was up active and full of energy! Do check your diet!

Thats the story! To add (Hanshi) Steve Arneil was one of the fighters involved in that exercise! Back then there were only a few Kyokushin dojos & students that Sosai could pick form as it were. So teh ones that were selected all had to fight a few times for each round of 100 men, come the 3rd round of 100 many had already dropped out due to injury so the selection that were left had more fights to have. Regardless of the validity and facts real or not know 100 fights in a day is an outstanding achievement! Hanshi Arneil took on the 100 fight test and is the first person ever, after Sosai, to have done so and completed it in a day. Regardless of what may have been said or suggested by some sites about his condition and desire to go on etc etc Words taken directly from the man himself, the next day was spent in hospital recovering! A good site and page to read: http://www.masutatsuoyama.com/en/home/100mankumite.htm The most amazing thing is 'back in them days' punches to the face (full on face contact!) was allowed as was grappling and following through!

Shihan has started to tighten up on such things! We do all of what is mentioend above, as well as other things (I'll guess) So rather than list sneezing and scratching body parts I'll mentioned the stuff being pickup at the moment. The last couple of weeks have been more Kihon based for example than we are accustomed to! (this is not a negative, no no the change from 90% fight 10% basics to doing about 50/50 now is going to be noticed! and it has been) Both shihan and sensai were students of Hanshi Arneil,, as such since his promotion to Shihan he has been doing lots of back to grass roots stuff with us all. Likewise dojo etiquette and humility are all being pickup on when this or that isn't quiet the way it was when there under Hanshi. To this I understand that sensai spent time in Japan as (I forget the term now) a 'live in student' so he is adding in Japan codes of conduct as well. For example: In the past if we were late we would kneel and wait to be invited in and then join in a 'rank' position. Now if we were late we kneel and wait to be invited in and then join in at the back on the end or if invited to by shihan to our 'rank' position. If joining the line (you're not late in this example) and step into line and note you are 'squeezed' we would gently nudge or guide one of the guys over a little to get some space. Not anymore, now you retain your position and let the lesson equal you out with the others. Entering or leaving the dojo has always been face into the dojo, bow and say "Osu!". This is changed a little now. Leaving is turn bow etc as always, but entering is face into the dojo bow etc and approach the senior grade greet them with both hands clasped in the hand shake and then the next senior grade (The teachers 99.9% of the time) and a polite respectful bow to the 'class' in general. We've mostly held the last stance or position until told other wise but if there is a long moment of focus/attention to something or someone, some of the guys would relax and wait. We're not relax like this we are to hold the last stance or etc until told other wise. When called out or pulled over to be used for a demonstration, do so quickly do not dawdle. In the past we would just walk over When warming up waiting for class to start: Chatter to kept to a minimum No joking around generally. (Horse play) Sparring should not be done, unless with a senior grade present (Dan grades) Do not use any equipment

Devils advocate .... Whats wrong with simply having two belts? one white the other black. Once the black belt is issued, over time earning a gold bar to identify rank or seniority. After all Shodan does mean beginning degree/first grade!

'ALL' of the above, but more to this is the quality of sleep that you are getting! If you wake up in the morning and find yourself saying 'I couldn't get comfortable' or 'I was tossing and turning all night last night' or maybe you simply feel like you could do with more sleep or you take ages to actually 'wake up' or get up/get going for that matter .......you need more sleep because you didn't sleep soundly that night! Consider changing the mattress! If its a soft mattress one get a firmer one, and so on. Not sure about the stores in your area, but around where I live they let you get on them and 'test' them to see if they feel nice or better.(no you don't get to sleep on them) The idea is to give you a chance to pick the one that is more to your liking way better than 'pit luck' and just ordering this or that one and then not feeling comfortable on it!

Yes!...very true, well said you are using parts of your body that have not been used in that way or that much for much of your life! Give them and yourself time to develop and grow you will be fine, enjoy!

hehehe We really need a Chuck Norris thread! ? Q: Whats under his beard? A: Another fist!

First up... JD Next up Chuck And the winner is .... LOL!

.....not as often as I should is the honest answer! Maybe 3 times a week, certainly twice a week... I used to be very flexible, 'almost able to do box splits, and able to (with help) touch the wall above my head! (ah! the good 'young' days) Nowadays lets just say I can reach jodan and leave it at that!

The simple and honest approach to training and so to combat! We all think the same way, we work the same way, we push, we support, we strive to get the best out of each other. Honest hard work!

It will get better and less painful I assure you give it time and enjoy! Make sure you rest at least 24 hrs before another session, eat more protein after a session and eat more carbs (upto 2 hrs) before a session. Protein is 'repair' food and immediate energy, carbs is energy later!

Love the video great point and well made! Head on attacks and that video makes sense, but dark alley, bushy tree lined walkways allow an attacker to come up behind the victim! Can you do, have a video to show a arm grab form rear? An attack form the rear has always had 'teachers' I've worked with offer that the target do: shin scrapes foot stomps reverse head strikes elbow low fist swing backwards looking for you know what! ...and that's pretty much it! They all work and all are pretty much 'bread and butter' stuff, and even the default 'tool set' in the self defense box, but the use of Gedan Bari here was an excellent addition to the that tool box! I took on Ju-Jitsu classes to build on the self defense stuff I had been shown. All fun as it was for me, that is a large commitment for anyone. Its possibly to much for people who only wants to protect and run, rather than defend and fight!

I've been 'aware' of this thread, my direct thinking on occasion I felt would be unwarranted and unneeded/unnecessary here. But... (There is always a but)..... I checked in and tripped over a comment and wanted to stand up and be counted along side it! CredoTe wrote It is the single most important thing anyone can do! This builds respect this builds trust, the result is understanding! I'll add I watched a young girl attend my youngest sons club for the first time on Wednesday, she was about 3inches tall! (seriously tiny, really small) and not at all happy about the strange world she was now looking upon! She was in tears, hiding inside her dads coat...! My sons Sensai spent time speaking with her and Dad and asked Dad to come in and watch at the back with her. Then as the session went on, he would ask different students to go over and chat with them. Always watching what response they got. One student made a connection, and the little girl started to 'copy what was being done, about 20 mins later it was all smiles and then another 20 or so Dad was allowed to step outside and watch! MA in some schools is very military like, yet other schools some might describe them as mcdojos, but putting that aside, MA is what you make it, it it feels right ...its because it is right for you! If there is no connection, no rapport there is no point...why make a bad situation worse? The lad in this scenario is clearly very large so would have been put upon to do or advise or even see things by people who see him being more than his actual youthful 14 years, the little girl who came to my sons club, so small so petite would have been protected shielded from pretty much everything. With the girl her 'wrapped in cotton wool' life to date has not allowed her to develop any measurable confidence. With the lad it sounds to me that he is simply reacting as a child does to being forced, expected to do things beyond his years, in both cases confidence has taken a beating and each child is pulling back as is natural for anyone in such a strange place.

Your welcome! Good luck to you are your boy! Have fun!

What is the name of the system he is learning? Shogun go that small for about £10-15 (on ebay) about the same or a little more £20-25 on Amazon. http://www.konjakushin.co.uk/onlinestore/contents/en-uk/d12.html Another example! Shogun is to me a perfectly good enough suit for anyone who will be a whole foot taller next week!

This statement bothers me due to the fact that I hear it alot in the TMA as well as in the boxing circle almost all the time. Traditional martial art has itself to blame to be honest! (as does boxing) Its not mma's fault that tma circles began to manufacture rainbow color belt Its not mma's fault that every 8 year old and their grandmother is a blackbelt Its not mma's fault that we have a mcdojo culture that was a result of many instructors in the tma community abusing their position for profit These bad behaviours that occured in the tma world surfaced before the rise of the mma culture. Blaming mma is alot like the rap genre blaming rock and roll for its lack of popularity. Also on a last note, to the poster who was insulted by a kickboxer, I have been involved with the boxing/tma world and I will say that every martial arts/combat culture has its bad apples as well as its unsung heros. {deep breath} I'm gonna be ill! The above .....yes yes yes yes yes and yes! I've had a rant before on the following but ...the above and what films and TV have portrayed ...seriously ! bad apples, money, impatience, mcdojo , bad teaching, mis-understood young or old students....MMA, kickboxers, boxer, judo, Wrestling, karate, Football, baseball, Tennis etc the list is endless, all suffer these, its sadly the way of things. TMA its a mind set thing. As TMA students do what we do for fun, for the love of the art and we do it for free, we show respect to each other as well as everyone else is what marks us out as different.....a better different! I consider this as 'our' way of combating the bad apples, the mcdojo, the etc etc.... Its a positive not a negative! Ridicule that's bullying ....... sorry I left the school yard at school, I grew up. I understand that bullying is for the weak minded, I don't dislike you because you don't understand I pity you because you don't understand this simply thing. Its free costs nothing and works without fail in a place I call the rest of the world! Its really really not hard to be polite, to me its this loss of respect that has driver the mcdojo culture as much as all the other things listed above has. MA is its own downfall, TV etc simply added more weight, speed to that demise. ..and I've deleted the rest of this post as I break no smash various forum rules. (no more edits I promise)

My first school was a 5 miin walk from my flat, the dojo I go to now is a 10 min drive from my home. The furthest I have gone to train is about 25 miles for a 2 hr session. It was a Wado club worth it and fun but as I didn't own a car at the time getting to them was difficult and that soon dropped off.

I had a look at the website you offered! yes this will be good! Do go and enjoy! There is a nice pic on the site on this page: http://www.cujickyokushin.com/galleries/otherfriends.php Second image from the bottom! IKO meets IFK! Hanshi Steve Arneil (10th Dan) heads the IFK here in Europe!

LOL! Last night was session one for 2014...I can only say I've a few owees' and a couple of boo boos to match! hehehe!

ah! IKO = International Karate Organization. http://www.kyokushinkaikan.org/en/ Its the main organization in your part of the world governing Kyokushin karate, where as I'm in Europe and here its the IFK. IFK = International Federation karate. http://www.ifk-kyokushin.com/ Edit: ty'po! Seems 2014 hasn't improved my typing skills!