Hawkmoon

Sorry as Kyokushin student my opinion on this maybe considered a little ...um ...heavy handed...even barbaric! Prearranged fighting. By this I mean one student (living target)is stood up and told they can only punch where as your boy may attack with arms and legs. Then change that up to the 'living target' is only to kick and still you boy attacks as before. 'Body Armour' As in your boy wears it and the living target is just that a living target, moves around punches back all to let your boy experience the 'attack' BUT with the confidence (the body armor gives) it will not hurt, he then starts to 'focus his mind' on the next attack etc...take his mind of the attack! (the pain) You ! You use soft(loose) hands clearly padded legs and he is allowed to attack you as light or heavy as he wishes. You however are only allowed to touch... (He starts at low power first build up) As above he is allowed to explore the attack (your attack) and as you don't hurt (soft hands) starts to focus on his attack, not the pain! His confidence needs to build up the pain memory real or false needs to be broken! (That s a hard job no matter who you are, pain memory is hugely compelling!...respect it 100% so you can deal with it correctly!) No rush...and no pressure! Make one mistake and you find you have to start the process again but from a starting position much further back than last time! To him things hurt (this is true can't make that go away) but, things don't hurt that much...or rather as much as he thinks they do, let him explore ..... that pain that memory! Stub your toe it hurts doesn't it? After that a while later it does hurt any more...exactly when was that? Break the pain memory

...will you bleed? In short yes.... .... excessive contact skips/grazes over the surface of what ever it is you are hitting! Will always be a possibility. Accidents happen! The 'conditioning' of your knuckles,, the type of pushup done when you exercise, will only reduce the possibility, the frequency of such an injury happen! I've done pushups on my knuckles all my life (when in the dojo) the break from training allowed my knuckles to 'soften' the result being more than a few skips over the bag surface and then after 1 strike (way to much power) blood glorious blood! As I write this post I'm looking at my knuckles and I see the 'pads' of skin on my knuckles (first two knuckles) that is not as flexible as skin over the other knuckles, or the rest of my hand...oddly I've a small smile (I can feel it) on my face as I remember past training sessions or competitions and red dots on bags or Gis....!

...by that time i guess thay may have OAP contests! It was bad enough knowing the cameras that were ring side were recording the contest for the DVD that is released a little later, and then when I walked on to the mat to see me on the big screen.......stuff got serious real quick! BUT now...TV....!! ...jeez! Need a haircut fist!

hmm... When I was grading years ago I never put any thought into who was or wasn't around, as an adult member I was not bothered, but mostly never noticed to be honest! As my son now does 'MA' I note we are allowed to 'spectate', which is great for him to see mum and dad in the crowd supporting him! BUT, I see and hear other parents chatting about this or that kid being less than focused or overly aggressive etc etc, sometimes (and clearly so) loud enough to try and influence that child of the grading panel! Now that’s wrong no matter who they or you think you are! The only people that should or can makes such comments are on the panel, some of them will have better knowledge of the student ‘in that environment’ than mum or dad. Should parents be allowed in? After saying the above, actually I don’t mind or see it as a bad thing, more positive than negative imo. The should be restrained/held away from the proceedings for sure, (space permitting) but more than what others should do, I see the need to have the panel do more! The panel needs to get up and walk around view the students from all angles, pick up the good or bad as the grading progresses. Get up look at the back row, walk between the lines (if the grading class is that large) make sure ‘everyone’ sees you and is aware you can see and hear them! There is added pressure in being within feet of an examiner, true, but after a couple of grading’s that pressure is more ‘normal’, so why not walk around and become part of the process visually and directly! It can only enhance the standards so why not ?

...After training last night I came home and watch some TV, just to relax and wind down. One of the guys had mentioned that we should all tune into channel 281 (The 'Active channel' on Sky TV) at 11.00.....so I did! The 36th UK nationals and European cup was on !!! (and yes I did look for and was successful, and found me in the audience! ) The 'open' fighters were being shown, no 'novice' bouts, so I'm safe when/if they decide to show the 37th Tournament.

25/11 Kata - all night!

Punching bags, makiwara boards, punching pads. Or gear up your dojo buddy and get him to agree to be your human punching bag. Hmm I see, My Sensei doesn't let us use the Makiwara baords now because apparently people 'hurt themselves'¬_¬ Imho, People hurt themselves because they're not being properly taught/trained how to use the makawara pad. Discomfort, yes, being hurt, NO!! That's what I was working on, and was good at it too. Shame he got rid of them. …..the 'pain' is mainly and in the earlier stages due to striking the board way to hard! The blood is your body (skin) saying "Wow! hold on I'm not tough enough to do this!" What is a great way to get the knuckles up to taking that level of abuse is pushups! Pushups on your knuckles! First two knuckles only! Once you can do pushups like this, and as often as you do 'normal' push up (palms) then got to the board! (e.g: If you do 40-50 or more a session, the ‘normal way’, then once you can do 40-50 on knuckles time to hit the board) Do so at low power, never never go 100% on it! Keep a simple tempo not fast and not to slow, count to 2 for example, that’s strike and return = 2 count. Swop hand same again! It’s the repetition you are after not power, god not power!

cool! worth putting looking into! ...good luck keep us posted, really interested in this!

...d'oh! still got loads to pick up then!

Electro The stuff form the '80s as well as the new stuff! Linkin park - all of it! (lots of 'votes' for these guys in the thread...wonder what that says about MA'ists in general?) Daft Punk Limp Bizkit The Prodigy Then on the other side... Classical music, a particular favorite is a guy named: Ludovico Einaudi specifically this album: http://www.last.fm/music/Ludovico+Einaudi/Echoes+-+The+Einaudi+Collection

Me too, Hawkmoon. Still waiting for another Hulk movie....(think I will kept waiting, too). dude !Watch the end of Iron Man 3...there is a secret clip.....guess who Tony Stark is talking to! And to that the planned 'Avengers II' movie, Hulk will return! In one or both (preferably)

100% yeah! Very happy with that! The one I have now is form the new supplier (ichiban) to the Kyokushin world, cost £90 = $145. ..so far so good but then it is only a year old! LOL!

hehehehe! I thought that as well, so I decided to test myslef and went to the UK nationals, had a fantastic time (seriously had a ball) I was beaten by the guy that went on to win the tournament! but man what a rush! Worth doing if ever you want to test your self! Double then triple any and all core work, sit ups etc, and work on leg and arm conditioning.... !!

Osu! Welcome back! I returned after a while away myslef the other year! There are a few things that have changed since 'we' were in a dojo! Rythm 1 is 10kyu syllabus, break it down and compare...! Number two looks to be a new thing, can't recall ever doing this back in the day! I'm just getting to grips with it, I only know it as 'the 17 hand technics'! There is a second bit to this, also in the video, that is 'the 22 kicks technics'!

Most of the video upto 1.30 mins is Kyokushin Knockdown, from 1.30 to 2.00 is a mix of Shotokan and alike, as well as bunch of stuff I've not seen before so cannot even guess at a name! From about 2.00 onwards its knockdown again ... mostly clips form IKO Knockdown tournaments. World tournaments to be a little more specific!

Up until a little while ago there wsa only one official source for the Gi worn in Kyokushin. These can cost: £150 = $240'ish or 26540 JPY = $260'ish Worth it IMO awhen I think back as the first Gi I brough 20+ years ago was only thrown out last years .....when the seat of the trousers (pants) fell out!

wow! Like you there are a few, I'd need to sit back and think about the most meaningful ones or one. The newest to me was the other day, walking out onto the mat at a national knockdown tournament....that first exchange between me and my opponent. I could 'see' sensei demonstrating block and counter combinations in my mind as I responded to the other fighter doing exactly what he had had us drill over over over again in the dojo!!

Osu! Jeffthefurrydog, The IFK are run by Hanshi Steve Arneil! , there headquarters are here in the UK! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Arneil FYI: Sosai Oyama adopted Hanshi as his son when he was training in Japan! Today Hanshi still refers to his father and founder of Kyokushin Karate! The IFK came into being back in 1991. I am a member of the BKK who are a member of the IFK here in the UK, have a look: http://www.ifk-kyokushin.com/ A McDojo? No far from it! The IFK etc are a very well respected organization, that has representation all over Europe, Russia as well many Mediterranean nations and is (as you have found) in the US and South America as well! Osu!

hmm...! Kyokushin has 10 kys then Black! 10 Red 9 Red +tag 8 Blue 7 Blue +tag 6 Yellow 5 Yellow +tag 4 Green 3 Green +tag 2 Brown 1 Brown +tag Black Shodan 1st Black Nidan 2nd Black Sandan 3rd Each grade is generally 3mths apart up to 4th kyu then 6 moths to 1st kyu then a year to Shodan. Effectively making a 4 and a half year path to Shodan, so long as you pass each grade first time that is! Ten stages to black is reasonable to me, logical even, more or less belts/stages wouldn't make me angry or anything, it shows progress which mostly everyone 'wants/needs' as they move through anything in life. However, I do wonder if adding more simply makes the obtaining of Black belt a 'thing to far' if there was say 20 belts or something. The license fee just short of £100 for the year. Dan grades start at £100 for Shodan, and mount up form there, kyu grades are whatever the dojo ask for as far as I am aware.

Maybe you have seen or maybe not but no matter what your view of the man (no issue here, either way)..... That is seriously cool! Quickly running back to topic! (before my eyes water any more) My tournament other day, I sat back waiting initially to see what the other guy had to offer, then once that was known started to push back on him. I was both a "patient' and then 'fluid fighter'...I guess. Yet a photo has appeared it shows me in the fight. It freakishly shows a chudan kick I received (the only one I remember getting through in the fight) and as such it connects me to what I was thinking at that moment! I was pulling back, no reason other than to restart and work into him and push, my decision made to end the bout! um......the pic has a nursery rhyme appearance about it! "I'm a little tea pot short and stout, here's my handle here's my spout ...." (I hate it already and constitutes the reason it will never be posted on the web by me...ever!)

chrissyp!! Any news, progress on the Shotokan FC tournament?

that does sound very relaxing indeed! My sensei wouldn't be that nice. hmm yup not a normal night that's for sure! 20/11 (..holiday over! LOL) 1hr knowdown combinations. 50x sit ups 50x push ups 100x squats 1hr kata

(Sorry if I duplicated a past thread) There a few threads asking various things about a black belt grading: http://www.karateforums.com/10-year-old-black-belts-vt43415.html http://www.karateforums.com/how-many-belts-should-there-be-vt43542.html http://www.karateforums.com/opinion-on-number-of-candidates-at-gradings-vt45771.html http://www.karateforums.com/how-many-years-to-black-vt39196.html A shodan in our dojo who also has a 3rd dan in another style was chatting to me the other day and mentioned that he has a 'black' belt, 15yrs old, who has asked to grade to senior (adult) black belt. For me as a Kyokushin student that means knockdown bouts, and as he was chatting to me, I felt he was looking for fighters to fulfill the grading needs. I really was not comfortable with where that idea was apparently leading. i.e As in a trained knockdown fighter facing a 15year child from a none knockdown club. Thankfully he wasn't looking for fighters, just a chat, but it raised a question, so... What age does a child/young adult become eligible to grade to adult/senior black belt? To me and form a Kyokushin point of view, that would be earliest 16years (based on ability) else 18 years of age.

hmm..I will need to check the lower kyu grades but as of 4kyu and up its knockdown direction combat! 1st and 2kyu are knockdown fights. Without exception each grade you are attempting requires you to demonstrate all kihon, kata and fitness levels for the past grades and so show you have retained that knowledge and have added to it with the new grade you are trying to get! Shodan is 15 full knockdown minimum. One of the shodans explained to me the other day on his grading he has 18 fights, then come the next day they were told they were to fight again, another 5 fights if I remember correctly. He added the grading was around 4-5 hours for shodan. A nidan in the club added that when he graded he had 20 fights and was tested over 6-7 hours. Kyu grades are permitted at the club level, only Hanshi performs Shodan and above gradings. (For me so far all my grading had me fight to earn that grade)

That looks better! Nice job! Your pic filled in the gaps in what I was thinking about, in that the bamboo (not leather) would be a great way to go! Just like you grab a handful of sticks (split canes) (any gardening store would stock them I guess) bind them together as you show with the tatsutaba and bingo! (An image in place on the hosts site) http://www.lbsbuyersguide.co.uk/plant-support-tree-care/plant-support/green-chinese-split-bamboo-flower-sticks.html