ShotokanGage

The Japanese were absolutely inspiring!

That's very specific... You must spend a lot of time at the dojo

My club currently utilises 3 different spaces as a dojo; luckily, none of them are any further than 10 minutes drive away for me

Thanks for all your replies. I will make an appointment as soon as possible. Hopefully it's just heavily bruised; I can't be bothered with the hassle of a fracture! Apologies for the poor quality image, and thanks for your well wishes I want to crack my knuckles and it's very hard to resist....!

Hi All, At training last night we were doing quite a bit of sparring, and I (very stupidly) blocked a kick with an open hand. I can't remember specifically what happened, but my third finger along caught on his shin I believe, and needless to say, it hurt! I continued going though, until the end of the sparring. Then I walked around stretching my finger out and in repeatedly just to keep bloodflow and so it didn't blow up. Then I went back and did some more sparring! Anyway, I'm not especially concerned, just curious for advise. Has anybody seen an injury of this sort before? I've been advised that it could be a hairline fracture, although I can bend the finger back and forth, it's just restricted due to the swelling (which I couldn't avoid, obviously!) Anyone got any information? Thanks! (P.s. I have attached an image!)http://oi44.tinypic.com/23ixtp1.jpg[/img]

Posture!! Very important!! Arm shouldn't be fully extended. The arm, at the elbow, should be ever so slightly bent. Keep elbows close and tight to the body. Keep shoulders down throughout the technique. Keep fingers together. Snap your technique, but only at the very last second. Kiai. Concentrating on your abs. Focus. Don't over analysis the darn thing. Use your hips, but not too early, and not too late. Watch your stance. Is it too wide or too long or too narrow. Remember everything that your instructor taught you concerning the "Do's" and "Don'ts". His/her teaching is paramount. Have your arms cross one another towards the very middle, but not to wide and/or way, way outside your opposite side. Break each part down, and in that, be specific without being ridicules; over analyzing. Depending on the style, things start and end at the same time, and with others, it's more of a domino effect. Good luck, have fun, and train hard. Absolutely hit the nail on the head - brilliant post.

Welcome! What style of Karate?

I don't think this thread could be any more American

That's amazing, sensei8. I can't imagine the standard you must be at to have achieved such a rank, and after such a rigorous testing process. Truly, an inspiration.

Sounds like you have more cajones than all your friends combined!

I was once attacked by a drunken group of girls who claimed I was lying after, when they asked me for a cigarette, I told them I don't have any, since I don't smoke. A beefy one balled up a fist and started trying to whack me. So I ran, since I'm quick. Just avoided the confrontation altogether. But if I had no choice, I would absolutely defend myself against a woman, even if this meant hitting her.

You never know when you're going to need it. I hope I never use my training. But I also hope that if somebody tries to get in my space, I make sure I have room between us to ready myself for an attack. If he continues to move into my space whilst I'm moving back, I strike, before he can. OP your friend sounds like a good guy; top respect for him, for looking out for his friend.

Thanks! I can't guarantee that but I appreciate the sentiment

Perhaps one thing that qualifies you for this rank so much is the fact you are so determined you don't want/deserve it? Referencing my earlier comment about humility, maybe the more you push against receiving the rank, the more you deserve it?

Oss!

Hello and thank you! I spend quite a lot of time in North Wales as my girlfriend attends Bangor university, so every few weekends are spent up there! Gotta love that A55 drive rush hour on Friday Evenings

Wrong side of Manchester, but still only a stone's throw

Hi, and thanks for the warm welcome - I will do just as you advised! Before I create redundant posts, though, is the search function on this forum any good, so I can find previous posts relating to the same topics that may help first? I know they can be a bit dodgy on some forum software!

Hi, and thanks! If you're Manchester based you're definitely not too far

Personally, I prefer your ideology of not accepting the rank due to your Dai-Soke not being around to award it to you, as you clearly valued his opinion higher than any other. Good luck with your testing, but it's highly commendable that you do not wish to attain the Kudan rank - it shows great humility, and I think that's fantastic.

One of the most important things about kicking is lifting your knee up. As high as you can, before you kick. Getting into the practise of doing this will improve your kicks, if you don't do so already.

Hi there, Just signed up here, as am looking to dedicate myself more to the art of Karate. I'm a Shotokan karateka, training under an awe-inspiring (in my opinion) 5th Dan sensei in the suburbs of Manchester, England! I have been training since October 2010 (minus a small 3 month absence due to mitigating circumstances), however tried it at an early age for a while (am currently early twenties), and my father is a 3rd Dan in the same style, so his influence has certainly had an effect on me! I train thrice weekly, and am a 1st Kyu training for my 1st Dan. The parts of karate I currently wish to work on and improve are my breathing, which is very detrimental to my stamina and my performance, and my kimae, which is a very difficult technique to understand. But slowly, I will get there. I've trained exclusively shotokan, and will be doing for the foreseeable future, but definitely want to try out other styles and martial arts in the far future. Aikido is something that very much interests me, to name just one. On a more personal level, I love music, photography, and spending time with my family and friends. I'm very chilled, rarely getting angry. Easy going fella at heart To end with... I hope I can learn a lot from these forums. Sorry for the rambling introduction... Hi!