mazzybear

Most sports have sexism to some extent, I personally think it's rife in the UFC. It needs to be addressed pretty quickly or woman's UFC will become nothing more than mud wrestling without the mud. The ring girls in men's UFC walking round in next to nothing need to be done away with, it simply objectifies women as nothing but sex objects. I think Tate's comments are pretty fair, Rousey is the face of UFC and obviously being the champion (although I think if the ref hadn't stepped in too quickly Tate may have had the beating of her in their last fight) she is the one everybody wants to fight, but to come out of nowhere and step over others to get to the champion then something is wrong. If the fight does go ahead then I hope canarro wins, I'm not much of a Rousey fan, while few can mess with her on the ground, I don't think she's a great stand up fighter and if any fighter can nullify her judo skills then she is very vulnerable. M.

Good stuff!! Congratulations!!

In my short time in the martial arts my proudest moment so far is when my sensei promoted me from 8th to 6th kyu without having to grade. Something he's done only one other time in his 45 years of teaching. That was very special for me. Also coming 1st in my first national kata championships has to be up there too. Hopefully many more special moments in the years to come. M.

All very different from the wado version Seishan. Here is the late master Suzuki performing it. M.

Excellent video, I've watched a few of his videos on YouTube. He's a lovely humble man, truly awe inspiring. Thanks for posting. M.

This is what I was gonna say!! I can also speak from experience. Let me tell you a secret Safroot, 2 days a week isnt enough either. NO WAAYYY. Until I got the basics of my kata i practiced everywhere everyday, In the shower, kitchen, living room, going through it in my mind, thinking of the fine points, writing it out, watching qualified people on youtube. You will progress leaps and bounds if you stop thinking of this as something you do on tuesdays and commit yourself learning the art. After all, karate isnt something you take out of your pocket like a harmonica, its something that should infuse your life, I lift things in life and visualize lifting a chishi (training weight), I am standing waiting, I turn my feet in and "grab the floor with my legs" as my teacher calls it. You can progress well 1 day a week. In class we do not do kata constantly, time is limited and its only 2 days a week. Sensei may not see seiyunchin or saifa for 2 or 3 weeks or more and when he does HE EXPECTS TO SEE IMPROVEMENT. Good Luck, Be patient. This is a hurdle for you. Solid post My sensei tells us training isn't just physically doing the technique, running through a kata or kihon over and over in your mind can also be considered training. If you absolutely can't make more class remember you can squeeze a bit of practice in almost anywhere. If you're standing cooking dinner, practice some blocking while you're doing it, if your cutting the grass practice moving from stance to to stance. When the kids go to bed spend half an hour on kata. Sometimes when things are slow at work I do practice in the changing room. My Sempai says the swimming pool is good for practicing with the resistance from the water. Don't get too disheartens it's not meant to be easy, that's what makes it such a good feeling when you pass a grade or win a tournament. Work through it and it'll come good for you. Good luck and let us know how you're progressing. M.

I love this idea!! I have to say the parents at are club are generally pretty good (aside from the parent in my original post) they know our instuctor won't hesitate in throwing them out if they disrupt the class, but some I've seen at competitions really take the biscuit. If only they could see what others see, that their kid wasn't as the best at kata/they didn't score a point in kumite (I'm sure you know the type). Parents Code of Conduct was one of the things we needed to get Clubmark accredited. We're one of a handful of TKD schools in the UK that has it. There's a whole load of templates for these sorts of things on the Clubmark website if it's something of interest to your school: http://www.clubmark.org.uk/clubmark/getting-clubmark/resources-and-templates/clubmark-resources On the whole our parents are generally alright too but we do get a few that turn into pushy parents who think their child deserves to be the best. Funnily enough it's always the ones that dabbled in martial arts in their youth. Must be trying to live through their kids... Yeah thanks for that, definitely something to show to my sensei. M.

I started Wado Ryu karate as a child and lasted a year or two before I left for no particular reason, just being a kid I guess. I always had a nagging itch to return. Along the way I tried Muay Thai for a couple of weeks but just couldn't get into it. More recently I joined a supposed MMA gym, I say supposed because they didn't actually teach much. I seen a guy hurt his hand punching a heavy bag, he was told it was because he "wasn't doing it right" but no explaination as to what he was doing wrong, the new guys were just thrown in the cage as cannon fodder for the resident "fighters" it was all highly unsafe and unprofessional. This after 26 years away finally brought me back to my original Wado Ryu club. I only wish I'd done it sooner. I'm loving being back on my MA journey. M.

Congratulations!!! M.

I think some parents just don't get how stressful a grade can be, even as an adult the nerves creep in. I'm grading for 3rd Kyu June/July and already the nerves are there I think if my instructor had heard them, then he would've ask them to leave. I maybe could have told them to ease up, but was wary of causing a scene. Is it wise/my place to tell someone off about their own kid in someone else's Dojo? M.

I love this idea!! I have to say the parents at are club are generally pretty good (aside from the parent in my original post) they know our instuctor won't hesitate in throwing them out if they disrupt the class, but some I've seen at competitions really take the biscuit. If only they could see what others see, that their kid wasn't as the best at kata/they didn't score a point in kumite (I'm sure you know the type) Agree 100% I know they watch their kids do kata day in, day out and probably feel they know each kata just as well, but could they get up on the floor and demonstrate Pinan Godan for example, without making a mistake? I doubt it very much. M.

I recently sat in and watched one of our younger students grade, before the grading commenced he was on the floor practicing his techniques. One of his parents was on his back constantly with comments such as "punching too high" "too low" "put some effort in" "get a grip". Everything he done was followed by a comment of some kind. I could see the boy getting worked up by it all, sure enough halfway through the grade he forgot something, his mind went blank and you could see him struggling to remember, then came the tears. My instructor told him to relax and shake it off and helped jog his memory as to what came next. He settled back down and comfortably passed his grade. What are your thoughts on this? Do you think parents put undue stress on their kids with constant criticism, especially when said parents are not martial artists? How do the gradings work in your school, are parents allowed to sit in or are they done behind closed doors? Our instructor encourages the other students to watch the gradings if they themselves are not being graded, he believes it shows respect to your fellow students and lets them know that you are genuinely interested in how they are progressing. Could you share your thoughts please? M.

I do 50 mins on the punch bag and speed ball 3-4 times a week. I keep threatening to go out running but as yet have not done it. Our Tuesday classes are quite cardio focused anyway, but I've been asked if I want to join a few of the guys on a run before the Tues class, they tell me it's a 5k hill run but I don't know if they are winding me up, knowing one of the guys to be a machine I suspect they are not. So I defenitely need to get a few runs under my belt before I join them. I can't have the making fun of the lil' lady M.

You have to eat "clean". High protein, low fat diet. Good carbs such as brown rice and pasta after a workout. You need to work out your macros (how much calories you burn in a day and how many calories you need to consume) You have to fuel your body properly. Best to see a sports nutritionist, they can set a meal plan and work out your macros for you, but remember you're only 15 your body is still growing, so any fat you have your body probably needs. M.

I'll probably see you in the hills at some point then, coz I'll be running for them too! M.

Within our association the minimum time between 4th and 5th Dan is 4 years, so someone jumping so quickly would appear very fishy to say the least. The ones buying/faking rank would probably be weeded out fairly quickly. Students with any snse would be wary of such people if they want to get the best out of their martial arts journey. It's as dodgy as some folk inventing their own style simply to award themselves a 10th Dan. These folk are definitely ones to steer clear of. M.

My friends have 3 proper tarantulas, when I'm over at their house I'm constantly looking to make sure the tanks are locked. One of them is a bird eating spider, it's still a baby but it can grow to the size of a dinner plate I think my friends are secretly trying to get rid of me! M.

For competition purposes it's always the instep, but my instructor tells us if it's outside ALWAYS use the shin, if you kick full force with the instep there is a huge likelyhood your foot will break, even with shoes on. In our conditioning class if we're doing the roundhouse we put our shin guards on so we can kick a little harder than normal, even with the shin guards on a kick to the ribs using the shin still stings. My instructor has a few broken ribs to prove it. When kicking the Thai pads it's always done with the shin too. M.

Eeeew! I'm not particularly fond of slugs either, that couldn't have been pleasant. Rodents don't bother me, but wouldn't want them in the house. I have to feed my gecko live roaches, I freak out a little if one gets on my hand, but the wee guy has to eat so I can just about deal with them. M.

So I was on nightshift last night, after shift I went to bed and had a sound sleep. I awoke this afternoon and the first thing I see is a big hairy spider fall from the ceiling on to my bed I throw back the covers and leap to the other side of the room with speed and agility I only hope I will see in my Karate soon, I'm about to unleash an Otoshi Geri on the unwelcome intruder when I come to my senses and trap it under a glass. I stand there heart beating out of my chest and panting heavily while my opponent stares me out from behind the glass, it's tense, crazy lady vs big hairy tarantula. The stand off last for around 5 minutes until I pluck up the courage to slide an envelopr under the glass and throw him out. Once my heart rate returns to normal, I think how ridiculous I must've looked and had a wee chuckle to myself. But it got me wondering is there anything that reduces all you big, tough martial artists to unfunctioning quivering wrecks? Any tales or funny stories you wish to share? C'mon make me feel a little better about myself M.

Everybody makes mistakes, it's how we learn. I make mistakes in every class, whether it's forgetting the next move in a kata (I'm learning Kushanku just now, so it happens a lot ) or stances are not quite right. Nobody is laughing at you, everyone else in the class has probably made the exact same mistakes. Don't overthink things, relax and you'll start to make less mistakes over time. If you go into a class thinking "what mistakes will I make tonight?" then you're not concentrating fully on the techniques themselves, and mistakes will flow. Relax and let your Karate flow, and if you do make a mistake just shake it off and start over. M.

Hi Ninja Mom, welcome to KF!!

Happy Birthday, Wastelander!!!!

Well done!! Awesome stuff. M.

It depends, some vegetarians eat fish, so if you're one of them a diet rich in fish such as salmon, fresh tuna and trout etc, is good. I eat fish at least 3 times a week, and not being vegetarian myself, I also eat a lot of chicken. If you want to keep your muscles working well a protein rich diet is always good. Good sources of protein for vegetarians include almonds, cottage cheese, peanut butter (no added salt or sugar variety) quinoa, various types of beans. After a tough class I usually put some carbs in with my protein, such as wholewheat pasta, brown rice or wholegrain breads. I eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables too. Cut down on processed sugary foods like cakes and biscuits, also fizzy juices like cola. You could probably get a more comprehensive list for vegetarians on google. M.