Spartacus Maximus

Neither horses(pretend or otherwise) or playing have their place in a serious training environment.

Precisely. There must be exchange and practise at a certain point in order to fully grasp the meaning and purpose of training

It appears that the rule and so-called tradition mentioned is specific to the school of karate consernced. Sparring or kumite exercises where only one side ever strikes is not a very productive way of training. Unless the point is to take turns or isolate specific elements for understanding and analyzing. In prearranged kumite, for instance. As for free sparring, there is not now nor has there ever been any custom or rule as described in the first post. In any serious dojo, everyone is expect to treat their fellow dojo mates with respect and exert an appropriate level of control when performing contact drills or kumite. The higher the level, the more control one is expected to have.

With children strict rules are a must for ensuring everyone stays safe. Older teenagers and adults have no excuse for irresponsible or dangerous behaviour because martial arts is a serious activity requiring concentration. There is no place for horseplay when practising techniques that can potentially cause great damage to another person, even when there is no intent to do so.

People will invariably base their opinion about something on what they have seen or heard most often. If the only aspect of karate they have ever been exposed to is a children's activity, then they think that is karate and all there is to it. The general public has no reason to consider anything else, unless of course they become interested in learning martial arts themselves. If I were to say that I am an archaeologist, how many people would imagine that I spend my time running around in far away lands looking for golden relics and lost arks like Indiana Jones? There's no reason to be bothered by people who are only improperly informed on something they have nothing to say about.

Maybe it is somewhat extreme, but there are some people who choose their shoes and other clothing based on how well one can move in them and how little they might restrict movements. These people avoid wearing anything that might slow them down in case a situation required them to react to any kind of sudden hazard. Of course women enjoy a bit of fashion and some social occasions require it. When going out to a party or other such social function, having to run for safety is not the first thing that comes to mind.

It makes much more sense to teach both instead of waiting until a random arbitrary level. Learning the sequence and choreography of numerous kata without any idea of how the techniques work is like learning a dance. If one knows exactly what each move is meant to be, it gives the necessary understanding required to correctly learn how to use the techniques. That is the first step in developing skill with it. Otherwise one remains stuck at the outer form with a lifeless shell and a meaningless pantomime. Kata is dead. It must be brought to life and bunkai is the process by which it is brought to life.

The situation is much akin to an unemployed dropout telling an honour student that studying and going to school is for nerds. What is the merit in listening to people who are not in the least informed enough, let alone qualified to discuss karate? Karate is not any more or less of a children's thing than hockey or baseball or cricket. People who have this concept of karate or martial arts in general have only the most superficial familiarity with the subject and their shallow opinion is only a reflection of the flawed image propagated by popular culture and the entertainment media. They just repeat what they heard or interpret what they saw in a strip-mall dojo when they happened to walk by during the little dragons class. This is just one of many arguments for keeping karate a personal secret.

The essential point that must be considered above all else is that the skills one does or does not develop are entirely dependent on how one trains as well as the focus and purpose of one's training. Everything else is mere detail. To be able to defend against a violent physical attack, one must train for that purpose. It is very different than training to win a sporting match. There may be some overlapping, but the training and practise must fit the goal. Mentality is the main difference and is more important than physical techniques. One simply cannot expect to become a tiger if one trains like a sheep.

Heels are a strange bit of fashion and besides supposedly enhancing the appeal of how women walk, they are not of much practical use. They impair walking and make running very dangerous with the awkward position in which the shoes force the entire leg and put heavy stress on the ankle. Especially the tendons of the heals. Wearing heels habitually for long periods can cause stress injuries in that area. High heels are for looking good, but probably the last pair of shoes a woman would want to be wearing if she had to go any faster than a brisk walk. Never mind trying to run away from something or someone. The first sensible thing to do with heels is to remove them. They are more useful off than on.

Identifying techniques and decoding kata can be very confusing without the guidance of a knowledgeable instructor. Teaching kata without anything more than a general explanation is unfortunately the norm in the majority of dojo. A few go as somewhat more in depth with interpretations, but in these cases what is shown is at best one of many application possibilities and at worst the result of misinformed guesses. Often there is also a certain tendency to look for specific applications instead of trying to find the principles and main idea that make the techniques work. If one learns principles instead of individual applications, the possibilities are endless. For the sake of training, though it is best to start with the simplest techniques first and move on to more variations after having grasped the common principle. To become truly effective and usable, applications must be drilled individually and independently instead of a sequence with a prescribed order as in the kata. Doing this allows one to develop the ability to extract and use the techniques contained in kata. A recommendable book on the subject is "the way of Kata" by Lawrence Kane. It is focussed on Goju ryu, but the information it has on how to understand and analyze kata content is excellent and works for all karate or other form-based systems.

A name search online shows that the man in question seems to be about the business aspect of running a martial art school and all things related to that. It is doubtful that he has anything revolutionary or new as far as ideas, though. Whether or not he is reputable, recommendable or legitimate is another story which could be discussed at length.

This idea may be redundant, but the worst thing to do after a very intense training session is to stop for two long because it will feel much worse. The stiffness and soreness will be as if one has never done anything before. Most people enjoy the idea of getting leaner, stronger or just in an optimal state of fitness and health, but few actually enjoy or look forward to the feeling of their entire body being so sore that merely getting up feels like an Olympic event. The more often one does it, the less it will feel sore. The longer one goes without moving the more it hurts. The older one is, the more this applies. Considering this may spare a visit or two to the hospital.

The usefulness of Facebook for business is undeniable and it is very cheap to use as well as having the advantage of being accessible almost anywhere. It is a great tool, especially for advertising. All of the things mentioned in the OP can be posted on a Facebook page and there is an option to allow anyone to view the content. A good idea is to post photos and information about anything the dojo/school participates in that is not part of regular training. Scheduled tournaments, demonstration events, training camps or other group gathering. Basically anything that gives a causal observer an engaging impression of the dojo and Intice that person to join.

It is also not recommendable to use anything other than plain laundry detergent. No whitening or softener of any kind because this causes the natural cotton fibers to become brittle over a short time. To avoid wrinkles it is a good idea to lightly iron the gi directly out of the spin cycle and then hang it to finish drying.

Yes indeed. There is no way to win against an angry person making threats. Trying to win or getting the last word in is the quickest way to find trouble. Learning not to be easily goaded or provoked and dealing with social aggression should be an important part of martial arts training. Unfortunately, most instructors and schools neglect or leave out the mental side. Without mental training and self-control a martial artist is a disaster waiting to happen.

Judging a karateka by the colour or condition of their belt is unsurprisingly common. Given that the belts system and culture of it is so strongly ingrained, it is probably not something that people do consciously. It is mostly unintentional. Judges, karateka and the public alike tend to focus on the belt without thinking about doing it. Having all the same colour belt or no belt at all takes the attention away from biases and allows judges to focus on the practicioner in a more neutral way.

There is hardly any sure way to know exactly who one us dealing with as far as casual acquaintances and strangers are concerned. Fortunately, being able to immediately put distance between oneself and these people and simply refusing to deal with them is the easiest thing to do. The only thing that might make one stay around long enough to make a stupid mistake to aggravate the situation is pride or ego. That feeling that if one does not fight, one is somehow weak.

The belts is an arbitrary symbol endemic to the system that uses them. If the one practising is focused on developing and improving skills for their own sake, a belt as irrelevant and whatever else the person might be wearing. When a belt is not worn, acquired skills are still there.

Making threats of physical violence is usually the sign of an emotionally unstable personality. These types of people have such difficulty controlling their emotions that they will be overwhelmed. Although it can be exhausting to deal with them on a regular basis, the risk of being attacked is low. The best solution is to simply leave the person, let them calm down and talk to them when they are rational again. On the other hand, the angry person might be mentally unstable, have a personality disorder or sociopathic and psychopathic problem. There is no indication of this unless one is well acquainted with the individual. In that case there are other physical harm is imminent, but the risk can also be eliminated by just leaving, while remaining alert and prepared. Whatever the situation, using force is only the solution if escape is not possible without doing so, and should only be done in the process, or for the sole purpose of removing oneself from danger. If giving the other guy a bloody nose allows you to run away, there is no point in breaking his arm.

Observing is certainly the first thing one ought to do before choosing where to train and whom to learn from. Without information, the choice is just chance and as in anything left to chance, the results are often not exactly as one would have expected. Shotokan or Shotokan. Choose wisely, the difference between the two is in the dojo, on the floor, not in the name of the "style"

Some children do have some natural advantages such higher level of concentration, or certain personality traits like perseverance. These qualities, however, are not fixed and must be allowed to develop further through encouragement. If taking some time away is necessary, then it may be the best solution. For young children though, the best method by far is making the martial arts(or whatever it may be) a natural, routine activity. A half hour or so of martial arts fun every day is better than a one or two hour session two nights per week.

How many regular police officers actually have time to train at least on a weekly basis with the nightstick/baton in addition to their service firearm? How many have never gone beyond the few short sessions taught at the academy? Adding anything that requires more training to become functionally effective would certainly put an unnecessary burden on them and would increase costs for little additional benefits. This is the reason why police departments have specialized units instead of training every officer in the use of every tool/weapon at their disposal.

As a parent nothing there is nothing quite like being able to share a lifelong endeavour with one's son or daughter. The longer the child enjoys practising, the longer she will pursue it. In the beginning it is much more important to communicate how fun, interesting and beneficial the martial arts are than the actual technical aspects. Children are much too immature physically and mentally to grasp anything more complex than gross motor skills and basic coordination. Playing and having fun on the other hand, is understood right away.

The only other criteria that matters besides the instructor is one's training goals and purposes. The wisest and most fitting choice is whatever style has what one is looking for and both TSD and Shotokan can be the best choice. In the two styles there are so much variations.