Spartacus Maximus

As far as physical defense is concerned, techniques should focus on escapes. This is true in general, but especially for women and girls precisely because the single most common attack is some kind of grabbing. The attacker's primary goal is to control the victim or force her to go somewhere. Escape techniques combined with good violence awareness and avoiding skills are more than sufficient to keep women safe and informed. Anything more is bonus material and is a question of whether or not a woman is inclined to learn a whole system. In my experience, the best SD courses had 80-90% information/awareness training and less than 5 physical techniques.

Time is also an issue. Progress and training in one system takes time. Considering the time it takes to learn one martial art thoroughly, pursing more than one at a time means less time and less training for each one. It is better to learn a few things in depth than a hundred superficially. Ten years of hard work and dedicated training in one system makes more sense than two years in five different styles.

The first thing to go was and still is time to spend socializing. Even when not practising, the only company shared was either close family or other members of the dojo. Maybe a few outsiders but these too were involved in the same martial arts circles. Who can really call this normal? The choices I made may be considered differently by others who are unable to understand or accept that someone could make such choices.

For my part, it depends how far I look back. Karate has been such a high priority that I have broken off several relationships with people who were important. As if this were not enough, I postponed and restarted two years worth of a four year program while in school. Even now karate is my main occupation because although I work, it is not something I chose to do or find particularly enjoyable. After all this time and choices putting karate before nearly everything, I still cling to the hope that some day I will understand enough to be able to gain something from it.

I have one or two of those grippers stashed everywhere so that there is always one available. I even have them in the bathrooms at home.

Moments like these show that an instructor who is truly respected and appreciated does not have to be present to be shown respect and appreciation. In this case the students proved to be well disciplined, but all too often when the main instructor is away there is a change dojo dynamics. Someone will takes this as an excuse to do things they would not do otherwise.

Actively cross training is not an idea I agree with, personally. There can be some value in it for some people and in certain contexts, but I prefer to spend my training and practise time focused on Shorin ryu karate. There is quite enough to learn and discover without getting confused by the intricacies of another system. At one point I have dabbled in hard style aikido, taekwondo and Italian as well as French rapier fencing. All of these were experimenting phases and were short lived. Now I devote all my time to Shorin ryu but my interest in other systems is still high. Even without training in other systems, for comparative research and exchange I enjoy sharing with other methods.

Serious practise of martial arts takes time. Making training fit with other important obligations such as family, school studies or work is a challenge all serious lifetime martial artist have to deal with. Sometimes is easier to choose, but at other times there are very difficult choices to make. Here are questions to ponder: What is or was the biggest compromise you have had to make in favour of martial arts. What was the most difficult thing you have given up, set aside or postponed? Looking back on everything, I realize now that the pursuit of karate training and practise has been the goal as well as the driving force behind every single choice of adult life.

Although switching to a new system maybe a good idea, one should be careful not to switch too soon or too often. To gain any proficiency in one system takes time and choosing what to learn must be a well thought out decision.

I am also quite familiar with Oyama and the reports on the man and his methods. Nevertheless there is quite a big difference between intense training and trying to "win" or willfully injuring a partner during a drill or kumite practise session. Competition kumite such as in a match is a whole other can of worms, though.

I remember Blackbelt Magazine and enjoyed reading the forum section. Eventually thought it seems like the website and the forum followed suit when the publication degenerated into what it is now.

To increase grip strength it is necessary to first understand how grip works. The two main areas involved are the fingers and the forearm where most of the muscles controlling the hands are found. In general, anything that works these are effective and the examples in the OP are quite fine. On Okinawa some of the old karate instructors use a wads of rice straw tightly bound together for gripping. These are essentially the same thing as the modern grippers with springs. Besides the standard ones, many sports equipment stores have grippers that train each finger individualy. A roller can easily be hand made with just a strong rope, a weight disk and a section of pipe or a broomstick. Lastly, finger push ups are great.

A belt rack is good for when one has a lot of belts to show or keep. I prefer a very simple and sober design such as a board with pegs. I made mine in secondary school years ago and it still is in great condition. Just three pieces of stained hardwood (60 year old maple). The belts are folded as when they were new and simply stacked on top of eachother onto the pegs. Since I changed over to a new organization(of the same style) I have no use for a rack because there are only 4 belts including white, three are now hung in a closet. Either way the rack has always for storing and keeping rather than showing. I have always been very uncomfortable with the idea of showing any achievement.

Everyone who has considered it knows that teaching one's children is very challenging but I would put teaching a spouse above that in difficulty level. Teaching a few things here and there is not a bad idea but the husband and wife dynamic will interfere with anything more. There are only a handful of people who have trained their spouse in their martial art, but it is not impossible if both are equally willing and determined to train seriously.

Thanks to active moderating as well as the courteous and respectful contributions, this is the only discussion forum worth subscribing to. Martial Arts Planet sometimes has a few good topics to follow, mostly because of the presence of Mr Mac Young whose websites and publications are very informative. Not every forum can boast having such a reknowned expert among its members. Sometimes I hope he would post here, too. I lurk in at least five sites in 3 languages but only contribute to this one for the reasons I mentioned before and because it is easier to do than posting in five.

Just as any problem that gets only worse when allowed to continue, a lack of control must be dealt with immediately. The longer it is allowed to continue, the bigger the problem and the greater the risk. It is a good precaution for either the partners or the instructor to clearly establish the level of contact before starting the drills or kumite bouts. Warn everyone in advance and remind them of the goal. Nobody ever made progress by injuring all their training partners.

As far as discussion forums go, this one is by far the best one I have ever found. Just as in the real world, martial arts always attracts some weird critters. From the very beginning Internet newsgroups, chat rooms and forums have largely been polluted by endless style wars, violence geeks with paranoid fantasies or immature keyboard warriors. For every serious post or attempt at discussion, there was always nearly ten times as many post consisting of negative judgement, accusations or other non-constructive immature comments. Some of the boards I have come across are so infested with trolls and rampant stupidity that it is impossible to have any discussion at all.

This topic is intended as an information thread, so the more different answers the better it is for everyone reading it. One more thing to add as a general requirement is the difference between owning a space and renting one, such as in a sports centre. In using a rented space, the owner will most likely have some insurance policy offering some coverage for users. It is advisable to verify this when searching for a dojo space.

The less one has contact with one's instructor, the more one should train at home. The trick to practising alone is to focus on improving what is already learned and review whatever was done at the last session with the instructor. Making a schedule also helps structure solo training. Writing it down in a planner or calendar is also very helpful.

I would also recommend Shureido because all their gis are very good quality canvas. The middle weight is great, even when training in Okinawa's humid semitropical summer. It costs around 120$ so it is not as expensive as a heavy weight. That is a great deal for a 100% cotton gi but if 12oz is still to heavy the light weight ones are also very good. They go for about 100$ or less if there is a sale.

Some countries have specific insurance packages for martial arts on both the individual level and for dojo/facilities. I have seen these advertisements in several places but it seems to be from USA. I wonder if these exist elsewhere. In my locality, certificates to work with youth or children are strongly recommended but only if one expects to teach youth or children. Obviously it is not needed for someone dealing with just adults. There are many highly recommended certifications but all of them are optional. Insurance seems to be the only thing required by local law. As far as qualifications are concerned, anyone wishing to be a trainer, coach or sports instructor of any kind must have passed a short seminar course. This completed over a week or so and includes training for emergency first aid, CPR and AED machine use. Unfortunately it is very easy for just about anyone to teach privately in their own space with none of these things.

Police records and background checks are a very good idea, but they remain mostly optional. The countries and jurisdiction where it is mandatory are not as numerous from what I found. @NidanMelbourne: do you know what is mandatory in Australia? For safety reasons, there really is no such thing as too many qualifications or paperwork. For simplicity's sake I would like to have an idea on what the minimum mandatory requirements. Things without which it would be illegal or extremely risky to teach the public. Martial arts specific insurance policies exist, but not everywhere. In my locality, both the individual participants and the place must have insurance for maximum coverage for extreme contact sports. What about everyone?

There has probably been several topics on opening a dojo already, but for the sake of sharing information here is a question about administration: Teaching experience and martial arts skills aside, what kind of requirements are needed for someone to publicly teach martial arts? Are there specific permits, certificates or licenses for this purpose? What is the process in your area of residence or familiarity?

No doubt braces would help but as some here have suggested, they are probably intended for stabilizing after an injury. Thankfully, I have never had an ankle injury serious enough to need any bracing or support. I have sprained my wrist once or maybe twice and I dread hurting my ankle the same way from kicking with a loose ankle. The always seem to give at the last instant of a kick, very frustrating. The exercises seem like a good idea.

Control can and must be learned like all other parts of martial arts. Students with no control do not understand the purpose of kumite. They must be told firmly and reminded often that kumite is not a competition match or cage fight and the goal is most definitely not to "win" or "beat" the other student. Injuries can a will happen, but they must never be the result of intention. Kumite is nothing more than a drill where the goal is to train applied techniques and strategy. If after all this a student is still fails to excercise control, the instructor or an advanced student with good control should train with that student. When training with someone who is more skilled and has good control, a student with no control will be faced with that weakness. Once made obvious, the lack of control can be changed. Lack of control cannot be changed by attempting to counter it with the same thing. This type of reasoning is not only stupid, but irresponsible and immature