mushybees

Correct practise is more important than the amount of practise. The next time you speak with your sensei ask him for a couple of techniques to practise and make sure you know exactly what he wants before you leave.

I just happened upon this youtube video today. Nice, relaxed shotokan karate.

I train in wado ryu which is a softer style than shotokan based on jujitsu principles. Aikido and wado have a lot of commonalities so cross training would be beneficial for me. I've never trained in shotokan but my understanding is that it's harder with the mindset of standing one's ground in the face of an attacker. I can see where a stubbornness or rigidity can be detrimental to aikido but I would think an additional approach to your shotokan would be desirable. You know your art, you're just supplementing Imo, if you're 2nd dan, you should be exploring your art at this stage and making it your own. Within certain parameters of course I'm a long way off 2nd dan but if my art was prototypical wado ryu at that point I'll be dissapointed with myself.

I don't drink at all between February and August. August to feb is football season so I drink 4-5 bottles of lager on most sundays. I haven't been really drunk in about 10 years though. I get a little bit tipsy then stop.

Bone bruise to the sternum for me as well. Couldn't train for a month. Also dislocated thumb, turf toe and a hyperextended elbow that still causes me bother 5 months on.

Thank you for your input. I appreciate your perspective on it as long time practitioners of the MA. I think a chat is overdue and a mutual agreed system of learning technique and then testing against resistance is needed. That way everyone is happy.

Thanks for the replies. Just to clarify, when sparring, we go at it fairly hard, though maybe not to the extent you are describing sensei8. Sparring is where we test ourselves and each other and I wouldn't feel satisfied just going through the motions. However when we are practising bunkai drills, for example, it's against resistance but a kind of simulated resistance. I'm sure that aligns with the practices of most dojos. In the interest of safety we don't head butt, punch to break ribs etc or put on locks with a ferocity that could accidentally injure someone. My training partner sometimes uses this, along with knowing what the drill entails, to put up an unrealistic resistance which I feel doesn't contribute to our martial training. Monday evening's training prompted my post. Sensei asked my friend to establish a lapel grip to which he would escape and we would each go off and practise. My friend's grip was a kind of overhand grip to which I remarked I was surprised sensei didn't just put him in an armbar as he put himself half way there to begin with. My friend asked me to demonstrate what I meant and proceeded to tense up and put all his strength into resisting the arm bar. I gave a cheeky dig to the ribs and got the armbar on but what was meant to be a light hearted, throw away remark became an obstacle to be overcome. I didn't make a big deal of it. Whiners get short thrift in our dojo also and it wasn't really a big deal but I guess it's a growing frustration.

In our dojo I'm fortunate to have a like minded training partner. We train with a level of physicality that I can't get with other students. On top of that we've become good friends over the years. On the whole we train well together but he has a tendency to be very resistant during some partner techniques such as locking and throwing. I appreciate some resistance as complete compliance does neither of us any favours but I can't get him to see that he's resisting in a very specific way because he has foreknowledge of my attack or defence, he has the luxury of being in no real danger and he has all the time in the world to root himself on the spot before he's ready. I've mentioned it to him a few times but as he's taller and heavier than I am and also a grade lower I suspect he may think I'm making excuses or being egotistical. I can say, hand on heart, that isn't the case. I would rather know a technique works or doesn't for myself and my body type than delude myself. I often take what is being taught to the class and speak with my sensei to tailor it to my own emerging "style" of karate. I'm short and stocky and almost everyone else is taller so I have to adapt to height and weight differences all the time. That my karate is different to the next person's is what I love about it. To my mind the partner drills we do are done with some compliance to simulate the distractions, unbalancing and posture breaking that would come from the strikes and jostling that would exist in reality. Also it means we don't have to risk injuring one another by having to escalate the force required to complete a technique. Has anyone else been in a similar situation and how have you dealt with it?

Hirota #163. Custom made from Kuroobiya. Heavy but fantastic kata gi.

I'm a plumber by day and forum lurker by night. Day to day my MA skillset isn't required but I have had to restrain an aggressive council tenant in a lone working situation at night. I was glad of the options my training made available to me. For some their only option might have been a claw hammer.

Hi. I'm on a mission to find my wife a 10/12oz karate gi that fits her. She's short with a large bust and wide hips which is making it very difficult finding a gi which fits. We could size up to find something that fits across the chest but she'll end up looking like a flying squirrel when she lifts her arms. She fits my Blitz white diamond gi but at 14oz it's too heavy for her, ahe has a tendency to overheat. The blitz gis are known to be generously cut which woyld explain it. Also trousers need to be a trad drawer string, not elasticated. Oh, and also japanese cut Are there any ladies on the forum in the same boat and what did you find that fits? Thanks guys.

Mine are in the attic. I don't attach any sentiment to them really and don't really want to put them one display. I train, as does my wife and daughter so we'd have belts everywhere! I've offered to wash and return them to my sensei for other students but he declined. Seems wasteful to throw them away.

I'm coming from wado ryu which is built upon tai sabaki so I find it dovetails into and compliments what I do nicely. I've never met an aikidoka who claims his/her art is a complete fighting style that's ideal for dealing with criminals so it baffles me why aikido's detractors use this criteria to judge it worthless or not effective. Atemi exists in aikido though obviously to a lesser degree than karate for example. Just because it isn't the art's main focus doesn't mean an aikidoka who finds themselves in a self protection scenario doesn't know how to punch or kick. The effectiveness of a martial art is found as much, if not more, in the artist than the technique. A lot of what we do doesn't directly translate in to perfectly effective self defence. I look at even the grittiest self defence demo of any style/art and I know from experience that the reality is so much messier and chaotic. I think if the man or woman has it in them already to meet force with force then aikido is as effective as it needs to be.

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

I don't understand how bowing can conflict with someone's religious beliefs. It isn't an act of worship, it's an act of respect.

I assumed the OP was a college student studying business and using our answers for some kind of marketing aspect of his/her course. Maybe I'm dense but I don't see anything wrong with that. It's a very inefficient, amateur way of gathering data otherwise.

I'm going to copy sensei8's format. 1> How did you first become interested in martial arts? I've always had an interest. My older brother trained as a kid and he was always demonstrating on me I didn't take classes myself as my parents couldn't afford it. When I was in my late teens and had the means to pay myself I was too self conscious to take it up. As recently as 2 years ago I decided enough is enough and joined a local club run by some really nice people. 2> What discipline did you decide to practice? Wado Ryu 3> Why did you choose that specific discipline over the other disciplines? With a strong emphasis on balance breaking and taisabaki it was a good fit for my physique being short and slim. 4> What is your skill level within your martial arts discipline? 5th kyu 5> What other things do you like to do? (When you're not in the gym/dojo, what else do you like to do with your time? This can be physical or nonphysical pass times) Taking the kids to the cinema, walking in the woods and sand dunes, diy and reading 6> What are the first 3 martial arts related brands that come to your mind. (FIRST, not BEST). Blitz Tokaido Shureido 7> How do you decide what martial arts gear/equipment to get? (How do you select one type or brand over another?) If it's clothing/gi a comprehensive size guide. Size wide, it's often a lucky dip ordering a gi, even from a familiar brand. 8> Roughly how often to you buy new martial arts equipment? I've bought 3 gis over the last 2 years and they're in good kick still so I don't forsee buying again for a while. 9> Where do you get your equipment from? Is there a reason for this? Blitz. Familiarity with the brand and no other reason. If I found a brand that have very good sizing info and decent quality I'd have no trouble switching.

Some do Ten No Kata Pinan Nidan Pinan Shodan Pinan Sandan Pinan Yondan Pinan Godan Kushanku Naihanchi Seishan Chinto Bassai Wanshu Rohai Niseishi Jitte Jion Some do Suparempei.

Awesome stuff!

Other people's level of commitment may be different to mine. I train in the dojo 8 hrs a week and I spend some time training at home most evenings, rarely for more than an hour. I do it simply because I enjoy it. I'd rather train than watch another cooking/baking/talent show with the mrs. She doesn't want me there anyway 😂 I've only been training 2 years but don't feel any enlightenment and I don't expect to. I feel a deep satisfaction from improving my skills, I feel healthier and I think having time to switch my brain from work/dad/husband to karate mode is good for my mental health. I think if I immersed myself in some other pursuit I'd find the same benefits. Karate compliments my life very nicely and that's all I want from it.

I watch football (🏈) and ice hockey. If there's ever any judo, karate, kickboxing on I'll watch it. I have no interest in football (⚽) or rugby. Not a fan of mma either.

There was a couple of poignant lines in there that my daughter picked up on. Made me quite pleased. One was when Po says he's not able to do something and his sifu says some thing like "If you only do what you can do, you'll never be better than you are now." Which I think is an important lesson.

I don't know if this counts as martial arts entertainment but I just watched kung fu panda 3 with the kids and it was awesome! Skadoosh!

I was well enough to get back work after 6 days but the incisions haven't healed yet so I'm still not training. I don't know what other people's experience he's been but I was given very little advice on how to speed up my recovery. I get that it's not a big concern when most men are able to get straight back to work but for active people being 80% healed up isn't always enough. For prosperity and other curious folks I'll post some of the top tips I've learned and curated from others. In no particular order. 1. Ice. 10 mins on and 20 mins off for the first day. 2. Tight fitting underwear is a must. This isn't time for stylish boxer shorts, we're talking y fronts. A size too small. 3. Painkillers. No aspirin. Don't be a hero. 4. Keep extra clean. Stock up on non adherent padding and micropore tape. Dress loosely so the wounds can breathe. Wash hands before and after using the bathroom, shower daily. Don't touch! 5. Good nutrition. Get some good protein, vitamins and minerals in you. 6. Rest. Total rest for the first couple of days, stay in bed if possible. Allow the incisions to start knitting together without any straining. 7. Buy a jock strap and cup when you make your tentative first steps back into training. Compression shorts prevent the cup moving and causing things to get trapped. 8. Any sign that something isn't right, get to the docs for antibiotics. Hope it helps someone.

Naihanchi for the last 6 months. I'm really trying to get the most out of it conditioning wise (4-5 times in the morning and the same in the evening) and I'm enjoying learning naihanchi bunkai from different styles. I'm wado we learn the pinan kata, then kushanku followed by naihanchi. It's said that Ohtsuka considered it one of our most important kata so I've asked to learn it out of sequence and alongside the earlier kata to which my sensei kindly agreed. I'm already starting to see the benefits of daily practice. I feel it's an under appreciated kata.