grenage

Good morning! I have been to see a Chiropractor, who suggested that it was tight tendons down the back of the legs; a lot of sitting mean that they were tight, and the kicks were pulling the tendons around my pelvis in an awkward fashion. To be fair, I have always noticed tightness when stretching my legs, and it's been improving after some daily stretching. I guess I'll keep doing them and see how it gets on!

About 10 years ago I took a beginner's Japanese evening class in college; it was awesome, and I enjoyed it. One thing that really nailed vocabulary for me was revision cards. Cut a mass of squares out of paper or card, and write the Japanese word on one side, with the English word (and maybe pronunciation) on the other side. Mix them up, and throw them on a table; take one at a time and try to recall the opposite side of what you see. It's a basic game, but one of the best for languages. You can even carry them in a case and do it whenever you have five minutes spare.

Thanks guys; I might go and see one, just to see what they recommend. It won't be for a couple of weeks, so I'll just have to get some stretches in before then. Russell.

Thanks for the tip; I'll have a look!

Hi Mo, That's quite reassuring, thank you. I've got a week off karate due to other commitments, so it will get a chance to cool off. I'll look into doing some daily stretches/exercises each morning, which will hopefully help. We're pretty good at warm-ups before training, so that's sorted. Thanks for your advice. Russell.

Hi there, I'm rather new to martial arts (or any exercise) beyond a year of karate as a child. I'm really enjoying it, but have a question regarding some agitation I'm getting on one side of my lower back. When performing kicks with my left leg, there is a horrible clunking sensation in what feels like the top of my pelvis, at the very bottom of my back. It's not painful, although I am experiencing a little tenderness the next day - and a much lesser feeling of the clunk when I walk with my left leg. Could anyone suggest the cause, or recommend any exercises to build up/placate the area? I appreciate that the description is vague, but it's quite hard to pinpoint the position exactly. I'm nearly 34, and while I'm thin, I spend far too much time behind a desk at work. Thank you for any advice you might be able to offer.

Hi guys, For the benefit of anyone in the same situation, i bought a 180cm from Blitz, and it's a really good fit. Slightly short on the arms, but barely.

Thank you for your advice, i think i may just have to do that.

Hi guys, thanks a lot for the names. Those sites have a nice range of his, but they still use the standard 0-7 sizes, which will be way too big for me. Do you know of any that do slim sizes?

Hi guys, I've just started karate, and am looking to get my first gi. I originally ordered a Kamae but I could fit three of me into one. At 6' 5" and 14 stone (just under 200lb) I think I need an A4 gi, but can only find standard sizes (160/180/200 etc). Could anyone recommend a store? I'm not that bothered about it being full full length. As an additional joy, it really needs to be as plain white as possible. Everyone else in the dojo has plain his with maybe a little tag on a lapel. The only one or two I've found have had ridiculously large logos on the arms or legs - more like a walking advert than a martial arts uniform!