Bulltahr

Looking for opinions on "Jigsaw" style mats, any good? I have heard that some styles won't train on them. They seem a very versatile option to me, as well as not as expensive as a lot of the other types out there. What are they like for doing kata? Should they be put away and taken out only for takedown practise etc? Is there a better option? I enjoy training on a wooden floor, but at 50+ I pay for it after practising take down drills directly onto the wooden floor.... The club is looking at options right now, the jigsaw ones seem a good option as they are stackable and light, so anyone can help put them away. Supposedly some instructors refuse to take classes on such mats, anybody heard this? What reasoning might they have?

It will be back up again soon I'm sure.... Meantime heaps of clips of the making, training, etc here. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHY7r1rG5itxhjcuiS2f5zw

Go here for link to Amazon DVD regional downlaods. https://martialartsactionmovies.com/fighter-in-the-wind/ "Spoiler alert" link has plot and review of film.

Happy birthday mate!

I'm a Andi Hug fan myself, he was active during those transitional years, K1 etc.

Great news!! And great outcome, decent human beings rise to the top!

Done. I'm the paradox! LOL...

Find someone who sews and borrow thier stitch unpicker.

Did you wash in hot water and dry in the dryer?

Welcome Syed

Great to hear JR that you are on the way back up and at em!! You are self motivated so I believe you will get back to where you were before and beyond! Osu!

OK Sensei, While it is sad to read those last posts, I can say myself that there are ignorant people in this world unfortunately. There are basically 2 types of person in this world, positive people and negative people, sad to say but humans being how they are,.....weak of mind, the majority of people in this world are negative. But I believe that places like here on KF forums, are islands of positivity and respect, maybe even sanctuaries, if you will , in a sea of human weakness. That last post sounded to me like a lot of insecure people enjoying passing judgement. You have nothing to prove to ANYONE, but yourself. Seems to me from what I understand of you is that you are a thoroughly decent human being. End of story! Keep fighting the good fight mate!

I enjoyed House of flying daggers also, more a romance tho. I couldn't finish the crouching dragon sequel, it was so "made for TV" bad. Fearless probably my all time favourite. Also saw a good Korean film "Memories of the sword" borrowed heavily from Chinese themes, but still good movie.

Fighter in the wind was just OK for me. Like JR most are too over the top for me, probably why I enjoyed Kuro Obi so much it was a lot more low key. Really enjoy Wuxia films tho. Hero and Fearless, both with Jet Li, would be essential viewing for anyone who enjoys MA movies, cinematography in Hero is stunning, story in Fearless based on an IP man type guy who lived turn of 19th century. Huo Yuanjia was the real life guy.

Some Gis are pre-shrunk , but they should mention this when ordering, if the Customer service rep know their stuff. Upon recommendation of a KF regular, I recently ordered my first new higher end gi, A Ronin gi, now with my dimensions I straddle 2 sizes, the rep advised me to go with the bigger size, due to shrinkage. After several washes the pants shrunk 3 inches in length and the jacket fits much better than when I first tried them on. So absolutely imperative that you know your own dimensions and whether or not the gi is pre-shrunk or not. The gi now fits me very well BTW. Very happy!

Welcome Mandarin! Lived in Singapore back in the 80's for 3 years. Miss the food.......

OK, Full disclusure: I am a tech savvy 50+ person. I don't consider myself a Facebook fan, but I am pragmatic about Facebook and what it does. If you look at a club facebook page, or a full website as being your on-line, 24/7 Bulletin board. This is what it is basically, if you produce a club newsletter then think of a club website as being a digital version, plus a whole lot more besides. And you can always control who see's it's contents and who can comment etc. Facebook pages seem to be getting more popular than full websites, likely for several reasons, free as opposed to the cost of proprietary websites, easy to update and more user friendly as most of the younger gen are very facebook "literate" , a message regarding tonight's class for example will quickly get around the student network, rather than having to make 30 phone calls to each individual. PMs can be sent direct to most people's smart phones etc. Calendars, booking schedules etc, there are many powerful tools available for facebook users. Facebook is a great social media tool for any organization or business. When they first came out, I think I read somewhere that TVs were considered by many to be just a passing fad....................

Yeap, gotta keep moving, never give up either........ MA has been great for a serious medical procedure, that I had in the past, feeling better right now than I have for years, with regards to my mobility......

Looks like you are tracking along just fine Sensei! Keep it going and don't overdo it either. I am very happy for you.

Good on you Dani!!

Here's a tutorial from Ginger Ninja Trickster:

Welcome to you Wayofaswede!

I see that JR, interesting, I haven't been privy to a Jnr grading, only what I have heard. But I know up to 3rd Kyu for sure everyone needs to know the same syllabus......

HI JR, Yeap tried that, spoke to the Ronin guys as well as Century, got the vibe off Century that they had a generic size chart and could not commit in anyway to best for me after I gave my specific size. Sooooo back to the Ronin blue label, customer service replied within 10 mins with their recommendation, go bigger rather than smaller (I straddle a size bracket) so I will have one to try out when I get to WI next week. Will update on size accuracy then. Bit bummed that I wont make it further east this time, hopefully next year JR!! very keen to train with you guys if acceptable.... Cheers Bull

I agree with you, as I think alot here do also. A ten year old may know all the syllabus etc, but without the maturity of comprehension, they really are just mimicking. I assume the problem is that if a child starts Karate at 6 or 7 years old then they move through the grades and are sitting at 1st Kyu around 12 years of age, then what to do with them? Even tho our style has an extra belt in the mix to slow the advancement of the young ones a bit, kids that stick with it are still sitting at 2nd and 1st kyu for quite a while waiting to turn 16 to take their shodan (Junior) grading if invited to do so. (The only difference bewteen a junior and a normal shodan grading is juniors only have 30 rds of kumite at the end instead of the normal 40).