JR 137

High heeled shoes can be a very powerful weapon. Ever see the movie Single White Female?

The chart should be accurate in what you'll get, concerning the length of the sleeves and legs. I believe this is the European distributor for Shureido- http://www.kamikazeweb.com/ Maybe contact them and ask if they can get a KW-11?

I bought a middleweight Ronin, hoping it was a lighter version of the Heavyweight (12 oz). In a word - garbage. Twill material instead of canvas. Basically a give away gi when you sign up for classes. It's 100% cotton, so I guess it would be better than the see-through ones though. The Ronin Blue label was pretty good, even though I returned it due solely to fit, and the heavyweight is very good, so I figured the middleweight was a safe gamble. I bought it because I had to order a gi for my daughter, who's 5. They were out of the Century kids' gi, so I got her a Ronin too. Even worse. Quite possibly the worst gi I've ever seen. Yes, it's $25 or so, but that's not the point. She's all excited about getting her gi, so I have to keep hers, unfortunately. One day, I'll have disposable income again to buy a Shureido K-10.

It will shrink a bit. It's best to find your size, then order a half size larger. The best way to do this is to measure your current gi, then see what's comparable in the gi you want. Shureido has measurement charts - http://karategiblog.altervista.org/2012/07/consigli-su-come-scegliere-la-vostra-taglia-per-i-karate-gi-shureido/ As chiliphil said, there's Tokaido and Shureido, and there's everything else. The Kamikaze gis are quite good, but for not much more, Shureido is far better IMO. Better material, craftsmanship, etc.

What I learned in physical education... Define what skills you think a student must have by graduation (in this case, by black belt). Plan downward from there. If all those skills are required to test for black belt, then make appropriate requirements for brown belt, green belt, etc. all the way down. Then look upward from your first test standards and look for issues. Plan in blocks instead of day to day. If you test every 3 months, plan out those 3 months. Weeks 1 and 2's focus may be teaching new kihon. 3-4 may be new self defense techniques (if you do prearranged stuff that's tested). 5-6 might be kata. 7-8 might be kumite strategy. 9-10 might be kata bunkai. Obviously, you should review new and old stuff throughout, but more time is dedicated to your area of focus. The last two weeks could be used to review the syllabus. One thing I learned the hard way - failing to plan is planning to fail. Be flexible with it the first few times you go through it to make sure you've got a solid plan, then stick to it once it's been proven to you a few times. Just be prepared to change it when necessary. Kids are kids, and just because something worked very well with one group a few times doesn't mean it'll work with every group or even the same group every time. Get into a solid routine, then know when and how to break that routine. I've worked with some very good teachers that went by the seat of their pants. They'd have been far better/great teachers if they had a more solid overall plan rather than take my it day to day.

This is a tough one, but I'll think out loud here and see where it takes me... If I went to a big, open tournament with point fighting rules, I'd place higher in kata than kumite. In an equal skill level knockdown tournament, I'd probably place higher in kumite than kata. I'm very good with kihon hand techniques, and horrible at kihon kicks in line drills. I can front kick to my nose level, but struggle to get roundhouse and side kick to my belt. I can roundhouse kick sparring partners my height in the head though. I'd love to ask my CI which I'm better at, but I think it would be an awkward question somehow. Not sure why, but it would.

I'm not a LEO, so take what I say at face value... I honesty think women's self defense is different than men's. Women usually get attacked differently, and the motives are usually different. I'm thinking more sexual assault/kidnapping type stuff. Obviously that's not the only way and reason for attack, but I immediately think that stuff first when I think women's SD. I'd put very high priority on staying off and getting off their back, for a lack of a nicer way to say it. Also, arm grab, bear hug type grabs, and chokes. As a bartender and patron, the women's fights very typically consisted of a hair grab to pulling down the head, followed with punches to the face (while having a handful of hair). Women's "fights" were always so much different than guys' fights. But obviously, the most important thing is awareness. Avoiding a situation before it starts, minimizing risks, what to do when the risk presents itself before it manifests, and so on. My mother took a women's SD course offered by the police department through a previous employer. It was a 3 hour per week for several weeks course that can be updated/refreshed annually or so. She said they spoke about a lot of things like where to put your bed, don't unlock your car doors more than a few feet away, where to park, etc. Reminds me... I've been meaning to start a "What have you seen?" thread here. When I've got time and motivation.

If you're in the US and want to buy a Shureido, call Shureido USA. They'll have you measure a bunch of different parts of your body and will come up with the right size for you. They'll also mix jacket and pants sizes, and can alter gis. They're a few dollars more than other places on the web, but when you know you're getting exactly what you need, it's easily worth an extra $20 or so for the service they provide. http://www.shureidousa.com/index.html

Too heavy for everyday training is a personal thing. Some people train in a 14 or even 16 oz. gi everyday. I own a 14 oz. KI gi and think it's too heavy, but a lot of people at my dojo also wear it with no complaints. I sweat more than most others, so it's all relative. Having a 10 oz. now, a 12 oz. shouldn't be too much heavier from a heat aspect. It'll be stiffer/more solid in a good way, meaning it won't be a mess while you're working out. None of the gis I've seen come with short t-shirt-like sleeves, unless the description explicitly says it. The t-shirt look is because someone cut it that way afterwards. If it fits right out of the package, a tournament cut gi's sleeves with go a little more than half way down the forearm, and the legs will be about half way between the bottom of the calf and the ankle. Think women's Capri pants. Traditional cut will be to the wrists and ankles. Very, very few people will get a proper fit without hemming sleeves and/or legs. And you have to account for initial shrinking. Tournament cut gis will also be wider in the shoulders and armpit area, and the pants will be baggier around the thighs and hips. Traditional cut will be more straight. Think boot cut jeans vs. straight leg. The Shureido TK-10 is tournament cut, whereas the K-10 is traditional cut. The "T" in TK stands for tournament. The size charts for tournament cut are a bit misleading. For instance, a TK-10 size 4.5 has the exact same measurements as a size 5 K-10. The TK has extra material in the shoulders/chest/armpit area. It was too much for me. They're also a bit narrower in the abdomen. Here's what I mean (although the sleeves and legs are longer than the stereotypical tournament cut)... http://www.discountmas.com/robrshun.html Traditional cut... http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/discountmas_2268_797769 The Kamikaze gis will be cut exactly like the second picture, as the Ronin gis are pretty much the same gi (coming from a conversation with a person who sells both). The K-10 is a great gi worth every penny of its price IMO. Heavy enough to keep its shape and be durable, yet not hot. it's a bit rough feeling straight out of the package, but it gets pretty soft once it's broken in after a dozen or so washings and wearings. Regarding Shureido vs Tokaido Japanese made gis, both are equal in material quality and workmanship. They're just cut differently IMO. I had a Shureido and a classmate had a Tokaido Ultimate. The Shureido is a stockier guy's cut, whereas the Tokaido is a tall and slim guy's cut. People argue all the time as to which is the better gi, but owning one and trying on the other one, we both thought they were equal. In fact, if you took the labels off, you'd think they were different cuts of the same gi.

What are you currently wearing? What do you want to change about it? The Tokaido you tried on isn't made in Japan, and doesn't use the Japanese no. 10 cotton canvas most other Tokaidos use. It's a Tokaido, but it's outsourced and made to a price point. I used to own a Shureido K-10 and loved it. It also uses Japanese no. 10 cotton canvas. That material is comparable to most 12 oz. gis. It's softer than most 12 oz. gis, and breathes better. It also stays white a lot longer. Tournament cut and traditional cut are very different. I can keep going, but I'll leave it at that so the post isn't too long.

Thank you for that post. Solid. Especially where you say it's a test, not a performance. You hit the nail in the head for me.

Sorry, I didn't think you'd pull people from the audience at random. It was more thinking out loud than anything else. Circulating flyers is a good idea. Also having students bring people in. Perhaps if you or other students can circulate them at work. Your kyoshi being a woman can be a huge advantage in bringing women into the dojo if she does a special women's self defense demo/seminar as well.

Most people I know think karate is a kids' thing. Why? Partly because all they see is kids running around with gis and belts either at McDonald's or the like or getting out of a minivan, or see karate at strip malls (and inside some malls too). Combine that with the protective gear and non-contact point fighting, and you get the perfect storm. Demonstrations can be good. But I wouldn't invite people out the audience or non-martial artists to spar against an instructor. It's just asking for problems. If you're going to do a demonstration, stay true to what you do in the dojo. Don't go full-contact/knockdown style sparring if that's not what goes on in the dojo. Do a little bit of everything you'd normally do in class. Let them take it or leave it. Kihon, kata, some drills, and some kumite. Breaking draws a crowd, but I'm not sold on it getting people to actually join. Too many are skeptical about it; they think it could be rigged somehow. Stay true to what you do, and just as importantly, do it in a place full of your target audience. If you're targeting adults, stay away from childrens' fairs.

Thank you for sharing this experience with us, JR 137. I know there have been a few times, especially when I was younger, when opening my mouth when I shouldn't have has led me into issues similar to this. They really go nowhere, and nothing good comes from it. That situation could have been so much worse. I could have been beaten up by the guys in the house. Could have beaten him up worse. He could have been carrying a weapon. Could have been arrested for assault. Infinite could haves. My initial intent wasn't to fight. It was to scare him. I escalated the situation by simply not shrugging off harmless stupidity on his part. He wasn't fooling anyone with his rant. But it's over and done with. Can't change the past.

It can also be used as a news update for current students. Class cancellations due to weather is a common one here in NY. Posting pictures of events in and outside the dojo for students to see/have. My dojo has a page that's not really geared to getting new students, but it could be by tweaking some things... https://m.facebook.com/AdirondackSeidoKarate/ I don't have a Facebook account, so I can't see much passed a certain time period. Yes, I'm one of the five people on earth who doesn't have one.

I am too. It just seems like not much is being posted. Not many new threads being started, especially by regulars. Just wondering if it's a normally slow time of year here.

I hear a lot of good things about the NZ and Australia dojos. Highly respected in the Seido world. All the best with your test. Let us know how it goes.

Something for the washing experts... Both of my gis make a creeking sound. Became very distracting to me during a meditation class/session. Sitting in seiza, seemed like every breath made my gi creek from the material rubbing against itself. It's not the snap sound you get during punches and kicks, but an odd creeking sound. It wasn't just during that session; it's constant. It just distracted me most during that. Not sure if anyone else could hear it, but it really distracted me. Would a touch of fabric softener help with this? Both gis do this - heavyweight Ronin and KI gi.

What are you testing for? Who's testing you? Hanshi Andy Barber?

You're doing the right thing here. Unless there's an immediate and unquestionable threat of violence, there's no point in escalating the situation. He's trying to feed his own ego, and it's pathetic. I learned this one the hard way, and it could have been far worse... During my college years (there were many), a friend of mine and I were staggering out of a bar. About 10 feet ahead of us was my ex and her new boyfriend. He didn't see us and was running his mouth saying he was going to beat me up next time he saw me. My friend looked at me, shook his head and simply said "Don't do it." I decided to yell out "Here I am! See me now?" He stood behind his girlfriend and started getting mouthy and challenging me. Once I got close enough, his girlfriend told him to run because he was going to get his rear end kicked. She'd seen me train. He didn't like that, so he threw a punch from behind her and ran into his apartment. Wasn't close to connecting, and wouldn't have hurt if it did, but I was livid that he'd hide behind a woman and throw a punch, so I chased him into his apartment. His lacrosse teammates watched me beat him up a little bit, then pulled me off him. Luckily I was friendly with a few of them. I made a big deal out of nothing. I escalated a situation. I could have gotten hurt pretty badly. I could have hurt him pretty badly. And for what? To prove that he couldn't back up his rant? To prove what anyone who knew either of us already knew? Talk about ego. Putting me down was all he had. Everyone knew that. I should've let him keep that.

I think you're correct in only the issuing person/organization can strip you of the rank you earned through them. But there's a disconnect somewhere here... By not honoring a rank from another school, it doesn't mean that they're stripping you of that rank. It just means that you must wear whatever rank they assign to you in their dojo/organization. Allow me to elaborate... Say you are a 3rd dan in judo. Then you go to a karate dojo and are told to wear a white belt. You're still a 3rd dan in judo and can keep your rank there if you're still training there too. But in that particular karate dojo, you're a white belt in their karate system. You can promote yourself to 11th dan in Ameri-Do-Te if you'd like, but at the judo dojo you're a 3rd dan, and at the karate dojo you're a white belt. Same can be said for being one rank in one karate dojo, and another rank in a different karate dojo.

It seems like traffic here has screeched to a halt. Haven't seen many new topics posted anywhere. Where is everyone? Busy time of year?

It takes more than teaching karate for grade a parenting, but I'll take it

Since you say you've been at it for 2 years, I'm guessing that you're at the stage where you're promoting every six months or so instead of every three months or so. The promotion isn't the problem, but maybe you're not learning new things as often. People get burnt out in this stage quicker than others in my experience. Maybe I'm way off. Tallgeese is also right on here. There's no off-season. Have you taken any time at all off before now? A week vacation or the like? Too much of anything, no matter how good a thing it is, isn't a good thing. Too much is a different amount for everyone.

Being the owner of the forum, him being THE OG would probably be more accurate.