Titanium

Good thinking - I never thought of using them like that. You know...reuse, recycle and all. Why not having a hand-me-down gi?? I like the idea across the board. After all, the hand-me-down mindset has been culture of many countries for as long as they can remember. Now there's a plan. I generally get new gis when theres more holes than material. When I was growing I have handed some gis onto others, however with a few scrapes from the returning fist.

I have received Shotokan magazine from another karateka...it is good however my primary discipline is Wado. I have read books on Shotokan though such as the Tiger of Karate by Keinosuke Enoeda.

Thank you Zaine, I appreciate your message.

Please see my post above.

A lot of associations change the katas themselves now, especially in Shotokan. Taikyoku kata is somewhat a relic, I learned it on a special Dan course. Shotokan have the basic kata Kihon, straight into Heian Shodan, Heian Nidan, Heian Sandan etc.

I have one called Masters. All different articles by MA masters. They have a website which is mastersmag.com I have Black Belt mag too but that's about it.

Ouch! Your dentist must love you. Not even for class sparring? Besides teeth, mouthguards prevent and reduce the risk of concussion so I always wear mine. Not even class sparring, however I am generally sparring with the kids, teaching them to fight. If I was fighting an adult who was very able, I would wear a mouth-guard.

I'm a bit of a rebel and don't wear gum-guards unless at competitions or grading. I seem to think in my mind that it hinders my performance.

I think a lower grade black belt can assist, however certainly not chief instructor.

Good thinking - I never thought of using them like that. You know...reuse, recycle and all.

They are pretty crazy. I'm sure they'll spruce up the Dojo though. While I doubt that they'd be approved by governing bodies, or many dojo's for that fact because they're a distance away from traditional wear which is in the minds of every MAist. Nor do I see them being excepted at any traditional MA tournaments for the same reasons. It's hard to break away from that traditional mindset, however, I'd wear them because they look quite comfortable and cool; I like pants like that!! I'd let my students wear them at my dojo, but I'd strongly suggest to them that they'd not wear them ON THE FLOOR at the Hombu! Very wise - I was thinking more of a statement - I'm so confident in my MA abilities I will spar in these colorful bottoms. I'd love to see someone wear these, whoever does, that person is just pure 'cool'.

Thank you -

A congratulations is in order. Well done - keep up the good work. You are on the journey and you'll find the final destination pleasing. Well, when I say pleasing, I mean totally awesome.

The beauty of studying two or more styles is that you can create your own hybrid style. Mixing and matching what suits in real life situations is key. I am a Shotokan practitioner and I would not use deep stances in real fights, however I train Wado and I would use their more natural style with Shotokan implementations.

Welcome to the chest club.

Glad you liked the video. What I mean by " natural " many wing chun guys when they train in Chi Sao will have programed attacks and counters. In this videos it was unrehearsed and completely spontaneous. Your MA style sounds great - is it similar to any other MA?

An update from me - I'm re-reading the Art of War then will be looking at my next MA book purchase. Does anyone else like the Art of War?

You might enjoy Planetside 2 then, similar, but way bigger. MMOFPS. And it's free to play. The PC version is best. I'll look into that too - thanks for that info.

Yes, welcome to KF - I see what you are saying. I would certainly ask your sensei the question; sometimes like my sensei does, especially if people are limited to time, he will do private sessions. Now and again if there is an advanced class, instructors can allow practitioners access to these to to bring people on quicker.

Ah the Gi of my friend the KarateNerd, Jesse Enkamp - they are good Gis, I own 3 myself. I would recommend one.

I agree, Black Belt Magazine seems to have gone into an entertainment variant. I remember when it was full of useful info for practitioners. I read ab article one which was about puncturing the eyeball and making it run red - seriously, we want real engaging articles.

Thanks to all who have commented.

Ah thank you all so much; I aim to deliver some useful (if it is) posts. I really do appreciate it and am glad to be here.

They are pretty crazy. I'm sure they'll spruce up the Dojo though.

Welcome back P.A.L