gunner

Good practice makes perfect. Bad practice reinforces bad habits. I'm a proponent of shorter quality reps. There is no benefit to tired sloppy techniques. This is why in other sports, like baseball, players don't take batting practice for hours on end. It's much more beneficial to swing / kick properly to train muscle memory than to let your muscles remember a sloppy technique resulting from a long tired workout. Better to workout more short periods than fewer long workouts. Endurance is a different animal. There are many methods to increase endurance but science shows that HIIT training is more effective than long workouts at medium - high intensity.

"So close, yet so far...." Unfortunately, it's been that way too long. Hopefully next year we'll break that cycle and get to the big game.

Maybe your missing the most important lesson. Your Sensei is trying to teach you through teaching. In my school we all teach beginning at 2nd Kyu. It's part of the learning. You recognize where you are deficient when teaching. It's humbling and rewarding in it's own way. One thing never permitted is saying "I can't." Yes you can. You might even be good at it . You might suck, It's your training.

Congrats Busido Man!!! And go Chiefs!!!! >>-->

I can kick to the head of a average male with all kicks but I rarely if ever kick higher than the rib cage when sparring except with roundhouses and crescent kicks. The reason is simple - they are too slow. Since speed is the distance divided by time, the simplest way to speed up a kick is to halve the distance. Side kicks, back kicks and front kicks go to the abdomen or rib cage. One other thing is I have had great success kicking to the hip of my opponent to knock them off balance. Just be sure to keep your balance so you can charge them when they are back pedaling. Hope this helps!

In Kyokushin the hikite should cover the lower ribs. It's a guard to protect against a counter strike in a forward stance. In a back stance with knife hands, it covers the solar plexus to guard against counter strikes. Hope this helps.

Good Luck to you Sensei8. Hope everything works out great for you. Not long ago our Grand Master was discussing Fear and how you can use it to improve performance. If you can harness the potential, it can increase your alertness and speed. On the other hand, it can paralyze you if you let it get the best of you. My instructors advise is to embrace your fear. It's your friend trying to protect you. Easier said than done.

Thanks for the post MutsuShinshil. That aligns pretty much with what I've been reading. I wonder where the "dangerous" elements of kata can be found? From what I've read, the old Okinawan masters never wrote down their methods. They were passed down from master to student directly. Do any of the Grand Masters in Okinawa still know these techniques or are the lost to time?

We used to use buckets of sand to toughen the hands. Adding water makes it harder. Wooden post wrapped with rags for feet, shins and elbows. Lots of hard contact on canvas bags also. Be careful not to sprain your wrists. I also have a bag filled with beans to desensitize the knuckles. Be aware you can cause premature arthritis microfraturing your bones this way.

When I was in my 20s, our dojo sparred full contact. If you survived the night uninjured, that was a good night. The biggest fear was you'd get an injury that would stop your training for 6 weeks while the bone heals. Not worth it. Light to medium contact is sufficient to measure your ability. Save the hard contact for the bag. Wear appropriate safety gear.

Great for your son! That's Awesome! Your belt test is also a teaching class in itself. As sensei8 said, you don't have to be 100%. Relax and enjoy it.

I get that question occaisionally. I usually fire back "Why should I?" and wait for a response. Then with a blank look on their face as they try to hold beck the "you're too old" I explain to them it's just a fun way to stay healthy. Then all I hear is excuses why they can't do it. I try to tell them that anyone can practice MA. It's just another style of exercise. You don't have to be Bruce Lee. Be yourself and have fun. Who cares if you can't do flying spin kicks, not many people can.

I just push myself to the max on cardio becuase I learned many years ago it's he who loses his wind that struggles to defend. I also hit the gym on non-dojo days to lift weights and do HIIT cardio. My friends ask me why I do it. I tell them I'm not going MMA, I just push myself to be the best I can. I owe most of it to my ancestors who gave me good genes.

I'm 52 years old and I train with the young adults and teenagers. I'm in as good or better cardio condition as they are.

I took TKD many years ago before it was ruined by Sport TKD. I'm now taking Karate and find both styles compliment the other. TKD has more athletic and powerful kicks. Karate has more hand and grappling techniques. The sparring is very similar except that karate allows hand strikes to the head. I'm greatful for taking both styles. It's not what you are taught but more about what you can use.