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.

There are apects of MA training like conditioning, striking and grappling that translate to street fighting. I have to think that a martial arts practioner would have a better chance than the same person non-practitioner. Then again, I've met advanced belts that suck at fighting. MA didn't help them. That's where it comes back to the individual. Some people are more natural skilled or train harder and better fighters.

I used to be a TKD student many years ago before it became so popular as a kicking sport. Traditional TKD uses a lot of kicks but also punches to the body and head. TKD is realted to Karate and many of the kicks are similar but modern SPORT TKD has ruined the style. It pains me to watch a TKD tournament any more.

Don't take the "Freak" term literally. I use it affectionately.

Very sad - back then they didn't call it PTSD and no-one received treatment for it. My father went to Nam twice and was never the same. He stayed in the military and was promoted up the ranks but was left to self medicate with alcohol. When I got older and got out of the military myself, I'd meet my father and have some beers at the VFW. One day told me what he was doing over there the second tour. From then on I knew why he was such a freak. Those guys had giant gonads. If you've ever seen the movie "The Great Santini," that was my life. Very Sad.

I assist as part of my training. The instuctors want to see you teach to be sure you understand the principles and techniques. It's considered part of your training.

PTSD is an odd bird. When my father retuned from Vietnam, I was trying to wake him up for dinner and caught a right hook with the side of my face. From them on, I woke him up from the other side of the room.

I pray she has a full recovery. Ditto what the others have said.

I've never seen an instructor knock-out or buzz a student. That's like others have said - an instructor on an ego trip that needs to find another occupation.

I've always liked the acrobatic freestyle. I liken it more to gymnastics. I believe they refer to it as tricking now days. I can't do the jumping spinners anymore. My ankles would hate me. I teach the younger people how to do them if they are interested. Some of them are getting pretty good.

"rub it quickly" and change your attitude? Sports science has come a long way since some of us were kids. I injured myself much more in my 20's than I do now. I'm not as crazy as I was then and I'm much better informed due to the information available. If you feel a pain in a joint, and I've had a few, you should take some time to evaluate the source of the pain. A martial artist with artificial hips isn't the "karate kid" you were meant to be. You can seriously complicate an injury, like a torn labrum or meniscus. Try rest, rehab, or surgery if needed. I think people of any age can increase strength and flexibility - and in that order. Get to the gym and lift weights then stretch gently. Don't get in a rush - you'll only injure yourself and slow down your progress. I'm 52 and nearly as flexible as I was when I was 20. I have lifted weights all my life to increase and maintain strength. I believe that helped maintain my flexibility and joint health.