Capella

It is a fun movie to watch. I really enjoyed it. I already knew about the suffragettes training in jiu jitsu/bartitsu, and was pleased to see that they picked it up for the movie. And they did not go over the top too far with it and kept it relatively realistic (in movie terms, that is). In my spare time I write novels (nothing published yet, though), mostly historical fiction and fantasy. I studied history at uni before I became a software developer, so I am always eager on researching and getting the details right and I am obsessed with female fighters from different periods of history.

Rotating punches are stronger and have a bit more reach. But they telegraph like crazy because the shoulder comes up. I prefer the vertical punch (we call it tate tsuki) for short punches in the in-fight, that are more sneaky than overly powerful. For example to the solar plexus. They deliver slightly less power, but since they are fast and harder to see coming, it is easier to be precise with them. When I am coming in with a long punch and want to cover distance, I usually use the standrd rotated ones.

I think, what it comes down to is to learn to calm yourself and control your breathing and heartbeat under physical stress/tension. It really isn't all that esoteric. And yes, I think it does have a great potoential both for your health, but also for your general resiliance in life.

Yes absolutely. It is even encouraged. Everything that makes you a better fighter and challenges you is good from a Kyokushin point of view.

Physical fitness, mostly. Fun. Making friends.Self-confidence.

In spring we had a period in Germany when indoor sports were still banned, but doing sports outdoors in groups of up to ten people (keeping a 5' distance from each other, no physical contact) was allowed, and we met in one of our member's backyard for traiining during that time. It wasn't too far from where I lived, so I usually combined it with a short run there and back. It was a bit strange to jog thourgh the neighbourhood in my gi, but there was also something very archaic and empowering in training outside. It felt very much in the kyokushin spirit (also, we were all very happy to be able to train together again at all, we had all missed that so much). At the moment, COVID-19 numbers in Germany are rising steeply again, and we all fear a second lockdown. I guess in winter it would be a lot harder to train outside, not only because of the weather, but mostly because of a lack of daylight.

In Kyokushin (at least in the organization that I am part of, the Kyokushin world is quite divided when it comes to organizations), the highest rank you can actually test for is the 3rd Dan. That's where the official curriculum ends. Higher dan ranks are awarded for special accomplishments, which can be either athletic in nature, like winning at international tournaments etc. or more "buerocratil" like heading a national organization etc. The higher the ranks go, the more important that political/buerocratic aspect becomes. Mas Oyama, the founder of Kyokushin, held the 10th Dan, but he never promotd any of his students to the same level, so since he died, the highest rank has been the 9th Dan.

Welcome PerKr. My story is a bit similar to yours. I trained some GoJu Ryu karate in my youth, and then later some Judo and Shaolin Kempo, but then completely dropped out. I did try some Aikido at some point, but did not really like it. I picked up Kyokushin karate a year ago at the tender age of 48. It can be a bit tough sometimes, knowing that no matter what I try, I won't ever be able to keep up with all those 20 somethings, many of whom started Kyokushin as kids. But I decided, I don't have to be better than them. I just have to be better than yesterday. I hope you find a place to train that you like.

In the first season, they said that the audience was "invitation only" and made it sound like a bit of a VIP event. This time around the audience seems a lot more generic, so yes, probably just crew dressed up. It is exactly the same people in all the events they showed so far, so I suspect they filmed them all in one go. Plus very cirngy green screen technique for the background. I guess this is mostly due to COVID-19, though. I hope they go back to a bit more of a live event feeling for future seasons.

How does the Karate Combat promotion generate income? They don't have much of a life audience, so I guess ticket sales can't be a big factor. All their fights are watchable on YouTube for free, so it is not via any pay-per-view contracts or the like. Of course, YouTube vdeos with a large viewership can generate some income through commercials, but from what I gather from various influencers, it is not really that much. The Karate Combat events are very well produced. I do not know how much the fighters earn, but it must be at least enough to cover their costs of flying half way around the world for some of them. This year's season is a bit fuzzy on where the event was actually held, probably due to COVID-19, but in the past they rented amazing venues in different countries for it. And Bas Rutten and Marshawn Lynch won't work for free either. There is definitely a lot of money in this. Where does it come from?

I know this is probably not what you want to hear, but the best thing you can do as long as you don't have a teacher is to build up your strength, stamina and flexibility. Trust me, once you start with Kyokushin, you will be happy for every bit of work you put into that. If yuu do have a Muay Thai gym in the city where you live now, and you can afford it, taking some Muay Thai lessons would be a great thing, too. It is probably the one non-karate martial art that comes closes to Kyokushin as far as fighting style and technique is concerned.

Ooooh, nice. That's a lot quicker than I dared to hope. Thanks for sharing.

You are right about the organization not wanting Kyokushin fighters. Or at least not a fighting style that resembles the way that Kyokushin fighters usually fight. Bas Rutten (who ihas his roots in Kyokushin after all) even said so in some comments in earlier seasons. The ruleset of Karate Combat does everything to ensure that fighters are relatively far apart and come in for fast attacks before separating again. The reason for this is that they think that this kind of fighting is more attractive for the viewers. And they have a point there. Kyokushin fights are relatively unspectacular to look at, despite their aggressiveness, because so much happens at close range.

Halloween is not much of a thing in Germany. November 1st is a public holiday (All Saints Day) in the Catholic parts of Germany, and Oct. 31st in the Lutheran ones (Reformation Day), so some younger people use that opportunity to throw a party, but since this year those days fall on a weekend anyway and because of the whole Corona thing, I don't think much of that is going to happen. In the region where I live we do celebrate St. Martin's day, though, which is on the 11th of Nobember. Normally, there are lantern parades with an reenactment of the St. Martin legend (basically a soldier dude come home from war, sees a freezing beggar at the side of the road and then cuts his own cloak in half to share it with the guy). There are a lot of traditional songs that go with it. And after the official parade is over, kids go from house to house in groups with their lanterns and sing those songs in exchange for candy. So it is a bit like trick or treating, just "nicer". I really loved doing this as a child. This years most of the official parades have been cancelled, and I don't suspect many children to go from house to house either.

Hi Alan, thanks for the link, what an amazing collection of push-up resources. And you are right about the baby steps, of course. It is just tough to keep that in mind when you are constantly training with guys who are a lot stronger. Especially since push-ups are often thrown in casually, like as a discipline measure. I have no chance of doing them in proper form in the tempo that they are counted out, not even on my knees, and I hate shrugging out half-a**ed ones. It usually is a stark reminder just how much stronger than me everyone else in the class is. I am slowly getting better at it though, and the personal training sessions are a great help, not only physically, but also mentally. .

I do Kyokushin, and I absolutely second that. The ability to remain focused after getting hit is hugely important. I am pretty certain, that I could not "win" a fight against three opponents, but I could keep my wits together and possibly create an opening to get away safely.

I think everyone who thinks he can easily take on three people at once, no matter how untrained they are, is massively overestimating himself. There are just too many variables and blind spots in that scenario. I would still feel way more confident about the situation than I would have been before I started training. Mostly because I know how to keep my head straight in a fight. And I have a lot more stamina and can run a lot faster for longer than I used to.

Two related styles you could search for are Enshin karate and Ashihara karate, which are both off-shoots of Kyokushin. A quick google search I did did not bring anything up in the Louisville area, though. Until you find a place, your best bet would be to train in Muay Thai. Pretty much all of the skills you learn there will come in very handy when you are actually able to switch to Kyokushin. If you can combine that with some GoJu Ryu karate, you are more than half-way there.

Season 1 and 2 should be dropping on Netflix today, season 3 is scheduled for 2021 (according to the Netflix trailer)

You are right, of course. But at the moment I am really enjoying the grind and the feeling that I can make it even through exhausting workouts. I have never been much of an athlete, in fact, I always felt totally incompetent and whimpy in all things sport. Being able to tough it out and getting through a hard workout is giving me a massive confidence boost at the moment. I think that's why I am enjoying the more energetic and exhausting workouts more. When Mischa (that's the trainer's name) tells me what he wants me to do, my first reflex is to say: I can't possibly do that. And then I get to it and find out: Yes, I can. I might need a little break in between, but if I really set my mind to it, I can do it. And that feels so good. It is also what makes me enjoy Kyokushin so much, even though I am not an overly aggressive person and never thought about myself as a fighter. But mentally Kyokushin is the Cross-Fit of the martial arts world. It is not so much about being the best or about perfect technique or about looking good. It is about giving it your everything an then some, even if you feel like you can't lift your arms anymore. So yeah, I am aware that I am probably chasing the adrenalin in endorphin rush more than the most efficient and beneficial healthy gains.

Okay. Both trial sessions done. Two very different trainers with very different approaches, even though they both come from a kickboxing/Muay Thai background. The first one is also a physio therapist and very much has a "power comes from core strength and stability" approach. He also spend a lot of time analyzing little flaws and weaknesses in my chain of motion. I got the feeling that he really knows what he is talking about and the exercises were creative and fun. The hour challenged me, but more on a coordination and static strength level. More like a pilates class with some weights added in. The guy I saw today trains in a fight gym and uses more of a "learning by doing" approach, so we did a lot of padwork and some work on the heavy bag, followed by some (assisted) pull ups, inclined push ups and squats. Over all it was a way more exhausting workout. The trainer seemed quite pleased with my starting level, which was nice, because I guess it means my kicks and punches don't suck as badly as I think they do. I am aware that from a long term health perspective the physio guy would probably be the way to go, but that stuff just does not motivate me enough. He is also a bit more expensive and only offers a subscription like rate for a minimum of three months which automatically prolongs for another three months if you don't cancel it in time. I'm really not that crazy about that. The fighting gym guy is way more flexible. He offers individual lessons and then packages of ten or twenty lessons at a reduced rate. That suits my idea of how I want to do this way more, so I guess I will just invest in 10 lessons with him and then see where I stand. The long term goal is to get fit and confident enough to do Muay Thai lessons on top of the Kyokushin ones, something which I could theoretically do for free even now, since the club where I do Kyokushin also offers Muay Thai twice a week. It is more that at the moment I don't have the energy to train four nights a week. Speaking of energy, just when I came home after the session today, pretty much dead on my feet, I got a What's App message that we do have an extra Kyokushin training tonight. Great. I don't think I can lift my arms anymore.

I finally decided to look for a personal trainer to help me with a few issues I have and which I feel I will not be able to overcome through my regular Kyokushin training alone. Mostly problems with generating power in my punches and kicks and generally some upper body strength issues (I still can't do decent push-ups if my life depends on it ... I meddle through somehow, but it just feels awful). So I contacted two different personal trainers who both have a kickboxing background and booked trial lessons. One is today, the other one tomorrow. I am really excited about this. And a little nervous. It is something that I had thought about doing ever since getting back into martial arts (and even before that when I was doing strength training at the gym), but never really built up the courage to actually do.

In Germany we did go into lockdown relatively early (middle of March) and it was pretty strict, but we were able to start outdoor training with up to ten people (no contact at first) at the middle of May, were allowed to reintroduce contact about two weeks later. We were allowed to return to the dojo (still with a ten people limitation) in June and at the beginning of July the limitation on participants was raised to 30. (That wasn't much of an issue for us anyway, it is rare that we are more than ten people in training session anyway) For me personally, the covid-break was actually a good thing. I did get some strength and conditioning workouts in at home and therefore managed to keep my general fitness and stamina up, while most of the guys I train with didn't. So when we started to train together again after the lockdown, I was finally able to keep up with the rest of the group with the strength and conditioning stuff (something I had not been able to do before).

I don't think it would change much, to be honest. Maybe I would move to a slightly bigger place and build myself a home gym. And maybe I would hire a personal trainer on a regular basis. But all in all how much I train is more limited by my personal energy and recovery time. I train kayokushin 2 to 3 times a week, and in the phases when we train 3 times, that about does it for me. I don't think I could handle much more.

I have a notebook which I use to log all my training activities (karate, golf, gym an otherwise), but I must admit that I am not very good at it. It worked relatively well for lifting in the gym, where I kept track of how many sets of what I had done with what weight. I found that really useful to track my progress. And even for golf it is normally possible to come up with some hard numbers. Golf is a very analytical sport. But for karate I find it much harder to write down something useful. And half of the time I forget to take my notes directly after class and then try to fill in the blanks a few days later.