SaiFightsMS

Welcome to the forum. Sounds like you came in much the same way that I did originally.

There is supposed to be another season of Big Brother to run here in the US. But not being a watcher of that particular show I am no expert. I watched part of one and said this is not for me.

I have seen speculation about that and similar speculation about the tekki katas. Based on what I have seen in my research it is based on the origins of the katas. Itosu was the one who broke the Naihanchi katas down into three as well as coming up with the five pinan katas. Best guess is that practicing them consecutively in a nonstop manner comes closer to doing them in the form from which they came than doing them singly. It is pretty much all guess work though. By the way Kanku or Kosukan came first. _________________ Shotokan Karate, bo, sai Karate means a better life [ This Message was edited by: SaiFightsMS on 2002-07-02 09:43 ]

It is kind of an odd posture with punches(bassai dai) or knife hands(hangetsu) extended overheard or at angles from the body. It is called that becuase the posture of the arms and hands in relation to the body resemble the peaks of mountains.

How long does it take to become a black belt? The more I think about it I don't see it as a state of skills acquird or tests passed. I am coming to see the true meaning of being a black belt as a mental condition. One that encompasses all the physical aspects expected of one in the art and school of the student as well as the incorporation of ideals and morals into everyday life. Respect and courtesy should seep into the world outside of the training hall. Honor should become a way of life. There are those who train for years and wear a strip of black material and are not truely mental black belts. There are some in lower kyu grades who are allready black belts in their minds. Think and see if this makes any sense.

Just another example of how symbols used to write with can be interpreted in more than one way depending on theuse. And the pronounciation of the speaker. Actually those who are working on translating some of the older Japanese texts have similar problems because the language has changed over time. Those native speakers who still understand the older form do not have the karate background to really understand what was written. So there will always be room for best guesses.

Thanks for the conversion info Bitseah. So when I am at my 45 it is your 2.5. And the days I have hit 12 it is like your .6. And it would seem that I have never really been over something in the area of 6.8.

We have always worn all white gis. I do wear black to practice in though. I found that my karate pants were the greatest to work out in put was ruining them in the weight room so I got extra black pants to work out in. Before I did that just about all of my sweats wound up with the crotch getting ripped out. I have seen some of those wild "demo team" uniforms. Not something I would want to wear.

And I thought it was the guys who boasted about their athletic prowess and how good they were at whooping up on everone else. To be very honest I found that when I sparred with younger female classmates of a similar height that things were actually fairly equal. And that we had different ways to challange each other. That is when I sparred with those of the same rank. Because, I had been training longer to get there and had more experience the age thing became less relevant. And remember sparring is not just about being in your physical prime. I has a lot to do with mental toughness and reactions. As well as knowing when an opening is coming and takeing advantage of it. One well place punch from a middle aged female can but a teenager on the other side of the room when timed properly. And vice versa.

Traditional care and folding of the gi is like many parts of the martial arts - more lore than truth. I think what is actually stressed is keeping it clean and odor free as a matter of respect for the art, classmates and instructor. I have chuckled many times over stories about schools that were very hard core and prided their blood stains. One I met a student from was talking about gi's that could stand up by theirselves and were no longer even close to white. That is until an instructors Japanese wife who grew up in a dojo passed on the imformation that this was really offensive and no where in Japan would be found gi's in such a state.

Welcome to the forum. So are you involved in a martial art?

Welcome to the forum. Gee when I was your age their were still computers that used punched paper tape for external storage. Does anyone else remember punched paper tape?

There must be a difference in how it is measured. I was taught 80-120 was the normal range. I get shaky at 55 and can't see straight at 45.

Actually only a portion of martial arts practitioners actually do musical forms. It is one of those sporty competion type changes. It does get attention and may bring some into schools where they will learn that what they have seen is not traditional. It is really hard to say that it is all bad or that it is all good. It is just one of the transformations that has happened.

I used to check my blood sugar level before I would start my activity and when I got done. Then I would sort of chart the results along with the amount of time I had been working and the amount of effort I was putting into it. Actually I still occasionally do this to make sure the levels are still reasonalby close to what I am allowing for. Then when I was too low I would eat or drink something and check blood sugar levels at intevals to see how my system responded to what I had ingested. I learned orange juice did virtually nothing for me. My system was not breaking it down. For me gatorade worked much better. In extreme situations carb gel. I know what it is like to routinely hit readings in the low 40's. You feel like you are on Mars by the time you hit 12. Interestingly enough I have never gone above 122. No matter what I ingest I will not go high. Have I got the weidest system or what? High stress situations such as test time will also make you drop faster. Allow for it and check the levels a bit more often. Again small strips of tape on the ends of the finger (use the same finger if possible) will contain any seepage later on. One day one of the kids had to tell me that I had blood all over the side of my gi. Every time I pulled my fist to my hip I wiped it off without knowing it. My personal philosophy is there is a way to deal with most problems. It just is a matter of figuring out how.

It was the guy using the "Cotten eye Joe" music.

Welcome to the forum.

I had a belt I wore a long time develope a really foul odor. Okay I know that I sweat a lot. It was getting to the point where it was making the rest of the stuff in my bag stink. I just sort of took a shower with it.

I attempted to spar one night when I forgot my sports goggles. Everything was just kind of one big blur. And then the blurs starting moving fast. :bawling:It was terrifying. Another time a few years after that doing a pair drill with a younger student in a hot room where my goggles kept steaming up I ultimately just pulled them off. Because we were basically standing there it was not so bad. And I think it made the youngster I was paired with feel less intimidated because I outranked him so much. That went a lot better in the end than that wild first attempt.

Welcome to the forum. I see you are allready meeting other Korean stylists.

Welcome to the forum.

Welcome to the forum.

Interesting logic on the push up theory of the British army. 27 years ago the American army did not have females do full pushups either. But back then physical training of all sorts going back to primary school segregated the sexes. After that was changed the newer crop of young females did the same things as their male counterparts and as a result have much more upper body strenght than we did at the same point.

Learning to train with blood sugar problems is a bit of a trial and error method. My nonfunctioning thyroid has rendered me extremely hypoglycemic. I learned a lot about crashing blood sugar levels the hard way. For me there was little information available because I am neither reactively nor classically hypoglycemic and the general rules did not work in my situation. Interestingly enough others who are hypoglycemic for the same reason I have face the same barriors of lack of information and lack of support. Too much about me. Anyway the point is that you can learn how to train. And accept that a few crashes will happen. Just learn the most efficient way for you to deal with it. Make sure that your instructor is aware of your problem so that when you start to go glassy eyed and slow to respond they can ask you if you need to back out for a bit. Learn to use your glucose meter. Carry it to class with you and check blood sugar levels before and after class. Learn how much activity you can tolerate before problems occur. Small stips of tape on the ends of the fingers protect classmates from your blood. As for diabetes related foot problems due to impaired sensation and circulation that too you will learn to deal with. Inspect the feet carefully after class. And do not train with raw spots or missing skin. Check and see if it is possible to wear shoes in class when necessary.