aefibird

Thanks! I'll add them as soon as I get chance! If anyone wants to link to my club the the web addy is https://www.swintonkarateclub.20m.com

Keep working on your basics, as they're are essential for both kata and kumite (sparring). Keep on going with the stretches and light excercises at home too, as they will help you too. As for what to eat, as long as you eat sensibly then you'll be alright. Get a good balance between protien & carbs along with plenty of fruit and veg. Oh and drink plenty of water too!

Good luck with the teaching!

Fenris-wolf, I'm sicker than you are - I thought Professor Snape was very sexy in the movie!! Personally, I'm a big fan of the books, even though they are for children. I love reading and I have a very wide-ranging tase, everything from classis literature to trashy crime novels. I think that they are good books and challenging reading for the age group they are marketed at (athough, the author has been quoted as saying that they are not necessarily 'childrens' books, just books that happen to have child central characters.) I work with kids with special needs and one of my proudest moments was when one of the lads I work with came and told me he was reading Harry Potter. I could have cried - this kid is a notorious trouble-maker and would flatly refuse to ready anything before. Admittedly now he will only ready HP, but it is a start. I'd rather have him occupied with Harry Potter for part of the school day than trying to beat up the other kids or destroy something, which were his usual pastimes before he discovered HP. Even if the HP books were badly written I'd still love them if only for that reason! I agree with those people who are concerned about kids ONLY reading HP, but surely it is better that they're reading Harry Potter rather than numbing their minds with the latest X-Box or Playstation game? At least if HP has introduced kids to reading then there's a chance that they'll be more likely to read other books.

Draven, how did you do with your belt test? I hope it went well for you! I don't particularly do anything special before a grading - just make sure I know my stuff. Not that I have to worry about gradings for a while, anyway - I only got promoted to 1st Dan last December, so 2nd Dan is a looooong way away yet!

I'm putting together a website for my karate club at the moment. If anyone has a website for their club that they want me to link to on my site then please let me know. My club's site is British, but I will put on links from MA schools all over the world. Martial Arts clubs websites only, please, no retailers or non-MA websites.

Congratulations on getting second place! Even though you didn't do as well as you would have liked then at least you know where your errors were in the kata comp. Better luck for next time. Oh, if you know of any more comps coming up in the Liverpool/Wirral/N.West England area, then could you let me know please? I'm secretary for my club and always on the look-out for karate competitions for people from my club to enter. If anyone knows of any competitions in Britain (preferably in the north of England) then if you'd let me know then that would be great! Thanks

Hi BritNoob, welcome to KarateForums! Yes, it is normal to feel completely overwhelmed by karate at first. lol, I'm a first dan blackbelt and I still get that feeling! Even if you only remember one thing that your instructor says per lesson, then that's one thing that you didn't know before. Don't worry, you will get the hang of it soon. Keep going with the practice at home too - that will help you to progress faster in your dojo training.

Mega congratulations to you Krunchyfrogg! Well done for being good enough to double grade.

Fighting Arts Internation is indeed back and as good as it ever was. You can get it from https://www.budopromotions.co.uk]here. Traditional Karate Magazine is available in the UK and that's generally a pretty good read, although stuffed with adverts. The other main UK MA magazines aren't that great, especially not UK Black Belt.

Good luck with your grading! I'd take part in the class beforehand if I were you - it will help you to warm up, relax and concentrate on your techniques rather than possibly worrying about the grading.

Good luck with your 1st dan, Radock! When are you taking it?

Ah, but would it make $$$?? That's often all the major studio's are interested in, usually to the detriment of great films and directors.

I agree. The rhythm in Empi is hard to get to grips with at first IMO.

lol, is there enough room for me too behind that keyboard Mart??

We wear normal clothes on a regular basis, but I wish we could wear t-shirts and gi bottoms all the time in the summer. I dislike the Japanese-style gi tops, especially as they always seem to come undone at awkward moments (which can be very embarassing if you're a woman!). I'd prefer it if we wore V-neck tops or Chinese-style suits. I think it's a great idea and that you certainly shouldn't be burned at the stake for thinking about it Just as an aside - would your students HAVE to have a t-shirt with the club logo on it or would a plain one do? If you're looking for an embroidery/screenprinting company then here is the one my dojo used. We got embroidered fleece tops from there, decent quality and reasonable price.

Welcome to Karate Forums!

I noticed Warlock, but I just thought it was a little-known offshoot of iron lung kung fu

I thought all police officers had to be tough? Don't bother arresting/cautioning/booking me, you'll be able to get to the doughnut shop quicker if you don't. You look like you take bribes, right?

aaaaaagh, it's over a week since I visited that site and I can't get the song out of my head!!!!!!!!!!!! I've been posessed by the banana phone!

Woo hoo! Congrats to KF on being 3 years old. Gheinisch, can we have some of your cheesecake, please??

Thanks for sharing your story with us KarateKid. I'm sure you'll make an excellent black belt! Prayers and best wishes to you and your family too.

Monkeygirl, thanks for sharing your story with us. I really hope that you manage to get back into martial arts sometime soon. You seem to have real fighting spirit - keep going with the plan to get a martial arts room at your school! Good luck with it.

Or use surgical spirit if you just want tough feet. Rub it on regularly and you'll soon have tough soles!

Good luck with your job interviews! I hope you get the job you want!