aefibird

Why not try asking your instructor if you can help out with the beginner classes sometime? Let him know that you want to become an instructor someday. With large lower-grade classes, instructors sometimes welcome help, especially if it is unpaid and if it has been volunteered willingly!

What to do with him? Hmm, here's a few suggestions - tie him to the back of a runaway horse, push him off a cliff, volunteer him to be Sensei's punchbag, tie him up by his belt and use him as a kickbag... lol, even though you feel like doing all of those (and probably worse!), then the best thing to do would be to have a chat with your instructor and possibly talk to the kids father too. Let them know what happened and that you felt this kid was being disrespectful to you. I'd have probably told him off and asked him to quit with the comments - he's here to train, not backchat, even if he believes that his comments are helpful. Would he do the same if Sensei was instructing? Probably not, so he shouldn't do it with you. Next time you have to teach the little 'darling' then give a friendly warning to the whole group before you start and lay down some ground rules. No one is allowed to speak when you are, they must put their hands up to ask questions etc, anyone who misbehaves will have to do push ups or sit out part of the lesson or whatever punishment system you use at your club. Above all, let them know that you are in charge for the duration of the lesson - they must treat you as they would their regular sensei/sempai. Good luck with the situation!

I try to inhale through my nose and out through my mouth, but I have allergic rhinitis, as well as hayfever and asthma and having to have a nasal polyp removed (which is no fun, as I'm sure Warlock will testify!), so quite often I have to just give up on the nose breathing and breath through my mouth only.

Sheesh, if I was 5 inches shorter I'd disappear! lol. I'm only 5'2". Hmm, I suppose I could forget about attacking people in the head and just bite their ankles instead... However, I don't really know how I'd be in a fight if I was shorter or taller. There are so many other factors in a fight that it would be difficult to say. Even if I was fighting an exact clone of myself it would be hard to say conclusively who would win - even more so if I was fighting a clone that was taller. 'Tall' me would have a better advantage with things like kicking, but 'regular' me would probably be able to slip under my tall self's guard. I suppose it would just depend on who was having the better day.

It's 5 years for me, feels like 2 minutes though.

I do like Dijita and carry around my keys with them in between my fingers, ready to whack anyone in the eyes with them if necessary. Another weapon that it could be said that I 'carry' is my voice - I can scream really really loudly!

I am considering this for "self-defense" lessons... make it seem more real, kicking with trainers on etc is not the same as without! Control is needed to make sure there are no injuries but I think I can make it work. No... but the snapping noise it makes does make you sound like you are a super karateka Andy. lol, a clean gi and plenty of starch when ironing makes a person sound like they can punch a hole in the Empire State Building. heheh, a neat trick for sounding really great at gradings! We often train without gi's to cover self defense aspects of karate. Techniques that a person thinks they can do in a gi and with bare feet suddenly become 100 times more difficult in jeans and trainers or a skirt and smart shoes (and that's just the men! ). Plus, it's good to get away from the gi occasionally IMO. A gi does not make a karateka.

Monkey, if that club is taught by Ticky Donovan then I'd really recommend it!! I've had the privelage of training with him and he is an excellent karateka and really knows his stuff. My advice is to go along and try out a few lessons. Even if it is wildly different to what you've already been training in, who knows? You might love it. If not, then at least you've been along to see.

If you want to run in bare feet I wouldn't recommend tarmac, only something fairly soft, like grass or a dirt road. I think the dangers of running around in bare feet would outweigh any benefits you might get from it, though.

I trained for ages in karate without buying a gi because I couldn't afford one at the time. My instructor didn't mind - I'd explained the situation to him and he was OK about it. I only got my gi because I needed it to take my first grade in. I think that the schools that offer a so-called 'free gift' of a uniform are helping to perpetuate the belief that wearing a gi from day 1 makes a person a great karateka. We sometimes train without gi's in my dojo - it doesn't suddenly make us any worse. Conversely, when we put them back on again they don't give us 'super karate' skills (lol, I wish they did, though! ).

Congratulations on passing your yellow belt Matt! Good luck to you Italian_guy for your grading. When is it?

Wow, that's certainly a major decision to have to make. Good luck with it - I hope whatever you decide works out well for you.

lol, now that is a good reason to get another belt!! Good luck for your grading - when is it?

I do shotokan and we still do have grappling. You just gotta find an instructor who knows his/her stuff.

That's why I made the poll for colours, rather than grades. I wan't particularly asking to see who was which actual grade, I was just curious as to how many people we had on here of each colour belt! For example, are there more red belts on here than green belts? It doesn't matter which belt is higher, I was just wondering who has which colour.

Yes, very true.

Thnks for the answer Heidi! The changes sound to be good ones.

Anyone else on here like Harry Potter? I went to see Prixoner of Azkaban earlier this evening - it was great. Even better than the first two films, IMO.

I agree with Mart - rather than trying to get her to do MA ('cos she may see it as you being pushy), just concentrate on being her friend and letting her know that you'll support her no matter what she's going through. Sometimes it can be easier to talk to people & build friendships with people over the net, rather than face-to-face. She may need your support more than someone she actually sees on a day to day basis.

Hi JD! Welcome to Karate Forums.

Mart, please do not use language like that again. It is highly inappropriate for these forums, especially as we have many members who are minors. Also, please remember that there are many Kyokushin stylists on these boards and I'm sure they will not take kindly to be being called 'losers'. The martial arts community often takes enough of a bashing from those outside of it without Martial Artists attacking fellow Martial Artists and their chosen styles.

Good luck for your yellow belt test, Italian_guy!

Good post, Fooey!

lol, probably!

Hi! Welcome to Karate Forums. Well, if you've the time and the money, then I'd say that Aikido and Shaolin Kung Fu would be two good choices for you. I'm not very knowledgable about Shaolin KF - I only really know what I've read about it on these forums - but I love Aikido and I'd really recommend it. It's a very complex system to master, but if you have the time and the patience then it is well worth it. It focuses on the defensive aspects of martial arts and using your opponents strength and power to your own advantage. That's why it is suitable for any age or MA experience - an Aikidoka doesn't need to be super-strong or even very flexible. There is also some weapons work too, with the bokken, the jo staff and the tanto being the most commonly used weapons.