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Sorry to hear that you didn't get in, Dijita. I know it will be hard for you to look on this as a positive experience, but at least it will give you another year to sharpen your skills - then you can go back and show them what they missed out on this time round! Good luck with it - don't give up your dream! Good luck too to you Wolverine, I hope you get in at the U of M next time round.

DrunkenNinja, if you really want to fight in the UFC, then go for it! Everyone has to start as a beginner and if you really want to compete in MMA then try to do everything possible to realize your dream. Train as often as possible and start to cross train as soon as you can. Also, entering plenty of competitions to build up experience is important, as is a good training regime. Talk to your instructor about what you want to do - he may be able to help you out more than you think, or may be able to put you in touch with a good grappling/MMA school. Good luck!

I think that sport does have a place in martial arts, but people should realise that that is all it is - a sport. There is a difference between tournament fighting and traditional martial arts. There is also a big difference between tournament fighting and street self-defence too. It's important that martial artists recognize the differences, because many people compete in sport martial arts but think that just because they win at point fighting then it automatically makes them martial artists. I think that it is sad when sport martial art becomes confused with traditional martial arts, though. A lot of members of the public now associate sport & competition with what the martial arts are all about. There's a place for sport MA, if that's your thing, but IMO it shouldn't be confused with traditional MA.

Does it last well if you do that or does it need re-painting over frequently? It's a good idea, I've never heard of anyone doing that before!

Honestly, I would move to a city richer in MA. You might consider doing that- but you have to weigh how much you REALLY want to train under good instruction versus being complacent with limited options... BTW, has your teacher considered at least fostering his established students while he heals? It's been done before.... Moving to another city? I'd love to move,especially to London, but there's too many things keeping me tied here at the moment, like full time job, university, looking after my mum who is ill and a whole host of other stuff (like, there being no way on Earth I can afford to move house at the moment!) Plus, I don't want to leave my current karate club as my instructor is excellent. If I moved away then I wouldn't be able to train with his club. The students from my Aikido club are mainly all going to another club, that is part of the same association, just further away (but too far for me to realistically train at). The assistant instructor is offering to take lessons when he can but it won't be on a regular basis and it is most likely to be on a Monday, which is when I teach the beginners class at my karate dojo. I've been asking round and the nearest MA clubs to where I live are IFT & WTF TKD, Kickboxing, Boxing, TSD, Judo (but it's not a good club), Goju Ryu Karate, Shidokai Karate and Shukokai Karate. There's also Wing Chun, Muay Thai, Tai Chi, JJ and BJJ, but they're further away.

My karate instructor is excellent. He really takes time over something and tries to make sure that we understand a technique or whatever before we move onto anything else. He really explains the reasoning behind everything - we don't just do techniques for the sake of it, but try to get to grips with the way the body is positioned for certain techniqes, how it would be used in a practical situation, etc. His 'big thing' is having correct basics, because you can't move onto anything more advanced without having a good solid foundation. He generally has a rough plan for each lesson before it starts, although it can be subject to change depending on the number & ability of people present in each lesson. However, we have set days that we always do certain things on. Mondays is usually basics & kata, Tuesdays is for brown belts & above and is usually kata, Wednesdays are basics and sparring/kumite and Fridays are higher grade sparring/kumite with a few basics thrown in for good measure! Thursdays are my instructors freestyle self defence classes, which is a bit of everything - striking, grappling, weapon defence, fitness, speed work, joint locks, throws etc etc. The assistant instructor at my karate dojo is me, so of course all my lessons are perfect... My Aikido instructor is also excellent and really takes time to make sure that you understand and can grasp what the lesson is about. Hpwever, he's had to stop teaching for the moment, although I hope it's only going to be temporary. I feel very fortunate in having two great instructors. I'm looking round for something to fill in my 'Aikido gap' at the moment, whilst my instructor is having surgery, so I hope that whatever style I choose that my new instructor will be as great as the ones I've already had. I've only ever trained under 1 'bad' instructor. it wasn't particularly that his Martial Arts were bad, because they weren't, it was just that he was a very poor teacher and ineffective at communicating karate. My karate association has regular courses for black & brown belts and this man usually teaches an hour long slot at them. He's 3rd Dan and his karate is very good, but he tends to spend more time waffling about why a particular technique is as it is, rather than giving us a clear explanation and letting the students get on with it. It's a pity that more people don't realise that just because they're good at something (or think they're good at something!) that it automatically means that they can teach that subject. There's a vetting and training system in place for classroom teachers - it's a shame that a similar workable training system couldn't be introduced for wannabe martial arts instructors.

Yeah, in a situation like that, RUN-DO would come out as most people's favoured Martial Arts style... (closely followed by Shotgun-Do).

No! It is good to have you back! Bet you're not that thrilled to be back in rainy old England again, though, are you??? [qoute=SaiFightsMS]Can you wear it inside out? Hey, cool idea Sai! Laurie, we'll leave it to you to start that new dojo fashion trend...

Yup, cross training is always good IMO, unless there's a medical reason against it. Kyokushin & BJJ would be a good combination - a nixe mix of grappling & striking. Good luck and happy training!

Thanks for the info, Mark!

Hi Kevin, welcome to KF!

Welcome to Karate Forums!

Well, the reason that their parents have given for the kids coming to karate is that they want them to learn self defence. They simply want them to get to black belt, because they feel that blackbelt level is equal to being good at karate (which isn't necessarily so but they don't think agree). If it was up to me then I'd show the kids & their parents the door and tell them to take them to something they do like doing and stop wasting the childrens time and their own money. However... it's not my club. It's my sensei's I take the beginners lesson on his behalf and he's happy for them to keep coming for several reasons. Firstly because they're well behaved (even though they don't like it) and they don't disrupt the class; secondly because the 4 kids haven't complained outright to him; thirdly because they're all actually quite good at karate and fourthly because he feels that 'boredom' isn't really a reason to not let the kids train if that's what the parents want. It might be a bit of a misguided view, but he's only human - we all make judgemental errors. Plus, it's his club. What he says, goes. As for why they don't like karate - I think it's mainly kata and basics that they don't like. They don't mind the fighting, but my dojo places equal emphasis upon basics & kata as well as sparring - I can't just do sparring with them as it would go against the ethos of the dojo and secondly it wouldn't be fair to the other kids just to do what one group of children want to do all the time. Plus, you should never let kids always have their own way. It's not good for them to always get what they want. As for handing out push ups - firstly, I don't believe in push ups as a punishment and secondly the kids don't misbehave to warrant me punishing them anyway. I think they're just gonna have to stick it out until they're older and 'lump it' as my mother says.

In a couple of weeks my Aikido instructor has to go into hospital for surgery on his shoulder. He will be out of action for a while - at least 6-12 months before he can get back to training. His club will have to be put on hold for that period of time and possibly indefinately. The assistant instructor can't take over lessons regularly as he works shifts and can't always garuantee that he will be there to train. Most of the other students are going to another club, but it is too far for me to travel to. The club I am at now is quite a long way away from me and I can only train once a week anyway because of how far away it is. There aren't any Aikido clubs any nearer to me. My problem is - should I just put the Aikido 'on hold', until my instructor returns to teaching, which may never happen, or shall I have a look round for another club in another syle of MA which is nearer to me and that I can get to on a regular basis? I've enjoyed my Aikido training so far, but I'm thinking that I might be better off trying to find a Judo or BJJ or Ju-Jitsu club that is nearer to me so that I can train on a regular basis. I was also considering TKD or maybe Kickboxing, although they're similar to karate, which I also train in now. I certainly don't want to give up my Karate training and I'm really reluctant to give up Aikido, although it's been forced up on me. What would you do?

hah, that's the trouble with being a martial artist - you can get to know the staff at your GP's or local A&E (ER) really well... It's even worse if you're a clumsy accident prone martial artist like me. Hope it gets better soon Reklats!

Good luck with finding another school, Laurie. Sorry to hear that it hasn't worked out at your old place. I don't know any MA schools in NY, but you're always welcome to come and train at my dojo if you're ever in the UK! NY to South Yorkshire, England is a bit far to travel on a regular basis, though...

Yep, I went. I didn't compete - I'd had an accident the day before & didn't think that a competition was going to make me feel much better... I went along because a few people from my club were competing. One of the kids won his Forms category, another girl came second in her Forms category and people from my dojo did well in the fighting, even though it was WAKO rules and we usually fight WKF rules. They're gonna have some more of these events -they want to make it into a regular thing I think. It was a good event.

Yeah, the article in Trad is the May issue. Taikyoku Nidan is the same as Shodan, except it is Jodan rather than Chudan punch. Taikyoku Sandan has shuto-uke in back stance (instead of Gedan-barai in front stance), but still has Oi-tsuki in Zenkutsu-dachi, like in Taikyoku Shodan & Nidan. I've never seen Taikyoku Yondan or Godan (didn't even know they exsisted until someone mentioned them in this thread!). I agree about the Age-tsuki in Empi - it's wierd to suddenly learn a kata with a punch like that after being taught to punch straight as a beginner. Ditto for the spinning jumping shuto - I had enough problems with that as a brown belt, let alone learning it as a white belt.

Good luck Dijita, I'm sure you'll do great!

It's a nice kata, but one that you hardly ever seem to see in competition. I hope it hasn't 'dropped out of fashion' as that would be a shame. Sai, I agree with you. The hips are really important in Wankan.

That's what I was clumsily trying to say in my earlier post, only you put it much better that I did!

That sounds interesting. I've not heard of the Channans before - I think I might get that book.

I certainly don't think that you're the 'wrong age' to start martial arts! If you're having trouble with controlling your anger too, then it would be good for you to do MA to try and channel your energy into something beneficial. What type of MA are you interested in? Something strikig based or more towards grappling? Well, whatever style/type of MA you choose a good instructor is a must. Don't just pick the first one you hear about - have a good look round until you find a club you like the look of. Don't be afraid to ask plenty of questions - and if the instructor doesn't seem to want to answer then turn around and walk away. A good instructor should be welcoming and willing to answer questions. Check out things like prices; possibly having to sign a contract; experience of the instructor; does he do most of the teaching or is it left to an assistant; how many students does the club have at the moment; how long does it take to black belt (if the instructor says "a year" or "18 months" then be a bit suss if it a traditional school). Good luck in your search for a club - I'm sure you'll love martial arts training!

Don't forget you can buy equipment through KF! Karate Forums Shop For folks in the UK here's some equipment suppliers who are based in the UK... Meijin Playwell Karate Kid Cracked Finger Blitz Martial Arts Bytomic

That would be cool. If you could clone yourself and then fight yourself - how ace would that be? You'd really be able to see how good (or not...) you were. I bet it would be really freaky fighting yourself, though.