aefibird

Natural, I'd get yourself to the doctors ASAP. It sounds like you might have broken your finger. If you don't want to go to your GP, then at least go see a pharmacist. They're qualified to give you good advice. Hey, the NHS is free in this country!! Take advantage of it! I pay my taxes so that people can use it... LOL Try strapping your hurt finger to the next finger. The good finger will give some support to the injured one. Put some thin padding (lint pad, cotton wool etc) between the two fingers and then gently bind them with micropore tape. DON'T do what a drummer friend of mine did and tape your fingers together with sellotape... In the UK, Boots sell their own brand padded strapping tape. I'd really recommend it, I used it when I broke two fingers in a horseriding accident. It's also good for taping your fingers up when sparring or doing bag work!!

True, a belt is just that - a belt. However, everyone likes to be rewarded for their acheivements and belts are one way of showing this (as long as they're properly earned, of course!! ).

lol, I wish someone had told my sensei that last night.... In the leson last night we did Gojushiho Sho and Meikyo all evening (there was just brown & black belts there) and by the end of the lesson I felt in need of a lung transplant I was gasping for breath that much. Gojushiho Sho and Meikyo done after one another at full speed and power really works up a sweat!!

I used to go out with a guy who didn't do martial arts. He used to think it was ok for him to go off and play soccer all weekend, but he resented it when I wanted to go train at the dojo. In the end it came down to 'him or karate'... It wasn't as simple as that, really, but guess which won???? I'd love to have a partner who also does MA; at least then we'd have a lot in common and would be able to understand when the other person wanted to go and train. I think that's partly why MA's are attractive to other MA's - you have something in common, even if you don't do the same MA. Plus, those gi's are oh-so-sexy... LOL, j/k!!

My Shotokan sensei is someone who I have great respect for; he's someone who changed my life with his teaching. Thanks Graham!! Another influence are the senseis (Lou, Will, J.) at my aikido club who demonstrate incredible technique and also incredible patience with a fumbling beginner like myself... As for 'famous' martial artists, one person who has influenced me is Shihan Aidan Trimble (Aid, you rock!). Sensei Simon Oliver is also a great guy and I've learned a lot from him. Ditto for Sensei Ticky Donovan, whom I've only known for a short time but who has influenced my karate for the better. Of course, the two major influences on my martial arts are the Masters, Gichin Funakoshi Sensei and O'Sensei, Morihei Ueshiba. Without them there wouldn't be Shotokan or Aikido.

I hadn't heard that. As far as I know it is still recognised as a Shotokan kata, including with the JKA (in all its various forms!). ESA-Shotokan, where did you read that info?

I love all aspects of karate, but I picked kata, because there's a lot of cool stuff hidden within kata that helps with basics and sparring. It was a tough choice to make, though!!

It has taken me just under 4 and a half years to get my shodan in Shotokan; that was with training an average of 4x per week, as well as practice evry day at home. I certainly don't feel I've come close to knowing even a small part of what karate is all about, and, if someone asked me in 10 years time if I felt I'd 'mastered' it then I'd certainly have to say no! Sometimes I still feel like a beginner, complete with flailing arms and legs... LOL j/k As for kid black belts - I don't agree with it at all. I think the minimum age someone should be awarded a black belt is 12, but even that would be in exceptional circumstances. The ideal minimum age for gaining a black belt would be about 15-16 IMO. Martial arts isn't just about learning a bunch of techniques, and young children aren't mature enough to see the deeper meanings and work past the 'bunch of techniques'.

Average time to black belt at my aikido club is 5-6 years.

lol, yeah. I'd forgotten about "Dr" Rod 'til now... Some people really should check out their potential club/organisation names with a good translator!!

That place seemse very wierd, like a karate cult. Avoid like the plague!!

A quick story about the perils of calling your club after a Japanese term... In the organisation that I'm with most clubs are named after the town they are in. However, this nidan guy, who used to train with my sensei, wanted to set up a club with the FSK. My sensei's sensei (Mr Asano, if anyone's heard of him) came down to visit one day and Paul (the nidan guy) was boasting that he was gonna give his club a fancy Japanese name. Mr Asano knew that Paul was (still is!) a bit bigheaded, so he suggested a few names to him. One of the suggested names that Paul actually chose for his club translated into 'Chicken S**t' !! Mr Asano took pity on him a few days later and told him the truth about what it actually meant...

Here's a website for a kendo organisation near where I live. It'll give you a bit of background info about it. It is quite an expensive martial art, if you buy all your own equipment, as the armour can cost hundreds of pounds, as well as the cost of a bokken and/or shinai. I'd love to do kendo one day, but I just haven't got the time at the moment http://www.doshinkenyukai-kendo.org.uk/html/frameset.html

That last comment about breaking ice reminded me of an episode of The Simpsons where they do martial arts and the sensei says to Bart (when asked about breaking) "First fill head with knowledge, then break ice with it". Well, it amused me anyway.... Anyone else seen that episode? On the subject of breaking, I know a TKD instructor (he drinks in the same pub as me!!) who once did a breaking demonstration at the local library and arts centre. He ended up breaking more than boards... He did a kick technique and one half of the board flew out of the hand of the person holding it and ended up zooming up and smashing one of the lights. Needless to say, his club weren't ever invited back to do demonstrations at the library again.

Very funny!

I think it just depends on the person doing the sweeping. Maybe the Lau Gar guy is better at sweeping than the karateka you've trained with before? It's not about stances - sweeps can be done from any stance. A sweep takes place because the one doing the sweep has good timing and skill and knows which sweep technique to use in a given situation.

I think that what the Gracies have done for MA is a good thing and something to be admired.

Mostly, although the appeal of a male MA is lessened a bit after a 3 hour training session when they're stood there in a sweaty, dirty gi!! Male MA's don't tend to be 'meatheads' like soccer players, for example, which makes them a bit more attractive. There's always the exceptions, though...

Which do you think is the most popular karate style? By popular, I mean which has the most students? New styles seem to pop up each week, so keeping a track of all the styles can be a bit tricky, but some styles seem to have more practicioners than others. I know it's difficult to say which is the most practiced style, but if you had to have a rough guess which would you go for?

If you wanna enter kata competitions then go for it! If you feel confident in your abilities then I'd suggest you juste kept on training and preparing and ignore the lack of 'seniors' in comps. Being in competition should be about the skill of the competitor, not necessarily age or dan grade.

Try and sneak in under their guard if they're tall. Try and keep close in so they can't use their kicks so much.

I think 5 is a bit young to be starting in martial arts, but it does depend on the physical and mental maturity of the kid.

Try a search on google, but be warned, you can't realistically learn a MA style from a website. If al you want to do is compare, though, then websites are a good option.

Not all shotokan is no-contact. I'm from a shotokan dojo and we do a mix of light-, semi- and full-contact, but we mainly train in semi- and full contact, with emphasis on full-contact for higher grades.

Muahhahhhahahahah, and I'm gonna keep it alive for one post longer!! Sorry, that was a bit childish, but I couldn't resist...