aefibird

How about a wall bag? It might not be quite what you're looking for, but if you haven't got space for a freestanding bag or a hanging bag frame then it may be better than having nothing....

I've trained ITF and WTF but prefer WTF (marginally). My current dojang is WTF. We don't have ATF where I live (Britain).

Cool vids Kicks. Your links are always great!

Taiji Fajin, have you talked with your instructor about how you feel? He/She may have gone through the same thing at the pre-BB stage and may be able to give you some spot-on advice.

I totally agree. Just because TKD incorporates head kicks (and other flash!) doesn't mean that that is all it is about. It's like saying MT people just knee, karateka just reverse punch and Caoperistas just spin and flip. Just not true. Ditto for the thing that TKD is only concerned with flasy head shots. Anway, I think that TKD incorporates techniques that can be used in a RBSD encounter. So, yes, I would use my TKD in a street fight. I'd also use the knowledge I have from other MA's I've trained in too, as well as a healthy dose of common sense (such as not kicking someone in the head when they have a knife).

Congratualtions to you JEM!

Anyone personally know any very high dan ranks? i.e. 8th and 9th dan?

I get what you're saying and I agree. In a way, it's like my own situation. I wish I'd started karate at a younger age. I was only 20 when I started, but I still felt a little 'left behind'/'left out'. I wish I could've started when I was a child. I'd rather be (say) 11 and a whitebelt than older and a dan grade.

Thanks.

Garbage - "Push It" Queen - "Hammer to Fall"

Yeah, that's a cool nickname.

How's the training and band going? Is the compromise working well?

I once saw a travelling exhibition about the Ancient Egyptians. It was very cool (except I went as a supervisor with the Special Needs children I work with and so was one of a group of 75 people in total, which was slightly less cool.) Apart from that, I've seen the Mona Lisa and Monet's Waterlilies, which were also amazing to look at.

Try doing something constructive in the place of the bad habit. You'll probably stay away from the bad habit more if you do something else than if you just stop the bad habit without having something better to fill its place. That's partly why some people start eating more when they quit smoking - they need to fill the gap that smoking has left. Eating gives them something to do with their hands and helps take their minds off wanting a cigarette.

I wouldn't say that. IME, people who know about my tatts (I don't tend to show them off that much) are interested, especially about my MA tattoos. Seeing my MA tattoos once encouraged an aquaintance to start karate too.

How about having your name, the name of your school, the patch/logo of your association or school and the name of your instructor?

Good luck for the tourney! How's the prperation going? Your Sensei still beating the heck out of you??

I was influenced by my family (father & brother were/are judoka) and a friend of mine who had started karate only a couple of weeks before I did.

I went to a karate camp with my organisation last year and had a blast. It was soooo much fun and I learned a lot too. I also went on one that Ticky Donovan (England team coach and famous Isshinryuka) runs - that was great too, except that any mistakes or errors were punished with buckets of ice cold water poured over the karateka... I've been meaning to go to the summer camp run by the KUGB for a number of years now, but never managed it. I'll not be able to go this year either, as I'm away in Dublin at the time.

The aims of the program sound good to me, it just seems a little dodgy that you have to pay them $20 just to even get an application form.

Wash it by hand, or it will shrink. Trust me, I know. I'm not one of those people who say to never ever wash your belt, but I can understand why some people don't. However, to me, it's just a piece of cloth that gets dirty and needs washing just like any other cloth I own.

Hello DCLXVI! Welcome to the forums.

Hi kenpodad, welcome!

USCMAAI, welcome to the forums!

I spray tons of starch on my gi when I'm ironing it for competition or special training use (e.g. seminars, demo's). You probably shouldn't use as much as I do () but I've found that the more I use, the better results I get. The best way to avoid that 'limpness', however, is to buy a heavier/thinker gi.