aefibird

Yes, we are, aren't we... But I agree. If the MA lesson is just for you and not for yout bride too, then I'd strongly suggest that you pass. It is your honeymoon after all...

Same in mine. The dan bars on black belts will vary from system to system, heck even clubs within the same organisation may have differences between what they have on their belts. Also, some clubs/styles do not have Shodan Ho grade, whilst some do. I also know of one style that has intermediate grades between each Dan grade. ie, you take Shodan, then an intermediate exam before taking Nidan etc etc. Heh heh, I suppose they could say it was a half-dan grade. "what dan grade are you?" "one and a half..."

Python, there are plenty of karate websites out there, some good some bad. However, even if you find the greatest website in the world (other than this one, of course ) it will not teach you karate. The best way to actually learn karate is to put in the work at the dojo. Websites, books, videos etc etc are useful training tools for those people who already train with a good instructor. However, trying to learn by yourself from one of them is a very bad idea. It is much better to have an experienced person to guide you and help you in your training. Plus, if you're planning on only learning from a website, then how will you practice 2-person drills and sparring etc? Going to class and learning alongside other people is the way to learn karate. I'd suggest that if you are interested enough in karate to want to practice at home, then you are interested enough to join a dojo. It'd be far better for you not to train at all than for you to only learn karate from a website.

Congratulations on the wedding, krunchyfrogg! Enjoy your honeymoon too...

Sometime McDojo has good McNuggets Hah hah, good one! Can be true, though. As the saying goes.... "even a stopped clock is right twice a day".

Battousai, how did the Wing Chun class go?

Sorry to hear about your gi. As someone who has been the victim of 'washing-machine gi shrinkage' in the past, I sympathise! You could try the 'cold water and stretching' thing, but I doubt it'll work. Top tips for when you get your next gi... Wash by hand in cold or luke-warm water, or on the coldest setting that your washing machine has. Don't put in a dryer (it'll really make it shrink). Allow to drip dry outside on a washing line, or hang inside on a radiatior or the back of a chair. Also, different companies have different shrinkage-rates in their gi's, so you could try getting your next gi from a different manufacturer. Finally, if you can afford it, get more than one. Then, even if you shrink another one, you'll have a spare.

It's a great idea, if you can manage it. If it is for charity, would it be possible for your school or LEA to give you extra time off at the end or start of term, in order for you to do less miles in a day, but still complete the round tour. ie, still do the same route, but cycle for 8 or 10 weeks instead of 6. I work in a special needs school and was allowed to take off a week at the end of the summer term a few years ago in order to be able to climb Mt Kilimanjaro for charity. If it is for charitable purposes then your school might look kindly on the enterprise, especially if you were raising money for childrens charities, or would give a %age of the money raised to your school! On a practical note, you'd need to either take loads of cash with you to be able to afford places to stay each night, or have a great back-up team following you about with a caravan. Plus, there's issues of what you'd have to carry on your bike - water, obviously, but what about food? Warm clothing? Waterproofs (remember, this IS Britain in the summer that we're talking abut...)? You'd be able to do more milage with an unladened bike than one with a bag full of stuff strapped to it. Anyway, I think it is a great idea - I hope that you can overcome the problems and be able to GO FOR IT! On a final note, I'd suggest that you read French Revolutions by Tim Moore. It's about how a fairly-unfit bloke with not much cycling experience ended up riding the route of the Tour de France unaccompanied. It's a good read!

As someone who has several tattoos, I'd suggest that you get something personal; an image that means something to YOU. A martial arts tattoo would be a good choice, if you're serious about getting some inkwork done. I have 'karate' in Japanese script on one arm, with a sillhouette of a karateka kicking underneath it. All of my tattoo's are in black or greyscale - you might wanna have a think about the colours you want to use if you get a tattoo. Also, remember that whatever else you might hear, tattoo's do hurt (although the pain is more for some people than for others). Certain parts of the body hurt more when being tattooed than others, such as the front of the neck, the head, the stomach, and the inside of the arms by the elbows. Also, the pain can be greater where the bone is close to the skin (such as on a joint). Finally, make sure that you go to a REPUTABLE tattooist. In the UK all tattoists must use an autoclave, fresh needles etc and be registered with the local authority/local council. Gloves must also be worn by the tattooist. It's better to pay a bit more and have a good tattoo done by a reputable tattooist, than pay less or even get one done for free by someone who will do a bad job. Remember, once it's on the skin it is nigh on impossible to come off, unless you have a small fortune to spend on laser surgery! A friend of mine who trains at the same karate club as me is married. Her husband has recently been tattooed and he asked me to tell him where I go to get inked, but he thought the prices too expensive. So, he found someone who would tattoo him for free. This person isn't registered as a tattooist with the local council, and did a bodge job on my friend's husband's tattoo (he wanted a bull, but it looks more like a cross between a horse and a giraffe but with horns). He has since found out that this shyster tattooist is also an injecting drug user, so he is now going through an agonising wait to get the results back from HIV and Hepatitis and other blood tests, just in case he's caught something from the dodgy tattooist. Possible infection with HIV - a very high price to pay for a 'free' tattoo.

Sorry to hear that Will.

Many martial arts weapons are now restricted under amendments to the Criminal Justice act, unless they are carried in a zipped (pref. locked) case either to or from training. If you have them in your car then you must carry them in the boot (trunk), which must be locked.

3 Jo 1 Bo 1 Hanbo 2 Nitonbo 2 Pairs Octagonal Nunchaku with cord 1 Pair Round Nunchaku with chain 1 Pair Foam Nunchaku with cord 2 Bokken 1 Wooden Tanto 1 Metal Tanto with sheath 2 Pairs Tonfa 2 Pairs Sai (octagonal chrome) 2 Escrima Sticks 1 Crossbow (but no crossbow bolts) 1 Ghanaean Machete 2 Ghanaean Fighting Knives 4 Tanzanian Spears (very sharp!) 1 Axe 1 Swiss Army Knife 1 5" Hook Knife 2 Hunters Knives (18") 1 Display Katana (v cheap and totally unsuitable to use but looks good hung on the wall)

I agree with Little Dragon's post. The way the human mind thinks can have a HUGE influence on the way the body behaves. For a log time I used to think I was bad at sparring. I thought I was, so I was. Bit of a self-fullfilling prophecy. My problems started from my first competition fight. I was a red belt (which is the second coloured belt in my system) and I was up against a black belt with many years experience. The very fact she was a blackbelt demolished my confidence immediately. Instead of thinking, "well, I'll do my best" I though "oh, no, she's a black belt and she's gonna paste me!". That episode affected me for a long time afterwards, until one day my instructor told me that I could do far more than my mind thought I could, which gave me a whole new perspective on the situation. I'm not saying that you have to go out there thinking "I'm the greatest, no one can beat me!", but you do need an attitude of self-confidence and the thought that you're gonna try your best and go out there to win. What my instructor said to me reminds me of an advert that is currently on British television, for a well-known sports gear company. It shows a modern day person (unknown athlete) running alongside or doing other sports alongside footage of great champoions from years gone by. The tag-lige is that "You're faster than you think". Which is true. Often, people lack confidence (I know, I've been there and still am on occasions), but they could do so much more that they feel is capable. Obviously, the company who's ad it is, is saying that you will be faster than you think if you wear our running shoes, but that's another matter... Good luck with your sparring!

I just have mine downstairs in the doorway between the front room (lounge) and the back room (dining room). I live in an old crumbling terraced houce and the bar hasn't done any damage to my door or doorway so far, and I've been using it regularly for almost 5 years! The bar I have can also be used as a sit up bar on the lower portion of the doorway. I second Little Dragon's advice about using resistance bands. We have them set up at my dojo to use when kicking and punching - they really make a difference.

Just as an aside to your main question... if you're at work, how are you planning on training as well? Aren't you supposed to be working? I'm a little confused with that one.

Playwell UK sells specific JuJitsu gi's. I think you have to request them, though - not sure if they're in the main catalogue anymore. Or, you could try asking at the club when you go for your first lesson. They'll be able to advise you on what sort of gi to get. Many club instructors also sell gi's and equipment to raise money for the club. You might be able to buy your gi from the JuJitsu school.

Heh heh, fun song... It's true, though. I'm female and have been kicked in the groin before - excruciating pain! It does hurt some women to be hit in the breats, but the groin is far far worse. So us girls can sympathise with you guys. So, wear that groin protector!

Some of the worst pain I've ever been in was post-operative, after surgery on the tendon in my left foot and also after different surgery to have my tonsils removed. I've also been kicked in the head by a pony, which has left me partially deaf in one ear. The same pony also kicked me in the ribs on that occasion, breaking 3 of them. All I can say about the encounter with that pony is...OWWW! The little 'cherub' also stood on my foot, just to round off the indignity. The kick to the head was some of the worst pain I've ever felt. Most recent injury I've had was on Thursday, when I dropped a metal weighlifing bar on my bare foot, whilst trying to tidy up a bit before class at the dojo.

BritNoob - I have a doorway chin-up bar. I bought it from Argos. Came with a free skipping rope too!! It's probably one of the cheapest that I've seen available on the UK hight street.

Sorry Jules, I'd love to join your system, but I'm already a paid-up member of Richard-do. Richard is a Nidan who used to train at my club until serious injury forced him to stop. Consequently, he's set up his own joke system for those who can't or (more likely) don't want to train, but who like just talking about training, rather than actually doing... It's aimed at all those who are 'all mouth and no trousers' as a popular saying in England goes. ie, those who can talk well, but won't actually do it. The more rubbish a person can spout the higher Dan grade they get in Richard-do. Richard himself is a 1000th Dan Grand Master; he's made me an honorary 999th Dan, as I buy him pints of beer... Oh, yes, drinking large quantities of beer is also a feature of Richard-do. Anyone else know someone who has made up their own joke system? (I mean people who've made up a style and know its a joke - not those who make up a style and try and pass it off a the best thing since bread came sliced...)

Thow them out man, throw them out...

I know that you're looking for excercises that don't use equipment... ...but a cheap piece of kit to buy is a gym ball (also known as Swiss ball or a Physio ball). It's those big inflatable balls, that look like an oversized beach ball. They're great for excercising with, are cheap and don't take up much room to store.

Which weapon (traditional or no) would you say was the most difficult to learn, and why? I've been told that one of the most difficult traditional weapons to learn properly is the 3-sectional staff, but I've never used one so I can't comment about that.

Sounds like fun, and a great experience!

Well, give it a try. At least you'll be training!