cathal

One of our applications for this kata is a knee-throw. The press block and the knee are joined in throwing the opponent in the first move.

I didn't think there were take-downs in TKD

That stuff is nonesense! Imagine the kind of life you have to live. Moving from one town to another when too many people have complained about your crappy instruction.

A lot of great discussion here; I can honestly say this is a great topic. Me, I'm for testing casually. My sensei grades us all the time as well, and I'm happy for the gradings too because it can help provide me not with incentive per se but to help plot out my goals in my training.

I heard of one mcdojo that made you buy a new gi each time you graded, to make it the same colour as your belt.

Got a map to the place?

Do you have a diagram so we can compare?

I can't stop laughing. LOL

There seems to be a lot of husband & wife combinations in the martial arts.

Ah, cheese is popular. I like cheese. Our certificates have the shotokan logo on top, flanked by dragons, and a nice border. English on the top, and beautifully written kanji on the bottom. As I recall, its mandatory to pay an annual $30 fee for ISKF membership so you can grade and participate in training and goodwill tournaments.

Has anyone seen that kind of combination before? Maybe its something that is taught in your dojo? It could maybe tell us what style of martial arts he knows.

Ah, ok. Our testing process is similar, but a master is necessary to fill out the certificate to make it all official. Our tests are very straightforward and quick. We will do some kihon, a kata, and then kumite. I haven't seen one go over 20 minutes.

Here are some diagrams: Tekki Shodan http://home7.swipnet.se/~w-72482/tekki_shodan.jpg Tekki Nidan http://home7.swipnet.se/~w-72482/Tekki%20Nidan.gif Tekki Sandan http://home7.swipnet.se/~w-72482/tekki_sandan.jpg

So you have belts in a duffle back and hand them out during class, when you feel someone has advanced in level?

Well, I've been reading a lot of the advice that instructors have been giving out from the time I started reading this forum. I had an opportunity to put it to some use the other day. Sensei asked me to go over Sanbon kumite (3-step sparring) with half the beginner's class (5 karateka). As they had been doing this routine for a while now, ranging from 3 months to 12, I decided to emphasize that day's routine with some basics rather than merely going over the moves. I had them keep their chins up, make sure they had good stances and firmly-planted feet. Next, I had them forget ignore all of that and just focus on speed/power. Then I incorporated both...and they performed the techniques better. Finally we focused on maa (the distance) and I saw some major improvements with two of the students. So, thank you everyone, your advice has worked. I am very happy that a place like this exists, and I hope this forum never shuts down.

I think when buying a bokken you have to make sure it is made of hardwood, has the same length as a katana, and is properly weighted. If the weight is off you'll find yourself trying to adapt to the real weight of the sword, which can throw off some of your muscle memory.

That's a very sad story, that fellow must have wasted so much of his time on that poor instructor.

I am also interested, TangSooGuy. I'm always interested in hearing about other's takes on things. For me, personally, I feel it is a good thing to have testing. Whether or not the system gives you a new coloured belt/sash, etc. is mostly moot. But it does show that you're progressing and understanding of the techniques.

A lot of these kata I've never heard of. Anyone have links to a diagram/video?

The jumps for Kanku Sho/Dai are to avoid a blow, and as you land you strike. So they are done with a lot of kime and power. The issue I notice with people doing this kata is their chin, most tend to keep it down. Which of course will cause them to lose power, so keep your chin up. (Same deal with the jump in Empi.) But when you've completed the crescent part, make sure your leg goes out behind you with a lot of power, because that's a second kick.

First, I'm glad you made a decision. If you aren't comfortable with the dojo you train in, it can hinder your learning. When you first start out, the stretching is important, so do that on a daily basis. When you're at home review your previous lesson and maintain your stances for as long as you can. One of things I do is keep a stance for as long as possible. I start off watching a commercial, then two commercials, then the entire set of commercials...just holding the stance and practing some blocks, etc. When I've got to that amount of time in stance, I go for the entire 30 minute program just in stance. Next, I'll go for 60 minutes just in stance. It is a good goal-oriented home program.

Isn't Karate being considered for status as an olympic sport now?

I have done very well in the past with Heian Godan, and Tekki Shodan.

Hm, trademark technique seems a little too showy. I'd prefer to use effective techniques rather than have some sort of trademark.

No harm in bragging eh.