cathal

If you are new to martial arts I can suggest, beyond "practice, practice, practice", to make sure posture and positioning are correct. First, if you have one leg in the air make sure your supporting leg isn't completely straight, a slight bend in your knee will help you to balance. If you notice how far your limbs are from your body centre you can see that this will affect your balance as well. For example if you are balancing on one leg and you have one of your arms from your centre moved to the side your balance can change. So that, along with the other advice here, and from your instructor, your balance can improve. Simple exercise: 1. Stand behind a chair. 2. Lift one leg, balancing one the other. 3. If you start to lose balance attempt to keep it with your muscles, grab the chair with your hands as you need to. Start with 5-10 seconds at first. Move on up to 5 minutes, and so on.

Fantastic advice, thank you!

Hey all, Looks like I'm going to be teaching a women's self defense class. As I have not done this before I'd certainly appreciate input and ideas

A few of the folks I know don't wash their gi because they believe it will ruin it, or that it will shrink. Another one actually mentioned something about sweat helping to keep the gi strong but I completely disagree with that.

I've just gotten a new Gi and it made me start thinking. What do you tell your students about maintaining your gi? We had a great discussion the other day about keeping it up, not washing it regularly vs. washing it at all... etc. I'm curious to know what you folks teach your students about their uniforms, and why.

Great job

My father just turned 69 and was a police officer his entire life. He was in the army as well, and to this day whenever he and I "get into it" he throws me to the wall or floor and I have no idea how he does it He is a constant reminder to never underestimate.

To me a thrust technique, say a thrust kick, not only hits the opponent but has a pushing-back movement to it. The hips make a torque-like movement as well. Kind of like trying to push a car backward with a kick, to get it to roll backward up a hill. So, then, striking to me is to make contact with full power and seriousness like the thrust but without the pushing sensation or torque of the hips. Depending upon the strike the hips are rising, lowering, vibrating, or rotating in some fashion. Strikes can also have a snap-back portion to them as well, such as the snap kick. So, yes, my two pennies. *edit*: Fixed spelling.

The black belts in my system do not have any strips etc. Just the text on the ends of the belt. Nothing else. No stripes, ticks, alternating colours, et al. Just black.

Hey there welcome aboard

I could talk all day about these kata. I really hope there's some Shotokai practitioners on here. - None of them spoke with confidence, nor did they project their voices. Is this typical of Shotokai that they do not want to shout or have loud voices? - The posture seems off, leaning forward, on all of the demonstrators. - Timing is different from what I've seen, in a few points but it feels as though they are rushed. A few techniques aren't fully completed before moving onto the next one. - I don't see much hip movement other than simple rotation and rising/falling. How do they generate power and use tanden/ki otherwise? - No kiais. They simply exhaled loudly. Is this a typical kiai in Shotokai? - The horse stance was low and strong, during Bassai-Dai. What do you guys think? What are your thoughts on power generation, expansion/contraction, conservation of energy, kiai and kime, hip movement, posture, etc? I'd like to hear what you think, If there are any Shotokai practitioners on the forum I'd love to hear from you. **Edit: fixed spelling

Howdy-ho neighboureenos. What do you think of using a chair in your classes? What do you use it for and what are your students using them for? For example when I was learning the sensei would show us a technique and the ask us for our own interpretations later on. So have you learned something from your students with the chair? The other day I certainly did; I was teaching them to block and counter from a seated position and one of the students suggested using the chair to block the attack. We had an excellent discussion on how this could be done with different types of chairs. I'll be glad to hear your thoughts.

For Karateka Torite is escaping. What do you do in order to teach your students escape techniques? Not just an attack and then run to escape the opponent, but escaping from a grab, etc. When do you start teaching your own students about these techniques? I've seen a few dojos where they begin teaching it right away and others that do not. What are your thoughts on this?

I'll see about getting a clip.

Yes, a Sandan it seems. I could maybe see the punching as a rising punch, something I'd target under the chin or adam's apple.

Well said. I think that the definition seems to vary a great deal. Even from dojo-to-dojo in the same organization, sometimes.

Hey folks, Can you please post here links for images & video demos of basic clinching, please? I'd like to brush up. Thanks!

I dig the website, as a Shotokan practitioner myself I get a good vibe from what I've glimpsed. Definitely check it out and see how it goes. Oh and let us know!

Well Taikyoku Shodan is used in my dojo for beginners as well. It is a good tool for teaching movement in stance. I agree this doesn't seem powerful, and the punching doesn't seem particularly affective. I would have anticipated a different performance, myself. Something with a bit more snap to the movements.

Fluidity aside, can you comment on the execution of the punching? .

You wouldn't mind checking this out: http://www.bathkarate.co.uk/Bath_Tiger-Kai/Kata.html Is this typical of Shotokai? The hip movements, turns, and punching seem a bit off to me. I've never practiced this tyle so I'm hoping someone on here can enlighten me. Thanks!

I disagree. It's an attempt, and it's misguided. And teasing isn't appreciated, certainly not by me, and it's no go towards my sons or I go into action. Males, particularly during the formative years of pre-teen and/or teen, need positive encouragement, not "negative reinforcement" that masquerades as a motivator. (Do it better and I won't say [insert crass comment here].) I wonder how many school-age males have cried "dry tears" and given up because their own coaches/trainers and even MA instructors have been insensitive. You make a good point

Chuck, my fees are the same as your own.

This is a great thread. When I think of the phrase, and all of the times I've heard it, it meant aggression. To me it wasn't power. In sports, like softball, it meant the same thing. To be aggressive, the type of aggression that is uniquely male. To tease a male into saying their aggression is feminine is to encourage them to discover their male aggression. Personally I've never seen it as a slight against female sports, martial arts, etc. In my adult life I've seen women with high amounts of aggression. But they've all been adults. I know first hand that women are as capable as men in the aggression spectrum. In my own personal life I have seen that men have that unique aggression only they can display. Does that make me sexist? I don't think so. If there are women out there who possess that high level of aggression then my view is simply not as encompassing because of my own personal experiences.

Thank you, I just finished reading it actually