Ripper

Why do you abuse bears for your training??? Why don't you use your own hands and feet??

Maybe you should read this thread first. Is Karate effective when used as self-defense ? I don't know how to link this but it is on page 2.

Sorry Ted, in another thread I said the same thing and I have to say it again; this is too stupid. Please anyone don't do this; it has no use what so ever and the potential danger for (long term) injuries is far too high. The benefits (actually there are none) don't weigh up against the downside. Why do you need so much confidence in your ability to deliver full contact? If you think you need this in SD; you don't. It is enough to spar with others.

Sorry Ted, but this is just too stupid. Come on, what are you trying to achieve with so many injuries?? What's the use? I've always done semi contact and I also know the things you say above, but I hardly get injured. In competition we can go full contact on the body also; so it's not guess work. And when you say you know how to control your power as not to injure your opponent how come you have so many injuries??

But why are you always rooted?

You do kyokushin and you don't spar??? That sounds strange to me, but then again I'm not kyokushin. I agree with Rich; try to find someone (preferably a higher belt) to spar with as much as possible. If you can't do it in class then do it outside class. Just work on 2 or 3 attacking techniques and nothing more. In sparring just keep on doing these techniques; in whatever position you are. On the counter, when you are attacking, whenever. Try to score with only these techniques and don't worry about doing high spinning back kicks, or whatever.

Please keep on doing that so your opponent can win easier! The explanation of equaninimus and the question of aznkarateboi say it all; there is no other use of hikite in sparring. So don't use a full chamber while sparring. It has nothing to do with the things sriney is talking about. If you are sparring in competition all you want to do is to win. You show discipline by not beating the ... out of your opponent; not by using hikite. The crispness and definition you work on in kihon and kata. And the Yin/Yang thing.....

The thing I do, is to heat it up in hot water. It gets weak and while it is still warm I put it in my mouth so it forms to my teeth.

I am talking second hand now, from a guy I train with. He is first or second dan judo and trains aikido now for a year. He said a big difference between judo and aikido is the use of force. In judo most of the time you are resisting against your opponent, while in aikido you usually comply with your opponent; using his own energy against him. He showed me a video where you see some very experienced aikido showing their techniques and I noticed too, they hardly had to use force.

Why?

Maybe you are talking slang, Practice, but otherwise I think it would be a good thing if you practice a bit on your grammar. At least for me you are hard to follow. But then again, I'm just a foreigner so I might be wrong.

Please stop talking about he or she was beaten by him or her. None of us was there so none of us knows.

Actually, not quite. An example: First stand in a deep forward stance and punch a makiwara or a punching bag with your backside arm (for karate: zenkutsu dachi and qyaku tsuki). Now do the same thing but as you punch, lift your front leg up and hit the bag. Land your foot afterwards. Then feel the difference in power. An even easier example: do the same thing but instead of punching you push your fist against a wall. then pull up your front leg again. Notice the difference.

Well, we were talking about the size and strength issue in a fight, remember?

OK, then maybe you can answer me this (as I asked earlier): why don't baseball- or golfplayers use this? It is not a question of believing; it is a question of logic.

Yeah, right...... I picture Mike Tyson hitting you and you flow his energy to your side softly............

In our dojo we usually have a lot of people; sometimes up to 30 I think. What we do is we divide the classes in lower belt and high belt. The first hour is for the lower belts and the second hour is for the higher belts. If you are a lower belt, you can train with the higher belts, and vice cersa, but that happens about 10%. And you have to accept that it could get difficult if you're a lower belt training with the higher belt, or when it's the other way around it is too basic for a higher belt. If you don't have two hours you can also divide the class the same way of course. You can get assistance by a black belt teaching the lower belts.

Now THAT's an explanation! Thank you for your patience and time, ESA. But.............I'm sorry but I have to disagree (I know, I know, I'm hardheaded ). There is no reason for tensing your muscles on impact. This myth is probably due to the fact that a lot of Shotokan training is in the air. This causes many to tense on impact to improve their performance. In fact they are not. This way you are only weakening your technique. The strongest way to, let's say punch, is that you only use the muscles needed for the punch to get to the target and follow through (for example like a baseball player) and nothing else. Any other tension only makes your punch slower and shortens your punch, making your punch weaker. I know the feeling; for me it is even more difficult as I have to talk/write in a foreign language.

Thanks for the link, equaninimus. For me katas like these where eye-openers for me. I train Shotokan, but I found the katas from other styles, where Shotokan has its roots, real eye-openers. Especially in terms of reverse engineering katas.

I would disagree. I think you have to go past that point to train effectively. I also disagree that this compromises safety. A good instructor can push students far past their comfort zones, and still maintain safety. Even aerobics instructors aim to take their classes beyond their collective comfort zones. Actually you are agreeing. Offcourse, when you train you push yourself to your limits. It is just a question of where you put the limit. On a certain point you go beyond the point of safety. Then it is time to stop.

You don't know how many years I've practiced. 9 out of 10 the person with the bat has the advantage. Or you were lucky or it was a 3 year old kid. And how is that so evident? Just because I don't agree with you? Then I think you have some perfecting to do.

Now what is it; are you moving or not? You say that moving one inch isn't moving. I hope you see yourself that you are the one that doesn't have a clue.

There are always two sides with communication. One side gives information and another side receives the information. The one who receives information maybe isn't getting it (that would be me) because he is too stupid (that's what you are trying to let me feel). On the other side there is one who is giving the information. Maybe you are just not good in giving the information (because you are not good at it or you are just wrong). So please have some patience with me and give another explanation or another example to show what you mean. Because till now you are calling me stupid and I say you are wrong. I don't mind you calling me stupid, but I would like to know if you can give a good explanation for your statement. That's how normal communication goes and I can explain that too. If I was now telling you I bought a dog, you have a picture in your head of some dog. Then you ask me; what kind of dog did you get; a big dog? I say no, a small dog. Then you get another picture in your head. Then you might ask me; is it a dog with long hair or short hair?. Then I say shorthaired. Again, you get another picture in your head. This goes on untill the picture in your head is the same as the picture in my head.

I can say the same thing about you. Baseball players also practice a deadly skill. I wouldn't want to get hit by a bat. Boxers also practice a deadly skill. Yet those people see it as a sport; not some mystical "art" where they "perfect their character".

The example was bogus. You started out with saying you don't direct your energy to the direction of the attack. You didn't see any use in that. You said you are driving your energy through your feet and not through your fist. But you failed to show us how you direct your energy "through your feet". The only reason you need your feet is as a reaction force. And for that you can apply Newton and your example.