Steinhauers

Going to the Arnold Classics in Columbus, Ohio and Getting 1st in Advanced Male 18-34yrs old open Kata, Open Weapons Forms, Kumite. everything that I entered into I'm 5'9 and I had to fight this guy that was probably 6'5 from Africa or somewhere cause he didn't speak english. He was a good fighter but he was easy to get timing down. He liked to throw a jumping sidekick right off the bat and i just blocked turned him and scored on the back. I was used to getting first on all local tournaments but the Arnold Classic is a the biggest one around my area with 1000's of people there. was really fun.

AYe I would love to go but I will be out in the middle of an ocean on the days of your gathering then shortly after competing in the US Open. Would love to come if you have any others please keep me informed because I love to meet fellow martial artist and see other styles techniques and variations in kata.

Guys I really understand that I should ask my Sensei, for he should know everything that I will need to know. But he likes for some of his advance belts to find out on their own, looking it up. He wants to know that you also put in time and effort outside of the dojo to learn more about the martial arts. Hope I put that the right way. You all are having a gathering? When and where is it? I would really be interested in going if it's close enough. I can't afford to travel very far right now cause I'm goign on a martial arts cruise, put on by Terry Wilson. Then I am off to Orlando, FL to compete in the US Open Karate Championship in Disney World, so my moneys kinda tight right now.

Hey i'm being tested for my brown belt and I need to know the know a Breif History of different types of weapons. could you please help me out and tell me if what I say is correct. Kama - Used for cutting grass originally. When used in combat for slashing motions and when brought together can be used for traping weapons. Tonfa - Orginally used for grinding up grain. When used in combat the outside was used in blocking and the blunt ends was used for punching techniques. Sai - Thought to be used like a pitch fork. Stabbing and traping weapons was it's main combat use. Shurikens - ????? Nunchucku - Two equal lenth sticks tied together with horse hair for pulling ox around. In combat was used for for blocking and fast strikes to the body or head. Bo Staff - Used to be put on the sholders with 2 buckets of water, grain, food, ect.... Used for more for long ranged combat. Tell me what you all think. If you can help me at all it would be greatly appreciated. I don't know/couldn't find the history of the Shurikens so please help me out with that if you could. Thanks, Seth

Nothing to really be woried about. If your sensei is the person whom brought this competition to your attention then he feels that you are ready and will be fine. Just make sure you relax, think of it as your just performing in your everyday normal class. Seth Remember no matter if you win or lose if you give it everything you got then you are still a winner.

About a year ago I could do the splits ( not the side splits but very close ), one day in the dojo we was streching with a partner. It's the strech where you hold up a leg with your back up agaist the wall and your partner grabs it and raises it till you can feel a good strech. Well he was holding my right leg and got it up to about 75degrees and he asked me if that was far enough, I said go alittle bit futher cause I was supprized that I didn't feel a strech. He kept on asking me if he wanted him to stop. When my leg got up to probable around 80-90degrees up in the air without any warning from my body you hear a loud " POP! " throughout the dojo, my toes even hit the wall that I had my back agaist. Luckly I didn't break anything and my hip poped out of place and went right back in. My sensei ( he was my partner ) let my leg down easy, I walked it off I didn't feel any pain so I continued to workout the rest of the class... I kind of figured since on sidesplits I my hips felt like they was going to pop out of place, that it was my body just getting it self ready for other things ( like releaving some tension in my hips so I can go further ). Ever since then I have not been able to do the splits cause a few days after that event the muscle in the back of my leg was pretty sore. I took a few weeks off so I wouldn't injure the muscle anymore. My left leg is fine but do you ever think I will be doing the splits again? I can also feel it if i'm not steched out really really good when I throw a high sidekick or roundhouse. Please if you have any stretches that I can work on to gain back my flexablity that would help me alot. I'm competiting in the US Open this year ( First time ) in Florida and my Musical Kata requires me to do the splits. though I have been competiting with it here in local competitions and have just been replacing then with low Kiba Dachi Front leaning stance. Seth

Hello, I'm training for nationals in Akron, Ohio. I only have a 8oz. gi so I was wanting something more stiff so I will look better and get good snaps into my punches. I have been looking at 2 different gi's. One is 100% brushed canvas cotton. The other is 55% cotton and 45% Polyester. I was wondering if there is any difference in they way they will look? Will it shrink the first few times I wash it? If so about how much will it shrink? Help me decide which one to get because I dont' know the difference. Here are the links to the 2 different gi's http://www.martialartssupermarket.com/index.cfm?action=moreinfo&itemid=1064 and here is the other one. http://www.martialartssupermarket.com/index.cfm?action=moreinfo&itemid=8585 Also I would like to ask one more thing. I shift between 190lbs and 200lbs. What size do you think I should get, keep in mind if there will be shrinking. Theres a sizing chart right in my links. Thanks everyone you have helped me out ever since I've gotten into the martial arts. You all are wonderful. Thanks, Seth

It goes White, Orange, Yellow, Blue, Green, Purple, Brown, Black where I take Karate. Just letting you all know

My first competition was in Medina, Ohio, USA. There was probably around 30 people in my age range ( 18-34 ). I'm a blue belt in Shotokan and have been practicing for around 6 or 7 months. Well here are my results. Open Hand Kata - 2nd place - Kanku Dai Weapons Kate - Bo Staff - 1st place - Tokomeni No Dai (spelling?) Kumite - 4th place Going into the competition I knew my weak point was Kumite but i'm happy with the result of everything. The last dojo I was at for about 4 months was no contact sparring until black belt. It was a strick shotokan course at a college but I changed to a local dojo so I had only full contact ( no face contact ) around 10 times before going. My Sensei thinks I got cheated out of first place in open hand kata. I'm not letting this go to my head i'm still training hard. Seth

Hello, I'm a 19 year old Blue Belt in Shotokan Karate. But maybe soon I will be promoted to a Green Belt. I'm really nervous about going to this big World Wide Karate Tourney in Hawiee. My Sensei asked me to go and I agreed. I've never been to compete before, I'm not sure how many events that I will be doing but I know forsure that I will be doing open hand kata ( Kanku Dia ), weapons kata ( techimini no dia ) (SP?), and Kumite. There will be people from all around the world that have been training in martial arts for their whole life compared to my 8 months that I have been in karate. I have advanced and picked up alot of things faster then everyone else in my dojo and sensei wouldn't have picked me if he didn't think I could do it. I'm training pretty hard right now and it's not until the week of june 22nd. I almost know the katas and after that I will perfect them. I still need work on my kumite but I fight against black belts all the time and I don't think I do to bad against them. Could you give any advance to what I will be doing, will I be fighting and competing against higher ranked people if so how high. If it's alot higher then me I'm going to have to train much harder I feel. Just any info would help me! Thanks, Seth Would anyone else be going to this tourney? If so e-mail me at steinhauers@adelphia.net I wouldn't mind meeting some people while I'm there.

Hello everyone, I'm 19 years old and about 200lbs and been trying to do the splits for about six months streching about 2 - 4 times a week. I got myself down to about a foot away from the ground and I can't seem to get down any futher. It fills like my hips are about to pop out of the sockets ( hard to explain how it fills.... it's not a tearing a muscle pain it's in my hips). What kind of streches should I do to loosen up my hips. I do a strech where i get on my knees and elbows and take my knees all the way out as far as I can then I gently start to push back with my eblows causing my hips to go back and I feel a good strech in my hips but is that what i need to be streching? thanks, Seth

Hello, I had been taking Shotokan karate classes at my college and it was stickly 3 atk sparring and 1 atk sparring and sometimes I'd get to do some semi-free sparring. But recently i've started to go to a dojo outside of school and they only do free sparring. In the two times that I have free sparred I don't think I did all that bad for never doing it. I must say it's alot funner . But in at the college we wasn't allowed to make contact at all, just try to hit their gi. But as you would think there was accidents and if a person didn't block right they would get hit but now i'm getting off topic. My question is what are some of the things I can do to get myself to accually start striking another person? I don't want to hurt anyone. I know it's all controled but what if I start to throw a backkick when they start to come in and I hit them hard. I don't think it will be that difficult for me to start striking them it's just that I'm only a blue belt and I'm the highest ranked person above 18 in my dojo, that isn't a black belt, and all I fight are balckbelts. I'm preparring to go to a competition and if I don't strike them I wont get the point. So basically my question was how can I make myself strike somebody and feel that I'm not going to hurt them? Thanks Seth

If that is an old CD ( 4 or 5 years ) then I think I had that CD... I was a big WWF and WCW fan hehe.. wasn't that bad at all if you are into that kinda stuff. I listen to video game music and I really enjoy listening to it

Hello, I train on a wood floor and as you already know I must take off my shoes and socks before I train. After class I always have blisters on my feet. I've been don't this for about 13 weeks now and you would think my feet would get used to it. Any tips on what I can do to make my feet stronger so I don't get blisters? I walk around bare foot all the time, even in gravel and it doesn't hurt me. My feet also swet alot. <----- that's why i think i'm getting them. What can I do? Thanks, Seth

Sure, once it's done you all can come train in it as long as you like. Oh and you have to be in the states if you want to come train at my place