Dijita

Shorinryu Sensei, you're such a great mom!

Awesome point. I agree completely. I think it is important to visualize everything that we do in our training. That way you are not simply going through the motions but understanding what it is that you are doing.

...and have they signed them up to your dojo yet and bought them their first gi??? Get 'em involved with MA right from the start!! lol Well, one day in class I was partnered with Sensei's wife. The baby started crying so Sensei held the lil' guy while he was demonstrating some fighting techniques that he wanted us to go through. It was hilarious, the lil' baby looked so content Not only that but Sensei motioned one of the students to return the technique back on sensei and stopped him mid kick and said with a big grin "You'd actually hit a guy with a baby!?" haha.

Wow, so many to list.... - Summer Camp: Lot's of great training, met some great people, bonded closer with a lot of students in our class. - Our Big Seminar: Hard work, learned a lot. - Training in a dojo far from home: Got to meet some really great people and got to meet up with someone I met from a previous tournament. I also got to see a different way of training. - Training with Shihan Isobe: He trained some world class fighters. I can't say enough about this experience. - Seeing everyone in our class improve: A lot of classmates made some important accomplishments this year. - Fighting at Canadians: Great experience, plus I adored watching the open division fighters compete. - All the after class get togethers: Always a lot of fun and a great way to bring everyone closer. - The new babies: A few of the ladies in our class gave birth to some cute lookin' babies. I look forward to what 2005 will bring!

Good breathing technique is probably the biggest wow factor for me, not a lot of people can do it well. However when you do, it seems that the person can flow through the kata a lot better without looking robotic. Power Intensity The "snap" sound of the gi.

Dear friend ,first OSS ! and happy new year ! I enjoy exchanging points of view and I have most respect for all martia arts and practitioners . My question is with kyukoshin tournement and the question of smaller against larger and open weight ,would you not agree with me that two people of diferrent size and weight face each other in a static stance and exchange blows without evasion ,the winner would be the bigger guy ? the smaller guy would have a terrible time if he just stand there and exchange blow for blow with the big guy. Yes that is why we train a lot of footwork to avoid having to fight toe to toe against someone bigger/heavier than you. I don't see where you get the image of Kyokushin fighters standing staticly exchanging blows.

We wear shin pads in class sometimes, especially when it's close to tournaments, but you still get bruised up badly sometimes. I find now, that I use those gelly ice packs and then I just tape 'em to my shins now. I found something in the drug store that has a cloth strap with a velcro for putting on your shins... but it was rather expensive at the time that I didn't have much money. I might pick that up when I'm feeling rich.

Ya I remember my first tournament in Kyokushin.... I got a concussion and broke my toe, I keep my hands up a lot more now.

Just to clarify for DaChroniclez, Kyokushin does allow elbows in tournaments as long as it's not to the head. They also have to be "clean". A lot of people when they are tired tend to push more than strike with their elbows, and you can't push.

I put shoulders... but I try to look at where the collarbone meets just below your neck. I say "try" because I know that when I start to get tired, I start looking more down. I'm a beginner though

Shane, do you know of anyone who makes something as light weight as the ones you posted, but just cover the breasts and not the rest of the torso? Sometimes at our tournaments if my competitor chooses to wear a chest guard, I have too as well. It'd be nice to have one that is as minimal as possible as I hate having to wear any kind of chest protection.

I was taught to never look into there eyes. My sensei said if you ever get an opponent who stares in your eyes, it will be an easy fight. I was told that we should always focus on there waist, because the belt is the first thing that moves when they move. If you focus on there eyes, you won't really be able to be able to pay attention to there feet, but if your looking at the waist you can see there fists and there feet. Interesting. I like looking at the collar bone (though when I get tired my vision starts going down and down). Collar bone gives me the best peripheral vision as to whether a kick or a strike is coming. Staring at the waist, I can't see a punch coming quick enough, and I can't see their breathing. I heard staring into the eyes is bad too because it's easier for your opponent to deak an attack. That is look down at your leg to act as though they are going to throw a kick low and then punch you high.

EvilTed, I believe I read in Mas Oyama's book "The Kyokushin Way", that all the power comes from deep within your stomach a lot like what KillerMiller described. Interesting post though, AngelaG (once again)

Is there a way for you to try both? That way you can at least see what one fits more comfortably. I personally like the cloth ones better myself because it is thinner and I do not like to wear bulky shinpads. Some people might like the foam ones because it is a little bit thicker and perhaps better protection. From the people that I have seen using the foam ones, they do not seem to complain about the shin pad slipping or falling off. I think the important thing is that it fits properlly. Then it is only a matter of preference.

Hehe, umm... I'm not sure how serious your question was in regards to swimming in my gi. To clarify, "swimming in my gi" was an expression used to imply that my gi was REALLY REALLY big for me. I do not literally go to the pool and swim in the water with it. However at summer camp, which I urge you to go too next year because it's a lot of fun, we do water training in which case you will literally be swimming in your gi. If you are worried about ruining your gi you can always get a second one. A lot of people do get a second gi for "outdoor training" because at summer camp your gi pants will get stained and dirty. I wash my gi almost after every class, I never go more than two classes without washing it. I wash my gi alone with no other clothing in warm water. I do this so that it stays "Whiter" longer. Washing your gi with other clothing will risk having your gi tan out to a darker colour. I do throw my gi in the dryer though. Another good tip to keep in mind. If you ever get any blood on your gi, make sure that as soon as you can, soak the blood stain with COLD water and scrub it out. If you use warm water, the blood stain will set and then it'll never come out. Also avoid using any bleeches as this will weaken the material. When I train outside of class, I almost always wear my gi pants because of how easy it is to move in them. I don't wear my gi jacket though when training outside of class.

Kyokushin, a style of Karate, uses a boxing type guard (for the fighting stance); both hands protect the face/head, arms and elbows protect the midsection.

I'm not sure if you guys use the same gi's as us. Is your gi an elasticizd or tie up drawstring at the waist? I know that my gi shrunk a ton! I was swimming in my gi when I first got it and now it fits great. I did have to hem the pants though. I guess it depends on preference, some people like their gi's slightly longer some people like it off the ground. Personally I like my gi pants as close to the ground as possible. Like someone said earlier, it'd probably be worthwhile to pin it at various lengths go through an exercise routine and see what you like best. Mark it off at your preffered spot then bring it in for somone to hem it.

This isn't directly related to martial arts, but in a way it is related to this topic. I have a friend who had a really good job, working good hours, being paid very good money. He never seemed quiet satisfied though, and he often times said that there were things missing from his life. One day he just up and quit his job. He wanted to get away from eveything, seclude himself from most of society. This is where his journey began. He didn't really have a plan, he just knew he wanted to travel. He lives in Western Canada and he bought an open ended ticket from an airport in Eastern Canada. How would he get there? He contemplated on hopping on various cargo trains, hitchiking... and then a week before he was to set off he decided he would do it by bike, all alone with bare necessities. By doing this, he preety much sold most of his material possessions. Everything that he had left he took with him. It's not TOTAL seclusion but it is preety close. Travelling by bike, by yourself for months on end will alter your way of thinking and your spirit. He is in Eastern Canada now, and I just spoke with him for the first time in about 4 months. He is a different person and he told me of his journey, the struggles, the sights, and the interesting encounters along the way. Soon he will be flying over seas to continue his unknown path. It may not be martial arts related, but I do think that secluding yourself is a spiritual endevour that many people do not have the capacity to do. However if you do it will be a life altering experience. For many people it's the spiritual aspect of martial arts that they hold in high regard.

I like the heavyweight ones myself. They definately feel a lot hotter when you train, but you get used to it preety fast. The lightweight ones just don't last as long, plus the heavyweight ones make that nice *snap* sound when performing techniques.

Like everyone has said... patience. Practicing your basic stuff is important for if you don't all of your more advanced stuff will crumble. You may feel as though it is very repetitive, but I highly doubt that you have perfected them. So enjoy your training, practice hard knowing you are getting better, and I am sure your instructor will teach you more when you are both ready.

I dont get it? How is Kyokushin Karate related to kickboxing in any way, maybe the fact that its full contact i guess, but thats about as far as it goes. Very similar kicks, as Sevenstar said. I also think Kyokushin fighters do some similar types of training drills in order to condition the body and increase the capabilities of the cardiovascular system.

You should check out the book, "The Kyokushin Way" by Mas Oyama. He talks about his seclusion and the challenges of it, you may find it very interesting. It is a very good book, even if you are not a Kyokushin student as it deals with a lot of important philosophical issues of being a martial arts student.

If you were looking for it, here is the news release of the K-1 vs. Kyokushin. K-1 vs. Kyokushin http://www.k-1usa.net/docs/news/news.asp?news_id=40530 K-1 bows to Kyokushin http://www.k-1usa.net/docs/news/news.asp?news_id=40531

It's going to depend on both the school and the situation. For example, in our class, we sometimes use gloves and shinpads but sometimes we don't. Usually if it is getting close to a tournament we spar with the gloves/shin pads as to avoid any injuries right before a tournament. In the tournaments however, the fighters fight without gloves. In the colorbelt division (which is where you would start fighting) you have the option whether or not to wear shin pads. I'm preety sure most schools will do varios "drills" so to say that focus on conditioning the body.

http://www.fightingart.ca/dojo.htm Sensei Tats is known to train some really good fighters, and from what I hear his training is very high intensity. I believe he teaches at the Vancouver downtown dojo or maybe the East one (could even be both). There are also some great fighters that come out of the Richmond dojo. In my opinion if you pick any of the schools off of https://www.fightingart.ca you will get some very good training. You're in luck to be in Vancouver, as there are a lot of dojos to choose from as well as a lot of really great tournaments.