Fish

We're taught using instep, but I'm aware of ball of foot (which I find difficult to execute doing a roundhouse kick) and shin. I guess instep is taught because it is easier for beginners to learn than ball of foot, not as likely to cause injury as shin, and gives you good reach when sparring. In a real fight, instep could be impractical due to the risk of self-injury if not well protected. I'm sure we've all been there with nasty bruising or small fractures to the bones in the top of the feet!

So what is a good way to practise strikes against thin air (as we all do) - I'm asking because I have quite a bit of discomfort in my knees and I'm wondering whether that's down to kicking the air.

So do you feel the rest benefited you? Or the change of scene? Or the running?

Actually, we are currently with Shikon. Sensei wishes to join another organisation because he finds our syllabus too limiting (apparently). I think the basic issue is he wants to focus more on self defence/ street work. The organisation we are currently with has a stronger focus on sport and competition (although, clearly, they teach self defence as well). Anyway, it seems my problem is solved for now, because he said he could be part of both organisations and was happy for me to continue my development with the organisation we are part of.

Took my 2nd kyu grading yesterday. I passed. I'm happy. Had to fight two black belts as part of the test - hard, but fun.

I don't think we are part of one of those Wado groups. We are with Shikon, which I understood was part of EKGB (yes, my mistake in earlier post). I took a grading yesterday (see separate post), and really enjoyed being there, sparring with a couple of the black belts as part of my test. I feel I'd like to become a shodan in this organisation.

I believe both the organisation we are with now and the one we are joining are recognised British karate organisations affiliated to the UKGB. I will keep the same grade on changing organisation. My sensei will be able to grade students up to 1st kyu in the new organisation, whereas in the current one all students are graded centrally. He plans to change the syllabus on changing over. I think the reason for the move is that he feels "picked on" or inadequately supported by the head sensei. For example, there have been occasions when his students have failed gradings when he thought they should pass. Having said that, a number of times, the chief instructor has corrected my technique at a grading. Another issue may be that, last year, the organisation cancelled a black belt grading the night before it was due to take place. My sensei's son was one of those due to take the grading. Personally, I'm not much interested in the politics. I'm interested in training and achieving my potential. One frustration for me at the moment is the lack of adults in my class, so if sensei moved organisation it might give me the opportunity to change classes (by staying with our current organisation and switching to a different instructor).

My sensei has recently announced that he intends to leave the organisation we are with and join another organisation. I personally would quite like to stay with the organisation we are with at the moment. This is for several reasons, the foremost of which is that I have progressed to 3rd kyu with this organisation, and would like to see it through to shodan following their syllabus. On the other hand, I have a good rapport with my sensei. So should I follow him, or should I stay with the organisation we are with? Is there an etiquette here? Any thoughts appreciated.

Remember stress + rest = success. Take the time to rest and let your body recover and you will come back stronger. So stick to light work outs, perhaps doing kata slow and relaxed with attention to detail.

I fell off a ladder about 5 years ago, and landed on my front. My ribs hurt for months afterwards, and even when they healed, for a while a light touch was enough to make them sore again. All I can suggest is give it time, and ask your sparring partners to go easy around your ribs.

An effective block delivered to the right spot really hurts, and can be quite a deterrent to further attacks! In my view, they work.

Your leg needs to be strong enough to keep the knee up between the kicks. If you can't control the height of your knee, that will throw you off balance.

That's precisely the concept I was trying to convey.

Tai sabaki means "hip evasion" or something like that. It's an integral part of Wado Ryu. We use it offensively: for example, Nagasha Tsuki punch, which involves lunging forward with a forward punch, but twisting the hip (and thus the rest o the body) just before punching so that the body ends up sideways on to the opponent at the moment of impact. The idea is that the opponent punches straight forward, but you evade the punch by twisting sideways, and at the same time punch him.

I started 3 and 1/2 years ago. Haven't looked back since. I've seen big improvements in flexibility. I echo what Jay said about perfecting the basics. I can never get bored with practising them, I'm always trying to make them better, and it does make the more advanced techniques and combinations that much easier.

What is the provenance of the book you came across? I.e. was it written by someone properly qualified to express those opinions?

I've just come back from a skiing trip. 7 days in ski boots and my feet are manky! I saw a video somewhere of Hironori Otsui sparring at age 84! Pretty impressive!

I know how you feel. I gained my 3rd kyu 3 months before some others in my class. Just recently, Sensei seems to have been focussing on raising the 3rd and 4th kyus to their grade, and for a while I felt a bit neglected, and perhaps had that nagging feeling that the other 3rd kyus were going to get ahead of me. On the other hand. I just decided to give everything my best, to try hard at all the basics and especially the really early ones, and to set an example to the other guys in class, especially the kids. Anyway, last week sensei told me he thinks I'm ready to grade next time. But, funny enough, it's not that important. I'm only competing against myself, no-one else. When I'm ready, I'll be ready regardless of the belt around my waist.

I've been working on Kawashi too. I found a good exercise in one of Loren Cunningham's books that has you perform 4 punches as you switch. It's a good one for upping hand speed and blitzing your opponent. Curiously, although I'm one of tallest in my class, I don't favour kicks so much. At the moment, I'm trying to get my sweeps going.

Thanks Bushidoman. Might give those a try if my feet continue to be sore. Perhaps I just need to go barefoot outside class as well.

This concept of osae sounds interesting - I've not come across it before. Which part of pinan shodan contains the press down? Which parts of Kushanku?

This is interesting, but I'm not sure why you say hitting vulnerable areas is a plus rather than essential. I'm not talking about pressure points here. It seems to me common sense that, given a choice between a strike to a hard, well protected area of the body and a strike to a vulnerable area, you choose the latter.

Of course. This is normal. It's part of what keeps us striving for improvement.

I agree with you when you say some people's analysis of kata is too complex to be realistic. I thought the idea was to incorporate basic movements into muscle memory so that the response to an attack would be instantaneous. If you have to think about it before doing it, then it's going to be too late. So it makes sense that it should be as straightforward as possible. I've always thought it odd when people analyse the Pinan/ Heian Kata in these complex ways, because I understand that they were first compiled to introduce children to kata - so it's not surprising that they are made up of comparatively simple movements. I think there is a tendency to overlook the obvious (e.g. a straightforward strike to the eyes, throat, groin etc), because we can't believe it's that simple, and because training for sport conditions us to avoid striking these vulnerable places. As for the one strike point - I thought the idea was one of total commitment to each stroke. The aim being to finish the fight with one blow, but the reality presumably depending on the circumstances at the time of the fight and the nature of the opponent. A committed strike to a vulnerable part of the body has the potential to cause severe injury or disability. But I have to say, I doubt whether I'd be (mentally) able to deliberately inflict such injury on an opponent in a real fight: I'm sure I would hold back.

Left then right - my sensei says its a Japanese superstition that left should go first.