AngelaG

I have the same problem, but the other way round. I.e. my knee is rolling in because my ankle flexibilty is so poor. I am having steroid injection in my ankle this week, so hopefully that will start to ease the problem, but I could do with also finding out what exercises would be good for my knee and ankle as I guess the muslces/tendons etc. will need training to go back to the proper position.

Do you not have space to put your feet up on the bed and do sit-ups off the floor?

Where is it the law? It certianly isn't British law. If my mate was being raped and I went up and kicked the bloke's ribs in I am 99% certain that he would be tried and I would get away with no hassle.

If it was a female friend and it was unprovoked, you bet. I am more likely to defend my friends and family then I would myself!

That's fairly controlling. It's his school and therefore his rules go, but I think I would have problems with someone that wants to exert that much control over their students' lives.

The strike you should come from the legs and the hips, not just the arms. Sure generate more arm power too, but your entire body should be behind the strike. And then you need to practice minimising the movement, so that even if someone has got hold of you you can still do it. It *almost* becomes internal.

Technically, in the UK at least, you're within your legal rights to strike first providing that you were placed in fear of an immediate physical attack and you use reasonable force. However, I do see what you mean in that practically speaking you may have problems convincing the police of your defensive action. It doesn't help that many police officers aren't aware of the actual legal situation. So I would add to the excellent points you made that its a good idea for people to actually learn the legal position (preferably word for word) and, should you be called upon to make a statement to the police, phrase it in those terms. I also would suggest not saying anything to the police, especially about being a MAist, until you have spoken to a soliciter!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! How dopey were they telling the police?? It gives a whole new meaning to the word "moron"! PMSL!

To me, a pre-emptive strike is a defensive action. Just because my reaction to a confrontation didn't include a block, doesn't mean I wasn't acting defensively, morally or legally. I agree. The only problem is with the legally. If you can prove that they initiated the attack you will have no proble. But how do you even start to prove that? A lot of fights are caused by alcohol causing people to be lairy. All the police will see are another two drunken people having a Saturday night brawl. The best way to try and convince bystanders (and therefore potential witnesses) is by keeping passive body language; also serving as a tool in your fighting armoury as your opponent may underestimate you. The other suggestion is to put up a "fence" and to use verbal commands such as "Calm down I don't want to fight." Unfortunately in the real world his drunken mate has probably sucker punched you in the back of your head by now anyway!

Ask and ye shall receive!!

Alas, (like TKD) Shotokan does suffer from having many many instructors who are incompetent, because of the popularity of this art. Unfortunately there will always be "bandwagon jumpers" in any area of life, and Shotokan karate has its fair share of them - which only adds to the reputation of Shotokan as an outdated, incomplete and unworkable style. However, if you find a good teacher of Shotokan then it can be a great style to learn and very practical. In reality, there are a LOT of good aspects to Shotokan (such as the grappling and ground work techniques) but a lot of clubs do not train in these aspects and only do the 'stereotypical' Shotokan long low stances, chambered fists and unworkable blocking - all of which are NOT what Shotokan is about. I agree 100%. We do grappling, throws - the lot!

Well done!!

Different people go into martial arts for different reasons!

Get an up to date first aid certificate - and CRB check. These things can give the instructor faith that you are taking it seriously, and also helps makes the students feel safe in your hands. Good luck - I love instructing!

Pressure points hurt man bad. Simple enough for you? So you want an explanation but you want it on your terms? Sorry but if you want a full and detailed explanation from a TCM point of view I can help you out, as that is the way I train in them. If you want it from a MWM view then it's something like: Pressure points are spots in your body usually where there is a weakness, such as nerves close to he surface or gabs in the skeleton etc. They hurt a lot when you strike them and can lead to disorientation, knock outs or even death; and can cause medical problems much later than the actual event. Some pressure points can lead to your body involuntarily doing "something" i.e. releasing your neck, opening a hand. Like I said, I personally prefer to look at it from a TCM perspective and IMO it makes more sense that way.

As a female if I come up against a male, and I am certain that he will hit first I think I would get in there and use the element of surprise. That way I may even the odds up a little bit - and anything that does that is good by me. Why let someone mash my face before I decide to do anything.

9th kyu .. Then I would say that you are going for 8th kyu.

They aren't too deadly at all. They can be deadly - but they are definitely be scalable. If not, how would we train in them? There'd be dead Martial Artists all over the dojo!

Don't see females as objects or trophies. A proper union is based on two people coming together as equals. There should be mutual respect.

Cheers for the link KH it definetly helps. I'm still a bit confused what arm you use for the block. I thought you always used the guard hand but your clip shows it the other way but i suppose you can do it both ways. With age uke always block over the leg that is in front. If not you are creating a weakness, and attempting to put strength in over a void.

Master_Jules I disagree. A test should not be totally unknown. After all, once you have done your first one you know what's going to happen thereafter anyway. We have a grading syllabus we know exactly which parts of our training we will be tested on. The pressure comes from the test environment, from strangers watching our every move, from expecting to perform everything correctly, from all eyes being on you - not from thinking we are entering some secret hazing! IMO There should be no secrets from students - that way there can be no accusations of improprieties levelled at you, and no little clusters of people hanging around feeling smug and superior as they have gone through their little rite of passage. Even if a student knows what sort of stuff they are expected to do it does not take away from the pressure and stress, aditionally they will still, to some degree, feel they are venturing into the unknown. intraining, ask your instructor if he has a written grading syllabus. At my dojo a 10th kyu can ask for the grading syllabus which basically has what we need to know right up to 3rd dan. You may find that your instructor runs through a mock grading in the week before your actual test. Pay attention and see which points he specifically brings up - Usually if he takes the time to mention something he will be looking to see if you have bothered to try and improve that aspect in the training. Test usually tend to run along the same lines. Kihon, Kata and kumite. Your dojo may differ, and imporatnce on each aspect will vary depending on your dojo's stance on each. For example, at my dojo, the kata is very important. HTH - best of luck Angela **edit - FWIW I am a Shotokanist - so your grading may vary **

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I agree about the application. I myself would have chosen a better one. The only reason I picked that one is that he does the actual technique first. I really need to get some more filming done after the break. **hangs head in shame**

where did you hear that? Through people in my organisation, and as one of them IS a professional boxer I have no reason to doubt him

I think we are both approaching the same point from different angles. As you can see I do two MAs, one my Shotokan and the other my OCFM. I am all for learning about PPS and I have trained with some awesome MAists that I know utilise PPs in their every day lives (i.e. bouncers, security, armed forces.) These guys are formidable opponents and I defy anyone that doesn't believe in PPs to go and train with one of them! I certainly wouldn't want to go up against someone who has trained for years in PPs. In fact, even some boxers are looking into them, to try and get a KO out of their matches!