AngelaG

***Deleted until I can find the proper url I wanted to post ***

Am I being dense? - (SHhh! ) Someone mentioned a photo gallery the other day?! Where are these photos?

Cool, was just checking you were paying attention . You did quote my post after all!

Fair enough!

First of all remove your groin, going into something resembling cat stance helps this. Secondly just use heavy hand on their arm... using no strength at all just bang the full weight of your arm on theirs. Even in some of the punch does reach you there will be no power left in it and you will be able to ride it.

So why rank them Black Belt? I don't!! This is not the first thread where you have specifically said to me about young children being black belts. As I said before there are no junior black belts at my dojo. You know what though, I think there could be exceptionally talented 12 year olds that can get it. Think about it, if you start at 5 by 12 you have been training for 7 years, I know I wasn't some dummy at 12 years old. Most kids will not meet the grade to get a black belt but I still reckon that there are going to be the few exceptions to the rule, so never say never.

Children and teens are often very self conscious about their kiai. It will often come from their throat rather than from deep in their stomach (one of the main points of kiai is to tense the stomach muscles). Also you will get the unenthusiatic ones who just kind of give a half-hearted "Ay" at the end of the technique. A kiai should tense your stomach muscles, psychologically uplift yourself, and also psych out the opponent! No, you won't terrify a grown man with it, but if you are not dealing with a trained martial artists you can bet your bottom dollar that it will unnerve him, or at least distract him enough that you may be able to pop a technique in!

What style do you do?

I have nothing against games for the children at the beginning of the lesson as a warm up, or at the end as a treat if they have worked hard during the lesson. But they are always educational games that teach them to react, or avoid getting hit, or something else which will add to their overall karate training. The rest of the time they train in normal karate, but it must be understood that children are not mini adults and their concentration spans will not match that of an adult class!

I think that a child may be "forced" to initially attend karate but if they don't like it after the first couple of lessons then it is wrong to force them to continue go. It is my job to get them interested enough in those first two lessons that they want to stay!

I totally agree with your above post, it was very well thought out and articulately written. However the one thing I disagree with is the above statement, but I'm not sure whether you are playing devil's advocate. MA can do do so much for children. As an instructor I watch with fascination as the children mature and develop over time and I know I am a part of this! Again it comes down to communication, adults have to realise that you don't have to talk down to kids; they are capable of understanding a lot more than you think. As long as the boundaries between adults' grades and junior grades are understood then there should be no problems. And talking from a commercial view (and I see nothing wrong in someone trying to make a legitimate living out of MA) children are the lifeblood of the dojo. Without kids in MA many dojo would have to close down. Remember, today's 10 year old white belt could be tomorrow's champion black belt!

One of my pet hates when I am teaching is people that don't kiai properly. I tell the kids/teens that if they are going to kiai do it properly or don't bother to do it at all. I can't stand the various half-hearted grunts and groans that come out of some of them, it wouldn't scare a paranoid dormouse! Anyway last night I was assistant instructor in the teens' lesson and we were doing 5 step kumite with the lower grades. As per usual there was an uneven number of students so I was asked to step into the breach. I'm doing 5 step with this white belt who is due to grade to 9th kyu in a couple of weeks and right at the end I'm the one that has to retaliate, so I do - with a massive kiai (practice what you preach). Anyway the kid jumps halfway out of his skin and this other new white belt further down the line looks my way, nods and say, "Nice Kiai!"

LOL!

I couldn't comment on that. I've never trained at a school that has taken that view of it (not that I'm saying it doesn't exist)

Hi Have you had your blood pressure checked recently? If you have low BP and it drops after hard exercise it will bring your blood sugar with it and then you can guarantee you will hit the floor. It may be worth while getting it checked and if it is low getting some dietary advice on how to keep your blood sugar levels high.

Please tell me that I did not just read someone recommending that one child pepperspray another in the face . My god what an irresponsible attitude! The bullies may be horrible little thugs but they are still children - if on TV you saw police pepperspraying kids what would you think?? Anyway if he tried something like that the child would be expelled and would probably be in trouble with the police, and the adult that supplied the spray would definitely be in trouble with the law!

Average time? Hard to say as not many people have achieved it. Minimum time is 3 years of very hard training. Expected minimum for the majority 4.5 years. I think it's like climbing a ladder, some people prefer to take a rung at a time and not know how much more they have to go, other people like to look at the top and set their sights up there and not give up until they get up there. I take that attitude. FWIW we don't have any junior BBs at my club so your arguments about young people not having the necessary understanding or maturity are kind of acedemic

that is correct, to an extent. muay has been around in some form for a LONG time, but the the current muay - muay thai - and it's gloved format ahs only been around since the 1920's making it modern. MT is a traditional art but I think what our friend means is Karate or kung fu you know the usual sterotypes for what a TMA is. In my mind it's not even as clear cut as that. For example I would not even consider all karate classes traditional. The boundaries are self imposed so it's hard to say, it's all just my own opinion. I am not trying to offend I am just being honest.

Not in training but last week me and all the instructors from the club I attend drove up to Chesham for a Patrick MCCarthy seminar. For some reason my bladder decided that I was about 4 years old and I had to keep getting them to stop so that I could pee. It was so embarrassing because they were all taking the mick as once again a little voice from the back said "Umm is there a service station nearby?). It was quite ridiculous actually. Luckily I could take it all with good humour, they were only taking the p*ss! (Pun FULLY intended )

no, but consistently teaching that the belt is not the end goal, but only a sybolic measure would be appropriate. I don't think a lot of people realize this. My instructor tells us this all the time. The way he has us think about it is like this: getting to cho dan is like going through high school. You learn a good set of basics (well, at least some of us ). You wouldn't finish high school and be qualified to be the CEO of microsoft. No, you continue your learning to the next level (like college), and then the level after that (graduate school), and so on. So many people think that when you get to cho dan it's over, when really, you've got the basics... like finishing high school. All you've done is shown a proficiency in the core curriculum. JMHO But that is not the fault of the belt system, nor does it mean that there is anything wrong in wanting to achieve BB excellence... it is a fault with the instructor. Maybe they should communicate with their students a bit more!

My instructuctor already has a pad that measures the force of a strike. It can also measure reaction speed by beeping and then seeing how soon after you hit the pad.

Sounds to me very much like an energetic KO. Although the sound off the pop is a bit worrying (and slightly gross )

If they quit when they get their black belt that is up to them. In a few years their skills will dwindle and they will become mediocre Martial Artists. That's their choice, but at the time of their Shodan they were judged proficient enough in their skills to be given the hallowed symbol of achievement. I don't think people are defined so much by the colour of their kyu belts, all that shows is tenure more than anything, but a black belt (IMO) should have a different mindset, a drive, an understanding of their art and maturity and also be able to demonstrate the skills required of their grade. So to me the BB is important as it is a distinction between the two levels. Again that is up to them. In that case they never understood the true meaning of the black belt. Is this a failing on their part or on the part of their instructor? I don't think it's important the reasons people start the MA, what's important is the reasons that they stay. Yeah staying for peer pressure or family pressure is bad, but as an instructor what are you going to do, refuse to teach them? It is the instructors job to make the MA interesting and enjoyable enough so that for the people being "forced" to go eventually it changes so that they want to go. You can tell the people that are hungry for promotion and the ones that stagnate in the middle kyu ranks. To a degree there is nothing wrong in belt chasing - at least they are showing interest. Yes maybe there should be bigger reasons for training but I guess we all have a long way before we achieve Perfection of Character If they choose to leave because there is no belt system that's up to them, but IMHO that's a poor reason for giving up something you enjoy. There will always be ways to sort the wheat from the chaff. Regardless of grades there will always be loads of people who fall by the wayside... and then there are those you strive to reach blackbelt excellence. And this is not a journey that ends once you get that belt around your waist. It is a continuing journey where everyday you are judged by the belt you are wearing and it is up to you to live up to those expectations. As a black belt the eyes of the entire dojo are on you and assessing you! A black belt is a symbol sure, but what's impoartant is what it symbolises. As I said before, attitude, maturity, understanding, skill, character etc. Any good dojo will not give out a black belt to someone that does not meet their set level of criteria. Hey we are all entitled to our opinions.

We do Martial Arts, not dance, not aerobics. There is always the possibilty of injury. Any decent dojo should minimise injury so that it is still a rare occurence but everyone who trains should realise that there is the chance (however small) that they may go home busted up!