AngelaG

Kata can be an effective method for learning how to defend oneself. However it is not a magical cure-all solution. As with anything it takes a lot of training, and a good teacher. You can train seven days a week but if your teacher is still spreading the nonsense that X-Block is good for defending against a stepping mae-geri and manji-gamae is for blocking a jodan and chudan oizuki, then ultimately you will still be poor (perhaps even more so) at defending yourself. You need a teacher that understands the principles behind the kata, and can teach these principles effectively - rather than relying on remembering techniques. You also need to train it consistently, on a partner as well as solo practice. The training needs to be built up to higher intensities, so that you are not always working within your comfort zone. In my opinion you also need to know what a move can do to an opponent. If we train how to fight I feel we have a responsibility to know what sort of damage we can infilct on an attacker. If not we could end up with the situation when we are up before a judge and we have to explain why we killed an opponent when we thought we would only be locking them up.

My point was, the 'severity' of the assault has not been presented, therefore the severity of response should not default to extremes. No but neither should it be instantly discredited

Alright? Well the best you can do against a BJJ trained person is try to prevent them taking you to the ground. We do some groundwork in my karate classes, but obviously someone that is trained purely in groundwork would most likely have a better chance on the ground than me. You need to evade any takedown they try to do, and use your arms and legs to make them keep their distance. Punches and kicks will need to be fast or they will try and grab you and start locking you up. Kicks to their knees, knees to their faces if the duck in for the shoot. Ultimately it will come down to who is more highly skilled in their chosen art, and also a little bit of lukk on one side.

In an actual fight, or a compeititon type fight?

Prison? That's dependent on the situation. Not all women are 4'0'' weaker sex. There are some women out there that would have no difficulty in stamping on a man and later scraping him off their shoe. And a weapon is an extremely successful equaliser. Anyway, maybe a spell in prison is infinitely preferable to an eternity 6' underground.

That's awful.

Focus through the opponent, rather than watching their face, or arms etc. If you have a good all round vision you will spot any attacks much quicker. Also attacks are often given away in a different part of the body than the actual weapon. For example a punch may be seen in the shoulders first; or a kick in the hips.

Actually a wrist grab is a very common way for a woman to be attacked. If you have ever seen any victims of domestic abuse a common giveaway sign is bruises around the victim's wrists.

The problems with exercises like this is that they still have a large amount of limitations when compared to a real attack. You are still not capable of responding how you would like to respond in a real situation, for fear of harming your training partner.

When you continue to train and advance in your martial arts studies, it should be your goal to transend(sp) beyond your self defense sets in that you're no longer thinking about this number or that number. That is where your self-expression or knowledge should be kickin in. Remember what you learn at the lower ranks is just a base to build upon Wasn't that a bit like what I was saying?? Anyhow I don't think that techniques should EVER be taught as a numbered list, for beginners or otherwise. Why teach one way, get to a certain grade and then change the goalposts? In addition how would you compensate for different levels of learning, some people pick up concepts at a much faster rate than others. I've heard a lot excuses about poor teaching. People claiming that they know that this technique or that technique is not really effective (and in fact in some cases dangerous) but that they are teaching beginners and therefore just trying to build the foundations and the real learning comes later. I completely disagree with this. Teach effective stuff, and important principles right from the start. Only upon strong and effective principles can a strong and effective art be based. The name actually gives it away "principle". Karate is not football, IMO there is no place for set-plays.

I think principles need to be concentrated on rather than set techniques. Otherwise someone will pin you against the wall and you'll be there thinking,"A wall pin, yes that's technique number 24, which the arm comes up and .... oh! He's hitting me!"

Board breaking is a good way to ensure that you are hitting technically correctly (if you're not you soon find out the hard way) and also to make sure you are not just striking the surface, and instead following through the technique. Other than that they are an impressive showpiece in demos. However I fail to see the benefit in constantly training on breakboards, and as I mentioned previously, definitely not with children who may be permanently damaged by it.

Neither do pads.....

In my club you have to know all the previous kata which are: Kihon The 5 Heians Tekki Shodan You then have a choive between Bassai dai, Kanku dai, Jion, Hangetsu and Enpi. But even if you choose another one will probably be asked for Bassai as we pick it up at 3rd kyu.

Sure, if you work hard in a lesson you sweat. I've seen people who look like they've stepped into the shower with their gi on. There's nothing to be ashamed of by sweating, it just shows that you have worked hard and given everything you've got. An added point is that the healthier your body gets, as you do more exercises, the more you are going to sweat. A good sweat shows that your body is working properly. I'm always suspicious of people that finish a lesson without breaking a sweat. Seems to me they are not putting nearly enough effort in.

Sorry but this is total and utter... myth. I'm afraid there is no truth to this story at all.

I highly recommend the Giko Tournament karate gi. I know Paragon MA sell it! Feel free to contact me if you want details

Using an uke technique as a block is only possible in a kumite style attack. However kumite is a modern component of karate, and therefore it is highly unlikely that the bunkai of the uke techniques is as a block. This is something that has been tagged on as sports karate has grown.

Direct debit is not a static amount, hence why it can be used for phone bills etc. which may change every month. The company with your direct debit details can take out whatever they wish. Standing order is a static amount and is much safer. For anything where the amount will not be altered standing order is a much more secure option. You just have to remember to cancel it when finsihed, before the next payment comes out! I had a direct debit with Tiscali through my credit card a few years back. Imagine my shock when I read my statement one month and they had made an unauthorised withdrawal from my credit card, leaving me over my limit. It took ages to sort out as well

Bunkai means "to break up" or "dissassemble" and is when a kata is broken down, analysed and studied. This is where the applications are taken from the kata. Oyo translates as "to use" and is how the techniques are actually applied in a fight. Henka means "variation". That's when the move in a kata is adapted in order to make it work for the individual. It may have the same principles but not look exactly like the move in question is performed in the kata. Bunkai - Analysis Oyo - Application

Do you not have standing orders in the US? I pay monthly by standing order. This is a pre-agreed set amount that comes out on the same day every month. The standing order can be cancelled any time by me, and the amount is static. It makes life extremely simple.

I would suggest asking your sensei if you are pushing through and dropping your shoulder whilst performing the punch. I think you may just be over-extending the shoulder, and therefore putting stress on the muscles/tendon/ligaments.

It's a bad idea to block and then attack. This gives a small moment when nothing is being done and the attacker can carry on attacking. In a real fight people don't just throw one punch and then stop and wait for you to have your turn, like a dangerous game of chess. They keep coming, and if you give them an opportunity they would love to hand you your head on a plate So when defending you have to make any sort of block a strike as well, while also using another body part to continue your attack. Keep going until the job is done. I don't like to think of the kihon basics as blocks. If being used to stop an attack it's a bad idea to meet strength with strength - bone with bone. In that case only the strongest person ever wins. Instead shift, parry or redirect. Use their momentum against them. Get out of the way and do something. Age uke can be a neck strike, an arm break, a choke. Soto uke can be an arm break, or a strike. Gedan barai can be a throw, a strike, a lock. etc. etc. What they are not are hard blocks, especially against limbs like the legs, and not against karate style attacks in a SD environment.

Yes we do tegumi, and I do Shotokan.

It seems to me from the poll results that at the moment kata is winning out. So maybe assumptions are just being made?