shotochem

Ronin has a good sturdy 16oz gi. I like it. http://www.kinjisan.com/

I still have trouble remembering katas. The worst is when you are stopped in the middle for instruction then I just forget where I am and start to do part of another kata. The more katas I learn the more forgetful I get. They start to look the same after a while. I must be getting a little bit of whats his hiemers...

I agree with the others. The lower ranks especially the adult over 30 group tend to be a little on the heavier side when they start. The longer you train regularly the more fit you tend to get. Do not let appearances be too decieving. I've seen many Black belts who looked a little flabby and out of shape who could run the younger guys into the ground. You do not have to be a perfect example of physical fitness to excell in MA. I know I might be quite winded in a cardio class but I would be the last man standing after a 4 hour training session. There are different degrees of fitness.

Now this is scary. The Art of War is my laundry book my lunch book is Frauds, Myths And Mysteries by Felder. I'm also reading excerpts of The Unfettered mind on the net I'm having trouble finding it in hard cover around here.

Hello Brit, I used to get back spasms years ago before I started karate. At the time I was alot more in muscular bulk and heavier than I am now. I also believe in the theory that stress plays a large part in muscular spasms especially in the back. For me I believe is was more stress relief than weight loss that resulted in curing my reoccurent back spasms. If the doctor did not find any physical cause of the spasms I would not worry about it. Just try to relax yourself a good soak in the tub with epsom salts and a couple of beers have been known to do the trick. good luck

Soak it in the bathtub overnight with oxy-clean and Whisk detergent (original not the other variations). Then rinse and hang it out on the line in the sun to dry. It took out all of the stains. Do NOT use Hot water!!!

LOL DM, The term we use is ......"Fresh Meat"!!!!!!

Zulu, You are not too old and fat. There are many of us who started in our 30's 40's and older. I was grossly out of shape myself. Your problem IMO, is that you are too hard on yourself. It is very difficult for us adults to keep up with the 20yr olds. It's just a fact of life. You just learn at your own pace. I have not failed a grading as of yet but there were a couple I did not test on because I knew I wasn't ready. I did not want to just pass. I wanted to know, understand and apply what I've learned not just have a pretty colored cloth around my waist. Karate is a challenge and there is always room for improvement. Don't let a little thing like failing a test consume you. Let it motivate you to be that much better for the next time. There is no shame in not passing a grading the only shame would be for you not to learn from it. There will be more gradings. It's no big deal.

It's good to be young with all that free time. I manage to squeeze in 4 - 1.5 hr classes a week. 15 min in when I wake up- stretching and body weight excersise same before bed. Does yard work and my day job count? There is just no more time.......

Hi Guys, I currently study Shototkan. Yes, its true that in tournaments there is only controlled contact and point fighting. However, in the dojo at brown and up the amount of hard contact goes up quite a bit. We free spar as well as point spar. With adults brown and up there is pretty much full contact to the torso (waist to shoulders and controlled contact to the face. If you don't block you will get hit. IMO, the term "full contact" is overused and misrepresented. I would consider what we do full contact. If I have my partner beat I will give him a shot to let him know I got him. I do not try to blast him. There is no point. We are there to help each other. If I can hit you with 50% power does that mean I couldn't throw 100% if I wanted? Its just as realistic only we get to go to work the next day instead of the ER.

I used to be the tensest guy around. IMO tension is purely mental. I discovered that when you think too much it slows you down and tenses you up. The thing that changed my whole outlook and performance in sparring is that I "trusted" my block. Tell yourself that when you throw that block you won't be hit or if you are you will not be hurt much. Then start to believe it! Mentally that was the difference. That extra confidence. As for the tension part, I just went in to class one day I was not really mentally in to it and my mind was wandering and wondering if I should even be there. We were doing the familiar stand in horse stance and punch drill. Out of nowhere loud popping noises just flew out of my gi as I was punching. Now I made popping sounds before but not like this (and I was wearing a med weight that night!) My arms were very loose and my fist tensed and locked at the impact point yet there was no tension in the shoulders. I've heard the term of doing karate with "no mind". Perhaps this is what that really means. The next evening was sparring night I stayed completely relaxed and the difference was night and day. My reaction was faster as was my attack and oddly enough I seemed to see the attacks coming much sooner than before. I sparred multiple opponents that night and it was the same and has been ever since.

I used to be the tensest guy around. IMO tension is purely mental. I discovered that when you think too much it slows you down and tenses you up. The thing that changed my whole outlook and performance in sparring is that I "trusted" my block. Tell yourself that when you throw that block you won't be hit or if you are you will not be hurt much. Then start to believe it! Mentally that was the difference. That extra confidence. As for the tension part, I just went in to class one day I was not really mentally in to it and my mind was wandering and wondering if I should even be there. We were doing the familiar stand in horse stance and punch drill. Out of nowhere loud popping noises just flew out of my gi as I was punching. Now I made popping sounds before but not like this (and I was wearing a med weight that night!) My arms were very loose and my fist tensed and locked at the impact point yet there was no tension in the shoulders. I've heard the term of doing karate with "no mind". Perhaps this is what that really means. The next evening was sparring night I stayed completely relaxed and the difference was night and day. My reaction was faster as was my attack and oddly enough I seemed to see the attacks coming much sooner than before. I sparred multiple opponents that night and it was the same and has been ever since.

I would honestly list myself as average on most things. I'm my own worst critic. My best attribute (aside of my overwhelming good looks and charm ), would be more mental. Where others excel in speed, flexibility and brilliance I tend to make up for in pure guts and determination. No opponent is too big, no obstacle is to large, whenever I set a goal I try to keep surpassing it. I love the challenge.

At 7th Kyu you are both beginners and lack the proper control. It is important to let the other guy know he is banging you too hard. Maybe he dosen't know. I was a little thick when I was at your level. I finally figured it out when I was sparring one of the BB. Every time I hit him too hard he would just hit me harder. Then since I was pretty dense at the time I would hit him back and he would promptly blast me, again and again. After he nailed me a few times he just said,...... listen you are hitting me too hard and if you keep doing it I'm going to give it back. The path to enlightenment is often a painful experience.... Work with your partner you are there to make each other better and to learn.

Once again I'm with Ramy. You need to work with a partner that will work with you. The best person to work with is one who will point out your weaknesses and help you to improve. Do not worry about winning at sparring unless its a tournament. Once you forget about trying to win it will start to come naturally. Try to work on your weaknesses and improve. This will help you to become a betterfighter. Find out what works for you. It takes time and effort. I still learn something new every time I spar. The place to learn and improve is the dojo among friends, not on the street where you may only get one chance to avoid being injured.

KI never blocked a kick........ Until I find proof of its existence I will train with my heart, body, and mind. I'll leave the mystisism to the mystics. I am not a warrior monk nor do I strive to be. I do not use the force(though I really would like a lite saber). MA were originally designed for combat and self preservation. I would rather my opponent become one with my fist than become harmonious with the world around me. Spirituality is best found in a church, temple, mosque or other place of worship. In a dojo......not me. Sometimes we make thing out to be more than what they really are.

Its like being in the military. When all the MA get together at the bar we trade old dojo war stories. Its all in good fun. We are a strange breed. Most other people think we are nuts anyway. They can't figure out why we go and pay money to train and get beaten up. Hey wait!!! We ARE crazy!!!!!!

Good article. The best advice I've ever gotten in MA...... Don't overestimate yourself or underestimate your opponent. Appearances can be decieving, and often are. Never block with your face. If you can not block quick enough you will get hit, make sure you can take it. Always consider the consequences of your actions. The only mulligans in life are on the golf course. and my favorite... A belt only covers 2" of your A$$, the rest is up to you.

I agree 100%. It's gotta look like it's really gonna hurt. My kata is not pretty or dance-like. It looks rather brutish and painful. I doubt it would win any tournaments. (It's my kata and I think its pretty in a cute ugly dog sort of way. ) I try to make every technique work against a real attack. I find a good way to practice is to have a buddy attack you while you work on your kata. Its a lot of fun and adds a sense of urgency and realism when you get hit if you don't block properly. Its a good way to find out what works for YOU. Thats just the way it has to feel to me for it to be a kata IMO.

If you are feeling any intense pain in your body ANYWHERE, go to the doctor. We are all well meaning and giving of advise but when there is a possibility of a serious injury don't take any chances see an MD ASAP. Take care,

In a way it does make sense. Salt helps the body retain water. If you are cramping due to dehydration it would make sense. We need an official ruling here.....Where ia Ninja nurse when you need her?????

I gave it a try moving the legs in instead of focusing on the knees. Wow, that feels much better(still not comfortable) it is more tireing now than painful. With this slight change it seems to have taken the stress off of my ankles. My knees and ankles are in your debt. I've only been working on hangetsu for a few months so I'm still trying to get a "feel" for it. Now...on to the Bunkai!!!!

True however, experience is gained over time. Without dedidication and perserverance all the time in the world would not give you the right kind of experience. With a great deal of hard work you can improve all the physical aspects(speed,strenght,stamina,ect...) Natural talent would just make it easier to accomplish.

Effort,Blood,Sweat,Tears,Heart,Desire,Perserverance. If you have all of these, any of the others are just an added bonus. There are many with natural talent who do not achieve their potential. There are others who work hard and never quit and acomplish great things. "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." -Theodore Roosevelt, "Citizen in a Republic", April 23, 1910 A great man and a fine example.

I find it quite believable. He young, in good shape, he has lots of $$$$$ to afford top quality private lessons and most importantly a personal trainer and plenty of free time between projects.