shotochem

Ive sparred many times with one of my dojomates who used to box. I am the more advanced student but he still gives me a hell of a time. He can take a lot of abuse, and still keep coming. He also has great hand speed and upperbody movements and a very deceptive unorthodox puch while sparring. He also hits like a sledgehammer!!! I can easily out point fight him but in free sparring he is a beast!!! There is no way I can out muscle him, if my technique is not good he can easily hammer me and Im pretty much of a scrapper myself

Hi everyone, I personally do not have a problem with female MA. I have trained with many very talented women. I still do after all this time feel uncomfortable sparring with a woman. It has been ingrained in the male mind since a young age that you should not hit women. It is difficult to overcome this conditioning. I tend to stay on the defensive whenever Im paired with a woman. I try to keep better control and focus due to the physical differences. The one thing I will never do again is underestimate or go to easy with partner it doesnt do her any benifit or myself. I was taught a valuble lesson one sparring class after not putting enough effort into sparring a female. I was told to stay on the floor and a pettite 3rd dan stepped on the floor. For 10 min. I was attacked by this little tasmanian devil. I had stood 6 inces taller and I had 50lbs on her. It seemed like she had 4 arms and 4 legs. It had been one of the best sparring sessions Ive ever had, I learned that power isnt everything and not to underestimate your opponent. From that class on Ive improved my sparring tenfold against all men and women To not train hard with a female partner is both condescending and sexist!!!

Fabreeze!!!!! I do not wash mine just a rinse in cold water and a fabreeze spritz. The last time I tried to wash a belt it shrunk . It took me a week to figure out I really did not gain any weight .

To avoid being swept I generally try to keep a wider stance and drop a little lower. Sweeping IMO is for the young and fast, so I rarely try to sweep. I prefer the grab and take down myself. The main thing is to be aware of your distancing and dont leave yourself in a position vulnerable to being swept. If a slow at foot guy like me can aviod being swept so can you fast guys

Ahhhh!!! you mean Canis Lupus Japanus "The Japanese Dojo-Wolf" These creatures are known to frequent Karate clubs world wide and are quite commonly known for their voracious libido as well their deadly fighting skills.

I know what you mean. My wife and I practice"Go-Home Kumite!!!! For some reason I never win and Im always wrong......

How does this all pertain to a karate club? You can teach someone to fight, but how can you teach spirit? Learning karate to many peoples dismay is not going to turn a 90lb weakling into Rambo or a Samauri. My definition of spirit is mental toughness combined with a thick-headed stubborness not to give up no matter what. It requires a bit of personal selfishness where you will not and sometimes can not let anyone get the best of you. Used properly it can help you achieve many goals in life, it can also turn a person into a total_____________. IMO either you have it or you don't.

13yr old !!!! I have clothing older than that!!!!!!

I wonder if Sensei would let me use it??????

Every block is a strike.....

Trying to kick someone in the head who is much taller than you is suicidal!!! It is very easy to block a high kick from a smaller person who in order to get that kick up will have to sacrifice their balance and leave themself exposed to a counter. Definately not for self defence!!!! For that I would use the Tom method

Easy guys, I believe there is quite a bit of over reaction about artificial sweetners. The human body is quite durable and can take quite a bit of toxins. If we avoid the sweetners there will certainly still be many other toxins that we are exposed to. More people die of allergic reactions to natural organic foods like peanuts or bee and jellyfish stings than will ever die from sweetners. You would need to consume quite a bit to harm yourself. I tend to be a little less fearful of these sweetners due to the fact that I work in a chemistry lab and I work with chemicals 1000x more dangerous than a little sweetner will ever be. There are more important things to worry about.....

Kchenault is right Oxyclean oxygen cleaner will do wonders. I let my gi soak in a tub with a few scoops overnight it makes a big difference. It also helps to soak your gi immediatly after training then let it drip dry.

I can feel your pain...... I still can't stay in seiza for more than a few min. Fortunately we only do it to bow in and out. How long do you guys have to stay in this ungodly position??? 10 min How long is the class? If I want to sit around and meditate I can do it at home,before and or after class. Is it me or does anyone else think that class time can be used more productivly??? After all my knees and ankles are not 18 anymore

Hi Guys, We've had a couple quit. A few dont come around to the dojo as much either. They have decided to cross train and dabble in other arts but still train with us occasionally.

Hi Spark, There is little you can do except tape and splint it up. If your finger isnt out of joint and is properly aligned youll be ok in 2-3 weeks. Ive broken a couple of fingers and assorted toes. I was still able to train. Just do not hit solid objects with the injured hand if it is not painful just do air techniques an modify you training. After all ya still have 9 others

I wonder????? If God smoked cannabis..... Would he see people???????? Yes for medicinal purposes

Ive tried a radical concept....... I eat less excercise more. When I eat I pretty much eat what I want only I cut my overall junk food consumption by 80%. This has enabled me to lose 50lbs and keep it off for over 3yrs so far. Its simple but it has worked for me. Avoid the second portions the beer and that chocolate cake Well, maybe a small piece...

HI ZR, I have thought about it myself not too long ago. Its really hard to train hurt or at half of what you are capable of. Take that week or 2 get healed up a bit. Youll be a lot better off in the long run. I cant quit, my mental illness wont let me!!!!

Hello whitebelt, We have all been there. At the lower levels most people lack control and perception of distance and timing. You and they will get better with practice. As for the side kick while withdrawing, unless there is a comand to stop attacking and all action stops do not drop your guard. Be aware accidents do happen. The backfist used to get me everytime when I first started. I would just walk right into it. When you get hit by it enough you will see it coming . I just wanted to point all that out for anybody going into Karate in the near future... be afraid, very afraid of that yellow belt sparring partner. icon_lol.gif The only thing more dangerous is a Whitebelt (No pun intended )

True there is little ground work in Karate. We do punch to the face (controlled). We do spar, not just for points but we free spar head contact is allowed for upper belts. We also cover SD techniques and pressure points. The UFC is still a sport. It has rules. The rules tend to favor a grappler. It is not a reasonable demonstration of either arts skills and or weaknesses. If the striker is taken to the ground the grappler has the advantage. Standing up the striker has the edge. In a real situation a karateka is not trying to score points he is striking to disable. When is comes to self preservation it is a whole different ballgame.

The palm heel strike is also an excellent technique when you are in too close for a punch but a little too far away for an elbow strike. Its quite painful to the ribs (Ive been on the recieving end recently)

I visualize the sound of fist on flesh, the sound of bones breaking and joints popping.... In all seriousness I try to envision doing as much damage in the quickest most efficient way within my own physical abilities. There are many kata bunkai I would never even attempt to use, but it is good to visaulize them in order to expand your mind and creativity.

Don't give advice about what you don't understand. Certain styles teach slightly different techniques and stances. You don't need to be in a low stance to throw a hard reverse punch. This is to Shotochem by the way, the bluebelt who is critiquing a stance he probably learned a couple weeks ago. I was merely critiqueing by shotokan standards. The stance was poor by Shotokan standards and practices. You do not have to be insulting. I personally dont care about rank, it is irrelevant.......

Its no big deal. We practice it both ways. We generally go foward when starting a moving drill and step back when a standing in place drill or moving back. The reason.......its simple..... amount of floor space avalible at the time