parkerlineage

Great insight!

450 square feet should be big enough for small classes, I would think. What are the dimensions (as in length/width)? Your kata can't move around that much, can they? If you start out evenly spaced, you should be able to pull it off, I would think. Peace; Parkerlineage

I started messing with Isometric Tension while I was on vacation...I'm seeing more strength already! That's good, right?

Lots of replies...just got back from vacation... I think that some of you are right...he may feel that he isn't part of the "dojo family", as he has been gone. He also wasn't like this until he recieved his shodan, as well. We hardly stop after the first hits, however...there's always time to counter, that's a rule...if you pull out before there's been plenty of hits, you deserve it. I'm talking I did a good four hits and he got one before I pulled out. Peace; Parkerlineage

Crazy kicks, baby!

Yup...I figure, if I'm going to end up with it, may as well give it to everyone else! Just kidding...really? I had wondered...my first two knuckles are quite overgrown...anything I can do to stop that?

Congrats! Mine almost makes you more nervous, just to test you.

Let me get this straight...you want bigger...hands? Do you mean grip muscles? Knuckles? Or just overall size? Grip muslces, they have lots of fun little squeezy toys...knuckles...do lots of knuckle push-ups and punch hard surfaces (but not too hard or too much)...overall size...get a different body.

Dude, you get stripes for everything! You could have a zebra belt...that would be awesome!

Think of them as a memory jogger - you see them, you remember camp, you remember what you learned. It's a sign that you put in a lot of hard work. Of course, I'm from the ultra-traditionalist school of "don't wash your belt ever ever ever". You won't lose your skill, or you knowledge, or your respect as a MArtist. I think it really just depends on whether or not you're okay with having grass stains on it. If they bug you, wash your belt. btw, what rank are you? If you're going to be getting rid of this belt soon, why wash it? If you're a black belt, or a belt you'll have for a while, and it bugs you, again, wash it. My humble two cents; Parkerlineage

haha, darn, you stole my idea. I'm doing it anyway. i dont know, i would say good but i dont realy know what good it can do, lol, i wouldnt worry about it

I hate it when people are always right, and you can't convince them otherwise. Thank you all for your opinions. Parkerlineage

Quite true...beating puppies is sad, though. Again, probably true. Hardly. I come here looking for the opinions of marital artists whom I respect. Never validation, and never reassurance. I'm willing to hear that I was wrong. Haha...okay, you got me there. So, I guess I have to put some blame on my instructor...I think I'll just avoid fighting this guy again.

I agree that double promotion should not be done - with very few exceptions. For example, the only double promotion I know of at my dojo - just recently, as a matter of fact, a little girl (8 years old) wanted to join. Her brother (10 years old) had been in for a few months, and was 8th kyu. This little girl loved karate so much, she had watched her brother do everything, and knew all the kata and techniques before I even got to teach her. So, I refined her techniques, let my head instructor check her out, and she started out as an 8th kyu - essentially skipping 9th kyu (white). I really don't think there's anything horribly wrong with that, but anything higher than skipping 9th kyu should be a no-no. In my humble opinion. Peace; Parkerlineage

Wow...lots of responses... Many people inferred that it may have been my instructor's fault. Of course, I'm highly biased in my instructor's favor...but anyway, he does control the floor in the beginning classes, but as you can see from the list of people that were there, this is the most advanced class. He essentially figures that we can solve things on our own, by now, which I feel is correct. We train for street effectiveness, and on the street, you won't have the instructor to tell the guy to back off. He will, however, discuss it with this guy. I know that for a fact - if someone complains, the person is talked to, and if it continues for much longer, something will be done about it. btw, the shodan that my instructor dropped was the same guy, sorry if that sentence sounded confusing. No, we're both shodan. Technically, he had his shodan before me, but I had my junior black long before he had his shodan. I was trying to teach him - albiet with a glimmer of attacking - and I certainly maintained control of my techniques. To the best of my knowledge, I told the story exactly as I told it here. Thanks for your replies! Peace; Parkerlineage

Ouch.

As I've said, I don't want to be a bodybuilder or look like I have several snakes inside my body trying to escape when I flex. I just want to have a little more mass behind my strikes. If I knew jack about cars, I would agree with you. But I don't, so I'm just going to nod and smile... I do get what you're saying, though, and I think I agree with you.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think bunkai are very similar to our techniques...and if that's the case, I know somewhere over 120 bunkai.

Hear, hear!

Tonight was sparring class - it was small, only a first kyu, a junior black, me, a second dan, and my instructor. We went through our drills, kata, technique, etc., then got ready to spar. At this time, another first dan who has been in and out of training for the last few months showed up in his street clothes, with some random friend. He put on his gi pants, but no belt, with a Scooby-Do t-shirt (that wasn't even tucked in, as is the rule for our official workout t-shirts). This guy (19 years old) has always been very cocky, arrogant, and is known for cheap shots and late hits. In our dojo, we practice a kind of continuous within reason sparring - we go several solid hits, and then back off when one person has had enough, touch gloves, and go again. This is rather hard to get used to when you first start, but at our level (he's been training almost as long as me), you know when to stop. He never does, even when people call him on it. So, I got to him, and the first thing he does, after I hit him with a good combo and start to back off, was punch me full bore in the face. This was well after he knew I was done fighting. I shook it off, and the second round, he did it again. I figured something had to be done, so the next time, I did my combo, then threw a full-bore, knock-out punch at his face, but pulled it before I hit, so it stopped in front of him. He gave this cocky little head toss he always does, kind of laughed, and then punched me in the face again as I was backing off. I was seriously angry now. He knew that we were done...it had been a good three seconds since I hit him last. Usually, I'm very good at removing emotion from my fighting, but, for what was probably the first time, I was really ticked. The next round, I drilled his face/head with a six punch combo, then a spinning heel-hook to the side of the head. He looked a little dazed, but after we touched gloves, he came in hard. I knew this was only going to escalate, but I didn't care. Uppercut to the jaw, front kick to the chest, sweep up through the face, and then axe-kick to the collarbone. I was livid. This went on for the next two minutes, until the round was over, and needless to say, I beat the living weasel out of him. I don't claim to be the greatest fighter in the world (I suck at tournament fighting) but I can beat anybody other than my instructor at my dojo. When I was finished fighting the next person (the first kyu, who is testing for first dan in a few months and is a very good fighter), I asked him to trade rotation with me, because I knew I was only going to end up seriously hurting the other guy if I kept fighting him. Afterward, I asked my instructor if what I did was wrong, and he told me no. My instructor himself dropped the same first dan with a hammerfist to the back of the neck after the guy repeatedly late-shotted him. But questions still remain in my mind...the main one being... Was I wrong to do what I did?

Attach the new color? So your belts are all rainbow and stuff when you get high ranked, or am I confused?

Supposedly it takes 5 years to get a black belt in AK, but it depends on how hard you train, how often you go to class, and how well you pick it up. Some people take a lot longer - and, of course, there's the age requirements that make it so people like me take 10 years to get it.

I completely agree with you, clueless (hehe, sorry, that made me laugh). If you're willing to put in the time, anything is effective - for example, I'd sooner splinter my fingers with a swordhand, but some people in Japan train until they can splinter boards. The same with high kicks - I've trained until I can kick about seven feet high from standing, and maintain my balance, etc., and I know when to throw them. I appreciate and respect your humble approach, clueless...but don't be afraid to speak your mind! Peace; Parkerlineage

That's one of the great things about AK - you can change it to what suits you best. Seeing as I'm not capable of providing enough power to kill people with one strike, I hit them with three really fast hits that provide the same result. I will pm, you, Kajukenbopr. Peace; Parkerlineage

Nice...how'd you manage that?