hammer

Kyokushin dojo, promotion tests are 2-3 hours and cover kihon, kata, tameshiwari, and kumite, with a few sessions of PT thrown in. Higher ranks also do some self-defense. Basically, it's a more intense class. Nothing torturous, although you can get bumps and bruises from the kumite since it's spirited contact. Think it can get rough for the upper kyu and dan ranks since they have a lot more kumite rounds to get through. Toughest part of the test is the mental aspect...if you aren't ready physically or your technique and knowledge are not up to snuff the instructor should not let you test.

Right now, I look at this as a private business decision...if a school feels they want to have a vaccine policy they can implement one. If students don't want to abide, they can train somewhere else. As a 57 YO with underlying risk factors, I'm a big proponent of the vaccine to prevent serious illness. I had COVID in March, and I believe that the vaccines helped make my and my spouse's cases very mild. I'll most likely get the second booster in the fall and/or when they come out with a more targeted vaccine for Omicron. That all said, I'm not a fan of broad vaccine mandates since the current vaccines don't prevent spread. If they do at some point, I'll support them.

Training outside in a parking lot with grippy shoes was definitely a challenge, especially in the summer when it was a bit warm and humid. I miss training in the dojo, but breathing heavy inside a small space with 5-6 people outside of my household is way outside my comfort zone. With age and health issues, COVID is something I am doing my best to avoid.

When I went from TKD to Kyokushin several years ago I went from 4th Degree BB back to a white belt. Looking back on it I'm glad I did.

The bold type above is pretty much why I've not ever been a proponent of this teaching model. Doesn't mean that this teaching model isn't another means, just to many hiccups for all concerned. Imho. Given that there is no chance to train face to face, this is the next best thing. I'd bet that students have less bad habits with 3 months video instruction rather 3 months solo practice with no instruction. I think it all comes down to this...do you participate in video training knowing you may need to fix stuff when you can get back to the dojo, or do you wing it yourself or not bother to train? Once we can open things up I look forward to going back to the dojo...but for now I'm glad I have the opportunity to train with others even if the setup isn't the best. FWIW my sensei worked with me last Thursday on a few moves in the kata I am currently working on. Even with the video restrictions he was able to pick up on a few things I was doing wrong and gave me some pointers.

My sensei has been running Zoom classes for several weeks now. Taiso and kihon work out fine with limited space but I'd admit it would be more difficult if I were a junior student. Sensei is doing great given the limitations. Payment isn't an issue...even if the classes weren't available I'd still be paying my dues. Want the dojo to be there when we eventually get to opening things up. Will be interesting to see what bad habits I'll have to correct once we go back to regular classes.

Should have left it another day...here was the "evidence" of my prize: The countertop in one of my bathrooms even looks like this. No rubber duckie for me though.

Thanks! Now...I gotta go...

My instructor is holding virtual classes using Zoom. Most get in Gis and train. I missed last week but was "there" tonight. Did a lot of stuff that didn't require much movement. Once weather allows (it's snowing right now) Sensei has asked for us to provide videos of kata so he can provide input/advice. Outside of Karate I'm building up my running routine as much as weather and my lungs will allow. Asthma's worsened over the past few years so I can't run as far or as fast, but I'm back up to 10 miles/week and once weather gets warmer I'd like to increase to 5 miles per run. Just need to be mindful of good social separation with the increase in people walking.

Avoiding a fight if at all possible.

As long as the practitioner is in good health, and the expectations are managed, then why should there be age limits on any given style?

Just doing point sparring isn't good...you never know how effective your techniques are, and too often you race to get the one shot in. Just doing full contact isn't good...all you do is learn how to throw techniques out there and you will get hurt too often. We do a lot of light contact with occasional ramp-ups to moderate contact (depending on the sparring partner). Kyokushin isn't about point sparring so we don't do that, but I can see its usefulness for speed and strategy. Doesn't take as much thought to just go in there and slug it out.

Here's a good summary of why Osu means something different in Kyokushin: http://www.australiankyokushin.com/osu.shtml

Is this it? http://mashable.com/2018/01/10/man-slips-black-ice-driveway-fail/#LSa0v3ueGaqi

Happened to me almost 4 years ago...there was a break between the instructor and a number of other senior students who I still maintained contact with. Realized that it happens, but my instructor more or less said that I wouldn't be welcome if I maintained contact with the former students. At that point I decided to become another one of his former students. Found a different school in another style (which required me to more or less start from the beginning) and I haven't looked back.

I've been MA training for around 17 years and running for about 5 years...been dealing with some hamstring issues this year and I'm hoping PT will help. As with the OP, I'm also out of alignment...not sure if that or the hamstring issues came first. PT so far involves targeted core and leg exercises to try to fix the alignment issues and more stretching. Haven't been told to discontinue MA classes, but I've been told to try biking instead of running...I haven't been very compliant, it's just a lot easier to head out the door for a run, even if I can't do the distance or pace I used to. Been frustrating to not be able to kick any decent height, but I can look at this as an opportunity to work on leg kicks.

I'm guessing that this is when one shows up as a guest and not in any capacity as a student... In that case I don't bow but I may have unintentionally done so in the past.

In the kyokushin dojo I train at, we do light contact 99% of the time. Makes sense to train that way for a few reasons: Minimizes risk of injuries Allows one to experiment without the concern (fear?) of getting hurt Kicks to the head are OK and light head contact is also OK. Just enough to remind one to keep the hands up. Had a session outside the dojo a few months ago that included kumite with folks from various dojos. Despite being told to keep it light, some either forgot or couldn't do it properly. Unfortunately I'm still recovering from a bruised/broken rib as a result of a well executed but full contact hiza mawashi geri. When sparring out of the dojo and the rules and respect go out the widow; consider it as if walking out in to the real world.Self Defense rule 101: Protect yourself %100, %100 of the time, even more so when the word "friendly" is used to entice you in to a fight. You just have no idea what is going on in your opponent's head, perhaps he accidentally run over his favorite hunting dog, while in a rush to have a friendly bout with you! This was not a tournament or real life situation...it was a structured activity with fellow Kyokushin karateka from different dojos. Should I have avoided the hit? Sure, but in a LEARNING environment is it really appropriate to clock your opponent with a full contact hit?

I'm in a SoKyokushin dojo, not sure if there is an association rule or not but kyu grades tie the belt so that the stripe is on the left and dan grades are on the right. Just ask your instructor what is the accepted practice at your dojo.

In the kyokushin dojo I train at, we do light contact 99% of the time. Makes sense to train that way for a few reasons: Minimizes risk of injuries Allows one to experiment without the concern (fear?) of getting hurt Kicks to the head are OK and light head contact is also OK. Just enough to remind one to keep the hands up. Had a session outside the dojo a few months ago that included kumite with folks from various dojos. Despite being told to keep it light, some either forgot or couldn't do it properly. Unfortunately I'm still recovering from a bruised/broken rib as a result of a well executed but full contact hiza mawashi geri.

I'm back into a running routine for the summer...would like to get back to 4x/week but I'm at 3 for now. More longer distances (5+ miles per run) because I usually like to do a few races a year. Started running later in life and my running pace is more of a jog, but I do what I can... Sometimes I will do some light dynamic stretching before a run, mainly so I don't pull something. Most times I usually just go, figure as long as I don't run too fast at the beginning the first 1/2 mile or so will be the warmup. While I'm a big fan of running as a way to keep baseline cardio up, I have found that "running cardio" isn't quite the same as "karate cardio".

Echo what others have said...it's more about the school than about the style. Go with the school that fits your goals and desired instructional approach. FWIW in the Kyokushin dojo I train at, while we do our share of kumite training, there is also a big emphasis on technique. IMO the tougher workouts can be ones where we do kihon and/or kata. YMMV though...there are certainly plenty of Kyokushin dojos that emphasize more fighting/competition. I'm obviously biased, but I think that any school should include some training that involves at least moderate contact. I've trained at places that do nothing but point sparring and it was a real eye opener when I started in Kyokushin.

Pulled calf muscle a few times, broken toes twice. Have had bruised sternum, slightly bruised ribs, and bruised thigh from competition kumite...all took just a few weeks to recover.

SW Test Engineer for a small but well established company.

Thanks! I'll definitely continue to do Kata competitions...will have to see how things go for the semi contact fighting. I feel like I could go right out there again but that will change with time...