hammer

Congrats...sounds like it was quite the test.

Have not been a part of a school that punishes with push-ups so perhaps I can't relate, but if a student isn't focused enough to perform one or more techniques properly (or is just having a hard time with a technique), then isn't holding off on promotions or testing until said student is proficient a sufficient motivator? I can see the need for "punishment" for disrespect issues but I don't see the need to punish students who are just having difficulty in class. Maybe I'm alone in this but MA has not come easily to me and I know there are times when I'm just struggling to get a technique right. At that time I don't need to do push-ups.

That all sounds pretty similar to the class I'm in, although being in an adult-only class we tend not to have issues with people chatting so the instructor doesn't have to deal with that.

Just curious what other MAs would think of their class environment...in my current class I'd consider it to be relaxed but very focused. Previous experiences were less relaxed but not completely militaristic.

Do you find the rules prohibiting hand techniques above the shoulders to be limiting? I haven't done any open sparring yet (too new) and holding back from throwing punches to the face will be a challenge, even if the punches I was used to throwing were non-contact.

I don't go round shouting it, but I don't hide it. If people are interested, then I talk about it - this is also a way to get people interested This. I know that MA is more than just an activity or workout to me, but to others not involved it seems that way. People talk about other activities and sports in their lives like golf, fishing, etc, why should we be silent about something that is a part of us?

The Kyokushin workouts have been kicking my butt, I've realized that I need a LOT more strength and core training. Not that we didn't work hard in the TKD school I was previously at, but there was more emphasis on technique than conditioning. So far I'm glad I made the change. Only part of the class that is a step backwards from what I used to do in TKD is the kata...at this point the kata I'm doing are pretty basic. That's not an issue for now since I need to adapt my stances and techniques, but I hope to be able to learn more involved kata soon.

Thanks everyone!

Figured I'd follow up on this thread...after being bothered about the whole situation for several days I just decided to make a break from the club. Basically I just stopped going to class and took a few months off from MA. I wasn't worried about the pre-paid classes. I do hope things go well for the club and I still have the utmost respect for the instructors and masters...but I just didn't feel comfortable about the expectations on loyalty and I needed to go on my own path. Started up at a local small Kyokushin school a few weeks ago and it's been great so far...to be a white belt again...

Didn't know anything about it at all until I saw that there was a local dojo. Still in the trial phase (only been to 3 workouts) but so far I really like what I see. Main concern is preventing injuries from the full contact sparring but will see how that goes.

This. Been there done that on the belt ranks in TKD. Actually nice to be a white belt again.

Just curious what you didn't like about the class...was it related to the style at all? I'm transitioning from TKD over to Kyokushin and in all honesty even with the years of TKD experience the Kyokushin workouts kick my 49 YO butt pretty well. Main area that's more basic at this point are the forms, which I'm not surprised by since in the TKD club I learned all of the forms done there.

Vocabulary is tough since in my previous style all of the techniques were in English and now I have to learn the Japanese terms for techniques in my new style. Flexibility and balance are challenges but I'd have to say the hardest part for me is coordination and speed. I was not athletic in my youth and it seems my brain wasn't wired well in that way. Just means I have to be more patient when learning new techniques.

I'm moving from non-contact TKD point sparring to Kyokushin...and after just a few basic classes I am already seeing the utility of doing contact sparring. As others have said, there is a place for both. Just hoping that the contact is at a reasonable level, good enough for conditioning but not to the point of injury.

Personally I find that doing cardio (running) outside the dojo gives me some additional stamina that helps me to do karate workouts more intensely. I'm more of the opinion, nevertheless, that the best way to get in shape for a karate workout is to do a karate workout.

This, and to always be improving.

Been thinking about this lately...while I'm not concerned about going to a White Belt, I'd hope that after 14 years experience in a different style (TKD) that at least some skills and techniques would transfer over and I could advance quickly to the appropriate rank for my skills.

Regarding the statement to use control...kind of hard to avoid hard contact when being charged. Guessing the older teenager needed to learn a lesson about charging and your son was willing to help him. Congrats to your son.

Here are some short responses based on my personal experience...YMMV: 1. Focus on the body and only worry about those techniques that matter, don't chase stuff that wouldn't land or score a point. Also look for the openings when your opponent makes a move. 2. Conditioning and relaxation...you may be tense when sparring which wastes energy. Gets better with time. 3. No advice there, I'd rather get that in class.

For our BB tests, stopping during a kata is an automatic fail, so we were always told that if we lost our way to make something up and get back to center. Better to get a bad grade on one kata then to botch the whole test. Nice recovery.

OK, so is this person still allowed in the dojo and if so why?

What was the diagnosis from the Dr? Any possibility of something other than an NSAID or a different NSAID? Also if you are taking that much Ibuprofen you may want to consider some kind of acid blocker or reducer to protect your GI tract. Just a few basics from my experiences with these meds, I'm not a Dr. and I slept at home last night. Hope you feel better soon.

I'd advise to get to the Dr., may be just a bruise but you never know if there was an actual break. Would not want to mess around with this.

Nice demonstration. Now if I could see someone over 40 years old doing the same kinds of kicks...that would be a real inspiration.

Get it checked to make sure you aren't doing anything to make it worse. Had a bad MA moment a few years ago (poorly executed block) and injured my right pinky finger. GP said it wasn't broken (and didn't request x-rays) but it still looks off so I think the GP was wrong. Fortunately it doesn't look that far off.