vertigo

Welcome to the forums!

I also wear insoles/orthodics in my shoes... but have never noticed any effect on my balance. I don't think it should have any adverse effects on balance and/or body alignment. (I think )

I don't know... 500 is quite a bit, and this isn't exactly easy enough to begin with! I think it would be pretty effective at building leg power.... I tried this a bit this afternoon, and found it pretty tough Not a bad idea at all...

Ahh, I see. Well, since I'm not the greatest book/website guru here, I will defer to their opinions. Good luck in your search.

Hmm... I don't know of any off the top of my head. There are bunkai for every kata though (to my understanding) . When I first started learning katas, my sensei went over the bunkai for them. That's my recommendation to you also, I guess. Ask your sensei about them; he/she'll be able to explain them better than a website.

Welcome to the forums, Faust

Welcome to the forums, Apobiosis

Congratulations! Keep it up

Phew! I thought it was just my computer acting up! Good to see we're back up and running, Patrick.

^ :lol: nice...

Always remember... a tournament isn't necessarily to win medals. It's a place to learn If you lose (and I guess if you win too), watch your opponents, and see what you can pick up for next time. (and remember what everyone else said too I don't know that much about sparring, so I wouldn't be the one to give tips about that) Have fun at your tournament

Welcome to the forums

burpees? explain...

Uh huh... sure it is. Let's see... vertigo. Yeah, my name comes from halfway the same line as Kieran-Lilith's... I used to play a lot of flight games, and that was pretty much my callsign... doesn't make a whole lot of sense when I think back to it... who would want vertigo while flying?

No, that's a perfectly reasonable point. You're right though, I was kind of formulating my opinion as I typed... that's why I start to contradict myself a bit.

Good question. I don't know if I can answer "does it help my self-defense?", as I really haven't had a lot of tournament experience, nor much freesparing/self defense training. I definitely find that competitions help my karate (note: I didn't necessarily say self-defense) a lot. You learn a lot about your kata when you perform it 11 times in a row and tear all kinds of blisters in your feet (and yourself too.. it took a little bit more will power that 11th time around ) I also learn a lot going through the kumite divisions in tournaments. Facing a completely new opponent from who-knows-where is a little more unpredictable than facing your buddy from the dojo. You have to be ready for anything and it takes a bit of a different mental approach. Does that mean that since my karate has improved, my self defense has improved? Probably... as they're connected, albiet losely at my level, where I do not do much work with any manner of free sparring, though I do know a lot of applications. argh. I lied! I accidentally tricked myself into answering the question. Just my thoughts ($10 says someone will disagree with me within 5 posts! )

Yep.. I know we don't (once again though, I'm not goju ryu ). It's possible that you could just test at certain times during the year. If you really want to know? Ask your sensei.

I pulled mine during a basketball open gym about two years ago... not fun, couldn't walk well for a while. A week recovery time... yeah, that sounds about right Good luck recovering (and don't try to come back, say for example, tommorow. Let it heal and come back 100% )

I agree. When I started shotokan, I simply joined, no experience or knowledge whatsoever! You'll be taught what you need to know when you get there. Good luck!

that's always a nice bonus for cleaning your room

Absolutely not! I started shotokan karate at 18 You're never too old to start

Well... trying not to duplicate any of the above (which is tough ): Keeps me sane on rough weeks at school I really enjoy the challenge of continually getting better

I like this approach... even though I'm nowhere near a karate sensei, I am fairly proficient at golf and have helped some of the people on my high school golf team with their swings. Took the same approach. I saw about 20 things wrong, but hearing 20 things at once won't work... give them one or two, and when they get that, then go on to the next. Very good point, JusticeZero

Agreed. I have never been seriously injured before.. but I have seen people try to come back too soon from a serious injury (most commonly a torn ACL in basketball.. not pretty); and it usually ends up delaying the recovery procedure. I realize that it would be tough to not come back as soon as possible... but have patience. It'll probably pay off. Good luck with your recovery.

2 reasons: 1) On the off chance that one time you'll find yourself in a situation where it won't be "play" and you'll need to see as much as possible at all times. 2) When sparring, blinking will give the opponent (if he's quick enough) a window where you will not see what is going on (once again.. a short window, but if you're sparring a skilled artist, he will make use of it), and that will hurt your sparring ability overall.