jarrettmeyer

Lifting the heel, for me anyway, is a function of hip rotation. More rotation, the heel comes up. Less/no rotation, the heel stays back. If I can get my opponent to not react (by tiring him out, having good timing, etc.) then follow through can be very damaging. If my opponent is on to my reverse, then I will expend energy without causing a lot of damage, and that's not a good combination. So, I'll pull my follow through, redirect, or do something else with the strike.

I think that MA is helping me by replacing false confidence with true confidence. I have always used cockiness as a front. Now, I find myself at a greater state of calm contemplation. Even at work, I am more slow to answer, but my answers have more meaning. Before, I would have just blurted something out just to prove that I knew what the answer was. As far as fighting goes, that doesn't really happen much in my suburbian world.

Those parents need to realize that their child's sparring partner is somebody else's child. IMO, that's the bigger disgrace here.

Yeah - exercise, love & sex, chocolate - they all do the same thing. They ramp up endorphins and seratonin. (Of course, cocaine and exstasy do this too at a much higher level with much greater consequences.) Endorphins are the bodies natural painkillers. Serotonins are the neural transmitters for the brain's pleasure center. Everything greenbelt_girl said is correct. And, if you do actually like the guy a little bit, that feeling will be amplified by the workout. taiji fajin --- geeks rule!

First of all, I am assuming that this is your profession. I don't see how anyone could do all this and have job or family obligations. If so, I'm coming to train with you, because I'd love to quit my job and do MA all the time. Now if I could just get my wife to agree.... That being said, I hope your diet is superb. You are going to need tons of nutrients and protein for your body to be able to rebuild itself and lots of good carbs to sustain the necessary energy levels. Are you trying to do this only on natural foods (i.e. animal/vegetable proteins and carbs) or do you take supplements? Can your body really do this? If so, WOW!, I am amazed!

At my dojo, we separate full speed, full power, and full contact. Because of safety reasons, we (obviously) can never be doing all 3 at once. We call it full contact when all techniques are allowed - all punches, all kicks, throws, locks, etc. - anything you can think of. We start out wearing punches, kicks, cup, head gear, and mouthguard. The black belts just wear cup and mouthguard. We practice full power only under very controlled conditions, and even then not for very long periods of time (yet). Both parties know what techniques are going to be used. Even if you're supposed to tap out, you can only have your shoulder wrenched so many times before the darn thing just aches all night. I am just starting to get into full power curriculum. Even block a full power reverse punch with a full power shuto is a wake up call for both aggressor and defender. A lot of trust. On unblocked techniques, you're not supposed to make contact, but I've seen it happen, and it isn't always pretty. When working bunkai, some BB's do full power kata. That's pretty nifty to watch. Finally, we do most things full speed, wheter full power or full contact. Start slow and build.

I would say use whatever works at the time it is necessary. If you were serious at the time you learned it, then your previous style is a part of you. But do not do so to the point that you neglect what you are trying to learn now. If you are supposed to be working specific techniques, then you should do so. At our dojo, when working slow, we are only supposed to use what we have been or are currently being taught. It is practice, and everyone is supposed to be on the same level. When we do freestyle, anything goes. I have surprised several partners when no one expects a white belt to know any throws. Typically, you wouldn't start learning them until blue or purple belt. Some retained wrestling knowledge certainly helps. If your sensai gets upset, that is a completely different problem. No one should get upset at an effective move, whether it is part of a given style or not. I don't know how you'd handle that.

At our dojo, you may wear you BB from another style, but you'll start back at the white belt level unless you show proficiency to indicate otherwise. We have three students who wear BB's even though they are studying at the 10th, 7th, or 2nd kyu level. Sensai says, "I will not take away what you have earned."

I'm just a kid at the young, tender age of 26, but let me tell you, we have a 49 year old at our dojo, and he is still fast. He can't hook-heel to the head anymore. He doesn't do the spinning back kick anymore. None of that makes him any less effective. He might work only a half dozen techniques, and all of them will land - every time. Of course, fast is a relative term. Maybe he's just faster than everyone else. That works, too. The KISS principle at work.

Hey, I had this same problem when I started! You're right, you're straining the tendons. First, when you get loosened up, be sure to stretch your ankles/lower legs. Typically, we spend a lot of time on arms and legs that we forget about the feet and ankles. Second, you are probably landing flat-footed into you Zenkutsu Dachi (at least I was). As you would up and down the mat, keep your eyes level and place the foot in place. What I would do is put the foot down hard enough that when I then put my body weight onto my leg, I would actually push too far laterally and not enough forwards. Relaxation helped solve this problem, since now I try to glide into place, not step into place. The pain comes back, but now it takes a good hour of kata, not 10 minutes of moving up and down the mat. But the problem is the same - I start getting tired and sloppy.

Wow, nice thread topic. Regarding public image --- I think that Hollywood and UFC promoters will always have more say in how the general public will view MA. After 6 months now, my mother still thinks that all MA is Satanic and that I'll go to hell. I've tried explaining to her that it's not religious, but she just doesn't get it. My point is that the mass group-think about MA will prevail. The best we can do is find the people who are interested in MA, then help mold their opinions. Regarding kata (Creating new kata) --- I've said this before. I compare kata to music. Many people are good enough to write music (i.e. create new kata). They know the music theory (i.e technique) and instruments (i.e. body) well enough to build a song. However, very few people really know music well enough to make it really meaningful (i.e. the kata, although technically sound, lacks depth). Just listen to the radio. There's a couple hundred pop artists out there, all doing the same thing. They're very good at what they do, but who is really doing something different? I don't hear any life on the radio today. I think that you have got to do your Martial Arts. There are too many people for which MA holds too much meaning. It won't always be flashy or spectacular or revenue-generating, but it will always be.

There are various levels of hardcore. There's a difference between 10 reps, 100 reps, and 1000 reps. Personally, I don't consider 100 to be hardcore. I just do what I'm told. If my instructor told me to work until my arms and legs were so stiff that I could barely drive home, I would. Wait. He's done that. When I read some of the other stuff on this board, I feel blessed that he is not as strict as many of the other instructors I read about.

He's your friend, right? Go watch/participate in a few classes. See what happens. From outside that wall, that school is whatever you want it to be. Only on the inside will you find the answers you seek. (Wow, that sounded really philosophical. Sorry.)

So, you think I should wear one, but you wouldn't wear one. Why the discrepancy?

I do pilates and karate. I find that they are very complimentary.

I was sparring Friday night and got popped in the nose twice by my instructor. Not bad enough to bleed, but I wasn't bruising was enough that I was breathing through my mouth this weekend. My instructor wants me to get a face mask. I don't want to wear one. Since it's point sparring, the first hit counts. I've been taking some body shots, so I've dropped my guard. The good news is that the body shots are being blocked. I know this is a bad habit because I'm using a sparring rule to pick up a bad technique. Face contact is not allowed at my level, but the sides and back of the head are valid targets. I get a little upset because my instructor should have the control to know not to punch me in the nose. As he was apologizing, he claims that I come in harder and faster than anyone he has sparred before, and instinct kicks in. His argument: It's safer, and I would prefer that you wear one. Accidents happen. It's for your own safety. Until you learn to protect your face, you should wear it. My arguments: If I would cover better, that wouldn't happen. If I ever have to defend myself outside this dojo, my attacker will not consider the face off limits. If I wear one, I will rely on equipment to do something I should be doing myself. I should use this safe environment as an opportunity to improve. Ego aside, I think we're both right. Could someone please tell me who's more right?

When did students start getting a say in class activities? **** Edit **** That being said, I guess that you can drill students on something that would teach the high block, but be less boring. Have the students pair up, with attacker throwing hammerfists from above. (If they're young, you can use the padded sticks.) Go light at first, and make sure that the block is actually working. Then gradually pick up the tempo and contact. This should not only reinforce the block movement, but also get the student to get used to actually blocking.

You've got to find her motivation for not wanting to move on. Is she not comfortable with her current technique? Does she need to slow down, maybe go back to the beginning? Did she have a rough day at work and doesn't really want to work out? Is she bored, and this really isn't the thing for her? Is there a self-esteem issue that needs to be dealt with first? Is it a matter of coordination? Are her feet messing up because she's never really done anything like this before? Do you need to try doing some sports drills that many kids do to improve general athleticism? (Run through tires, go play Dance Dance Revolution, etc.) The list goes on and on... Until you can find out her motivation, the problem will not go away. I would bet that there is something else bothering her. You, as a teacher, need to find that deeper problem to fix this surface issue.

I apologize that you were offended by my comments. Physics, biology, statistics, chemistry, computers - this is what I know. MA - that I'm new at. This is what happens when engineers start hobbies. Let's just take 100 of these. (Since I tried 40 and my legs were on fire after that, so 500 seems like an enormous number right now.) It should be apparent that if you do 100 in 400 seconds, that's a big difference than doing 100 of the same quality in 100 seconds. The second version will generate and develop more power than the first. The post I was responding to said that this exercise won't generate power. I disagree. The problem when you start dealing in very large numbers is that most people will settle into a rythm that is less than maximum ability. The same thing happens when you lift. My friends and I used to take some time on the bench press, put on 75 pounds, and keep going until we couldn't - one set. That was doing something entirely different than working our standard 80% max press. That being said, if you really can do 40 or 100 or even 500 of these full speed, full explosiveness, this will build power, just like doing squats and hip sled.

"You don't know something unless you know it well enough to teach it." I don't know who said it first, but I wholeheartedly believe it true. This would be a good opportunity for you more experienced student to teach something he learned a few months ago. (I know you don't do kata, so just take this as an example.) I was taught my first kata by a green belt. Could she have been working on her own material? Sure, but other black belts were helping others work on higher kata, and she was the only person left willing to help. I was especially grateful for her help, and she got to work an early kata that she hadn't practiced in a few months. Your older student may forget something, and that's okay. It's a learning experience for everyone involved.

If we hooked up a machine to read muscle output, we'd know the answer, but here's what I bet happens.... (1) When you start this, your squat is really deep, and you launch yourself as high as you can. This is working fast-twitch muscles, same as sprinting. (2) As you continue, your squat is higher and your launch is lower. Eventually, you are working slow-twitch muscles. You will settle into a rythm. Depending on the capability of your muscles, you can stay explosive longer. Maybe the first 20 are explosive, the next 20 are trading off, and the last 460 are endurance. If you have better energy control, you might be able to maintain the explosiveness longer. Example: If you do 150 pound squats and weigh 170 pounds, that's a big difference from being able to do 240 pound squats and still only weighing 170 pounds. The second guy can stay explosive longer. Because his body weight is a more suitable proportion of his maximum ability. Pushups are the same way. If I do clap pushups, where you pushup hard enough that you have time to clap at the highest point, then catch myself as I come back down, I can only do about 20. If I settle into a rythm - up, down, up, down, 1, 2, 1, 2 - I can do about 50. I'm working two types of muscles. Everyone should recognize that you need to work both types of muscles. A good alternative to this would be to do one super deep, super high vault, then follow that by 4 rythmic vaults. Work a cycle. This is the same idea behind a previous thread that said walk 60 seconds, jog 30 seconds, run 30 seconds, sprint 60 seconds, run 30 seconds, jog 30 seconds, repeat. Continue this over a 2 - 3 mile stretch, and it's the best of both worlds. (If you're really good, get rid of that walk part altogether and join the to jog parts into one 60 second job.)

There are amateur boxers out there, too. They have jobs, but still they train alot when not at work. To my understanding, Chinese and Okinawan MA used to be like this. When the Japanese got ahold of MA, they structured the teaching, and it became an organized class. If you say, "I'm a boxer," no one questions what you do. Look at boxers on TV, or go watch Rocky. What are the stories about? Training, training, training. Running, weights, heavy bags, medicine balls. Then train some more. If you say, "I do karate," see this post. People think of knifehands, extended kiais, or shooting fireballs. Even my mother thought that karate was Satanistic. Public mentality plays a big roll in what karate is. Demanding this level of training of all karateka? I don't know about that. I think that you have to become the type of martial artist that you want to be. Martial arts is great for everyone because martial arts will become what you want it to become. If you put that much of your blood and soul into it, you will reap huge dividends. To require this level of training means to deny all practicioners who are looking for something less "hardcore". The idea that at some level, martial arts is for nearly everybody is amazing. Edit: fixed typos.

Sure it will. Power = (mass) * (distance)^2 * (time)^(-3) big mass = more power more distance covered = more power shorter amount of time = more power Don't confuse power and force. If I do this with a backpack full of cinder blocks, that's force.

Oh yeah, the pushups! Essential to go-drill. If your instructor says you're at the level to throw at least 6 techniques and you only throw 5, that's 5 pushups. Only throw 4? That's 10 pushups. You get 5 pushups for every 1 technique short of the required number. Regardless how many you throw, you don't stop until a hit actually lands. Rarely, the first will land. I've seen a few people with really fast feet who can get that first one, but again, very rarely. Usually, it lands on the 3rd or 4th. If you're supposed to launch 6 techniques and you still haven't landed a hit, then you're not done go-drilling. Then there's the student who gets hit by 4 out of 6 techniques. Wouldn't want to be him. While you're on the receiving end of go-drill, you've got to be nimble, block, trap, etc. Just don't get hit.

Althought I don't hate it when people ask such questions, I do agree with 7*. Go to class today, regardless of your physical condition. Several years ago, I was considering starting TKD, and I never did. I had friends who did it, and they were able to do the splits. So I said, "When I can do the splits, I'll start going to class with you guys." I stretched for all of a week, and I never went to class. Last year, I started karate. And it's great! I knew that I had to just get out there and start training. The conversation literally went, "We offer two weeks free." "Great, I'll see you tonight," I replied. There was less than a day between when I thought I might want to go and showing up. The weight started to come off and the body conditioning was getting there because I went to class. I am convinced that the change was so dynamic because of karate. MA inspired me to work out on off nights, stretch daily, practice kata, and get off the couch. And I still can't do those splits.