RavenX

You could always ask an Asst. Instructer if there are any...they are generally more open to those sorts of questions...

It's been funny reading this topic, because my school falls into the pattern of having a male head instructer, and then having a pretty even distribution of males and females throughout the school. The teaching staff is actually completely even in my school (aside from the sensei's, there are 4 males and 1 female...) but the rest of the staff consists of an even number of female's to males. Honestly, the reason I think there aren't as many female head instructers is because they are worlds better at Cardio Kickboxing and such. That's where they shine, and the karate aspect is where male's shine. A lot of karate dojos that I know of have multiple programs like that, and the women are much better at the fitness aspect then the men are ^_^ just a thought...

Arrogance = No new material If you can't be humble and accepting of the material you have, you don't deserve any more.

Just like there are all different types of styles of karate, I beleive that there are many different types of students, instructors, and sensei's. Some people are better at forms, some better at self defense. What I'm getting at is, it all depends on what type of person you are. I would NEVER require ANYONE to compete in a tournament if the (a) didn't want to and (b) if I knew they wouldn't stand a chance. Tournaments should be a good thing, a confidence boost. If they want to compete yes, but FORCING them? NO.

Actually, in my opinion, sparring at any age is beneficial. When your 4 it's safe, fun and you LIKE to spar. Also it gives you a good idea of how your using the things you learn in class. 8 - 10 year olds can learn very good self control, and fighting concepts from a sparring experience too. Anything older then that can be taught sparring at the level that you already teach it at.

Oh! I can feild this one pretty well actually! There is a girl in our school that is full of herself. Granted, she's goood, but not THE BEST. So, at the end of every class I make sure that I ask all the students to name at least 1 thing they have learned in that class, and something that they need to work on. Now, most cocky people (like her) will say that they can't think of anything. That's when you have to think of something for yourself. Personally I like to recomend to them that they can practice their stances, or shadow boxing, or pushups, something that everyone really does need work on. This method not only makes them see that they aren't as good as they think they are, it gets the whole class thinking about what they could be doing better on. If that doesn't work, then the sparring idea is the next best thing ^_^

I think it's a great idea! You should go for it! And it's a good way to help out your mom!

I always love kickiboxing classes. There are some good ones. Just simple front kicks with 2 punches at a fast cardio pace is a GREAT way to have a good workout.

Well, here is my situation. I have a really complicated bo form that I do in tournaments and I want people's opinions of whether I should get a lighter graphite bo, or a heavier one because of the momentum value...There are a lot of spins and thows in my form to let everyone know...so which one would be better? Light, or heavy?

Surprisingly i've found that mental retardation is the easiest disability to work around. Although their mind may not be able to handle complex ideas, or grasp things as fast as other people, so of my favorite students (not to be biased) have metal disabilities. They really WANT to learn.

The head instucter at our school doesn't allow us to play games with the kids >> he's like: "This is karate, not playtime!"

Wow...my school has a completely different approach to sparring. Instead of the seemingly dominant philosphy of "it's all in the reflexes" we try to tell our students that you have to plan what to do. Look for different openings and plan your attacks based on them. If you practice just looking for when someone's hands are down, or watching your opponents moves for a few seconds, you can plan your attacks much better.

A way to imporve your reflexes that's really easy is: 1) Get a partener with 2 hand pads. 2) Design a set of punches in which you have to constantly move your hands. 3) Next, add in a specific part where your partner will try to hit you with a certain kind of punch. 4) Make sure your hands are up, or you punch that pad ^_^ What this does: While your doing this controlled set, your constantly reacting to your partener. Your reflexes develop even thougth you know what's coming.

hmm...in my school there is a set time that it generally takes everyone to go through the ranks. For the first few ranks (white - yellow, etc.) it takes about 2 months per rank, then 3 months per rank...then once you hit black belt (after an estimated 3 - 4 years) then it takes anywhere between 1 and 5 years per rank.

I'm going for my green belt next month, and I have to do 225 perfect pushups(not in a row) for it. Now, I can barely do 100, can anyone suggest a good workout program to steadily increase that number over the few months? (i'm sure I can b.s. it for the test >>)