June1

*we punch once* That is what Sensei calls your hardest punch. *we punch again* That is our harder than hardest punch. *we punch once more* That is called our harder than harder hardest punch! He does that mainly with the younger classes.

Oh, my gosh... I just checked out that website, and just how long does it take to do even one of those tricks?! Years?

Guten Tag, Erin!

I'm at 5-6 hours, but I expect that to increase over the next few weeks. Woe is me.

I don't know just how effective this may be, but maybe you could try some uppercuts or knee kicks/strikes. I also agree with the others who mentioned using side steps. That should help greatly! Let us know how it works out!

Last week was the first time I ever forgot my belt! Luckily, there are always others lying around in the back rooms, and such. I've also forgotten things like sports bras. One time, I lost one, and months later, it floated up in the lost and found. You just never know.

Well, I'm not an instructor, but in one of my classes (filled with people of all ages), we played this hilarious game in which all students walk or jog around the dojo. Then, the sensei or instructor calls out a number, and the students must get into groups that contain that number of people. Whoever is left out must do 5 push-ups. It sounds boring, but people get really into it, and really crazy. It's very exciting!

LOL! Oh, man, that's good!

I do too!

Welcome to the forums AND to the art of Shotokan!

Does your avatar have anything to do with your tattoo, Empress Atagi?

I speak English, Spanish, and a good amount of French! Languages are one of my very favourite subjects! I'll be learning Hungarian next year as well! It's one of the most difficult (if not THE most difficult) languages to learn.

Oh, man... I hope that everything goes well, and that you and your family and everyone you know, for that matter, stay very safe! I'll pray for you!!!

Oh, man... Katas are definitely my favourite thing to do in the dojo! For a workout with a bang, when you learn more katas, try doing them one after another, taking no more than a breath's break in between each one. By the ending, you should be panting!

Perhaps all you really need is just more experience and practice with people striking at you. If you do it enough, you'll become accustomed to seeing certain strikes come at you, and it should come very naturally. Slowly but surely, the hesitation will fade away, and you'll feel better blocking. I hope this helps a bit.

Starting uni on the 7th of September. I guess I'm excited, but I'm more apprehensive. The workload will be hell, I'm sure. I wish I were living on residence, though.

He he. Tell me about it. I played the violin for about 2 years. It was okay; kinda tricky, though. A few years later, I tried to play "Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star" again, for old times' sake, and it was impossible... Poor violin.

Actually, the word, "fug," in England has a similar definition to the word, "fog."

LOL. I can't, but I imagine the trick is to keep at it, practice daily, and use the wall at first for support. Good luck!

Cried last book, cried even more this book. J.K. Rowling knows how to write!!! As much as I tried to predict things, those two major events just came out of nowhere. And that cave scene... wow. It was unbelievable, so emotional... *sigh*

Wow! Congratulations! You AND your sensei? That's quite an honour! Keep practicing hard and let us know how it went!

If this is true... how would you be able to put Vaseline on the circles if your brothers were there? Wouldn't they notice...? If this is just a joke... LOL! ^-^

That's a good idea. If it's a white belt, you could even try one of those bleach pens.

If I ever get a dog, perhaps I should name it something MA-related... That would be really interesting. My old hamster's name was "Baby."

LOL. Congratulations on the stripe, karateka477!