ShotokanKid

I really thought it was an interesting read and an interesting theory.

Thanks all for your advice I think I'm going to talk to one of the other instructors and ask him how to bring it up.

So do you think I should just tell him what I told you guys?

Haven't posted on KF in a while. I'm in high school, and I do Shotokan Karate. I love doing karate, but I'm getting a little bit frustrated right now. I would like your advice on how to handle this. We have a tournament coming up that my dojo is hosting. In preparation for that, I have a lot I need to work on in kumite. I work out with the adults class (which is 13 and up). I regularly spar with people much bigger than me. Tonight, we had a combined class with children and adults. I was training with someone who I tested for shodan with. My sensei (who is a great instructor and a wonderful person, by the way) had me come down and work out with a boy who is probably 9 or 10. He's very good for his age and size, but he does not challenge me. I can't improve if I'm not being challenged. My instructor sometimes has me come down and work out with the "juniors." They do not really try to score on me, and they don't take it seriously enough. I want someone to challenge me so I can get better. I am around the same size as about 15% of the adults and I can score on a lot of them, and sometimes on my fellow blackbelts. Not only does breaking the "juniors" apart from the "ladies" apart from "everyone else" not help me, but it doesn't do much for the juniors or the ladies. How often is a child molester going to be another junior, or a rapist going to be another lady? I want a good way to talk to my instructor about this. Another thing I want to talk to my instructor about is something else that happened tonight. I was about to spar with a junior and we bowed to each other (like we've been taught to do) and then we began to spar. My instructor told me not to "mess around with him like that." I don't know what he thought was going on, but I would like to find out. Thanks for reading through this, please give me some advice on how to talk to my sensei. Thanks again.

Lately, I have been reading Shotokan's Secrets. From reading that, I have a thought: Styles of martial arts can't be compared. Different styles of martial arts were originally intended for a specific purpose. If the art now can be used effectively for the same purpose, it's an effective martial art. Shotokan's Secrets gives a theory that Shuri-Te, which evolved into Shotokan, was designed to protect the king from many armed intruders, that being why the kata are the way they are. The Shuri bodyguards didn't have the time to choke out each person, therefore, "ikken hisatsu" or one strike kill had to be used. They couldn't spend more than 2 seconds per person. Different styles of martial arts are intended to do different things. Comparing them is like comparing a baseball bat to a knife. Each of those has its own advantages over the other. Every martial art has advantages over another, however, they are intended to do different things.

LOL...

me too, lol... that was pretty funny

You like it because they cuss a lot?

*shudders*

Dear Santa, I would like the Bourne Supremacy Book, the Bourne Identity Soundtrack, and the Bourne SUpremacy Soundtrack.

I am probably testing for nidan in May... So I'm starting training now. I am doing: -Speedbag training -Jumprope -Pull-ups/ chin-ups What else should I do to increase my stamina? (as in being able to spar for 20 minutes straight)

LOL

I did a demonstration to some Matrix song, I think it was. Other than that, I never listen to music when I train.

And excuse the double post , I clicked the wrong button

As of tomorrow, I will have been a member of KarateForums.com for one year. I want to thank each member of KF for your support and encouragement. I joined this forum because I accidentally found it, and it has really been time well spent. I am an avid martial artist now, and I've even started my own club that I will teach at my school. I am a karate lunatic now, thanks to you guys. I probably would have quit and wasted all that time I spent learning karate if it had not been for you guys. So, thank you each of you for your advice, encouragement, and putting me back in my place when I needed it. Thank you guys! -Joey P.S. Friday the 11th. was my birthday if anyone is taking notes

My mom knows how to do so many (then again, she is Japanese). I don't remember any of what I have learned. She does make the cranes stringed in a row with really pretty paper. That's pretty cool. I'm pretty sure you guys know what I'm talking about.

Yes!!! THe weekend!!! Just got back from the homecoming game, and we, as usual, creamed the other team. I think our team has something like 34ish consecutive wins (varsity). My week was pretty laid back... we're going on a retreat next week so we have no school and very little HW. I had one test today that was semi-hard.

Well, I was bullied a lot in Jr. Hi, and I wont say I never fought back. When the odds were too great, I backed off, but when it was just one bully, I didn't. I floored a few of them (never a real fight, I put them on the ground before anything could happen).

LOL

I think I've learned a little bit about other styles through the forums.

What KF has done for me is make me want to keep doing karate. I came to this forum discouraged and bored with karate. KF has rekindled the fire to do karate.

It was a lot of fun... although I wasn't expecting the kick of the sig sauer after shooting the .22 revolver. Also, one of the casings hit me in the face which freaked me out for a second. I also remember jerking the other .22 down after firing before I realized it had no kick. (I had just fired the 9mm, I think) I expected more kick from the AR-15 and less kick from the PPK. I think I learned a lot about gun safety. I got corrected twice by my dad's friend (who was my shooting instructor) I got corrected for putting my finger inside the trigger guard before I was ready and he corrected me for moving the gun a little bit too far to the side when reloading. But I didn't do either one again, and that was the important thing. Overall, it was a lot of fun and it was a very different experiece.

I get deja vu all the time too.

Today was the first day I have ever shot a pistol. I got to shoot: Ruger Single 6 (.22) Thopson Contender (.22) Sig Sauer p226 (9 mm) Walther PPK (.380) Para Ordinance C7 LDA (.45) and also: Bushmaster AR-15

When the kids classes aren't really comprehending what my instructor says, he says< "I can't speak English any better than this." That's the only thing he says a lot.