ShotokanKid

HE said in 2 weeks, if not a few months.

my patch is a tiger with an upheld front paw and a curled tail with a rising sun in the background with 9 rays.

It took me about 4 1/2 years.

He didn't really define zen. He defined what it is not. He showed us examples of using the mind. For example, he had us tighten our arms and think about not letting it move VS tightening your body and not thinking about it. The second one worked better. He taught us about Budo and taught us alot about mental mindset. It will probably be beneficial to my karate and schoolwork. He also taught about living the now and not worrying about the later. He illustrated this by saying if you're fighting 5 guys, just worry about the one your fighting then. He taught about using your opponent as your ally. For example, if a taller person grabs you, and you try to punch, you can't hit them. But if you for example hit them in the groin, they bend forward, and you can hit them in the face. He also showed if someone grabs and pulls on you, and you pull back, they'll pull harder and you can use that pull to swing yourself forward with a hit to the face.

How do you tell when your female fancy guppy is pregnant and when she should be removed?

nice... I should've thought of that too

It's a test to see if you can stick with it. You get tired enough without people smashing your ribs. The question is can you stick with it even if you're tired and having your ribs smashed.

I agree with everyone who's posted. There are MANY TKD studios. Everyone around my age either takes TKD or Shotokan. Off the top of my head, I know 6 people at my school who do Shotokan at my studio. But most children take TKD.

Before I found Karate Forums, I was frustrated with my karate and was considering quiting but I didn't have the heart to tell that to my parents. My "friends" often say, "You got your black belt, why don't you quit?" I was very bored with karate, until I found this website. I began to realize that karate was much more than going to class, going through the motions, and advancing your rank. I now train on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and help my teacher teach the young children on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Karate Forums and the people using it have encouraged me and pushed me forward. I now LOVE going to karate every week day and I attended a seminar today (Saturday). I used to try to hide the fact that I took karate. Now I proudly say to anyone, "Yes, I train in karate." Thank you to all my fellow martial artists who encouraged me on this website.

I also went to his seminar about applying zen to life and work seminar today It was very useful to my karate training and I learned alot from that too.

It went great. He's really fast and teaches well. I got corrected the most but you know what? I learned the most.

I meant to say that my second kiai is on the punch before the three perry blocks and kicks. I was thinking of the wrong kata.

Sorry if this makes me seem really goody goody but Asian culture teaches that your body is a gift from your parents and you are supposed to take good care of it and not poke holes in it. Like I said, sorry if this makes me seem too goody goody but I just wanted to voice my opinion.

I've been proud of my first trophy, a 2nd place in kata, and of starting to teach, and of my black belt diploma which is in a nice frame.

I like Grenadier's McDojo remark... you can't get a black belt in any less than 3 years. It's about learning not about getting.

I... the again I've never seen 2 or 3

Funny you should mention that movie as I just saw it. I've been trying to work out the move when the officer grabs him on the shoulder in the Embassy and he does something... I'm not sure what it is but it's some kind of a break. Is that the "arm crack you're talking about?"

My teacher always does this one joke when the young kids are having a hard time following instructions, he says "I'm from Hawaii. I can't speak English any better for you." That always gets a chuckle from the kids' parents.

hehe that's a good one why didn't I think of that?

Shotokan- I choose it because in my town, there are about 3 types... Shotokan, Tae kwon do and Kung fu. Since my family speaks Japanese and we have all at one time or another lived there, my parents put me into it. I enjoy it. I use a slightly offensive, with few but usually scoring technique.

Try this... have a heavy bag and close your eyes. Have someone pull the bag back and say NOW or something when they release it. You'll quickly learn to get your kicks up and out fast.

Sensei Jason Armstrong came to my dojo and I will get to train with him tomorrow! Anybody trained with him or know of him? I can't wait... I"ll tell you all how it goes.

whats the third called?

I use the same for kata and sparring

What's your favorite gi? My personal favorite is Toyo heavy weight, Yours?