Omega14

Most clubs will try to instruct using some Japanese (name of the techniques). Anything beyond that depends on the instructors ability in speaking the language. beware of instructors who think they can speak Japanese whey they can't. I have met a few.

The choice of yon and shi depends on the context, and the person. For example, it would be ridiculous for me to say "shiji" (four o'clock) or "yongatsu" (april), at least according to Tokyo dialect. Also, many clubs do count "Ichi, Ni, San, 'Yon'... ", that is usually based on the preference of the person making the count, based on his or her background.

Well, since you do have mind control over all of us, we will do your bidding. Yes... my plan to rule the world through mind control is working...

The red belt in Japanese martial arts was traditionally used by the judokas (The belt system in Karate came from the Judo system). However, the red belt was not imported with the system initially. Even in Judo, it is a ceremonial belt (6th dan - 8th dan used the white/red belt, 9th dan - 10th dan used the red belt). Some karate schools imported the red belt system in order to differentiate their "6th dan and above" from others. But looking at the clubs in Japan (JKA, JKS), none of the shihans use the red belt.

Acutally, I should qualify my statement. I urge people to reframe from using it because it is not used correctly. The horrors I have seen outside of a dojo when people use Osu in the inappropriate context. Of course, if your club uses it (part of your club culture), that is none of my business. Sorry I did not make it clear. I would like to say that many instructors now do frown upon the use of the word. So, proceed with caution.

Please do not continue the use Osu in the dojo. Most people are not using it properly. To be honest, I find the term to quite rude (so do most Japanese). It is really a term that used by young children and young males.

Hitting a human is very different from hitting a bag. Hitting certain areas of the body are softer than others, and more effective. As for the taping part, that would be up to you. But, I will tell you this: your strking technique will likely be different depending on whether you tape your wrist or not. As for the conditioning, personally I don't think you can "condition" the wrist that much. If you look at boxers, they still tape their wrist for all of their practice/matches.

The first kata containing "full" grappling techniques would acutally be in heian nidan. Although there are some grappling elements in heian shodan as well.

and sometimes, the terminologies are so poorly pronounced its hard to tell which technique they are actucally referring to

I don't wear boxers when attending MA classes. I have had the bad experience of having my b*lls going into places that I didn't want to (it hurt, it really hurt) during the session.

It depends on what the definition of "traditional" karate is. Looking at shotokan, the JKA placed emphasis primarily on strikes. However, this is not to say that Shotokan does not contain any "grippling techniques", they are usually ignored. The applications for most Katas involve grippling techniques (there are a lot of take downs and arm locks). For sure, to be holistic, an MA will need to incorporate grippling techniques with its strking techniques program.

Well, you can just state that in your club, the figers are closed for swordhand. Follow up by your own reasoning. As for the "open pinky" part, just say you can't really see an application for it, although his/her former instructor might have had one.

Actually, in most karate clubs, it is traditional to supplement "punch in the air" training with Makiwara pads. However, most clubs have questioned its use in the earlier stages in training, which is why it has been faded out. Although I advocate that pad training is necessary, I don't believe it shoud be started "as early as possible". Without sufficient training, most people are damaging their joints without themselves knowing. The long term consequences are often ignored.

Remember to stick to the fundamentals. I have too often seen people who exaggerate the move to make it look "tacky". The only wat to nail it really is to practice. Eliminate all excess movement (such as the head movement previously mentioned), and probably you want to ensure you are doing the move at a appropriate speed (if you are too slow, you will never make the full rotation)

A boxing stance may not work well for karate. Many instances, I have seen boxer being swept by a wave kick. However, the stance in the photo may not be a good one either. The sparring stance generally practiced by a Shotokan student would be a shortened version of the rooted stance (fudo-dachi). If the stance is too long and too low, it reduced mobility. As time progresses, one will learn that there is no such thing as a standard "sparring stance". I have seen people who can spar effectively with horse-stance (kibadachi), Cat-stance (neko) and hourglass stance (sanchin). As for hand placement, I have noticed that the intial positions (hand guards) are not of much help as the opponent, if experienced or skilled, will come up with methods to get by them. What is important is your skill in countering their attacks. Basically, place them where you think is best for reacting to punches to the head and the mid section.

Especially cups. Sorry, I can't imaging wearing a "used" cup

I hate to say it, but unless one has visited a few clubs, it is hard for one to make objective evaluation of their own club. There is this tendency for people to develop this mentality that their club/instructor is "best". In my case, I have visited a few clubs. Although the club I am currently training at is not perfect, it suits my current needs quite well.

Instead of (cow) milk, you can opt for soy milk. (cow) milk has quite a bit of carbs in it. Egg whites are perhapes one of the best sources of protein. (It is pretty much pure protein)

Please don't buy second hand products. As previously mentioned, it loses its effectiveness. Also, you don't know where its been. You may get infected because of it. (Yes, it is still possible to get injured and bleed with sparring gear on)

Lesson plans are beneficial for your situaiton. If there is only one instructor, a lesson plan may not be needed, as the instructor knows by heart what has been done and which areas need to be worked on. However, I propose the use of a journal method. Simply record some of the materials taught in class. This will allow the other instructors to know what has been done, and allow the other instructors to focus on areas that need to be improved upon. In some cases, lesson plans may not be effective, as outlined material may be taught at a different pace. As a result, a journal may be of more use.

An additional consideration you may want to think about: A style is only as good as the instructor teaching it. As long as the teacher is great, the style should not matter that much.

Having strips on your belts is not a part of traditional Japanese martial arts. It is not found in Judo, nor karate　(FYI, in Judo they have the ceremonial red white and red belts for the very high level Judokas).

Forest eh? Well, I live in a urban center. No access to the woods for me.

Hitting a heavy bag is also different from hitting a person. THe biggest problem with hitting a heavy bag or pads is that people tend to hit it with the maximum amount of force possible. By this, I mean, they try to hit the object such that it will swing/move back as much as possible. However, this is really dangerous. In most cases, people do not realize our wrist cannot handle such pressure. As a result, intial training with pads/bags may not be a good idea. One should master to control their punches, and test it out on the pads.

For advancing in the belt levels, age is not a major factor. I know a instructor who just got his rokudan a few year ago (mind you, he did train in Kung Fu before that). Nonetheless, as long as you understand the material and can perform at a adequate level, you will be okay. As for training from a young age, it matters the most if you plan to participate in tournaments.