ladyj

They are just trying to get the belts, but they are required to stay in a sparring stance. We were just doing this with our beginners and our advanced and jr black belts requested to do it as well.

Relax. You don't have to prove anything to anyone but yourself. Stay focused on the task at hand.

Karategirl, does your style teach projection?

Go to some of the local dojos in the area. Even if they don't offer Krav Maga, they may be able to direct you to a school who does. Good Luck.

marie we have a belt game. We took two different colored belts and cut them into 3 16-18 inch strips. We give each student 3 belts and they place them under their belt on the left /right sides and one in back. They are placed in a sparring stance and the object is to take your opponents belts away. This is very effective at teaching them how to close the gap while sparring, not to mention it builds their confidence and they become less afraid of being hit. Good luck.

You have to base your contact on each ring set up. Generally you have different judges and each time you compete you have to adjust according to what they are allowing. It is always good if you can watch a match or two in the ring before its your turn.

The sad part about this show is that it gives us all a bad name. The behavior they are displaying is not how a martial artist should behave. The general public thinks all martial arts are pretty much the same therefore we all look like we behave that way.

Unfortunately this news is true. He passed away on the 3rd. Mr. Eubanks has been a friend of my sensei for many years and I came up through the ranks having the privilage of knowing him. He has inspired and touched many people over the years with his wisdom and kindness. The martial arts world has truly lost someone special.

Take into consideration what it is that you like. Can you see the application for the style in a modern time, does the style fit your body type? I approach my students individually, according to what body type they have, not by omitting a technique but by using a variation that is fitting for them.. a side kick to the knee instead of the chest or head. Also are you aggressive or passive, this will make a difference in the art you choose. Good luck and if you try one and decide it's not for you(after you have given it a fair chance) then try another until you find what you are looking for.

As a female martial artist I have a question for you guys. I am 5"5in 140lbs, and I lift and do cardio three times per week, so if it is just physical why would I continue to train in martial arts?

Can you explain what your asking... Going forward?

Since I know you are new to meditation, I will teach you the way I teach my beginner students. It is very simple, so simple you will find it hard to believe. (if you are tired you will go to sleep during this process, so you can use it at night to help you get to sleep). Make sure you will have some privacy, you don't want other people or things (radio/tv) to draw your attention away. First find a comfortable place to sit or lie down Close your eyes, and see the number 25 in your mind, inhale and as you exhale slowly see the number change to 24. Keep repeating until you reach 0. Your mind will wander off, this is normal, just bring your attention back to the number and continue. After you practice this for a while you will notice that your mind will begin to wander off less and less, and the whole process will require less time. If you don't feel more relaxed after the countdown, repeat it. The secret to meditation is discipline. The more you do it the better you get, which in turn makes your experience better and eventually it will become second nature. I encourage you to do your homework, but don't look under the metaphysical catagories, look under science. I'm a nurse and have recently gone back to further my education and they are teaching us how to teach our patients how to meditate to assist with the healing process and also for pain control.

Sensei Rick enough said. I worked hard to get to black belt level and I continue to strive for excellence. I can not place a price on what I have learned and the things I am still learning. My belt holds an unlimited sentimental value. It is a reminder of the long hard road to BB, the battles I won and lost, and the blood, sweat and tears the belt its self holds. Each time I put my belt on it reminds me of where I came from and how I got here, and that I can pass this great knowledge on to others. You give them the tools necessary for the task but they make the choice to work with them or lay them aside.

Mr. Mike, Be proactive not reactive. Get him away from your children. You have experienced just a taste of what reactive with him would be, now imagine what would happen if he laid a hand on your children. Your children need a father there to protect them and you can't do that if you are in jail. Yes it would be an awesome defense that your child was in danger but the argument would be that you allowed him to live there knowing who and what he is. do you really want to leave your fate in the hands of a mixed jury where it could go either way. As for your sister you can't make her change. Be supportive, but she will only change when the pain she feels now is greater than the fear of the unknown that change represents. She is comfortable in her situation and the thought of change scares her to much. My prayers are with you and your children.

Set up an obstacle course. Put the mats on the floor for rolls, we have a practice balance beam, rebreakable board stations etc. The children beg to do this. We split the class into teams and make it a race.

When you compete in Kata or Sparring your full attention must be on what you are doing and not what the others are saying or seeing. If you focus on youself and the task you will do well. Your attention will split but one or even both of the things that share the attention will suffer. Don't give up.

Are you running a traditional form or an open one? If it is traditional and there is a traditional division run it just like you would in the classroom, but if it is an open tournament with open divisions you will need to live the form. For example show power and speed but make sure they are in the correct places( you don't want to show more speed if it is a reverse punch for instance, you will want to show power), facial expressions (get ugly and scowl), look where the attack is coming from and strike as if you were really striking someone. A trick my instructor taught me as I was coming up through the ranks was when you go to tournament to run forms, don't be intimediated by the judges, you just paid an entry fee for them to watch you perform. After your division is complete go to each of your judges and ask them what they thought you could improve on.

You must trust your instructor or you wouldn't be there. Would you take your car to a mechanic and then tell the mechanic that you do not feel like he knows what to look for. I understand where you are coming from because from day 1 of my 15 years in the martial arts I felt the same way. Mine came from being a perfectionist, and comparing myself to others. Now as an instructor I understand how students progress differently and what to look for in a student who is preparing to test. Part of our test is the pressure you are put under, because if you can't pull it together for a test what are you going to do in a street situation. Relax, train hard and talk with your instructor. Good Luck and never give up.

Anyone can meditate. Lets talk science. A simple mindfulness meditation will allow you to slow your brain waves down from a frenzied state (Beta) to a more settled state (Alpha). Proven by EEG. When you slow them down, it allows you to concentrate better which in turn improves your learning ability or retention, and it also helps you to rid your body of harmful chemicals you have flooded your body with. Neurotransmitters are very powerful and it has been proven when people are in a relaxed state such as a meditative state the body releases numerous helpful neurotransmitters that will in essence cancel the effects of the harmful ones that were released. Good luck.

Brian, You seem to know what they offer, but have you watched a class. One of the easiest ways to decide if a dojo is right for you is to watch the interaction in class, and talk to some of the students. Look at several schools, before you decide, and sometimes that means driving to get to a quality class. Good luck.

Being female who has been around awhile, one of the other ladies in our school and I always wound up at the end of a tournament having to fight each other. So we agreed that we would fight all the way down and when it got to us we would swap out on the win but we would put on a good show for everyone. We sparred all the time in class, were friends, and have always remained friends.

Kiai's are means to projecting energy. I agree that labeling a kiai as wrong is not a good thing. I think it is preference and how you were taught. I have competed in all kinds of competition over the past 13+ years and have always used a short explosive kiai and have never had any judge complain or tell me to kiai longer. The next time you watch someone who kiai's alot and/or for long periods and see how exhausted they are due to the energy they are releasing. Talk to your instructor and see what they tell you their reason is.

Hey Pineapple, we just had this come up at our dojo. A parent was upset because their child started training at the same time another student did and the other student was being tested for black belt. They didn't understand why. We called the parents in and explained the process that students go through in order to acheive rank. They must first be taught the technique, practice it, and mature it. Then the outside elements come into play, are they consistent with training, how is their attitude with the instructor and other students, how much mental knowledge they have acquired and are they still trying to acquire. Then we tell them the areas they need to work on , set a review time, and see if they are prepared at that point. This has always worked for us, you have to remember that parents think they understand what is required however they are onlookers who only see the superficial things and need to be educated in order to understand. Good luck and remember it is our responsiblity to educate our students and their parents. As hard as it may be sometimes.

put a martial art spin on an old game: Sensei Says stationary front stance left leg forward. Sensei says progressive reverse punch.. backfist. Simple but the kids love it. Just remember you're training different levels at once so it has to be a technique that beginners can do as well as intermediate and advanced. We like to split our classes up when we do this. Good luck and don't give up.

Believe it or not we have had at least two students train with us and get to intermediate levels then they bought a black belt and began teaching using our name. One of them was a 12yr old child(who was trying to please his father), and the other was a grown man. The adult actually opened a dojo up less than a mile from ours and people were very confused. It can become a nightmare for all involved. However there is no way to prevent the retail sale of Black Belts and Certifications. I received info from a so called college offering Bachlors degrees in less than 6months, common sense told me it was a fraud and I tried to locate the college no such place, however I later saw a special on television that it is usually a person based out of an apartment who for a fee will print you an actual college degree with the colleges name on it. Like anything else people want to take the easy way out, these people are what we call "paper tigers" looks ferious but is quite fragile.