Kieran-Lilith

Anger can be released through MA, of course, as long as it's not directed at any particular people. Pretend to kill somebody, kill the bag, use it that way, in a way that's productive. Using it in a sparring match usually does not work. Actually, all it does is it tends to tire you out faster, and you lose the focus that helps you. And I agree with the Star Wars reference. You could compare the ideal MA with the Jedi. The Jedi don't allow any emotions in general to cloud their view of what must be done. And speaking of the force, that could be like ki, IMO. It flows through everything. It is.

We, Atalanta. I bowed too. I also bowed to your grandma last night when I was going out the door. I'm not too clear on why I did that either...

Yeah, but I got out of the way faster.

And Sensei gets frustrated because you left streaks on the windows....heheh....

I would like to thank you all again for all your advice. I don't teach very often in my dojo, only on kata night. But I've gotten better. It's nothing like my first night of teaching kata. Tuesday I helped teach Pinan Shodan to a group of students with a yonkyu. I really couldn't do much, because he's used to teaching. Then, one of our hachikyu girls graduated from learning her second kata and was ready for her third, so I got to teach her up to the point the yonkyu had taken the others before turning her over to him. By the end of the lesson, it was a sort of joint teaching, where the yonkyu and I were on opposite sides of the students, and they could turn to look at either of us to know what to do. It's easier. And whoever said much earlier in this thread, that nothings better than watching children get things right after you helped them, they're right. There is nothing better for me. A while back I taught one kid the crazy walk we do on the mats on our knees. It was slow going, and clumsy, but as long as I stayed with the kid, they were confident enough to do it. By the end of class, he was speeding right along without me. And the other one I helped there and back, every step of the way, he was speeding right along too. There's nothing better to watch, to be a part of. And no offense intended G95champ, especially not to one who's been so helpful on this thread, but I do no agree with pain and fear as teaching tools. I've been taught with them before, and though I learn and have very distinct memories of what I was taught, I learned nothing other than if I had a chance, I would turn around and hurt this person as much as they hurt me. That might mean I was hurt and made afraid too much, but in my experience, pain and fear destroy children's trust. One again, this is only IMO. I do not intend any offense to you.

Good article, but I can't say I agree. I don't go there for social time. That's what high school is for. I know when I originally started it was because Dad had been high ranking in TKD, a brown belt. I always wanted to copy and do just like him. I'm a daddy's girl, you see. Then, when we quit, I wanted to get back...some day...I'm also a procrastinator. But get back I did, almost one year ago. 7 days off one year exact. When I joined this time, it was because I held my fascination with it all, and my friend helped me find it again. This friend I usually call green belt boy on this forum, as he hasn't registered...but I don't go there for anyone, not anymore. I go there for me. I go there because I want to learn, I want to be better, I want to be a true warrior, and not just some kid who can kick and punch. Sad as this sounds, I want to be like the samurai. All of this...it really is a way of life, and I can't imagine living without it again.

Ummm....can we please not turn this into another debate on age and BBs? Please? Let's get back on topic, the one over that way, that I started. *points to the topic*

You know you're obsessed when just about all you talk about is karate. -When talking about bunkai is part of daily conversation. -When you have a victory party for learning a new kata. -When you can't wait to spend 2 1/2 hours doing kata. -When you can't wait to be pounded into the mats.

No BB in our system under age 18. It's against the rules. And yeah, the little kids have a hard time, but they do keep the katas seperate...most of the time. And some of them have graduated to their third kata, which I also helped teach yesterday. And not really, a lot of our kids are very bright. And by the time I was ten years old in my old style, I had 6 katas. (Note: I have decided this was a mcdojo, but I remember the katas were long. I still knew them). But most of them...8 and up handle it all very well. It's just a few select younger ones that cause trouble. One boy in particular, but we think Sensei scared him off.

I know probably few will really even care about this, but oh well. My friends, the green belt boy who has yet to join this site and Atalanta, have been given a compromise by our sensei so we can still come to the dojo and also not have our band director attempt to kill us. Our karate classes are on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Our band after-school practice is on Tuesdays, at the same time as our karate class. Our sensei also teaches and aikido class on Wednesday. He has decided that since he doesn't want to lose us for 3 months, he will allow us to come on Wednesdays and Thursdays. On Wednesdays, we will all become white belts and we'll learn aikido. On Thursdays, we'll have our usual karate class. So finally, a compromise between karate and band. Thank you for listening to this senseless ramble. -Kieran

I'd have to agree. I came home from sailing camp with roughly 2 dozen bruises. If I would have been at class like normal I would have had maybe 5, if that. And note, sailing means sitting on my bum on a boat all day long. A little sunfish boat. How do I get that many bruises? I have no idea....definitely the karate gods laughing at us all....

The translation from my bible (NIV: New International Version) is, "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." Now, my own take on this...before this thread, like another commenter, I had never thought there was anything to connect the my being a Christian to MA, I never thought there would even remotely be a problem. The only other time scripture even remotely came near my training was when Sensei was attempting to explain a concept to us, and was using scripture for us. Most of them are very church-y people. Unfortunately, he started losing me there because I'm not quite as church-y and Christian-y as they are. Actually....I am a Christian, but I don't exactly...conform....to the normal Christian beliefs. If anyone wants to know anything more, PM me. I don't want a horde of angry Christian forum members on my tail.

In my dojo, I know kata is more important, but in the children's class, even though we are told kata is more important, the general class opinion is "When can we start beating each other's brains out?" In the adult class, it's a lot more civil. Nobody generally wants to try and hurt each other (unless my friends and I are in a fight, in which case I pray it isn't sparring night.) But anyway, we have one night all kata a month, and one night all sparring a month. Sometimes, though, (In the adult class) we'll focus on a kata and it's bunkai all month long. And then we get two sparring nights.

For me my so called "beating" didn't happen in a sparring match. Mine was when a thrid kyu brown belt was helping me learn wrist techniques. Rather, that's what the class was that night, and he had no mercy in which way he turned the wrist, how much it hurt, and apparently didn't notice me tap half the time. I look back on it now and can see part of that was my fault, but you don't try to kill an eighth kyu's wrist. Oh, finishing this up, I wouldn't use my right wrist and arm t he entire next day. I couldn't even carry my books with it without having fire shoot up my arm.

In response to Georgia- In our dojo, if you say you are tired Sensei's idea is to do push-ups, because if we're tired, that means our energy is on a big puddle on the floor around us, and doing push-ups will get it all back, and then we can do DOUBLE what we were doing. So for us, it's a bad idea to answer we're tired.

Does anyone have ideas for a 15 1/4 year old teen to do as a job? An official job, not mowing lawns or babysitting. While important, I can't earn enough money like that. And please, please, please say something besides bussing tables. I already am a busser, but I am going to quit that stupid....sorry. I don't like my job. I don't like the people at my job, the actual job isn't so bad. The people....quite a few of them are kids from my school who work to make my life a living hell. They continue this in the restraunt.

Eugue-Ryu Karate-Jutsu

I'm still wondering what tudan is. Considering we seem to have gotten off topic, though...I think just teaching "block" at first is easier for people to understand. Once they reach higher ranks Sensei teaches them what it really means, and a lot more of their training suddenly makes sense. I'm still lower ranking, but have the advantage to getting to know this stuff. Unfortunately, it does get confusing to try and remember "everyday meaning" and "real meaning". What works, works, I guess.

Does anyone know about the duality? I think it's called tai-kyoko in Japanese. I know it's like the Chinese yin and yang, but I really don't know much more about the perception part of it, and such. Note: I don't know which part of the forum this really belongs in.

Does anyone know of any books or sites or even information they could tell me here about the 5 Japanese elements, or godai? Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Void. I know these are different from the Chinese 5 elements, but I don't know how much or anything. Note: Not really sure which part of the forum this belongs in.

Has anyone here ever heard of, or know, Kuji-no-in, or Kuji-in? It's the same thing, but has two names. Sensei taught us some basics, but it's not in his normal cirriculum, so we don't know if he'll ever teach more of it again. The problem with that would be that I want to know more about it.

I'm up to 66 out of 100....so 2/3. Oh wow....Obsessive....

I'd have to say it was definitely one of my bad ideas, wouldn't you, Atalanta? ::edit:: Thought I might add Atatlanta decided to try and kill me the moment we got off that ride. Unfortunately, I was having problems remembering how to walk and run. I've discovered that when I'm absolutely terrified and haven't had to use my legs, I forget how to use them. But I'm alive, and she's had her revenge.

I'm the orange belt friend. Now all we have to do is beg green belt boy to join up here. Then the disaster team will all be together.

Umm....I used to not be able to. I insisted it was unnatural, so I think I must have eventually just realized that I shoved more in my mouth and swallowed than that pill every day. Go figure.