Kieran-Lilith

At the moment, I'm particularly fond of Paralyzer by Finger Eleven and Headstrong by Trapt.

Not sure where to put this, but I figured at least some people would look here. In my high school, every senior completes a Senior Project. We pick the topic, and I have decided to do the legality of self defense. In most states, self defense is legal, but if you win, you become the aggressor in a fight, and thus it becomes illegal. Does this make sense? Not really. Does anyone know of court cases, possible links, etc? Anything would be helpful, and all help is much appreciated. Arigato, KL

Lol. It really does seem strange that we're so proud of our bruises (and the ones we give...), but I can't remember it being any other way. I remember near the beginning of my training, yeah, I didn't like them, and thought the others were kind of crazy....I have no idea when that opinion changed, but now, the bruises are like tattoos of training. We're proud of the training we receive and the hits we can take, and besides, it's funny to see the looks your average Joe gives you. Like smiling, it makes people wonder what exactly you're up to.

Wow. All about potty breaks. In general, I let kids go. If there's five, ten minutes left of class, I say no, but otherwise, sure, as long as they're quick. Most of the kids we have seem to be too worried about missing something the class or group is doing to want to miss for something like a potty break. Same goes for drinks. We have group drink breaks, and have all of them drink before class. Seems to work pretty well. Shotokan-kez, as for teaching...heh...it's a whole system of learning in and of itself. Confidence is key is what everyone here told me, and they are right. Don't be afraid to give push-ups. People just plain don't like pushing. If they do, make them do sit-ups or leg-lifts. They can't possibly like all of those. Umm....don't take the stuff people give you. You can't let them walk over you in the beginning, or they will always try to do so. Other than that....All I really have to say is goodluck. I've been working on teaching for 2 years, about, and I still have incredible trouble sometimes. It's much better though.

Well, I remember a dream once where my dojo decided it would be a good idea to practice in the kitchen at my job (which is very small and there is absolutely no room for more than 5 people, and that's crowded). Then, after kata practice, we went outside to the drive-in that had apparently become attached to the restraunt and watched a movie about my science teacher. Yeah, I have no idea. It confused me.

As you can see, it varies significantly. Most belts at my school take at least 6 months. Not the first two, perhaps, but after that you stay put for a while. Like the belt I'm at now I've been at for about 9 months. The belts before that were maybe 5-6 months. It all depends on upon the person, how hard they're working and what they're learning, and their instructor.

You know, I think the large majority of us have found that women in the martial arts are not people to mess with. He just found out the hard way.

I switched styles when I went back, so I suppose it's different, but still....People have lives. We have a student who took ten years off training for life. Personally, I would go back to your instructor during a time you know isn't busy, or call him, or e-mail him (or her), and let them know you want to come back, but feel a little awkward about it. They'll be able to help you much more, I think.

Lol. Yeah, I've seen most of that movie, if I remember right, it's good. Kinda cute, I think. I might have fallen asleep...anyways, while what she did was probably not the best competition spirit, I've gotta say I like her style, there. As long as she doesn't make it a habit, I think it's funny.

I agree there's no way to tell anything for certain, but a lot of body language is telling. How people walk is one thing. I've noticed all the ranking people I know have a certain kind of grace when they walk. It's not all awkward like a lot of people. There are a few body language things, but you can't really be certain.

"Well, I've got a quarter, a pen, shoes...you'll have to be more specific than that."

To those that are saying green belt should be enough...it doesn't sound like she's actually trained in this style before. She'd be a white belt. I think it makes sense to go ahead and learn what you need to learn to be ranked. Yeah, green belts can teach just fine, I'm sure we all agree to that. But white belts have more difficulty.

Well, we've all heard of people being promoted more quickly and things like that due to previous MA experience or rank. This sounds pretty similar to me. It does seem a bit off to me, but the reality is he probably needs help managing the kids and BB authority is what gets it right off. I can see where he'd be coming from on this one. The 6-12 group can be right little monsters sometimes.

If he's helping make McDojos and five year old black belts-then heck no. It's people like him that make the average person see us as jokes. I suppose that could be a blessing in disguise, but it does get annoying for people to ask you if you could karate chop a table in half every time they hear you're a martial artist.

Hana, thank you, that is exactly what I mean. We "chicks" have to be hardcore if we're there. And I actually agree with dragonwarrior, too. Getting hit there has yet to hurt me. Maybe we're just weird? On an off note, we always seem to be "one of the guys". How come guys are never "one of the girls"?

That is very true. And to answer someone earlier, no, we would not necessarily aim to hit, but occasionally accidents happen. That's why boys wear cups and girls occasionally wear chest protection. I guess it's true that some girls do freak out about that stuff really easy, but you should be able to spot them from a mile away. I guess to every situation it's own solution, right?

So, as most people know, HP 7 is due to be released at midnight on July 21st? JK has given us a lot of stuff to mull over in the last 6 books, and everyone's eager for the finale. So, what do you think will happen. Will Sirius really be alive? Will Harry die? Will Voldemort finally get his scrawny bum kicked? Will Hogwarts even reopen? Please, post your theories.

Lol. I did the "peel of the stickers" method with mine when I found it a few years back. I got mad at it because I sat there for an hour a day trying to solve the stupid thing and got nowhere. Sadly, pulling of the stickers never works as well as I think it should...

"Secrets of the Samurai: The Martial Arts of Feudal Japan" by Oscar Ratti and Adele Westbrook is a very, very good book to read. It's rather dry at some points...many points, actually, but it's incredibly informative. One of the best that I've read, actually. Another one that is partially instruction manual/partially history and principles is "Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere" by the same authors. Other good books are "The Book of Five Rings" by Musashi Miyamoto, "The Art of War" by Sun-Tzu (this has almost nothing to do with history, but is an excellent read for principles and strategies)....that should keep you busy for a little while, at least. Also, there's a thread about books somewhere else on this forum, very long thread, many good books.

Okay, I think you poor boys need help. As a girl in the MA, I think I speak for the large majority of us when I say that we really don't care. I mean, yeah, it's weird for us, too, when we're asked to aim for your groins, but we do it anyway. Personally, when the boys at my school say they don't want to hit a girl, or they feel awkward hitting a girl in a specific way, I hit harder. Much, much harder. You aren't doing us any favors by coddling us. After all, as someone pointed out earlier, a real attacker won't care. It's possible he might be trying to hit/grab them in the first place, and we have to be ready for anything.

Shin and instep, always. You are Shotokan, though, and I am not, so perhaps the other Shotokan people are more qualified to answer. However, in my three years, I've only ever seen shin and instep.

I love haiku. Not sure if I'm really any good, though. The stars shine from above The world of the daylight sleeps So the night goes on

Yeah. Always have. Always intend to. I never used to conciously be aware of it, but I've tuned into it a lot more lately. It makes life much, much easier. You're not crazy, don't worry.

Well, it is springtime yet again, and this year happens to be the first year I'm allowed to go to prom. Now, as a girl, I have heard from girls older than me that this is really big and important. It sounds like it, too. But I face a dilemma. Neither of my parents ever went to prom. I have no idea what I'm doing as I search for a dress, or think about what else is supposed to go into this. I have no guide. Which means, naturally, I am going to pray that the wonderful gentlemen and ladies of this forum can fill me is so I get a handle on this. I mean, I know a lot goes into this, but what? I mean, a dress, obviously, make-up...but...what else? Help, please.

Now, a lot of people use music to meditate to, or to ease them into that state. My question is what music do you use? My main instructor uses very mellow new age stuff, while my good friend uses this techno-rock kinda stuff. Oddly enough, I've decided I like the techno-y stuff better for meditating. Thoughts, preferences, additions, all are welcome.