makiwaraman

try here for hojo undo and DVDs https://www.makiwarapost.co.uk

Yes I use them its a good bit of kit for coditioning, I do a ten minute routine with it daily working the arms legs and torso. Little and often is the way and I find rubbing in tiger balm after seems to help. It is important with this type of conditioning to get the blood flowing around the conditioned areas after your routine a rubbing motion after helps and as I said you could use tiger balm which makes you do this when applying. However I would not reccomend it to help with your feet try the suggestions on this link. http://heelspurs.com/index.html regards Maki

Yes I followed his instructions in, karate do my way of life, For me I found that it came out too stiff and did not offer enough give for thrusting techniques however I still use it for striking techniques, and have it in my garden along with a heavy bag and a 1/4" tapered one that offers the give I require for thrusting techniques. Regards Maki

It sounds like you just need someone to hold a focus pad, If you do want a proper makiwara buy a shuriedo or any other proper tapered post type, seem's expensive but at what price do you value being able to move your hands the arthritis myth is caused by improper makiwara and people making do with 4"x2" posts that offer no give. Just remmember this, makiwara do not give you arthritis its incorrect use or a bad cheap design that causes it, so as with most things buy the best you can afford . Regards Maki

The best version is Kan Go Ryu considering they are from Australia. Regards Maki

Just type in makiwara on google and they will lead the way. But stay away from the split block types that can be on a wall as they just mess up your hands I speak from experience. Regards Maki

The reason that a lot of schools dont have makiwara any more is due to them not being full time dojo's and having to share the sports hall with other users who would not like four holes drilled in there nice wooden floor. But yes if its a full time dojo every self respecting one should have one or two. There are many that have trained correctly on the makiwara for many years without any of the rumoured arthritis etc, I have tried to find proof of these rumours and it does not exist in either case. Regards Maki

As has been said its practise and practise it has to become an instintive reaction, Having said that I was once shown a tegumi drill in a forward/downward circular motion that is very effective at taping the strike down, so get someone to strike at you and practise taping it down it works for sure. regards maki

Er thanks for clearing that up, I must need glasses. regards maki

Congrats keep it up, thats the best way to grade IMHO. What kyu is gold belt then? regards maki

OK thanks for clearing that up , So how does the linear movement make shotokan weak? regards maki

The heavy bag simply does not punish bad form like a makiwara. We all have some bad form to some extent or if we got it perfected we may as well sit back and say we have arrived. I simply said encourages bad form as I have found my elbow moves out slightly on the heavy bag.I did not say causes bad form, that is my fault. regards maki

SenseiMike I am trying to get your point, your styles list like mine say shotokan, I do shotokan, so in some shotokan clubs you can attack the lower limbs and groin, also we can sweep grab throw lock. as for it being linear my sensei is always saying get off the rails when we kumite, So my point is that not all shotokan clubs should be tared with the same brush,We also don full protective gear and go at full speed and power on occasion as I said before there is good shotokan and bad shotokan. regards maki

Not all shotokan clubs stick to those rules, we are allowed to do any karate technique during kumite and are positively encouraged to kick below the belt. It must be said that this is not at more than 50% power but the speeds and allowed power change at random and the higher grade sets the tempo/power. regards maki

Er I shall go stand in the corner you were right it is CQB, At training on monday I got to stand in front line and er sensei says CQB alouth at the back it sounds like CQC, So I asked and its CQB specifically we were doing S.P.E.A.R. Cant quite remember what that stands for but can remember the techniques. Spontaneus Protection Enabling Automatic Responce I think any one want to put me right? regards maki

Good question, IMHO as your signiture states karate as a martial art and not a sport, The budo spirit, the traditional etiquette,character devolopement the hard training e.g. conditioning, makiwara-mushin really does devolope a more spiritial state. I dont yet own all the traditional hojo undo equipment I would consider this as part of the old ways. But this is just my take on the old ways and I am sure it means different things to all that say it. What do you consider to be the old ways? regards maki

One is a machine gun and one is a snipers riffle. The heavy bag and makiwara are IMHO both essential training aids. You are right about getting taught properly to use the makiwara by someone with considerable makiwara training experiance. IMO the makiwara has many benefits e.g. Devoloping kime correct form and mushin to name a few, and the heavy bag is good for combinations hands and feet moving/footwork. But as you would expect IMO there is not a better tool for showing weakness in technique as a properly made makiwara. It is also my experiance that a heavy bag tends to encourage bad form e.g. your elbow flys out on tsuki,s. regards maki

No my sensei calls it CQC, He has recently been on a residential CQC course, As part of his full time job. regards maki

When I went to look at the club I am at, they told me from the start that they do not do any sports karate and if thats your thing find another club. So not all shotokan clubs focus on sports karate. regards maki

I can identify with what you are saying, I too train in the old ways and do shotokan, But as with all styles there's good shotokan and bad shotokan, No one can tar them all with the same brush, Its up to the individual to seek out the good clubs, if we all do this the Mcdojo's will go out of business, and then we should be left with the good shotokan clubs. Regards maki

Hi all I train in non affiliated shotokan and am told/believe our club is quite unique. As part of our training we do real self defence techniques,CQC training with and without weapons and also alot of tegumi drills. So who else does some/all of this as part of their training and what style/ club do you belong to. regards maki

Thats the most usefull kata you have learned , So I assume its h shape geden berai then strike, well whatever change the techniques keep the pattern. eg: age uke then mawashe geri this makes you do the technique at least 18 times each as you have to get to the end of the kata. Do this with every technique you know and you will see a massive improvement. regards maki

In the tournaments I have been in its no kicking below the belt. So no you probably wont be able to use that kick, Unless its a knockdown tournament. regards maki

In the UK you are only allowed to use reasonable force to defend yourself, so if they attack you block counter they land on floor, this is the point at which our laws say we must stop. So no kicking or stamping when they are down, But if they attempt to get up again to attack you you can do a bit more damage. regards maki

I do shotokan and we are taught blocks are blocks, strikes, throws, and anti grab defence. But the practicality of it does come in to the equation such as when doing age uke we expose our wrist artiary, so that would be a strike the exchange before the block is the real block. regards maki