Rateh

Today I tested for my red/black belt (this is the rank right before black). I already have a black belt in a previous style. I was told afterward that I need more power, and that I messed up the end of the bassai form. The test was around 3.5 hours long, and consisted of basics, weapons, forms, sparring, self defense, and board breaks. I also had to create and perform a demonstration. I would be interested to know peoples opinions and suggestions on how I can improve in the future. A video of my demonstration (I'm the one in white) A video of one of my sparring matches (I'm the one in the pony tail) And one of my board breaks Again any advice would be greatly appreciated.

When we practice self defense we practice preventing the attacker from comming after you. The saying is "can't see, can't breath, can't walk". We are meant to make at least one of those things happen. Striking the throat and kicking the knees is pretty common in our practice. Striking the groin is almost discouraged as we are taught this can often make the attacker mad instead of our desired result. I prefer to use a tigers paw/long fist (same thing, different name) to the throat. I agree that there are many factors that go into whether the strike will kill or be noneffective. Personally as a small person, I would aim for the most dabilitating techniques.

I hold the target how my instructor taught me to. One hand through the straps, grabbing the second strap. The other hand either palm flat on the top edge of the bag (as if you had struck it with a palm heel) or arm forearm across the top edge of the bag with open palm. Which one I do depends on the hight and the power of the kick. Sometimes for very hard kicks I do almost a figure four I think it is called. Instead of grabbing the last strap with the bottom hand, I grab my other forearm just past hte elbow, this makes my top hand at more of a 45 degree angle than straight across. I have only done it that way a few times so I'm not sure just how successful it is verses other methods. I was specifically taught to NEVER use the top strap, that it is only asking for trouble. I was also taught to push on the top of the bag while pulling on the middle (makes the bag bend in a bit) to better obsorb kicks. I have found this to work very well. Just the other day I was teaching a beginners class and one of the students was frusterated because he was moved back with every kick, I showed him how to hold the bag the way I do it, and immediately he saw the results and stopped being moved back. (Of course stance is also important).

I would be very against wearing a white striped black belt because I was female. Having kids/teens wear a "special" black belt makes sence, they can grow into a full black belt when they are mature. To give women "special" black belts is just wrong imho. I would refuse to wear one actually.

I've never believed the "size doesn't matter". Mostly because I'm 5'3" and was 105 as a full grown adult. My instructor would say "size doesn't matter, see how I can throw so and so, who is like 6'2" and 250 pounds?" I would look at him and think yes....but the difference between you and him is the same difference as between me and you....do you really think I could do a hip throw to a guy whos over double my weight and almost a foot taller? Hip roll, yeah I could pull that off, hip throw? No, I've tried, I just don't have the size or strength to lift him. Of course technique helps. But it doesn't completely negate size and strength differences. Also when grappling someone much larger than myself, I sometimes have to tap out because of being smothered by their sheer weight. So grappling is great and all, but size deffinitly plays a factor there as well.

My answer is no. I think that students should be at least 16 before they can teach a class, and even then under direct supervision. I think for legal reasons no one under 18 should teach classes by themselves. As I said in the other thread, I think that young students can teach older ones. Running an adult class though is not the same thing at all. I don't know why, but the way I figure is that if the student is not old enough that you could legally pay them to instruct classes, they are not old enough to be instructing classes. As far as size, I will always and forever disagree. All the arguements that people throw out about the size of the younger student being a mitigating factor throw me out as well. I may be 24 years old, but I am smaller than most 13 year olds. If a 13 year old is not able to instruct because of their size, or some people say not able to test for black belt because of size.....then I shouldn't be instrucing either.

To be quite honest, when I see someone, especially a kid, with a very long belt, my first thought is that the instructor ran out of/never ordered that persons size. To me a long belt just looks like some kid wearing their dads shoes.

I have trained in...7 martial arts schools in the last 11.5 years. I have found them all to be disciplined, with push-ups given when necessary. It has always been very clear what is expected of the students so far as classroom behavior is concerned. I have seen adults given push-ups a couple of times, these were 20 something males who thought the rules didn't necessarily apply to them. I haven't seen any other adults given push-ups unless the entire class or group was given them.

As a black belt who recently started training in a similar style to the one I earned my BB in, I have taken instruction from everyone ranging from a 10 year old green belt to a 60 year old 6th degree. Sometimes it was because the instructor put me with them to learn something. Sometimes it was because I sought them out for assistance. It all depends on what you are learning or needing assistance on. I would ask the lower ranked younger students for help with remembering a form. For help with details of self defense techniques, I go to the higher ranked adult black belts. Though if I am just learning the basic flow of the self defense, and am not yet to the point where I am developing the finer points, I will go to younger/lower ranked students if they are who is available. I think you really can learn from any age/rank martial artist. That doesn't mean that they can teach you everything, but they can all teach you something.

I have a very clear memory of rear ending someone and then driving away. I also know that that is completely off character of me. I don't think it actually happened but because I remember it clearly I just can't be totally sure. I think I have this memory because I often think of negative senarios, and this is one that I thought of that stuck with me as an actual memory.

I strike with the instep. Spar with high kicks to the head. For some reason I do bagwork with mostly hands....yet not so much in sparring....I never noticed that. I have done muay thai to a bag but not a person. Generaly I kick with the lead leg, unless I set it up with something else first. I've been trying a shuffle step but haven't made it a normal part of my sparring yet. I like to double up on my kicks, usually a low then a high one. I spar point sparring with light contact, though I am open to other types of sparring. Good enough?

It might just be because it was someone not from your school that tested you. Just because two schools are from the same organization, close enough to combine colorbelt testings, does not mean that all the instructors from both schools have the same philosophies, or the same opinions on exactly what specific ranks should be able to demonstrate. Unless there is written requirements on what you need to be tested on, variation would occure. The more schools, the more variations. Another possibility is that the black belt testing you is still new(ish) to testing students. They may have been unaware that you were not ment to be attacked by any direction but forward and backward. I'm sure that whoever was running the testing (the head conductor/judge) is aware that something went on, and is working to correct that. Testings are a learning process for everyone. I do think that approaching it tactfully would be wise. I also think that good instructors want to know how testings ran from the other side of the fence. In other words if you found the testing confusing in the way it was run, tactfully saying that I think would be benifitial. That way whoever is running things can improve it.

I like doing a sliding in side kick. I also like to slap down my opponents hand(s) and go in for a head shot. Also a double roundhouse kick (kick to the body to bring their arm down, then without putting your foot down you snap it at their head). Thats what I can think of atm. My sparring changes with my moods.

My old instructor used to say "this isn't ballet!" A couple weeks ago I was working with some white belts and some of the younger ones were moving around a bit when they were supposed to be standing still in ready position. So I said "stand still or you'll be doing 100 push-ups!". One kid answered up "really?". And I found myself saying "Of course, this isn't ballet!" He also used to say that someone "emailed" rather than telagraphed it. Modernizing the term for the youngins I guess.

Bow in with short meditation Warm-up (different every day) Stretching More warm-up usually (basic sparring techniques from a fighting stance, or traditional techniques from a horse stance) Maybe some sort of practice with the entire class (basics down the floor, forms, bag work, sparring, etc.) Usually at some point we split by ranks and work on testing requirements Rarely we get back together as a whole group and do another drill/activity Then bow out Really very unstructured as far as regularity. You never know what will be done in any specific class. We do have cards that we have to take out for each class, where instructors sign off what stuff they have worked with you on. That way the instructor for that class can just look at the cards and decide from there what he or she wants to do for that day.

I pay $75 dollars a month. I train 2 times a week because thats when I can attend. I believe there are 4 classes I could attend if I was able. My tuesday night class is 1 hour. The wednesday night class is an hour and 15 minutes. Some of us black belts are going to be getting together every 2nd and 4th week to train besides that. These get togethers are being held by a 3rd degree. I also get 1 private lesson a month. (Though I often times will stay after class to ask questions and get extra help)

Thanks! I work with developmentally disabled adults for a living, so it is kind of like working with young children in older adult bodies. My absolute favorite thing is teaching karate to kids though, and my dream is to one day own my own school.

Nope. My dad doesn't know how to fight.

Then there is always the possibility that it could be in your head. That's not an insult. Sometimes people don't realize how much power they actually have. I know I didn't. Took me years till I was able to use power to my potential. In that case it's about a mindset rather than technique.

Sometimes it's fun to have a pointless part of the course. We used to take the top off one of the little wavemasters and have the kids hurdle over it like a horse (stand it on end, place your hands on it, and jump over with your legs apart). While doing so they had to yell a silly word that we assigned them. This was at the end of the course and always brought some happy giggles and made the students try harder through the rest of it. With young kids you might include colores, numbers, shapes, or animals as part of the course. Like punching to three counting it out loud. Or placing three peices of tape on a bag each a different color, and calling out color combinations where the student chooses to kick or punch the colors in the combination you call. This can be tailored to the age of the child in question. With animals you can have them walk like an elephant, growl like a tiger, wiggle like a snake, etc. You can also have them do stuff between stations. Like front kick between stations, or hop on one foot, or moving forward front stances, walking backwards, etc. For a real fitness course have the students do something while waiting for their turn to go through the course again. Jumping jacks, running in place, push-ups, continuous practice of their own selections of techniques, etc. Team course is also something I really like to do. Join the students into teams of 3-4 students. Have the students do the course as a team, so that each person must do a station one at a time before moving on to the next station. Have the students practice a few times then have a contest between the teams, time is added to the score for moving on to the next station before your entire team is done with the one before. (The kids will call out to eachother to warn them if they start to go to early). Winning team gets to do push-ups (surprisingly even knowing this the teams will work hard to win). Good luck!

Slide-up is when you bring your back foot to your front foot, without stepping in front or behind, and do the kick. There is no skipping or hopping motion involved. Skip-in side kick is where you do a step behind side kick, but you do a skipping motion to cover the distance more quickly. Shuffle and skip-in are different in my school, but it may be that unknown is talking about what I call a skip-in when he does a shuffle. In my school a shuffle kick is where you do a 1-and motion, crossing your legs. So your front foot goes back a split second before your back foot moves forward, then you kick. I have never done a shuffle side kick before. The shuffle lends itself to kicks like the axe and round, because of the body positioning after the shuffle portion. Shuffle axe and round involve the front foot going behind the back. I guess if you wanted your body turned for a side kick, you could shuffle with the front foot going in front of the back. I think I would find that akward though. Hm I looked on youtube and found nothing resembling my shuffle kicks.

I agree with doug. Although I have heard it called a "thrusting front kick". I only teach this version.

I like my contract. I know I will be here for at least the 2 years I signed for. By signing it my monthly fee is less than had I signed the 1 year or done month to month. TBH if they had a longer contract I would sign it, because I know I'm not going to be quitting martial arts.

We used to use it for continuous sparring, and you can actually generate a lot of power with it. If you're going to put your body into it though it has to be after a set-up technique, otherwise it's just too easy to see coming. My ridgehand is stronger than my knifehand, but that's probably because I've used it more.

When I first started teaching my instructor told me two things 1. Be creative 2. Your mood sets the tone of the class