Rateh

I have been dealing with these issues myself for about a year and a half. I finally went to a doctor and was diagnosed with plantar fascitis (sp) and achilles tendinitis on both of my feet. He recommended some stretching exercises (which I'm sure you can find online), the same kind of icing that you were doing, and special shoe inserts and heel cups. He also said to never take off my shoes unless I had to. I have found the inserts and heel cups to be of great help. I think the heel cups have to be prescribed (they are a silicon thing you put in the heel of your shoe). The shoe inserts were purchased at a sports store, they are the green ones...if that helps. I find that training on mats helps TONS. Unfortunately I do not have mats at the three locations that I teach at, and the place where I train no longer has mats either. If you have a way to get mats, then I highly recommend doing so, it really helped me when we had them. I have not been successful with martial arts shoes, as I have fallen arches (which contributed to the problem), and martial arts shoes tend to have no arch support. Even with shoe inserts my feet roll inward much worse with the martial arts shoes then barefoot, due to the design of the shoe. If you have flat feet you may find the same issue. The thing that helped me the most was. A: wearing shoes with inserts and heel cups at all times that I wasn't training, teaching, or otherwise engaged in an activity where I couldn't wear them. B: staying off my feet when I did not have to be on them. Also, when my feet started to hurt I would occasionally wear shoes while teaching anyway, if it did not interfere with the current lesson, and simply tell my students that I had problems with my feet and needed the shoes for medical reasons. Currently my feet only give me problems off and on. I'm hoping it stays that way. Additionally if needed, and it is a tendon problem, then there are steroid shots you can get, I decided against that unless it became absolutely necessary, but it is an option.

I have considered this myself in the past, though have never put anything into practice. My take on it is this: many young martial artists try to train for speed, strength, and stamina. As an older martial artist, you are probabluy not going to beat out a younger person in those areas. Instead I would focus the class on..well Montana said it best, "craftiness". Run a normal karate class and focus on the aspects of your art that use beating the opponent or attacker through intelligence. While martial artists of any age can and do learn this, I think a group of older martial artists would take to this type of class more readily, as I feel that in general groups of young people like to rely on their...youth, to help them succeed. (And yes, I am a youngin) When the head of our system teaches seminars for us, he always teaches techniques and drills that use intelligence to win or escape, etc. He's in his late 60's and says that he can no longer do the things he could do when he was young, so he had to learn to be smarter than his opponent.

I've only broken one bone while training, a fluke accident. I was waiting for my class to start, and a couple of red belt boys, maybe 11 years old, 75lbs when wet, were practicing their knife defense. They were having trouble and asked me for help. So I demonstrated the motions, which include a throw at the end, several times, while explaining them. Somehow or other I managed to throw the boy so that he landed on my pinky toe on each throw. It hurt but I didn't think much of it because we were training on mats and he was quite small. A couple of weeks later I went to the doctor with a problem with my foot, unrelated. He x-rayed my foot, and found that my pinky toe had been broken two weeks prior! Apparently I have some condition where the last two joints of my pinky toes are fused together at a bit of an upward angle, so that just the pressure of him falling on it caused it to snap at the fused joint. Who knew a little kid falling on my foot could break my toe :S

May 2nd 2005. While I can remember a time when I was not a member of KarateForums, it does seem like quite a long time ago.

Style: Omega MA Rank: 1st Dan Days: I teach 5 days a week at my own location, and train once a week at my instructors. Plus I train one Saturday a month. Does that count as 5 or 1? PS. I may only be a 1st dan, but I have 10 years teaching MA, so I'm not a newly minted 2 year 1st dan teaching at my own location. In case anyone was wondering...

I think it also depends on whether or not you teach children. I personally have a different belt system for 3-4 year olds, 5-6 year olds, 7-8 year olds, and 9-100. If a 3 year old had to wait say...6 years until they were brown belt level, I think that would be incredibly demoralizing. I find a system of belts with set criteria for each level to be a highly structured and successful way of teaching the kids classes. (And no there is no 3-4 year old black belt, etc. The 7-8 year old program finishes with obtaining the 9+ yellow belt). As a method for training adults, however, I can see how this may work, depending on the adult. I'm just guessing here, but the majority of the people who say yes to white-brown-black probably don't agree with teaching young children. This is just a guess though, so feel free to tell me I'm completely wrong on that.

One tenth of a century old. That's pretty old. YAY!

As a martial artist I find its easy to get boggled down in your own art or school. At Karateforums I can have a much broader experience of the martial arts, learning about other schools, styles, and organizations. I feel this gives me a much wider viewpoint and has greatly enhanced my training and my teaching skills. I also have gotten to meet many people from all over the world who I would have never met otherwise, each with their own story to tell. I visit this forum nearly every day, sometimes twice a day.

TBH I'm quite surprised that there are only 3 belt lengths in the UK. In the US most places sell sizes 0-8, with some selling 000, 00, 9, 10, 11, and 12. So you can purchase 9 different belt lengths at almost any martial arts place, and as many as 15 at some places. You might want to look online and see if one of the US based websites will deliver to the UK.

All students in the school I train at are required to begin attending one class per week, starting at purple belt, as an assistant/instructor. Whenever the schedule is modified, all students purple and above MUST schedule their teaching hour for the rest of the time the schedule is used (we make new school schedules 2-4 times a year). Sometimes they do little to no assisting in that class on that given day (instead participating in the activities with the rest of the students), sometimes they spend most of the class teaching a lower ranked student, or group of lower ranked students. Depending on the person (for red and black belts), their assigned class may be them as the instructor of the class. In the case of black belts, it is not entirely uncommon to find yourself teaching a class you did not intend to teach (the head instructor will notify you shortly before the class, or as it is starting, what they want you to go over). Most students spend about 3 years between obtaining purple belt and testing for temporary black belt, then another year before testing for 1st. So if we assume they only came to their teaching hour 40 weeks of the year (they missed a few times and we were closed for holidays)..they have taught/assisted in about 160 classes by the time they reach 1st dan. The school were I obtained my first 1st degree in had a minimum teaching requirement of 200 classes before testing. I would wonder though if 150-200 is the norm, or if 20 as stated by a previous poster is more the norm. I personally find what is asked of purple belts and blue belts to be too much. I would instead like for them to attend the lower ranked class, but take on a much lesser assisting position, instead teaching them HOW to be leaders and enforcing their command of their lower ranked material. Younger red and black belts would continue this process, though taking on a larger role in the classroom. Older red and black belts would learn how to lead classes, though they would not be expected to do so on a regular basis. If they choose, they would learn all the details of class planning, class management, etc to train them into payed instructors. This is how I plan to run my studio (currently I have a small club at a fitness center).

I don't remember doing anything special for my color belt tests. My mom did come and watch them, but she watched nearly every class from the time I started at 12 until I turned 18.

After my first 1st degree test I celebrated at dinner with my family. We used to always go to steak places, so I chose an Italian place that I had always wanted to try. Also we had cake, decorated with a stick figure wearing a black belt. (I think my sisters did that). After the second 1st degree test (in a different system) we had dinner as a group at someones house...unfortunately I had a seizure and ended up in an ambulance going to the ER....don't remember a whole lot of the day after that. The test was fun though!

Congratulations!

I've heard from many people that they are afraid of some of our instructors, this baffles me as the ones that they are afraid of are the ones that I am most comfortable with.

As far as what we DO in our tests, its not running laps or anything like that. It is doing our material...it really takes THAT LONG to complete all of the material, have everyone spar, do their board and brick breaks, be asked their oral questions, and present their originals. Even then, we don't do ALL of our color belt material at the test, we do "spot checks", which means that while all forms are presented, only about half of the sport combinations and basic combinations are presented. Also none of the low rank self defense is presented. (All of these things were shown earlier in the year). Tests are held once a year and testers for the next year are presented as candidates at the beginning of the second day of the test. They spend the next year meeting with the masters and head instructors that reside in Utah (once per month). These meetings consist of classes and pre-tests to make sure the candidates are ready for the final testing. The test itself includes all of the masters of the system, as well as the head of the system, on the testing board. If just my instructor presented my rank, it wouldn't be nearly the same as being judged all year by all the high ranks in Utah, then in front of a testing board of all of the high ranks of the system (yes the system is small, so that's not many, but still). The only part of the test that I don't agree with, is the musical, which to me is silly (as I stated in the OP). The rest of it however is all color belt and black belt curriculum. Basics, forms, sport combinations, self defense, sparring, board and brick breaking, originals, etc. Now if it was just ONE STUDENT testing, it would probably take only a two or three hours to complete the entire test, but as I stated, there are 24 of us this year. Does anyone else have any ideas for music? I'd really like to get some variety to get started in choosing a good song.

Thanks, thats a great start to look into!

When I changed to my current style I kept hearing "Stop jack-knifing!". I had no idea what that meant and it took a few explanations before I realized that they were trying to tell me that I was leaning into my roundhouse kicks. TEN years of training at FOUR different locations and finally someone tells me that! Truly like a light-bulb.

I have very flat feet, when I have to just stand with my knee up I wobble all over the place. I too find myself trying to lean onto the outside edge of my foot. When we have to "break down" the kicks, I can never hold the individual parts of the kicks with everyone else, especially the side and back kicks, I always have to keep putting my foot down to catch my balance. Now saying all of that. I am currently going for my 2nd dan in Omega Martial Arts (a mainly taekwondo based style). We do a LOT of kicking. Am I the best kicker? No. But with practice I am far from the worst. I have some difficulty spinning on hook and swing kicks, but that just means I place my foot down about a foot from where it started rather than exactly where it started, the kick is fine. All other kicks I can do just fine. It truly does just take lots of practice. Your body will learn to compensate. And IMHO its a WHOLE LOT easier to do kicks fast than slow. If I try and kick slow, that's when I wobble all over. Once you understand all the mechanics of the kicks, then try upping the speed, it will greatly increase your balance. And it is essential that you understand the mechanics. If you are doing part of the kick wrong, it will throw off the whole kick, thus your balance. Seek out higher ranks or instructors if you think you may not be doing every part of a kick correctly. Flat feet or not, it can be done. I have been training for 14 years now, I am far from perfect. After side kicks occasionally I'll do a slight hop to regain balance too. But my kicks are up to par with others of my rank, in fact very few people know I have flat feet. Good luck, don't give up now. As my instructor says, everyone has something in their life or in their martial arts to hold them back. Sometimes these things are obvious to everyone. Sometimes it is known only to that person. But whatever it is, don't let it be a road block to your future, keep working, you'll make it.

I work as a cashier at walmart (yah I know, ick) and sometimes when the people greeter calls in, or for their breaks or lunches, they put us cashiers on the doors. So one day I was the people greeter at 5 am, and of course NO ONE was coming in. Maybe one person every 10 minutes. I was so bored out of my mind I finally started discreetly doing moves here and there, to entertain myself. Not as discrete as I thought cause some guy asked me if I was practicing karate. I nodded sheepishly thinking "oh crap they caught me". You'd think I'd then learn...but if you ever walked into the walmart I work at when I'm people greeting, and watch me carefully for a bit, I'm sure you'll catch me in a martial arts move.

I am a candidate for this Septembers black belt test. Our test is 2 days, 7-9 hours depending on the number of testers (this year we have 24 testers between the 3 schools so we might move to 3 days). The test consists mostly of basics, forms, self defense, sparring, and some board and brick breaks. It ALSO consists of 3 "originals" as they are called. Every candidate must present to the test board three originals. One demo 2-3 minutes long, one original form with or without a weapon, and one original musical form with or without a weapon. (One of the two must have a weapon). The musical form is my most HATED part of the test. In fact it is probably the only thing I have ever hated that I do in my training. Imho it has nothing to do with true martial arts, and should have no part in a black belt testing... My higher ups however see it differently. They believe the musical should be an expression of your martial arts, of you as a person, and show who you are to the judges. Testers need to pick their songs wisely to express the sentiment that they want to show to the judges, that best represents who they are in their martial arts/lives at that point. I am having a horrible time picking my song. I know exactly WHAT I want it to say, but I am not a musically inclined person, I only listen to the radio when I drive, that's it. No other music in my life. So I'm asking for the boards help. I'd like a song that represents joy/living the dream. Any song at all that you can think of please post. Don't assume I have come up with it already, I most likely have not. I must have my musical ready to present to my instructor by April and I need my song picked ASAP. Thanks soooooooo much for anyone that posts a song.

Are you currently training somewhere? They might give you a lower rate for a period of time. I was unemployed and my instructor put me on a $5 a month plan for 6 months, then we would meet and decide where to go from there. I am now back to a higher payment, now that I can afford it. Instructors don't want to lose students, they will often work with you. If you are not at a school currently, then of course you don't have this option.

Welcome to the forums!

Welcome to the forums! And to FortuneCookie, some styles/systems have a level of black belt before 1st degree. In the system I train in we call it Temporary black belt, students must remain at it for 1 year before testing for full 1st degree. I'm guessing that Karate4ife has a similar belt system.

Welcome to the forums!

Welcome to the forums!