Hart

Does anyone know whatever happened to Fred Ettish? You know, the Kempo Karate master who got the beat down at UFC 2 and shocked the MA world . Did he retire?

A lot of the guys at my school think Karate is a joke, and they make fun of anyone who practices it. Most of them are jerks, but I think their attitude comes from watching those UFC specials on PayPerView. They say Karate doesn't work, but I for one think different. It's not so much the style I think--it's what you do with. It'd sure be good to see a Karate fighter win the UFC. Think it'll happen?

I was just wondering if any karatekas here had to deal with harassment from schoolmates, co-workers, etc because they practice Karate. I'm a high school student and since beginning training, I've kept it a secret from most of the people at school--I don't want any trouble. Has anyone been in a similar predicament.

What are everybody's thoughts on Karateka's who wear non-traditional Gis? I once saw a brown belt wearing a Gi patterned on the Stars and Stripes--he was a little flamboyant but could fight. Is it simply self-expression or is it just style over substance?

Mastered was a poor choice of words. What I meant is that I've become pretty competent--form wise anyway.

I practice Karate (Isshinryu) and am a little unsure about many things. I've pretty much mastered the basics (punching, kicking, blocking, etc), but I'm not entirely sure if I can fight yet. I'm totally stellar at kata, but when it comes to kumite, I have this annoying habit of trying to be flashy--especially with kicks--and I lose most of the time. Does anyone have any tips?