Zaine

Astros take it!

We're in the top of the 8th. It's looking like the trophy is going to be in Texas this year!

Yes, and I have found that it allows for more momentum. I have long limbs, and allowing these extremities to work for me, instead of making them do it, has been really great. I have found that I no longer look "stiff," I am getting more power from my techniques, and I am less worn out after doing a number of kata in a row.

11/1 Squats: 3 sets of 15 @ 75 pounds Deadlifts: 3 sets of 15 @ 75 pounds Calf raises: 3 sets of 15 @ 75 pounds 30 minutes of rowing machine at highest setting. 11/2 Flat bench press: 3 sets of 15 @ 50lbs Negative press: 3 sets of 15 @ 50lbs 45 degree press: 3 sets of 15 @ 50lbs Bicep curls: 3 sets of 15 @ 30lbs Tricep curls: Bicep curls: 3 sets of 15 @ 30lbs Shoulder press: Bicep curls: 3 sets of 15 @ 30lbs Stationary bike: 30 minutes (16.3 km) 11/3 5k run (33 minutes) 30 minutes of kata training I have been approaching kata, overall, in a different way. Keep my body a lot looser, allowing my muscles to do their thing. It's been really great, and I feel that my form and technique has vastly improved.

Good to hear that you still enjoy it. I actually just ordered a new one (yellow) and I love it.

I wear a KI one for everyday training, and I love it. I think it holds up really well, especially since I'm pretty intense in my sessions.

10/26 5K run My average pace is improving. Yesterday, it was 11:03/mile, with my first mile being done in 9:43. I finished at 34:15. It's been awhile since I was a runner (pre-pandemic) and my heartrate needs work. Averaged 180. While that is peak for the entire time, I didn't feel in pain, nor really any abnormal discomfort, so I put it out of my mind and just paid attention to the podcast I was listening to. Previous experience tells me that this is normal, and that in a month my HR should be in Aerobic area when I run.

I keep forgetting to post here! Yesterday 10/25 Finally have gym access again thanks to my new office. I'm feeling it today, but it feels great to feel it. Squats: 3 sets of 15 @ 75 pounds Deadlifts: 3 sets of 15 @ 75 pounds Calf raises: 3 sets of 15 @ 75 pounds 30 minutes of rowing machine at highest setting.

Now that my Rangers are out of contention (as if they ever were since '11), I can safely root for the other Texas team. Go Astros! Sorry, Bob, but I cannot abide a Yankees win.

Oh wow! I marked the occasion myself, but it's cool that y'all noticed as well! It's easy to post a lot when we have such a good community!

Congrats! Well deserved!

That's great! We would love to hear more!

Foam rollers don't work as well as advertised. The benefits of them are negligible, both for increasing flexibility and muscle recovery. Finding exercise and movements that put the IT Band to work are far more effective. Yoga has some stretches that will increase flexibility here, I would start there. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/23/9118 https://www.top-form-fitness.com/articles/Foam-Roller-Study.pdf

I keep my foot straight. If doing it this way is uncomfortable for you, start with a small number. Do it 5 - 10 times with no weight like that until the discomfort goes away. Go up in reps from there, and after you feel no discomfort, add weight if you want. Start slow, and then work your way up. You likely feel discomfort due to the flexibility issues already present.

Obligatory statement: I am neither a doctor, nor a physical therapist/chiropractor. I wanted more hip flexibility as well, and this is what I came upon. Seek a doctor's advice before starting any new exercise routine. So it is just stretching more, but it's a little more than that. You want to be doing the right kind of stretches. What worked for me was focusing more on dynamic stretches, even when I would stretch statically. I focused on stretch kicks, lunges (both regular and side), and squats. It's important to remember that your hips are connected to things, so when you want more hip flexibility, it is important to make sure that you are increasing your flexibility in all areas. 1) Stretch kicks These are pretty simple. Keep your leg straight (but do not lock your knees), and raise your legs as high as you can. Do this forward, backward, and to the side. The side is the one that will help most in terms of hip flexibility, but, again, getting your whole lower body is important for wholistic stretching. 2) Lunges Side lunges for side and roundhouse height, forward for front and back. Go as deep as you go and commit to going deeper with time. 3) Squats Pretty straight forward, and you already do 90/90s. Squats use your hips. Using your hips increases hip flexibility. 4) Static Stretching Static stretching is not the best way to achieve flexibility. Our muscles like to move around, and so dynamic movement gets us better results without the increased strain. However, static stretching after a workout can be relieving, and warmed muscles won't strain as much to stretch as cold ones. When you static stretch cold, start as easy as possible. I like to lightly, and very carefully, move my hips/legs/muscles up and down or back and forth, going from light strain to more intense. This helps get the muscles moving and more closely resembles dynamic stretching.

Congrats to Zach! That's awesome!

The issue with that is that Modern Sport Karate is, and should be, concerned with safety. A great way to lower participation for your tournaments is to have a reputation of people getting hurt unnecessarily because people keep throwing full powered punches. Tournaments cost a good amount of money and the organizers need to recoup that money and make a profit for it to be a worth while venture for them.

Can you post a link to the video you watched?

Welcome to KarateForums!I'm interested in this decision. Why only books? With the variety of video we have available, I feel like it is much easier to learn from a video than a book. I feel the two combined could be quite a valuable learning experience. Agreed. Scientifically speaking, we learn best when we expose ourselves to a variety of learning modes. The more ways you can learn something, the better.

I did body weight fitness and kata practice last night. Body weight: Pushup - 15 - 20 x 3 Sit-ups - 15 x 3 Oblique Crunch - 10 x 3 (each side) Leg Raises - 10 x 3 Mountain Climbers - 20 x 3 Sledgehammer work - 5 minutes Katas: Chinto - 5 times Shimpa Sho - 5 times mirrored Kyoku 4 - 5 times Kusanku Sho - 3 times Passai Sho - 3 times Overall: 15 minutes of kata

There are a lot of people who can help you with this. Marketing is a difficult part of running a school. You didn't mention what steps you're already taking, so I'm going to assume that you have taken none. I would reach out to a marketing firm and find out what they can offer you. In the mean time, Instagram is a great way to put eyes on your school. Post pictures and videos. Do videos of students and yourself doing kata. Have videos breaking down those kata. Buy ad space on social media. Buy ad time on your local public radio and tv network. Find out when your local grade schools are doing a field day and ask if you can do a demo there. Go to your local colleges and ask about their martial arts clubs, see if you can network with them. When you go to tournaments, are you huddled in a group? Or are you talking to other instructors from different schools? Are you talking to the tournament organizers to get your name on their radars, potentially to help sponsor a tournament? Is there a rec center near you that you can post flyers in? Get exposure, is the gist of these tips. Make sure that people know your name. In Alabama, there is a lawyer named Alex Shunnarah. He buys every billboard he can. You cannot go down the highway without seeing his face. He's a meme, at this point, but he's also embraced that. You cannot think "I need a lawyer" without thinking of his name. Be the name that people think of.

Most of the two person self defense is taking directly from the kata. At this time, the only thing that isn't taken directly from the kata are the things that I have taken from our basics that they learn at White Belt. One of the very few gripes that I have about the Shobayashi/Shudokan dojo that I currently go to is that they don't have enough Ippon Kumite that is focused strictly on bunkai, so that was fresh in my mind as I was writing out the curriculum. This was something that my original teacher did poorly, but that my current dojo does well. It's a good suggestion, and one that I have already incorporated.

Welcome to KarateForums!I'm interested in this decision. Why only books? With the variety of video we have available, I feel like it is much easier to learn from a video than a book.

I did an hour of intense Karate last night. My competition partner and I drilled our kata to it's core. The plan is for them to do it regularly, while I do a mirrored version. We've begun practicing at full power, which has thrown off our timing a little, but we got it back at the end. It's very close to being as perfect as we can get it. Otherwise, I warmed up with 15 minutes of calisthenics and body weight exercises. I'm at the point (again) where I no longer feel loosy-goosy or sore after these, so it might be time to increase my speed for my runs.

They are wise people, I am finding in my adult years. If 16 year old me heard present me saying this, he would scoff, but even he would know that this is true.