Zaine

Congrats!

Often, if the weapon intentionally touches the ground, you tell the judges so they know not to deduct points from you. I once saw a competitor tell the judges that if he hits himself (in the head, groin, etc.) that this was intentional. It got a good laugh. Of course, he didn't mess up and did just fine.

In that case, yes, I agree. Turning to face the way you started is standard.

Something that I try to impress upon every competitor that I am judging is that I don't know their kata. There is 2 reasons for this. The first is that I primarily judge a circuit where most of the competitors are coming from a Korean martial arts background. The second is that, even if we do share a kata (like passai/bassai), it doesn't mean I learned the version that they learned. If they screw up, I won't know unless they react to it. The only real issue I have is with #6. I have a kata that I do, a version of Chinto from Shobayashi, that ends facing away from the front. Pen pai and pen po, from Shudokan, also don't face the front when they end. I have performed the Chinto in competition and gotten docked for this. In my judging, I don't judge based on where they ended up facing unless it's obvious that they didn't mean to do that. Not all kata face the front at the end. Could I simply pick kata that face the front when I compete? Yes, and I do. But I don't think people should get docked points because they wanted to do the 45 degree version of Chinto. Weapons kata for me is more difficult to judge. For the lower ranks in the circuit that I judge in, there is no traditional weapon category so all the younger students are doing specialty kata instead which allow flips, tricks, and the like. It's difficult for me to judge because that's not my jam and I find that I'm mostly just trying to figure out which performance that I like the best. However, when it comes to traditional weapons kata, I generally follow the guidelines you set out here. There's a lot more for me to judge when the kata comes from a tradition.

That is an incredibly odd way of doing that. In my experience competing and judging in tournaments, the norm is you go up, you are scored, you sit down. If you're mathematically inclined, it isn't difficult to track the scores and know who is in what place, but places aren't announced until everyone has gone.

Which techniques are open-hand instead of using a fist?

Some mechanical keyboards can be grating. I have one that is a little to clicky for my tastes that I rarely use. Good fodder for someone trying to annoy your friends though.

I've definitely had my share of awful keyboards! As far as low profile keyboards go, the Apple Magic Keyboard isn't my favorite, but it is a solid choice. I'm not too familiar with the mouse, however. I tend to gravitate towards heavier pieces when it comes to my mouse.

Hello fellow keyboard warriors (I use this term ironically, fear not). How many of you, like myself, are keyboard enthusiasts? I love keyboards and I have amassed something of a collection for myself. I have ones that are as loud as a typewriter, and some that are soft and quiet. I just got a new keyboard today that is described as having a "creamy" sound. It sounds very nice and one of the reasons that I am typing up this message is because I wanted to listen to those sweet, almost raindrop like clicks as I type. The keyboard is an Aula F75, for those wondering. Is anyone else like me? Do we have other keyboard enthusiasts? Do you like mechanical keyboards or are you fine with whatever you have in front of you? I find that a lot of people do not give this a lot of thought, but being that a large part of my life is spent in front of computer screens, it is something that I obsess over quite frequently.

I keep forgetting that it's going to be where I live. Traffic is going to be awful.

I'm happy to help with the testing. I have been hoping for a mobile friendly version for some time now (I remember when this was being pitched to the staff and I think I said something about it then). Excited to see the changes and the growth!

Congrats! This is a big step and it's not easy. Remember to be kind to yourself on this new journey.

If you like The Fall of the House of Usher (and it's book), and you enjoy dark fantasy in general, you might like What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher.

Oof, that's intense. Stay safe, and bring some pepper spray or a TASER or something similar if you begin to get bad vibes.

Right now I am reading The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

Which is why it is important to train failure of technique in drills. I know that this is something that Noah (Wastelander) preaches, and it is something that I have incorporated into my training. What happens when X technique does not work as intended? You move on to Y. What happens with Y fails? You move to Z and so forth. Karate, and martial arts in general, is not static. It is important to understand the dynamic nature of a confrontation and train for that.

I've been listening to a lot of Hozier recently.

Happy birthday!

Okay but I'm wearing jeans and a t-shirt while browsing on Fridays, instead of my normal suit and tie.

Congrats, Noah!

I just picked up a copy of Secret of Mana for my collection. I was pretty happy with the find.

I collect a number of things. Lately, I've been focusing on increasing my manga and ttrpg collections.

Congrats! Well deserved!

I've trained with many new tattoos in my time. As long as you are following the after-care instructions and taking care not to excessively impact the area, then you should be fine. If you are worried, do as Bob did and gauze the area during training.

Welcome to KF! It's great to have you!