Zaine

This is great advice! mal103 is absolutely right, every dojo is different. One might not do any cardio or strength aside from the actual practice itself at all! Some might require a mile run before every class! A lot of us here supplement our training with cardio and strength training outside the class room. Do you have to be in shape? Not necessarily. However, as you progress, you will start to be more fit and you may have the desire to supplement to help your progression.

AdamKralic hits the nail on the head, don't go toe to toe with the guy. Stay on his outside and keep moving. This also depends on the judge. Again, I would look for good technique, as I stated above. However, make sure that you're intense. As a judge, I want to know that you believe in what you're doing. This doesn't necessarily mean screaming at the top of your lungs for a kiai, but if that helps you the go for it! However, do the kata as it is mean to. If your bassai is anything like the way I learned passai, then there are parts that are calculated and slow, and parts that are fast and intense so you should use that to your advantage. Again, make sure to practice this kata a lot! Remember that you're putting on a show for the judge to be impressed with, sell it with your technique and knowledge!

That's really cool Bob, thanks for sharing!

Sounds like a great dojo!

I think he was saying here that they are above high risk. Basic kicks and punches are definitely effective regardless of what level you are. The thing with some of these kicks is that there is a little bit of telegraphing that goes into them. Even if you're very fast when you throw them there is always opportunity to counter and if you know what's coming the counter can be more dangerous than the kick you threw. So as you become known for throwing a certain kick or if you have had a certain kick thrown at you constantly you may be better able to counter effectively. Same with basics though, although it's a little easier to counter simply because at a BB level you've been on the receiving end of these techniques for your entire MA career, however, you don't put yourself in as much risk since you're not leaving the ground to do them (as an example). Still, awesome video! Thanks for sharing!

That seems like it would work. As long as you make sure to keep good form according to Kyokushin standards. I would add that after you get to the point in the video, to start throwing them faster and faster. This video is great for static balance, but static balance is a different beast than keeping balance during constant motion.In the end, I would suggest drilling it slow at first, kind of like the video (although I wouldn't hold it out there) so that you can practice good technique. Find that sweet spot for you and drill that while gradually moving faster and faster. Drilling away from the dojo is the best way to get the balance that you want.

For beginners, my first teacher would take some funoodle and cut a square out of it. He would wrap that in canvas (so it wouldn't curl) and then attach it to a post for us to start out with. We would then move up to the rope. It's a pretty cool idea.

That's awesome that you found a dojo? Tell us about the dojo! (Like what style it is).

This is one of those things that passes in time. We're not built to be okay with strikes coming at us, so our reflex is to shrink away. I would suggest one-step drills. This way we can work on blocking instead of flinching. She'll get there, just keep encouraging her!

What is your martial arts goal? Whether it be to get in shape, create a system or get to black belt, post it here, I'm interested to know. My goal is to be a weapons master.

Not outside of Cowboys and Indians unfortunately. https://www.Coldsteel.com has a cool pdf on it though, it seems pretty legitimate. https://www.coldsteel.com/files/Riposte/Tomahawk.pdf

It depends on the weather and if my wife is up (being that we have a kid). In the mornings when it is cold I practice in my living room (I currently don't have a home dojo ) but when the weather is nice, I do a quick jog to the lake (about a half mile) and practice there. I always warm up with basics and then practice kata and cutting drills. Before living in my current location there was this awesome park that had some amazing trails where I would train.

SOLID POST! I agree with this description 100%

That's good news! What did you settle on?

Great advice! Also, don't be discouraged if to exhaustion means only 1 or 2 pull-ups. They're not easy at first! Keep at it and you will build up the muscles to do more!

3/16 30 min on a stationary bike 30 min cutting drills 30 min kata practice

It really depends on the instructor in this case. Talk to whatever instructor you are wondering about for more answers.

http://www.karateforums.com/martial-arts-research-library-vt8082.html Here's a great place to look for your next book! I would suggest that you pick up a history book. Start with a book that focuses on the history of Kyokushin, and then pick up a book that focuses on all of Japanese karate. Regardless of your style, knowing the history of other styles can help you to understand yours a lot more.

Solid advice! I've said it before, taking care of ALL of your body is important. The more exercises (outside of karate, such as weight training) you do the less prone to injury you will be as long as you're doing those exercises responsibly (taking 100 lbs to do arm curls on your first day is not responsible). Take care of your body, and your body will take care of you.

First off, welcome to KF! I would start as a white belt. Not to undermine your BB but it's a new (albeit similar) system. I think that it would be an awesome new journey to start over with this club and work your way back up. That way you don't have to feel awkward about coming in rusty, also it shows some respect for your new sensei's process I think. Also, since Shito Ryu and Shotokan have their similarities, I imagine that you would progress through the ranks fairly quickly and get to shodan in Shito Ryu in not time at all.

Really cool interview. Thanks for sharing!

Awesome! Congrats to your son!

A lot of what he was doing looked like he had a lot of interest in XMA, which has it's own interpretation of Kenjutsu. It's possible that his Kenjutsu instructor was also an XMA instructor.

I would disagree. All martial arts suffer from bad teachers and all martial arts, regardless of whether it is kung fu or karate, have associations that you can be a part of. Like you said, being in this or that association has no bearing on whether or not you're a good teacher, but they exist in every part of martial arts.

I've never practiced at a dojo that required you buy from them. The one's that have sold usually have a pretty good price, however, so many ended up buying from them anyway. In Arlington, though, there is a pretty awesome martial arts store that a lot of the schools have a relationship with, so a lot of times you will find instructors recommending the store more than anything else.