Zaine

This last point brings up an interesting topic. I'm not sure I agree with the idea of being able to demote a student. What would the criteria be? When age means that he can't physically do the things he did to earn that rank do you take it away? What if he gets an injury that has to vastly change the way he does things, is this a demotion? Most people would say "no" most likely. But how is any of those different, in the end result, than the guy who can't train for 6-8 months due to work or family requirements? For me, once someone has earned that rank, it's theirs. They did what they were required and deserve to keep it. Now, it's on them to keep up. If they leave they might have quite a long time on their return to get back to that level, but they still earned it. I don't think it's fair to demote them AFTER they've attained their rank. I haven't used the bachelors degree I earned in years, but no one has come to take it off my wall yet. By a similar token, I had to spar for an hour straight with heavy contact to earn my black belt. I probably can't do that anymore, at least not with the ferocity that I did at 23. My coaches haven't deemed it necessary to come take my first Dan grade back. Nor have they deemed it necessary to do so despite the fact that 95-99% of my martial training time now revolves around BJJ. It's not an indictment of what I've done before, just where my interest and passion is right now. However, depending on the criteria, one could make an argument that demotion is in order since I don't spend a great deal of time training in my base are these days. It goes back to the trick bag I think we get into if we start into the idea of demoting people. I infered something that I did not mean to infer. I wouldn't strip a rank because of physical skill but because of misconduct and abuse of power. I agree with you on the point that if they physically earn it they have it. However, if they abuse it, or start picking fights to practice, that for me is grounds for demotion. I don't want a student that I would have to represent me in a way that showed a ugly light on my school.

I am just not a fan of hooks, one of those prejudices that my teacher had. A straight punch just always gets in there faster. As far as power you're right, there isn't much diffence in how your fist is positioned. It's all about technique and whether or not you want to break your wrist. Vertical goes to the face , but not to the body because it's too easy to collapse your wrist back.

Some schools don't teach bunkai, and whereas I don't agree with that it's perfectly acceptable. However, Ryu schools usually have a good habit of doing so. That being said, you've been to six classes, it's not unusual to not hear about bunkai at this point. If you are curious about it, ask your instructor. They'll be able to answer all of your questions.

When I had a dojo to go to we never really did anything like that, although I do make use of isometric training in my personal workouts. When it comes to something that I think I want to apply to karate though I generally try to stick to something like Plyometrics, as Wastelander suggests, because it is incredibly physical and really drills control of your body.

It always was just when we were ready for my school. Sometimes when you have set times you only work hard on the last stretch of the six months, whereas when you are tested when the instructor feels you're ready you tend to constantly work hard. I agree with Still Kicking, it only becomes odd when tests become a formality. I hate seeing a test where the practitioners receiving the test don't earn it. For me a student needs to constantly earn things, including their ranks and as an instructor you can't hesitate to demote someone if they need to be demoted.

Just conditioning.

Like MasterPain says, don't worry about it. I find that people who want to go to the gym often don't because they don't want to be embarrassed by those who are doing better than them, but everybody has to start somewhere. Don't worry about those who benching more than you. Just workout and enjoy yourself.

No I meant ballistic. It's not dangerous if you're smart about it. I'm not a fan of the jerking motion stretches, but there are some strong stretches in there that are safe. Dynamic stretches also work very well, especially for flexibility.

Welcome to KF!

All of those systems are going to have weapons in them. All of those are good systems. Your best bet is to go and check out each for yourself and see what you think for yourself.

In Okinawan systems this is called a shiringi, whereas a horizontal punch is called a matsumura. For us, (and like liver punch, I'm not trying to start a debate on whether or not this is the correct way. Surely there are many ways in which these two variations are correct), the vertical fist wasn't for speed, both punches were trained to be just as fast but it was a difference in where we were going to hit someone. The vertical punch was for the face and the horizontal was for the body. This was because the vertical punch has a better ability to get better accuracy to the face and the horizontal had the ability to get between the ribs. Also when you throw a vertical punch to the body you run the risk of tweaking your wrist.

Nothing to do with weight. I know the machine you're talking about and I wouldn't use it as an accurate reading at all. It's just something fun that you do as you pass by. If you want your punches to be strong, work on technique, not brute force. Someone who has good technique will beat someone who relies on brute force almost every time. I never bother with how hard of a reading my strike can get, it's just not worth the worry.

Instead of doing static stretching (like what you do or what you would with those machines), do ballistic warm ups. Not only are they better for you in the long run, it gets your body warm and you'll be more prepared for your kicks.

Welcome to KF!

I don't think he meant it the way you seem to have taken it. He was just trying to get more information on him. As for the original post: It's absolutely normal to experience this. With a situation like that it's really easy to imagine all the things that could have gone wrong so it's natural to play it out in your head for awhile because, to be perfectly honest, it's a scary moment. Since it has been so long you might want to go talk to a professional about it.

I'd probably go to a physical therapist over a chiropractor. A physical therapist has the ability to work with you a little more and make sure that you know what to do to continue your healing outside of a clinic.

Musashi is, to put it lightly, the authority in this kind thing. Meditation (for those who don't practice Shinto or Buddhism) is still a great way to calm yourself before and after practice. I recommend to anyone who struggles grasping something in any Martial Arts. Sometimes our minds get so clogged by all the information that we are supposed to remember that certain things don't "click" until we are able to sort everything out and a good way to do this is through meditation. I would definitely look into it if it's something that you're interested in.

To be fair any system will allow this, including Tai Chi. There are no rules in a street fight.

Bill Wallace's stuff is pretty cool. Really nice gut too. My school did a seminar with him a few years ago. The best part was hanging out at Burger King afterwards with him. lol. I've heard that guy likes his hamburgers. I think he would be fun to train with.He is fun to train with. He has a great sense of humor. He also does really like burgers.

That's a pretty safe assumption. You probably got all of that when you were first starting out, it's just not as prominent now that you have more control of your body and can know what is hurting a little more acutely.

I've seen people fail, but I have never failed.

Talk to your sensei about it a little more, he can't make you do it. Also, maybe go get some physical therapy about that knee. That can be a big problem.

Ideally you would knock on out so that you really are fighting one person. However, in a classroom setting the barrier strategy is the best. Not only does this create one person to fight but it also keeps both of them in your line of sight. Fighting them both at the same time gives you a huge disadvantage. Especially if you're trying to fight them multi-directionally, that way one of them can get behind you and tear you up. Definitely go with the barrier strategy.

You hit the nail on the head. It's a game of tag. Points can be scored, even if they would have done little or no damage to your opponent. I watched a high-level JKA tournament where 3/4 of the fight was nervous bouncing back and forth, by both finalists, waiting to score a single point. It was maddeningly boring and pales in comparison to the effectiveness and watchability of say, a Kyokushin match. I guess for kids, though, it's ideal. -RB It can be called that, sure, but it can have it's purposes. It can teach you to look for openings and it makes you use combinations to get there. We had to points spare for our 6th, 5th and 4th kyu so that we could demonstrate that we knew how to create openings and opportunities.

I feel like that comment takes away a lot of the legitimacy of the cane, which isn't probably what you were going for but it's what it comes across as. I personally love the hook part of the cane, it's what I think makes it unique and not just another stick.