Zaine

For me, each technique is equally as important. There's no magical technique that will work every time, so I try to focus equally on each one so that my students will be equipped to handle whatever.

That's basically what my teacher got at as well. I still prefer learning Pinan Shodan first (possibly this is a biased opinion, being that I learned Shodan first), but in the end it really doesn't matter, as long as it's being taught.

What? This is a serious issue. True! The zombie apocalypse is coming. Seriously. It's how I want the world to end (whenever that may be).

True, practice makes perfect. You'll get it eventually. Do what yamesu suggests. When I was doing finger strengthening I would tap my fingers everywhere. Drove people crazy.

I'm a little confused. Are they asking you to perform this kick with the ball of your foot?

Welcome to KF!

Supplements are great, I use protein and sometimes creatine. A homeopathic remedy called arnica is great when you're expecting to be sore. As long as you don't go overboard it's not bad, but your body can only handle so much of certain stuff, so it's always important to make sure that you're not overloading your body with vitamins and minerals.

Absolutely. We also bowed before and after a spar. After a particular brutal match we hugged because it was fun. Usually the hugging happens before and after the class for me, but it certainly wasn't rare to see it during.

For me, the people in your dojo are family. It's important to have a good relationship with your martial arts family so that they will help you in your journey and vice versa. So with that in mind, you could say that hugging is part of training, because by showing your love for the people around you you're boosting their morale, showing them that you have their back and helping them to stick with the class.

I'm the Instructor and I hug, Don't see no issues in it!!! Same here!

I'm a hugger. I don't see any problem in it as long as the instructor doesn't.

What a beautiful representation of that movie.

I agree. It sounds like you've had an injury that hasn't healed correctly. Check it out immediately if not sooner.

Sometimes it's just easier to buy something too big and get it taken in, but that can be pricey.

It's not Empi, that one has too many movements. Is it possible that it is some training kata that your teacher invented to help out white belts?

I see you guys learn Pinan Nidan before Shodan. My school started doing that after awhile. Do you know the reason your school does it?

We actually carry the staph virus on our skin more than anything else. If someone were to get it, it would more than likely have been a problem before they put on their gi.

http://www.karatedepot.com/controller.aspx?type=view&info=search&a=ft&v=Makiwara+board Not a bad one as far as they go. It may or may not be cheaper to build one on your own. I would google the process and see for yourself.

Wow! That's a lot for kyu ranks! Do you have any more after shodan?

Welcome to KF!

I think you're going to have to be more specific. Could you possibly describe the kata move for move?

That does make a more plausible origin, but if it's part of the mythos it's part of the mythos.

In the Matusumura Seito Shorin Ryu that was taught to me we had 15 kata learned in this order (and yes, it is out of order for most other schools who have these katas): 10th Kyu: Pinan 1 9th Kyu: Pinan 2 8th Kyu: Matsumura Bo 1 8th Kyu: Seisan 7th Kyu: Wansu 6th Kyu: Bo 2 (this was a bo form that my instructor made) 6th Kyu: Naihanchi 5th Kyu: Naihanchi 2 5th Kyu: Ananku 4th Kyu: Ananku with Sai 3rd Kyu: Naihanchi 3 2nd Kyu: Pinan 3 1st Kyu: Passai Sho 1st Dan: Chinto 1st Dan: Passai Dai Towards the end I'm a bit fuzzy on the order that the belts were supposed to learn it because my teacher taught some of the katas to us around 3rd Kyu that we weren't supposed to know until 1st Kyu or Dan. There are more forms in the system, but I don't know them.

For a lot of schools it's super taboo to wash your belt, some even consider it bad luck. I've heard plenty of stories of instructors requiring students to buy new belts after finding out that they washed it.

I really that that both dave and decker are missing Martial's point. You're mistaking him for saying that it is as good as an instructor who you can go to, when really he's saying that if you're experienced and you're familiar with the techniques in a particular kata, there is nothing wrong with learning that kata online or from a book, that's what videos and books are made for: so that experienced martial artists can read it, evaluate it and learn some new things about a different (or same) system.