jaymac

If those are your options, Wavemaster is definitely better than BOB. You can also put sand in the Wavemaster Base to make it more sturdy against powerful strikes.

Rateh, we too have similar issues with magazine style student uniforms. They hold up well but do not shrink. Suggestion would be to ask parents to have the pants hemmed. It is definitely a safety issue with the pants being too long. They can always grow into them and have the hem taken down.

Learn from that match you lost. What did that individual do differently than what you have been used to in the past. This is why tournaments are so great. They are learning experiences. If someone taped that match, watch it and learn.

I was judging at a tournament once, when a kyu student from our dojo happened to get into the same ring I was judging. I was asked to step out for that certain event. Not only was I ok with this, I thought that it was a great thing to do. I would not have been biased, in fact, I may have judged this student more harshly because I knew what he could do, but I commended the tournament promoter for doing this in order of fairness to others.

I think that there is some great advice here. Try to relax at the tournament and just do your best. I am guessing that because you are doing Heian I that you are possibly white - orange belt range. Just some advice, I recently judged a tournament. I judged white belts all the way up to and through black belts. Nobody is going to ask you BunKai. At yellow belt level, the judges arent going to necessarily judge you as hard as they may a brown level or black belt level competitor. Try to keep low in your stances, breath, be confident, and have fun and you will do great! I wouldn't at this level be too focused on making sure I landed my kata at exactly the same point I started. I checked Brown belts and black belts for that, but not white - green belt.

Karate Dad, I know you posted this originally in Feb. Here is my advice: He is 8 years old. He is going to continually improve. He isn't going to do everything picture perfect. If he has the desire to train and compete, then support him and put him in any tournament you can. If you push him however, by saying "you are not doing this right, or you could do better at this," he may lose interest in all of it. I am sure you would think to never do this, but it happens because parents want to see their child do well. Every tournament I have ever attended, I see parents standing off to the side and shouting to their child ----> coaching from the side. I have seen children be more disappointed not because they didn't place, but because they felt they let mom and dad down. That should not happen.

Lewman, go to the internet and look up Karate Tournaments. It will give a big listing of schools in each state that is posting tournaments. Sometimes when I am looking for a non point rated tournament, I use the internet to look up local schools and check to see if they are hosting a tournament in their area that might not be posted nationally.

Absolutely do Bassai Dai. Sho and Jion are too short of kata for a tournament. Bassai Dai is highly respected among Karate practitioners. I have placed high in tournaments with this kata. Good luck and keep us posted.

In my experience at tournaments, the TKD practitioners love to spar. This is their thing! The are fast and kick high. Learn to get in there fast and score quickly. Block your head and counter every chance you get, then move out of their kicking range fast.

It is almost like a boost of adrenaline when getting hit at a tournament. I think if I miss a block and get nailed, it is my fault, not the competitor's for making the hit. It just makes me want to get in there and do better. Bushido ----> sorry, but I laughed out loud when I read your reply. Sorry about your butt though

You should definitely go! Tournaments are fun and a good way of learning a little about yourself and other styles. Most tournaments always have divisions that begin at white belt. Enter it and have fun! Keep us posted on how you did. Good luck!

Hurricane, try bringing your kicking leg up high (like when you are going to do a front snap kick), let it rub along the inside of your base leg. Now pivot on the ball of your foot and turn your hips over and kick. The higher you bring your knee up (initially) the higher your kicks will be.

Very nicely put Parker!

What a great idea for fundraising. You must of had an awesome time. How long did you sleep after it was all over?

I really like the hook kick. It works great during sparring and can be effective at body level and at head level. (With good control of course ).

I like Rateh have always had poor posture. I really slump while I am sitting. You know what is funny, after I read the post I tried sitting straight because I was really slumped I do have good posture when I train though. I have noticed that when I am watching in the mirrors to better my technique. My focus has always been an issue with me. I do think that MA has improved it, but I could get better. Just recently though, my instructor told me that my focus had improved some. "Some" I will keep trying to improve both.

It is nice to read the responses from this post. I think everyone who had looked at instructional tapes did it with having Martial Arts experience. It amazes me that there are people who only want to train using tapes and not seek instruction in a dojo setting.

de_medic, what internet where you using There is alot of information about Chuck Norris. He was well know in the Karate world prior to making it on TV. As for Jackie Chan, I thought he studied wushu. But they really are Martial Artist.

Rapid weight loss may also hurt you in competition. Your stamina and strength will be less and you will be really tired. However, since I am typing this, it is right now Sunday morning at 0400 and I am guessing your competition is now over. You will have to update us on how it went.

I bet your parents are proud of you and your choice to start MA. Just tell them your concerns about increasing exercise and your high metabolism. Explain that seeing your physician to help make diet changes might be a really smart idea.

I have to tell you, Karate is the perfect sport for you right now. It will help build self esteem, self confidence, and self discipline. The more you get into it, the more you are going to want to practice on your own and you will find a way to do it even in an apartment. I too practice upper body kata at home when there is not enough room to move about. If you can, show up to class early and practice with that other student who does not have experience or even better, go up to one of the other students and say " hey could you help me with..." As for just getting your yellow belt and not feeling like you deserved it. You are always going to think that you could do better at something, but don't put yourself down. You were ranked because your instructor thought you were ready. Congratulations. As for your weight, it sounds like you might be quite underweight for your height. Don't get too worried about it. You will build muscle just practicing and taking classes.

LFZ, I just looked at the websites. I know I previously stated that you cannot accurately judge a dojo by their website, but I have to say that the instructors at the camarillo dojo have an unbelievable amount of experience and trained with and under some very notable instructors in Shotokan.

LFZ, it is really hard to tell how a school would be by just visiting the website. Take a few classes at each school. I would bet they offer trial memberships. I take shotokan and I love it, but we do not have circular movements. Shotokan has powerful and low stances with strong linear punches. A circular art might be a style of Kung fu. Also some Kenpo incorporates circular movement. As for coordination (in regards to a roundhouse kick), nobody can do a decent roundhouse kick the first day they walk into a dojo. It takes time. I bet you will be able to do it with practice. Good luck.

Max, what is available in your area? Obviously most responses are going to be for the style that someone is already taking. It depends. If you would like a grappling style, you could try BJJ. A nice stand up art is Shotokan. A good kicking art is TKD. An effective and beautiful art is a style of Kung fu. Now these are just general ideas. There is so much to these and other Martial Arts. Almost every school out there offers a short term trial membership. Visit as many schools as you can and watch a class, talk to the instructor and tell him/her what you are looking for. Try a couple of classes at each school and make your decision that way. I think just choosing to do Martial Arts in general is awesome. Good luck and keep us posted on what you decide.

Most karate styles tie their belt in a square knot. Kung fu practitioners (if theychoose to wear a belt) wear a sash and is generally tied much different. I have even seen some kung fu schools tie differently from each other. I have seen many schools who do not train with a sash, but when competing, wear their sash in accordance to their rank.