RichardHangHong

Lots of regular stretching will help you recover quicker

Hi guys, I need some advice. I was in a tournament a couple of weeks ago and got a rather bruised forearm and shin that also got scraped up a bit. In the past I'm sure I used to heal pretty quickly but 2 weeks on the bruises still look pretty nasty and are tender if they get hit. Is there anything I can do/use to help them heal faster now and to get bruising to heal quicker in the future like it used to? Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks Richard

Looks real, but why was the camera there filming it? Probably fake.

That's gotta suck bushido_man. I know how you feel. I pulled a muscle just inside my thigh at a tournament a couple of weeks back and it's still giving me grief. If you tore the muscle I guarantee you'd know about it it as it feels like you've wet yourself/started bleeding. Unfortunately torn muscles take ages to heal properly, my fiancee tore her hamstring in class once and it was about 2 years before it was back to 100%.

On to page 12 now.....

Phew! I just read the first 5 pages and I'm already exhausted! There's a lot of disgruntled people on that thread isn't there?

Cheers guys, It's a heck of a long thread on E-budo.com but I'll try to get started on it later this week.

I've heard a fair bit about this guy and seen his photo in a few MA magazines. I just tried looking at his site and it's shut down and Wikipedia said that he has "stepped down after behavior unbecoming of a martial arts instructor." Can anyone tell me a bit more about this? I'm a bit confused. I tried finding some info on a google search but didn't get anything useful.

Sounds like the "blue belt blues". It's quite normal, we all go through various peaks and troughs during training. Best thing you can do is knuckle down, head down, bum up and just work on your technique. Ask your sensei as respectfully as possible, what you need to work on right now. Teachers will often see things within us that we can't at the time until it is pointed out.

Yes, we teach bunkai at all ages and levels Quite often we'll go through a kata and then go through the bunkai straight after. We'll either go through it in sections (one in heiko dachi ready to apply the bunkai, one in fighting stance to attack) or go through the whole kata applying the bunkai along the way (i.e. one person performs kata & one or more people around that person attack) There's no difference between adult syllabus and junior syllabus. Only thing is there is a minimum age for shodan (13yrs) and nidan (18yrs)

Sounds like a good exercise, I'll give it a go in class soon.

Any MA will help you build up self confidence. But hey, being that you're in Japan, karate sounds like a good way to go. If you can have a school recommended to you that's pretty good. But if not, just go and see a few dojos first and speak to the instructors. Which ever one you feel most comfortable with, go to that one. Good luck!

I normally wear an all white gi, but one of the clubs I train in I wear a black top and white pants.

Yup, absolutely. What I teach is a balance of both styles and like kivikala said in his simplified summary, the 2 styles really compliment each other so you can switch your attack and defence methods according to whether you are in close (goju) or slightly distanced (shotokan).

First lesson is usually free. Avoid joining straight away. If you can, wait 2 or 3 weeks before you decide to join up. If you can pay per lesson, then do so. Starting off in track pants and t-shirt is best, then get a uniform when you have decided to join. Welcome to the forums MA-Furious!

Welcome to the forums orionryu!

Welcome to the forums!

Welcome to the forums!

I use that one all the time along with "Dare" both those songs are by Stan Bush. Been trying to get "Never Surrender" by him from the Kickboxer movie but just can't seem to get it on a individual download. Awesome songs though!

Personally, I think 4 to 6 years on average is a good time frame. This gives the student time to grow both physically and mentally (experiencing the highs and lows, etc). You can go to some schools and get a black belt in as little as 1 or 2 years, which in my opinion is too quick. But as someone once said, it's not the belt you wear, it's who you are that counts.

Black belt test in our club goes like this 1) All kihon techniques (strikes, blocks, kicks and stances) 2) All previous + (attempting) dan grade level pre-set combinations, line drills and kumite drills 3) All previous grade kata + chosen kata for dan grade (1 out of a choice of 3) 4) 30 minutes jiyu kumite 5) Fitness test - 100 push ups, 100 sit ups, 100 burpees

I second that. Always keep a white belt mentality

is this the same guy you pulled his pants down? Ha! ha! ha! ha! Wouldn't it be funny if it was?

Use your own judgement. If it looks like just a heated arguement then you should be okay driving on. I see it here in Essex all the time. People are generally more focused on making noise than getting their point across. If it looks like it's going to get physical, call the police and then just sit and observe til they arrive. Only get involved if someone is getting hurt and you know what you're doing

I think the guy had the right intentions (the safety of your son), but just went about it the wrong way. You certainly did the right thing in talking to him privately afterwards. If you feel so strongly about him it might be worth having a private word with your sensei. I'm sure the instructor is aware of his behaviour/attitude but it may help if someone speaks up about it.