lordtariel

Yep... Someone else want to pose some? I can keep going if anyone's interested.

Welcome to the forums!

Welcome

Welcome to the Forums!

That could be interesting. I wonder what quality of MA instruction they offer. I don't think it's too bad of an idea. You could learn MA and possibly learn things like how to keep a business open, marketing, sports medicine, and all of the other options you have at a college. Wonder how much of a muck organization politics would make of it though.

Jab, Reverse... Karate's bread and butter. Vary it in tempo and where you're hitting. Good luck in your tournament and welcome to the Forums. Just out of curiosity, what type art do you study? That might help with people telling you combinations.

I feel there's no real "best weapon"... I think there are best weapons for certain situations, but as everyone else stated, it's more the fighter than the tool they use. A katana requires room to use so it wouldn't be as effective in a hallway or a small room as a knife would be. I kind of feel media has some part to play in mystical-uber-elite aura of invulnerability surrounding the katana. This isn't to say that it isn't an extremely versatile and effective weapon, but how many people were drawn to the katana through watching movies like The Highlander or The Last Samarui.(Hey, I was one of them ) The fact of the matter is that there is no weapon that can cut through anything, otherwise don't you think that people would take advantage of it in one form or another?

Repetition is a big part of it. If you're having trouble with balance, try to hold onto a rail or side of table. If you have a partner, stand far enough away that you won't nail them, hold on to their shoulder and take turns doing side kicks at each other's knees. Another thing to remember, you're just starting out so don't try for the head kicks. Practice getting your technique down by doing low kicks so you don't have to worry about balance and strength so much. Try to do multiple kicks and combinations some times. Once your technique is good, start working on your flexibility and power. You'll find that if your hips are engaging correctly, kicking will be much easier.

I've always been taught to bow with the head down, but gazing forward.

A question is how long have those black belts been there. If you have three or four who've been around for years, it might not be too unusual. Or there may have been a determined group of people who went up through the ranks together. Also, just because six people tested, it doesn't mean six students is all the dojo has. It's kinda hard to say without knowing all the details.

You're son's involved in this, you have a right to know who was involved. Who are you talking to about this? If you feel this is being handled poorly, you may want to go one step up and talk to the superintendent of the school district you're in. Explain what happened and how you think the school isn't doing anything about it. Just a quick question, were these kids older or were they 9 as well? I'd also consider going to the police and pressing charges depending on the severity of the attack. Grabbing a kid by the throat and swinging him around isn't cool. If an adult did that it'd probably be considered aggravated assault. A visit from the police might convince the parents of those kids that they may want to keep their kids in line or scare the kids into behaving a bit.

This stuff is boring, when do we get to start doing punches? (This was in a judo class)

The easiest way? Just go up and do it. It gets far easier the more you do. Look to see if there's a topic that you can discuss. Do you like what their wearing? Are they doing something you can relate to? Are you shopping for the same sort of thing you're looking for? Having a in common topic can really make things go easier.

I'm amazed this topic has gone so long without degenerating into a flameathon... This is a touchy topic for some people. Some people swear by kata, some think it's useless... to each his own.

I agree with bearich... I don't know how much your dojo focuses on grappling and ground work, but it's always good to have some fundamentals so you can at least work your way back up from the ground if you wind up there.

I agree with bushido... I've torn my rotator cuff before and it took me a couple of years to recover from it.(my shoulder still aches sometimes) Have your instructor watch to make sure you're not doing something wrong when you're practicing and make sure you stretch well before practice.

I think it really depends on your initial system. Bo was the easiest to pick up when studying karate, while I imagine that tai chi staff(if I could of found an instructor less than 300 miles away in any direction) would have been far harder to learn at first than the broadsword which I picked up fairly easily.

I liked the idea of this thread so much I'm thinking about starting up a training blog for my own use.

Sugar also will repress your immune system, so cutting a lot of sugar from your diet will help.

That's ok... I still play magic. I do stupid human tricks.... I can touch the tip of my tounge to the the tip of my nose.

Maybe there needs to be a serious discussion in the dojo. What would clear things up is just asking the girls in the class what they are comfortable with in terms of sparring. That way everybody has clear-cut knowledge of what techniques you should use and what ones you shouldn't, because not all people are the same. Some don't really care and others are more sensitive.

I wouldn't say deadly or illegal, but there are hidden moves in some katas. And yes, these really basic ones, but I'm sure there are others... I just haven't trained at bunkai that regularly. I apologize for the poor descriptions, it really lends it self better visually than verbally. For example: the second move in Pinan Sandan is a down block and outside block at the same time with opposite arms. In place of the outside block you can substitute a backfist. In Pinan Yodan, there is a point after the second elbow strike(move 8 I think) where you scoop and deflect a head strike, kick, then go into a cross-stance backfist... well in actuality you can trap the arm make his elbow bend the opposite direction, kick them to soften them up, and extended the cross stance out so can use the torque to throw them in place of the backfist. While someone who ONLY practices kata probably won't stand a chance in a self-defense or sparring situation, I feel it has value in that it teaches technique, helps you understand how moves work, and is great for exercise and timing. If people want to solely do kata, that's fine as well. Not everybody takes martial arts to learn to defend themselves. I think it's silly, but it's the truth. The problem comes in when they think they can defend themselves because they have a blackbelt from a school that does non-contact martial arts. I don't want to offend anyone, but I guess what it comes down to is this: do you need kata to be a good fighter? Maybe not... but tell me then the difference between a fighter and a martial artist?

Make sure you aren't locking your arm or hyperextending it at the end of the punch, I belive it damages the ulnar nerve(nerve in your elbow which is attributed to the 'funny bone' sensation) which can cause pain from your shoulder to your wrist. This is what causes tennis elbow, or as my sensei calls it: karate elbow.

I actually have some options in my training this year. What do you think would benefit me more? Going to class(1:30 hours) 5 times a week or going to two classes(3:00 hours)in one day twice a week? One would have me working out for a short time five times a week, while the other would have me working out fewer days, but for longer.

I like to fake hook kick high and turn it into a reverse kick at stomach level.