bushido_man96

I think what your were feeling was anger, not KI. I don't do any meditation, or internal contemplation, or anything like that, right now, but I do get to feeling like you described from time to time. When I get angry, I get hot, sweaty, my blood pressure rises, I grit my teeth, and feel like unloading everything I have into the nearest inanimate object. When I get done, I feel drained. I honestly think you felt anger, and not KI.

I can understand what you are saying, but two wrongs do not make a right. There are a couple of things that your sensei could try to do. One possibility is that he could take the students who are serious about karate, and try very hard (not to be confused with skill level), and just take them to workout in his backyard/garage/community center, and drop the rest. If he owns a club that is small, he most likely not using it as his primary source of income, so this shouldn't be a problem. Another option is to introduce some new grading ideas, like adding stripes to the belts, or adding more belts, if you have room for them. This will make more work for the kids to do, they will have to test more often, but will hopefully make better gains, and show more improvement. You say your sensei is a good instructor. If so, he should not worry about the quantity of his students, but the quality that he can put into each one that he has. Eventually, by passing out belts, it will come back on his reputation. Have the sensei talk to the parents about what his plans for the kids are. Most likely the parents will agree, and the kids will have to shape up. Good luck to you and your sensei. I hope things improve for the both of you.

They do have simulator things kind of like this for Law Enforcement Officer training. My dad was telling me about one he was playing around with. No, it is not a substitute for all other officer training, but it is a good supplementation.

The problem that I have with kicking the knee is that, although it is a good target, is the possibility of a lawsuit being thrown your way.

Congratulations on your rank! What a sign of gratitude.

cogratualations on your accomplishment. Those testings are quite different than mine.

1. By the top knuckle, do you mean the standard knuckle for making contact? If so, evaluate your technique as compared to your right hand, to see if you are doing anything different. Also, try focusing striking with the index and middle finger knuckles, and not just one. Otherwise, it may be just a matter of conditioning, and will improve with time. When it is sore, rest it. 2. You can increase your dumbell weight at steady intervals. When you feel that the weight you use is too light, bump it up five pounds. Make sure that whatever action you are doing (like if it is punching) doesn't overstress the elbow joint, shoulder joint, or whatever you are working on. 3. You need to set a bedtime, and stick to it. Not 9 one night, and 12 the next. After some time, your body will adjust to the schedule. Also, if you nap for any excessive amount of time during the day, you may have trouble getting to sleep at night. My wife is an exception, who can get 7-8 hours of sleep a night, and then take a 4 hour nap in the afternoon, and then go to sleep at 10 . One more thing...don't worry about making long posts . We like 'em!

I also have a question -> Is a Kip-Up another name for a Shoulder Spring? I would say most likely they are the same thing. I can do the kip-up, but not the spin-a-rooney.

Loren Christensen has a book called Speed Training. Find it, read it. That said, there are several things you can do. You could do some work with weight training at lighter weights with more reps, and push the reps out fast, but don't pop any joints. For kicks, practice bursting exercises, in which you burst your leg up into a chamber position, like for a front kick or side kick. Burst up as fast as you can, as high as you can, and then put it back down quickly. As the ball of your foot hits the ground, burst back up immediately. It takes time to develop speed. And just because you are big, it does not mean that you cannot be fast.

I am not sure I would try to clinch with someone if I knew his buddies were around, or take him to the ground. Something about being attacked when I can't see them, and while I am on the ground. Maybe it is different if you have more ground fighting experience, but I would not feel comfortable with it.

I pay $50/ month at my school, which includes the opportunity to hit 4 classes a week, and covers the gym membership so I can lift weights. I am a black belt there, and help to teach as well, so the instructor cuts me some slack.

The AAU now offers point fighting and Olympic sparring in their competitions, isn't that right? Also, I had heard that there were 3 different forms systems that they allow now as well: ITF, WTF, and ATA. There were a couple of students from our school that went, but I didn't ask them if they saw any different forms. If anyone can fill me in on the details, and how you think each of the different styles are received, it would be great. I know I can go to AAU.com, but I want everyone else's opinions. Thanks.

This is a bad idea. You need an instructor to get feedback from, and to provide hands on training, and you can only get that from a school, or from someone willing to teach you privately. If you have some prior experience, keep reviewing what you know. If you have the time, spend about an hour each day on techniques. Then, when things are right for you, you should be able to go find a place you can afford to work out at. Put basic technique combinations together, and be sure to practice proper stances. Be tough on yourself, and you can still gain rewards.

We had two of our students qualify, but they will not be going. Too much else going on. They also plan to begin working out for it now, so they can be prepared next year.

For example, I have learned that I have a problem holding back when I compete. When I go to a tournament, while I am sparring, I don't try the same counters or techniques there that I do in class. I don't know why, but I guess I just second guess myself. The more I go, the better I will get with this, though.

That is an interesting tidbit. I would not have known that. I kind of figured that Thai boxing was the big thing there.

That's good advice.

My current dojang has a 10 belt system, white, low green, hi green, then lo and hi blue, then lo, middle, and hi brown. Then, we have black recommened, then black.

I feel that the best weapons we could learn to use are the knife, stick, and gun, along with the OC spray the elbows_and_knees mentioned. These are practical in use, and can be easier to find. It would also be very important to train some in defending against these weapons. A training regimine could include weapon vs. weapon, empty hand vs. weapon, and weapon vs. multiple opponents. This small regimine could be expanded on, but it would be a good start. I think that gun and knife defense are some of the most practical defenses to learn at this point.

That would be an idea to try. I thought about putting a hammer end on the side opposite the blade, but it may get too unweildy.

It's the little things in life that make you smile, isn't it?

Not sure what the 'Kali Tudo' is. I have seen the Dog Brothers site a few times, but haven't hung around a whole lot.

I always enjoyed the Tekken games. Saw the other day that Tekken 5 was out.

I used to have an Ebay account, but I don't mess with it much anymore.

I think you already know why. Stopping smoking will have a huge impact. This is not necessarily the case. There are some smokers who can run forever. They may be the exception to the rule, but it has more to do with the lack of aerobic capacity.