bushido_man96

I disagree. I think there is a place for all of those things in karate while we maintain internal harmony. I don't believe that a focus on fighting necessitates a dis-focus from meditation or internal awareness.I agree with Zaine. I think its possible to have a balance. I also think many people find meditative benefits from all kinds of different activities, and they aren't just reserved for specific activities. I think a lot of it has to do with how a person is wired, which includes their philosophical views. I think this is why there are so many different styles out there.

4/20/2015 Strength Training Squats: warm-ups: 45x5x3, 135x5, 145x5; work sets: 165x5, 165x5, 165x5 Press: warm-ups: 45x5x2, 55x5; work sets: 105x5, 105x5, 105x5 Deadlifts: warm-ups: 135x5, 155x5, 175x5; work sets: 200x5, 200x5, 200x5 4/22/2015 Strength Training Squats: warm-ups: 45x5x3, 135x5, 155x5; work sets: 170x5, 170x5, 170x5 Bench Press: warm-ups: 45x5x3, 90x5, 115x5; work sets: 140x5, 140x5, 140x5 Deadlifts: warm-ups: 135x5, 165x5, 175x5; work sets: 205x5, 205x5, 205x5 4/24/2015 Strength Training Squats: warm-ups: 45x5x3, 135x5, 155x5, 165x3; work sets: 175x5, 175x5, 175x5 Press: warm-ups: 45x5x2, 95x5; work sets: 115x5, 110x5, 110x5; form was going down with too much layback, so I have to back off the weight to get good form. Deadlifts: warm-ups: 135x5, 165x5, 185x5; work sets: 215x5, 215x5, 215x5

Ballet dancers do pleaees (not sure on spelling here) that work the ankles. Perhaps something of that nature would help you out?

The side kick is one of the toughest kicks to gain flexibility and height for. The main obstacle, I think, is the way the hips line up when a proper side kick is performed. I find that I'm able to get high round kicks up more easily than I am able to get high side kicks. Stretching is important, but so is developing the muscles on the outside of the leg that are used to hold that leg up in the air. Use a wall or a chair to hold your balance, and do slow, tension side kicks, holding the leg out when you complete the kick. Then pulse the leg up and down about 6 inches. Doing these exercises will help those muscles get more used to holding the leg up when you try to kick high, along with the stretching.

Bob is right on here. Your instructor will bring you along, and most of the time, instructors have their student's best interests in mind. If you trust your instructor at all, then just keep training and the gradings will take care of themselves.

4/15/2015 Strength Training Squats: warm-ups: 45x5, 95x5, 115x5; work sets: 155x5, 155x5 155x5 Press: warm-ups: 45x5x2, 55x5; work sets: 90x5, 90x5, 90x5. Got a bit too much lean on these. Deadlifts: warm-ups: 135x5, 155x5, 155x5; work sets: 180x5, 180x5, 180x5 4/17/2015 Strength Training Squats: warm-ups: 45x5, 115x5, 135x5; work sets: 160x5, 160x5, 160x5 Bench Press: warm-ups: 45x5, 90x5, 115x5; work sets: 135x5, 135x5; really hurts my right shoulder. Deadlifts: warm-ups: 135x5, 155x5, 165x5; work sets: 190x5, 190x5, 190x5 4/20/2015 Strength Training Squats: warm-ups: 45x5x3, 135x5, 145x5; work sets: 165x5, 165x5, 165x5 Press: warm-ups: 45x5x2, 55x5; work sets: 105x5, 105x5, 105x5 Deadlifts: warm-ups: 135x5, 155x5, 175x5; work sets: 200x5, 200x5, 200x5

Has it always been done that way, or is it a change that made its way into the form?

Way to go! Congrats!

Catch-up time. 4/10/2015 Strength Training Squats: 45x5x3, 95x5, 115x5, 135x5 Press: 45x5x3, 65x5, 70x5, 85x5 Deadlifts: 135x5x3, 155x5, 165x5, 165x5 4/13/2015 Defensive Tactics Club: 1:00 - 3:00 pm. Cuffing technique, with standing, kneeling, and prone suspects. Some focus mitt work. Strength Training Squats: warm-ups: 45x5x3, 115x5, 135x5; work sets: 145x5, 145x5, 145x5 Bench Press: 5x5x3, 100x5, 100x5, 100x5 (shoulder does not like it!) Deadlifts: 135x5x3, 175x5, 175x5, 175x5

Thanks for sharing that difference, Iceman. It was really subtle, but after a few watches, I notice it. Something I don't think I mentioned originally, was the way they complete the twin high blocks at the beginning, and then hitch the elbows down, in a sort of strike or release motion. What are the thoughts on that motion?

That is AWESOME! Nice work to both! Cool that they are doing freestyle and Greco as well. There is some major cross training applications there. I agree, Alex. I've seen some very interesting stuff from it, as well.Bob, thanks so much for the kind words!

Look into it, and go speak with the instructors at the school. They could be a branch, or they could be a school with their own specializations and used the term Kempo to define what they do. Either way, I think it would be worth your time to go introduce yourself and see how they present their school.

Welcome aboard!

Welcome to KF!

We had our awards banquet tonight for the Wrestling club. Kendall and Kenneth both received their certificates for being members of the club this year, and Kendall was recognized in a couple of spots. The coaches said mentioned that all the placers at the Gunsmoke Nationals tournament are recognized as All-Amercians, so that was pretty cool. He also received an award for the most pins in the 8 and under class. It was a pretty good night! Freestyle/Greco practice is going pretty well, too. After the first night, he was pretty down because he felt like he wasn't any good, but after talking him through it, and staying consistent with practices, he's really showing some improvement, and I think he is really liking it a lot more. He's learned some things that I think he can really use to help him in Folk Style, so long as he keeps practicing and remembers them.

Amen to that!

I agree, this is the short answer. Take the time to break the kick down into its component parts, like sensei8 mentioned. To me, it sounds like your main frustration comes from the initial pivot and chamber, so I'd take the time to focus on that aspect of the kick.

This happens to me a lot when I am really tired. I go to class anyway, and feel so much better after I get to working out, and after class, I'm always glad I went.

I would be willing to bet that it is due to the lack of training. I get that way when I have long layoffs, too. Sometimes, you just have to make yourself do some work on your own when you can't get to class, and that can help you out some. But there really is no substitute to being in great class environment with fellow students and a great instructor.

You should ask around at the schools that you want to train at, and ask if its ok if you just join their classes to work out, as opposed to train and test for rank there. Try to work out a deal to pay by the month or class when you can show up, and keep your membership at the more permanent location. You might just have to eat the month that you are gone, but if that's the only way you can work it out, then you may have to go with hit.

I'm going to go a bit of a different route than some others here, but if you've got an opinion, I don't see any reason why you don't express it in a thoughtful manner conducive to generating a dialogue on the subject. Some may get defensive, but if they are honest with themselves, then perhaps they'd be willing to listen to reason.

4/11/2015 Seminar: DT Club-sponsored Personal Defense Seminar, 9:00 am - noon. This is the first one of these seminars that I've been able to be a part of, but the DT club does them about twice a year here, and its usually a women's focused seminar. The head of the DT club opened up with some basic situational awareness talk along with some stats behind sexual assaults. From there, the group was divided into two, and we had two mat rooms set up for the classes. There were some basic wrist escapes taught, some choke defenses, and then some ground work, from a bully choke on the ground, to a shrimping escape from a sexual assault position with various options on finishing depending on what the bad guy did, and a full mount reversal. It was a lot of fun!

Taekwondo Poomsae: The Fighting Scrolls, by Kingsley Umoh, is a new book I've found with some different takes on the applications of the Taegeuk and Palgwe forms. Its a different approach than O'Neil's book. I was the same way. I knew nothing of bunkai until I heard of it hear on KF. I do like the idea behind it, though, even if it just presents a different way of looking at the same thing, which is a good way to stimulate the thought process. I haven't gotten to where I teach bunkai (or Hae Sul as a Korean concept) of entire forms, but I do present different applications of individual movements that our class does in basics from time to time. I haven't had the opportunity to break down entire forms up to this point.

Thanks for the rundown. It sounds like you've got an opportunity to learn some good stuff there. Please keep us posted as to your progress, and what you find works with your other style.