Sohan

We're supposed to be serious here??? And I strongly resemble that remark of yours. I believe my post count has finally dropped below 30 per day, I'll have you know.... Besides, I work from home much of the time I'm not training, so my PC and my laptop are always at the ready. God bless DSL and wifi. With respect, Sohan

Trust you to come out with a mouthful like that!! Former IBM'er. We love our acronyms! With respect, Sohan

KarateK, I completely agree with you for the most part--you certainly would have a keen perspective on this. Doesn't your mom teach at your school? But I do think that our expectations ought to be somewhat different in karate than in other sports for kids. Parents bring their kids to karate for reasons other than just fitness and self-defense; many bring them because of the discipline and self-esteem they derive from regular MA practice. I think that depending on our approach with the children, these goals can be achieved, but we need some patience and understanding. MA requires more discipline than many other sports like soccer or baseball and children of that age typically don't possess it in sufficient amounts--though they usually respond well to the right instruction. With respect, Sohan

OK, those of you without kids probably may not relate as well, but perhaps those of you with kids will, so please indulge me. I just got back from my son's semifinal little league baseball game, and I have to say, the rest of the season we parents are like, "Good job, good job" regardless of whether our kid hits a homer or strikes out. However, right now, we all want to WIN--with a smile and some fun, of course. But this team we're playing had kicked our booties the whole game today and were really well coached, so we knew we were in trouble. So there we are, down 6 runs in the bottom of the last inning, and we rally to score 5, we have 2 men on but we have 2 outs and there's MY KID coming to the plate. I'm doing my best to be calm, but it's darned difficult. I holler my support to him and he turns and gives me a great big smile. His last hit was a pop fly out, so I'm a little nervous as he steps up in the box. If he gets out, game over and we go home. First pitch, a swing. A really, really good swing... The sound of the bat hitting the ball can be one of the sweetest things you can hear. It's even better when the ball goes up the middle in the gap and rolls to the fence. It's even more magnificent when you see those two runners haul tail around and score the tying, and then winning runs. And it makes you the proudest papa in the world when it's your kid doing it. I'm not one of those guys that puts stickers all over my car crowing about how great my kid is. But right now, I just don't care---I'm doggone proud of him. With respect, Sohan

Nakazato created the style out of respect for Kyan, and vowed to teach kata and other technique as Kyan did, completely unchanged. It perhaps is the Okinawan style most loyal to Kyan and the lineage of Sakugawa, Sokon Matsumura, and Itosu. With respect, Sohan

Sounds inappropriate, for certain. You might speak to a senior instructor that you trust about your concerns and see if they might say something to your sifu, if you are uncomfortable confronting him yourself. A sifu should be held to the highest standard, and this behavior as you describe it is absolutely inexcusable. With respect, Sohan

Now THAT'S a talent...I have struggled mightily with that language... With respect, Sohan

Does it count if I'm searching for a college for my son? He's several years off, but I'm keeping my eyes peeled.... Good luck on your search, highschoolers! With respect, Sohan

It'd be nice to have a UK-USA gathering at the least. There's as many people on the other side of the pond I'd like to meet as there are here. Of course I would love to include those of other nations as well. Sort of a UN of MA. With respect, Sohan

He may be trying too hard to please you, and feels it's not worthwhile if he can't meet your standards. Remember, children sometimes need to learn at their own pace. They also need to experience the inevitable consequences of their efforts when they don't give 100%. Let your child make his own experience and don't protect or coddle him, and he will likely thrive. This is how I approach my 7 yr old, who is also a yellow belt and is soon to test for orange. With respect, Sohan

It does take a certain degree of balance to pull off the kick successfully the way you describe. I would try some superslow rep kicks without putting the leg down to develop balance. Normally I use a side kick in combination with hand techniques. I rarely throw it "cold" because it can be easy to evade or grab. But it is wonderful to use as someone comes in to counter my hands--the look of surprise they get when my foot meets their solar plexus is priceless. With respect, Sohan

Welcome! With respect, Sohan

And that's just it... your hit may not have even phased the guy. Assuming it would have can lead to overconfidence on the attacker's part as well. Then, we he actually fights, he's totally surprised because his strikes didn't drop his opponent. I think both schools of thought are valid, but lean more toward this one, as it eliminates guesswork. But what are you recommending, full contact all the time? Impractical. The idea of sparring is to practice techniques in close quarters without seriously injuring your opponent. It's been practiced this way for many years across many styles, and I would argue that it has created quite a few successful martial fighters. With respect, Sohan

Still. Have. Song. Stuck. In. Head. I think it's like The Ring, where you play the tape and you die a week later. I think I still have a few more hours before my skull implodes. With respect, Sohan

We don't do it at our school, either. I have seen very quick promotions a few times, but never a double. We're usually rather slow in moving up. With respect, Sohan

Best of luck! With respect, Sohan

IMO, it's not about ego so much as it is reality. In a real fight, if a blow almost lands, I'm not gonna acknowledge it because it MIGHT have KOed me. I'm gonne keep fighting. In sparring, I do the same. Actually, I think there is more of an ego issue involved from those who expect to have the technique respected. Why are they expecting acknowledgement? I don't think it's about ego, as much as it is about the fact that many blows that would likely be finishing blows (or at least heavily damaging) in a sparring bout are often ignored by the receiver, who continues fighting as if they had never been touched. Since we pull punches and kicks somewhat to avoid injuring our partner, this sometimes leads to overconfidence, where the receiver gradually learns not to protect themselves adequately because there is no sense of risk. By stopping to acknowledge the blow, one is recognizing that their defense has failed, and they realize they must improve next time to avoid being injured. This is because sparring is not about winning, it's about learning. With respect, Sohan

I've been to a few Atlanta Thrashers games, and was hoping for a playoff spot this year, but it wasn't to be. I am actually old enough to have seen the Atlanta Flames in action before they jumped ship to go to Calgary and win a Stanley Cup. Wish it had happened here... With respect, Sohan

Keep it up, you'll be glad someday that you did. And it only gets better as you improve, just like MA. With respect, Sohan

Thanks everone btw. Sohan (or anyone else), one thing, should I be working on pull ups or chin ups. I mentioned pull ups cause from what I hear they are a little eaiser to do than chin ups, but if one as more benefits than the other, should that be the one I be doing? Try chinups first, which are easier because of the supinated hand position (palms up) that more fully utilizes the biceps muscle. When you can knock out a few of those, try them with your hands turned the other way--both work essentially the same muscles but with different emphases. With respect, Sohan

Have just learned 10 Killing Hands recently and am really enjoying it. It is a fairly short form (my first in Hung Gar) but it incorporates many of our Tiger/Crane line moves and is really an interesting series. With respect, Sohan

This includes photos and descriptions. I don't know the vendor---just included it for informational purposes. http://www.sissel-online.com/product/medicine_ball.php With respect, Sohan

Congratulations. With respect, Sohan

Do a Google search. A description of each exercise I mentioned is easily available via Google. With respect, Sohan

Solve your sleep issue and you'll solve your muscle issue. Simple as that. Everything else is way down the line in helping you meet your goals. Nobody can build mass to their potential on 5-6 hours sleep because one doesn't recover from the previous day's protein degradation and it keeps your stress hormone level high constantly, which promotes a breakdown of muscle proteins for blood glucose (to give you energy to make up for lousy sleep habits). Find a way to get 8 hours a night and you'll feel like you're on steroids compared to what you're experiencing now. With respect, Sohan