Yasutsune Makoto

For leg flexibility it's good to develop any routine you feel comfortable with that stretches all areas of the legs (achilles tendon, calf, hamstring, quadracep, hip tensors and flexors, groin). Then go through this routine as often as possible, making sure you push as far as you can, breathing in while you relax and out while you stretch. It's also not a bad thing to just stretch whatever muscle you can, whenever you can. You can almost always find a way to stretch some part of your body. I'd say you'd notice results within a week, and can become quite flexible in maybe 8 months...but that depends on how hard you work and your body and all that.

amen... never stop training because the more you learn the more applications you find.

Just a quick point... Every chamber is an elbow or knee...we train it, we just aren't told we are. Good points everyone, I agree with you all.

I love the bunkai to nijushiho and jitte...they make me smile.

human torch is pretty sweet...i used to want to be him. lol

I don't like the idea of using kata for cardio and here is why... kata is based on technique, and that perfection of technique is what aids our growth in the martial arts. Now, I'm a shotokan guy, so this may not apply to all styles. I do think that if you aim to perform a perfect kata...and try about 10-15 times in a row, with full power, speed, rhythm, breathing, like it's supposed to be done...you'll get pretty worked up cardio-wise.

i wonder how you get that fast? But, it didn't look like he even hit the guy...so that might allow him to be quite a bit quicker...no doubt the dude has fast hands though.

Jiffy, You're not alone out there. I agree with you in every aspect. Not to mention all the legal issues of pulling your gun, shooting someone, and then finding out they were pulling the wallet you dropped out of their pocket (or some other incident). The ability to use a gun is one thing, but carrying just makes death inevitable (for something/one).

i heard it's pretty awesome...anyone else seen it yet?

(wearing ones black belt) "Are you a black belt?"

I'm a big proponent of not fighting, so there is my advice. but the only thing that will help your kicks is training, and more importantly, training hitting something, not just kicking air. Shoes are an afterthought to good practice.

you know...this isn't that bad of an idea... but when you go into a fight, there should be no strategy. No thought. No, "I'll do this, then this..."maybe this is a good idea to train though.

Nijushiho. But I try and practice them all, have you ever done every kata you know, back to back, full speed? That's a workout...

Man...superheros...they never get the girl----that's gotta suck. Batman, all previous reasons Captain Planet- mostly because the t.v. show is awesome. Megaman--'nuff said

Remember, idealistically, that when you introduce karate you make it a life or death situation. So against someone so untrained they just flail their arms about, do you really need to fight them at all? Odds are you can use your other skills to end it...like let them break their fist on your head. lol. Seriously though, most people stop fighting when they know they lost, and you can convince someone they lost without even hitting them.

J.R.- or junior... I'm actually not a junior but my dad and I have the same first name, so people use it to keep us apart, then it caught on.

I just wanted to point out that shotokan is quite an incredible style of MA. As you progress through the ranks push yourself to see what you are really doing, and don't just throw the technique out there. Above all it is a way of life and mindset, and I think any serious practitioner of shotokan will tell you that technical proficiency can never be complete until you start ataining understanding of concepts like atemi, kime, and zanshin, as well as the humility, discipline, budo and peaceful nature that is at the root of shotokan karate. but then again, that may just be what I think is important

haha...

sumi otoshi, uki waza

no problem

What you bring up is the difference between training each technique, and training for fighting. When we train each technique on its own it is with the intent that it is all we need to end a fight, but a large portion of training is dedicated to combinations, timing, zanshin, and the other issues that are critical in being able to defend ourselves. In fighting it is extremely difficult to land a perfect punch, we understand that and practice accordingly. ("we" refers to all like minded martial artists)

Although there are some changes that appear to have been made for increasing the artistic side, or the athleticism of the kata, are these changes less practical? I don't know, but I think that as with most things in karate it depends on your individual perspective towards your training. All moves teach us something, and kata is the best way to assess our understanding of our own martial art. So I'd say it's an attitude thing.

agreed, but that is the goal. one punch, sudden incapacitation...doesn't have the same ring. Lol

good points. IMHO I think that the way a lot of schools increase contact as skill increases is the right way for the martial arts. However, being a Shotokan practitioner, our philosophy is that one correct hit will incapacitate the opponent. This style of training, to develop one hit, sudden death, develops a mentality where one should NEVER hit as hard as he or she can (life and death situations the exception). In my own experiences, I have dropped people with far less than full-power using proper technique, timing, placement, kime, etc. Conclusion: Consistantly training full-contact at the expense of proper technique may mean that you aren't hitting with full potential power. While training all other aspects, and learning how to apply power when necessary, can actually make you hit harder, even without full-contact fighting. Provided that you train with impact on non-living items, otherwise you'll just hurt yourself when you try and hit something...but that's a different conversation