DancingSteve

Worst thing isn't getting them in your eyes. Its getting them BACK in your eyes after getting popped in the eye, when your fingers are all trembling and shaking from the adrenaline of kumite.

Your best bet is contacts. I wore contacts for years until this last year when I got Lasik.

I used to compete heavily as a young man. I am now getting back into it full swing. My years of training karate allows me to refine my technique very quickly and get 'tournament ready' in that aspect easily. But as far as fitness goes....when I was in my teens I didnt have that much fitness trouble. I am 5'6...180 lbs. Fairly sturdy...but I'd love to be sitting at about 165-170. Need some advice on how to lean up and lose some of this extra baggage I've picked up over the years. I have weights at home...I have a treadmill...I train 2 classes per week that give me a dripping sweat workout, and I do my katas every night before bed which takes me a good half hour or so and I get pretty sweated up. My biggest obstacles are my two kids. I have to cook food for them obviously and it really isn't DIET food..We snack..but we always snack healthy..no chips or what not. Just looking for a fitness guru to give me a regimen I can pseudo-follow and drop a few pounds and maybe lean up a bit. I honestly don't have a problem being 180...if it was all muscle that is.

Amen Brother. I can kick head height. But in karate...it really shouldn't be a requirement. You open yourself up to a lot of techniques when you launch that leg up high.

Yeah..I agree. I think that if they are totally revamping the actual content of their art...just to bring in more money with less effort. Then obviously they don't have quality instruction. Ultimately people do not pay for curriculum...they pay for instructors..and if they are losing money and have to McDojoize to keep up financially..then its not worth YOUR money. I agree with Obi and say you should try out some other styles. Its a great way to get a different perspective. Just remember to empty your cup before you go.

From one of my favorite 'mean' sensei's always during the most grueling portion of his classes. "This is all about mind over matter. I don't mind..and you don't matter." Ichi! Brings back painful memories.

I was always taught, left...then right. Same with bowing when on knees...left---right hand..bow. Then right hand back to knee, then left hand. Im sure theres a reason somewhere

This weekend I re-trained as an ITKF Karate Judge/Referee. Lots of new rules since I competed but essentially like riding a bike. Will be competing/officiating at the ITKF National Championships in Dallas June 8-10. If anyone is in the area...feel free to attend. Interesting to watch at any rate, and there will be no admission fee.

I believe that has its place. But how many people would 'enjoy' a self defense class like that and be relaxed enough to learn anything in that sort of environment. I agree the scenarios that are put forth in self dfense classes are 90% trite. BUT..I also believe in incremental learning. You bring someone in for a Super Duper Reality Check self defense class and most of what they are taking away from it is...Wow..Reality is really scary...and Im probably not prepared for it. But bring them in...teach them some basic body movements... next level move up to some physicality...advance again to some real-deal scary situations. Its a process. I think your idea is great..for someone who has learned the basics. But not for a newbie.

It will come with time. I returned to training months ago and I still have sore feet days. Some are better than others. But the toughness is coming back. Tape the sore spots. If you have some rubs that are raw, otherwise. Walk around barefoot a lot and you'll eventually become desensitized to all the little prickly pains.

Im going to add to what everyone else is saying..because its all great advice. I think its natural for you to get to a point in your training where you start to try and equate it to the real world. Shotokan was created for a situation that can easily be equated to the real world. Multiple attackers..ending the fight as quickly as possible, using the maximum amount of force possible, disabling your opponents so they do not want to fight anymore. Its a very powerful and brutal art when you get right down to the nitty gritty. Now that being said..which as I said..has been said before. *nods quietly to himself* IMHO, training in martial arts is ALL about..becoming confident in yourself..and confident in your abilities. Now for me..if someone were to attack me. I might not break out into a downward block and a full length reverse punch...but I know that I can drop down, use the floor, and drive my attacker back with force. It might not even LOOK like karate. But I WILL defend myself. I think once you can take the skills you train in the dojo, and just be confident that on the street..you'll use your training...maybe not so much the technically exact skills..but your 'training'. Most of self-defense is mental anyways so 50% of the battle is NOT locking up when someone challenges you. Getting over that adrenaline shock and using it to overcome your opponent. I tend to ramble..but I hope I got something across that the other guys haven't said.

From what I can tell..its their attempt to stay 'on beat'. They probably practiced the kata to a tempo..and they all stay sync'd by boppin to the beat. Your right..it does look pretty silly.

Im going to assume Pinan Shodan is lower than Pinan Yodan. In my mind Im going to say they are the same as Shotokans Heian Shodan and Yondan respectively. One important piece of information would be your rank in respect to these katas. So I'll spout out some general rules I've come to know over my time competing in kata. If you are doing a kata that is technically above your level...ie you are an orange belt, doing a green belt kata. You had better nail it. Because making a mistake on a higher level kata is the equivalent of biting off more than you can chew..and really looks bad to the judges. While doing a kata that is at or below your level masterfully would be the better choice. Picking a kata that is above your current rank is kind of a make or break situation. If you nail it...then you will be scored well because you showed you can go beyond your rank. But if you screw it up..in my experience..they will nail you to the wall. So its really what you feel comfortable doing.

The trick (For ME) with knuckle pushups is having a very, very tight fist. When you do your techniques you want your fist to be tight as well so its good training to keep your fist super tight, with no gaps whatsoever inside the fist which might absorb some of the shock coming back off of your opponent. I have callouses on my toes, heels, etc but none on my knuckles and I dont find any problem with knuckle pushups. Close that fist up tight and keep your wrist straight, that way the force should be transferred up the arm and away from the nerve endings in your knuckles.

You just went from circular soft, to linear hard in the grand scheme of things. There will be some combinations in some katas which may be somewhat similiar to a soft block, wrist lock, etc. But you are at the other end of the spectrum now. Your techniques will all be very linear..and very hard. As opposed to kung fu.

Only a few of you are focussing on the well....focus! The power of a punch comes from the hips..not from the muscles in the arms. Snap the hips sharply, throwing the fist out with lots of speed. Then...FOCUS...at the precise moment of impact. A lot of times the simplest answer is what you need to focus on. If you snap your hips sharply, then flex your arm muscle to DRIVE that punch forward. You've killed all the momentum from your hips. In my HUMBLE opinion...work on your hip snap...and timing your focus point. And you'll eek out every bit of power you can (and more) from your punches.

And here I was hoping you'd just offer me a job with your company! Thanks for the links.

I think I use it to catch parent's attention. Unfortunately most people still are thinking in the old days of "Strangers Bad"..."Friends and Family Good!" I have a very small program which is actually on hold right now because I may be moving for different employment in the next month but when I would be promoting my classes the term "Stranger Danger" got their attention. It was the term that hooked them and then I could explain how we would teach the kids things like "What to do if they are lost in the mall" "If someone approaches them at the playground", etc etc. What I promote my program as is 4 parts in one. Physical Fitness, Martial Arts, Self Defense, and Stranger 'Awareness'. I honestly have had discussions with the parents about how Strangers aren't actually Strangers anymore and that the best weapon these kids can have is a confident, self-aware attitude about what is 'right' and what is 'wrong'. So I assume it's basically due to me not refining my terminology and what not when I 'talk' about it. I have just recently (in the past year) come up with this curriculum so to speak and started teaching it in six or twelve week sessions. And from my experience talking with the general public..they still identify with 'Stranger Danger'. Although what I teach probably doesnt fall under that category. Its very difficult especially as a small scale guy like myself to explain to people that your not just a kids karate class as well so getting them to listen to your shpeel is vital to getting them to take the class. Theres tons of kids karate w/ self defense stuff..but very few that quiz the kids on real-life situations, phone numbers, addresses, etc. The point I always try to make to the parents is that. You practice shooting baskets, and hitting baseballs, and your trombone so you get better. It's just as important to practice being safe. If something were ever to happen you want the child's reaction to be instinctive and instant. If you practice these things (and that doesnt always apply to wrist grabs and choke grabs---it also applies to dialing your own phone number--or knowing two or three phone numbers you can call if you are lost) then it will be that much more likely that the child will make the right decision under stress. So all this rambling is usually what I spew out AFTER I get their attention with Stranger Danger. Heh. If that makes much sense.

A hearty pat on the back to you Steve for your program you have created though. I checked out your website and it looks as if you have created something that half the users of this forum would love to emulate. My program touches on a lot of the same concepts you do regarding awareness issues. Abduction safety, Internet, Animal, etc. I have obviously not turned it into my living as you have. I get to stay at home and raise my own kids to be safe instead. I didn't mean to strike back at your comment but I just wanted you to know that just because I use the term "Stranger Danger" doesnt mean I don't know the difference.

Your assuming you know what I teach as my 'Stranger Danger' curriculum. Thats a lot of assuming. I only use the term stranger danger because it makes parents say, "Oh yes. I would like my child to know some of this 'Stranger Danger'. I know as well as you most likely do that "Don't talk to Strangers" doesnt work a lick anymore. So don't assume thats what I teach.

I didn't mean to say most points are scored with kicks. I was just saying usually you catch someone with good timing and a nice kick. Gyaku Zuki is the biggest technique. Block--Counterattack. I completely understand the point everyone is trying to make, I'm just trying to explain to you how ITKF works. Its the way its always worked..and I find it to be enjoyable. The problem with ZakaiRu's theory is that I'm not trying to 'hit hard' by putting my 'weight' into a punch. If that were true, only big people could 'hit hard' right? I'm trying to get a well executed technique to the target area with proper timing. I've used the wall tests for my punches many, many, many times as well. The fact of the matter is that the physics of your stance and the 'connection' to the ground is of great importance in JKA ITKF Shotokan, and that's never going to change. It affords people who are only 100 lbs to deliver a solid punch where force does NOT return to your stance because your rooted and connected to the ground. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that you don't believe in Kime. But to each his own.

Once you get to brown belt, all the katas above that level can be used. Bassai Dai is very common for brown belts all the way up to Shodan. Empi, Gankaku, Jion, Jutte, are all also common. Once you get to 1st Kyu/Shodan rank you'll start having to do two katas..one of your choice and one of their choice. To be honest, I'm a shodan and I'd have to look up Tekki Nidan and Sandan to do them properly. Never learned them that fully that I could do them in a grading.

But I've never trained these types of punches when training kihon. So why should they count during a tournament? I have some tapes of ITKF Canadian National Tournaments and I can tell you it certainly isnt as bland as it sounds. It just means that there is a lot less ambiguity on the techniques that 'score' and the techniques that don't. Generally the exchange is either a combination that lands a decent roundhouse kick, or front kick. And even more often it is how it is intended. Opponent launches attack..Defender catches timing and blocks and counterattacks. A LOT of points in ITKF is scored with gyaku-zuki. We also focus a LOT on timing. Sen timing, Sen No Sen Timing, Go No Sen timing. When I was competing nationally we would train all these types because (as I think about it) it is the key to executing effective techniques. I also have competed in Open tournaments where I was absolutely floored because techniques that I wouldn't have worried about were getting points. I remember I was fighting some little tiny guy...me being a little tiny guy too...and he kept throwing a hook kick I guess basically catching me in the ribs with his heel, but his leg was bent when he hit me and he was totally off balance. Something that never would have been called in ITKF. I think it took me two or three times to realize he was actually getting points for this. One of the last times he did it he lifted up that front leg and tapped me on the hip bone..I lunged my hips forward giving him a lot of resistance against his kick and his supporting leg buckled and he went to the ground. Thats the point I guess..just getting the hand or foot there isnt enough. I also got into trouble during this fight too because I was starting to get infuriated by this guy so I slid into his stance again, grabbed his gi and pounded him in the face. The ref made us both do 10 pushups. Hee Hee. Theres way more tournaments out there that are like the one above than there are ITKF, and I guess I like it because its so much more rigid and strict. I'm not training in karate to learn how to fight...Im training in karate to learn karate. Defending yourself is a lot different than tournament fighting so I dont put a lot of stock in styles that are training your for tournament fighting all the time. Showing you how to 'get points' and what not. I know from your posts Bushido your not this kind of person so dont take offense, Im just saying why I like ITKF better.

I actually teach a kids self defense/stranger danger class and also teach various classes to adult groups when needed. I WHOLEHEARTEDLY agree it requires repetition...you practice shooting baskets...you practice your clarinet....why not practice safety. If its important..its worth doing more than once. Safety is important. What I find while exploring self defense in general is a much better 'big picture' perspective on how my Shotokan techniques can be applied...and even equated to a self defense situation. And i also WHOLEHEARTEDLY agree..you cannot quantify any system as the 'best' for real life situations. You never know what a real life situation is going to bring. Its fluid...it moves and lives just like you do. The only thing you can do is be mentally and physically prepared to do WHATEVER IT TAKES. To protect yourself. I think ANY MA training gets you there..some in different ways..but they all prepare you.

Thats not very nice.