rogue2257

Of course. If we're talking about conceptually, the fact that any kick to the front is a "front kick," I don't see why not.

If you've never done it before, I have to recommend it, even if you just do kata. It really is an experience that unlike anything else. I wouldn't worry so much about who you're competing against. What's important is just to get out there and do the very best that you can. In truth, you actually learn more from LOSING in a tournament than you do if you win. Nevertheless, just get out there and give it your all.

Unless they have a website... or if they happen to be posted on youtube... other than that, school specific waza would probably be awful hard to find on the internet. As I've mentioned a few other times, I've always found taping kata or other techniques very helpful for review purposes... if you can talk others into performing them for you on tape. Some people are fine with it, but others might not necessarily be comfortable with it. You ought to ask at your school if they are already in written form somewhere, or if they are already posted online somewhere.

.....what? Punctuation ftw.

Realistically, you'll probably only be able to use techniques that you've drilled over and over and over. Everything is more difficult under stress, and you don't want to have to sit there trying to choose which throw you want to use. The ones that you know like the back of your hand will be the best. When it comes to throws and takedowns, the techniques don't have to be complex to be efficient. All they have to do is work.

Well... regarding belts, in my experience, every organization is different, meaning that you can look at two different schools, and even if they practice the same style, their ranking system can be drastically different. So I can be taking Shotokan Karate at School A and my first promotion is from white belt to red belt, or over at School B my first promotion might be to blue belt. My point is: the colors of the belts aren't necessarily of any significant importance (other than white or black) because there is significant variation between school I'm of the opinion that you should just ask an instructor what the ranking system is like. I can give you examples of the ranking systems of other organizations, but that won't necessarily help you because it'll probably be different than the one at the school where you're now training. Oh, and welcome to the forums.

Not exactly class related, but I was in my gi when it happened... Walking around after class, I decided to punch a wall out of the blue, for no particular reason. I wasn't even mad or angry, just thought I'd punch something a little bit. My knuckle hurt for about two months afterward. Very much a poor decision on my part.

That is exactly what I've realized. Since I first saw the post, I've talked about it with a few people in my class, instructors included, and they were all a little surprised by the notion. It seems a notion that nobody had really considered one way or the other. What we have done before, is knife to knife combat, where both opponents are armed, but not ever as though I am the one that is armed and the opponent is trying to take the weapon. Actually, I did once take a firearm self defense course at one of our symposiums where we discussed defending against an attacker with a handgun. It involved how to get out of the way, how to move to avoid fire, how to disarm someone with a handgun if they were close enough, etc. But we DID also cover what to do if someone else tried the exact same disarm on me, were I holding the gun. We do very much train as if we're in the position of being a victim, and its not until there is law enforcement-style training involved do we think about what it means to be the one with the weapon. I really had never thought about it before, but its a concept worth some serious further investigation for me.

That's sort of the point I was trying to get at, it'll mean different things to different people, but for me its very important.

Agreed, and I should have mentioned that. I was operating under the assumption that we were just discussing the kick in the most general of terms. How it is practiced and learned at the most basic of levels. That's a very good point though, if i was wearing my steel toed boots, I'd be kicking with the tip of the boot, what my toes are doing will be irrelevant. When it comes down to it, chances are that when I actually HAVE to use kicks, I'll probably be in shoes. But on the other hand, practicing in karate class, I still maintain that the ball of the foot is the most common method of practicing any front kick, there are many alternatives, of course.

I love my computer, I like tinkering around with it when I get the chance. I've been reading a lot of George R.R. Martin lately myself. That and other various martial arts books.

I agree that breathing is vital. On the other hand, it shouldn't take the place of a kiai. Where as breathing is, as you said, partly to keep yourself in sync, kiai is a forceful shout demonstrating an explosive technique or power, whether in combat, kata, or kumite. They are both important, but in very different ways. Like I mentioned earlier, when I saw a kata performed where every action was done with a kiai it looked and sounded ridiculous. The practitioner missed the point of why he should be doing his kiais. Kiais should accompany the most powerful parts of a kata, or when doing a solid scoring technique in kumite, or even in combat as used to frighten or startle an opponent.

So as one of the highest ranking individuals at my school, I am regularly tasked with the warm ups we do before class. I try to keep things interesting, and I definitely keep the class busy, but I do worry sometimes that I get into a bit of a rut. What does everyone else do for their class warmups? I'll share a few of my favorite drills: Light bouncing on the balls of the feet forward and backwards, with the occasional command to "switch," meaning the class has to jump and switch their forward foot quickly and keep bouncing. Then I throw in punches. With every hop forward, they throw a punch with the front hand. Then after that, when they hop backwards, a punch with the back hand. Situps, where the class partners up, locks legs with their partners, and when they sit up, they have to perform a certain technique at the apex of the situp (e.g. punch, high defend, low defend, etc.). And for balance and working the legs, we crouch down with the feet pointed on 45 degree angles and the heels off the floor (just the balls of the feet touching the ground). Then, we stick each leg out to the front, the side, and the back, mimicking the front, side, and back kicks respectively... but supported with just the other leg on the ball of the foot. So for the front, you stick the leg out and touch the heel to the ground. The trick is that they're not allowed to touch the ground with their hands. So I do one side (right: front, side, back) then we push up into a standing position and drop back down and do the other side (left: front, side, back) and keep going back and forth. Finally, for conditioning: we start in a standing position. This is a four count drill. First we punch both hands straight up in the air above the head. Second, we bring the fists down and strike into our own stomach/ abs. Third, we bend over and punch straight down at the ground, hitting the floor. Four, we stand back up, striking our stomach with our own hands again. And repeat, going straight back into part one. What about the rest of you? I'd love to hear what you do for your warm ups are in class!

There are an enormous variety of kicks out there, and any of them directed to the front of the body could be called "front kicks." As far as I'm aware, striking with the ball of the foot is the most common method of performing a front kick in karate. Again, it all depends on the style of the individual practitioner. There are so many different styles of martial arts out there and they all do things slightly differently.

I'm curious, does anyone have any sources for more information on knife retention? I've done plenty of disarms, but never counters. EDIT: Actually, or for knife combat in general?

First, it depends very much on the style. If we're talking about a traditional karate front kick, then you should be striking with the ball of the foot. I have, however, seen and heard of some karate practitioners who will pull the toes down, rather than up (almost making a fist with the toes) and striking that way. On the other hand, if we're talking about other styles that isn't necessarily the case. In Muay Thai there is a front kick that is more of a pushing technique where the whole foot is planted on the opponent to drive them away and set them up for follow up techniques. It really just depends on the style. Since you're posting in the karate forum though, I'm assuming you're talking about the traditional mae geri.

My current black belt has frayed quite a bit, after years and years of use. It's actually more frayed than the belts my instructors wear. I think it has something to do with the material it was made out of. When I first got it it has some sort of sheen on it, almost shiny like. I honestly can't even remember what brand it is anymore... Anyway, my point is that some belts will fray much more rapidly than others just because of how they are made, even without any effort on the part of the wearer.

I've definitely never washed a belt myself. We actually tell students not to. In my school, there has never been an explicit rule stating that the belt should never touch the ground, but its always been looked down upon a bit. Myself, I've always seen the belt as representative of everything that I've accomplished in karate, and I treat it as such. I can't say everyone feels the same way, of course, I'm sure that to some people its just a colored piece of fabric, but I for one feel it ought to be treated with respect.

I have his book on sai. It's rather well done, from the parts of it I've read. I actually just ordered that. I'd heard a number of good things about it.

That's the truth. Teaching kids is as much about keeping them entertained as it is about doing the karate.

Generally the bo should be about your height, if a little shorter. As for whether a 6' or a 5' bo would be better that'll kind of end up being your preference, but I'd suggest going with the 5' because you're not quite 6'. If nothing else, you could always just get a 6' bo and cut an inch or two off. That way you'd have something close to your size, but not so long that it's over your head. Remember, a bo is literally just a wooden stick. It doesn't have to be fancy to be functional, especially for sparring. I have students that literally just went to Home Depot, bought some long sticks and cut them down to custom fit themselves.

Can anyone out there recommend any books on weapons/kobudo/iaido, etc.? I know there's a sticky topic about books here: http://www.karateforums.com/martial-arts-research-library-vt8082.html but there are an awful lot of books posted there. Hard to know what is worth looking into and what isn't...

So based on what I'm hearing, what I posted isn't exactly the traditional way hanbo is taught, but it COULD be used that way, similar to escrima. Rather, they are used more for striking and manipulation. What book were you referencing there? There is quite a number of stick fighting books out there.

Well that answers one of my questions, thanks. If you're familiar with them, (and I'm making these assumptions based on the videos I posted previously) surely then, you've noted the striking similarities between the two forms. While the practitioners in the two posted videos are clearly of very different styles, the actual techniques that are being performed are very similar, up until about the halfway point of the kata. Of course, if you're more familiar with them than I am, and I'm incorrect in my assessment, feel free to enlighten me to the contrary. Your assessment's correct! Thanks for the comment, that's exactly what I wanted to know.

This would be (and is) my solution. One of the reasons I keep my hair as short as it is.