kilogreen

I have been training tonight and i went through all the heian katas (shodan, nidan, sandan etc...) My club trains on a few days of the week and different days are for different levels of pupils, but i still enjoy going through the basic punches and kicks and all the first katas too. Then there are the other nights where i can really let rip in the freestyle and practise high grade katas and team kata too. Its the best of both worlds for me and one wouldn't be as enjoyable without the other. they compliment each other in every way, Hard-soft, Fast-slow. I use the basics as fitness and also strive for perfect technique, where as in the higher grade stuff i learn and experiment with techniques.. Its great....Oss

I didn't think that for an instant mate, i'd jut like to say that all federations are only as good as their instructors....Happy Christmas to all...Oss

Hi there, i train in an SKIF club and its great. I dont think the federation you join doesn't matter that much as long as the sensei is good. I have competed in a few JKA tournaments and they have some very talented fighters, the small differences in the way they fight give me another angle to work on in my kumite. Its a good idea to fight in open tournaments and nex year it is one of my resolutions to compete in a few more and hopefully gain in confidence and technique ready for the bigger tournaments later in the year and next year. Good Luck...Oss!

I have flat feet and have trained for years with them, at the beginning the condition caused me alot of discomfort but after a while that disappeared and now i dont have any problems at all. Just keep at it my friend and you will find your own ways to deal with and overcome your condition.

which way is your way?, the way i know and train is that the beginning of gojushiho-dai starts with right leg zenkuts (front stance)and a right hand brateuke(Re-enforced double block) done very slow with kimae(tensing) .

did you go to the championships? I competed for England in the kumite and thoroughly enjoyed it. Our team beat Brazil and Switzerland but then drew Japan and lost, i lost my fight by only a wazari and i should of been awarded an Ippon for my technique(wishful thinking). They are great exponents of karate and are a great inspiration to many, but i might also add they are not invincible and can be beat,,next time Japan watch out!!! Oss to anyone who went or competed, it was a fantastic competition and a great time was had by all...

The two people from my original post are still in my club but have both been very scarce for the last month. I asked about and found that the brown belt was supposed to take his First dan in November this year sometime.. I dont know whats happening now. and the Black belt 2nd dan hasn't trained either due to personal reasons not yet explained.. Its all a bit of a mess but just like life my training is never easy and must go on..! Thanks for all the responses to my initial thread.

My favourite kata is Gojushiho dai. It used to be the worst and i hated it. After a month or two of doing it intensely every session with sensei i have seen the kata for what it is, truly a thing of raw power mixed with flowing techniques, a beautiful thing..!

I had a situation in my dojo a couple of months ago. There was an altercation between to men, one was a 2nd dan Black belt and the other a Brown belt. Whilst the whole class was doing controlled one-step sparring i heard a profanity from the other end of the dojo and then the Brown belt came flying down my end and fell into the wall followed by an angry faced Black belt who went to hit him again. Obviously i interjected and calmed the situation enough for the two to explain their issue with each other, i found out from the Black belt that the Brown belt wasn't controlling his kicks or punches and this wasn't the first time either. Both were disciplined and shook hands at the end of the session. I have never hit anyone who with i train with any type of malice. I have to work the next day and if i want o scrap i can go down town and have one there. Do you think this is just one of the side effects of so much testosterone in one room or just two people who don't like each other? Anyone else had anything like this and how did you sort it out?

When i enter tournaments i sometimes have a bit of a problem deciding what to do before i fight. Sometimes i watch the other fights leading up to mine and make notes of what the refs are scoring and what they are not, the overall standard of the competitors and what techniques they are using so i know what foot they favour and how they fight..or Sit away in a corner with my hood up and my music on until the time comes... Both seem to work, what works for you?

Hi, is anyone here going to the SKI World Championships this November? If you are it would be great to hear from you. I'll be there fighting in the mens senior heavyweight and team tournament for England. Hope to hear from anyone out there in SKI as well. Thanks.

Why did you start karate? What gave you the impetus to go along and have a bash?, please excuse the pun... I always enter the class after a bruce lee film has been on the night before to see a few new faces who want to learn...i still think its great that Mr Lee still hold such an influence years after his death... ..For me it was people like muhammed ali, jackie chan and bruce lee all inspiring enough for me to learn a martial art.. i havent looked back since..

all very valid points indeed...thanks for the response...

Hi there, i have been into martial arts for about 20 years and have been in and watched alot of tournaments, not necessarily all karate but most karate, sport karate, freestyle etc. In most of these you are required to wear protective equipment eg mitts and shinguards, in the tournaments i saw alot of injuries caused by people going in full throttle and knocking people out or busting noses. In the tournaments i have taken part in i have never worn any mitts or guards of any description and have noticed that these tournaments have a lower casualty rate at the end of the day. I'm just being the devils advocate and putting a debate forward about the use of pads. 1.If you had pads would you hit the person harder? 2.If you were bare fist would you think twice about plowing in full throttle just incase you caught one? 3.Would it be considered more of an artform if you can control rather than kill? Just to see what people think.....comments please....