kikal0t

hilarious article! I so totally agree and relate to it, we must be mad!

Thanks James and thanks for your postings guys, I reckon it is unfair to paintbrush all martial artists but I do feel that a change does take place, whether it's quiet confidence within yourself or in-your-face arrogance. The degree to which this change occurs is affected by a person's character, upbringing and general view on the world with issues relating to respect for one another. Perhaps many problems arise due to the McDojos that are springing up left, right and centre which do not teach a holistic system or understanding of the arts, who knows?

The other day I over heard someone shouting and almost getting told off. They were accused of having a changed character due to martial arts and that they were much calmer and passive before they started. Is this the general consensus? In the past I have heard that some people become more aggressive and I believe there have been many psychological studies on this, whereas other people feel more secure about themselves generally. It would be interesting to know your take on it and what you all think about the issue.

I have learned a lot from that article and thank you for taking the time to write it. It is always great to learn about any culture and highlighting differences in technique and approach to the MA's.

Cool thread Baronbvp and thanks for sharing with us, i have only been training since october so my knowledge and skill in the MA's is next to nothing. I do not have any previous experience in any other martial arts, it was a case that i always wanted to but never did. In the end i just thought its now or never! I have yet to extract a deeper meaning from what i do rather than just the physical form in terms of kata etc. To assess yourself is really quite hard because you have to separate the fact from bias. My greatest weakness is my lack of experience and strength i'd say and that is most evident in my punches. Because of greater reach my kicks are better but nothing is quite as i'd want it to be. That said i think i could defend myself if push comes to shove but as is the case its always best to walk away.

Hey there Johnny welcome!

Welcome to the forums Charlie!

I read this and couldn't quite make sense of it either as if you seem fit enough for the other exercises i don't know why the 5 min jog is hard. This might seem daft but perhaps the 'jog' isn't a jog! do you tend to sprint round the dojo? because then that would make sense and its very tiring keeping max pace for 5 mins! as for running itself its quite gud for the MA's (she says not having started herself lol!) as it helps to build stamina. A few of the members at our club run for ages when thay are training for their 30 man kumite so they can fight non-stop for 40 mins.

like everyone says shotokan is considered pretty much a linear style, were you hoping for one which incorporated circular aspects?

Thanks for replying guys and for the explanation James (welcome to karate forums!) The breathing aspect makes sense and the tensing of muscles because i never knew why the karateka got slapped and punched while performing the kata, seeing it performed the very first time it almost seemed barbaric! Thanks again.

Hi guys, i understand that sanchin is at the heart of Goju ryu but why? it seems simple to perform but ive been told its quite complex and even some dan grades don't get it. I guess i would like to know what all the fuss is about and how can it be at the core of Goju if so many people don't understand it?

Maybe try using a couple of free weights to build your triceps and incorpoate that in ur practise? i used to think that punches were more powerful the more u built up ur biceps but in fact these muscles are relaxed wen u punch and therefore ineffective to a certain extent.

"Besides, you can't spell karate without kata. (I'm so clever)" indeed you are parkerlineage! and therin lies the answer kata is an inherent part of karate! on a serious note, i used to think that kata was useless as well Tokkan, i thought it was a means of getting your next belt by doing some elaborate dance around the dojo. It wasn't until sensei pulled the kata apart and showed us the meaning of it, the bunkai that the penny dropped. each move has an application that can be used in a real situation not just the dojo. so in a way by perfecting ur kata, ur perfecting ur bunkai and ur overall performance, like dominos, a knock-on effect.

wenever ive had to kiai in class i feel odd, it does not come naturally. as a result i come out with a half hearted attempt (oooh scary!) which sounds even more pathetic than if i hadn't bothered at all! maybe i'll be enlightened one day?

I'd say in any situation, be it a street fight or sparring in the dojo, the tall guy has the advantage. Thats not to say that shorter people can't suceed but its way harder wen there are punches and strikes raining down on you.

a quik question, i can do push-up and our sensei rather enjoys subjecting us to what he calls crocodile jumps. these are very good for strength training but i havent a faintest how to do them! basically ur in a push-up position with ur elbows tucked in not stretched out as in a press-up, so u shud only be a couple of inches off the floor. The u "jump" from that position left 3x the right 3x and up and down 3x and that counts as 1. our aim is a mininmun of 3 sets of these!!!! i can get into the position shortly before my super! strong! arms tremble and i fall lol! what do i need to do to be able to perform this exercise?! im baffled.

First off i thort u were a girl as well obiswanbane (not from ur avatar cos thats jessica alba) but jus generally, i duno? sory mate! back to the topic, the difference between men and women in MA. In my club i dont see myself as different which is kinda weird cos wen other girls come an train they remind me that i am if that makes sense? an example, sensei got us doin push-ups and as we were doin them we had to pair up with a higher grade cos they were gonna provide resistance by pushing on our backs. this higher grade said, "u can use ur knees u know, ur a girl" i said thanks 4 the tip but to be honest i dont feel exceptions shud be made. The other 2 areas of training are grappling and sparring, most of the guys are fine with grappling cos im not embarrased so that put them at ease cos grappling is just sparring on the floor, thats how i see it. sparring itself is a rite laff! some girls tend to spar to get their technique right and dont go in there full-on to knock sum1 out. Some guys spar like pansys cos they think "oh its a girl i mite break her!" and ther are other guys who think, "its a girl finally sum1 i can beat up cos their smaller than me", an they get right in without any control. I guess my point in general is that its not so much a gender issue (although it could be argued in broad terms) but its the state of mind of the individual and how they approach training from their point of view with regards to technique, control and respect. either way men and women can excel in the MA equally but by their own unique physical and mental attributes.

An informative read, thanks! will come in handy as i think we'll be starting to use the bo soon.

Thanx Bushido man, dont know about the ice just yet as the weather here in england is cold enuf as it is! To answer lordtariel, i would say both but more importantly the pain as I wouldnt mind the discolouration that much if it didnt go hand in hand with the pain.

In karate or any MA u gotta expect ur share of bumps and bruises! the question is how long on average does it take to heal? at the moment i have a green swollen shin (a month), purple upper arm and side of knee (both 2 weeks) and they still haven't gone away! Its really annoying bcos I dont want to miss classes bcos of this but those areas can get hit again in sparing, grappling etc. what can i do to heal quicker or is it just normal? what does every1 else do?

Hi Vincent and welcome to the forums The style im taking is traditional Okinawan Goju Ryu, which style are you taking?

Im Robin, a little strange but hey! Robin 73% The Flash 70% Superman 65% Green Lantern 55% Supergirl 55% Wonder Woman 50% Spider-Man 40% Catwoman 40% Batman 40% Hulk 25% Iron Man 25%

Hi there Dan, I feel ur frustration and was exactly the same. What i found helped is after class just practising by myself. Not aiming for power or speed but just watching what my feet did and correcting them while kicking slowly and methodically. After a while speed it up and make sure ur postitioning is right until it becomes second nature. Make sure u really twist the supporting foot out for balance and twist ur hips into the kick as that is what will propel you into it and generate power. Without the hip movement u may find u will just lose balance. as you speed up you will find your kick becomes more fluid, practising slowly will be jerky as you maintain balance but it will help you see where you are going wrong. Anyway hope that helps, all the best!

Interesting thread nice one Steve! The strange thing is, wen i started out in karate it was purely to do 'something' and its a useful sport in that it can be applied to protect yourself and others. After a while i guess you can stop in that you have pretty much got the hang of the basics and that is enough (i know you have to keep training but just for arguments sake). The weird thing is, and i don't know if anyone else feels this but you just have to keep going. For me i don't think it is the social interaction or anything else, i fact i dont know what it is but if you miss a class the guilt just eats you. I know this is really random and if anyone could throw some comments on this that would be great.

Great advice so far, wen i do a right roundhouse kick, i bend my right leg slightly and pivot on the ball of my left foot. u get more power into ur kick if you move ur hips into it, roughly so that ur body is in a straight line with ur left leg (if that makes sense) then 'snap' the kick in. for a thigh kick do exactly the same but obviously aim lower and its easier to drop your weight into it as your target is lower. hope that helps