DWx

What kind of stuff do you already do? If we're doing plyo it tends to be thinks like box jumps, jumping over obstacles etc. Or jumping the length of the hall: jumping as high as possible, jumping as long, double footed, single legged... And for arms variations on clapping pushups. When I get stuck or if I'm trying to mix it up I look at what other sports do and do some of those routines. So I search for basketball plyo routines or gymnastic routines etc. Sometimes yields something a little different that the normal "martial arts " workouts you find on Youtube.

This is a great answer - sums up my thoughts, especially the bit in bold. Perhaps not even personal competition/ring experience is necessary for the trainer if they have a good portfolio of successful fighters who they trained. For one reason or another they might not have gotten into the ring themselves but doesn't mean they can't be successful at training others. In the end I don't think it's 100% necessary but it can be something that sets apart one teacher from another.

Really good advice Bob If you have the space (and time) it certainly makes sense to supplement the school's income with a supply store.

That said, some consider martial arts as an endeavor of improving your health and body and pushing yourself to do things you couldn't before. Head kicks (and flexibility) being one of them. Besides, being flexible and able to kick high prevents you from injury when kicking lower. You'll be less likely to pull or tear something if you're more flexible. There is a very good guide to stretching here: http://www.trickstutorials.com/index.php?page=content/flx3

Cool thread idea Luther unleashed. Well here's a few from a tournament back in April: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6nuE0F8dpfXNDY5ajNpRWFLQ1k/edit?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6nuE0F8dpfXTG50djlCMXE2WUE/edit?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6nuE0F8dpfXWEtQS0lGTmdoYTQ/edit?usp=sharing Fitness (and weight!) really let me down here.. just get absolutely knackered in the last 30 seconds of that fight.

Thank you for the well wishes

I think that was the conclusion of the study I read to do with this. The fact that with head gear on it takes the edge off slightly so that you can end up taking more sub-concussion shots which have a cumulative effect which was worse that taking one shot and getting KO'd. I will say from watching the boxing at the Glasgow games, there were a lot more faces getting cut up. Interestingly enough, as with the IOC ruling, in the Commonwealth Games they still made women wear the head guards. Looks like they're sticking with the no head guard rule: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11303273

Yeah it's not regulated per se but we are heavily discouraged or are supposed to make sure it is 100% clear that the contact is appropriate and we're not singling out students. It's a zero tolerance policy in place to protect the adult from false accusations. Whole NSPCC / government website dedicated to protecting kids in sport: https://thecpsu.org.uk/ I can only assume over the years more and more cases of abuse/bullying have been uncovered but also there have been more and more instances of accusations. Even if the adult is found innocent, mud sticks so to speak and a reputation can be affected beyond repair. By keeping our distance it's a way of protecting ourselves from accusation. To be honest I will still move someone's arm to the correct position when punching or blocking and I will direct verbal correction to specific students after correcting the class as a whole a couple of times. However for certain things I am a lot more cautious about. For example if I was demonstrating defense against a lapel grab, I make sure to try to either pick one of my own friends/training partners to grab me or I try to make sure it is an adult female that grabs me, not a male and definitely not a child. The physical contact doesn't bother me so much but you never know how the other person or bystanders will view it and I'd rather not take that risk.

Great article Brian. Say what you will about the ATA, they do have a good business model. As has been said on the forums before not everyone can teach and really you should be taught how to teach. I really like this point. Unfortunately, because of child protection and the like we are encouraged to do the opposite by the governing body for all UK Taekwondo (WTF, I'm and independent) and UK Sport (government sports authority). You aren't supposed to touch children any more than necessary so no high fiving or correcting the technique physically if you can help it. It's to safeguard the teacher from claims of inappropriate contact. Really sad in a way but that's the society we live in. We also shouldn't single out a child for correction and should say something like "everyone remember to check your stance". I'm assuming at some point the governing body had a complaint about a child being singled out for correction and that the parent/student thought it was bullying. All this makes our job as a teacher much harder.

Congratulations

This post was originally published as an article in a dedicated KarateForums.com Articles section, which is no longer online. After the section was closed, this article was most to the most appropriate forum in our community. Finding a style and school can be a bit daunting if you don't know where to start so here's my rough guide on how you should go about choosing a martial arts school that's right for you. Before anything else, you need to figure out what it is you want from your martial art. What goals do you want to achieve? Try answering some of these questions: Do you want to learn primarily for self defence? Do you want to learn to strike? Throw? Grapple?Are you interested in competition and/or sport? Do you want to learn weapons? Are you looking for a traditional school or something more informal? Do you want hard contact, or would you prefer lighter contact? Do you want a style that has an internal aspect (spiritual, philosophical, involves meditation, etc.)? Do you want lots of cardio and fitness? Do you want a school that is for adults only or are you looking for a more family-orientated environment?Once you have answers to these questions, you can start to form a shortlist of styles that'll be right for you. Very briefly, here is a rough list of the more popular martial arts: Striking BoxingKarate (including Goju-ryu, Isshin-ryu, Kyokushin, Shorin-ryu, Shotokan, Wado-ryu and others) Kenpo/Kempo Kickboxing Kung fu Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) Taekwon-Do (TKD) Tang Soo Do Wing ChunGrappling Aikido Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ)Hapkido Japanese jiu-jitsu (JJJ) Judo WrestlingWeapons EscrimaIaido KendoMixed Jeet Kune Do (JKD)Mixed martial arts (MMA)This list is by no means exhaustive, and many more styles exist out there. If you want to know more about a style, Google it, ask on the forums or look it up on Wikipedia. Searching for videos on YouTube or other video sites can also give you a good idea of what the style is all about and show you what the training might be like. Finding Schools Near You Once you have a rough idea of what you're looking for, you have to search for schools in your area. More often than not this requires a little bit of Google-Fu but a good starting point is to simply type the style and your location into a search engine and see what comes up. In fact Google Maps has a great feature where you can type "taekwondo" (or another style) into the search bar and then zoom in on an area to see the locations of schools. It's not an exhaustive list, but it's a starting point. You should also look through the Yellow pages, and perhaps checkout the local YMCA or community centre to see if anyone runs a class there. Another approach is to find out what organizations and associations govern the style in your country, and then go through their website to find a school. For instance, if I wanted a Shotokan karate school in England, I could visit the Karate Union of Great Britain (KUGB) website and search for a club in my home town. Something which may, or may not turn up a school, is to search your local news website. Sometimes schools will send in an article to the local paper if they've hosted or attended any events; so it might be a good way to find something local to you. And, of course, you can always ask around. Family, friends and co-workers might know of a little un-advertised place in someone's basement that offers great teaching. Once You Have Found a Potential School If you have found a viable school in your area, have a quick look over their website (if they have one), and see what comes up when you search their name. See if they have a Facebook page or YouTube account as that can be a good way of getting a feel for the school. Don't worry if they don't have an internet presence though as it's not always a good indicator of quality. What you should do is visit the school. Contact the instructor and arrange to sit in on a class or, better yet, participate in one. Most schools these days will give you a free trial period so that you can get a feel for the instructor and training environment. It's important that you feel comfortable there and that the instructor's teaching style is appropriate for you. You'll most likely be at the school for many years, so you have to find somewhere you like. It's unlikely to happen, but if the instructor says that watching/trying first isn't possible, then I would start looking elsewhere unless it comes highly recommended from someone you trust. Visiting the School When you visit the school, you'll want to watch all the students. Look at how the higher grades and more experienced students move. Do they look like they know what they're doing? Even if you don't know all that much about the style itself, look at whether the higher grades move with purpose. Do they look powerful? Do they look like they have control and focus? Do they have the skills you would want to have when you reach that level? How good is the instructor? Due to age and other conditions, they may not be in their prime, but they should at least look and sound like they know what they are doing. Most importantly of all, see how the instructor takes the class and how they teach it. Everyone will have their own teaching style, and you have to see whether theirs will be a good fit for you. I can't stress the importance the school's atmosphere enough. It should be a crucial factor in your decision. As I've already mentioned, martial arts won't be something you'll do for a couple of months and then give up. You need to find somewhere you'll feel happy and comfortable at. The actual style is less important compared to the atmosphere of the school. Whilst visiting the school, it's a good opportunity to chat with the other students, and ask them why the train there and what the good and bad things are. Ask them about their own experiences with the school and teaching as they can tell you things the website and instructor won't. If you want to start training to meet new people and make new friends, find out if the students get together outside of training. Does the school run any social events over the year? Ask Questions If you get a chance after the class (or if not, you can arrange to speak to the instructor at a later date), you'll probably want to ask some questions. What's the instructor's background and lineage? Who have they trained with, and what have they done over their martial career? How is a typical class structured? Is the school affiliated with a national or international organisation? Not all schools will be, and it's not crucial that there are, however if they're approved by a national governing body (NGB), it can indicate that they are a good school. Do they have insurance for you? How often would you get to train with masters or specialists at events like seminars and camps? How is a typical class structured? Specific to what you want from your training, if you're after sport or competition, find out what opportunities there are for competing? What's the instructor's competitive background? And, more importantly, how many students has he trained to be successful in local, national and international competitions? At some point, you should find out about the school's fee structure and membership policy. How much per class or per month? How much per grading? What about uniforms and equipment? Do you have to buy it from the school, or are you allowed to source it (cheaper) elsewhere? How many classes are there per week? Will you have to sign up to additional programs later on? Does the school require you to sign a contract? See how this compares to other schools in your area as you still want to get good value for your money. If you're after a family-friendly school because you want your child(ren) to train too, it might also be in your best interests to see if the school has a child protection policy or other such measures in place. Does the school perform background checks on all instructors (and any helpers)? If you're looking for a school in the UK, I can tell you that all instructors should have a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check and they should be able to show it to you if you request. This isn't meant to be an all-inclusive list. You should ask any other questions that come to mind, and raise any issues or concerns you have. Still with me? Great. Choosing a martial arts school can be difficult, but I hope this article has made it a little bit easier or at least pointed you in the right direction. If anything, just go with your gut feeling as it's not the end of the world if you change your mind about a school at a later date. Best of luck as you start your martial arts journey. Note I compiled this article mostly from posts made in the Getting Started in the Martial Arts forum. Thank you to everyone that has ever asked a question or posted a response there. In particular, I found these threads helpful, so I would direct anyone looking for more info to check them out: http://www.karateforums.com/how-should-one-go-about-choosing-a-school-and-instructor-vt38789.html http://www.karateforums.com/what-are-the-right-questions-to-ask-vt31895.html

Welcome ShaolinShorin In all honesty what your belt is worth is what you make it worth. You don't need a load of Internet strangers validating your rank. The value is in what you put in, on what your sensei awarded it for and in how you stack up against your dojo peers. I wouldn't worry too much.

Welcome Michelle

I'd agree that this is probably the case. Also I think not all do it on purpose either. Especially if you have educated yourself on the topic to the point that using full terminology is what comes naturally to you. You're probably not aware you're doing it and that nobody else is following you. I had quite a few lecturers at university who'd may as well have been speaking a foreign language for all I understood. Not necessarily doing it to seem clever or intelligent they were just enthusiastically sharing their topic and didn't realise that others weren't understanding words they used day-in day-out. Heck I've even had similar scenarios at work. When I first started at my job (I sell chemicals for a living), I spent weeks trying to figure out what on earth was meant by "the ACE market". All these customers kept saying it to me and I'd just nod along pretending I understood. About a month in I finally saw it written as "Agricultural, Construction and Earthmoving", so they basically meant diggers and tractors! But of course saying ACE made sense to them and they understood it because they used it all the time. Also using big or technical words so to speak can actually be a person unintentionally trying to distance themselves from their audience. There's actually a whole field of study in language/psychology relating to it; it's called Communication Accommodation Theory and you've highlighted the Divergence aspect where people accentuate the differences in speech such as speaking using technical terms to highlight differences in power or authority or identity. It's not always a conscious thing. Further reading in case you're interested, the irony is that the article is probably a good example of the use of technical terms that the majority of us won't understand: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication_accommodation_theory#Divergence This really is key. Not just for martial arts instructors and the like but really for all aspects of life. Again this is something I personally have become more aware of largely through my job in sales. Always assess and speak to your audience and try to pick up whether the other person(s) are actually taking in what you are saying. My mantra is that if in doubt: 1. Keep it simple 2. Keep it short 3. Say it 3 times

That's really cool to have such a thing on your doorstep. The Royal Armouries in Leeds have a collection of weapons from South Asia and quite a bit from India. If I remember correctly from the last time I was there they have a quite a decent collection. A lot of it was brought back from British Officials stationed there during the Empire days. http://www.royalarmouries.org/visit-us/leeds/leeds-galleries/oriental/india (Check out the elephant armour!) By the way if anyone is ever travelling that way it is well worth a visit. Weapons from the Ancient Romans right through to present day, from hunting weapons through to combat weapons.

So the Commonwealth Games are on this week in Glasgow. Quite a bit of boxing already underway and they've opted to remove headguards from the rules. Anyone have any thoughts so far? Seeing any noticeable changes in style? Interesting statistic I read on BBC today: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/commonwealth-games/28348644

Congrats Noah! Seems like it was a pretty hefty test

Great article Alex. It's a shame wrestling never really took off in the UK like it did in the US. I just tried a quick Google search for my local area and didn't come up with any proper wrestling schools on the 1st page (aside from WWE style ). There are of course plenty of MMA schools claiming to teach it as part of the curriculum but I'm no dedicated schools. Plenty of Aikido and Judo dojos though.

FYI, for anyone considering Warrior vs Dyna, the Warrior Shins have an extra layer of foam padding over the impact area. You get close to double the protection but also a bit more bulk.That's a good point. I'd also add that for many people (out of my peers) the Warriors tend to fit better because of this. The Dyna pads have a strip of foam running the length of the inside which gives you the protection. On the other hand the Warriors have a smooth inside and all the padding (double thickness) is on the outside of the pad. It might not seem like much but as a result the Warrior shin is a smooth curve on the inside whereas the Dyna shin is a curve with a ridge down the centre. Because of this IMO the Warriors mould to your shin better and are a closer fit. The elastic strapping is the same length on both sets of pads so if you do have slightly bigger calves, the Warriors will fit better because they will mould better to your shins.

Unfortunately gi manufactures cater for one body shape only and assume that being bigger always means being taller.. Trust me I know, I have to have my doboks tailored. Might be a bit costly but maybe going for a totally custom gi might be an option. Here's a couple of places that would do them: https://www.tokaidojapan.com/ntokaido/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=33_32&products_id=73&zenid=4c4749bc0ffe68206a4209efb0d049eb http://www.ichibaninternational.com/suits/m2m/ http://www.satori-gi.com/index.php?src=gendocs&ref=Uniforms&category=Main I also think Century will do custom mades if you get in contact with them: http://www.centurymartialarts.com/Uniforms/Complete_Uniforms.aspx

Does anyone have any fun and interesting ways to teach stances? Especially for kids and beginner students? In particular one reoccurring issue I see all the time in our kids and beginners is not locking the back leg of a front stance / walking stance / zenkutsu dachi. Too often the back leg bends and the heel pops up off the floor when I want it to be locked and down. Especially a problem when moving through forms as the stance never finishes. How to reinforce correct habit in a fun way?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/15/angampora-fighting-sri-lanka_n_5585271.html Photos of Sri Lankan martial art Angampora. Looks a little similar to other styles from India and South Asia like Kalaripayattu. Does anybody on the forum have any training in these types of MA?

I think that's a pretty good explanation of what I'd think too.. Maybe I'm a little bit old school in my thinking but I always think it's right to ask your sensei if they'd be ok with it first.

I'm guessing the adrenaline plays a factor? Personally, I love sparring in class and sparring hard. In the ring not so much. I love competing... right up until that point the referee says go then the adrenaline dumps and I feel sluggish and out of shape and I can't wait for the minutes to be up

Depending on how much contact you intend to make with the shin, I'd recommend the dipped foam type. I've been using the same set of Macho Warrior shins for years now. Prior to that I used their old Dyna shins . Not a massive fan of dipped foam gear in general but cannot complain at all about the shin pads.