KarateEd

Welcome to KF!

Since this guys comments in no way kept you from fulfilling your obligation to your dad/job there is no reason to fight the knucklehead, though it is aggravating to have someone who is in the wrong insult you as though you were in the wrong.

Yes, the jump front kick. They just added flair to it by having ol' Ralph Macchio hold his hands up in the air. Ed

I have often thought about building a raised platform with a gabled roof and leaving it open, or perhaps screening it in. I could wire it up for a couple of fans and just a little lighting. It would be nice to have a heavy bag at one end and mounted on some sort of track system so I could slide it out of the way when not needed. Perhaps some makiwara boards mounted in an appropriate spot and some mats to use from time to time. I can imagine training out there on a cool fall night with the breeze blowing. Ed

When you say "philosophy of Karate," I am thinking along the lines of the philosophy that guides me as I train. My philosophy is to approach as near as possible to MA perfection. What do I consider MA perfection? Attaining what Takuan Soho calls an unfettered mind. This is a mind that, when faced with the prospect of personal combat, does not think but acts. He argues that if we begin to think (for example, considering your opponent's size, or what to do if he attempts to tackle you instead of hit you) our minds go to the abiding place and we begin to lose the advantage in combat. How do you attain this state? I think it is to continually train and, as Miyamoto Musashi mentions in A Book of Five Rings, continually learn. Of course, there are other benefits to MA, such as building self-confidence, learning humility, and having opportunities to serve others. I don't so much consider these as part of my MA philosophy, but more as benefits of MA, because I can experience them in other pursuits, too. It just happens that MA provides me with plenty of opportunities to grow in these other areas. Ed P.S. Man, this is a pretty tough question. I think I took an hour writing this post and I'll probably want to revise it and restate certain things again.

It is probably best not to have too many rules. If you think about it you can probably put some of the smaller rules under a larger category. This way students are not having to remember a long list of rules. One rule we have is to always greet new students or potential students before or after class. Higher ranking students are expected to be the first ones to do so. I have noticed that this habit has made its way into my everyday life. I am much more comfortable meeting new people and it has helped in my development as a leader. Also, as I have said before, I have a tendency to judge a school on how friendly the instructors and students are to me as a visitor. Having this rule pretty much insures a good first impression. Ed

One thing that might help you is the elimination or minimization of drills/practice where the really young students have too much time off task. For example, if you have kids line up to individually go through a kicking drill, those that are not kicking at the moment may be distracted by the older students, or the parents that are watching, or the lights, or the floor, etc. Keep as many (preferably all) active as much of the time as you can. I discovered, when coaching 7-8 year olds in soccer, that my best practices were those where the kids scrimmaged the whole time. I didn't get a lot of real soccer instruction in, but at that age I couldn't really teach them much, they just wanted to play. I quickly removed "line up and practice this" sessions from practice. Hope this helps, Ed

4-3-2008 I don't normally post in this particular thread, but I had so much fun in class tonight that I've go to tell someone! We started off with some kicking drills, one-step and three-step sparring. Then came the free sparring. I hadn't free sparred in a while because school and other commitments had taken up my time. However, I finally was able to tonight. I was a bit rusty, but I got to work with some lower ranks at first. I worked mostly on my blocking with them. Then I got to spar with my instructor. Oh, was that fun. We exchanged some shots (light contact), I made some mistakes (I like to call them "learning opportunities"), and, at one point, we ended up on the ground working our grappling a little. Did I mention I had fun? Ed

Congratulations IcemanSK!

As you advance up and down the floor or practice a form your body bobs up and down. This movement resembles a sine wave and thus the name. According to a video I found on YouTube, you begin your movement low and then move up as you step forward, finishing in the low position again. I think it is supposed to provide extra snap/power as you execute your techniques. Here is the link to the video: . This concept is relatively new to me, so others on the forums may have more/better information. Ed

I think that the "best self defense techniques" vary from person to person based on one's training background and one's strengths and weaknesses. As far as avoiding jail I think that intent is more important than the technique you use. For example, if you did kick someone in the kneecap and shattered their knee, but ended all attacks after your assailant was neutralized, then you are much less likely to end up in jail than a person who neutralized an attack AND then continued to beat the assailant. In the former situation, if charges were even brought, a good defense lawyer should get you out of trouble. In the latter scenario it might be a bit harder to avoid litigation. Ed

I'm with ps1, I think it is meant to be comedy and the comments were people just being sarcastic. I did laugh out loud. Ed

I don't know how it is in the UK, but over he we get the video from Takeshi's Castle but it is dubbed over. The "new" hosts make all kind of humorous comments about what the contestants appear to be doing. It is called MXC (Most Extreme Challenge) here. I watch it from time to time and it can be pretty funny. Ed

And there's the rub, what might prevent one attack might provoke another. I guess one might argue that the attacks prevented by presenting oneself as a tough guy/gal, via clothing and body language, are potentially more serious than the attacks that come about by appearing this way. Ed

Do technical books count? If so, then I am reading "How to Understand, Service, and Modify Bosch Fuel Injection & Engine Management" by Charles Probst. Ed

As you said, speed is key. Having the ability to quickly exploit an opening left by your opponent will help against opponents of any size. As Throwdown0850 said, work on side stepping your opponent's attacks (I definitely need to work on my side-stepping). Also, focus on counter-striking. So, when your opponent strikes, you side step (avoid the attack) and then attack the area(s) he briefly left bare when he punched/kicked/etc. Hope this will helps. Ed

Generally, you want to stay out of the zone where the opponent can hit you but you can't hit him. In boxing, for instance, you would want to move in close, stay there, and pound it out. Moving in and out would mean continually passing through the zone where the opponent can hit you but you can't hit him. However, if scoring points close in is inherently difficult with point sparring, as it seems to be, then you will have to move in-and-out. Like Throwdown says, I think you should focus on blocking and counter striking. Let your opponent make the first move. In the process of his attack he will, more than likely, leave an opening that you can exploit.

You don't want to find yourself "thinking" about your kiai. You just want it to flow out when it is necessary. It is often awkward for beginning students to kiai (at least it appears that way). I think they worry about whether they are doing it "right" and/or if they sound odd. 1) Don't think about it too much. Do kiai during class, but foremost in your mind should be learning your new techniques. You will develop your Kiai over time. 2) Second, don't worry about how it sounds. I have heard some odd-sounding kiais from time-to-time, some of which were mine. If you worry about how it sounds you will, more than likely, end up making some odd noises yourself. All this being said, I don't like weak kiais from my students. To me it shows a lack of spirit. However, I make exceptions for beginners because they are in a new environment, around new people, learning a lot of new things, and out of their comfort zone. Ed

I prefer more realistic fight scenes, but I make exceptions for certain movie genres. If a comedy has all sorts of outlandish moves, jumps, and such, then I enjoy it for what it is. Of course, it needs to make me laugh, or else it has failed miserably. I agree with Night Owl in that if extraordinary moves are included in, say, an action movie, it is best if they are presented in a way where it might, maybe one-time-in-a-million, be possible to pull them off. Ed

I am also partial to paying by the month. First, I have always paid this way and am just used to it. Second, it is easier for me not to have to pay every time I show up for training. Ed

This is what I usually think and say when I get hit. Slugger, from my perspective the reaction of your BB sparring partner, as you describe it, is totally out-of-line. On the other hand, you conducted yourself properly. Ed

That is an interesting thought. Without any research/proof, outside of anecdotal situations, then it is really a matter of picking your poison, so to speak. It would be interesting to do research to determine if criminals are more likely to avoid people sporting MA clothing items than people that are not. Wow, I might have the beginnings of a dissertation here, or..... maybe not. Ed

It's great to have students like the ones you describe! Ed

Like any classroom, the dojang/dojo should have certain rules and all students should follow them. While occasional violations will occur (and are usually forgivable), someone that consistently breaks the rules is destroying the learning environment that those rules were instituted to preserve. As bushido_man96 said, I think you'll have to explain to him the rules (maybe make him sign something that states he has read and understands the rules), explain the purpose of those rules, that he is training in a different system (his old school is just that....his old school), and that there is a proper way for him to question particular aspects of his training. How to do this tactfully, as you mention, is the hard part. A smile and a dose of politeness usually helps. I'm afraid, though, that any attempt on your part to "lay down the rules" will trigger an angry/combative/temper-tantrum response. Nevertheless, I would have to address his in-class actions. I would start by complementing his drive/hard work and how important it is to have such qualities in MA then I would follow with a "but, ..." and address his "issues." I would be sure to mention that me and/or my staff do not treat him disrespectfully and that he should, in keeping with school rules (if this is one of your school's rules) treat me/my staff with respect. I wouldn't, at this moment, mention what would happen if he continues to ignore school rules. I would just wait and see how he conducts himself. If he continues his old ways, I would tell him, calmly and in a matter-of-fact way, that he is not ready to be one of my students. Hope this helps and sorry for the length of the post. Ed

I think most of us have been paired up with someone like that before. It gets old quick. Too bad you keep ending up with the same person as your training partner. As others have said, I would mention it to your instructor. You might say that you need some variety in training partners in order to better develop your skills. Ed