KarateEd

I carry a pocket knife that is a folder with a slit for opening with the nail. Of course, it is for utility purposes and not really a weapon. If I was carrying one for defense reasons I think I would lean toward a fixed blade, if there are no legal issues with it. Ed

h.r.ford, Like you mentioned, I turn up the frequency of my practice sessions before a test to ensure that I have everything down. As for getting nervous, I seem to get worse with each testing. However, once I am testing, the nervousness goes away, for the most part. Ed

Our testings are usually held on Saturdays. Ed

Ah, The Karate Kid. I remember seeing this way back in the late '80s (I now own it on DVD). It was one of the reasons I got into MA. Enjoyed the review, NightOwl. Ed

Pretty funny Ed

Yeah, but advice over the phone doesn't pay the bills! I hate getting the "clinical" treatment, which goes something like this: "Oh, your sick?" "Yes" "Well, take this antibiotic and that'll clear everything up. Next, please!" Ed

Welcome to KF, and your normal Ed

My best mile time was around 6:30 a little over a year ago. Ed

I agree with the previous comments. I have trained in TKD for some years now and have always been taught and continue to teach students to keep their hands up. Ed

1. 2000 Nissan Frontier - daily driver, ~12,000 mi/yr 2. 1987 Porsche 924S - hobby car, ~ 4,000 mi/yr Ed

I train in a rather small school, so we generally have 4-6 judges at a black belt testing, maybe one or two more on occasion. It would be nice to know that the judges were on the same page at the time of testing. However, so long as the criteria isn't too narrowly defined by each judge and is appropriate for the level being tested, then whatever each judge looks for it should be present in the student's performance. For example, one judge may pay particular attention to power, another to crisp technique, and another to the tester's spirit, but all of these should be present in a student testing for BB. At my school we always have a post-test summary of each student's performance at the very next class session. This lets the student know what they performed well on and what needs improvement. As for generating power, I wonder what their criteria was. I always look for strong kihaps, snapping techniques, hair that shakes with the execution of techniques (provided that the hair is long enough), and proper breathing, among other things. The criteria for power should be appropriate for the age and size of the student. If the school has a minimum requirement for power generation in order to obtain BB, they should inform students and parents of this. One caveat, though, I wasn't there for the test and the trained eye of a judge can often spot things that an untrained eye does not. Perhaps the judges didn't have a problem with her physical power, but her spiritual or mental power (by mental power I don't mean "smarts" but determination)? Ed

The flexibility will come over time, as bushido_man said. Having only three weeks of training under your belt, you shouldn't worry to much about your lack of flexibility right now. The roundhouse kick, in particular, can feel awkward at first. You really have to gain flexibility in the hip area to do that kick properly. I don't know what your instructor wants, but I always tell new students not to worry so much about the elevation of the kick but to focus on the form of the kick (pivoting properly, kicking with the correct part of the foot, pulling the foot back quickly after kicking, and maintaining proper balance) and keeping the guard up while kicking. I have seen students try hard to get a high kick and let their form slip thus picking up bad habits in the process (like letting their hands drop down to their sides while kicking). Ed

If those schools are your only option, you may have to settle for one. I would go to each school and view their classes at least a few times. Be sure to watch the classes in which your age group is taught. Talk with the instructor to get a feel for the teacher and his/her teaching philosophy. Even though these schools may not be the best option you will most likely learn something there (as well as get the opportunity to exercise and spar). Ed

If you dry it in a dryer it should remove almost all of the lint and catch it in the lint screen. Ed

The last fun run I did was a 5K, I think. I have had a problem at times of trying to pace my self on other people when I am running such an event. When I am able to ignore the other runners and run my own pace it is fun. What is a bit irritating is when someone comes up next to you and says "I'm gonna run with you." I'm thinking, "bro, if I wanted to run with you I would have asked before the race, and since I didn't..." Most of the time the person can't keep up anyway. Hopefully, I'll be able to run a 10K in the not-to-distant future. as for the 5K, it was fun. The length is similar to what I normally run so it wasn't particularly taxing. Ed

I think you would have to wash it a lot when you first get it. Ed

Congratulations Shotokan-kez! Education is always a good thing. I am hoping to finish up my last semester in December. Good luck, Ed

Took my laptop to a local repair shop and they discovered that the power inverter for the little fluorescent bulb that back-lights the screen was broken. They fixed it for about $130. Now I am back in business! Ed

gubbs, Various commitments have, at times, broken up my regular training regime and I have "started over," relearning most of my previously learned material. It can be enjoyable going through all the previous material. Ed

The LCD screen on my Dell laptop no longer illuminates, though it is readable if I tilt the screen at the right angle and stand up to type (as I am doing at this moment). I talked with Dell tech support and they confirmed my suspicion that the LCD is kaput and needs to be replaced How much does a repair like this cost? Is it a possible DIY repair (I know my way around electronics fairly well) or is time to get a new computer and use this one as a doorstop? Any help is appreciated. Ed

Good job, gzk!

Congratulations on passing your test! Ed

I haven't had a problem with drying any of my uniforms, both the ligthweight and heavyweight ones. Of course, I always read the tag before that first wash! Ed

My method, also. Ed

Congratulations, man. Ed