Red89

Yeah I think one of the best ways is to just do alot of cardio. Like in the gym do stuff like the treadmill, cross-trainer and rowing machines. I know I have been trying to gain weight but Im not really doing so as im doing too much cardio

Gym, cycling, running, reading, graphic design, digital painting, music and playing football (soccer). oh and sleeping is another good one!

thanks everyone for your kind welcomes!

Most likely not Baron Thanks for the great response anyway guys, some good advice!

Yeah I can handle the pain from striking with my foot hard, im just wonderring though, is this toughening the foot or damaging it long term?

Followed by a nedan geri and Urakin!

Yeah well thats the thing, a thai roundhouse wouldn't really work in point sparring, as its more of a full contact kick, but in the street I would choose a thai kick over a karate kick most times, it depends on the situation though.

Hey everyone, Been hanging around here a while but havn't formally introduced myself. Real names Jonny and im from Northern Ireland! I had always been interested in MA sinse I was a child, I loved Tekken on the PS1, my dad was keen also and he encouraged me so I think i was 8 or 9 when I started Karate training, im still at the club to this day at 17 years old. Someday I hope to be all Ireland karate champion and maybe... just maybe, a world champion. And looking further into the future, I would maybe like to start my own karate school, and teach to others. Karate for life, if you know what I mean . Im still going to school at the moment, studying Art, ICT and history. One of my Idols in life when it comes to MA has to be Tony Jaa, I love that guy. I would like to start Muay Thai but unfortunetly the nearest school is something like 50-60 miles away, so.. thats out the window.. until I get a car maybe! Jackie Chan is also great, I like Bruce Lee but I didn't really get into MA because of him, I saw his movies after I had already been at karate for a few years. I also like Junior Levefre, he is an awesome karateka, just watch him spar! He is an inspiration. I really like this forum, its really interesting to read and get involved in. Hey everyone!

I do weight training and if you think about it though. Dont you think you could ift something heavier than you normally could if you let out a massive kiai as your lifting?? I havn't tried but im nearly sure I could.

Well the way I kind of look at it.. The Kata is the "fine art" part of Art, like drawing or painting. Its like a foundation, to move onto many other things.

Im 5'9 and I like my height, I don't want to grow anymore! Im 17 though so it might happen

Hmm if you can do all the other exercise I find it strange you have trouble with the running, maybe you could ask a doctor, then again don't, you know about doctors when it comes to MA I actually run alot for training, it really improves your stamina for the likes of sparring. I really have no idea about your question though, maybe your balnace when running or something, as you get dizzy? Im not sure.

Thanks for the advice baron, thats the thing though, I have a great Thai roundhouse and all, but I train karate lol! I was out again tonight, I tended to try to kick with the top half of my foot/closeer to the shin, and keep away from the lower part. Its good fun doing Thai kicks though ^^

hehe, the bag is fine I think, Havn't asked him though! Well I practice front kicks too, with the ball of my feet, and up high, to stop the bag swinging too much. I side kick occasionally too. I just do everything I guesse, I dont forget the hands and elbows too ^^ Although sitting here on the computer now Im getting pains in my elbow lol One problem is though Im in quite a confined space so I cant practice spining kicks or anything fancy, just need to keep things simple

I suppose its possible, and is most probably the same in any other sport. But the way I look at it, theres always someone better.

Hey man, thanks for the reply. Well im doing full power roundhouse kicks head height, which makes it worse as the bag wont move as much if you know what I mean and I have been bag training for a long time, but as I said recently I have been doing it like 4-6 nights a week. I suppose it might be sily training my roundhouses like that full contact, because when im doing point sparring I may end up kicking someones head off their shoulders!

Hey all, I train in traditional karate, Wado-Ryu style. So in our dojo we don't really do conditioning exercises but at home I train by myself most nights and recently I have bene doing alot of bag work. I make sure to wrap my hands and wear gloves when punching, as I really damaged my hand last year when training bare knuckled. As for kicking though, im always barefoot. The tops of my feet are now bruised quite badly, but its still bareable to kick, I can get around this though by simply turning my kick more into a thai kick, but this tends to send my bag flying in one direction, even though its very heavy! My question though, kicking with the top of the foot bare footed against a bag, will this damage my foot in the long term or is it hardening/conditioning it ? I have been kicking so hard that at the moment I can sometimes feel the top of my shoes hurting my foot when im wearing them! Any advice would be appreciated. I make sure to drink lots of milk!

I was at a shotokan demonstration last night and i was really impressed by a 14year old black belt doing his kata, first he done it by himself, slowly then fast. Then he trained with the Bunkai, it was really well done, you really saw how to apply each aspect of the black belt kata, im not sure what it was called as im wado-ryu and it didn't sound familiar when he called it out.

It Dosn't mean an awful lot to me, it is only the beginning. I have been training 10 years and I am only a brown belt because I was not fussed on gradings, rather I trained hard on technique and sparring and now Im going to try and grade and it will pay off. I went to another school to try it once, it was shotokan, there were so many blackbelts and when it came to sparring they were so surprised angry that they couldn't score against me. Most of them had been training about 3-4 years and were somehow black... Although someday I would like to be black, and then progress from there, because every student must surpass his master in knowledge and skill, otherwise the art would simply deteorite rather than grow

I think its important, and not just for startling your oponent, It can actually useful if done correctly, The article on wikipedia is interesting http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiai Also, I remember watching a martial arts documentrary, On it there was a master who could bring his opponents to their knees using his kiai and he could actually cause a bell to sound!

Tekken series, I say I resemble Kazuya Mishima, I love his technique.

Another one I like Bear your scars on you chest, not your back.

A Brave arm can make a short sword a long one.

Interesting topic, I have read through all the posts and some good stories people are telling. I would say I am a rather decent person when it comes to fighting, like in the dojo when sparring I hit hard, etc. but in school Im always very reluctent to use any force on other guys. Even when we are only messing around for fun, I can feel them hit me really hard and laugh, yet I tend to always be soft. When i was younger I really hurt someone in a fight, I guesse im now abit "scared" to hurt someone? Although, if I do ever get into another real fight, Im mentally ready to hit hard! As for the combo, hmm, well a good one I think would be a left jab followed up by a right downwards elbow strike to the face (over-shoulder i think you call it, or over-hand elbow) Or if you think your kicks are strong, especially for Muay Thai people, you could try firing a low roundhouse as hard as you can and see the person be lifted off their feet onto the ground!

Hey Kante, I have been training my style of Wado-Ryu now for a good 10 years, im 17 now, and when i was younger I too felt some of the techniques are useless, it just takes practice practice and practice, about 4 years ago I started bag training, and all of my karate training seemed to be paying off, I was really good at it! I think once you get really used to your style it becomes more natural for you, and you become more comfortable and confident with it. In Kumite our club is quite easy on our stance, each of us are alowed to adopt our own personal stance, within reason ofcourse. I have looked at alot of other styles, JKD is good, but not really my style, If i were to start a secound MA it owuld have to be TKD (as Im a fond kicker) or Muay Thai.