ramymensa

Congrats from me too Well done. I knew you would do OK. I didn't expect you to achieve such victory, but I'm happy for you. Good luck in everything you do

Started at 22. Wish it was earlier, but I'm still young ... and as long as you train hard and love it, age doesn't matter that much

Don't wait till shodan to learn Karate It's true that a martial artist shouldn't stop at first degree BB. Then you learn some things you didn't learn previously and the tasks are more difficult. Train as if you were a BB from the first day, when you'll get there you'll be accustomed with the hard work

I would prefer to act naturally. look fit and powerful, even if I'm a girl Pretending to be feeble and innofensive doesn't look good on me. And I guess the chanses of being provoked are bigger when one looks like an easy target

In Shotokan there are very few 10th Dans. It is said that it's a death rank, cause they are so old they can't even enjoy the new status They usually die in weeks or few months after receiving the rank Now I've heard Kanazawa is a 10th Dan. Hope he'll live enough to enjoy it So guess that's why sometimes this rank is kinda depressing

Candle training? I think I know what you mean. I've tried it in my yellow belt days. Helped a lot It was difficult at first, but once you get used to the speed necessary it's OK.

Did they hurt? The cups I mean

40 years old and studying karate? Great. All my admiration Follow the etiquette try to have good stances, stay well on your feet and don't forget to Kiai. A natural one, don't just scream like you've got a bee in your eyes Most of the beginners tend to omit this and they fail. Be confident and don't forget we have all crossed our fingers for you ... I can barely write from how crossed they are

You tell them Sai .. and then I'll come continue I've tried to study a little the big "bashers" here (is there such a word?) and I've also noticed that with some exceptions we are dealing with people who have been involved just a little in MA. In the first months there's a lot of passion and so little ration ... after some time it gets into equlibrium. The most important thing is to remember we are not the same, we want different things in life and we have the right to chose our way. The others have the same rights So respect and friendship. We all have to learn from all here

I use to fight on my weak side (right !!! ) and tend to apply any technique that crosses my mind I'm not in the kumite session to just win, I like to apply new combinations even if I sometime fail. When in a serious situation (tournaments) for instance ... I fight to win

Works like a charm Visualise yourself doing katas/forms and doing all the stuff in the exam, like others said. I though it's a waste of time, but it really works You can see if you forgot a technique and you are able to correct any mistakes. Then you'll be more confident and it would eventually be OK. Good luck and be CONFIDENT. It's also a "war of nerves". Don't show too much emotion and act as if you are a 761347 dan BB

Yep. Don't let it show. Act as if you've done great, as if you were the greatest in the world Sounds stupid, but no matter the style you must have a winner's attitude. Don't panic. Act confident, almost arrogant, respectful though and it would be OK. At lower grades the technique isn't quite flawless and nobody expects you to do it perfect. But when it comes to chose between a scared competitor and another who is confident, the last would almost everytime win. So train hard and be confident. Good luck.

I've never had a hangover, never got drunk, I don't drink anything with alcohol But I went to karate after a sleepless night and a very hard day, hungy, feeling sick, with strained muscles ... you name it. It's unpleasant to be in a bad shape, but I chose to go to the dojo, cause I would feel even worse if I would stay at home ... I always tell the instructor I'm not OK (when it's something "serious") and usually it shows (so he/she asks me what happened ). I try to keep up wiht the others and at the same time not push myself too hard. when I feel I can't cope with the pain or the discomfort, I just ask for the permission to sit for some minutes (happened 2-3 times. After some minutes I could continue). Even if I couldn't train I would go and watch the class. Till now I managed to end the training session on my feet Guess it's the adrenaline Kickchick already mentioned

DON'T GIVE UP !!!!!!!!!!! When I started Karate I was fit and still my first training sessions were devastating I had so much pain in my muscles (I felt muscles I never thought I even had ) I couldn't get up from bed in the morning. I used to roll and fall to the ground. Then moan and whine tiill I got biped again I used to have pains for an entire week at first ... then for 2-3 days and now I don't suffer anymore no matter how hard I train. Your body can be shaped the way you want. Some patience and frequent effort. Keep up doing the training sessions (take it easy at first and then go rough) and you'll be amazed

I never train on music from various reasons the first being I use to "taste" the music like one would do with a fine wine. I love music and everytime I listen to it I tend to let myself carried by it, follow the complexity of the melody, enjoy a very good and "poetic" text and so on. This is usually a very fine music, but to complex to use while training (it's most of the time progressive rock, blues and jazz ... they don't have a stable beat). The music that would be good to training it's more "easy" and I don't enjoy it. This means I sometime hate those songs and they are too annoying to be able to concentrate on the training. So I just stick to ... silence In the dojo we warmed up 2-3 times on music (the instructor wanted something new ... we weren't too excited). I was quite happy when she turned off the noise polution thing and we could get to kihon and kumite

A problem always mentioned ... on the street there are no rules. OK. So you can do nasty things not permitted in some styles. In most of the cases one knows them and has performed even those "tabu" techniques in order to be able to use them if needed (not in sparring or tournaments, cause it's forbidden ) You know how to use elbows, how to grab a persona by the head and hit with the knee (it's in karate katas also), grab a man by the testicles and so on. We know these and some even perform them in the dojo (the "nut" thing is performed without a partner, I couldn't do this to a coleague ). They are done with very light contact, but they are learnt, thus giving us an option. How is in your dojos?

In my wild days (when I was a 10 year old girl) I remember I would fight a lot. Frustration cause another kid wouldn't do what I demanded or anything little could turn into a fight. And then ... disaster I remember I loved to fight and usually hit excesivelly hard (I enjoyed it. hmmmm weird. That's why now I try to control my wild instincts. I could be a murderer and not even know it ) When we would play, we would grapple. I loved it too and now when I'm put against others in a grapple match (we do this also at Shotokan, so don't say we are not rounded ) my partners have a real hard time and usually end up to the ground. Now I fight just in the dojo. I do it with controll and try new tricks ... On the streets I would fight only if there would be no other possibility. Why do people fight? Instinct, anger, frustration, after heavilly consuming drugs or alcohol, because another would look at their "woman", because they are uneducated, uncivilised, stupid, animals and so on. In normal circumstances a person would avoid a conflict. The new society model doesn't give room to agressiveness ... or does it?

A sprained shoulder (the same I "took care" off when hit by a car and made to fly from the bicycle). I did the "good thing" while performing a kata (heian godan). I put too much passion It hurts

Iron Fist. The problem is not if we find it wise. Don't mind us We are just talking here trying to give advice and always seeing everything through OUR eyes. It doesn't mean we are wrond, but it doesn't mean we have all the answers either You have begun karate and intend doing chinese boxing? Good for you ... There are 2 possibilities: they look much alike (have no idea what c.boxing is, just assuming ). The result: it would help you because you find a "common ground"\ Situation 2. They are very different. Again ... could be an advantage: you'll become rounded and find techniques in an art that are not present in the other. If you like them ... just do it. A final though, though. In my OWN OPINNION: it's too early to start a second MA. Karate takes some time to master and it would be better to spend the time doing the techniques. A second art means you'll have to "split" and hinder your progress. You could wait until you are advanced in karate and then take a second style. BUT, you could also have some special abilities. Maybe you are a quick learner or just want to do them both. Any case, do what you think it's right for you. If you are ready for the task go and do what you know you can do. Good luck and of course keep us posted

Yep. Cute. So ... traditional

I don't think they would contradict. You could use the kicks and punches (plus the wonderful sweeps from karate), add some joint locks and ... it would make you quite rounded. Add some judo and it's OK. That's what I intend to do. The first step is that I already included some moves from both Aikido and Judo in my training and in some months I'll take Aikido and/or Judo. They wouldn't contradict too much, especially because they have a common language and some philosophical stuff that could be interconnected. Just a personal view

'm the only in my family. My boyfriend is not interested in MA and I try to respect that (you can't force somebody to love the things you live for. I've learnt this lesson years ago). When I'll have kids I hope they'll become martial artists. If they would like so. If not ... it's their life Training in karate is sometimes so rough that it takes real passion to go through all the bad days ... when you hate the stuff ... it's a tragedy

I had quite a time when I entered the dojo and still feel like home there I thought it would be hard to get along with the students, cause many of them are teen agers and I was a dinosaur 20 years old Still we managed to become friends and I feel like a kid again (not that I would be too mature ) Some of us went on a mountain trip with sensei and some relations became tighter. I consider them my friends and I really feel OK with them. My best friend is also a coleague at the University. although we were in the same "class" we became close after working together in the dojo. Now we are inseparable This friendly atmosphere is all over the class. Sensei became very close and I won the friendship of other 2 instructors. It's indeed great and it's good to have some people you can trust that much you let them try nasty things on you, like kicks, punches, sweeps

Well, Shark ... the problem is they are human. And make mistakes and although we bragg all day about effectiveness, we still get our eyes caught by a flashy move It's sad things like this happen

Last night I had kind of a revelation ... I realised in a way that in MA we obbey a hierarchy, like in military life. We too have rank and so on. And our belts in a way are like their ranks of officers ... And now the big difference: they show their rank by wearing impecable clothes and the things denoting rank (don't know how they are called, sorry my English is so poor ) are in their case shiny and new. We, instead like to show our rank by wearing dirty torn belts. A general could get his new rank yesterday or 20 years ago, he's still a general. A BB should be the same. And if in military life, those who rule are like from a magazine, I guess in MA we should be as clean and good looking as they are. And a worn dirty belt is not good looking. And of course that was just my opinion.