ramymensa

Well any style you can get in the area with a good instructor could do the trick. You can go with Kickboxing or Muay thai for faster results or get to old school Karate if you're willing to wait some more. Try to look into the area you live. It's no use having us talk you into a style just to find out the closest school is 1000 miles from you

Best of luck with it. You got some good advice here: train smart and try to find out something about the person you'll face. SevenStar gave you an awesome advice in here. a lot depends on the opponent. train and also enjoy the competition. Learn to deal with win and loss as well. This is a great learning tool for you, make sure you get everything you can from this situation. We keep our fingers crossed for you

I wouldn't do this. I have to use all my 10 fingers and I need them strong and healthy so I won't go that far. I think the risks are too high to try this trick.

You have to be popular without looking like you want to Act nice, treat them with repsect, have a smile for anyone and try to be fair no matter what. They'll respect you and you'll be popular too.

All my rank exams were the greatest achievements for me as I worked like crazy. I could do the splits (the ones with one leg in front) after 2 years of being famous for my "stiffness". Even sensei forgot where he was and said something like "oh f..." Another great achievement: having some girls I helped out with katas and kihon take their ranks with stading ovations after threatening them with an unpleasant deatg if they won't test (they were too afraid to test). That was when I tested for 5 kyu. Awfully long and hard exam. I was extatic for having the rank, but my joy got even more "total"when seeing "my girls" with the diploma and that greateful look any teacher lives for The greatest achievent comes from the people you "raise" as students, even if not yet "official"

Well it gets more and more interesting and harder as ranks go up. You'll be fine. Just train constantly and you'll do well in all rank exams. Try not to get injured and sometimes take it slow so that you avoid injury. Read about your style (it's also mental, not only physical), try to imagine combinations and visualize your katas and stuff. Don't skip classes and work.

Welcome Glad to hear about your progress. Although Taikyoku Shodan is the easiest kata available (some dojos skip it and start with heian shodan), for a beginner it's like walking on Mars As time passes you'll feel even more comfy with it and all the katas you'll learn. Good luck

6-8 years in our dojo.

The one you really know and have trained. There are no wonder styles. If you train well and realistically and have a goos instructor and luck you'll be OK. This is the most uninspired kind of topic, sorry. There is no such thing as a perfect style and this topic will lead only to flame wars and stupid remarks, not to mention it's been discussed to death all these years. It disappears and then somebody brings it up, we say the same thing, we get tired and disapears again ... and so on. Please don't take it personally, but the answer is obvious. TRAIN WELL and you'll be OK. Stop going after "dream " styles and get to work in the style you've chosen with a good instructor. Effectiveness can be thought as a percentage of succesful ways of getting out of a situation. I get 100%, cause I never enterred a conflict situation. My style .. wthatever that is .. is perfect Let's take it the other way .. you get a respected style and train like crazy, you get very good, high ranks and sweep the floor with all the people you meet. Stull you get your ..tt handed to you in a street fight after being hit with .. I don't know .. rock in the back of your head. You were walking calmly and someone practiced marksman on your head.. conclusion .. your style sucks. Of course you could have trained with Grnad master od grand masters of the X style and you'd have sensed the intention before the guy would even lift the rock from the ground Let's get serious. Instead of trying to come with "most effective" style, we'd better try work some more in the class. When you're luck, well trained and strong, every style is the best. When you get whooped, it's you who sucks, not the sytle. My opinon

Make sure you don't get injured previously. Some people have this "luck". Try to train intense, but don't kill yourself, you cannot perform miracles in 2 weeks, but you can surely break something in the meantime. Try to be relaxed and confident. You are there because you know something, so start from this. In the days left, try to have your instructor work with you the best and weakest points so that you'll be prepared. And never foget to have fun

This is a good set of information. I'm sure people would find it useful.

Hi Welcome to our nice place. Looks like you've already made yourselv comfy and posted some messages. That's good. Seems you like the place and have found interesting subjects to post

God this is a HUGE stipidity. I have only one karategi, a heavy weight one (that's because in my country the monthly wage is 150 USD so I can't afford another one too soon). That means I can wash it only once a week, since it takes ages to dry. The idea is it's dirty and sweaty (although I don't sweat to heavily). Still I wear my top just 2 times and train the other 2 times that week with a tshirt and the pants. I know I should have it cleaned more often, but so far this is all I can do. Stilll... never wash it? That's the biggest junk I ever heard. Wash it VERY often, you could try to have everythime a clean gi with you, that's the ideal. always train in a brand clean karategi. I'm against keeping even the belt dirty and sweaty ... never occured to me people would have "fantasies" like this with their gis

This was one of the first foreign forums I posted. It's an awesome place and I still come back to it. It's an example of good atmosphere and smart discussion.

So far I see you like the place and the condition you have after the training. You could indeed stay there and continue your training, or move on if you are really sure they cannot provide the workout you need. A McDojang is bad if you take everything for granted and believe in 2 years time you can become the father of all martial arts living or dead. If you realise you true potential, feel challenged there and like the place, then stay

You've got a tough decission to make. I'd chose the one I feel more confortable with. If you feel "home" in one of the dojos, that's your place .. or you could train in both?

BB is for me a goat to achieve It's a very high rank and still you're a student as your learning days are not over. It means you are good in your style, you can teach (in several styles), you should be respected for it and you've worked a lot to get there

You need a clean and nice place to work, a good instructor, and good coleagues. If it's not a 'bogus" style, anyone is good if you have good instruction and feel like home. In your darkest moments, it's very important to have good people near you. Your sensei must be a great man too, a good technician, psychologist, teacher, parent and so on and you really need some nice coleague

Be relaxed (as if you can ), confident on your skills and you'll make it. Thousands of fingers are crossed now for you. Patrick, expect some less activity here since it's hard to type with the fingers crossed Good luck.

We know the guy already. I think he's been a subject for a discussion here a while ago, and the name is cute :moneymaker

You sai hai .. like high and there is oss of course .. Or you could just say YES. Works with most people Welcome aboard and have FUN here and in your dojo. Nobody was a genius in the first days, but we all learn

Welcome to the madhouse Just kidding .. we're all sane and glad to see you. Have fun posting and a pleasant stay

For me it would be TKD .. when they are not hopping .. I've seen some matches at the Olympics and I was taken aback by the fact people (undoubtedly very skilled) were trying to go on counters instead of attacks. That led to those agonizing moments they wouldn't touch each other ... but when they did .. Oh awesome. I'm a fan of leg techniques and these people know their stuff. I also consider as spectacular our Shotokan bouts. Sometimes people exchance hits so fast you can't count them even in slow motion. I think all martial artist who are able to throw a punch or a leg technique could be very spectacular.

Welcome to the "happy house". You'll find here some great people, not to mention the discussion .. best of the best

Pacificshore .. you deserve the rank and the coloured belt. I'm glad to see we've got some more great material for member of the month as time goes by. We have so many great people here it would take 10 members of the month a month to have it done