smckeown

Just curious but in general how many forms/kata are you required to learn before reaching Shodan? In my system I think I had to learn about 12-14.

Congrats to your son!

Ever been asked "Show me what you've got?" If so what did you do? A few years ago we had someone from another style come to our dojo and ask me the above question. He then got into a fighting stance. I politely replied "Really?" He unknowingly said "Sure" I then very quickly took him to the ground with a leg sweep that he never saw coming. He got up off the ground and said embarrassingly "That was a good move, you will have to show that to me." He left and never came back.

Not sure if this will help or not, but I used to feel the same way. Then one day I was approached by a guy on a bike that wanted to start something. Everything I learned came immediatly to the front of my mind in case I needed it. It turned out that I was able to avoid a physical confrontation which is really one of the first thinks I learned in the martial arts (Dont fight if you dont have to). But this did give me the confidence that if he wanted to start something I was going to finish it. It is kind of a strange feeling when one day you feel a certain way and the next it just "sinks in". Once you cross that line you will no longer feel inadequate.

Good interpretations. I will give a hint. One of the strikes is to a wrist point.... Scott

Interesting interpretation. Thats not what I envisioned when I put the kata toegther but it may work. Would you like to guess the pressure points?

Thanks for all of the great tips. Now that she is out of school for the summer she may be looking for more things to do. I will let you know how it goes. Thanks

I once spared an opponent that rushed me like he was a mad bear. (hands above his head and growling) That was a bit confusing the first time he came in. After that he always tried the same thing so it was no longer a supprise.

Thanks for the replys. I would never force her to do anything. I stayed there the entire first class with her and talked to her afterwards about it. I think she is a bit intimidated about there being only one other girl in the class. We havent been back to class again. Every now and then she sees me practicing something and asks about it so I know there is some interest there. I am just looking for any helpful suggestions to "fan the flames" of her interest.

My wife in her high school days (before I met her) filled the oil crank case with a garden hose. I can only assume she was trying to fill the radiator. Needless to say the engine seized up not to long after.

Any tips on getting a 7 year old girl into the martial arts? I have tried taking her to a school that specializes in kids. She was super excited about it for 2 weeks prior to going and would not stop talking about it but as soon as we got there she became extremely shy and did not want to participate in anything. Perhaps she is just a bit young still, but I have read several posts about members with younger kids who are training. Any helpful suggestions to get her more interested are much appreciated. Thanks

These moves are part of my personal kata I created as part of my last rank promotion. I would like to see what others can come up with for its use. If you are interested in the pressure points, have a guess at those as well. This is for educational purposes and might be fun. Lets see what you can come up with. Thanks

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In my style we attack the pressure points on the inside of the wrist in one of several different ways. It really depends on how the attacker grabs your arm. Lets assume that the attacker used his left arm to grab your right arm at the wrist. As someone stated above the grabbed hand really isnt what you need to worry about because usually there will be the attackers other hand following it up with something else. So to prepare for that we pull the right arm back into a ready position at your own side and use your knuckles to sort of apply pressure to the points on the inside of the wrist. This will weaken the attackers grip. At the same time do a high block with the left hand to block against any incoming punches. If there is or isnt it really doesnt matter as now that hand is cocked and ready to do a downward stike to the attackers left arm that is grabbing yours. Also to make this work better a good quick snap kick to the attackers shins,knees,or groin helps immensely. I have been practicing this for over 15 years and I have yet to find anyone strong enough for this not to work. Hope this helps.

Right front cross over turn with Mother and Son guard.