white owl

Good luck. Keep working on your endurance. Throw some cardio in there and then do katas to build your endurance. See if it helps.

Congrats on your new rank. I agree with you NewEngland_KyoSa. The student should of not been late to the testing (if it could of been helped)exspecial if told a head of time. I would not worry over it.

They test any where between 3 to 4 months. At our dojo you have to have 80 percent attendence our dojo is open 4 days a week so that means you have to be there at least 2 days a week prefered. we go; yellow orange green blue w/stripe blue brown w/3 stripes brown w/2 stripes brown w/1 stipe brown black You will be a brown belt for one year before you test for shodan. For kyu ranks you get tested on your katas, techniques, self defense. For brown you getting prep for your shodan, you have to work off the strips and start showing leader ship roles like being able to instruct class, teaching new students basic techniques. And knowing your katas, techniques, grappling, self defense. For our shodan test (since my husband just went through it) he had to write and essay, then he had a written test, and then he went through the physical elements, katas, techniques, endurance, grappling, self defense.

I agree with NewEngland_Kysosa, that is if you know both forms. That way you can keep your katas strictly shotokan based and teach the korean verison if want to the higher ranking kyu's later.

I am also not good at sparing but with practice I have gotten a little better the problem I have is setting back and waiting and not take the opening when I get them. But practice, practice is the key. and being loose and not thinking to much. I also think to much.

I never heard about it either. I look forward to see it I like Will Smith.

Oneword burpees. They are a total body work out as well as cardio. If you have not heard of them (some people call them prision burpees) you start off standing attention go down into push up position, do a push up than spring back to feet and jump up in the air as you spring up. (continue doing that), and challenge yourself see how many you can do in 2min. and then see how many you can do 5min. and then if you want to make it harder after a while add a turn.

Troy, thanks for the clip from youtube, it was great. I agree Night owl, Justin90, A.Orstrom. Like I said before in brown belt division or advance division they do not have xma seperate in pkc or pkra not yet at least in the black belt division they are seperated. Yes I agree it is very strange.

Very funny!

What do you think of the up coming movie Never Back Down? Are you planning to see it? I plan to go to see it. I think it will be full of action.

Man I am so computer illiterate. I was trying to quote icemansk on dragging the uniforms an belts on the floor, anyways I agree with that you do not do that I think it shows disrespect.

I prefer to think that it goes into my mind. But, I can see what you are saying. I tell the kids that what's the tradition says. Then I ask, "does your knowledge really go in your belt or your head?" They say, "in your head." I say, "exactly. But it's a tradition that we keep." I think it's important to explain things like that so that kids get that it's a part of what we do without them believing it's somehow mysterious. I also tell them it's tradition to not let your belt touch the floor. Then I point out that it does touch the floor when we do push-ups & sit-ups. I tell them the point is to treat their uniform & belt with respect. Much like a police office probably wouldn't drag his uniform on the ground on the way to the hamper at night, we don't wanna do that with our belts & uniforms either.

I was wondering the same thing. How are you doing?

When I have to work with the little one's in class I go about have the speed I would and adult, I some times will do more blocking than punching and kicking about 75% to 25%. Which lets them work on getting in on a bigger target, and when I do throw punches an kicks I touch them, it is not teaching them anything by throwing them over there heads, only bad habits.

Ichigeki Karate Ambridge Pennsylvania Shotokan Karate and some Jitsu

Wheatcrunchie, Good luck with your orange belt test. I'm glad everything is worked out.

Congrats on your first belt test and keep working hard.

A little late but, congrats.

welcome.

Welcome!

I do not think its awsome sometimes. lol I do them sometimes at home maybe 20 or 30 of them because they are a total body work out our sensei told us if you want to make them harder spin around on the jump and do them.(just another idea if someone is interested)

congrats, on the weight loss this far. Keep striding forward on your martial arts career.

Welcome!

Welcome!

When I get my black I like to have gold Embriodered on it. I think it looks good.