would like help with front thrust kick (mae geri kekomi)

[todome]

i know. But i dont know what else to call him. i could say my black belt, or my shodan, because he is 1st degree black belt. Our sensei assigned him to teach me this kick. Also had a nidan helping me with it too. So that's how I refer to them - by their degree of BB. Except for our Sempai, who i just call Sempai.

All black belts are senpai.

you're lucky he hasn't quietly bopped you one for insubordination.

[Chitsu]

I see,

Sorry I thought you were referring to your club instructor.

Usually, if you are kyu grade referring to working with a black belt, it would suffice to refer to them as say "the dan grade I was working with" - irrespective of rank.

Also, and I hope you don't mind me correcting you, Sempai as spoken, is written as Senpai.

Chitsu

[Blade96]

i know. But i dont know what else to call him. i could say my black belt, or my shodan, because he is 1st degree black belt. Our sensei assigned him to teach me this kick. Also had a nidan helping me with it too. So that's how I refer to them - by their degree of BB. Except for our Sempai, who i just call Sempai.

All black belts are senpai.

you're lucky he hasn't quietly bopped you one for insubordination.

he wouldnt neither quietly or loudly =]

whoever is the senior for that class, is acting as SENPAI (I know you're right, Chitsu, I knew that but thanks for correction anyway Its just its spelled as sempai on our association's website. and the meaning of sempai there is given as 'senior') when our actual senpai isnt there, the next highest will be. At one of our classes the only BB's that was there was our Shodan and a NiDan. Since our NiDan was highest rank at the time, he was Senpai for that time. Thats how it works at our dojo. and i listened to the ShoDan and he referred to the NiDan as Senpai.

[todome]

Yeah. Different system.

but never make assumptions about getting bopped. sometimes it's good for you.

[todome]

...and i listened to the ShoDan and he referred to the NiDan as Senpai.

oh wait a minute. Of course he refered to him as senpai. That doesn't mean he's the only senpai in the school or on the floor. When I'm speaking to a kyu gradei about a black black belt I always call the black belt senpai even if he's my junior.

You might want to ask.

[sensei8]

Getting back to the topic here....

Some helpful tips:

*Lift the knee of your kicking leg. If you kick with the backleg, the mae geri kekomi will be stronger and if you kick with the front leg, the kick will be faster.

*Kick and push forward the hip at the same time, to make your mae geri kekomi more powerful. [Timing: You have to push forward the hip at the right moment - That's the most difficult part of the mae geri kekomi]

*Bring back your foot as fast as possible.

*Bring the kicking leg back to the floor

*Don't lean way back

*Don't stand up fully on supporting leg

One helpful little drill to improve hips learning how to drive forward:

*Wrap your 'karate' belt around your waist in such a way that your training partner can stand behind you while holding onto both ends of your 'karate' belt; like one would hold onto a horses reign.

*Get into zenkutsu-dachi and go across the entire dojo floor, while your training partner will offer to hold you back by trying to resist your forward momentum.

*After that, now add mae geri kekomi while going up and down the floor from one side to another. Remember to maintain your posture as well as your balance at all times.

Hopefully this might help you.

[todome]

Oh yeah right. The Kick.

I find getting the feel for the knee's role in creating the thrusting action is important. The extra movement down may be slight but makes a world of difference in how the forces manifest themselves along the chain. The force required to effect that slight downward action is probably more than one may initially expect.

[Chitsu]

All black belts are senpai.

Are they?

Gary

[todome]

All black belts are senpai.

Are they?

Gary

In my part of the world (ITKF Shotokan) they are, anyways. On the floor kyus address all dan grades as "senpai" and on and off the floor refer to them as "senpai " (if they know what's good for them which reminds me I've got a 6th kyu in serious need of the gears - for the good of the dojo of course )

When addressing the class our Sensei always refers to ANY black belt of our dojo as "senpai " although when addressing us directly calls us anything he damn well pleases.

Within any dojo, any and all black belts who are not the sensei can be properly thought of and referred to as part of "the senpai", even third dans who are addressed as "sensei" even theough they're not THE sensei. (eg, the "senpai ni rei" when class bows in and out)

All of this gets rather dodgy and tough to keep track of between dojos, which has given rise to the tradition of never speaking of another dojo's black belts unless it's behind their entire dojo's back.

[Blade96]

Getting back to the topic here....

Some helpful tips:

*Lift the knee of your kicking leg. If you kick with the backleg, the mae geri kekomi will be stronger and if you kick with the front leg, the kick will be faster.

*Kick and push forward the hip at the same time, to make your mae geri kekomi more powerful. [Timing: You have to push forward the hip at the right moment - That's the most difficult part of the mae geri kekomi]

*Bring back your foot as fast as possible.

*Bring the kicking leg back to the floor

*Don't lean way back

*Don't stand up fully on supporting leg

One helpful little drill to improve hips learning how to drive forward:

*Wrap your 'karate' belt around your waist in such a way that your training partner can stand behind you while holding onto both ends of your 'karate' belt; like one would hold onto a horses reign.

*Get into zenkutsu-dachi and go across the entire dojo floor, while your training partner will offer to hold you back by trying to resist your forward momentum.

*After that, now add mae geri kekomi while going up and down the floor from one side to another. Remember to maintain your posture as well as your balance at all times.

Hopefully this might help you.

It does - Thank you, Bob-sensei. Yeah, I find it hard to get my hips to move and at the right moment.

oh and we have only one true senpai when he's not here we refer to the next senior BB as sempai (and we use sempai and not senpai because it is pronounced that way. Of course Chitsu knows this well.)