Question

[gwindor]

Hey Guys! I am new to the forum!
I am starting kyokushin now! but i have some doubts

there is an ideal age to start kyokushin?? i am 20 is a good age to start??
i read that most dojos include handstand, i am tall 1,86cm, is very difficult to leard handstand?? i am kind of worried about this... do kiokushin have a good tecnic to teach handstand??
and finally in the exam kumite fights people fight like in competitions or like trainings???

ty guys!

[Martin H]

Welcome

Nothing wrong with starting kyokushin at 20. Ive seen guys start much later.
Ideal age is naturally younger if you intend to have a international level competition career. But some guys who have started late has managed that aswell.

I have never had to do, or seen, handstands in a kyokushin dojo, and Ive been in kyokushin since 87. I cannot imagine why that would be considered common in kyokushin. Possibly its used by some places for some strength training that I never have encountered, but it just does not sound right. And if it is, there are alternate ways to train.
Pushups? yes. running? yes. situps? definitely!, but handstands? no.

Having said that, learning handstands is not that difficult. Its actually pretty easy to learn.

Grading fights are hard, but they dont have the same intensity as tournament fights. Afterall, the guy grading would not have a chance if he met a string of fresh seniors seriously intending to knock him out by any means necessary. Grading fights are more a test of spirit and endurance.
The rules are more or less the same, but they are not enforced as they are in competitions.

[Spirit]

I would have to say that grade fighting depends on the dojo and instructor. We do fight the each person very hard (it also depends on age and rank).
Again everything depends on the instructor...

As for handstands per happs you seen it in one of the Oyama books, yes???
It depends again on the instructor but some dojo do use handstands in their training.

BUT it is more the instructors personallity that you need to get along with and focus on, more than anything else. Watch a few classes 4-8 days in a row (seems like a lot but think of the time and money that you will invets and it really is not much at all), see what the instructor does and how he/she acts, then make your desicion. Don't base it on the style but on the instructor, not everyone is cut out for Kyokushin just like not everyone is cut out for Wushu...

[Lucy]

lol Ive been training for 16 years and ive never done a handstand in the dojo!

[MarkW]

Its never too late to start. I myself am starting Kyukoshin Karate this year, with no previous martial arts experience.

Funnily enough, I'm also 20, and I'm pretty much the same height as you!

[gwindor]

Martin H ty!

ty for ur answer! very nice to hear that!

about the handstands actually i dont know if its common but in the academy that i went they use it even in the grade exam there is something like handstand with support, i dunt know maybe is something regional?? i am from brazil

lol good to hear that is easy to learn the exam sound nice too! but i totally agree that a senior would ko a new student if they want lol


Japa man ty for ur answer!
actually i never saw any of oyama books, i saw the handstands in the belt requirement of several sites.
I visited some academies i really found one that i enjoyed!
about the cut you mentioned actually i dont belive in this, because if somebody want to do something and want to learn it can do anything even wushu actually i praticed kung fu 3 years now i am moving to kyokusin, i dont know if i got what you said in the part about being cut out for something my english is not perfect sorry if i misunderstood!

Ty for your answer Lucy!
lol whow i tought it was common because several sites and belt requirements aroud here require handstand

Ty for your answer MarkW!
nice!! i totally agree with u!
well the only experience in martial arts that i was is 3 years of kung fu
lolol whow what a conincidence!!!! good luck to you!! lets do it!!

[kakatootoshi]

Dear gwindor,
With good instruction and good training 20 is never too old. Never worry about the handstand, there are other tough training in kyokushin that one day you will find out.
And where do you live in Brazil (just curious)?

OSU!

[Lucy]

I was 11 when i first started training. I graded up to 2nd kyu then had a break for 6 years (due to having kids!). I started back again when i was 24 and in them 2 years i am now a shodan. Yes it is easier to start when your a youngster, but 20 is a good age, and remember you have a few years to achieve your grades before you reach your prime, by that i mean the time when you will be at your strongest physically.

Train hard, work through your grades, learn as much as you can and by the time you reach your 'prime' you will have attained a respectable status and be up there with the best of them!

[smoothsake]

Welcome to the forum! I'm going to Rio in the end of Feb! Ole!

I am surprised that no one on these forums have handstands apart of their syllabus. In my dojo we do have handstands. For white to orange belt the requirement is 30 seconds with feet held by another student. That requirement gets longer as you challenge more belts. The goal for us in the dojo is to do a handstand and walk across the mat. The next step is to do a handstand and walk across the mat... on your fists!

To train for the handstand, we commonly go up against the wall and do a handstand leaning our weight on the wall.

20 is not too old... I wish I was 20 again!!!

[Aunty Ichigeki]

lol! We have hand walking as part of our syllabus in NZ. I can't remember if it's in the official IKO1 International Syllabus (which we mostly follow) or if they're a local add on. I also remember standing on fists for 1 min at the old Tokyo Honbu (with legs supported by a partner) several years ago.

I think hand walking is great.. being upside down keeps you young! It's a good test of full body strength & balance & don't worry that you're tall... the tallest guy in our dojo is the best on his hands. To learn you can spend some time up against a wall but as soon as poss just start trying. Be careful to point your hands forward just like your feet & use the strength in your hands & arms to balance just like toes. Use the strength in your abs to give a little weight forwards once you're upright & take tiny steps. If you think you're going to fall, bend your elbows, tuck your head & do a forward roll.

Try 5 min a few times a week & you'll see a big improvement by the end of a month. I know a couple of instructors who learned simply by having a quick practice every time they hung the washing on the line! BTW I didn't start Kyokushin until I was 23 and had never tried hand walking before.

[nzproud]

Originally Posted by Aunty Ichigeki

lol! We have hand walking as part of our syllabus in NZ.

AY! I didn't know that!

[Aunty Ichigeki]

It's on pretty much every page of the syllabus... look under "Stamina Test". You should be walking 4 or 5 tatami by now. True it doesn't come out at every grading but never fear... I shall remind Sensei for the next grading.

Study your syllabus!!!

[nzproud]

ooo i just can't balance myself up side down.. :<

[Sensei Mark]

I started kyokushin in 1983, when i was 19.

[gwindor]

Ty for your answer kakatootoshin! very nice!!
in São Paulo, are u brazilian? i noticed the "fumei" in ur profile lol
OSU!

Ty for your answer Lucy!!
whowww!! 11 years nice!! congratz on ur kids!
u make me feel very motivated!! ty!! i will do my best!
i am also doing gym hope it helps too!
congrats for ur grade!!

Ty Smoothsake and ty for ur answer! nice!! first time in Brazil?
in the dojo i entered have this like handstand with other student holding and with the wall for higher grandes, i hope is easier than it looks lol handstands look hard but i can learn! :P
trainning in the wall is hard? or confortable?
lol! how old are u? just for curiosity only answer if u want lol

Ty for ur answer Aunty Ichigeki!!
is it hard?? to stand handstand with a parther or wall?
lololololol! for start better directly without any support or with wall or friend?
ty for the tips!
"hung the washing on the line!" sry i cound understand the meaning my english is not perfect lol
veryyyy good to hear that!! was hard to learn??
u are already a black belts??

whoww i guess in the place where i am training dont need to walk in handstand justo hold for an amount of time, i guess lol

thanks for participating Nzproud!!

Thanks for ur answer Sensei Mark!!
its good to see that some people started +- the same age as me this is really motivating!!

Ty guys for all the answer and pacience!!
Very good to see a forum with nice and polite people!

[Bloke]

Gwindor

I started training in 1986 aged 19. I dont think age matters. I have seen people start earlier and later than sme and some have stayed and some have left.

[BCook]

I trained in Seido from the age of 7 to 10 and gained the rank of 5th kyu, gave it away and restarted with Kyokushin at the age of 24 three years ago, just got my 2nd kyu.

Havent done one handstand in the dojo (as yet) but i remember part of the grading syllabus in seido required handstand pushups! (partner holding of course)

[Bloke]

We have done handstands in the past and partner assisted handstand push ups (had forgotten those - thanks for the reminder BCook - I suspect we will see them in my dojo soon

The handstands were never part of the syllabus for us.

[BCook]

I accept NO responsibilities for jogging your memory Bloke!

[gwindor]

Ty for ur answer Bloke
I already started to my surprise i saw people older than me starting too!
very nice the kihon gueiko lol
about handstands with a parther holding is very easy? +-??

Ty for ur answer
nice! congratz on ur kyu! u started from white belt? or u could skip some belt because of the Seido??
a curiosity what is Seido??
whats ur opinion about handstand with parther holding easy??? +-?? hard??

ty again guys for the answer!!