Quote Originally Posted by Bartrim View Post
I had a one on one training session with my Sensei and we got to talking about when I could realistically achieve black belt status and I asked him about these definitions and he said although these may be the translation, it doesn't actually relate to our belt rankings as it would seem pretty stupid for a "beginner" to have his own academy.
Yet it happens in a lot of schools. There are a LOT of martial art schools that allow even yellow belts to be the chief instructor of Dojos. (-_-)

Quote Originally Posted by Bartrim View Post
The one on one session was great. Didn't realize some of the technical mistakes I was making eg: dropping my arm too far to perform an uppercut.
How do you mean by "dropping too far"? Because a dropped-arm uppercut is actually more traditional and practical from a self-defence POV than a raised arm uppercut (which is something used more in competition fighting like modern boxing).

A more traditional uppercut should look like this:
http://www.jowgashaolin.com/artwork/...w_uppercut.jpg <---Shaolin Kung Fu uppercut
Or this (from traditional boxing)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi.../Uppercut2.jpg <---traditional boxing (e.g. Queensberry boxing)
The punch is extended more outward with the head held back more. It sacrifices power but it keeps the head, neck and spinal cord protected.

A modern competition uppercut looks more like this:
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/...risReuters.jpg <--modern boxing

The arm is raised up more and the head is closer to the punch. The advantage of this version is that it delivers more power to the punch, but compromises defence of the head, neck and spine. People can do this in competition fights because in comps it's illegal to do things like breaking the neck or striking the spinal cord. But of course, in a street fight there are no rules.

The more traditional uppercut is not as powerful as the competition version, but it's a lot safer because it doesn't put your head, neck and spinal cord in potential danger. There are MANY moves across various styles of martial arts that are designed to ensnare the neck and break it, and other moves which are designed to attack the spine (especially strikes to the upper vertebra). e.g.
http://i3.ytimg.com/vi/yxeSIxMXIxg/0.jpg
http://apittman.com/blog/wp-content/...2011/06/g2.jpg

Example of a spinal attack:
http://www.elite-fighters.com/traini...es/domlev5.jpg

While I'm of course not advocating that anyone should ever attack another person's neck or spine, from a self defence POV it's important to keep in mind that these moves do exist and there are people out there who are willing to use them - and as defenders we need to be wary and keep ourselves safe from such dangerous and lethal techniques.

The basic rule of thumb should be that your uppercut is high enough to reach and hit the target (which should be easier for you because you have fairly long arms ), but at the same time keeping your head and neck out of the opponent's reach.