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Hello you lovely people... Have you thought about any goals you have this year? I used to be rather big on setting goals for the year, don't always make a big deal if I didn't meet them, I didn't want to put unnecessary pressure on myself, just gives me something to work towards I guess. Also, since covid I think I have finally thought about setting goals like this again... since I have stopped my regular classes and focusing more on my training for the past 18ish months, I'm still constantly working on my own content and putting together sourcebooks for kata I practise, so some of my goals are more focused on that, but within my friends club that I have now become a part of, he is keen on having me share more of what I do, particularly with his black belts. So one of my biggest things I want to do this year is get myself to a place where I feel comfortable doing that. Since covid and stopping my club I did suffer with confidence issues and anxiety when teaching, but I do want to get back into it and especially give something back to this club for taking me in, so would like to get more comfortable there and start helping out a bit more, have done a few little bits one on one there and always get good feedback. Another thing is that I'm trying to do something exercise or martial art related everyday, even if it's just 5 - 10 minutes. Just to create a habit more than anything. Going strong so far! 6 days in and haven't dropped a day yet.

Something important to remember is that you're not alone. Everyone has gone through periods of feeling overwhelmed and disappointed. It can be tough looking at people who have already gone through what you're going through and think that they somehow were better at learning than you are. The truth is that they weren't any better, they just stuck with it.

Mine is to get back into BJJ. I trained in it for about 2 months in 2023, but eventually had to drop it because adding it to karate was keeping me out of the house too much and it was causing problems with my wife. However, I found a BJJ school that has 6 am classes, which will allow me to get back home when everyone else is waking up. And, most importantly, these morning classes will allow me to continue having the same number of evenings per week that I stay home with the family.

I don't have any martial arts goals this year. The only goal I set is to intentionally travel, by foot or bike, the distance from The Shire to Mordor, about 1779 miles (2863 km) over the course of the year.

Lots of great advice has been put forth already. As martial artists, we've all been there in that beginning phase. The truth is, it just takes time, and you have to tell yourself that you're looking years down the road, not days. It's easy for me to say, "don't be so hard on yourself," but the fact of the matter is everyone is different and this is tough for some to accept. I started Aikido back up very recently, and I get frustrated with myself in class at times because I just can't seem to make some things work. The sensei is good about telling me to not worry about trying to be as proficient at Aikido as I am with Taekwondo, so I try to take it all in stride. You need to do this for you; it's got to be your journey. You'll have lots of help on the way, but only you can put the work in. Try to take one positive thing out of every class. Just one. And focus on that. Keep a journal, and have an entry for every date that you go to class or practice something on your own. Write down little notes you remember. These could be feelings you had about a certain topic in class, or they could be tidbits you recall the instructor telling you to improve one aspect or another of a technique. Jot these things down, and you can look back on them for reference, and it's also a log of your progress. It also keeps you accountable. I've found it to be a very handy tool. Then, come back here to KarateForums and talk to us about it. Heck, start a thread that's a log of your training like several of us have done here. I've found this community to be very supportive, and coming here to discuss my thoughts on classes and testings really is a motivating factor in going back to class. I think you will find it to be true, as well. Go back to class. Believe in yourself. We do.

I hope that you do return! There's a reason that we're so passionate about it. Those who stick with it become incredibly passionate about it. There's just something about martial arts that keeps us coming back. Lean on how supportive the people are. They don't care about how good or bad you might be, they care that you showed up willing to learn. It can definitely be frustrating. I've been doing martial arts for 23 years and I still get frustrated when learning new things sometimes! I remember learned a set of kata and thinking that "I will never teach anyone these kata!" because it was frustrating to me. They're still not my favorite, but now that I'm a few years removed from that learning experience I see the value in them and would teach them to anyone who wants to know.

You're welcome!!! BTW, the pronunciation guide of the manual on pages 3 to 6 is how I was taught when I took Japanese in college 37 years ago (wow that is so long ago, LOL!!!)

check out this karate terms and Kanji manual, the basic vowel sounds for A, I , U, E, O and Kana are presented very well: https://seitouryukarate.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/GoJu-Ryu-Karate-Terms-and-Kanji.pdf It goes over Goju Ryu terms, but many karate style use the same terms.

Fraud is definitely a concern, but it is frustrating that many people seem to feel there is a link between popularity and legitimacy. This is something I have seen time and time again in the martial arts world--people who think that if an art is legitimate, it will be popular, and if it is popular, it must be legitimate. I have actually faced that quite a bit with regard to KishimotoDi, personally. All I can do is keep publishing information and putting out video content, and encouraging others to do the same. I don't think you have wasted your time, at all! It is definitely sad to lose a rare art, however. The "not knowing what you don't know" aspect of the knowledge bell curve is pretty common! Yeah, not everyone is a writer, or thinks they have much of value to write, even if they do, but books absolutely help. I'm sure time and resources are barriers to entry, but there are usually options available to learn at least a little bit of what there is to learn about rare systems if you really want to. Uchi-deshi programs are definitely rare these days, and I think most of them are in fairly popular styles. Maybe that will change. Cross-training is absolutely important for a well-rounded martial education, but it's really unfortunate that competition seems to be the only way for a style to gain mainstream popularity. I understand why, but the combat sports communities have done a good job of convincing people that traditional martial arts don't work in modern combat sports, so people with an interest in competitive fighting aren't likely to seek out traditional arts. With regard to KishimotoDi, specifically, it shares 3 of its 4 kata with other Shuri-Te lineage systems, but it is quite distinctly unique in movement and power generation, so the crossover isn't as significant as you will see in modern karate styles.

As far as karate goes it's to keep training and not get overwhelmed, and discouraged.

My new goals for 2025. Begin each day waking up with a pulse. Don't fall over putting my underwear, pants or socks on. Be able to manage any aches and pains encountered throughout the day. Resist the urges to strangle, beat, defame, belittle or run over the little idiot in Walmart with the purple mohawk, dozen piercings, tattoos up the wazoo wearing all black. That's about it.

Win in Your Head, Win in Your Heart, Win on the Mat 3/29/2024 “Win in your head, win in your heart, win on the mat,” was a pre-match tradition I started with my oldest son when he was a young wrestler, and I share this tradition with my youngest son as he wrestles. The saying was meant to inspire them in their preparation for matches, and although it held meaning for us through wrestling, it applies to other athletic endeavors as well, especially other martial arts performances. It has always held meaning for me and my boys, but I wanted to finally put it on paper. As I describe each aspect, I’ll do so in a wrestling context, but know that it can easily apply to other martial arts. Win in Your Head This covers the physical aspect of the physical endeavor. This means you need to know you have the knowledge to compete, which comes from practice. Drilling takedowns, stand-ups, switches, reversals, turks, etc, until you know you can make them work. This drilling should build “physical confidence,” or the ability to perform the techniques confidently and effectively. This confidence should also allow you to make adjustments to the techniques or to other techniques as necessary. Win in Your Heart This covers the mental and spiritual aspects of the physical endeavor. You have to know in your heart that you can compete. Don’t look at the size of your opponent. Be confident in your physical abilities so far and know you can win. Don’t lose your match before you even start it. To quote Dan Millman, “If you face just one opponent and doubt yourself, you’re out-numbered.” Embrace the spirit of competition with another human being. You honor each other by facing each other. Embrace the fires of adversity, bathe in them, and grow stronger. Win on the Mat This is where it all comes together. All the blood, sweat, tears, meditation, and focus come together as you pit yourself against another person. Let your body do what you’ve trained it to do. Let your heart fuel you. You’ve trained yourself with the moves to win. You’ve seen yourself win through visualization and actualization. You know in your heart you can win. Now it all comes together. It’s a rather brief dissertation, but I hope others can find some meaning and inspiration in these words as they move through their training journey and their life.

just read it..very nice!!

For me there are a few, martial arts related and general exercise related - the general exercise ones if i don't meet them i owe a friend of mine £50 per target missed and the same for one of the bjj ones - anything where the success is outwith my complete control doesn't have a penalty. Martial arts goals : Get first 2 judo belts - have been dabbling in judo for a while now and want to get a little more serious about it and get a couple of belts. Am putting this as under my control as i was told i am being graded for first one in February and that i should be able to get another later in the year. Finally sit Shotokan shodan - this is depending on available locations for the grading tbh: i don't think there will be one in Scotland i can make so i will need to travel quite a bit to England to sit it. Will then depend how viable that is Get a couple of stripes on my bjj belt - need to get my finger out and start progressing: have had my current grade for an obscene amount of time! Try to average a minimum of 1.5 bjj classes a wk, ideally 2. Set this to 1.5 to take into account things popping up with kids, illnesses, injuries etc. so i think at worst i want to average it out at 1.5/wk. If i don't manage it i owe my friend £50 General exercise : want to manage a 200kg trap bar deadlift by end of year. If not successful i owe friend £50. Think this should be fine and realistic. Want to manage 100kg x 2 bench press. Have always found it to be one of my worse lifts so since i managed 1 when i tested it a week or two ago i want to get strong enough to manage a double. If i get this easily i will revise target upwards. Again this costs me £50 if not achieved. I settle upon a £50 penalty as it is enough to care and not want to lose it but not so much you end up in difficulties!

Nope, I don't have any based on the new year. As the year and life unfolds things will happen that I will aspire to but that is not based on new year's goals.

I’ve no more New Year goals except to wake up each day. I use to have a bucket list of new years goals but that all seems quite frivolous to me now.

Excellent! Good luck with them, though am sure you won't need it Myself i always try to set some goals / targets (some of them i set a financial penalty to not meeting them which seems to incentivise nicely!). Won't derail your thread though by listing mine!

Thanks for mentioning it, @pandaGIRL, and for answering, @Zaine.

I don't think boxing is dying, as it is. I think, like Bob says, that it just needs something to inject it with interest. Say what you want about Jake Paul, but he has been good for boxing. People want to see him win or lose and will buy tickets/PPV to watch him fight. I just think we need more larger than life personalities. Fury comes to mind, people love to watch him fight, but we need more. For my part, I've never been a big watcher of fighting, but I do love to participate. Boxing is fun to do, even if I get bored watching it.

You have to make a minimum of 25 posts before you can send private messages.

I can't get over the feeling of really, really wanting it to follow Cobra Kai. The fact that it won't makes it uncertain if I'll see it... but I suspect I will end up doing so!

Welcome! I am in a similar situation with my work after starting a job in a new field. It is really frustrating to want to be better, but just not be there yet. I've been trying to do 2 things - 1. Take small steps. Just focus on a small portion and get that down first. Once I understand that, I can get the next building block. 2. Give yourself time. Literally, put a timeline on it. I've given myself X months, X weeks even, to just work at it then I'll re-evaluate at the end. The martial arts are very complicated to learn and, in my opinion, everyone will go through a period in their training like you are now. I certainly have. But I think in a lot of ways that ability to be bad at something and just stick with it is a major benefit of training. It can be a grind, but it is very empowering when you get to the other side. There is a common Japanese saying that I put in my training space that captures this idea - Seven times down, Eight times up. Good luck!

Thank you so much! that's very helpful.

You know what? I'll add it to the list of demands. If I can have pockets, then you can have a built in holster.

So relieved that you, Kara, and PJ are safe. My prayers for all that are being devastated by these wildfires and to the families that have lost a loved one. That picture is very scary and by only Gods grace, the winds didn’t go your way. Santa Ana winds are still blowing strong, which is a legend in Southern California.

Hope you are still enjoying it, it's one of my favorite shows.

Finished. Super entertaining. Really twisted the knife at the end.

Why not get something from a business that doesn't have their belts made and embroidered in a periphy country taking advantage of low pay and lax labor laws and enforcement? Shureido embroiders belts, and they're of good quality. Another lesser known company is Eosin Panther. I don't have one but it seems everyone that has one does like them, and they're the only belt embroidery place that does it in such a way that there are no stitches for the belt that go over the embroidery. For example, look at an embroidered Shureido belt, if you look closely you'll see black cross stitching over the belt. Both businesses can do the embroidery in such a way that it doesn't show on the other side. Eosin Panther is a small family owned business in the US that's been around since the 70s, and Shureido makes their belts in Okinawa. Tokyodo also makes their dogi and obi in Japan. There is also a company in Canada that also does belts and they're made in Canada.

Love it, @Luther unleashed!

It's been almost two week since I've cracked open a can of Monster. I've been trying to quit alcohol and overeating for a decade now, and it turns out that those two things weren't the problem at all. Energy drinks were the problem the whole time. These energy drinks, I found, caused a whole lot more problems than I realized. I had two side gigs - Uber and DoorDash - but I got kicked off of Uber after 8 years back in October. Complaints of "dangerous driving" (which have nothing to do with the energy drinks, by the way - I do admit that I'm an impatient driver at times). Most of my side gig was done on Uber. In fact, I didn't make enough on DoorDash to get a 1099 from them for 2023. I don't have to do these side gigs. Certainly not the extent that I did them. But I was addicted to them. If I was at home, the road was calling my name. And I always drank 2 to 4 energy drinks per day to be able to keep driving. What I learned later was that energy drinks was causing this impulsive behavior. When Uber went away, DoorDash took over. The money for DoorDash wasn't as good (because I hadn't reached "Platinum Status" until about two weeks ago, so it's as good now), so there was less motivation for me to be on the road. I bought a coffee maker two weeks ago - a cheap one for $10 at Walmart, and I only drank it in the morning. I stopped the energy drinks, feeling that coffee in the morning should get me through the day. I noticed that my alcohol cravings every night were completely gone. I also noticed that I had the ability to easily ignore snack foods that caught my attention at the convenience store later in the day. But I couldn't ignore them in the morning. So after a week of drinking coffee, I stopped. It turns out that all that caffeine I was consuming had me in a place where I was perpetually seeking calmness and comfort - and I always found it in food and alcohol. Caffeine was the problem the whole time. It made me impulsive. While it did not curtail my ability to do things that I'm supposed to be doing, it did curtail my ability to resist doing the things that I should not be doing. While the temptation to grab an energy drink hasn't gone away completely, I find that resisting energy drinks is way easier than resisting alcohol after I've had energy drinks. When I dropped the coffee, I decided to go all out and eliminate caffeine completely. So for anyone having an issue with eating and/or alcohol; if you consume large amounts of caffeine - especially through energy drinks of coffee - start there first. The rest will follow.

Be careful of all the Orks along the way.

I'm sure that availability plays a role, but at the same time, I would say that Hakutsuru material wasn't very available in the 90s, but people sought it out pretty extensively. Personally, I don't think keeping Tachimura no Passai private for direct students is really a barrier to entry for the system, since the other 3 kata are available to be seen publicly, but I suppose everyone has different ideas about that. I definitely don't expect people who are new to karate will seek out rare systems, because as you say, they don't know anything about karate styles. It's always going to be people with experience who seek out rare systems. I will admit I didn't consider the relocation complication. You're right about that. People definitely do want to be able to transfer their rank and experience when they move, so they don't have to restart. Yeah, I've heard and seen that issue on Okinawa. Most Okinawan youth seem more interested in western activities, like baseball. There have also been seasoned instructors on Okinawa who have said you can find better karate in the west than on Okinawa, these days. It's unfortunate, and will likely result in the loss of knowledge and systems.

Thank you everyone, surprised enough to be nominated let alone win anything! (And apologies for the belated acknowledgement! - i have tried to stay off my laptop over the festive break!)

That's a resonable way to look at it and a good point. There may not be on universal answer to the meaning of life. We as individuals get to decide what we think the meaning of our lives are.

There's only one way to "get this:" by showing up to train! You have no competition in your dojo; everyone there supports each other on their journey. Always ask questions on things that you don't understand, and if there are any movements in particular that you're having trouble with (for example, using your hips, relaxing your shoulders, half body/full body, etc), ask your instructor for specific drills you can use to improve them (and your instructor will have plenty).

Congratulations to you and your daughter on your promotions!

Was wondering if anyone knew of a good cheap place to buy used Shorin ryu karate training videos. Even though I am San Dan.....I would like to become more well rounded as each DoJo and each sensei have different styles. I would like to teach karate when I return to California from Japan and want to use my free time to learn as much as possible. I also practice kobudo. Any insight would be much appreciated. Cheers, Tim

Congratulations on the double promotion! I understand the struggle to train regularly with family obligations. Keep training and keep moving forward!

Uncle Frank is definitely always out of line. If my siblings acted that way to my child, we would have a problem. They definitely wouldn't be staying in my house! My wife and I were just discussing the potential jobs of the McCallisters. We landed on Kate being a fashion designer, and funnily enough we speculated, as the article touches on, that Peter might be involved in organized crime. Interesting that they also had they thought and strayed away from it. I also hadn't realized that he is the director of the new movie Nosferatu, which my wife and I are going to see this Saturday. What a difference in tone!

Thanks a lot Sensei and bushidoman. This was a weird semester: Most of the time I have only been able to train one hour/week at the club - the club now actually only offers one 2x1h-session/week - due to having both daughters with me (my youngest one will probably take a break after Christmas). Nevertheless, I was allowed to test for 1st kyu. My oldest daughter for 6th. Last week has finally been karate intense with kata and bunkai runthroughs and studies every day. The test was today and - long and very challenging story short - we both passed. I was even allowed to go directly from 2 kyu to Shodan-ho! Such a great ending to an uneven year when it comes to actual club practice. Glad to at last have some news to share, hope you all have had a great semester. I really like the new design of the forum

Honestly, right now I am in a dancing mood so I have on repeat " Calm down " by Rema and Selena Gomez and yes I keep hitting repeat and dancing free

Thanks for sharing! As an Instructor, I can see who practice and who don't outside of class. - Does that annoy me? not really, because I recognise that people may not have the time or there's other factors that inhibit ones ability to train outside of class. - How does one deal with the anxiety around others being more knowledgeable? it takes time to accept that others may know more or are better, it is a learnt skill what you do. Same as you, I had a lot of anxiety and in a way jealousy around some people being smarter than me until I became a decent instructor and was offered to be on staff here to accept that fact. By letting that go, I found that my knowledge has grown greatly. When it comes to training (whatever form it takes), they will be your greatest asset especially where you observe how they move and you find out why they are doing that. WHen I get any thought that is not functional, I ignore it and keep on swimming.

I know it seems selfish to put yourself first. But if you can't look after yourself, you'll eventually burn out and won't be good to anyone. It took me a long time to realise that I had neglected myself, because I had always put others first. But I got so bad, that I wasn't able to look after my daughter.

It is common to feel overwhelmed when starting Karate, or any martial art, or anything new in life really. Did you enjoy training? Keep in mind martial arts are not for everyone, there is no shame in trying it for three months and then deciding it is not for you. I often times still get frustrated when I am not improving at the rate I wish I was and can get frustrated. There were many times I took my frustration home with me. If you want to learn the only way to do it is to keep working at it. Remember it takes years of practice to get some of these things down fully. Each class you attend, you improve. Sometimes the improvement is tough to see, others it is clear, but you will improve every time you go to class.

Wado-Ryu Karate Fighting Techniques Uncovered, by Frank Johnson.

thanks, this is very helpful information. I did see the Kataaro site, but I'd like to go with the belt I just bought- I'm still calling around for a source.

Thank you, Fat Cobra. I'm glad you liked it.

That’s awesome, Tyler! I agree, eBay is probably the way to go. I never thought I’d start teaching martial arts as a head instructor. My Sensei had us practice teaching white belts once we earned our brown belts, and I’ll never be able to thank him enough for doing that. Through correcting others and trying to find other details to help them, I myself grew as a karateka tremendously - through teaching! I wish I could teach Shorin Ryu, but I’m just not there yet. Hopefully some day. Good luck!