ryanryu

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!

Oh that's a great idea! The sensor hasn't really shifted much during solo drills - part of why I went with the chest strap - so I think it should stay in place during a sparring round. Assuming I don't get hit, I guess. I'll post that reading when I can.

I wanted to share a little experiment I've been running to see what others think. A few months ago I got a chest-strap heart rate monitor. It syncs to my phone and I've been wearing it for a variety of workouts. I originally got it because I was trying to do more aerobic exercise - longer durations where my HR was elevated and relatively steady. My preferred workouts (karate, heavy bag, lifting) don't really require that type of performance. For the pictures below, the color bands are % of heart rate max - 60%HRmax is blue, 90% HRmax is red. All these workouts were about 30 minutes, the vertical lines are roughly every 5 minutes. My screenshots cut off the number labels. Anyway, mission accomplished on the jogging ^^ You can see the jogging profile is relatively flat. I didn't do much of a warmup for this workout but had a nice long cool down at the end. ^^ Here's a kata workout I did one day. I wish I took better notes on what I did, but clearly a long warmup. Probably stretches and kihon. The sawtooth peaks and valleys in the middle are what the kata look like... I see at least 4 separate kata, but I can't remember what that last plateau was. Suparenpei? Wanshu? That's a really long time to be working that hard... ^^ Here is where it gets interesting. This was a workout where I was hitting the heavy bag. Ignore the parts where the sensor glitched. I usually do "rounds" of combinations for this type of workout - 1 minute on the bag, 1 minute off, with a recovery every few minutes. I use the early rounds to warm up and the later rounds to really hit hard. So it's a slow rise in intensity overall, with a broader spread for each "round" compared to those sharp kata HR peaks. The amount of time I spend at > 80% HRmax is actually pretty much the same for this bag workout as for the jogging workout. ^^ This last one was also interesting. This was a kobudo workout where I was practicing bo and eiku. Both weapons kata are very long and both weapons are quite heavy. I think that's why the heart rate peaks are broader than when I did empty-hand kata. Probably also why the peak-to-trough is deeper than kata as well. The kobudo workout also puts me into the highest HR for the longest time, although I think I could get there on the bag too. It is tough for me to get that intensity on the treadmill though. So after looking at this, can you fault me for not enjoying jogging that much? What a boring workout... I think it's also pretty clear that jogging probably won't improve my kata that much. Totally different demands on the body. I'll keep using the HR monitor. I'm very curious about if certain kata make my heart beat in the same way every repetition. You can kind of see that in the kobudo chart - the first peak that gets into the red is the same kata as the second-to-last peak, the 2nd peak that gets into the red is the same eiku kata as the final peak... maybe I'm seeing things? But this seems like an interesting way to measure kata performance. Anyway, thought this forum might find some interest in this too!

I had success bringing my belt to a shoe repair shop, but only to embroider on a stripe, not full lettering. The other places I went (tailors and such) could not physically fit the belt into the sewing machine. KI International will embroider belts: https://www.kiintl.com/1/home.php Not sure about Hang Gul, but you may be able to send them the characters to work from.

If the college teams are truly starting to run like pro teams... can't they simply create a "minor league" NFL circuit? These kids are already studying football full-time... I also thought a 5-year deal was a bit long for Bill. I'm curious if he can develop players like he did at the Pats when he's only with them for 1, 2, maybe 3 years. Although he was always merciless cutting even long-time players. Anyway, just dropped by to say the Commanders are somehow still in it! IF they beat the Eagles next week... and win the following two... and the Eagles lose the following two... then we got a new NFC-East champion! Seriously though, if Washington manages to get a wildcard spot in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year, coming off the dumpster fire 4-12 previous season, that's unbelievable. Amazing how fast the game can change.

Wow I wasn't expecting such a range of replies! It's been a long and winding road for everyone it seems. I wonder what it was like for your Sensei teaching a beginner-but-not-a-beginner. That must've been tricky, but hopefully also rewarding. I went through a similar, but lesser, journey when I moved dojo and my new Sensei worked with me slow and steady through each Goju kata over about two years. It's hard to "reprogram" yourself. It seemed like Sensei really enjoyed reviewing the kata in such detail though.

This is one of the best posts I’ve read on this forum, Nidan Melbourne. I think a lot about how karate training applies to life outside the dojo and I think you really hit the core here – As we train, we’re always revisiting what we’ve learned. Studying the old to understand the new, with this mindset of continuously studying our technique and our practice to keep it up to standards. It’s a process of continual refinement that is based on self-reflection. I think this ability to look honestly at yourself is the most important benefit of martial arts training because it applies to every other part of your life too. Having a child made this real clear to me too - When trying to teach a toddler to identify and control their emotions, I have to pause and think about whether I do that for myself. Same thing with asking for help or treating others with kindness. At least I’m potty trained. I love how martial arts, and karate in particular, has this well of lessons to pull from when you need it. It’s a deep art and I’ve found it provides a different perspective on life than I get from other places.

Do you have any time periods in your training you wish you could relive? I’ve been thinking about the karate journey through the ranks and how your experience changes as you continue to train. While I am happy with where I am at now, it would be nice to relive that newly-minted black belt feeling. I remember the confidence and happiness of those months after the big test – what a fun time to be in the dojo! I’d also love to revisit my green belt days (5th kyu, right in the middle of the progression to black belt) and see if my perspective on those ranks today is at all true of what I actually experienced. I remember being in awe of the art at that point - it's the start of moving to more advanced (and exotic) requirements, but there is nothing quite as challenging as what the brown belt ranks bring. I remember it being a real period of growth where the training moved on from just block-kick-punch. Anyone else have some training period they would like revisit?

I’ve been digging through some old books in the attic for re-reads. I just started Star Wars: Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn. It’s the 20th anniversary edition so they had the author put in footnotes about what he was thinking for each of his decisions. Really fun idea! Has anyone else seen that before?

What do you think you'll use the bag for? My favorite bag ever is the Versys 3 - Versys VS.3 – Century Kickboxing - it's very hard to topple so you can really lay into it with striking techniques. The legs are useful for low kicking or working some entry techniques. But I was looking for a heavy bag that I didn't have to hang from the ceiling and this fit the bill (and more). It is very very pricey... but I was able to get one for 1/2 price on Black Friday a few years ago. If you are looking for a more general freestanding bag, the Versys 1 is also good, imo- Versys VS.1 From Century Kicboxing – Century Kickboxing - didn't fall over easily, but could still be used for striking and even throws. Sometimes I would stand behind the bag to hold steady while my students hit it, basically like a kicking shield. They do make a BOB/Versys hybrid... I think it depends on how important "arms" are for you on the dummy. If that's the goal you may have better luck with a muk jong or other wooden dummy.

I wasn't too surprised. This was my first time acting as a Chief Instructor and in the organization only Godan and above were allowed to promote independently. Since my Sensei was the head of the org, I figured this was the standard they would uphold. Looking back, I still see value in the recording and sending, but I would have pushed to promote students myself and just consulted with my Sensei after the fact. It would have made the timeline much easier, still given me mentorship opportunities with my Sense, and given Sensei some oversight of the branch dojo. I was just excited about the opportunity and naïve about the workload, so didn’t think too critically about the “process” stuff. And then never revisited it when I should have a year or so in. Spartacus, best of luck with this. It sounds awesome and truly a great opportunity – for you, your teachers, and your future students.

I would say karate taught me about goal setting and incremental progress. It's like an antidote to the instant gratification of so many other things. Being able to grind away at something slowly over time has served me really well. Since I started training as a kid, I'll also say that karate taught me my left from my right. That's been pretty handy...

I’m in agreement with the short, sharp kiai. I think the longer kiai are usually performative, which is fine for a tournament or a demo, but it can really descend into parody. My dojo had students say “Hai” when they kiai. I’ve drifted from that, but still find the “h” sound is easier to get from the gut than the “k” sound. Anyone else feel that? Or maybe there's some other letter/sound I should try out... I'll echo this thought too. Kiai helped me get comfortable with being LOUD, which is an important self-defense skill as much as anything else we train. For that reason alone I like using and teaching them, especially when a lot of people (children especially) are often taught to be quiet or that being loud is improper. Sometimes you have to make noise! I think in this instance the short, sharp kiai is probably better than a drawn out one because it's more like shouting. For example - shouting GET BACK or HELP ME are kind of like kiais.

Congratulations, Spartacus! This opportunity is a big deal and reflects a lot of trust and confidence in you from your seniors. I ran a university club as a branch school of my old Sensei’s organization and there are a few thoughts I have that may be useful to you– • What do the conditions imposed by the Honbu tell you about what this relationship will be like? Do you think they’ll be unnecessarily restrictive? Or are they reasonable? Are there other conditions you can think of that haven’t been made explicit that you need to discuss? • What do YOU get from this arrangement? Specific training in martial arts instruction? Private lessons or more facetime with the head honcho? Yes, it is an honor to be asked to do this… but it’s also a boon to the organization as well and they should have an interest in fostering your growth in tangible ways. • Will you be permitted to test and award rank to your students? Does the HQ need to certify those ranks? • Where does the money go? Does the Headquarters of the organization have a “licensing fee” or something similar to teach under their name? What about ongoing expenses paid to the HQ, related to testing or something? Are you going to need to pay (federal, state, local) taxes? How does sending money internationally complicate things? • Does the HQ provide any insurance policy to the branches? What liability insurance do you need, for yourself, in your own name, vs what is covered by the organization? For context, my university club was free, non-profit and got most expenses covered by the university – we met on campus at the Rec center, insurance was covered, there was no fee to start a club, I didn’t earn any money from the club, all finances were run through the student center, we had a website from the university, etc. – so I’m not really sure what you’ll run up against business-wise. But teaching-wise, I ran into one major problem – my Sensei wouldn’t allow me to test my students, at all, for any rank. I was a Sandan at the time (still am) and was required to record the testing sessions with a video camera, upload the relevant portions to a USB flash drive, and FedEx it across the country to my sensei along with my written comments for each student. She would review the video, determine who passed, print and sign certificates and send them back. There are much easier ways to do this (even 10 years ago there were), but my Sensei was tech-illiterate and this was the system that worked. But it meant 1) the bulk of the testing fees went to Fedex and the Honbu with our club not really able to afford new equipment or any swag, 2) the timeline of the test was at least 1 week, more often 2, which limited when the test could be scheduled and 3) Much more work fell on me to record, edit, comment, package and send everything as soon as possible after the test. Even when it was pretty clear that the student passed their 8th kyu test. We were limited to a single test each semester because of how long it took to run the testing process and the need to avoid holidays and breaks. I also couldn’t work around any single student’s schedule to test them separately. My teacher never countermanded any of my suggestions for promotion and we did have interesting conversations about teaching and evaluating students that probably helped me improve as a teacher… but as a whole it was a negative experience for me and I vowed to never run a dojo like that again. Just remember that, regardless of being a branch dojo or not, you are your student’s Sensei. The broader connections to our HQ were mostly meaningless to my students because I was the one training them day in and day out. Unless your students are also getting a direct link to Japan and to your teachers, they will look to you for leadership and instruction. Yes, you will have a responsibility to your Headquarters organization as a branch dojo, but be aware that you are also taking on a responsibility for your students.

This topic was a big chunk of Noah's discussion on the Conversations on Karate podcast this month if anyone wanted to hear more: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conversations-on-karate/id1453904970