Weedman

I thought it was just new people to MA like myself that struggled with this issue. My experience has been that when I train with a higher level student they exhibit remarkable control. I am happy to be thrown around by any of the brown/black belts because they do so in a way that doesn't hurt, I know when I've been punched or kicked because they are crisp and firm but not painful. On the other hand there is a guy I often get paired up with who is also new and studied Judo quite a while ago. He is a very good guy but he is incredibly rough and he has very poor body awareness, his throws are HUGE and they hurt, and when we practice striking I end up in alot of pain. I haven't said anything to him or my sensei because I'm not sure it is appropriate to do so. I'm not sure whether pain is just part of the deal when starting out in MA. Should I just wait for one of the ranking students to say something or do I take the initiative? I can't avoid this guy in every class?

I got into MA only about 6 weeks ago after thinking about it for a few years. Once reason is because I like to learn new things and am quite competitive. I'm 46 and very involved in competitive paddling and cycling so fitness is a big part of my life. I am also a kinesthetic guy and I experience the world through how I feel about things rather than how I see them or articulate thoughts...I learn through doing more than analysing what I'm told. It seemed that MA was a perfect activity for this kind of learning. I think what really made me pull the pin though is that I have known my sensei for years socially and after not seeing him for quite a while I bumped into him before Christmas...he has been through some tough times in his life and when I saw him he looked better than I had ever seen. I commented on this and he said it was because he was back to training full time and running the dojo was his primary, non-family related, priority. Since begining with him I have learned what an excellent, respectful teacher he is and how highly regarded he is in the MA community. It has been an incredibly positive experience so far and I can see how it can become such a huge part of a persons life. It is going to be quite a journey I think and I am lookiing forward to it. Thanks for the opportunity to contribute.

Starting MA is overwhelming at times when you realize how much there is to learn and how steep the curve is...then throw in the fact that your sensei refers to the techniques in Japanese and I become totally boggled. I have never been good with languages (I can barely get by with the simplest french even though I live in Canada which is bilingual). Can anyone point me to good resource materials, books, websites, that will help me with the fundamentals of Japanese? Thanks

I just started at my dojo 6 weeks ago so I am pretty keyed up on attending what I can which is 3-1 hour goju ryu classes, 1.5 hour jiu jitsu and a couple hour long kick boxing (cardio) classes each week. I think when the novelty wears off and when summer sports begin I will end up knocking off the kickboxing. My monthly fee covers whatever classes I want to attend also so the more I go the better the deal!

Like troutkick I also just started MA at the age of 46 with no prior background at all. I am in pretty good shape though as a competitive paddler and cyclist. However, regardless of my fitness level and that I have been a lifelong athlete, I can honestly say that I have never experienced such agonizing muscle pain as I did after my first takedown sparring session! Perhaps as a result of being full of adreneline and desire to show my sensei that I have actually learned something in the last 6 weeks, I probably went at it a little hard. Lesson learned...I'n not in my 20's and I need to take things a little slower! Regardless, the pain feels good, in its own weird way, and lets me know that I am really doing something different.