JohnKeats

As of lately I'm trying to breathe (when I think of it) from my stomach, feeling my lungs (well, more probably my diaphragm) hitting on my abdominal muscles (I breath "down", my abdomen gets a little bigger, but gets tense). Breathing these way seems to help when I'm too tired and almost out of breath, after some tiring exercise.

Now you answer I realize I forgot to add my ideas Later I'll try, I'm busy right now. Don't worry, as long as you have something interesting you want to say, sure you won't forget about it

Looks like this thread is going down, while I guess a lot of people could add some information to the way the breathe and how do they feel. I'll go take a shower (I have been training at home for an hour or so) and then I'll post more or less how do I feel and how do I (try to) breathe.

Tough! I can't do even one, my lower back hurts a lot. I tried to do one with my knees fixed (like the relaxed push-up for those of weak arms), and it was more demanding from my back than my arms. I guess the point is to strengthen the lower back?

Indeed, I really enjoy it. I take classes at my university's sport center, by a really good sensei, 7th Dan BB in S.R. I discovered after paying there that his dojo is in the same town I live (I moved around a year ago), so probably next year I'll go there, as I want to add some more kobudo (we have been taught the basics of bo, and I like it). The style is very technical, which appeals me, and karate has been a source of mental discipline and physical strength. And being and endless path of improvement, I like it this way

I started Shito-Ryu around the 8th October, 2008. Thus, almost exactly 6 months.

Hi, I would like to say "Hello!" to everyone here, although it has been a few months I am on this great forum. JohnKeats is not my real name, neither my usual nickname, which involves my name. I don't want everybody I know (or who may google me) to know I do martial arts, but you can learn my real name and everything related from my webpage. Sorry to say it this late, but everytime someone called me John I felt like I was lying. But I don't mind being called this way either, this is the nick I choose Btw, John Keats is an English poet, who happens also to be (more or less) the protagonist of the "Hyperion cantos" by Dan Simmons.

It looks like the subject is changing rapidly. Looks like Traymond acknowledges his sensei's actions... so what? It is up to him. We won't be able to change the way he thinks (I don't judge it, I wouldn't know what I would feel in your same situation). Besides I'm amazed an "old man" is his eighties, looking to last no long is able to do that to a shoulder. The belt thing... well I don't really get it. I haven't asked my sensei about what he thinks about the whole belt worshipping thing. Quite a lot of my classmates (I mean karate class mates... if sometone has the "technical name", please tell me, English is not my mother-tongue) are into this "don't ever wash your belt!!". As I said, I don't asked my sensei, because the first day I got my karategi and white obi, after 3 classes (I had no time to wash in-between) the belt was slighlty yellowish (sweat+some dirt from the ground), so I just tucked it into the wash-machine with the karategi. And it has been the same since. Now I'm yellow, I haven't still washed it, the colour could fade and melt with the gi, but probably this week I'll wash it. It's a belt. YOU can respect it, but I don't have to do it. It has nothing to do with karate. It's not the same as respecting the martial part of karate, it is just a piece of cloth. When I had my karategi dry-washing and getting ironed I wore white tennis trousers and a white T-shirt. The same I wore the first days before getting my proper uniform. And my sensei just said my karategi looked funny now, and then more seriously asked where it was. Summing up... believes are for the believer, and the unbeliever won't get it easily. I'm not my belt, and my belt doesn't really reflect what I may know. It just a piece of cloth. And it doesn't work perfect to keep the karategi closed, moreover

Could it be you lost eye contact with him, and he didn't want THAT? Just an idea, when you bowed, you stopped looking at him, did you?

Although it is still early in my karate road, I have quite a fond view of kata. I enjoy practicing them, and I feel they help with movement and strength. More or less I agree (and find it a good way to state it) with what Kuma said above.

Congrats kkenedy219!

Today we had our test and everyone passed. It wasn't as physically demanding as I expected (although my legs are still stiff), and I am already looking forward my orange belt test, probably in December. Now `the way' has really begun

Thanks, nice and clear explanation

What do you mean by inhale on soft and exhale on hard? Also, the "breathe from the hara" always troubles me.

What you have to say will be most welcome, as everything everybody has said so far. Come on!

I'm pretty sure this topic has already appeared some other time. But I would like that everyone who knows about the subject, to post "breathing concepts". What is ibuki breathing, for instance? How does someone breath in specific katas? Breathing exercises? Anything breathing-related is welcome. I am quite interested in the subject, and there are probably a lot of knowledgeable people in here... so come on! Tell something so that everyone learns it

I am wondering, while practizing the Tensho kata of Shito Ryu, should I move slowly and with a tense body, or just flow it (I forgot to ask it yesterday at class). Thanks.

I'm on week 6, day 2 (tomorrow is day 3). Although I am not doing full push ups (I don't go all the way down... in 2 weeks or so I'll re-start it with good form). Yesterday I did 80 (58 required) it is a nice program, and seems to be giving results. Slow but good.

When I was a child (and not so child too) I was the typical thin nerd in the class, no sport and such. At 10 or so a Karate gym opened nearby, but my parents didn't let me in (just one son, so overprotective) although I thought it would be nice (not "just" for self-defence). Now, 15 years later I have really taken the chance (for the discipline, the exercise, the coordination, and also if it comes the moment, the self-defence). And of course, I love it, who would not?

Because I just play for 5-6 minutes each quarter. I am not 30+ minutes jumping and running straight. I have thought about warming up lighter before, but for now is a little hard to arrange the time. Yellow (and higher) belts told me that in the exam it will be around 1 hour of more or less what we do that gets me dizzy, and then our katas and forms. And I am not sure if I can. By the way, a few classmates also told me it is just my body adapting to new demands, as some of you say. Yesterday I was also dizzy (when it happened, around 120-140 bpm, but it was the same when I was warming around), but after about 5 minutes of laying down it went and I could finish my class. Tuesday second round, hope I'm fine by then, and thursday our sensei comes back. Probably he'll tell us if we are ready for belt promotion (13th December). Again, thanks for all your answers.

Hi again, sorry I turned off watching the post so I didn't get the answers. First I'll clarify some things. This has happened to me throughout my life, not only in karate. When I was in HS, too. I tried to eat more, and that seemed to help. At 18-19 I had two surgical operations, and was tested for almost everything (hormone levels, anemia, quite a lot of things, including a few cardiograms). I had no problem, and the symptoms I have now are exactly the same I had then. I have no problems with basketball, if I just warm up slightly and then play hardest. The problem comes when I warm for a long time with too demanding exercises. I have tried drinking more water (one of the operations was related to my hands sweating too much... now they don't, but my body sweats a lot and I'm prone to lose too much water), drinking sport drinks to renew salt levels, eating bananas daily too(as I also had some problems with cramps in my legs, but they stopped after getting fit), eating more the day before, or the day in which it took place. And it is almost the same. Well, I may be holding my breath when I train, it is something I have seen me doing sometimes. Today I have karate again, probably with the same warm-up. Let's try to breath. I'll keep you informed. By the way, hello everybody and thanks for all answers. EDIT: Also, my question about if I can keep with karate, is not if I will get used to these things (sure I can not!), but if hard warm ups and such will be always necessary.

Hi everybody, although this is my first post (and I registered 30 seconds ago) I've been reading some posts here since I started MA (19th September!). First, some information: I am 25, 5'6'' (172cm), 145 lbs (66 kg) and not as slim as this sounds, I still have some fat in my stomach and somewhere else. Since I am able to remember, I just can't train with high intensity for "long time". I feel light-headed at best, at worst it was blurred vision and head-aches. Besides karate (which I have always wanted to do, since childhood), I play basketball in a friendly league, and have no problem warming up and playing with high intensity. By the way, I don't have any diabetic problems (I have not asked a doctor about my symptoms, yes, I know, I know... but had surgery two times about 6 years ago with lots of analysis and I was fine). The first two days of karate had a quite high (for my body standards, at least) warming up, and I started feeling light-headed. I stopped and waited for it to pass, and kept with it. I tried to eat more on karate days (pasta, almonds, drink more water) and seemed to help, I didn't felt bad. So long so good, but our sensei is out for three classes and one of his black belts is training us. And todays wam up was higher than usual, 15-20 minutes of running+jumping+abs+push-ups. I have no problem with either exercise (Sunday I did around 120 push-ups and abs, in series of 20 reps), but doing a bunch of them while running and keeping a high rhythm...Well, I felt light-headed but stayed. Then stretching. I was somewhat unstable, but did them. After that, oi-tsuki, yodan uke and some more blocks. Almost ok, although I had less and less power. Then twooi-tsuki in a row, with power. It was harder, I couldn't move my arms quicker. And then three in a row, and I had to leave. I was totally depleted and dizzy. Stayed in a side to avoid disturbing the class, and as I wasn't getting any better, I walked out, and made a gesture to our teacher to show I was dizzy. I am not sure if he saw it, he didn't seem too worried. Well, after too much talking, I am doing Shito-Ryu karate, and I love it. I like katas, and I like very much my sensei. But will these problems hinder my possibilities with karate? I'd like to progress, in rank and in knowledge. If I can't, I want to know, sooner the better. Thanks everybody