JoiH

My quote on my signature tells my opinion...

Ditto Yep...me too. I have trained in several styles, but stuck with Shotokan. It has been my first and most enduring love.

That made me laugh out loud! I never get to hear martial arts jokes so this was a real treat.

I totally agree. I wish this wasn't an issue in our world. Personally, I feel that if you are being attacked you have the right to defend yourself. It is easier said than done, but true.

Love it!!

Very well stated- I totally agree. Karate has given me confidence and strength....both physical and mental.

Good luck and have fun! If it helps, I found my Nidan test to be much easier than my Shodan test.

Hi!

Hi!

Tiger Balm is great for sore muscles.

Thanks for asking! I am glad that you and yours had a nice day...sounds very fun! As for me, I did absolutely nothing. My husband took care of our baby all day! I got to sleep in, train for 2 hours (I never get that kind of time just to train at home), got an uninterrupted nap, and got dinner delivered. It was awesome! Moms never get a day off so it was extra nice. And the sleep was a welcome treat. Sleep rocks!

Sensei8...thanks for the link. As a stay at home mom I am seriously underpaid

From one of the Karate mommies....thank you!

Nice idea for a thread! I love getting ideas for classes. On Thursday I taught class while my sensei observed, and I taught the importance of chambering the knee for kicks. I usually watch my class during warm ups and try to focus on the techniques that I see need work. I also choose techniques that I personally need to work on as this helps both my students and myself. We also covered kata, but we do that every class.

Tori- I am so with you. Spiders suck!

I agree with most of the posters here in that it can take a lifetime to really "get to know" a kata. I have been training Heian Nidan for 17 years now and really feel that I have so much more to learn. For testing purposes our dojo usually has the students learn 4-5 katas a year, but the ideal is to take these katas and make a life long study of the techniques.

Great post, I really enjoyed reading it. I am a big fan of breath control, but not many people teach it. It is essential in kata, and every technique is stronger if the breath is used properly. I constantly tell my students that they can and should learn to control their breathing, but had very little technical information for them. I am going to use the information posted to improve my classes. Thanks!

I am in Shotokan and find the kicks to be very useful. I find that they extend my reach (I am vertically challenged) and can be quite effective. I am partial to round kicks in a sparring situation, and a front snap kick can be great for keeping your sparring partner back. My sensei always gets me with a spinning back kick and it is very effective. I found that my flexibility can be improved on, even at my age (35). After I had my baby my kicks were very low and my hip flexibility was gone, but I improved both by practicing the kicks very slow, concentrating on the chamber (knee up) before the kick. It really helped. That being said, I do prefer a nice reverse punch while sparring . Simple, quick and effective.

Hi!

Joesteph: Thanks for responding. I have talked to my sensei- he has told this individual that to disrespect me is to disrespect him because I am one of his instructors. It did not help. Now I just avoid him- I cannot change his mind and have quit trying. I have the opinion that even the most advanced blackbelt can learn something from even the most beginner of students, so to refuse to learn is to refuse to grow. Basically, his loss. JusticeZero: Thanks for responding. I like to think that I have a very good teaching relationship with all of my students (well.....except one LOL) and teach both men and women equally. Every student, with the exception of one, treats me kindly and with respect. I train all alike- male or female. In my class you are expected to train equally regardless of gender. I thought about your question and asked my sensei if I am teaching the women differently then the men, but he did not notice a difference. I think the only difference between my classes and my sensei's classes is that I tend to be a lot more technical then he is- I concentrate more on form and theory over fighting. And I am famous for energetic and exhausting classes. However, I do tend to be much more lienant with the beginners because I feel that someone just starting out needs a lot of encouragement.

Hi!

I was raised in the same manner. I have one sister and we were raised to ignore gender sterotypes. I think that is why I can excell in a traditionally male dominated forum such as traditional karate. But, I have seen many of the issues discussed in my training. I have a man in my class now who refuses to acknowledge my rank. I am an instructor, he is a green belt. He is a friend of my sensei, but he truly feels that women have no place in "his" dojo. He alternates between being a "rescuer" or a "bully". Most of the time he will ignore me (even when I am teaching) but constantly questions my training. It is frustrating, especially when I have good information to share, and if he would allow me to teach him he could make great progress in his form. I have seen this countless times in my training. 95 percent of the males I train with are great- they treat me as an equal and respect my knowledge. But there are exceptions that still hold fast to outdated gender ideals. Some will attempt to belittle, some will attempt to bully, and it is aggravating. All any female martial artist asks for is the opportunity to train as equals.

Beautiful post. As one of the ten percent of blackbelts who is a female and one of the ten percent of female blackbelts who is an instructor I am cheering you right now. That is a well stated and well researched post. Thank you.

Very well stated.

Total chance. I wanted to take some form of self defense classes and the Shotokan class was the only one I could afford! I am very glad that I stumbled on that dojo- I developed a life long love for Shotokan.