Blade96

Nicely done, fellow Shotokan karateka. I hope I do as well on my 8th kyu test. Keep on keepin' on! =]

what a pocketful of fly. That's awesome you found that video. Thanks. It does help a lot. and Haha, joesteph, that really is funny ask about this kata the same night you go over it. lol.

I've just started learning kata Heian Nidan (as I'm soon to move to 8th kyu status) so I learn this new kata that 8th kyu's learn. I know all of it except for the part after the spear hand strike and 4 shutos. In that part where you do uchi uke then kick-punch, is there 3 uchi ukes, one with the right arm, kick-punch, one with left arm, kick-punch, then right arm again before spinning around into gedan barai? I wasnt sure, and youtube doesnt give a great demonstration, because Kanazawa-sensei is doing it with his back to the watcher so we cant see what he does with his arms!

its ippon and me being thought of as close to a dan? Haha, i'm sorry but thats the funniest thing I've read in a long time! =] The reason I sparr mostly with black belts is because sensei wants me to be with them, he doesnt want white with white. So I hardly get chances to sparr with other white belts. Good idea I suppose, if we didnt sparr with black belts how would we get better? I love black belts anyway, I'm not one of the people who shy away from paring with them, I'd RATHER be paired with them. besides its open season on black and brown belts! LOL. Kidding. I am white belt, but very close to being a 8th kyu. nearly shed the white belt now, my test is next month, as Lupin said. and btw, I'm female.

I would say absolutely yes! My senseis are my angels. I believe that. Because I would have forever internalized the belief i got from everyone that my brain was the only thing that would get me anywhere in a life and i would never be able to do anything with my body because i was born with a slight balance problem. My senseis were the first ones who truly believed in me. Just the same as any teacher, they can change the course of your life.

Awwwwe, thanks, everyone.

Thanks guys. I guess last night I also forgot I was sparring with a white belt, as when I sparr with black belts I can punch harder because they block better and faster (obviously!) I'm just used to doing this with black belts cause thats who I mostly get paired with. Yes, I gotta learn control in case i do get paired with another white belt. but with BB's, I dont have to. BB's want me to punch harder and faster. so I think I forgot. Those BB's help me a lot though. My punching and blocking is better than my fellow white belt counterparts. Not being cocky, just honest. I didnt get hit by the white belt. Thanks anyway! btw I despise people who execute a painful technique on someone on purpose and then say 'oops sorry didnt know my own strength' They're just evil. If I hit someone its always an accident that I hurt them.

Ok we were sparring last night and i was attacking and he was supposed to block with age uke but he didnt and i nearly hit him a new one, he had to duck to get out of the way. Now since my blocks and punches are rather sharp and abrupt, I often smack people on the arm or the hand or knuckle. and it hurts. Once I kicked my brown belt friend while we were practicing yoko geri keage. I talk to my parents sometimes (parents wanna know, right?) about my MA but not much. and they said that cause I am strong, that I dont know my own strength, that I should be careful cause i could hurt someone. I was wondering, Is it, my fault cause my punch was strong? Or his fault he nearly got punched in the noggin because he didnt block and had to duck instead? Should people be placing the blame on me cause my blocks and punches are strong and I sometimes hurt them? Just wondering for opinions cause people (*cough* my parents *cough*) said I should be more careful.

try explaining to a non martial artist why getting thrown about the dojo is so much fun lol as someone on another board said once its probably much easier to convert someone to a religion. =]

i want to be baptized by fire then....LOL but sensei, as much as he is fond of me, only chooses black belts as guinea pigs for stuff like that. Probably cause theyre BB's....and they know how stuff is done.

yeah thats what i gotta do for my 8th kyu test in a few weeks and your description is pretty much how it works at my dojo, with the exception that we dont have purple belts or brown 1 and brown 2. we have just brown belt snd oh. we have blue belts too.

I have never really been a happy person, and most of the time have found life to be very unfulfilling, mostly cause I am an abuse survivor and I am often not treated that well by people. So i was seeking happiness in my life (after all the bad you need some good, yes? in life) Then I read in a book that 2 things required for happiness are 1. you do something that you are good at, that you get 100% enjoyment out of, and that you have a really zest and a passion for. and its a way of life. and 2. You need a beliefe system to live by. whether that be a religion, a philosopher's writings, or so on. I think I've found that in Shotokan. I get something I know I am good at, am passionate about, and throw myself into it. and I get the belief system to live by in Mr Funakoshi's teachings. I have a university degree, but getting that wasnt nearly so satisfying. So I've already taken Shotokan and made it a way of life for me. and for the first time in my life, I'm truly feel satisfied in a bit of life. so what do you think? Can martial arts help people find true happiness?

Courage is not the absence of fear. Its is the realization that some things are more important than fear.

i wont pretend i have a lot of experience (me being only 4 months in shotokan) but i thought i saw a pic of a kid black belt (something my association frowns upon, giving black belts to kids)

tonight again sempai had to discipline some students (brown belts and some black) for being late and not going through what they were supposed to do. actually the whole class, Sensei said, was lax and he was getting pretty rough with them in class, even said 'shut up!' loud when people were chattering away when they werent supposed to. He reminded me of being back in army cadets doing drill and being screamed at by a drill sergeant and also he said a couple of lovely words which i cant repeat here because they're against the rules =] I wasnt involved in all of that, because I 'm a excellent student. Just surprises me how even adults need discipline and not just kids. and oftentimes its like 3rd, 2nd, and 1st kyus who are the worst offenders. Shocking!!

well I am not exactly sure thats how it works, but i just know that only the black belts are given their belts by the senseis when they first make Sho Dan (and Ni Dan and every level thereafter) and the us Kyu's (when i make 8th shortly) have to go get our belts.

i agree about pressure! Karate - do is way of life and just like life it should have pressure. I like the idea of test and gradings too. and should be able to do things under pressure. My sensei told me my 8th kyu grading is in about a month. I dont think it can be worse than competition - where I preformed in front of a lot of strangers - in testing i do it in front of all the black belts and senseis. and since i know all of them ........ *shrugs* i find competition has a bit more pressure, also there you only get one chance to do stuff well sae as a test but at least i do it in front of people i know. "I've been testing that way since about 1983 or so, but I don't hand anybody their belt, I hand them a rank certificate instead and make them get their own belt." Montana thats how it works in our association. Only the black belts have the honor of being given they're belt - the rest of us have to buy our own if we pass the gradings.

only was introduced to it once on tuesday but me being a fast learner, I already know a little more than half of Heian Nidan. Give me like 2 more classes and I'll know the whole Kata!

I cant believe people still fall for these things. I have never given anything out over the phone. last call i had like that was someone saying they were from my bank and there was something wrong with my account and they needed like date of birth and address and postal code (thats the same as a ZIP code for you Americans) and my social insurance number - your own personal number that identifies you. and stuff like that. I didnt fall for it - firstly because banks would already have that info; why would they need to ask for it again. and second, because you dont know if they are from the bank or not. and third, banks dont do that (call u on the phone) so Guy was trying to get me to say it; I wouldnt, eventually he gave up. Now there was nothing wrong with my account because i never heard again from the "bank." That one was also pretty slick because they had my name and address - they asked for me by name when they phoned - and read out my address. But they never had the things they wanted! so it makes you think they are legit when they read you out some of your info!

Moms are cool. My mom convinced my dad to put me into Judo as I had a disciplinary problem, mainly to fight. She was told via a friend, that martial arts could help. Mom's arent THAT cool :/ I started in shotokan against my parents' wishes' (cause they didnt think i could do it cause i was born with a small balance issue and didnt start walking til i was 4, even up until last year (when i was 30, now im 31) they said and embarrassed me in front of all my extended relatives by saying i wouldnt even be able to work in a restaurant because i wouldnt even be able to carry a cup of coffee across the room both my parents even said Your mind is the only thing thatll get you anywhere, you'll NEVER achieve anything with your body' I'm glad i didnt listen, cause now I'm a award winning gold medalist Shotokanka and soon to be tested for yellow belt in a month. You know it isnt quite as bad when you have acquaitances or strangers saying they dont believe in you, but its different when its your own family. it hurts even more. Made me want to prove them wrong cause i knew I did have the ability. and thats why I told my parents to come to my Shotokan competition/tournament. and thats where I won the gold medal and got the highest marks in the Kata portion.

yep we do have a similar personality, to tell truth, I think my sensei has 'adopted' me too. its also true i learn fast though. I learned Heian Shodan before any of the other white belts and since I have learned basic moves already because of being a advanced white belt I'm finding Heian Nidan easier to learn even though its got 26 moves while heian shodan has 21. In any event, the black belt still spent more time on my fellow white belts cause they werent doing it properly and hardly time on me. and I think thats what my sensei was getting at when he said that.

Ok so i had shotokan tonight, and when class was over, I said to my sensei, You told my 'rents at the competition that I am one of your favorite students. I know you meant what you said, and you werent just saying it to a 'white belt' to 'build confidence' I know that for a fact. That said, I am a 4 month white belt. what do you see in a 4 month white belt, that you would pick me as one of your faves? He replied 'its a secret between me and god' (he's funny. Which is why we get along so well. we both have this fun mischievious personality. ) I said tell me please' and he replied 'You're not like the other white belts. You learn things so fast and you're a natural. You learn extremely fast and you fit in so well at the dojo. and you learn the techniques and movements and katas so fast its all just so natural for you. while for the others its not quite as natural' He gave Heian Nidan, which we were introduced to tonight, as an example. "You did the movements so perfectly near the first time, while the black belt helping us had to go back and correct the others' and i did get the highest marks at competition for my Heian Shodan. He is physically affectionate because that's just his way, especially with his 'pets' his favorite students. He treats me different because I am his favorite white belt. But.....thats the reasons he gave for choosing me.

ours dont just have their names in japanese

Speaking for myself...I'd never do that to you....ever!! More than anything I pray that I'm completely wrong on my thoughts on this topic. I only support you and any decision(s) that you've made!! I just want to offer an ear and a shoulder to you for when it's needed! That's really really, awesome, Bob-sensei! and I verymuch thank you for that! Or to use a phrase I made up - a pocketful of fly. =] Its awesome that I seemto have friends and allies on this forum! it warms myheart. LIke in my dojo, I feel I belong to a family here. Anytime! I meant everything....they weren't idle words. I love your phrase...a pocketful of fly. Hehe......thanks. and i very appreciate the support.

http://i50.tinypic.com/rurww1.jpg some people, eh? *facepalm*