Lupin1

That does make sense. When you're a white belt you're still the new guy and you're just getting your feet wet and testing the waters and a lot of people leave while they're white belts because they find it's just not for them. But once you get your yellow belt you feel like you're not entirely the new guy anymore-- you've taken your test and proven yourself and earned your space in the school's heirarchy (even if it is a low space). I can understand that.

I found this website: http://shitokai.com/ I'm not sure how much help it will be. It has explainations of all the kata and stuff so I figure it probably has stances, too, but a lot of the terms for things it's using are in japanese and my school doesn't do japanese, so you'll have to check it out and let me know! Hope it can help!

When I practice my stances at home I do several things. First I stand in the stance and look at it to make any corrections and then I just stand like that for awhile to get a feel for it (my instructor always tells us to watch TV in horsestance to develop a lower, stronger horsestance). Then I'll go to my ready stance and try to step to the stance I was in-- I'll look at it again and see what I'm doing wrong and then go back and try again focusing on what I was doing wrong before and I'll just keep doing it until I can get there consistantly. Finally when I'm starting to feel comfortable with a stance I'll start adding blocks and punches and kicks and stuff to practice getting in the stance while doing that other stuff too. It takes a long time (I'm still not great at most of my stances) but I've been seeing a LOT of improvement in my stances since I've been working on them like that.

Have you noticed the effect yet where your performance increases just due to wearing a different color belt? I noticed that a lot when I was younger-- I'd get a new belt and overnight my moves would get sharper and harder. I think it was a cross between my self-confidence being higher and more being expected of me, so I wanted to live up to the higher expectations.

My instructor gave me the go-ahead tonight to start wearing my old belt. And he's going to let me wear my actual old belt, which was an advanced yellow belt which they don't even give out anymore (one of these things: http://www.karatedepot.com/un-be-30.html). So I guess I'm a 6th kyu again, although he was sure to mention it doesn't matter what color belt I wear, I'm still a beginner (and I'm sure I'll hear that again and again).

I feel ya-- I was working on my new kata tonight (well, kinda new-- I knew about 3/4ths of it before so the last fourth is new) and my legs were shaking by the end (it's Isshinryu Seiunchin-- lots and LOTS of horsestance).

I'm guessing the kid on the end is your son since the camera's focusing on him. I know different schools have different standards, but considering he's a pretty low belt in that video and the school seems to have a lot of belts, I don't know how much people can judge the school based on how a beginner performs. But are those kids next to him wearing black belts? That's what's concerning me, not just because they're very young to be wearing black belts, but because they look very off-balance and uncoordinated the vast majority of the time. That's fine for the lower belts even if a lot of schools do have different standards (some schools move them through the lower belts quickly and then tightens up at the end), but if those other kids are wearing black belts, it makes me take pause.

Ehh, I don't even know if he's going to give it to me at this point. I've been working on the yellow belt stuff for a few weeks now. From when I was a kid I knew the first yellow belt kata and 3/4ths of the second yellow belt kata, and he's working with me on the second kata, so I guess the 1st kata is good enough for him for now. Since I'm that far in and he hasn't mentioned me wearing my yellow belt again yet, at this point I'm thinking he may just keep me at white until I earn my blue belt (5th kyu) which at the rate I'm going will probably be around the beginning of summer. But then again I may be wrong. I'm ok with it, either way. Congrats again!

And let's not forget the ENTIRE "jack of all trades" phrase, which most people don't know: Jack of all trades, master of none, though sometimes better than a master of one. So being a jack of all trades isn't always a bad thing.

Hmmm... That's a good point. So I guess the question would be if the original poster is looking to master his art or not. See, I'm the opposite of you-- I don't have the drive to become a master of any martial art. I'm a jack of all trades and I'm happy that way (although I prefer the term "renaissance woman") and so for me I'd rather have a working knowledge (say shodan or nidan level) of several very different styles than become a very high up dan in any one. So I guess it depends on what he wants.

With all the people saying that it's too much to do both at the same time, it has me wondering how MMA fighters do it. Do they learn both striking and grappling at the same time or do they start with one and then move to the other? I mean in school they don't teach you math and then once you've mastered math they start teaching you reading-- you learn it all at the same time and at a very young age you start making connections between all the subjects-- knowing math helps you work out the dates in social studies, knowing science helps you find applications when you're in math class, etc. I'm with the side that says learning both of those arts at the same time will help your training more than hurt it. They're different enough that you shouldn't get confused, but one may fill in gaps in the other and give you a better understanding of movement, your oponent, force, etc that could give you the edge in both.

Congrats, Blade! I knew you wouldn't have any trouble with it!

I LOVED the show. I'm a little apprehensive about the movie since I doubt it can compare to the show and I'm not a big fan of M Night's more recent movies, but I'll go see it anyway. Hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised.

I've seen many women accidentally hit in the breast and I've been hit in the breast many times myself (once by a punch, but many times by speeding tennis balls) and I've never seen a woman drop to the ground in pain like men do. I've seen men vomit from a realitively light hit to the groin. I can't see how getting hit in the breast even comes close.

Am I just weird? For me getting punched in the breast hurts no more than getting punched in the upper chest with the same amount of force. In fact, I find it hurts less because it's not as bony.

I study Isshinryu. My instructor's primary instructor was Tom Lewis, who studied with Master Tatsuo Shimabuku.

Wow-- that sounds like a challenging test and it definitely sounds like you've earned that yellow belt! Congrats!

If I were a judge, I'd judge someone harder if I saw all that on their belt, so it'd probably make it harder for them.

You see, when I think of understanding a kata, I don't even consider technique. Perfecting the technique of the kata is the most basic thing you can do with it. To me, really knowing and understanding a kata means knowing and perfecting multiple bunkai for every single move in it. What's the point of kata if you can't apply what you practice in the kata?

I've been known to do some damage with my fingernails...

I've washed my belts a few times and my karate never got any worse afterwards.

Same thing I did before karate-- watch tv on nights we have class and sleep in on morning we have class. I'd probably have some other interest to fill the void. I always have some interest I'm working on developing-- karate, singing, crocheting, astronomy-- always something or other.

I think so. Some people are just really good athletes. They have a very good understanding of the human body and movement and can put together strong, precise movements quickly. I think someone like that who trained very hard every day for a year could have a decent chance at winning a black belt kata championship.

We don't really bow at our school. When I was little I learned to bow when we got to the top of the stairs into the room and again before going back down, but that was it. I'm not sure if the kids still learn that, but the adults don't do it. And only a few people choose to call the instructors sir. It's New England. The closest we get is calling instructors "Mr. _____", so they get all the same signs of respect as a school teacher would. If I were to see one of them outside the dojo, I'd probably just say "Hi Mr.____" and act just like I would if I were to see someone from synagogue in the store or whatever. No big.

Blade, this is so cool-- we might be getting our yellow belts around the same time. My instructor started letting me practice the first 6th kyu (which is yellow belt at my school) kata this past weekend, so I'm hoping to get my 6th kyu back any time now. That'd be cool if we both moved up around the same time.