mal103

If you were lucky enough to devote hours a day to MA then you could probably add some serious stretching to your routine, I consider myself a fairly serious MA'ist who devotes several hours a week on training, practicing, teaching and researching - but I do this around a full time job, 2 hours commuting per day, a house that needs DIY work, a couple of cars who needs fixing occasionally and a wife + 2 teenage kids who all want some of my time. Good point about stretching cold muscles, we must also remember that we are MA'ist and not trained/qualified personal fitness trainers.

Our normal lessons include various stretches at the end of the warm up and at the end of the lesson, ideally stretching should be done on warm muscles. If I do other exercises during the week then I may include stretches at the end. We try to include a variety of routines so if anyone is keen to get more flexible then they have a few more to work on. Occasionally we will do assisted stretching with a partner but have to be careful.

Looking at the comments then I wouldn't worry about the style but try to find a club that trains the full syllabus with plenty of variation, ultimately a full/complete training regime including contact, SD and anything else!

Just thought that quite often I have my Gi in a bag in my car whilst it's parked near work, as my rucksack could be seen to hold a laptop then I often open it up to show that it's only training kit and nothing worth smashing the window for. I wonder it that is also a very good car theft deterrent? Although I would miss my Gi more than my car....

MA - or in my case Karate - is for everyone and anyone. We have a disabled Black belt in our club, we have someone who can't walk very far, people with other so called disabilities and people of all shapes and sizes. Train as hard as you can, kick as high as your body will allow, move as quick as you can. Listen to your body though, it will tell you what you need to know. We also have people that wobble when they train, don't be ashamed or embaressed, just train! If anyone in the Dojo was to laugh at you or point/stare then it is they that have the problem. Remember a funny saying, I may not be able to punch fast but i've got 15 stone to push it home with....

Mostly due to living in a fairly good town/area then i always wear my gi to and from training, partly due to time constraints and going to train straight after work, then going straight home to eat, sometimes there isn't time to change! Other times I arrive/leave with students and we have a policy/rule of NOT changing with students so I have to be careful. Other times it's good advertising for the club, I normally throw a jacket/fleece over the top so if I am near a few lads or feel it may cause problems then it's easy to cover up. A lot of people show respect (even though you are not looking for it) and a lot of people are openly chatty and will ask you about your MA. Sometimes it's good to let people know there is a Dojo nearby. Anyone that wears it to show off or to demand respect maybe doing so for the wrong reasons. In an ideal world it would be folded up and packed away before/after use.

Possibly my limited experience of the few nearby to me, one has pictures of the instructors on their website all in fighting stances and looking mean.... Then you find out that they have experience in several MA's but are in their early 20's? From a Parents point of view a good MA school will teach more than just whacking each other or a punchbag.

A Sensei may put too much time in teaching and lose their edge a bit (i've seen one example of this but wouldn't be rude enough to name them). A good Sensei will spar well with you but it may be like a cat playing with a mouse.... I once got a good punch in against my Sensei but ended up hurting my knuckles against a solid wall of stomach muscles. Normally when you push your luck with a senior grade it ends up hurting when it comes back around.... I have had a Brown belt boast about getting a good punch in with me and had to explain that unless you have lightening fast reflexes a straight punch is very difficult to react to. I got him back though.... I also see it as a test of how far I have come when I spar with junior grades and can either "see" their attack coming or just respond, last night I put another Shodan on their back with using Mushin and just reacting.

I use it all the time at work, especially when pushing open doors with tate shuto..... The spiritual calmness works wonders with everything I do. We have thought of approaching some companies to see if they wanted discounted classes or SD classes, especially hospitals etc. Thinking of the increased attacks on A&E staff.

All of this, having the right attitude and being aware is possibly more important than having a few rushed skills of MA. My daughter recently went to Morocco on a walking trip that took them through very poor areas and villages in the mountains, they had excellent guides and good attitudes - the rest of our trust was put in God to keep them safe. If it's an organised delegation type trip then "stick close to the guides/staff" would be the best advice as they would know the local area.

This hapenned to me in a grading actually, my mind went blank but my body just went through the Kata as usual like the many previous times i'd drilled it. I remember thinking to myself ' Damn, ive messed up, ...oh actually no, that was right!'' I believe for testing for Shodan with us, you are expected to perform each kata. Our motto is 'We leave nothing behind'' Absolutely, think of it as layered learning, as you are moving up the Kyu grades then you should be learning a new Kata and at the same time fine tuning previous Kata. As you progress then the Kata you have been doing for years should be really sharp and almost automatic. We've had a few students in our club that look at previous Kata as done and dusted, they get a shock at grading times when they are have to do previous Kata. Shodan gradings should include everything you have done before, then things that you haven't done, then keep going until the average Joe would give up , then beyond. It's tough (in a good club) but a good mile stone.

Basic applications for Kyu grades but around Brown belt level students will be looking deeper and should be fed with your knowledge and then encouraged to go and explore it for themselves. I have a deep respect for all Sensei and anyone prepared to pass on the Art (whichever style) but i do feel horrified when you see examples of closed minds. Too many people give up Karate (and maybe others) because their minds are not fed or they end up doing too much of the same stuff, I regularly take apart a Kata and "show" the potential applications to spark interest and always get great feedback for a great lesson. When people think they have learnt all of it then they will give up or swap styles, they need to have a taste of what is beyond the standard syllabus or the path upto Shodan. I see the point about not knowing who our students are but your average nut-job won't spend hours marching up and down blocking and punching, they will be drawn to the MMA type schools where they can beat the crap out of each other, if they really wanted to know the hidden lethal applications within the Kata then they would find out anyway.

I used to do a lot of running and did a couple of half marathons, I also didn't stretch enough afterwards - it might be worth pausing mid run to do stretches. I'm not sure about stretching before running though, the best info keeps changing but I just walked for 5 mins first then again at the end to prevent any sudden changes and a gentle warm up/down. I got some strange looks before the Bath Half marathon as I had jogged about a bit to warm up and was doing some very flexible stretching.... The only problem for me during running was having a knee problem, most of my running was on hard surfaces and I had a bad habit of stomping my left foot so eventually got a very sore knee.

At one point in time the Kihon Kata was split in 3, I think they had the same floor plan but all had various strikes/blocks. If you learn them for years then you won't ever forget them but the modern western methods tend to get people through the early Kata with only a few months learning each one. They should be constantly sharpened as you continue training. The biggest part of doing any Kata is to get pass the stage of having to think about the next move and to imagine yourself in mid battle - regardless of which move you are doing. Kata Kihon is the perfect Kata for training this mindset.

Thank you Patrick and all!!! I really enjoy the forum as there are lots of opinions and some great experience to learn from, there are also no idiots like you find on Youtube. It's also great to put forward your own opinion and have others call it a solid post!

Monday 7 miles Wednesday 3 miles Thursday 3 miles Friday 6 miles but straight from work so 30.... Sunday is 10 I train on Thursday/Friday and teach the others.

Sound advice, lately i've been using tate zuki on the punch bag, virtical punch with some twisting of the hips is very powerful but from another office dweller can be dangerous if you hit a hip bone. We often train palm strike upwards and fists to body area. Open hand - Shuto - can be good but can also hurt if you miss and strike with the little finger...

This is the sort of thing I mean, as we have multiple Dojo's in the Wilshire and Somerset area then we don't have the chance of putting up some big hooks to hang bags from like you could in a purpose built Dojo. http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/9016583.htm

I see nothing more in Kihon Kata than just teaching beginners how to do Kata, you can drill it with kick/block basics just to get beginners used to drilling. I would match some of the Bunkai shown here with Heian Shodan but would still only show very basic techniques. Later on you can revisit these Kata with more senior grades and start to show them different applications and principles. By then you need people to get over the matching of Kata to other MA attacks, also things like having to step to the side and forwards and performing the perfect Gedan Barai - later on the principle should be more about twisting 90 degrees and pulling down to one side to put your attacker into a bad position, to stop them from hitting you with their other hand and also to allow you to strike back. The biggest thing missing in Kata training seems to be drilling these techniques with partners and then non willing partners using more speed and power. Just my take, I also liked the vid!

Just to expand on my previous post - get a good Brown/Black belt, stand an arms length away and ask them to punch you finishing a millimetre away from your head/body. Then try and block... I gaurantee that you will get hit every time unless they give you some indication in their eyes or breathing, or draw their hand back first. If it's a random straight punch you won't have time to flinch. If your training just to get a Black belt then pretend to attack in your sparring to get past, if you want to defend yourself or "BECOME" a Black belt then you need to get over this hurdle. How can you tell apart a Kyu grade from a beginner from a Black belt - ask them to do Heian Shodan. The beginner will be thinking about each move if they know it, their moves will be slow and weak. The Kyu grade will vary in speed and power. The Black belt will move like a blur with a definite thud with each move, they will visualise an attacker with every punch/block and look like they are punching through a brick wall, when they Kiai it will make rabbits sit up 1000 yards away and send a chill down everyone's spine. If you want to move about then go dancing, if you want to learn the spirit of Karate then train harder!

I think a lot of it depends on the club/org, i've seen examples of Shodan gradings where they hardly broke into a sweat or it was over in an hour. We put them through a lot of hard work physically and mentally, normally finishing with sparring until they are near exhaustion, it's the spirit of wanting to keep going that is also on test. Don't confuse spirit with aggression... If you can witness a Shodan grading at your club before yours then you will get an idea of what is required, speak with your Sensei but train hard! My best tip is to practice everything so that you don't have to think too much about them on the day, it's no good having to think too much about Kata for example - if they are automatic you can focus on the speed and power.

I would say you need more time and training. You face getting hit a lot in sparring and if your best defence in a real situation is to wait to be attacked then you are not going to last long. I spar with one Shodan who is always on the attack and very fast, unless you take the initiative by attacking you tend to get hit a lot, you can still be calm when sparring but you have to try and control the fight. You also need to know if your hits are effective, if you techniques are easily blocked then you need to change them or add distractions etc. I'm not a naturally agressive person and will often pause to say sorry if i get in a strong hit, but you must hit. Also consider fighting 2 attackers, something i had to do for my Shodan, unless you attack you are toast

I was running a few times a week, attending 3 lessons a week and training myself another few hours on top. Depends on how hard your club is on testing and how much you want to become a Shodan, it will also give an indication on what you will be like after. Your grade should include all Kata learnt so far, loads of combinations and all Kumite so anything you can practice now should give you less to think about on the day.

Everyone passed, a few had to redo a part of their grading to gain a pass, 3 double graded one of whom was only going for 9th kyu but had recently put in tons of effort and was given the opportunity and already knew what was required. I had 10 of my students pass - one of them was a double grader. There were a few that were given extra tolerance due to other reasons but in general there was tons of effort.

Do you get these in your club? A western approach maybe but possibly the best way we have of showing a well done to others as a group. Take our lesson tonight, we had a focus on new Kata as we have just had a grading, some have already been introduced to their next Kata but near the end of the lesson it was a bit of a test to see who had learnt it. Each grade went out in front and did their new Kata as best they could and each got a round of applause from the other students, come near the end and I was put on the spot and given 2 seconds notice of Kata Jion, I performed it as best I could with plenty of power and speed as everyone was watching. I got a round of applause, apart from the Sensei I could have been making it up but did my best. Hopefully I showed how best to do Kata including being out of breath after etc. I was grateful for the clapping but not expecting it, also our Friday lesson has always finished on applause, possibly a modern/western way of showing respect and apreciation instead of just a deeper bow?