mal103

Hello, Lifting weights is not bad for your Karate, getting massive muscles by doing heavy weights slowly might end up being restrictive, but certainly not an all round tone up of all muscles. Be careful about speed weights - speak to Gym experts! Hard or soft MA? Be careful not to chase 2 rabbits.... go with what interests you. sometimes you may need/want to hit hard, other times to move out of the way and arm lock, throw etc. Depends on the attack but better to use your head and not be there first. Not all punches/kicks should be done at full energy but that's another topic... Push ups, get a chair or lean on stairs/table so that less weight is on your arms and more on your legs, train this way and do 20/30/40 each time, then gradually move lower. Trick to all of this is gradually and not trying to do 100's at the start. When you are stronger, train harder and longer but it should also be enjoyable. You can't become like your bro in 4 weeks and he may be pushing you hard to test if you are really interested in learning. Remember it is sometimes more about the path and not just the destination. Good luck, train as hard as you can and enjoy!

I was lucky enough to get given a Tokaido HD Gi and it's great. I have bought a couple of Gi's on eblag of cheaper brands and had to adjust them, the first one thought my son had a 50 inch waste.... You get what you pay for but they are great to train in and are good for grappling.

Hi, and welcome

It depends how you interpret the Kata and at what level, for beginners it's fine to drill a low block to the left, step punch, turn into lower block etc. At the other end of the scale the first 90 degree turn and lower block could be pulling an attackers left hand down to your left then attacking them against their left side. It can also be a grappling move as you turn you are pushing them down to the left. The 180 degree turn can be seen as a throw, the hammer fist strike starts off with pulling back your wrist after a grab, can also be clearing a chest grab on the way around, then finally striking down on the head, face etc. Also think of the turn as just a way of showing that the moves can happen to both sides, left then right.

I started off with mostly kids in my class so had to try and keep them interested as well as the adults motivated. Don't try to be the big strong Sensei but don't let them walk all over you either. Have plenty of smiles, greet them cheerfully and tell them well done afterwards. Have a fair amount of discipline but not too regimented, raise a hand to ask question etc. Teach them normally but include the odd game near the end of the lesson, they will remember the training but especially the fun bit. Don't spend too long on one technique, come back to it later on or in the next lesson. I would be careful about doing too many games though. Bring in the odd prop, punch bag, rubber knife, bat, ball - one of my favourites is to see who can punch (Gyaku) a slightly deflated football down the dojo, you are teaching them good hip techniques but making it fun and different. Keep criticism to a minimum, try to get the point across like "good stance, maybe just a bit lower, that's good!" It may not seem much but you can bet that some will be telling their Grandma that "Sensei said I had a good stance and was doing really well" Think of it as cutting diamonds, on the first sweep you take off the rough edges, the next a bit smoother, etc, etc... It can't be all done in one go so accept some bad form but keep chipping away at it. Try to get an assistant, any senior grade adult/teen, give them free lessons if they agree to help out a bit. There will be some that struggle and take up a lot of time, give them to your assistant for 10 minutes while you keep the others busy. They will also see what standard they should be heading for and you also get someone to demonstrate things with. Don't ever get angry with them, just move on if they aren't getting something. You will have to also accept that you will get a couple who don't get it, they won't get anything, they will eventually leave but don't be dis-heartened. Your best day is when you see your students go off and grade, ripping off their old belts and mis-tying their new one around their wastes with big grins all over. Priceless!

If you think of a "safe" little club practicing safe Karate and only going as far as the 3 K's then they will learn Karate. If you take Karate to the next levels and mix the 3 K's up with self defence with resisting partners then you will be practicing more practical Karate. Ideally learn the more advanced applications from Kata and then drill it, then drill variations of it. Take Gedan Barai, if you only ever think of it as a lower sweeping block against a kick then that is all you will ever use it for but by the time you have raised your sweeping arm you would have already been kicked, if you see the sweeping arm doing a block against a punch as it goes to the side of your head and the Hikite arm blocking or striking as it goes out first then the sweeping downward motion can be seen as a response/strike. You can use part or all of this when you are at a closer range, you can also drill it with a partner. Think of 5 step, learnt early on, one punches while the other steps back and blocks.... get 2 good Black belts doing this at a closer range at FULL speed and power, instruct them to punch their partner if they don't move quick enough, that's slightly more practical. To me a good Brown/Black belt should be able to apply their Karate in all situations and attacks, not just from controlled attacks in the Dojo, of course the better they are they would be unlikely to be in that situation in the first place.....

We are coming up to a grading and the majority are ready and keen, my biggest annoyance is those that coast along and expect to grade but put in very little effort. A mid level student (as an example) regularly skips lessons and forgets what they have learnt so you have to teach them the same things over and over.... Marketing the clubs, advertising, delivering leaflets and then 2 people show up.... Students who miss lessons saying they were tired - after you had to drag yourself out of bed after missing sleep and feeling ill but still willing to give a good lesson. BUT - it's all worth it when your best students smile after each lesson and are over-joyed after their grading. Even if it was 1 student it would be worth it. An app to generate lesson plans or different combinations/drills.

Repetition is probably one of the worst things and best things in Karate, so many people give up due to getting bored and so many others go on to be very good due to constantly training hard. I found when I first started instructing that my lessons were very much Kihon/Kata/Kumite and some of the kids would tell you what their next combination was. I then went out of my way to make it varied and different but the standard started to drop and those that didn't want to have to think whilst training found it frustrating. I have since struck a balance and they look forwards to the last third of the lesson which normally has some form of grappling, SD, pad work, weapons, etc. Chucking in anything like you mention above is also fun to stretch the mind, or working on new combinations that are gradually learnt and then trained hard and fast. All good stuff!

Sorry if I came across a bit negative. We know of a club who are going it alone and probably other MA type clubs. They are charging insurance but don't pass on the details, they grade at will but judging by the standard of students who have come our way they do not come up to the skills level. I would rather see all clubs be forced to be linked to an org or assoc if it would stop the practice above and prevent the mcdojo's from giving us all a bad name. ONLY if it brought the standards up but didn't restrict anyone from exploring their art or passion. As a side note we add grappling, change syllabus, change/add Kumite sets, self defence and anything else we see fit. We also don't have to pay them a fortune! I've taken my grade book + insurance along to other clubs/orgs and been made welcome.

By being a good role model to everyone, training us hard and getting the best out of us. His Karate is not just external though, he lives his life with humility, respect and kindness. From the first friendly greeting to the last lesson (last week) there is a continuity of being a good Sensei. My best point in time was when I passed Shodan and went to train with others, I can now honestly say that I earnt Shodan and am at the correct level externally and also within myself. I am also happy to pass on this experience as best I can to my students.

I am wary of any gimmicks, if someone launched an attack on you whilst you were sat down then I doubt very much you would have chance to respond unless you were alerted by their behaviour. I would be more impressed if they did several drills or bunkai as this thing with the chairs is a little circus like. Maybe good for a demo and the rest of the day might have put this show in balance. I am in no way criticising their skills or Karate. I really want to add a warning against hero worship but may not make many friends in doing so.... Sorry for being negative.

We are "under" a generic MA organisation, we abide by their policies but don't ever get enforced upon us what we should or shouldn't teach, so long as we have a Style Syllabus as a minimum and follow the rules then they are happy. Most rules we are more than happy to stick with anyway as they make perfect sense. We use this as a selling point for the club as we have things like child protection policies, CRB, insurance etc, we also have a line of complaint should anyone not be happy with something. Nearby there is a Nidan (self graded we think) who runs a one man band, if the teaching is good then that's also fine. Handing out belts/gradings to Kyu students is fine with just your name on but as students progress they may like to see the signature of an approved grading officer by xxxx org/assoc. To gain a Brown or Black belt then the next natural step is to go and compare it with others to see if you are at the same standard. Out of all of the orgs and associations there must be one that suits your needs?

I see this move as simply twisting your arm out of a wrist grab, I see the similar routine from Bassai as more of a choke after a strike. Play around with it against a partner, but ensure you don't try to match it to another MA strike. Maybe the punch isn't a punch, it could be a push then a sharp pull back? It's followed by a decisive punch with a Kiai, I don't think it should be seen as a block but that could just be the way I think.

Good effort and well done, there is a certain satisfaction of being knackered after such things.

Looking around these seem to start at around £100 without the bag and need something to keep them weighted down. Does anyone own one, are they any good or would it be better spending the money for a good brand? I would need to drag this around in the car and set it up occasionally to assist students in actually hitting something other than a hand pad.

Not wanting to boast but I kept my Monday lesson going last week as a couple of people said they would train - even though it was a bank holiday. In the end only 1 person turned up, but they are now better at Heian Yondan and Godan, all of their combinations and Kumite.

Majority is in Japanese for our Shotokan Karate, although it is all in English for beginners and white belts, even the next few Kyu grades if they haven't got it yet. I keep saying to students that we teach Karate and not a language school, even later on if they are confused or forget then we are happy to remind them. Even when I teach I will sometimes just say it in English if i've forgot a non regular technique or want to keep the lesson going and can't instantly recall the whole combination.

Other names are available for them..... One of our students trained with a "master" before, he even wanted the parents to call him master! He demanded that students pay him for several months in advance and then disappeared with lots of money... I guess his Zen side was lacking? As for the original question here are some thoughts... It depends where you want to pin the "traditional" mark to MA and if it's within the last 100 odd years. Some trad MA clubs/org teach a limited syllabus badly, add more half Kyu grades to drag it out longer and wonder why nobody is interested in it, some clubs/orgs make it sound modern/REAL!/exciting/better and are fashionable for a while. It is hard trying to get people interested these days but hopefully most people see things like MMA as just fighting where as good MA is still seen as more. We have received a couple of compliments lately, one dad turned up with his boy for a free first lesson and wanted to sign up there and then, they had been to most other Dojo's in the area but was not impressed (dad had done it before so knew what he wanted to see), another parent said that they had been to the local Blah Blah Zone and their son was bored stupid but not overwhelmed by their "masterfullness" of all the instructors and didn't feel like bowing in their shadows for several years. Overall I think the Zen, DO, way side of MA is something that has to happen to you while you train and not something that can be taught in 50 minutes in a week (on average). You can lead the students to the mountain but how they climb it is up to them...

Hi Jim (Or im) It depends on the org, some will insist you start again, others will evaluate you to see which belt you start at - we have just done this for someone who had a 20 year gap, he is now Yellow belt (7th Kyu) but I suspect I can get him through a couple of double grades later on. Another method we use is to exchange their belts from white as and when they can prove they are up to the correct standard for the next belt, this could be a couple of weeks or months but saves them hanging around for the next grading if they are ready to move on. I suspect KUGB will need you to start much lower. Most of all enjoy it!

I'm just uploading my first video of push-ups Sir! Was 50 okay?

It does make sense that someone who feels they are matured enough wants to make changes to a style that they should rename it their own, this would prevent anyone from copying what they have been taught and passing it off as their own and maybe also not be disrespectful to their teacher by teaching it differently but calling it the same. I suspect as things have moved on then organisations may have also made some decisions based on money or their own self importance, I find it crazy that someone can't find a match for their club/group amongst the many existing orgs that they feel they have to create another one! It makes it all very confusing, you also hear bad stories of people turning up for a semina but being turned away because they are not in a certain org/assoc. Or not having their grade recognised if they switch so have to start again. I like to see people who are free enough to search out what they want in their MA training and not have to fit into certain categories - like when Elvis stated that he doesn't sound like anybody. I would also like to just answer "Karate" when asked what style I train, although I would need many more years of experience. GF always refered to it as Karate, it was his students that called the hall Shotokan. It's very annoying when you hear people say that someone else is doing it wrong, or "in our club/org we do it the proper way". Like fitting applications to Kata, what works for some may not work for others, same as me trying to kick someone in the head with my left leg at the moment!

Happy Easter! Only done 2 hours of Karate this weekend so need some more to burn off this chocolate.....

I would be more concerned with finding the right club, obviously the current Shotokan club isn't doing it for you. Some clubs may want you to start again at white belt which may help you get used to their syllabus and any differences in style but would be a massive waste of your time. My club has a routine of evaluating anyone coming back to training and starting them off where they best fit in. Another method we've used is to start them off low but constantly evaluate and swap their belts as and when we think they should move up the line. I would just try out all of the different clubs and see what they feel like or how they welcome you.

If I were you then go start Karate straight away, warn your Sensei that you have a previous injury but just listen to your body in any training you do. Pain is natures way of saying your body needs time to heal. Just do it gradually!

I am training towards Nidan at the end of this year - or when i'm deemed ready. I took advice after passing my Shodan to wait a bit before looking at anything else. To be honest I am Karate 100 percent, I have learnt the Shotokan style (well some of it anyway...) and do like to look at other Karate styles and techniques. In looking at other styles of MA then things like Aikido and Judo intrigue me, I don't want to ditch Karate to swap but I am interested in enhancing my Karate training. I have linked a few Kata techniques with ground fighting and throws, someone looking on will think it belongs to another style but I think it just needs to be highlighted as Karate and practiced more often to form a more complete system.