mal103

Thanks for your input - very much appreciated. We are lucky that we have a club and Sensei that do it for Karate and not for profit so we pay per lesson, we also have to pay yearly insurance and grading fees. I've always said to them that if you don't want to train then don't, they have skipped the odd lesson due to homework or not feeling up for it. I feel that sometimes they train because they know I want them to but I try not to be too forceful with them. They have just done a load of revision and exams at school at the same time as a grading so it could be the combination of it all, I may urge them to rest for a couple of weeks to see if they naturally come back to it. I would be gutted if they stopped now but can't tell them to do it if they don't want to, personally I have started to realise there is a lot more to just technical moves each week but they will have to realise this for themselves in their own time.

My kids (12 and 13)have trained with me for more than a couple of years and its the only thing that just the 3 of us do together - other activities are done with the wife or all of us as a family. We've come up through the gradings with my son one belt behind my daughter and I (3rd and 2nd Kyu), they lead very busy lives and are both at a school that gives out lots of homework, they also swim in a club and get involved in other stuff so Karate sometimes gets limited to 1 hour a week. I have tried to get them to practice at home or to watch Karate vids and read a few books to increase their knowledge but they are not always interested. I've tried to explain that now we are at a more senior level then 1 hour per week minimum may not be anywhere near enough to pass a grading or to learn properly, the last grading they only just passed. The last few weeks my daughter (mainly) has moaned that she's bored or they have just not put any effort into training, sometimes the Sensei has asked me if they are ill or something. Last night after training I was knackered as usual but they had hardly broke a sweat and the few times I did watch them it was close to pathetic. What should I do? Give them a break and don't take them for a couple of weeks, push them into training harder or just ignore it and let them potentially fail a grading. I think the last couple will put them off completely.

Do you win? My son is 12 and my daughter 13, although we are all Brown belts they don't put in as much effort as I would like, they have tons of other stuff going on and lots of school work so its difficult to squeeze in any extra Karate. I feel if they put more in then they would get more out but I can't push them.

I took the easier option and chopped 20cm off of it. Thanks for the idea though, next grading I will try to find an alternative supplier and suggest it.

I still have a real buzz after training, I remember after the first couple of months I would show the wife all the new things that i'd learnt that night and try to remember the combinations and Kata. I would go over them in my head for the next few days and find it difficult to concentrate on work the next day. Tonight I have been gradually showing my son Bassai Dai so he can prepare for the next lesson when he will start to learn it properly (he's just graded 3rd Kyu), now after food and a bath i'm going to watch Sensei Brennan's DVD and then sit down with Master Funakoshi's book Karate-Do Kyohan.... I'm sure i'm not the only one! If only my job could capture my interest as much as Karate.....

I suppose if you are unsure or feel unsafe about any activity then you should politely refuse to do it, this is after all a hobby to most people, although sometimes it becomes a way of life..... You also need to get home and work/school the next day so could do without any major injuries! One of the senoir grades was urging us to stretch further last year - where you place a leg on someones shoulder and they slowly stand/raise - I had to politely state that I knew when my leg was stretched fully and am happy monitoring the gradual increase over time but not prepared to risk damage.

Shotokan 2nd Kyu 2 times a week around work/life/DIY/kids etc. I try to practice Kata and combinations at home but space and time don't always allow.

After a grading where we have spent weeks doing line work and Kata/Kumite we then have a few lessons of something different - normally self defence techniques which involve plenty of contact and hitting the floor/mats. I sometimes find it awkward, especially if paired with a child or female, i'm more worried about hurting them. If paired with another adult then I do get aprehensive as some of them "hurt", there's nothing worse than knowing your leg is gonna get swept away painfully - again.... On the other hand I find it extremely helpful and we are learning skills that could help us out if confronted/grabbed in the real world. I would say speak to your Sensei or ask to train with a specific partner and hopefully you will feel more comfortable with these techniques as you progress. This reminds me of when my daughter was losing interest and eventually admitted that she hated sparring with me as - although I didn't mean to - it hurt her wrists when I blocked. Even though she would always want to partner with me as she can be shy. I immediately spoke to the Sensei and requested that we not spar together anymore and all was returned to normal. Luckily her friend has started so she has someone who is evenly matched and they are happy sparring together.

Something that has shocked me is the amount of different styles and names, it seems that whoever was taught by a master has gone on to call themselves masters and branch out on their own. What is really shocking is that several "masters" have changed stuff, I can tell that several are/were brilliant at what they do but have they the right to change something? It would also be bad if everyone referred to a point in time and said that is true Karate and we shall all practice that as sometimes things should evolve. Then there are the associations, governing bodies, organisations - UK, European, world...... I'm still a beginner but am trying to understand more about Karate, I have started reading Gichin Funakoshi's books but every day I uncover another master/association/rule etc and everyone is naturally better than everyone else. I hope I don't offend anyone with the above but just trying to point out that Karate is very complex and at times mind boggling! There seems that there will never be a time when the majority will stick to one style or set of rules so things may get more complicated!

Is there a set length for Karate? I am split between a 280 belt being slightly too short for my liking but the 320 is almost to my knees and does sometimes flick up. I might just take a pair of scissors to them to get a comfortable/practicable length. As i'm now on Brown belts I suspect I will have them longer......

Can non US residents fill it in? Not interested in any rewards. I suffered badly from work stress a while ago and found Karate helped me a lot due to the emptying of the mind other than concentrating on the Karate, more and more combinations and Kata's are moving into the realms of being performed automatically or thinking more of perfecting the moves as opposed to which moves. Does that make sense?

I've recently graded to 2nd Kyu in Shotokan and started to think about teaching, the other week the Sensei's car broke down and everyone was looking at me to step in until he arrived, (there is a lack of senior students and some are not training at the moment due to illness), luckily he got there just in time. I've mentioned the desire to teach to my Sensei who then got me to go through some basics with the white belts - wow, what a difference it makes being out the front! Its an eye opener and something that I would happily do again without payment or reward, although I can see that some students may get taken advantage of. I would like to train agian - maybe more after 1st Kyu - but would have to balance it between being trained as well. I think the norm would be for the Sempai to not pay for the lesson if they are spnding most of it teaching. Just my opinions....

I train with a lot of kids because our club isn't big enough to split into Adult/kids classes, its very difficult when we do any sparring or Kumite with the kids as some of them can punch/kick quite well but we are mindful of using exact control so that contact is "just" made but not using any force or power. Obviously a different matter between adults. There are a couple of kids that are also a pain or don't listen but we try our best, if it destroys your enjoyment then try to avoid partnering with them. On the other hand they may need a lot more patience and hard work to help them as you would hope Karate could eventually teach them more respect and discipline. I have seen some kids change and mature during their time learning, my kids have also benifited greatly.

As for age - Karate can be practised at any age - I started at 39 and train with a pensioner and several kids amongst others. As for styles this might be limited by the clubs in your area unless you are willing to travel, I started with Wada Ryu but moved areas, after a break I joined a Shotokan Club. I didn't mind starting again and i'm close to Black belt but although its a major mile stone I am now seeing it as a new beginning. It may take a while to gain a passion with Karate but hopefully you will find it eventually as its more than just punching and kicking. Good luck!