mal103

Reading a good book at the moment and one of the things suggested is a great idea to keep your Shodans so they dont quit. Too many people have the wrong attitude that black belt is the main target where we all know its the beginning. A lot need the short term goals like getting a new belt every few months so can feel a bit lost after Shodan as its typically 2 years and a few more kata to Nidan. If they had a training plan with objectives then this may help to keep a structured learning plan going and fill the gap. I think the worst thing they can do is put their new black belt in a trophy cabinet and then go on thinking they are a black belt while all of the skills, speed and power slowly reverse themselves... Anyone else practice this idea?

Couple of points to add... In one of Kanazawa Sensei's books he recalls when Funakoshi Sensei was teaching him to get into a lower stance, he stated that he now did it that way due to old age whereas he was young and could get lower. I think this is a classical example of the OP's point. What I think has also come into this topic is when you have instructors who have picked up bad habits or can't do it properly any more due to being unfit or over-weight. This is a very valid point, I know of two 5th Dans that fall into this category, one can't kick high because his belly gets in the way or he gets too tired. Another has very bad habits, even though they seemingly know what it should look like they show it badly, some students learn best by copying. If an instructor is older and restricted or has disabilities then there is nothing wrong with them still teaching, maybe they need to get a technically good person out the front to demonstrate the move/kata, especially for the type of students that "see-do". One of the funniest examples I've seen of this was when a Brown belt started teaching a club too early, when his white belts turned up on their first grading they all had the same mistakes!

Echo - get it wrong and you're in trouble. Most things like this are showy and not realistic, they may look good but only with a compliant opponent (that won't take advantage)

My old Sensei had stopped training in front of others many years ago, as a result they weren't far enough along on the way to ensure their standard and techniques were good enough. This resulted in passing on many bad habits and not being able to pass on many advanced applications and meanings to our art. As a result I have had to constantly re-teach Shotokan as and when I have been able to learn it properly. My old Sensei can't be right when compared to the majority of other Shotokan schools, historical video's, current thoughts etc. My last was Inner to outer block - I was taught for years it came from the hip but everyone else does it from under arm. right/wrong doesn't matter, I can't describe how it feels to go from what you think is right to what you realise is correct. Then I've had to re-teach this to my 30 odd students and admit I was doing it wrong. There are plenty more examples. The latest is morote-uke, assisted/augmented "block". In its basic format it is pushing someone with both arms but has many more potential applications and guess what - doing it wrong.... I guess what I'm try to say is to firstly ensure you are passing on your art properly, don't just trust your Sensei, most are probably correct but worth checking. I can think of nothing worse than one of my students saying I am doing things differently to the majority of other schools, at every opportunity I try to pass on the many known small differences within our style but some are clearly wrong. If you haven't experienced this then you are lucky, if you have then please do your best to keep true to your style and not just pass on someone else's mistakes.

Very true to remember, the Sensei will show you the way but you must find your own way, it is annoying when someone says "this way, not that way", the best way is the one that works.

Keep running is the first option, not sure on what else is going on or who else is joining in. If not then keep calm, breath and evade. Take small hits but avoid getting damaged, either allow them to slow down or look for an opening. Effective blocking can deter them, like a raised elbow to a bicep muscle, or a forearm smash to their inner arms using the bony part of yours. You are also looking to disrupt them, attack their balance, try to get hold of something so you can move to their side and away from the punches. Another tactic is to strike vulnerable areas to cause maximum pain or move in. I've trained with karateka who come in all guns blazing, my favourite response is to grab and throw, once you disrupt their flow you need to follow up quick and then escape. Better to be aware so you can aviod it though.

Lots of extra benifits to training that just passing grades good news and stay young

No!!!!! Wait, walk, gentle exercise until its stronger and no pain. Go back and watch maybe or to say hi but not to train

Powerful punches can be made with the help of the hips, to use them fully they need firm footing, some punches start from the rear heel. Often in sparring you can get more speed in stepping in fast and sliding in, normally this will have the rear heel raised. in reality the feet should just do their best to position and support the technique, good to be more flexible to increase their range. To prove punches then hit something in all stances and variations, then more freely.

One of the bad side effects of MA.... Just because you see someone else doing something you don't have to copy. If you need to build strength then see a professional Gym trainer type person, or just keep training hard. You can get good enough injuries from Uraken and kicks without strapping weights on your limbs.

Some good points and perspectives that also enforce my stance on the subject. I think the odd special case is acceptible but below 3rd/4th kyu - i have a couple that have come to me from another style and a lower standard school, i intend to grade them this time based on their effort and will work on back filling their skills ready for the next grade, this they may have to skip but i wanted to boost their confidence. there is a lower grade who misses a few lessons, doesn't put in any effort, doesn't try to act on my corrections however i have tried to get them across, he is also found to be relaxing behind my back and often stares out the window - even if i've moved in front of him to demonstrate something. He's not the only one but is the worst, i don't see why i should promote anyone who trains like that. The rest are working their hearts out. funny how they become keen near a grading.... goes back to denying a grading to anyone that asks for it.

My old club very much slipped into auto grading people for just turning up for 3-4 months, other clubs nearby are similar. When I split from my old club and formed my own earlier this year I made a promise that this would be one thing that stopped, a few have been annoyed and a few more are now being stopped from grading due to lack of effort or skills. I don't want to upset people as they will generally just leave but I am now getting the full backing and respect from the rest of my students who are really pleased with this change. I will still have over 30 students grading next month but the general feeling is that they will feel they have earnt it. I think auto grading maybe fine for beginners to get them started but the standards must gradually be applied. I have a few around 4th/5th kyu who are lacking in a few things and are not listening or responding to guidance so won't be going any further until they tune in. I think auto gradings are a clear sign of a McDojo - what do you think?

I thought you were talking about an older age? You only mention people in their 30's to 50's.... this is not even middle age

Train harder.... in theory you should be able to train on ice and use muscle power and balance to keep you upright. I'm not quite ready to try this yet but i can stop a slip easily enough. maybe wear a t-shirt asking not to be attacked on slippery surfaces....

We opened last week and had a few so hopefully will get a few more tonight. I had most leaflets go out in the local paper, we also included an advert for a couple of weeks. Because of this the paper ran an article on us and put a write up and picture in the paper The boards that we placed around town ended up being a bit small and you could only read the top line from several meters away, I plan to replace the best placed one with a new board soon. I have gone online and placed a listing in all of the free advert sites and all of the Dojo locator type websites. I've updated our website with as many mentions of the keywords as possible like Karate Warminster, Warminster Martial Arts, Karate Warminster etc. One of the new students had trained before and said he would try to bring friends along as he was keen to get back into training and we are welled situated. Also handed out leaflets to all students to pass on to friends in the area. Thanks for your help and suggestions although not sure how a bag of chips can help....

Sorry for your loss.... I often remind myself that since I've starting instructing that I may be an influence to people, that number is now approaching 50 people so it carries a lot of weight when I stand out in front. Not only do we need to make sure our MA is pure, a good standard and worthy of being taught, we also need to ensure we conduct ourselves properly. The other side to this is that sometimes instructors prove that they are just human and can be swayed by greed, lust, power etc. If they are high up in peoples expectations then the sudden crash to ground level can be damaging, especially to younger minds. Other times it can be a slow realisation that the person you thought was brilliant is actually very nasty. Hopefully the good out number the bad by a lot and that the majority of people will have good life experiences from Instructors. It is sometimes being part of a larger family. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I found that using certain deodorants started to stain mine, in the UK there is a Glow-white type product to add to the wash which does a good job.

1. Character development and improvement(self control, patience, respect etc) Humility should be the primary influence for MAists. Self Control - some train and hit too hard. Patience - some want a Black belt tomorrow but can't be asked to work for it. Respect - has to be earnt both ways. Probably the worst scenario is like mine when you realise that "Sensei" is a money grabbing fraudster who has lost their skills over time and you have to then change your technique to fit the rest of the MA that you train. You have been mis-sold MA. 2. Unprovoked attacks or trivial fighting are wrong. Martial skills are a last resort response for self defense. It's okay to train hard and try your skills against others, so long as it's with willing training partners. Actually using these skills should be an absolute last resort! It's strange we train to fight hard and the harder we train the less likely we are to want to actually use the skills. Learning more about fighting should provoke the average person to not want to do it for real, however we train. There are no winners, you have the best win by being able to walk away without a punch being thrown, even better with the aggressor re-considering their actions....

There are no limits....

I would still say that it wasn't Shotokan that was to blame, the technique needs to be correct and also matched to your exact body shape etc. This is when some people get fixated on teaching exact feet position because that's what it is supposed to be - rather than checking the best scientific position or allowing for peoples different body shape etc. Once the legs are strong and the stances follow the move that you are doing rather than leading the move, then you can have a taller stance and find a more natural position. If you start late in life or already have injuries or problems then I see no problem in adjusting stances to fit the person.

Learn from it and move on. Not a problem, just part of the learning experience. You will soon be skilled enough to pull that punch to within a cm of the target, even if they are moving towards you. I have punched someone in the throat because they moved after I launched it, I also elbowed someone in the jaw and chipped their tooth. We all expect the odd knock, so long as it wasn't done with intention then you are okay. Turn up next week and apologise again to the opponent and maybe speak with your Sensei to clear the air, he will be fine with it. Then get back into training, the next time you spar aim more for the body....

I used to run a lot to keep the cardio up, running on hard surfaces is no good for knees, although some people seem to keep it up. I also found that bad technique was adding to the problem, not twisting the supporting leg during certain kicks meant that a certain amount of twist occurred in the knee. The other bad habit is flicking the lower leg out too fast during front kick, similar to getting elbow problems when flicking the forearm out in Uraken (back fist). A change to technique is the best advise

That's pretty much where I am with my club, £10 a year fee including insurance, £4 per session, 2nd and 3rd sessions in the same week half price and then free, all pay as you train so long as it covers the hall hire. Gradings are more frequent and currently £18 but will scale them back if profit builds up. The only reason I see to do a contract from a club owners view is to ensure there is money available to pay the rent, if a lot of people suddenly stop paying then you have the option of cancelling the halls so you aren't out of pocket. If you are worried too much about your students not turning up regularly then you need to ensure you are giving them a quality product. I might sign a contract on my home electricity bill but that is something I will need, I doubt if I would sign up for anything like a hobby, there is normally someone that will do it without a contract. Money and Karate (MA) is a bad mix. I'm lucky that I recently had my wife start, she also helps run the club and now collects the money, I like it that the students don't always associate me with money as they don't hand it to me anymore, may sound odd but I like that it's Karate that binds us together each week and not cash.

Keep training and research anything that looks interesting, be wary about trying to learn too much, it is better to learn 2 things really well than 5 things to an "okay" standard. It should be your choice to grade, maybe speak with your Sensei and say you are uncomfortable about skipping grades or ask to only go up 1 grade. I have someone who was 1 grade ahead of someone in another club, recently they realised that person is now 1 ahead, it's not a race! The standard will be much better for those that take their time in EVERY grade and they will make much better MAists.

Normally between 10 and 20 to 1. More than 20 makes it harder to manage and to have any quality time with all of the students, or they spend too much time waiting around. I have 2 assistant instructors but one is on the run up to black belt and the other is busy with exams (my son), when they are available we can split some of the session into smaller workshops which is brilliant. One of the problems is when you are teaching senior grades you also want your assistant instructors receiving that training rather than being at the other end of the hall teaching. Some of the best sessions I give is where there are only a handful of students but this doesn't cover the hire of the hall... I'm hoping that in a couple of years time I will have a lot more seniors as our club matures.