shinobitribe

When I practice myself, I prefer to do the kata' in ju hop ( very slow) manner. This helps me focus on the finer details like form, stance, breathing, visualisation and other things that are sometimes overlooked when doing the kata at full speed.

Tai sabaki refers to body management. This includes the body positioning and evasion. Personally I used to struggle with it in the beginning but with constant practice it becomes second nature and will improve your skills tremendously.. Refer to the basics of tai sabaki used in goju, ashihara karate and aikido to some extent...

I guess it mainly depends on the location and people. We speak English at the dojo as it is the commonly spoken language at our dojo (people of many nationalities train as our dojo is near a university). However, we still use Japanese terminology. The main advantage according to our Sensei is that if someone wanted to train in Japan or if one of the senior instructors from Japan came down for a seminar we would still be able to follow what is going on. Our Sensei has trained in Japan multiple times and even though he hardly knows any Japanese, he was still able to follow due to his knowledge of Japanese terminology. Personally, I think it is good to have a mixture of both. English or the local language is good for understanding properly and Japanese ,as you learn bits of a new language and its a way of honouring our roots and traditions.

I believe too much of anything is not good.... Physically and mentally... you need to compartmentalise yourself, so that you attend to all the responsibilities that you have. For a student... study, family and friends, karate... Adult: work, family and friends , karate etc.... There needs to be a healthy balance of all..... overdose of karate is also not a good thing due to chances of injury and your mind needs time to assimilate what you have learnt.... Karate training does not have to be all physical... I am sure many others do something similar . On my way to work (which is about a 50 min commute one way), I try to recall what training I did the previous day or try to visualise a kata or think about what attack and defence would I do in different situations etc... There are other ways you can practice karate outside the dojo...... For eg Sometimes if the train is crowded I might even stand in a corner ,in sanchin dachi or heika dachi ( in a non- conspicuous way of course lol ) and see how I can balance myself without holding any support... or try to use tai sabaki to avoid fellow commuters in a jam-packed train station etc...

We have 3 formal sessions every week. Each session lasts for about 3 hours. We start off with 30 mins of stretching. This is followed by one hour of kihon and techniques that are based on a specific theme for that day eg tai sabaki, block and counter, hikate etc. We do 3 sets of 10 push ups, 30 sits up and 15 squats during the kihon. This is followed by kata for 30 mins. The remainder is devoted to semi- contact, awase sparring and some cooling down exercises. The pace is pretty easy and everyone can train at their own pace so it is not too taxing on anyone. I also try to do 2 days of cardio and weights by myself. I would highly recommended the Nike Club training app for Iphone users. Even though it is supposed to be for women, some of the workouts are very good as there is a mixture of cardio and plyometric exercises and each session is about 15 mins but i find they are more effective than 45 mins at the gym. Try the cardio killer and ab workout. They seem to be helping me out a lot with my speed and stamina.

I dont know about other styles of karate but Sanchin and Tensho katas, I guess would be the closest that karate would come to tai chi and other internal forms. The focus and concentration on breathing and power generation to keep the body tensed throughtout the kata is done focusing on your hara , tanden or centre. Most of the old masters used to also practice ikibuki form of breathing.

Meditation does not limit to the conventional sitting in seiza and closing your eyes. Meditation is a state of mind that can be achieved by clearing your mind and being focused on a single objective and this can be achieved through any activity. Meditation helps to clear distractions and focus on the task at hand. Have you ever been so engrossed in something that nothing distracted you, forgot everything else and focused on that one thing. Meditation is a state of mind and has no religion.... whatever religion you follow, praying is a form of meditation...

I recommend on wearing a cup all the time. But it all depends on whether your dojo allows groin kicks, the intensity of sparring and the level of proficiency.At my dojo we wear cups all the time. In my friends dojo,few guys with black belts and above don't wear cups as they think that wearing a cup makes you complacent. Another reason is that they have trained with their fellow black belts for years and they have established a level of trust where they know that their opponent will have sufficient control. It all depends on you and your dojo at the end of the day..

Hi guys, I was wondering if anyone else goes through this... I find it very hard to fall asleep on the days that I don't train as I am not tired, sore, stiff, bruised, hurt, sprained etc.. ( other than not training, my day is exactly the same like any other day ie go to work, walk the same distance etc.).... I have tried reading and other things but they don't seem to work. It seems like my body has got used to a certain level of fatigue before it can shut down. Does anyone else experience this and any suggestions? Thanks

Just start training and the fitness will come automatically. Just make sure that you find a good club.

I train 4 times a week, with each session lasting for about 3 hrs minimum.

Hi, We pay 10$ per session and we usually train for 3 hours per session and about 4 times a week. So its usually about 160$ a month but that is still cheap compared to other dojo's with regards to timing and quality in Sydney.

hahah well said justicezero... Maybe I did not put it across well. I did not want to fight that guy. I was more interested in knowing whether my thought process while walking away was correct? I am trying to analyse ... why did I walk away? Did I walk away because I was scared and too weak to stand up to him or did I walk away knowing that I could have kicked that guys backside but I did not because that is not how the world conducts itself esp a martial artist? Did I walk away intimidated or did I take the higher road? All the people say, when in such situations (trivial I know) or life threatening ones, its better to walk away. But what I want to know is when they walk away what do they feel?? are they scared or are they calm, collected (in a zen like state) and not let anything affect them?

Tht I should share this . I stepped out of office to grab lunch 30 mins ago, when out of the blue, a guy sitting on some steps racially abused me and started laughing with his mate. I wanted to say something back but I was too shocked initially. I knew he was looking for a confrontation. Angry after the initial shock, I wanted to say something but I kept quiet and walked away as I did not want to fight. Is this weakness (cowardice) or strength? I don't know what to make of my behaviour as I have always read on this forum that walking away is what a martial artist does.... But does it matter how you walk away ?? ie scared or in control of yourself knowing you can kick that man's butt but did not want to..... Note: In case of a fight, I would have taken him easily as it looked like he had never hit the gym in his life but I was too scared to say anything or provoke him. Did I walk away intimidated or did I take the higher road? All the people say, when in such situations (trivial I know) or life threatening ones, its better to walk away. But what I want to know is when they walk away what do they feel?? are they scared or are they calm, collected (in a zen like state) and not let anything affect them? Would appreciate input from all the masters on this forum. Thanks

Old school hard wood.

This was hilarious while being shocking at the same time. I feel bad for the countless naive people who have put their faith in this guy. I hope no one has had to use " The Tsunami " in real life. Does that guy have no sense of accountability? But this video made me appreciate my shihan and sensei even more..

For anyone interested in knowing more about Junbi Undo( Preparatory exercises) and Hojo Undo ( Conditioning exercises) read a book called The Art of Hojo Undo: Power Training for Traditional Karate by Michael Clarke. It is a very good book that explains the reasons behind each tool and associated exercises. The author has even given instructions to make your own tools or some alternatives eg Nigari Game - heavy jars used for finger strengthening. The author has shown dojos where they use old electrical heavy conductors which weigh the same and are similar to the jars. There is a sample on Amazon that you can read. Lastly, traditional karate conditioning should be a mixture of both isometric(eg lifting weights at certain angles eg bench press to increase strength and size of a particular muscle group) and plyometric ( where certain exercises eg burpees, box jumps where a muscle is loaded and then contracted in rapid sequence, use the strength, elasticity and innervation of muscle and surrounding tissues to develop explosive power and speed.

Hey MasterPain, Did you receive the link to the movie. I PM'ed you but there seems to be some issue on my end.

Hi guys, I saw a wonderful short film titled Karate Man which features Sensei Eihachi Ota. The film is brilliantly made and has a Quentin Tarantino feel to it but at the same time has a wonderful message about sticking to your roots and not getting carried away by the modern day crap. It was wonderful to hear Sensei Ota speak so passionately. Has anyone else seen it ? what are your thoughts? any similar movies that you guys might recommend ? For those that have not seen it, watch it. It is posted on Youtube.

1: Be more relaxed while training and sparring 2: Get better focus in techniques 3: Become stronger mentally and physically

I agree 100%....

Hi Tony, Such injuries to the feet are quite common in impact sports such as karate,sprinting etc where there is sudden burst or twisting. Injuries such as your or to the base of the heel(plantar fascia) or ankle/heel (achilles tendonitis). At present, I am suffering from a injury similar to yours and have not been training strenuously for the last 6 weeks. The important thing is R.I.C.E ) (Rest, Ice, Compress and Elevate). Do some stretching exercises that will loosen not only your foot but ankles and calves. One more thing that was advised to me was to to fill a plastic bottle, freeze it and then to roll it with your foot while applying suitable pressure to the bottle with the foot as it rolls back and forth. It is helping me a fair bit along with the stretching. I was also advised to take vitamin D and calcium. Ask your healthcare professional if its suitable for you.

Welcome, I totally relate to what you have posted. One year ago, I was in the same position as you are in. I was smoking and drinking heavily( last few semesters of college:) ). I used break into a sweat just from the stretching. I was 20lbs overweight and struggled to get through a single class and thought why was I doing this. But one year hence, I can say that this was the best decision in my life and I can never dream of going back to how I was. The key to it is perseverance, there will be days when you will not feel like going or your too stiff or had a bad day at work, but just go for the class. After just 8 weeks ,you will notice the difference. Stick to it and in one year maybe you will be saying the same thing to someone else. Keep us updated on your progress. All the best.....

Welcome back to karate... There are posts on this in the health,fitness and training section and strategy and tactics section. If you refer to those that will save you the time of waiting for someone's reply..... If I find that relevant post I will paste the link in this thread....

Goju Kai. Japanese i know but I though I might find a few fellow practioners...