JohnnyB

gratz!

In last week's karate seminar i attended we did three, 1.5hour long training sessions. Sat morning-Sat evening-Sun morning and to get through the whole seminar i was taking 2x Energy Inducing pills (DymaBurn from Dymatize) before each session to help me keep my focus and energy up. I ended up feeling exhausted for the following 2-3 days after but the big grin on my face and calmness of mind i obtained was priceless. To summarize, the body needs its time to recover as mentioned above and too much Karate can be beneficial but only on rare occasions such as this.

Like u said we need calluses to protect our feet from blisters when there's lots of heat and friction involved. On a sidenote, having hardened feet soles would help your leg hit harder than a softened feet sole in the same manner a bare hand hits harder than a gloved one. There is no soft cushion in between.

Depends on the day I guess. Sometimes hard sometimes normal session that usually last 1 or 1.5 hours maximum. The blackbelts class is definitely harder than mine though and there is also a special competition blackbelt class for even more punishment that only the fit BBs attend..!

Good morning guys, I just came back from the seminar and wanted to share my experience. The seminar was a huge success with more than 60 karatekas attending. We had 4 sensei instructing in split groups and in those 2 days we did 3x1.5hour sessions and Dan examination after. Sensei Toshio Yamada 8dan was amazing and I feel honoured to have trained with him. I was amazed by his excellence in technique but most of all the fact he favoured true karate in spite of sports karate. He taught my class lots of kihon that included enpi techniques and some basic kumite drills. Summer break is on now and my dojo will open again in September so I have to do some home training to keep my skills honed.

No time limit on my Dojo either. Our sensei doesn't encourage or discourage anyone attempting to grade. Its really up to Karatekas to decide if we are ready. And since there is a hefty grading fee included you should really be confident in your skills before signing up cuz past 5th Kyu grades many people fail as i have witnessed..!

I don't see it as a punishment. Its also a relaxing exercise for the person that is full of anxiety cuz of work/kids/problems you name it. Karate like many martial arts requires you to be relaxed before attempting techniques so by doing some good efficient exercise like press ups (or push ups as we call them) is always correcting your 'attitude' in a positive manner imho.

Then I'll be wearing my previous kyu belt until everyone else does get their new ones. My dojo orders belts from a particular brand that I don't like the quality so I buy the adidas series belts to match my gi.

30th June and 1st July I'll be attending my first ever seminar hosted by SKIF Greece in Ksylokastro of Corinth (if anyone is nearby and willing!) at the town's enclosed gym and the instructors will be: Sensei Toshio Yamada 8 dan (student of Shihan Kanazawa) Sensei Nikitas Zarouchliotis 7 dan (my Sensei) Sensei Keyvan Ghazi 7 dan The seminar will include Dan gradings for Black Belts in the end of Sunday's training. I look forward to see this for the first time. Any advice you'd like to give? (The cost of the seminar is 50 euro)

I have a question regarding etiquette. Recently we had grading exams and as usual our Sensei is posting the results online in the dojo website for everyone to see if they passed or got a Kari. After this everyone usually waits for their new belt to be ordered by the dojo and until then (about 1 week..) they wear their previous belt. Myself not wanting to wait I go ahead and buy my own belt from a different shop and wear it in our next class when all others still wearing their previous belt. Do you think its arrogant of me acting like this? I don't do it to feel superior or anything I just feel I should wear it and signify my rite to learn the new kata and techniques in our curriculum that I so eagerly wait for.

Sorry that u see it that way. For me Karate is like a heavenly break from the anxiety of real life and i look forward to every lesson. It's that 1-1.5hour of quality time that i crave for. The calmness i get from this is priceless. Imho u should find things to motivate you towards your martial art. Be it fear of getting beat-up, be it inspirational music, be it fitness there are so many reasons that can take you to the dojo. If you are that serious of quitting why not make a list of all the things u like & dislike about Karate and then decide. Besides, there is no rush, everyone needs 'his own time frame' to make progress. Just enjoy the ride.

Enjoy your examination. Practice your techniques enough so that you are confident and leave anxiety out the door! I loved the orange belt those 3 months I had it. Its the first 'darkened' colour that sets u apart from the white-yellow belt colours.

It wasn't a hard examination for the 6th Kyu to be honest and I wasn't anxious at all this time. I scored higher than average on kihon, kata and kumite. I could do better but I guess I'm out of shape since I don't extra gym workouts for my legs since my gym is temporary closed. I'll do better next exam. Time to learn yoko geri kekomi now!

Only my dojo is using a Kari system for the people that don't fully qualify for advancement in rank? Definition: Kari is like a B rank for the people that their skills need improving until they fully qualify for their rank. They are tested again in the next grading where they also get tested for the next ranking if they pass the previous Kari induced test.

We have a system that if u don't rate high enough to pass in 1 of the 3 tests (Kata, Kihon, Kumite) u receive a Kari and u are to be tested again in the test u failed in the next grading. (-20 euro per Kari) However you get your next belt despite the Kari but i don't suppose they let u get another belt after that until u rate enough to pass the previously failed test. Tomorrow is my 6th Kyu grading so i will check up on the guys and let u know.

mika zuki and fumikomi leg blocks not good enough to counter thigh kicks?

Originally its from the band named Hooters and their famous song JohnnyB that constantly reminds me that there is always something new to discover everyday. Moreover i used this nickname on many of my online avatars in mmorpgs of my sinful non-workout past.

I was thinking about getting a decorated Yin Yang tattoo on my top back to resemble the balance Karate brought to my life. On second thought the balance i enjoy through my Martial Arts experience is always within me when i need it so i don't really have to ink it on my body (apart from aesthetics). I would say its best for your actions to define your saying than the saying define yourself.

Most of us beginners are struggling with the same issue. It's not technique related but a flexibility issue that takes time to develop to a sufficient level and is different for everyone. Don't rush it and take your time but never forget to dedicate time in streching properly before AND after training. myself included!

How many times per week would u think is sufficient? I am attending 2 or 3 classes per week and we do streches there but we do them in a rush (~10mins) cause time is limited and in half of those classes we don't do post streching after the end of training again cause of limited time. On rare occations i do some streching at home but not on a regular basis. I guess i need to put more concentration there.

wow i did not know there was corrective surgery for hips too. I kinda have a similar pain when doing side kicks but i'm under the impression that its flexibility related since the muscles are not used to so much streching so i keep doing static and dynamic streches until it improves. I started Karate last November, its June now and i still can't raise my leg head high when side kicking. Should give it more time?

and eat some!

Pre-pivoting your support leg before kicks actually helps a lot when training in sticky terrains. (again thanks to MasterPain for the advice) I tried it in my last 2 training sessions with positive outcome. However I need my feet conditioned and hardened since they are still softlike underneath. Walking bare footed in rough surfaces for some time will get me there I reckon.

u need more puzzle mats in your dojo! excellent performance keep it up!

usually 3 times a week if my work schedule permits it. If not i try my best for at least 2.