Joppe

Another update: I passed 7 kyu yesterday. Great experience. The training is getting more and more demanding, but at the same time the grading feels more awarding. Just like last time I had some small problems with the kihon, but I felt good about the Kata and Kumite. Time to buy a new belt The training is going really well. Since I started this thread in the forum (almost a year ago), I have lost 40 lbs. Last week I finished a 10K run under 60 minutes. My wife tells me I have become more relaxed and happier since I started Karate. My life has really changed. Thanks again for the all the help and guidance!

I had my first grading last friday. Shotokan. It went well. I graded from 10 kyo to 8 kyo. I was nervous and made some small mistakes in the beginning of the kihon test (mostly because the nervousness) but the kata and kumite went great. I got good fedback. I need to improve on the kombination of relaxing and kime. Relax when I should relax, and use power when I should use power. I tend to be too tense in the body all the time It was a good experience and I learned much

Thanks for all your advice I had my first grading last friday. It went well. I graded from 10 kyo to 8 kyo. I was nervous and made some small mistakes in the beginning of the kihon test (mostly because the nervousness) but the kata and kumite went great. I got good fedback. I need to improve on the kombination of relaxing and kime. Relax when I should relax, and use power when I should use power. I tend to be too tense in the body all the time It was a good experience and I learned much

I dont have the knowledge to join a discussion about how mixed the history of MA is. Most of my life I have shared to public opinion about MA: Karate is kicking and striking. Judo is throwing. TKD is spinning and jumping around. Escrima is beating on eachoter with sticks etc. After starting MA in a relatively high age (late 30s) I now can see that all MA have a mixture of pretty much everything. But I must say I agree with the first post in this tread. There are many cashing easy money on selling 'MMA-classes' that do not have anything to do with what most think when they hear the word 'MMA' (most probably think of UFC). Let me tell you a story After I started JKA Shotokan I wanted to crosstrain another form for MA to boost my cardio, loose weight and learn som groundwork. And I didn't want it to mess up my karateskills (remember I'm still new to the karate). After some research I decided to try some 'MMA'. MMA as the sport you see in UFC. The fitnesscenter I'm already a member of, started a new class that they called 'MMA-Training'. Lots of adds, banners and such to promote the new class. They used stock pictures of fighters in octagons. I even think they ued a old picture of George St. Pierre. It was perfect for me. I was a member og the center so I could take the class for free. I went there early the first day the class was going to start. I was standing there waiting, and with me were 5-6 'UFC-fans' waiting in their brand new Hayabusa Rashguards and Bad Boy Fightshorts. And then there were tons of young fit women that wanted to try it out. The trainer showed up and it was a woman in er early 20s in fitness clothes. The room was big, woodfloors, nice and fresh with open windows. The class started with some stepup excersizes to the tunes of Kate Perry and Britney Spears. We were handed fitness-gloves and it was time for 'shadow boxing'. No heavybags or sparring because it was considered dangerous. Lots of the moves reminded me of how I dance after a few drinks at a bar. Needless to say, the UFC-fans left the class early. I endured to the end (mostly because of the good looking company). But I havn't been there since that time. Last I heard they are talking about changing the name of the class to 'Combat-Zumba'.... The week later I went to my daughters BJJ club. The club also has 'MMA-classes' so I thought I'd try that out. I found the part of the building were thy had MMA. The walls - the whole place - smelled of sweat and tigerbalm. The beginner class was pretty basic. Strike combinations, kicks, and some basic takedowns. Full contact sparring with gloves and shinguards. Lots of cardio and strengthtraining. I honestly puked of exhaustion after the class, and my body was bruised all over. I come back every week and love it. Both this classes can call their training 'MMA'. But there is a huge difference in what the classes teach.

Find a MMA club that lets you use your karate for striking and learn Submission wrestling/bjj in the same class.

My main focus is on Shotokan. I wanted to train karate with traditions, focus on control of body and mind, and train in a dojo with good instructors and a good enviroment. A Shotokan club in my city could give me all that. To help me get in better shape, loose weight I also train MMA. A main reason I decided to train mma and not other sports to get in shape, was because my daughter trains BJJ in a club that has MMA classes at the same time as the kids bjj class. I already was driving her to every class, waiting 1½ hour for her to finish and then driving home. I mind as well could use the waiting time getting in shape

I am new to MA. Started training karate last christmas. I was in a pretty bad shape and needed to improve my conditioning and loose weight. My karate classes helped, but far from enough, so I started to run 30 min twice a week to get in better shape and to be able to focus more during karate training. Running helped a lot, but to be honest I think running is extremely boring. And for me boring is demotivating. Now I only run 5km once a week. But now I also take a MMA class once a week and that is great cardio work for me.

Update 2 weeks until my first grading. I feel good about it. More excited than nervous, but I'm sure the nerves will come the closer I get to the date. I have the curiculum and know what is expected from me. I feel pretty confident for most of the curiculum but some things I am struggling with. The hardest is keage moving in kiba-dachi (I am struggling getting control of the left leg/hip and keeping the stance low while kicking). I only have classes twice a week, so 5 months of training before grading has been perfect. But with only two classes a week, I've had trouble reaching a decent level of conditioning (and loosing weight) to feel good about the karate training. My karate training twice a week has not been enough to gain the conditioning I need. Maybe it will change further on in the future. To help me get in shape faster I have taken a mma class and doing some running and heavybag workout every week. It has been great and boosted my conditioning so that I am more focused during the karate class. Now I am really looking forward to the grading and to show the senseis what I have learned.

There are many types of gloves out there and it all comes down to what you will use them for. I do not know the brand of your gloves, but using google it seems that the gloves are 4 oz. mma gloves. The good thing about mma gloves is that the it gives some protection to the hand and at the same times gives the hands and fingers so much freedom that one can do grappling with them on. I train karate and mma, and do heavybag workout, sparring (both karate and mma) and the gloves I use depends on what training I do. No gloves: Karate kihon, kata and no/light contact sparring. I also skip the gloves when training karate striking/punching on a heavybag, since I focus on form and not power/condition. I dont use gloves when I do submission wrestling and floor work in mma training. 7 oz. MMA Hybrid Gloves: MMA sparring involving striking, clinch and floorwork. Karate sparring with medium/heavy contact. ( I cant stand the WKF blue/red gloves. Totally trash) Light heavybag workout. HIIT involving heavybag, pushups, coretraining etc. When training mma and on the heavybag i use the gloves with handwraps. When training karate I dont use handwraps 16 oz. Boxing gloves: MMA training and mma sparring only involving striking. Heavy bag workout focusing on strenght and conditioning. Always with handwraps. I have not yet needed a pair of 4 oz mma gloves. I have been tempted to buy them because they look good But I dont need them. My suggestion is that you find out what type of gloves you really need, and then go buy the best quality gloves you can find.

I live in nortern europe. I have found a great Shotokan karate club and looking forward to practicing there for many years to come. I still have interest in weapon training, but I'm sure I can combine the karate with weapons when the time is right (no hurry for me). Gradings are twice a year for adults, and my focus is to be good enough for the sensei to ask me to grade when the grading date comes. Asking for grading is a no go here, and saying no to grade if the sensei asks you is considered unpolite.

I don't know how long a self defence situation is going to last. But I do know how long my karate-class is going to last. And to be able to keep focus and intensity through the whole class, I need to have a good level of endurance

It is Shotokan (JKA) with a very traditional approach in the lower grades, and more sport oriented in the higher. Serious when it should be, relaxed when it can be. Great group of instructors ranging from shodan to godan, and the adult classes has a great variation in the age of the students (I am 37 and far from the youngest beginner). The dojo has lots of social activities besides training , so it is really easy to feel welcome and a part of the dojo right away (very motivating those days when dragging oneself to the dojo seems like a heavy task). In few words it is serious, traditional, competitive and very social.

You should be aware that legitimate martial arts, being mostly just hard work, tend to not be money makers like those selling "false dreams of grandeur" and the facilities generally indicate that kind of limited budget. As far as people with tribal tattoos, while I personally don't care for them, sometimes the kind of person who is going to fully devote himself to something like martial arts training is also the kind of person who isn't afraid to make permanent decisions like getting a tattoo. I must say that your last couple posts here, have been great in demotivating me and make me feel like I'm not good enough or not 'worthy' to train MA. I don't see my demands and wishes, as beeing lazy or not committed. I want quality and I'm not interested in getting all motivated to commit to MA, just to be knocked down by a lousy run dojo or an instructor that thinks he is god because he has a black belt. I have been there, done that, and not interested in doing it again. I have found a great club now. I club and an instructor that meet all my demands and even makes me aware of all the important things I have never considered. When it comes to tattoos, I dont mind them at all. I have both my arms and one leg sleeved in irezumi-style tattoos. What I dont like is stepping in to a dojo and feel like I have stepped in to a episode of 'Sons of Anarchy'

No. The club where I do my training, doesn't require exclusive gear. Actually the opposite. It recomends that we find gear that fits our personal demands and taste. I found it frustrating when I started my karatejourney. I had no clue what gear to get. Just buying a gi was an adventure, and I ended up buying a terrible beginners-gi because I had no clue what to look for. On the other hand I am glad to have that freedom now when I know a little bit more about what suits me. With time my demands and taste will probably change, and not being required to wear specific brands or gear is great. We are adviced to get gear and equipment that can be used at competitions. Just so we dont need to get new gear if we want to compete. That narrows the choices, but still gives a lot of freedom. When new students begin, the club is not strict about them getting 'correct' gear right away. If a student has been training TKD before he started karate, it's fine that he uses his TKD v-neck the first couple of weeks/months. If the student enjoys the karate, he will buy a karategi. No need to stress him. The same with students that never have trained MA before. Gym pants and tshirt is fine until the first grading. We have a student that trains karate to improve his mma-skills, He uses hybrid mma-gloves (7oz) in the kumite class. No problem there. The weigt of the gloves are about the same as the 'official' heavy karategloves. The big difference is probably that his gloves have a high quality that no karategloves can match. But when it comes to gradings and competitions, the rules for 'proper' karategear is inforced.

The teacher is more important than anything else. As mentioned above, my daughter started training BJJ last year (she is 5 years old) and the trainer was great in teaching skills in a fun way. A lot of fun games involving transitions and take downs. The kids viewed it as fun games, and learned things in a fun way. Now they have a new teacher. No more fun games of 'how fast can you go from full mount to sidecontrol' or 'catch the snake' (the arm is a snake and catching it is done with an armbar). Now it's all about rare naked chokes, triangles and a much more combative approach to the training. Everything is very serious. Needless to say, my 5 year old daughter is not feeling secure about it and the happiness in training is falling pretty quickly.

Time for an update... Two months has gone since I started. Still love it and still very motivated My view on training karate has change alot in these two months. First of all, it is much tougher than I expected (or maybe I was in a lot worse shape than I thought I was). Training is hard, I really have to push myself to be able to keep up in the cardio and strength exercises. But it is getting easier for every class. Kihon is working fine. Stances are the hardest, and being 6'4'' doesn't make it easier. Kumite is fun. A lot more contact than I expected, but that is good. I learn the importance of a block faster with the threat of getting a fist in my face Kata is my favorite. Tough, demands a lot of concentration, but is also meditative for me. My first grading is coming up next month. I feel good abut it. I still have tons of work to do, but I feel that I will do good as long as I keep up with the class and do my best. In the beginning my knees were constantly tired and aching. I was worried that they were taking to much pressure and that karate was a bad idea. But after some extra leg workout in the weekends, and I guess with time, they don't bother my any more. As you can read in the tread, I was concerned a lot about grading when I started out. But now when I know when the grading are, and I know what will be demanded from me, grading is not important for me. Getting lower in my stances is important. Getting in better shape is important. Improving my Heian Shodan is important. I'm glad I started my karate journey and I would like to thank everyone here for helping me out.

Shotokan White Yellow Orange Green (1,2) Purple (1,2) Brown (1,2,3) Black

Time for an update. I picked the three dojos that gave me the best impression and tried the free trial class in all three of them (I didn't know my hamstring could get so sore so fast ) The styles were Gojo-ryu, Shotokan and Kyokushin I talked to the sensai/sempai at the different dojos, and they were great answering all my questions. I liked all of the styles, even though kyokushin was a little bit too phisychal for my taste. After lots of thinking and consideration I decided to go with the Shotokan Dojo. The main reason was the great impression I got from the sempai, and that I felt immediately welcomed by the others in the class. Now I have been to a couple of classes, and I love it. Great dojo, great sempai and I look forward to every class. Now I need to buy a Gi and wear my wite belt with pride. Thanks for all the input. It has been really helpfull.

Those tenets do exist, or they should. So, you'll be seeing, feeling, and learning those things in a quality dojo. That should be found in a quality dojo. It shouldn't be forced, but expected from ALL, instructor(s) and students alike. EFFECTIVE!! That's what you should be looking for. Is, what you're learning, effective? If not, RUN!! The idea is to not be in a fight, but if it happens, hopefully you'll have enough to apply it effectively. Can I be honest? You might not like this. This, and this alone would not allow me to accept you as a student. Why? You will grade when it's appropriate, not sooner. We conduct testing cycles every quarter, but, you have to be invited by myself. If you want to test at the Hombu, same thing, you have to be invited. However, your request must first be approved, and then, and only then will you possible receive an invitation. A request doesn't guarantee an invite to test. With both, you have to first turn in your request for testing with myself, if you're at my dojo, or with the Hombu if you want to test there. But at the Hombu, that testing cycle is once a year, but every quarter for those who call the Hombu their home dojo. In that, rank isn't important! Knowledge is!! In that, Effective applied knowledge is tantamount!! Please, don't worry about when you can test, but worry about what knowledge you are gaining. I'm not there to motivate students through testing grades because not all pass, and our fail rate is high. Why? Because we're extremely, well, stubborn in that area. Our expectations are high, and not because we want to be, it's because we have to. Our students expect that, and they want it no other way!! Let the testing cycles happen whenever they happen, and when they do, let the testing cycle take care of itself. Train hard, and train well!! Oh yeah...you'll get in shape because you'll be challenged each and everyday at the dojo. Hang in there, visit as many schools of the MA that you can. When you find one you like, visit it a ton of times for all ranks and ages to get the feel of the entire dojo. Ask for a trail-lesson as well. You'll be fine!! Thanks for a great post and good answers. I think you might have misunderstood my thoughts about grading. I see grading as something connected to skill. Skill is not acquired automatically by time, but by effort. Different students put different amount of effort in their training, and thus the grading should take different amount of time. The requirements should be high, but if the student can reach the requirements, I think he should be graded in a fair way, be proud of his achievement and motivated to continue on the path. What I don't want, is a view that grading should be exclusive and exotic. In my old Aikodo dojo, skill was not enough for a grading. The dojo wanted an 'image' of the dojo as one that "did not give out grades easily". Students that were highly skilled, were not graded, because the dojo wanted to uphold this image. 2-3 years to grade from 10-9 kyu to uphold the dojo's image, killed my motivation. I have spent most of my adult life at a university. Both as a student and a professor. I tend to see MA grading in the same light as academic grading. I don't give Bachelor or master degrees to students just because the have enrolled in the university or have spent a certain amount of time as students. They have to reach the requirements. For some it takes a few years, for others decades. But when the can perform at the required level, I don't hesitate in giving them the degree they deserve.

My daughter is 5 and she has been doing bjj for the last 6 months. She loves it.

Thanks for the input Harkon. I have been looking into the different clubs in the city, and visited a few of them yesterday nad today. I was surprised that most of them seemed 'dodgy' (old warehouses and people with a little too many tribal tattoos kind of club). But I found some that left a good impression. When it comes down to the clubs and the atmosphere, my options are shotokan and Gyu-ryu. Maybe I should just take the free beginners classes both places, and see what I like the most.

I have been lurking in the forum for a while, and finding many post very helpful. Hopefully I can get some good feedback and answers to my situation. I have always been interested in MA, and have always had a wish to reach a level in a MA where I master the basics and the training becomes a integrated part of my life. Now I have decided to really do something about my dreams. I'm not getting younger (36 now) and I'm not getting in good shape (now 6'4" and 240lbs) by just dreaming. Now is the time for action. 15 years ago I started training Aikido. I loved it. Expecially the fokus on the mind. Finding peace and calmness in your mind, at the same time as getting in shape, is exactly what I want. The dojo had gradings once a year. I worked hard and was looking forward to being tested and beeing recognized for what I had learned. Two months before the grading, I got sick (bad flu combined with asthma) and had to take a break for 3 weaks. After the break I was motivated and working even harder to reach my first goal. A week before the grading, my sensai told me that my 3 week pause, disqualifid me for the grading, and that I should take a break and start with the new beginners the following year. I felt like 1 years of hard training 2-3 days a week, was a waste and I quit. My dreams of MA were gone. I felt disrespected and treated like dirt. Some years later the dream of MA returned. This time I went to a Iado/Kendo dojo and got my motivation back. It was a great MA, but just as my motivation came back and my dream was alive, the dojo closed down because of bad leadership and economical problems. Once again I felt like running into a wall. Was I not meant to train MA? Why a setback everytime I wanted to make a drem come true? Well, years have gone by. A wife and a kid is now in the picture, and they have taken all my time and money, but now my dream om MA has returned. Investigating the different MA styles in my city, I have decided that karate is what I want, But it is a big city, and tons of dojos fokusing on just as many different styles of karate. I try to read everything I can, but I am still confused about what style that would fit me. What I am looking for is: *A style focused on the power of the mind as much as the power of the fist. Calmness, selfcontrol and security means more to me, than beeing able to beat people up in a different ways. *I value tradition and respect, and expect that to be a natural part of the training. * It does not have to be realistic. I have not needed streetfighting skills for my first 36 years, I doubt I will need it in the future. I am not the guy that gets in fights. *Grading should be a natural part of the learning process. I dont see gradings and belts as something exclusive, where every single grading should take years to achieve. In other words - rather many gradings in the beginning to keep the motivation up, and fewer and more demanding the more experienced I get. * A good way to get in shape (I know food means more than excersize, but it would be great if the training could help getting me in shape). So all you karateexperts out there. What style will you recommend? Shotokan? Kyokushin? Goju-ryu or something completely else?