Canadian77

Not to stereotype, but from personal experience, I've never met a Canadian I didn't like. I'd move but I like a little warmth on occasion and all my family is here. For someone who lives in rural Central Illinois and rarely goes anywhere, I've met a lot of Canadians. I used to build grain dryers for GSI, who had many customers from Canada. Or maybe I just like farmers. Lol! Well if you're going to stereotype, I don't mind that one! We have our share of jerks in the country, but lots of us are pretty friendly. Farmers are pretty nice people for the most part too, though. But in my experience, martial artists tend to be very nice as well.

Thank you!

I wonder if any of you have heard of this. Our sensei let us try a new weapon last night. It's kind of like a bo and nunchaku mixed in a way. Picture nunchaku but where one end is much longer so that the total length is about the length of a bo. He just showed us a few basics with it. It was fun, although I had to be very careful not to whack myself in the head! Lol. It was heavier than a bo, but the movements were somewhat similar, with some figure-8s to make use of the short end. (That was where the head-whacking-danger came into play.) Anyway, has anyone heard of it? I can't remember what our sensei called it and now I can't find it anywhere online. I see a three-section bo, but this had only two sections, one long and one about the length of a nunchaku section, or maybe just slightly longer.

Thanks for the help. It wasn't so much my neck though - - more my shoulder blades in my back. But it is a lot better now. My muscles are getting the idea!

Oh my OUCH!! I haven't actually seen the kama used in our dojo yet, although it's hanging on the wall. I'm thinking it is only for more advanced students. Yikes! We have had a little taste of nunchaku, but only with foam practice ones. Technically it isn't my curriculum yet so it was more for just trying to get a sense of it. I don't like the way the foam doesn't have the right weight, though, so it makes it tough to do some things. Mind you, I tried doing a simple move with the real ones where you hold one end and catch the other, and have smashed my fingers a couple of times. So at least that doesn't hurt with the foam...lol.

So I have progressed to the point in my karate where I am beginning some kobudo training. We worked for quite a while on Monday night on sai. I didn't find my muscles had any noticeable issues with it until the next day. Ow my shoulder blades!! I tried stretching by pushing my elbows back and my muscle by my shoulder blade charlie horsed!! My lower neck muscles are aching as well. I love the way that my karate has opened me up to a new world of muscles I didn't know could hurt or spasm, lol. It's a bit better today and I know it'll be fine with more practice and lots of stretching. But boy, that took me by surprise! Has anyone else experienced that?

Our dojo regularly does throws, locks, chokes, etc., as well as periodically (maybe once a month) focusing on grappling for a class. So it's pretty well integrated in our dojo. We have a good variety in general.

Ooooh, we trained a kihon-focused class Friday and I'm still sore, especially in all my upper leg muscles, all sides. We focused on zenkutsu dachi and kokutsu dachi. I also discovered that my stances need even more correcting than I realized. I was too wide in my zenkutsu dachi, and my knee doesn't point properly over my toe - - too many years of forcing turnout in highland dancing (which isn't correct to do in dancing either, incidentally, but a lot of people 'cheat' like I did when the hips wouldn't rotate out to proper turnout and force the feet a little extra out). Now I'm trying to get my feet to do the opposite (turn-in), and my ankles are protesting in pain. I can't get my feet facing front in kiba-dachi without my ankles burning in pain. It doesn't hurt for long afterward, so not an injury, but I've always found it when I try to do kiba dachi properly, and now am realizing that a properly done zenkutsu dachi causes the same issue. Anyone know a good way to help my ankles get better flexibility so it isn't so painful? Or do I just need to start standing in kiba dachi all the time? A less painful way of stretching out that (outside, just above the ankle bone) muscle in my ankle would be nice though...lol. Am I the only one with this odd problem? Lol. Sorry for the hijack, I figured it is kihon-related. And I agree with the OP's mindset on Kihon. There is definitely a lot of strength to be gained in the necessary muscles by use of proper kihon, and I definitely respect it. Our Sensei does often say 'basics' instead of 'kihon', but he still puts a lot of emphasis on them. We have different focuses every class, but we always work on basics first after warming up - - even if the focus that day IS basics (kihon).

I've been taking karate for over a year now, coming up on a year and a half. I still really love it, and I know I've come a long way. I feel my technique has improved a lot, my flexibility is slowly getting better, and I pick up new techniques and basics drills a lot faster than I used to. I am a female in my (very...) late 30s, so I think that's a pretty good start. I don't have a lot of time for practice at home, as I work full time an hour from my home, and have two young kids with their own activities. So I do try to get to the dojo 3-4 times a week, and give my all when I'm there. There are a few things I'm still struggling with, though. I wonder if you have any advice: 1 - Speed. I feel like I'm going through water compared to some of these younger teens or more experienced adults. And I mean speed in just about every way possible. My reflexes feel so slow in sparring, as is my brain in thinking of what to try next, and my body in executing it. I can get decent technique when we go slowly, and often our Sensei will say that in kata slow and correct is better. But other times, especially in drills, we are encouraged to speed up, and I struggle to maintain some semblance of proper technique. But even worse is sparring. I feel like we're in the Matrix, but I'm one of those guys going normal speed while I fight Neo or Agent Smith...lol. Our Sensei does all the right things - - goes over a few different combinations for us to practice before sparring, and encourages us to try to apply them when the clock starts. But I still have such a hard time getting my brain to speed it's signals up, and my body to speed up its response. I know that practice is important too, especially with sparring, and I admit I tend to avoid it. But it's not getting hit that bothers me so much, it's looking ridiculous, feeling embarrassed by what feels like me doing slow Thai Chi next to Jackie Chan...lol. 2 - Strength. You know, as much as I love karate, I do sometimes feel like I have the opposite to optimal body for this...lol. My upper body strength is another issue. It has come leaps and bounds from a year and a half ago. I see muscles! I can do push ups on my toes and not my knees - - well not too deeply yet but improving. However, I started at about strength level 0.1. My build is naturally very thin, my shoulders are non-existent, and my arms are sticks. I know I am improving at a decent rate, but I feel like I started so far behind that my strength doesn't match my belt colour. My legs started out with some ok strength with my background in highland dance, but the muscles from highland were pretty specific, and karate is much more well-rounded in muscle use. I think that's fantastic, and much better for injury prevention, but it means a lot of leg muscles have started from scratch too. My kicks are improving in height and technique, but I really can't kick with nearly as much force as my peers. Strength is also my enemy in some self-defense tehnique. If we are supposed to lift our partner at all, I just can't. 3 - Breakfalls. I am having a heck of a time with these. Back break falls aren't too bad, or falling to the side onto my back. I still need to work on them but I have an idea of things to focus on. But front break falls...I just can't seem to get it consistent enough to feel confident to apply them, so I haven't really been able to apply them. I chicken out. The same with falling from a bit higher. It looks easy when it's demonstrated, but I can't seem to get it to click. I'm not afraid of hard work, especially on the mats. I am willing to put in the effort and exertion at the dojo. I could try to find some time to put in some practice at home, but I with my limited time I would want to be efficient and do things that would be the most beneficial. But I also don't want to do too much at home knowing that I am pushing hard 3-4 times a week - - I know my muscles need a bit of a break too. I'm not such a young'un anymore, and I want to take care of myself. I am still in the "intermediate" belts, but my next belt is purple. At our dojo, things are stepped up a bit at that point. After purple comes an advanced purple, followed by brown, an advanced brown, and then black. It's still a few years to get through all those, at least, but there is so much that I feel I need to get before getting there that I am worried what I am doing now isn't enough. So, I know there are lots of experts here with plenty of experience. Do you have any advice for me?

I think it's pretty common at the beginning to feel like you aren't progressing as fast as you should. But in reality, a lot of that is just the wrong way of thinking. For example, let's say you had to learn and perform Heian Shodan in order to pass your white belt. When you pass the belt, is Heian Shodan now mastered? Far from it! Items on the list of what needs to be known for a particular belt just mean you should be able to do these moves and katas at a level appropriate for that belt. Black belts are still perfecting their basics, and with a kata a deeper understanding also develops over years of karate. You are not perfecting and moving on, you are simply adding to your list of things to study and improve! Like many a Sensei will often say, black belt is not the end but the beginning. When black belt is achieved you have an arsenal of basics that you can begin to really study more deeply and perfect. And the learning doesn't end there either. Remember that this is a journey, and as long as you continue to focus, put in effort and improve, you are progressing appropriately.

I'm interested in this thread because I know our system does slightly different versions of the katas. When I look up YouTubes of the katas I have done they all do the same thing, but ours is slightly different, just in certain moves here and there. Bassai Dai will be my next kata, so I am very curious to see if it is the same as any of the ones listed here. I should grade at the end of January, so assuming all goes well I will let you know in February about our version.

Thanks so much! Safroot, how have you been doing with your karate these days? I haven't seen you on here in a while. I know life sure gets busy!

I see the point of paying for a black belt giving it less weight. However, in paying for my karate I certainly don't see it in that light. My sensei does this for his livelihood. He has to live, and he certainly isn't making a profit of every cent we students pay. There is the space to pay for, the equipment, etc. Still, a lot of the money goes in his pocket, as well it should. He gives more time to his students than most people give to their work in a regular work-week. He teaches the majority of each and every class, right down to the new young novices. He gives his wisdom, his knowledge, and works hard. And I have worked hard to acquire the small bit of skill in this art that I have gained so far. The various belts I have earned are a nice reminder that I am slowly improving and fine-tuning my skill, the many belts ahead, and time it takes to earn them, is a reminder of how far I still have to go. I don't think it's fair to the effort I put in, or the effort my sensei puts in, to say that the money I spend to train is me buying a black belt. I think that there are clubs where the emphasis may be more on the money and less on the actual hard work. But our sensei is always assessing students, and will not put them up for grading if he doesn't feel they are ready. There are so many other reasons why I don't see our belts as earned with money. Perhaps if he were a simple man in Okinawa who could be fed by the villagers and bathe in a river he would not need to charge. But he is a man with a family living in the suburbs, so the fact that he needs to earn money at this is reasonable. His heart is 100% into teaching karate, he obviously does it because he loves it, and that love for the art comes through and is passed on to his students. So, I can count up the money I have spent at the dojo, but that is the use of the space and equipment, the time and energy of the instructors, etc. For me, the belts themselves were only earned with hard work, sweat, a few tears, and the joy of the art.

I think another factor to be considered is senior students. My sensei is still young enough to demonstrate everything personally, so it isn't an issue for him. However, he even now has senior students demonstrate techniques on a regular basis (as well as demonstrating himself regularly). It gives him an opportunity to point out the intricacies of techniques, sometimes hard to do when he is doing it himself. He can also make small corrections to the senior student, thus demonstrating a common error. And so for that senior student it is certainly helpful too for many reasons. But I would think that this would also help solve this issue in this thread somewhat as well. For an older sensei who maybe couldn't move as well in certain advanced techniques, the other students would still be able to see the technique in action as well as get the wisdom of the sensei's teachings. Thoughts?

Wow, thank you so much! I'm relatively new on my martial arts journey - just over a year ago I began karate. I'm absolutely loving it, and I think I've found a perfect fit for me. But this forum has been a great place to hear new perspectives, to help wrap my head around some of my stumbling blocks, and I have learned so much here as well. I love the variety of people here, and everyone is so supportive and helpful. It's a great environment, and I am honoured to be member of the month. I look forward to continuing to learn and grow as a martial artist, both in the dojo and on this forum. Thanks all!! Edit: I'll have a look for that Santa hat... Oh and one small clarification...that'd be "young woman". If you consider late 30s young...lol.