Wayofaswede

Finally back in the dojo for first autumn semester session. Missed quite a few sessions this spring due to drumming in a music show and gigging with the band. Happy to go there today with both my daughters, my youngest soon-to-be-7 is also thinking about joining the club Wish you all a great autumn semester. Happy training!

Thank you very much. An honor.

…and thank you Sensei and Aurik, missed that you had posted (blame it on the phone display )

Thanks, bushidoman. All support during the ”bumps” along the MA road from you and the others here means a lot

Yes, I would like more training sessions and two dojos each week to choose from to maybe be able to increase the amount of training each week. But today we were back in our club dojo, my daughter was happy, enjoyed the session a lot and was more committed than any session last semester. Maybe she needed to ”see the grass on the other side” of the proverbial fence to really appreciate the training of our club. She really enjoys to keep performing techniques on her dad as well . I told C I afterwards that she had been thinking about quitting but now have decided to continue in our club. He answered that they will make sure to take more care of her progress as well and help her improve at her current level. Of course it’s a challenging situation for her. Today we were all teenagers and adults, only brown and black belts - and my little brave 8-yearold with her yellow belt with a single stripe. Anyhow, the decision has been made, the semester fee has been paid. And I will keep cherishing the father-daughter-time we will keep having together each Saturday. Bruised but happy after three rounds of ”full contact” kumite with three different partners before the advanced session ended, I can finally definitely say: Spring semester of club training has begun!

Indeed it does. Next training is on Saturday and she says she’s made up her mind: She prefers our current club. Children…

Thanks sensei and bushidoman, We went and trained a session in the new club. The first thing I was told even before training started was that my current C I doesn’t accept that students train in two clubs, that other students who wanted to train in both had had to choose one. In my case I hope there wouldn’t be a problem, as I would only train some extra sessions when my daughter would train (instead of just sitting on a bench watching her train for an hour). I would keep seeing my current club as ”my club”, and would only be guest training occasionally in the new one. But on the way home my daughter surprisingly said that she wants to continue with Karate but that she missed our old dojo, where she had the opportunity to train with me during the session. We’ll see what she decides and what my C I says about me cross-training IF she decides to actually switch club. Glad she wants to continue anyhow and we had a good guest training session. It was fun to meet my old trainer (my C I:s old student) and some old training partners from the old days when my current club was the only one, but with two dojos. I’ll definitely keep you posted. The main factors that separates both clubs is that one takes in children (and has lots of them!) and that it is situated only 10 minutes by car from here, the other 25 minutes by car.

The new club teaches Shito-Ryu and is run by former students to the C I in my current club. So no additional styles (and I could wear my brown belt during today’s training)

Thanks Darth My daughter has decided to quit our club and will try training in one that has many more children (our current doesn’t take in any new children, she’s the only one left in her age and rank). I realized that I also will have to start training in the new club if she decides to join it. For a while I felt sad and dissapointed, as my current club teaches both Shito and Goju ryu and katas from both styles. Then I found a solution: I will join my daughter for the basic sessions in the new club, but keep training the basic+advanced sessions in my regular club! (if I have the stamina left for those that particular week ) Seems like there is a chance that I suddenly will be training in two clubs in 2024 and that there some weeks may be up to 4 hours karate club training instead of the regular 2. We’ll see. Exciting and somewhat daunting weeks ahead…

Thanks a lot Sensei and Bushido-man Much better now, hoping we can join last class this semester tomorrow

Haven’t been much focus on testing for 1kyu this semester. My focus has been on making my daughter’s training fun, since she and another little boy are the only children left in the club and there is no separate group or training for children. So I usually do most kote kitai, bunkai and kumite with her. Last Saturday, final training session before testing, we missed class since she was ill and I had to stay home to take care of her. Yesterday I caught the same cold/flu. And found en email from my C.I. posted the day before. It said he thinks I’m ready to test for 1kyu on Saturday (tomorrow) if I want to. What a surprise! Mixed emotions, happy to hear he thinks I’m ready to advance in spite of all ”child-friendly” karate I’ve been doing this semester. Disappointed about the untimely cold. Actually lay in a semi-feverish state (this post is written on the phone in the same ”flu-state”, so I apologize if it’s a bit incoherent ) last night and started going through all katas and bunkai so far. Will take a miracle for me to get healthy and be able to test already tomorrow, though But just the knowledge that I’m ready for 1kyu is a well-needed boost of confidence for next semester and next testing opportunity I hope you’re all doing and training well, and that you reach your goals whichever they may be.

Thanks for sharing. Good luck prepping for Nidan

Thanks, Darth I definitely agree First club session for the fall semester took place yesterday for me and my daughter. Great high-intensity double-session (for me) containing among many other things: Kumite and katas Sanchin and Rohai with bunkai practice. Feels good to have done the dreaded ”first after the long summer break” with all the ache that of course means today (and tomorrow) Hope you’re all having a great semester.

Thanks, Bushido and Darth. ”Be ready to defend against anything” will be my kumite motto from now on. I have started to incorporate that thought and now practice guarding higher than before during warm-up and kihon. CI wants us three who reached 2 kyu to train another semester before testing for 1 kyu, so there was no testing for me. BUT as a proud father I could see my oldest daughter pass her exam for 8 kyu Wonderful, touching moment to see her go through the kihon and katas all on her own in the middle of the dojo. Spring semester is over and ”summer solo training season” has begun. Today I went through the 4 new ji no katas and the katas required for 1 kyu. Was happy to discover that of the ”Big four” katas, I only know two of them (Kosokun/Kushanku-Dai and Bassai-Dai) and the other two comes at 2nd and 3rd Dan levels in our club! - so many years of training left. Makes me happy, humble and excited about the seemingly endless MA road ahead.

Just a quick note about the kata Tensho that I saw mentioned in the beginning of the thread: In our style (CI mixes Shito and Goju ryu) Tensho is the ”soft” compliment to the ”hard” Sanchin. I usually do Sanchin as one of the first katas every solo session and do Tensho as one of the katas towards the end. In our club Sanchin is taught for green belt, while Tensho is required for my next grade, 1 kyu There’s a great series on YouTube ”Okinawa karate masters” that ties in well with many aspects of the discussion here, I’ll link to the one about Tensho, you can find much more in the channel: https://youtu.be/QM7IZ0gnOzw