Sibylla

If it was an asian guy, it could have been from the movie Ong Bak. Looked like a really good MA movie, muai thay and acrobathics.

Same as me, almost no sparring in Shotokan. I guess some of the reason is that we don't wear gloves etc. But sparring half speed should be possible even for the beginners.

Thanks for the advice, I'll talk to the Sensei and hope that helps.

I'm doing karate, used to do jutsu, and I think karate is much easier on the back and the body in general than jujutsu. But jujutsu might work for you if you take the right precautions, especially when throwing, I've seen a few people strain their backs on that. Strict grappling felt better for me and my back, even though it is quite hard and demanding. To have a good chiro is a must...mine adjust me from time to time and it works wonders.

The guy that cussed at me is not a sempai, he is a yellow belt. The sempai at the club are okay. Some Don Juan...

There is especially one guy (lower grade than me, yellow belt) that does this where I train, and when I told him to stop it (as polite as I could); he cussed at me, walked off and made a scene complaining to the instructor that I was difficult to train with. Should I just try to not get paired up with him again? I'm having a problem to train with people that tell me to f**k off when I voice my opinion. And how can I justify it if the other instructors asks whay I won't train with the guy? I've read Redmond's article and I think it is spot on.

Sometimes in class there are people (esp. guys/lower grades) that act as "instructors"; they talk and talk and try to correct me and some of them even keep going at it when the instructor is talking. I really feel like concentrating on the (real) instructor and sort of go into myself to get the combinations right, and I get disturbed by the "instructions" from these guys. How do I stop it?

I don't think people should openly flirt at the dojo. I am there to train. The worst in my opnion, are the flirty instructor's. I've seen quite a few of them, married and all..that openly flirt and make passes. If someone is really serious to get to know someone in their club, they should at least try to do it outside training. Both parts should also consider that it might not be a good idea to train at the same place, because that can lead to negative reactions and general drama. One should always think about the consequences.

We have nine colored belts; yellow, orange, red, green, blue, purple, and three browns. I think that is way to many, especially as someone mentioned, you can't really tell the difference between them at some dojos. But if you change dojo, the picture might be totally different; the kyu's standard can be much better or worse than in your previous dojo. So you might suck in one place, and be a star in another. That is not a good thing, is it? Brazilian ju jitsu have a good thing going; they have blue, purple, brown and black. It takes one to two years to get blue belt. That weeds out a lot of the negativity that occurs around the belt system. If you have to train hard for a prolonged time before you actually get a belt at all, you're in it for the love of the sport/art and not so much for the desire to get belts.

My shins have visible lumps...they doesn't hurt, but when I thouch them they feel sort of crunchy. Had them for years.

I'd like to have a MA guy to, but most of them that are at my age, are instructors, and I don't go there. I just admire them from a distance..

Lot's of sexy, nice and intelligent guys in martial arts. They seem to have more going for them than like, the average soccer player. Some male MA'ists are too macho and egodriven for me to like them, but they are a small minority.

I didn't demand anything, I just asked. And I know that some karate styles where allowed to keep their grades if they changed to Shotokan. So I was thinking that it could be the other way around.

Well I went to a wado club last night, and the people there said that even if the technical differences in stances and katas (heian/pinan) weren't that big, I'd still had to start as a white belt. That put me off a bit. But otherwise it looked good.

I had a similar experience as Cathal the other night, I went to see a Shotokan class that I thought of starting in...the techniques where horrible, blue belts that didn't make a proper fist, very odd stances all over the place, one was chewing gum, one of the higher grades actually asked the instructor where to have his hands while doing mae geri, some had shuto uke that looked like their where about to start bellydancing...etc, etc...and I am not exxagerating at all about this! Never thought the differences could be so big from club to club..I am not going to start training in this club, obviously.

Thanks for the article, that was good! I like the idea of a little more relaxed upper body in Wado, in Shotokan I think some people are stiff and slow but imagine that they are fast and powerful...

Has anyone here gone from practising shotokan to wado, and if so, was the transition difficult?

I've learnt that I don't break down or panic even if it all goes south. That is a good thing for future tests.

I have about 70 hours of class attendance between gradings, and about the same at home practise...plus some aerobic work and lifting weights. I've also been doing karate (another style) before I started at this particular school.

Congratulations!

Thanks all, for the input on my post, it gave me things to think about. I am not sure what to do, I'll think I'll stay on with the club at least until next grading and then see what happens beforehand, try to clarify things a bit with sensei etc. But meanwhile I will check out other clubs so that I have a backup.

The head instructor have told me that I am "unable to learn" earlier this fall, in front the class. Of course that gave me some doubts. But then he and sempai encouraged me to practise for my grading, so I decide to do it anyway. At the grading I am not asked to to what he and sempai have told me to practise. And I got no pointers during my kata (which the rest did, when they did a mistake). The head instructor yells at me and starts to give me his usual "fuming with anger"-face.. After the grade I get called forward and get this long "all is wrong" - monologue. I can't remember the exact words, but there was not a positive thing in it. The grading took about 10-15 minutes, my legs didn't even get varm. I have about 70 hours of regular training practise since my last grading, and I have a good fitness level. I like the club and the training (most of the time), but I am not sure what to make of this..I don't know how much emphasize to put on it. I'll probably always think that 10 min gradings are not a accurate measure of anything, it is just a silly ritual. But this was...well...I just don't see the point of it, it is counterproductive.

I've read R.Redmond's (24fightingchickens) advice about grading as fast as possible, but what if you don't learn as fast as others? And you fail your grades and/or get told repeatedly that you suck? Wouldn't it be better to ask people to wait with their gradings? I've been doing other MA's and haven't had this problem, because the instructor told me beforehand that he didn't think I was ready. Would it be a good idea to refuse to grade as often in the future? I know I am a slow learner, I don't see how bad gradings can make this any better, it just sours an otherwise positive experience.

The "backing off" movement is ment to make you block correctly; you can't do that with square hips and parallel feet. You're not supposed to actually jump out of their range..if they come with a jodan punch and you block correctly, you'll have their fist over your head...if you don't (and they can't control their punches very well) you have their fist on your nose. The "backing off": stand with some bend in your knees. Slide one foot back. This will be slow if you try to transfer your weight onto the sliding foot to soon...so keep the weight over the front foot as long as you can. Try to block as early as you can, with your wrist against their wrist if you are blocking a punch. Don't wait until their fist is almost in your face before you block. If you block early, it is easier to redirect their strike. I don't know what style you do, but this is what I've been told to do at my shotokan dojo.

Sure, if it is selfdefence it is not misuse...but "two guys fighting in the street" doesn't sound like the typical selfdefence scenario to me.