Coco

Im like the millionth generation... Like all my uncles and grandparents and stuff on my oriental side did some kind of martial arts and they go way back, some of my ancestors were samurais and stuff.. But I never did learn anything from them, I do have talent though.

--------------------------------Finale---------------------------------------- First of all, I would like to thank all of you who replied to this post, you dont know what a great impact it has caused in my life. No, I still cant do 500 pushups or 1000 situps, but I have learned alot from this experience. Ever since I saw your replys, I have started pushing myself, little by little. At the moment, I would probably say im in the best shape ive been so far. Fat in the abs is starting to slowly burn away, arm/shoulder and leg muscles are starting to come out, and I can do more reps on any exercise than ever. Here is the story of how my old days ended, and my new life starts. After reading all of your posts, I started to actually follow your advice. Now I read back to my first post, and I ask myself " That was me?! ". I cant belive it was so simple to get from the old me to the new me. Simple? Very. I think the major things I changed were - 1. Never drinking anything but water or natural orange juice. 2. While watching a movie, do 10 pushups/situps/squats on commertials 3. Look at the fat in the food I eat, and try to eat low fat things. 4. Training 3 extra days a week, 30 extra minutes a day at the dojo, plus working out at home alot more. Yes, and it did work. This morning, as I woke up, I looked myself in the mirror, as I flexed my muscles. The difference is huge. In just a few weeks, I managed to drop my weight(not by much), but what really impressed me is the muscle gain. There were obstacles along the way though... Like for example, my karate teacher made us do some leg exercise... couldnt walk for a week after that, couldnt even do pushups, or when I hurt my finger in combat and couldnt punch right for a few days, but it all paid off. I guess now its time to stick with it, and pretty soon itll be time to exceed my current limit. What I have noticed though, that I never paid attention to before is that im only 14... Probably my muscles arent even fully developed yet! Now im starting to wonder if this will be bad for me later on... Well, im in a hurry, thanks for all of you who posted and helped me change my life!

*sigh* Ok... Here I come again.... Seven star - If you had carefully read what I wrote, and if you had understood my points, you wouldnt have pointed out some stuff that I alredy explained, oviously... "Guess what? All of these apply to my school. Does it make it a McDojo? No. Would it make most schools a McDojo? Probably. You sold out to the hype... If it looks like a roach and moves like a roach, then guess what? It's a roach. You are trying to deny that fact... " I clearly stated that the one who makes a McDojo a McDojo is a student, therefore I said that I have improved and learned alot more, so now, it isnt a McDojo for me... "you admit that all of these apply to your school, but yet somehow the definition of 'bad school' doesn't apply?? let's be real here. " We got 4 or 5 good students on my dojo. Every tournament we go to, we ALL get 1st and 2nd places (2nd place if another person from our dojo has gotten first), we are one of the best school around. We still have about 5 darker belts under 10 years old. " read: no students = no money. Therefore, instead of trying to break the mold and rasie the bar, he lowers himself and caters to the mainstream so that he can maintain enrollment and make money. " He needs to make a living. If you choose to train here, deal with it, if you think you arent being pushed too hard, talk to sensei, like I did. He lowers himself to a point where everyone will be satisfied (not too, hard, not too soft) but as I alredy freakin stated, the current level is way too much for some people... So they quit. Well too much useless questions to reply, REMINDER - Please try to fully understand that this is just a post about my views as a student, and may not apply to everyone. Before you reply, read what I wrote and dont as stupid questions which have alredy been answered, or have an implied answer. Luckyboxer - I never stated that the curriculum could be performed poorly. I just stated that if your foot is turned at a 45 1/2 degree instead of 45 degree angle, you wont fail. (Yes, ive seen people fail at other dojos because their wide stands were 1 cm too close to the floor, or the back foot on a cat stand was wrong by a few degrees.) Here is an example that will probably answer alot of your questions - There is a kata named Sanchin. My sensei showed it to me, and said it helps your body alot because of the strength you need to put into it. He explained, that in the bunkai his sensai hit him really hard in various places (stomach, legs, etc) as he did it, and if he wasnt strong enough it would really hurt, or he might fall down(which means he fails the test). Would I be willing to push my limits this far? Yes. Would most americans do it? I think not. If it were up to me, I would be much harder on students, but thats because im getting used to karate now, but I must not be greedy, because I know alot of lighter belts wouldnt be able to keep up if the program got any harder.

Made it past lvl 4... The PW for level 5 is rdram, for 6 its w2k, for 7 is macos, for 8 is irq... Damn im good

Damn your all against me XD! Dont worry, if you were in my position, youd understand. I just posted this for some people who are open minded to see, not for mad americans to flame me... My teacher is trying to make a living. If it was as easy on venezuela, he wouldnt be here. He is there to TEACH, not to make sure you practice in your house. He DOES push us really hard, thats the reason we only have about 6 students in my class, but the reason he told me the stuff about americans is because I said I wanted to be pushed even harder, because the amount we usually do isnt as hard FOR ME anymore(which will probably leave 1 or 2 students). He agreed to give me extra classes, and as for the lower belts that suck, their moms wont let them quit, and if they dont pass, they come to complain. You should put yourself on his position. Luckyboxer - He is pushing people, but damn lazy kids say they have too much homework or what not and they dont come to class, then they come back and arent used to it, so it seems to hard for them and they quit. Delta - My teacher does follow curriculum, each kata/bunkai for the test must be done, as well as basics, and vocabulary. The reason they pass is because here, they dont ask for TOTALLY PERFECT technique, or not as close as in some places though, but a green belt here will know as much as a green belt anywhere. In my case, I probably know as much as many blue/brown belts. Maybe I didnt get my point through. My apologies.

You should read my other post named "McDojos." There, I probably explain most of the stuff. And yes, test grading ARE expensive XD

Okay, before I start, I am posting this because I had a very long and serious talk with my instructor today. Lately, I have been staying many extra hours and talking alot with him, and I would like to express what I feel. Of course, this post is open for opinions or comments. Also, note that anything and everything said here is based on my own opinion and will not apply to everyone. McDojo, is a simple term many people use to describe a "bad dojo". What does a bad dojo have? Here are some things - 1.Many YOUNG high ranked kids. 2.Bad technique on many of the darker belts. 3.Expensive testing/fees. 4.Lots of advertisement/ways to get money from you. 5.Soft training. Guess what? All of these apply to my school. Does it make it a McDojo? No. Would it make most schools a McDojo? Probably. The point im trying to make is, the teacher dosnt make a McDojo. You do. Let me explain - For the last 12 months or so, I have been training on shito-ryu. I have seen white belts come and go, and some get to lower belts and leave. Tests on my school are 55 USD for white, and it keeps increasing. I just payed my test for my 4th kyu. 90$ was the cost. I felt the classes werent pushing students enough, and students could get away with doing the techniques half-right. Tournaments and pictures were being sold at over 50$ each, and more and more kids under 10 years old were getting to brown belt. I didnt know what to do. Thats when I started staying after class. Learning new katas on the internet, and practicing my stuff. Just yesterday, my teacher caught me doing Naifanchin Shodan(sp?). He was very suprised to see a green belt doing it, so he came over and corrected 2 or 3 errors I was making... Then he looked at me. At that moment I think he knew I didnt want a McDojo, I wanted to learn the art. He asked if I knew Juroku, and I said I did, then again he corrected me on some parts. He was very suprised and told me to come this morining, at 11:30AM. Me, another green belt and a white belt showed up. We did regular class, but... I could see he was pushing us harder. We did techniques we never did before, and extra exercises. At the end of the class (around 12:30) He said we could stay and practice if we wanted. Me and the green belt went over all the katas we knew 2 times. I gladly tought him Juroku, Naifanchin Shodan and Heian Godan(all of these are suppsed to be on green/blue and blue belts). Finally, we all sat down and talked. My teacher is from venezuela, and he said he trained HARD when he was over there. He said he ran 45 minutes a day, and then he remembered something. He got out a very old box he had in a corner, and got out a small booklet.It had all the test requirements for venezuela's tests on shito ryu, the same tests my sensei had taken. From white to yellow - there were SO many things, I bet it wouldve taken 3 hours to test. So then, my sensai explained what I always had been wondering. Why is this dojo, a McDojo? - He said american people are lazy(no offence), and if he were as tough as he should be, he would have no students AT ALL! He said americans want to do self defence and stuff, but dont wanna practice everyday, and some people dont like repetitions. Then, I told him I am willing to really work hard and tough, and learn everything I can. He gladly said he would teach me that whole book, and even make copies of the 100 vocabulary words I need to go to black belt(which is in about 2-3 years) and he told me to keep training hard(im the best student in his class.. by far). I told him if I were going to go to venezuela, I would be like an orange belt, but then he said I was as valuable as a green belt. He proved it too, he got out the test for green belt, and yes, I could do everything there, I could even do more, because for green belt you need Heian Nidan and Shodan, I know all Heians, and a few more. In conclusion, the teacher isnt the one that makes you a non-skilled Martial Artist, you are. If your dojo trains soft and you just do some bag punching, do each punch as hard, strong and technical as you can, and never get lazy and stop. If you do 5 kicks a day, try to do them as perfect as possible. And, you cant blame the teacher if you go to your house and sit down and watch T.V all day, and not practice, you have to blame yourself. As for the test gradings, most times the teacher dosnt put the price, but if your dojo belongs to an organization, the head of the organisation does. Thing about this though, is the money worth it? I think in my case, Yes. If you think you arent learning enough, im sure 95% of any teacher will take extra time, and give you private lessons. Teachers NEED good students, students is what brings more people, students are the ones who win medals, students are the root of the dojo. What YOU have to do is train hard, and do your best, that is what will yell out to the teacher saying "I WANT TO LEARN!", and belive me, senseis arent stupid, they see this and the WILL help you out anytime you need. Lately, as I alredy mentioned, I have trained harder than ever.I have run my legs out, broke my fingers punching, burnt my abs doing situps and I have done more pushups than ever in my life. I know I have passed my limit. From this day on - I declare myself a REAL karateka. From this day on - I declare my dojo a REAL Dojo. Note - The things that have been said may not apply everyone, and arent meant to be offensive to anyone, in any ways.

Dude if i get on a street fight i hit the guy as hard as i can and run away, i dont go on top of him and try to lock him down when he falls...

You can be good at anything as long as you stick with it long enough. I would look into various styles and try some classes first, then decide. As for the stamina thing, you can build that up later. Well here are some questions - Are you flexible? Are you willing to push yourself through your physical limits? Are you looking to join a MA because you like to fight? Are you looking to join a MA to relieve some stress? Do you like full contact fighting? Do you like semi contact/point sparring? By the way, not all dojos do the same thing, on my dojo, we do full contact sparring on shito-ryu karate, something not many SR schools do. Also, some dojos are tougher than others and some do different exercises. As i said before, check into them first see if you like.

9 miles away!?! Id rather go shotokan then. 9 miles isnt worth it half the time, you would ride bus for like hours... Unless the shorin ryu teacher is really really good and much better then the shotokan, id go shotokan.

My dad just showed up one day with a uniform in his hand and 2 patches. Karate class starts in about... 30 minutes! I rushed to put the patches on and all confused i went to the 'dojo' no real motivation, it didnt really bother me cause it was an hour a day, but since ive gotten my green belt rank its starting to take alot more meaning into my life.

To get in shape and get all the chicks! Haha, im just joking, I really chose to stay because it is basically the only thing that gets me moving off my computer, and I enjoy doing it alot. Also, doing karate and working out helps relive stress and makes u look good Finally, doing a martial art can be useful when it comes to fighting and such, as you learn various techniques to defend yourself against attackers.

Wait, are we talking about KARATE styles here, or MAs overall? If you wanna be a good fighter id do Muay Thai. Other wise, I would say its up to you, on how much self defese you learn, mostly all styes have the same movements, you just gotta know how to use them right!

Hahaha! Ill be sure to keep that in mind when sparring white belts, Shorinryu Sensei! And wow, you were 300lbs and you managed to kick someone in the head?! Thats some nice flexebility for a guy that size, and the funny thing is that the old guy beat you up in sparring matches!! Hahaha(Oh wait, thats not funny!) Anyways, nice stories!

Whoa, good news I guess... I thought I was getting ripped off so I told my sensei I would join this other gym, then he got desperate and called me the next day now besides karate on mon/wed/fri, I get an extra class on saturday and he gives me free fitness/kickboxing classes on tues/thurs and he told me that if i wanted to learn jujitsu or judo to just ask him and HE will teach me After this change, and reading all of your posts im starting to belive im not really paying too much.(except for the pricey fee for each belt's test) Thanks for all of your replys - Coco

I can only do 30 and I posted For some reason, i hate pushups though, everytime i see someone doing pushup a chill goes through my spine and i want to run away. BTW, 30 is my map, on a regular day i can do 10-20, only up to 30 if im really inspired by something.

It all depends on how good you wanna be. The more you practice, the better youll be.

We do the traditional shito ryu starting/ending ceremony which is basically bow, turn around, bow again, kneel down, meditate, stop meditation, bow, bow again, stand up, bow, start class.

Yeah, but those things werent intended to happen, its not like one guy said to himself "im gonna elblow this guy's nose and leave him beeding!", stuff like these happens, noones perfect, you can lose balance, or your arm can slip from the other persons defence. This donst happen much, but it looks like on ae's case it all happened in one night!

I dont seem to have any problems at all, but a slight second of thinking about something else can throw off my whole kata. When doing a kata, I dont think at all, I just go and my body automatically does it. If for some reason I think about something else, its like I get in normal mode again and I dont know what move is next, sometimes I even get katas confused! Well, finally, think of your performing a kata as an overall experience for your life, maybe once you get used to performing katas without being afraid you can show your whole school your awsum kurahtee moves! A good exerscise is praciticing at home, so when you go up to perform it you feel secure of yourself because you know you practiced.

I know what you mean man, i got some friends that go all out on me, no control, speed or technique whatsoever, just power and unchontrolled blows trying to take you down. I would advice yo to first, never move back, always move in circles around your opponent. Say he is coming at you full power, use his own force against him, slightly move to a side and punch him in the ribs area, the more power he is using the more hurt he will get. Also, use your speed and technique wisely, dont get scared when they go all out of you. Remember that the goal is not to kill your opponent, but show better overall technique/speed and power. Finally, if they hit you really hard, dont get intimidated, OR angry, those are the biggest mistakes you can make, always keep it cool man, and good luck!

wow you must be hitting them REAL hard... i have tried knocking them over with kicks/punches but they just wont, they just get close to the floor and just come back up. So far ive had mine for 6 months and no breaks/leaks of any kind, and yes, i train on it regualrly

I heard if you wash/wet your belt itll un-dye? Hh and it also says do not wash on the little thingie.

Well, right now, im wearing a white karate gi and a green belt. When I sweat alot, many times I come home, and after I take out my belt and my uniform, I check over my gi to see if there are any stains, and many times, there is the huge colored outline of my belt, green and all... Is this normal?

Wow... I can do about 27 at the moment but I add 1-2 per week (a few weeks ago all I could do was 5!), my next goal is 35 then maybe 50. Be sure you are doing those pushups right, and dont over do them, being sore can be good, but sometimes it can injure you.