Fish

Oh, I remember back 5 years ago when I just started - I couldn't even perform an about turn (mawatte) properly. The first attempt at pinan nidan and I thought I'd never remember it. Perservere. Remember that you are not only learning new physical techniques, you are also learning how to learn. It will take a little while for your brain to get used to the new demands you are making on it, but it will be well worth it. I also do wado - it's a nice style imho.

If he's 8th or 7th kyu, he probably is a little clumsy or doesn't realise his own strength, and hasn't yet learned how to use control. The others are right, have a word with him first - he may be completely unaware.

Try doing specific chambering and slow-kicking exercises, working especially on your weak side. Eg rest your hands against a wall (to keep balance), then slowly lift your leg up into the roundhouse or side kick chamber position. Hold for a count of 5 to 10, then stretch out into the kick to a count of 5 to 10. Hold the kick out to the same count, then withdraw to the chamber position. These exercises are uncomfortable but they do help. You can also work on lifting the leg higher in the chamber position, and then with it extended into the kick. These exercises should help develop strength in your leg muscles. When you become more confident, you can then try doing these exercises, plus similar ones with front kick, back kick and reverse roundhouse kick, with ankle weights on. For balance, try putting on your socks or shoes by lifting the foot up to waist height and then putting socks/ shoes on without putting the foot down or holding on to anything. Bear in mind that for some people there is a natural limit to how high they can competently kick. For me, I can now (after 5 years) execute a controlled kick to head height, but I'm much better and more competent at waist level and below. IRL I doubt whether I would ever kick above waist level anyway.

Favourite five: Pinan Godan Bassai Dai Gojushiho Niseishi Naifanchi

I think most people find it painful to begin with. it gets easier the more you do it, but even when your used to it, your feet will still go numb from loss of blood supply if you sit in Seiza for too long.

Hi Zanshin I might have used the wrong term when I said Ohyo Kumite. I meant completely free sparring (is that Jiyu?)

As a fellow traveller, so to speak, well done. How does it feel?

By the way - thanks to everyone who has posted their congrats. I am remarkably unhurt by the fighting, although I am still quite stiff today (5 days later) despite trying to stretch every evening.

Hi Zanshin Sorry, I realised after I had posted that I addressed Patrick in answer to your question. Yes you are right about Dave Sharkey's background - I think he started in Wado and went over to Shotokan. His organisation is multidisciplinary in that sense. My Dan grade will be awarded by the EKO. I suspect my Sensei has kept his own provisional grading because there are elements he wants to test on that are not included, or not covered in the same way, in the EKO grading (for example, making sure that all Kata learnt up to date are performed, not just a selection, and including the tough [at least, I found it tough, but at 40 what do you expect?] ohyo kumite at the end of the grading.) It's not the EKO that sets the Kata, but my Sensei. He inherited them from our previous organisation, which was a wado ryu organisation affiliated to Shikon. You are right that some of the Kata are not official Wado Ryu Kata (I think Bassai/ Passai is though). I'm not sure why they were introduced into the syllabus, but I think the head of our previous organisation was influenced by Shito Ryu, so that may be the source. Some of the Wado Ryu Kata were modified to correspond more closely to the Shito Ryu movements (at least, so I understand).

Hi Patrick I did kihon kumite, but they were the 5 pair techniques I had to devise myself. Kata were the 5 pinans, Kushanku, Bassai Dai, Seienchin, Gojushiho, Naihanchi and Niseishi. It won't be Steve Rowe that I grade with. We used to be part of Shikon, but my Sensei moved over to the EKO, so I will be grading with Dave Sharkey. But Part 1 is my Sensei's own test to see if I'm ready to go forward, and I think the format is based on the dan grading he had to go through.

I had that same test last year after collapsing when my oesophagus went into spasm while eating steak. Not a nice experience. I have taken lansoprazole intermittently for gastric reflux but I think what works best is to try and eat slowly and drink plenty of water throughout the day. Also, to try to avoid too much stress, or at least not to internalise stress through worrying too much.

And actually, serious injuries are thankfully quite rare amongst more advanced students in most dojos, even those that have quite strong kumite regimes.

Well, the big day came and went yesterday. Part 1 of my Dan Grading, devised by my Sensei to be merciless... I started with a 30 minute written test, which wasn't too hard, consisting mainly of translating English to Japanese and vice versa, plus naming various techniques. Then straight on to a selection of basics performed with the Black Belts in front of the class, then, when I was nicely warmed up, my 5 combination techniques followed immediately by my 11 kata. I was already out of breath, but I enjoyed the kata. This was my grading, and I was going to perform them the best I could. By this time I was sweating and panting, but then I had to do my 5 pair techniques. I made a couple of small mistakes in my combinations and pair techniques, but nothing serious. After all that, I was beginning to feel quite tired, but there was no rest for me, it was straight on to ohyo gumite with all 16 of the other students there, mostly brown belts but also 4 black belts. They were told to line up against the wall and called out one after the other to fight me for a minute or so until Sensei called "change". Then a completely fresh opponent... Now, I thought this was going to be the kind of controlled sparring we normally do in class, but none of it - it was full on. I found the first 4 or 5 not too hard, despite being out of breath and tired. 6th Fight, and I took a low kick to the goolies. I put my hand up to stop, but "no" Sensei said - "stop and you fail...." During about the 8th fight, I slipped over, and when I got back up, I took a hard shot to the side of my head, which caught my eye, and ruptured my contact lens. Sensei said, "30 seconds to sort it out - if you don't then you stop and you fail." So I fought on, with no vision in one eye. The last few fights were with black belts and they came full on. Elbows, knees to the ribs, hard sweeps and throws onto the (wooden) floor, and then sitting on me and hitting me while I struggled to get up. And all the time Sensei is saying "you can stop whenever you like". Then the last two fights: adult black belts, came bouncing out as fresh as anything and yelling "Do you want it" while hitting me. I tried to fight back, but there was nothing in the tank. My arms felt like I was pushing them through treacle, and my legs had disappeared somewhere. Back on the floor again. More punches to my head. Finally I struggled to my feet. Then, last of all, a bout with both of them at the same time. Then it was all over. I felt sick, my heart was pounding and I could hardly breathe. There was blood on my gi - but I don't think it was mine. I thought I must have failed - I spent so much time on the floor. But Sensei came over and congratulated me. He said he spent a lot of the time on the floor during his dan grading as well - the important thing was to get back up and fight on. So, I've passed Part 1! Now to let my bruises heal and prepare for Part 2 on 12th October.

Lachrymosa, you are pretty much right except surikomi is to gain ground by stepping up with the back leg to the front leg. Ashi barai is a sweep applied with the flat of the foot to the lower leg.

Hi shoto92 - yes we do have white belt. Red is our first coloured belt (8th kyu)

Hi Bushido Man, the 5 combinations each consist of about 8 or 9 techniques in sequence, so, number 1 is: junzuki, gyakuzuki, surikomi mawashigeri chudan, mawatte uraken, mawatte ushirogei, jodan uke, gyakuzuki chudan, ashi barai, gyakuzuki gedan. It takes a while to learn them all, but it's easier to do them than to write them down!

Part 1 of my Dan Grading on Friday - with my own sensei. I have to do a written exam, basics, 5 bb combinations, 5 pair techniques that I devised myself, every kata I know (10 in all), and fight for 30 minutes continuous. Then, in September, Part 2 with the head sensei of the organisation.

I am shortly to take my 1st Dan test. For me it is completely worthwhile. I cannot begin to describe how much I have learnt in the last 5 years, both mentally and physically, as well as about myself and how I should conduct myself before my sensei and other students. To me, black belt will mark the end of one journey and the beginning of another. It will mean I have learnt enough to be able to understand how to really learn, so that the real training can commence. I agree with all those who say this is about lifetime learning, discovery and improvement. So far as cost is concerned, I find my dojo fees quite reasonable. And I think they are worth it.

If you read Funakoshi's short autobiography (Karate-Do: My Way of Life), he doesn't mention this. But he does say that it was part of his philosophy to avoid fighting. The only actual fight he admits to was when someone tried to mug him and he overcame them pretty swiftly - but then he says he was ashamed that he had used karate against an untrained opponent. I have also read in histories of Wado Ryu Karate that when Hironori Ohtsuka suggested introducing kumite to karate, Funakoshi was against the idea because he feared that serious injury or death would be the result.

Zanshin Thanks for the links. I also checked out the website mentioned under your signature/ quotes line. It looks interesting - I always like finding more material to read. One of things I love about karate is that it engages the mind as well as the body.

Interesting article, Zanshin. Do you train at that dojo?

I practise Wado. Its founder (Hironori Ohtsuka) practised Jiu Jitsu from childhood, then trained in karate with Funakoshi. He later founded Wado Ryu, blending elements of Jiu Jitsu with karate. Wado can be as effective as any other form of karate. It differs from Shotokan in having higher/ shorter stances and using a lot more "tai sabaki" or body shifting. It is a faster lighter style than Shotokan, with quick, short, relaxed movements rather than the exaggerated, strong movements of Shotokan (compare kata from the 2 styles on youtube and you'll see what I mean). Belt system will obviously differ from dojo to dojo. In ours it runs red, yellow, orange, green, blue, brown 1, brown 2, brown 3, black. It usually takes 5 years or more to gain black (I am due to take mine this autumn, almost 5 years to the day).

Wado ryu has similar stances to the Shotokan list posted above, but they are narrower/ higher. A couple of stances not mentioned above are Naihanchi (Naifanchi) Dachi - similar to horse riding stance, but with feet and knees pointing slightly inward. used in Naihanchi (Naifanchi) Kata. Hanmi-Neko-Ashi-Dachi - half turned cat stance - (as opposed to the forward facing Shomen-Neko-Ashi-Dachi), similar weight distribution and posture to Kokotsu-Dachi (back stance), but the heel of the front foot is raised off the ground. Gyaku-Neko-Ashi-Dachi - reverse cat stance - weight mostly on front foot, rear knee pressed into the back of front knee -rear heel off the ground. Jigotei - a wide yoyi stance used as for the opening of Kushenku Kata I believe many of the stances are used to demonstrate the movement of body weight/ centre of gravity as a preliminary or during the course of delivering techniques (including grappling and throws). Studying the motion of body weight/ centre of gravity during the kata can give insight into the true nature of the technique being performed.

Two things occur to me: 1. How old was this guy? When I first started, I had to regularly spar with another white belt who was much taller and heavier than me, and only in his late teens. He used to come steaming in far too hard. When I asked him to use control he just said "why?" My guess it was just his age, and his need to impress others. 2. Blue belt is a difficult rank because a blue belt has learnt a certain amount of technique, but can still be quite clumsy/ lacking in control/ needing to impress. I don't know whether these are issues for the guy who you sparred with. We used to have a kid in our dojo who was a bit of a bully, and he used to lose his temper and hit other kids too hard. One time, sensei made him spar with a 1st kyu. He tried the same bullying tactics, but got back what he tried to dish out. Sadly, he left the dojo after that, so I don't know whether he learnt his lesson.

How do you travel to work? If its not too far, try cycling (I cycle about 11 miles to work and back 3 times a week, plus a long ride at weekends - its good for endurance/ general cardiovascular training, and you can mix in some speed work as well when the roads allow).