Fish

Gyakazuki No Tsukommi is certainly uncomfortable and awkward to begin with, but it gets easier with practice. And then we add a kick to make it Kette Gyukazuki No Tsukommi. This is more awkward still because the stance makes it hard to get your balance for the kick.

Also, bear in mind that, from your instructor's point of view, he's only been teaching you for 4 - 5 months. That isn't long enough for him to really get to know you and see how dedicated you are. It takes time, but your dedication will pay off in the long run (I'm speaking from experience). The first year can be frustrating, if you're a quick learner, because you feel like you've learnt the techniques. But I've now been a 4th kyu for a year because I failed a grading 6 months ago. With hindsight, I am glad! I was not truly ready to be a brown belt (3rd kyu), and I have enjoyed having the time to really work on my techniques and kata. Oddly, I feel I have improved a lot more than I would have done had I advanced a grade.

Tobikomizuki: start in Shizentai (natural stance - i.e. one leg slightly in front of the other shoulder width apart). Jump forward with the lead leg, as you land perform a snap punch to the head with the lead hand (i.e same hand as the lead leg). Haven't heard of "tobigyakazuki". I wonder if you mean Junzuki No Tsukkomi (which I used to confuse with Tobikomizuki when I was at your grade) and Gyakazuki No Tsukkomi? I haven't heard of Zenshin Junzuki either.

Just bought "Advanced Wado Ryu Karate" DVD by Doug James. Only previewed it for about 10 minutes, but already learnt two or three important things!

AngelaG, I agree with your observation. It's definitely unwise in East London to reveal that one does karate - there are plenty of street fighters who want nothing more than to be able to boast that they've beaten a BB.

I agree that, if you persevere with Karate, learning how to take knocks but not give up, to overcome personal weaknesses etc, it gives you mental discipline and strength which can only be an asset in life. How many people never achieve anything in life simply because they don't try? How many more give up as soon as they meet adversity?

Practise all the material you know. Consolidate and work on perfecting what you required for your last belt test. Practise what you need to know for the next one. My dojo is also closed until September, but I'm attending summer camp at the end of August, when I'm hoping to test for brown belt (which I've been working on for a year!). My programme for the end of July through August is: Week 1 rest, stretch daily. Week 2, reintroduce running into my programme. Stretch daily. Work on semi-random combinations of light/fast kicks. Week 3, running, stretching, practise all 5 pinan Kata daily, work on all basics and combinations and pair techniques for brown belt Week 4, summer school - go with the flow and enjoy Week 5, rest, stretch I'm halfway through week 2 at the moment. The first week of rest and stretching was very beneficial!

Your Sensei ought to be teaching you the kata before you grade!

I find it helpful to practise the kata in different ways and at different speeds, depending on which aspect I want to focus on. Real slow (to a slow count in my head) to focus on perfecting the stances and techniques, and breathing. Faster if I'm working on getting the techniques right at a higher speed. Or breaking it down and isolating certain techniques, working on making them powerful and explosive.

Well done passing your red. Stick with it - your yellow will follow soon enough!

Nice article. I'm stuck in a blue belt rut right at the moment, where I can't seem to get my kicks right no matter how hard I try. But your article encourages me to be patient and stick it out - I'll get there in the end. Plus, lots of other little things are getting better while I remain a blue belt.

In our dojo there isn't a "normal" interval between gradings. When you're ready, you grade. For example, I hope to get Brown (3rd Kyu) in the autumn this year, by which time I will have been training 3 years. However, I will have been a blue belt for a year. That's because, even though I know all the Kihon and Kata requirements, I need to work on one particular aspect of my technique and improve it before I can grade. It's different for different people and different age groups.

I failed my last test. I've written about this in a previous post. Our gradings are done by a group of senior BBs and the head of our organisation, not by our sensei. But, anyway, one student in our club recently failed a grade for the second or third time. Our sensei gave her the belt anyway because he thought she deserved it, even though the instructors doing the grading on the day didn't. What do you think about that?

Yes, and Nidan, Shodan and Yodan have a similar template, as do Sandan and Godan.

Nidan is an easier kata than Shodan, so our school teaches it first. Our order is Nidan, Sandan, Shodan, Yodan, Godan.

Hi Fairfax - good point. Sensei thought I was ready because my other techniques are good, and I know the kata and pair techniques well. For myself, I was uncertain in the weeks before the test because I wasn't confident about my kicks . In particular, we have to perform three different kicks on one leg as part of basics and as part of a combination. In class I was just about able to put it together, but on the day the kicks just weren't up to it. I knew it as soon as I'd performed the three kicks routine for the first time that I hadn't passed. I then had to spend the next hour completing the test, including kata and sparring two on one with two black belts, to find out for sure that I hadn't passed. It was good experience. As I said in my first post - I don't look on it as failure, but an opportunity to learn and improve.

And a ranking system does have the advantage of providing a clearly defined syllabus of techniques, kata etc that must be acquired before progressing to the next belt. I find this helps me to measure my progress in a way that's realistic. A lot must depend on the integrity of the senseis in a particular school to ensure that people are only put forward for grading when they are ready, and they only pass if they can demonstrate that they have acquired the required techniques. In our school, for example, I think my own Sensei wants to move us through the ranks quite quickly, but we have to be tested in front of other senseis and the chief instructor and they won't pass people if they're not ready.

I failed my last test in February this year. I was testing for first brown belt (3rd kyu). It was a very constructive experience. The chief instructor explained to my why I had failed (my kicks were not up to scratch), and what I should do to improve in that area (more butt stretches, more snap and power in the kicks). I would rather fail if my technique is not up to it, than pass anyway just because I showed up. The belt isn't what's important, but the ability to perform the techniques properly, and to keep learning. So now, I'm practising kicks a lot and training them in various ways (endurance, pyramids, ankle weights etc) as well as stretching to improve them. When I do pass my test, I'll know it's worth something because I'll be able to measure it in hours of sweat and pain! The moral of the story - don't be afraid to fail. It's an opportunity to learn and grow!

The structure of classes at my dojo is such that I regularly train with kids. Some of them (especially the over 12s) are really good, very mature for their ages. The younger kids might pick up individual techniques quicker because they are quite flexible, but (not surprisingly, given their age) they are immature and lack discipline and concentration. Whether a 10 year old could deserve a black belt, I can't say, but I doubt most of them would have anything like the self discipline necessary.

We have a fee for gradings, which are usually on Saturdays. I don't resent it. The various senseis give up their time to grade us and the last three gradings I have been graded by the chief instructor of our club. On each occasion, he has taken me to one side and given me advice on how to improve. So I have paid for the instruction as well as the grading itself.

I've tried the two different techniques. I find the conventional mawashigeri (chamber to the side) seems to be snappier and more powerful, but I imagine it's easier to block because it's more clearly telegraphed. On the other hand, lifting the knee to the front could precede one of a number of kicks and therefore may be harder to block.

I've noticed recently that there seem to be two distinct ways of doing mawashigeri. In one, you lift the knee to the front (the same as when chambering the maegeri kick), and then rotate the hip around as you spin on the supporting leg. In the other way, you chamber the kicking leg to the side, parallel to the ground before spinning on the supporting leg and kicking. Anyway, my question is, are both equally valid ways of performing mawashigeri? Are both equally powerful?

Yes, you'll always find there are some people who will try to start a fight just to prove something, once they know you study karate. My advice is keep your cool. If they challenge you, refuse the challenge, but why not invite them to come to the dojo where they can try it out for themselves?

I'd always wanted to try karate as a kid, but didn't get the chance. A couple of years ago I started at age 34, because my sons wanted to try it. I haven't stopped since. I agree, there are times when it's tough but it's also good to look back and see how much improvement has happened in those two years.

White Red (for kids) Yellow Orange Green Blue Brown 1 red stripe Brown 2 red stripes Brown 3 red stripes Shodan