solar_kid

Yes, I agree with ninjanurse. Our instructor has been candid about wanting us to develop our ability to discover our own flaws, and correct them ourselves. He does give us feedback, but often in the form of questions. So, in my particular case, one of my unfortunate habits is not turning my back foot enough when I step forward in back stance. I hadn't noticed this until Sensei pointed it out. Sensei will ask after I perform this movement, "How was your stance?" but he won't necessarily tell me exactly what the problem is. I kept thinking it was in the height of the stance, or that my weight was on the wrong foot. He will give us some lattitude to discover these things, but it does seem that in signing up to take the test, his feedback became a little more specific. I do training as a part of my job too (not in martial arts, of course!), and I have to say that I admire this approach. I wish I could spend enough time with my students to make this sort of approach realistic.

Thanks for the advice! I did sign up for the test, and in the following training session, sensei gave me some very specific feedback on some of my techniques and stances. I will be working on that, and if I feel satisfied that I have improved the areas he indicated, I will probably proceed with the test. I think taking the risk of signing up worked well in any case, because I'm pretty sure that I would not have gotten the specific feedback otherwise. So, I think it turned out to my advantage whether or not I actually take the test.

Hello all, First, thanks to everyone who has responded to my earlier questions. I've found KF to be a great source of information. Soon, I need to decide whether to sign up to take a test for 5th kyu. Unlike some dojos, our instructor does not invite or ask students to take a test when he feels they're ready. Rather, he establishes minimum training hours, and when you reach the hours, you can sign up to take the next test. I have in the past asked my sensei if I should test, and he replied that since he would be performing the examination, he couldn't tell me that. He said the important question was whether or not I felt I was ready to test. I have seen the 5th kyu test before, and it isn't much different than my 6th kyu test, except for the addition of the kata Heian Yondan. I assume the standards for performance will be higher, but I don't know how much higher! When I ask other students in the dojo how they decide when to test, they think that the real test may happen in the week before the test, and if you really weren't ready, that Sensei would let you know that you were not ready. I have indeed noticed that the week before I take a test, Sensei is especially demanding in training. So, assuming I have the required hours, how do I know if I am ready to take the test? Thanks for your advice!

Blek I hate yellow! We use white, which I think is just fine. Black looks ok too. Everything else looks silly to me. On a practical note, I have always washed my obi by itself when I've gotten a new one. the dye often runs. When I washed my green belt, the wash water looked like liquid fabric softener. So, I wonder if you got yellow gis if they wouldn't have to washed completely separately from everything else, especially for the first few washings.

lol i usually take sudafed and/or ibuprofen, and I sleep a lot. Never really gotten into the natural remedies thing. I've tried zinc and echinacea and vitamin c, and they don't seem to make any difference. i try not to take antihistamines, though... they seem to make any sore throat that goes with my cold worse. oh, and vaporub for the congestion at night.

sounds like you're hanging in there! good! imagine all of the people who sat at home watching tv and eating chips while you were at your competition! you've probably gained some good experience, and know better what to expect for next time.

me too! joined shotokan and kf about 9 months ago.

Yes, congratulations! It's a good feeling. Just imagine all you've learned to make it to yellow belt, and how much you'll learn if you keep up your training and hard work!

We have a standing rule in our dojo that we don't train when we're sick. Particularly with the children's class, that seems quite smart to me. I like the idea of using that time to watch a class. That had never occurred to me, but it's smart! I sometimes feel that a mild workout helps me feel more normal if I have a mild cold. But, I think if you're running a temperature or coughing or sneezing constantly (or bleeding constantly from both eyes or whatever ), rest would be the best for your body. Good luck if you decide to talk to your instructor!

I'd echo aefibird... I think for a beginner the differences in style probably are less important than other factors, like how close the school is, how comfortable you think you'd feel in class, the costs, and so forth.

My favorite short joke: A man walks into a bar. He says, "Ouch." I tried for ten minutes to explain it to my grandma, but she just didn't get it.

Welcome, vitasama! There are some decent threads here about self-training, although I personally wouldn't give up my time in the dojo. And don't get me started on chess. Everyone tells me I play really well, but I never seem to win. I think people are just being nice.

In response to Advil (aka Motrin aka Ibuprofen) being counterproductive: I was concerned about this myself, so I did some research. After doing so, I would concede that prolonged use of Advil can work against healing. Advil is a NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug), meaning that the way that Advil reduces pain is to reduce inflammation. Inflammation, however, is a key component of the body's response to injury, and it is possible that the use of Advil could prolong the period for tissues to heal. For an typical discussion of the arguments on this subject, visit http://cat007.com/ibup.htm . This article also does a good job of pointing out the potential side effects. It seems to me that many professionals who advocate this position are hawking some alternative product that purports to treat pain, though, and I wonder how well it is backed up by clinical research. One report ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2026619.stm ) ties NSAID use to problems with bone healing in mice, but mice are a long way from being human! And, bone injuries may be different than soft-tissue pain. All that said, however, I personally find Advil to be a useful pain reliever, and it seems to be widely considered safe and effective for the periodic treatment of pain. My doctor has often told me to keep taking the drug when I've talked to him about my karate injures. (In fact, when I was in the military, all the doctors seemed to prescribe this drug for just about every kind of pain!) Apprently, though, some athletes use this drug routinely or even constantly, and that is probably a poor idea. I wouldn't rule it out as pain reliever when you need one. Just follow the label and don't over-use it! Just my informed opinion, though. Everybody's got to make their own decisions as to what to put in their bodies!

I'd just take a regular dose of advil/ibuprofen/motrin. I've used it from time to time when I've been excessively sore or had an injury, and I think it does a good job of easing sport-related pain. I agree with Sooner, too, after a couple of weeks you'll probably stop having the soreness. I also agree with Shorin, and have found relief in good stretching. Nothing says you can't use multiple approaches.

/me smacks solar_kid Ha! That's what I get for writing so late at night.

I'd add that milk is superior nutritionally to some other sugary beverages, so if it replaces, say, Coca-cola in your diet, it will be a dramatic improvement. Nonetheless, milk does contain calories, so even if you enjoy it (as with all things), don't over do it. LOL - It's funny to think of someone getting milk happy. Moo.

Hi all, I wonder how much you use resources other than your usual training session and practice to learn more about your art. I'm talking about videos, books, and the like. I've been pondering doing some more serious reading, but I am concerned that the information I learn may not align fully with what is taught in class, perhaps hindering more than helping. What do you think? Is outside-of-class learning helpful? Is it something that should be reserved for students with some experience that can put the info in perspective? Have you had students that improved or harmed their techniques trying to learn outside of class?

Sasori_Te: Yes, I think you can. I had this teacher in junior high (strangely enough) who taught us some meditative relaxation techniques. She used music, and so when I grew to like them, I started doing them myself. When I first did it at home, I tried to do it without music, but was not successful. Some months later, I was travelling, and didn't have any way to play music, so I tried doing it without the music and found that I could. I still occasionally use music, particularly when I try to meditate without the music and have trouble keeping my mind from darting every which way.

I'd never heard of that till now. The white belt comes with the getup at our dojo.

I think the best thing is to just move on, and not to dwell on the circumstances or try to change them. I've prolonged my own broken heartedness in the past by trying to "fix" relationships, and that never works. Good luck!

In our dojo, all dan grades wear a regular black belt. No stripes of any kind.

You might also try hos.com. They have some programs in their archive that are probably suitable.

Coffee, freshly ground please. Diet coke. (I'm a programmer. As such, you have to like either coke or diet coke.) For an adult beverage, I enjoy a vodka martini with chambord or a full-bodied red wine.

Um, yeah, so I get on the training floor tonight and I'm doing some stretches, getting ready for class. Some black belts are filing in, as well as some newbies, and, out of the leg of my gi pops a dryer sheet. I don't know why it's embarrassing. Just that it is.

We don't learn them with the other basics, but they come up enough that I don't think it's usually more than a month or so of training before a beginner would end up learning them.