Kieran-Lilith

We usually spar once a month, but we're sparring a lot more now because of Tournament coming up....I can't wait! 'course, it has to be the day before my birthday so I'm a bloody mess for my b-day, but oh well.

Ummm....I am only a poor yellow belt, and therefore know very little....I know a black belt kata, but that's besides the point. I know, so far: Nihanchi Shodan Pinan Shodan Ichikyu Nikyu and some Bo kata that I can't remember the name of.

School colors: Red, Black, White, and Silver Gi colors: Preferably black. Actually, Sensei hates the white gis, or acts like he does. Yeah, we have the business cards with the dojo colors, the dojo is painted with them, the school patch is in them (duh), and it's exterior colors, and we like it.

Karate is my one sport I'm good at. The only sport I've ever been good at. Even this takes work, though. I have talent for it, but I'm also very stubborn, so when I don't get it right....I won't stop until Sensei says or I got it.

Ummm....sad to say, I've only had two belts, and I like my white belt better. It's nice and broken in, and hands down right, my yellow one is still sort of stiff after 5 months of use, and isn't long enough. But since Sensei gave it to me, whatever Sensei says is best....of course, that doesn't stop me from having preference, but...

Not thinking....not thinking....not thinking....

Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad. Have I mentioned V-Day was bad for me this year?

I haven't been to contest yet, but when I go next month I'll probably do Pinan Shodan.

I have no idea what it is, but I"m like the rest of you, completely drawn to it. Although, there really has to be something twisted with all of us loving paying for pain. Really, it is kind of messed up. But I know the feeling everyon'es talking about. I've had it since I was 7. Unfortunately, I never got to train until I was 10. And I went to a McDojo. We quit that after a year, with all the bad habits ingrained. Now, at age 14, nearly 15, I'm a yellow belt in a traditional school. Good school.

Thank you all very, very much. If anyone else gets any ideas, feel free to share them. It's also really helpful coming from people who have been in my situation before. My green belt friend out here is no help whatsoever, he didn't have Sensei trying to get him to teach anyone at yellow belt rank. Now he uses my friend as a "guinea pig" to show techniques to the students. My friend keeps insisting I should volunteer to be the guinea pig, I'm not that crazy! I trust Sensei and all, but some of these techniques qualify as torture in my mind.

Hi!

Dunno....we've had people who left because they couldn't take pain, and parents who couldn't stand to watch their child hurt. Our liability forms even say that the dojo is not responsible if any death occurs.

Oopgrub- I know how that feels. I did about the exact same thing, only I bounced right up (it was only my second ever class) and was attempting to murder the bag again before Sensei even had time to turn around. He thought I had to have gotten a concussion or something, because my head smacked pretty hard.

Fighting. I'm terrible at it, but I much prefer fighting.

I'm 14 years old, 8th kyu (hopefully soon to be 7th), and in the advanced class (adult class really, it's amazing I'm even in it). The other day Sensei asked me to instruct 10 or so white belts in ichykyu-kata. I hadn't ever taught anything before in my life, except to my brother (who was part of the group, and who I'd already taught the kata to). So, my question is, how do you do that? I think about how Sensei teaches it, and when Sensei does so, it makes perfect sense. When I try and do the same thing, I look rather sad, because I'm a mere one rank above these guys right now. The other Sensei hung around, and helped where I could, the Sankyu taught his group and berated me for not knowing how to teach mine, and then yelled at me to get them moving (I didn't do anything, I didn't, he's scary...). I don't know what I'm doing, so can someone please help? Oh, and the other thing that screwed me up was one of the little white belts decided to pipe up and say "You're doing it wrong" when I had it right and he had it wrong. What do I do about them, when they won't show (pretend, it's close enough) any respect, even though Sensei put me in charge of them?

Oh, I thought of another one. A few months back, maybe only one, I don't know anymore, it just seems like the dojo's always been there, but anyway, we were practicing running jump sidekicks. Of course, anyone who's read my other wonderful goof ups....you can guess what happened. I run, I do a very nice side kick, and I land flat on my back with the wind half knocked out of me. I'm such a klutz. For the rest of the class, I proceeded to do even better sidekicks that kept knocking the person holding the pad onto the floor. Sensei eventually put a cushion on the floor when I was up, he said it wasn't good for the grown-ups' backs to keep hitting the floor so hard. At the end of class, we took a vote in different categories. I got the strongest kick vote, unanimously. Absolutely hilarious.

I swear those kids are just asking for it from us older ones some days, I don't see how else they could act so entirely stupid....It gets to the point where some kids of the higher ranks can't even answer simple translation questions...once again, push-ups.

Not starting earlier. Not finding a good, proper dojo sooner. And going to my first dojo. That was a mistake. Ugh...I have all these terrible habits to get beaten out of me now.

Confucious say, man who drop watch in toilet have crapty time. Confucious say, man trapped in pantry have @** in jam. Confucious say, Man who eat to many prunes get good run for money. Confucious say, he who eats too many prunes, sits on toilet many moons. Confucious say, house without toilet is uncanny. Lady who live in glass house should dress in basement. Man who jumps through screen door likely to strain himself. Man who put head on railroad track get splitting headache. Man who sneezes without hanky takes matters into his own hands. Man who walk in middle of road get run over by bus. Okay for crap to happen...will decompose. People who make Confucious jokes speak bad english.

Ummm.... grades....1st grade tends to be 6-7 year olds, second 7-8, third 8-9, 4th 9-10, fifth 10-11, sixth 11-12, and that's all grade school, usually. Then seventh 12-13, eighth 13- 14 is usually middle school, or Junior High, depends on where you are. Freshman (Frosh) 14-15, Sophomores (Sophs) 15-16, Juniors 16-17, Seniors 17-18. Frosh and Sophs are referred to as underclassmen (and ladies). Juniors and Seniors are the Upperclassmen who pull pranks on us poor Underclassmen, especially the Froshmen, like me. I highly doubt my little rant was entirely necessary, but there you go.

I'd follow the first rule my friend taught me upon bringing me into the dojo: Always do what Sensei says. In the dojo, Sensei's word, is law. And you will follow these laws, or I will make sure you regret, because I'll be in trouble for you getting in trouble.

Ummmm....I'm a freshman in the evil world of high school. Oh, and I clean tables to pay for my karate.

Well, JesusLand these days is a bit of a political joke. If I valued my life I would have shut up and not said a word. But anyway, the political joke is, since there's a lot of really right wing Evangelical Christians (No offense to anyone who is one...) who are very big on conservative issues, the red states form "JesusLand", and the blue states (You know, like California, Michigan, Illinois) join Canada, which becomes "The United States of Canada". Very...ummm....democratically aimed political joke. I am very, very sorry to anyone who finds offense in this....*hides* To anyone who finds it amusing...spread the word!

Said: No, this doesn't hurt a bit. Meaning: This will hurt you badly enough you will refuse to use that limb for days upon days. Said: Oh, that's simple. Meaning: It'll take you weeks to learn. Said: I love push-ups! They're good for you! You should do them as often as possible! Meaning: I am going to kill the next person who shouts "push-ups", and I'm going to act like I'm sick or something.

I'm glad someone thinks so, I wanted to strangle the little brats.