Sandan

http://www.glenviewkarate.com/Graphics/tie_your_gi.jpeg This may help some people.

Yes, try being chatted up in a pub and the guy (I'm a girl) says so what do you do in your spare time.. I used to lie and say in a bimbo sort of way... oh nothing really.. then I said sod it I'm going to say what I mean and now i say that I do Karate which always goes to oh, so what belt are you... I say black belt (you can see where this is going) and you should watch the guys disappear!!!

I know how difficult it is to work with someone who corrects all the time. I've recently had to stop a 3rd Dan teaching at my dojo 'cause people were avoiding his class because of the way that he was teaching. I wanted to see why so I watched and he absolutely corrected everything, I don't agree with that and so I've asked him to reassess the way that he teaches. That's hard for a 3rd Dan to hear I guess. Don't get me wrong, his technique is excellent and he is a good fighter, it's just the way that he teaches!

I am currently going through this myself. I have moved to a new location and I don't have the ability to bring any members with me. My new dojo is in a gym where people can only train with me if they are members of the dojo... I have gone down the 'something for everyone' improve concentration etc on my advertisments...It's not easy to bring the bodies in so I've decided to hold an open night! I'll let you know if it works

This is an interesting question, I've been working on focusing on either the spot between the eyes at the top of the nose or the centre of the body at the base of the neck. As most people seem to move their shoulders first this worked very effectively with the majority of people. I could easily take in their legs, shoulders etc. with no great difficulty. However, I faced a Japanese instructor and I have to say that I was totally flumoxed! Couldn't see anything coming...!

I have to disagree, I train with a club where we do a lot of kumite and where the majority of the members are teenage/twenties.. the women are very strong and very comitted. The odd new member arrives and is very feminine and will not be engaging in the exercises where strength is required etc. They either tend to become more agressive or they move on..

I like to change the focus of the class depending on what is being taught and who is in the class. I focus on some of the more 'game like' activities when I am teching children it's sort of a reward if they have worked hard during the class. It only takes 10 minutes and it's fun for me also. I don't use the continuous drilling too often, but when I do it's to show people that they can do much more than they thought etc. etc.

Kata is the bible of Karate, all that is Karate can be found in Kata

What do you think, to my mind karate is practice to improve... training is to maintain a level...

Thanks for passing that on.. I love running, and I run a lot in conjunction with my karate training... I feel it's very important for overall fitness and stamina

I tell them that they should be able to adjust to block an attack to the head yes... though to have the head 'covered' would expose the body, Yes?

Has anyone trained with Sensei Julian Mead? He is a weapons expert from the Ryukyu Kobujutsu Association of Great Britain. I was very impressed I have to say when I trained with him. I find it difficult to find good instructors in weaponry.. he is definately worth looking up!

I agree that some form of basic level of attendance and also grade level should be used as a measure before one can be accepted. However in my dojo its more that we're about 45 people and I choose people to help me out as I need them... I am always in the same room as them and so when I see things that I think aren't quite right I do try and make very disrete recomendations... What is also important is that many of the junior members will look up to the assistant instructor and see it as the first step towards the instructors role, therefore assistant instructors should always be full in integrity etc.

Hi dtstiachi, chances are if he's reading this site he's interested in MA at some level. So to improve even general fitness cross training is the best way, give overall fitness without taking from flexibility etc.

That IS definately the attitude to have! Unfortunately not all the assistant instructors are like minded. Many feel that they should be the Chief Instructor

I also think that you need to change the focus regularly. Kids won't do lots of repitions of a technique, therefore I've had to invent games and use teaching aids such as the lagging foam off pipes. I've cut this foam into lenghts about 1.5 feet long and have put tape around one end and another about 3/4 the way up. I get them to kick between the lines, for some reason it seems more of an attraction than kicking each other-go figure!

hmmm.. in my dojo it's not permitted to contradict the instructor. Respectfully to suggest an alternative fine, or to come up with a personal viewpoint fine, but this is never allowed to be given during class. We work to the Shu-Ha-Ri principle.

I think we've all been there trying to find places to teach. I've recently been asked for my insurance liabilities before I even started teaching!!!

Assistant instructors are still students... as are senseis! Each will have their own interpretation of what is 'right', though as the last person said check back with the Chief Instructor. However and I can't stress this enough. Don't do it in a manner that is accusatory towards the assistant instructor! By all means seek clarification and use the information to make your Karate better, but don't go and accuse the assistant or contradict them in class. I've recenlty seen this in Japan and it was an American who made the point and unfortunately he confused the use of fudo dachi for higher grades with zenku-za-dachi for lower grades. This is forgiveable, what isn't is the fact that he followed up his question by saying that his instructor had been wrong!! Bad mistake.

With the 7-10 age bracket I generally pull one out every now and again and make them do kata just to check their kata levels... this does tend to keep the concentration.

This also came up one night for us in training. Sweating when accompanied by huge loss of breath and the feeling of inability to continue is bad. This means the body has over heated and well it's telling you to stop. The body that sweats be it quickly or slowly is really getting ready to work and is keeping the temperature regulated. This can also happen to fit people who tend to sweat when eating hot (chili) food. Again this is a good thing. of course it also happens to over weight people, but for different reasons.

I think that long distance running isn't so good for Karateka. Best to improve on speed as this is what is more necessary. That said general fitness is also required. So my opinion cross training, to improve fitness and specific speed training to improve on well, speed!

Hello! I am a woman, with over 20 years experience in Karate and I run my own school. I also know of one other woman who does the same not too far from me. There is the odd person who doesn't like being taught by a woman, but genrally things are fine!

I was helping out with teaching when I was a purple/brown belt. Then when I took my shodan I was asked to help out in sessions from time to time. I then decided (was told) that the time had come for me to take over some classes... the rest as they say is history.

Hi, I've been teaching kids for more than 10 years now and I've noticed that competition and challenge will really get them going. Yes keep it fun up to brown belt and at brown belt introduce the 'this is serious' factor. They keep comin back!