Quien

Hello. I'm looking for some kind of software for pocketpc which allow me to make a daily control on attendance to class. I mean, having a list and each day mark who has attended and who hasn't. Also, it would be interesting to let me give my pupils some "effort points", since it is a system I started using last year to praise them, but keeping it on papers when you have a lot of classes isn't very comfortable. Do you know any software like this? I have seen several programs but oriented for college teachers with so much options that it gets ususable for this. I want something simple. Maybe I will have to end programming it myself.

Yes, of course, here we have that kind of lessons, as a special training for competitors, but we don't charge for that. I understood it as a way to learn a martial art without previous contact with it.

When I first saw this post, I have to recognize I thought it was a strange question. But then, reading your replies, I have realised how differently martial arts are understood and practised in different places of the world. I explain. I'm spanish, and here you can take private classes of maths, physics...but not for martial arts, I think. Martial arts is understood as an activity in which group practise and pair workd is very important, and not as a subject which could be taught in private lessons. (how many private lessons and money would you have to invest to get a black belt degree?). So, it is not usual -at least I have never heard about anyone doing that- to take private lessons for this things, and I would be interested to know how do you develop that kind of lessons. How do you orient it? To learning some self-defense, to learn the whole martial art itself, to empower individual activities like kata...Also I suppose that being only 2 people at a class limits a little bit the range of exercises you can practise. Are you all american? Any other non-american poster who can tell us his experience in his country? Apart from that, on other posts I have read about assistance control in order to pay the monthly fee. Do you pay for classes attended or you pay a monthly fee and you can assist to as many classes as you want? Here at Spain the most extended way -almost the only way used here, I think- is to pay a certain amount of money each month (at my gym a month costs about 35 €, being a euro a little bit more than a dollar), and you can practise so long as you want, if the tatami is free, and attend your lessons (3 a week, but with special trainings for competitors everyday apart from normal lessons), and also using fitness room, weights... Sorry for my english

I have been teaching kids during these last years and, from my point of view, a 20 minutes class shouldn't be effective at all. They waste a lot of time in doing such simple things as sitting in seiza, making a row...so in a 20 minutes class you won't be able to teach almost anything. My classes last for an hour and I think that maybe 45-50 minutes would be the best. Try to prepare your class in advance so that everything takes place as you thought. 10-15 minutes of warming up and the rest of the class for karate itself, counting on that if you want them to really learn, you will almost surely have to make some games or funny drills between the exercises so that they really enjoy the class and give the best of themselves while practising the new concepts.

Some people hurts sitting in seiza, it is a fact. Do both of your ankles hurt you? Try crossing them behind you when sitting in seiza so that one feet rests on the other one, instead of putting your leg under your sides, maybe it could help as knees don't need to be so blended.

Uuh..thanks a lot. My kids aren't going to be so thanked, I suppose. It is an interesting exercise I have seen in so many war films...but I had never used it in class. Jumping jacks is the same? I use this exercise for warming some times...with both feet going forwards and back together, and one after another.

I think all of us have gone through a time in which we didn't enjoy kata practising and thought it was a stupid exercise. Only with the time you realise how important they are to a martial artist formation, how much of real combat they have, and how they are the only working method to develope some aspects of the martial artist. If you don't realise about it, you aren't working them in a correct way, you are only looking to karate as a sport or a sparring method, or both solutions. It's in a superior kata where you see most of a martial artist techniques and skills, and what makes you realise about his real level in karate. At least, I understand it so.

I think the easiest way is stacking them leaning over bricks or similar on their sides, so that you hit in a place that has air under it. When stacking several of them, make the same so that they don't get all together or you won't be able to break them. Place wood, flat stones or bricks on their sides so that they are stable but with a space between each tile. Force generated by the strike to the first tile will be transmited to the next arc and so on to the rest. I have only seen it done by my instructor, and we usually break only wood boards.

Yes, I completely agree with you. Physical shape is very important for a martial artist, but I also like to distinguish it towards them as a punishment, to make it clear that we are doing boring things wasting the time we could be perfectly using in more productive tasks, so that they behave well afterwards. I like to punish the whole class when a person behaves in a bad way, so that they work as a team, but I also understand that section of the class always behaving properly and having to deal with other people's punishments. You have to see their faces... Apart from that, I'm spanish and I haven't found a traslation for "Squad thrusts\jumping jacks". Could you please describe them?

I prefer using rewards than punishments, but sometimes they become necessary. What punishments do you use? With children, I have noticed that putting them on a tiring stance (such as shiko dachi in karate) for a while works the best, since it is a punishment that you can easily control to be well done (if they stand up or talk, the time starts counting again), and it doesn't interrupt the rest of the class. Push ups don't look like working so well for me, as some of the children don't know/don't want to do them in a proper way. What other punishments do you use?

This game is very interesting since you can do a lot of variations, not only for kids. You can do it with numbers instead of colours and tell a mathematical operation (for example... 3 + 4 +1 -2) and you must run depending on result being even or odd....you can make it difficult in several ways, in order to get them really concentrated.

I suppose I didn't explain it well. I wasn't refering to tell the days you use for each kind of work, but a detailled explanation of classes so that we can learn one from anothers and get some exercises ideas. For example, the first class of the year with my karate kid's class: Running around the tatami. At instructor’s voice: - Touch the ground and jump - Skipping - Lateral running - Open legs and touch twice each toe - Crouch - Changes of direction - Abs and pushups - Quickly creation of groups formed by the number of people instructor says After a while, everybody stands in a circle and start with static warming, from head to toes, and then individual stretching. Camel game: One starts walking with her legs and arms, like a dog, and must touch the rest of the class. When one person gets touched, he goes down and starts chasing the rest, until the last one standing gets touched. Explanation of Suki, and individual work doing several series of 20 repetitions at the voice of the instructor. First slowly, then stronger, looking the technical details. Aplication of gyaku suki to a makiwara. Shoto Uke explanation Pairs work. Aka attacks with oi suki, and shiro blocks it with shoto uke then counterattack with gyako tsuki. Ki-hon with suki and shoto uke and basic movements. Grouped in groups of 3, one gets a ball, another one protects that person, and the last one must try to touch the ball. Pushups, abs and some phisical work to end the class. Relaxation lying on their backs.

Hello. I usually prepare my classes before going to schools, so that I know perfectly what to do there. I think it could be a good idea if you do the same that anyone who wants would paste here their detailed classes scheme, so that we could learn from other's people exercises and copy some of their work in order to save us some class planning. With adults/competitors it would be more difficult since their requirements vary a lot, but for children I think this would be a very valuable post.

Does that kind of homework really help the kids? I understand karate in a way that should influde over they lifes, but well differenced form school activities. I prefer them learning a lot in the class than making them feel overwhelmed for doing their worksheets as a special work apart from their school assignments. Maybe making them do (10 and upper) some small investigation work about their karate style to get the next belt or something special like that...but not frequent worksheets. Just point of views.

Shito Ryu to children at schools. So I want practical books for preparing and improving my lessons. I haven't read the master text, but I suppose it must be a very technical book about karate. I know my style deeply, and I want practical books. A lot of drills, class advices...In properly karate theory I'm quite well provided I think.

I personally enjoy learning the history and culture behind the martial arts, but I just like history in general, especially ancient warfare. However, and everyone make sure they are sitting down for this,...........................I don't feel that the study of history and culture are necessary requisites to becoming a good martial artist . Sure, it is great to learn, if you are into that stuff, but it has nothing to do with the focal points of the martial arts, which is either fighting or learning how to defend yourself. It is fun to learn, but unless you plan to bore your opponent with a history lesson, it will not serve much use when it comes time to fight for your life. There is time for everything. From my point of view, you can start telling them some small pieces of information about the story of Martial Arts during class, if they are related with what you are teaching at the moment, but not becoming an obsession from the first class. Martial Artist road is long, and everything must happen at the correct time.

In Friends Joey plays a doctor role in "Days of our lives", but I thought that was an invented soap which didn't exist in real TV.

You can difference between teaching bunkai for kids' competitions, and for normal students to understand de concept of a Kata. For very small young/beginners, it can be difficult for them to assimilate real bunkais, not for the upper body movements but for legs displacement. At that phase of learning, I think you should explain the individual movements while showing them the kata for the first time, so that they don't see it like a dance or a serie of stupid movements. You can use that techniques in prearranged sparring/couples work, but simplifying movements. With young kids who have practised karate for a time, it can be a good idea to start making them work in more complex bunkais, respecting the original path of the shape. It will be useful for them in order to understand the kata as a whole, and can be a starting point for bunkai competitions.

Well, I don't think so. Strange parents can be found everywhere, but nowadays a lot of people drop their children to a gym as they could sign them up in guitar or football. Not for the spirit of Martial Arts. Only an activity to spend their leisure time, allowing adults a rest from children. They can be interested, of course, in teaching some habits for their normal life, and to keep them in a nice ambience, but I don't think it gets usually commented in such a serious way. I'm sure if that woman finally signs her daughter up, it will became a really anoying person and may discourage her from really enjoying the class.

Hello. Have you used some books about martial arts teaching? I bought several months ago "Martial Arts Instructor's Desk Reference" and "Teaching Martial Arts", both by Sang H. Kim Ph.D. The first one is really useful, reviewing everything related to teaching these kind of disciplines, including drills, dealing with children, parents, specific improvement sessions...It is a must-have for every instructor, I think, although a big part of the ideas are known by everyone giving classes. It also includes some gym management chapters that didn't interest me very much since I don't owe a gym. The second one is quite worse than Desk Reference, since it seems like a schema of the first one. I am interested in buying some more books if I know they are interesting, but since I live in Spain (sorry for my English), I have to buy it online so I can't have a look on its content before buying (if I could, I'm sure I wouldn't have bought "Teaching Martial Arts"). Have you read anyone? Specially oriented to karate and teaching children, but I accept all kind of recommendations.

I do have a video of it, this kata is from Matsumura Shorin Ryu, it's one of the highest kata. It's about twice as long as Supraimpei and way more complicated than Chatan Yara Kusanku. I always thought the longest kata in Shito Ryu was Haku Cho from Gokenki. John Could you upload the video anywhere? I would like to know that kata.

Kunimura no Hakutsuru is the longest kata I know. It's over 250 step and takes about 3 minutes. John Do you have a video? What style is it? I think in Shito Ryu one of the longest katas must be Suparimpei, not by the number of stages (I think Chantaniara No Kusanku is longer in that aspect), but for the time, as it is a kata with a lot of concentration movements.

Hello. I don't like the stripes, although if you are a sensei it can be interesting as a point of distintion from your students...I mean, wearing a black pants or jacket, or stripes karategi can be a way to make clear who is the master. Letting the stripes apart, I must say that Adidas makes, from my point of view, the best karategis I have ever seen. I refer specially to the Champion Gi if you practise Kata. It is a very comfortable karategi which is hard enough to show the best shape of your technique during all the competition. I bought one three years ago and I keep it only for competitions. Now Adidas Karategis can't be bought here, in Spain, and last week I had to bought one from another brand, but I don't like it too much. It is also special for katas, but it's clothes are too light and weak (it's a Tagoya).

How do you translate "Hector"?

Well, thanks a lot for your replies. After the 2 initial days, I started changing the lesson structure. The first days I got them doing games at the start of the class, as a warming up, and after that we started with karate properly said. After the days, I have realised that they give more of themselves when mixing up some games in the middle of the karate stuff, since they don't need to be focused for so a long time. Apart from that, they are getting used to karate lessons, and there are some more pupils. They enjoy the lesson a lot, or at least that's what I feel.