faido

I'm really glad you all posted this. I was thinking of starting yoga on my off days this coming semester, but wasn't sure if it would somehow hinder my performance in karate. I have a lingering knee injury so I can't do a whole lot of vigorous aerobic stuf. Except swimming, which I will try to do in January as well. Thanks for bringing up the subject and offering so many opinions. It seems to me the stretching would be very helpful as would the focus on mind/body conncetion, the core strengthening and balance. That's why I'm going to do it. I could use a little help in all those areas so hopefully yoga will be a step in the right direction.

I found these forums by accident. I practice Shotokan karate. I am currently 3rd kyu. I very much enjoy doing kata, but am still quite apprehensive about kumite. Ok, mostly free sparring has me all in a tizzy. I'm not fast enough to move in on anyone and I can't see a kick coming at me to save my life. The few times I do see it coming I block it straight on with my forearm. I know, I know, I'm lucky I've not yet broken my forearm. Bad habits die hard! It doesn't help that I'm a five two girl with a bum knee. I enjoy attempting to learn new languages as well as reading. I have three cats and a dog and we enjoy going for walks. Tekki Shodan is currently my favorite kata. Kanku Dai is taking me forever to learn, but I think I like it all the more for the challenge. It's a close 2nd to Tekki Shodan. I'm hoping to make some friends and maybe learn something here. Later.

I had no idea that ranking could vary so much from dojo to dojo with in a single style. In my dojo we have neither red nor blue nor stripes of any kind. Heian Nidan is the kata we need to learn to proceed from yellow to orange. H.Shodan = White to yellow H. Nidan =yellow to orange H. Sandan = orange to green H. Yondan = green to purple (5th kyu) H.Godan =purple to purple (4th kyu) Tekki Shodan= purple to brown(3rd kyu) Basai Dai=brown to brown (2nd kyu) After that it gets to be a bit more of choice. To advance to 1st kyu you can either choose one of the slightly more advanced kata (jion, empi or kanku-dai) or stick with Basai Dai and try to better it. Most people stick with Basai Dai because it can be viewed as being arrogant to choose one of the other three. For Shodan you must know all of the listed kata. You choose one as 'yours'. During your test the Masters will choose a 2nd one for you to do. It is usually one that compliments the one you chose as yours. If you choose a fast kata, they will choose a powerful one, sort of thing. I will soon be taking my 2nd kyu test and am focusing on Basai Dai, though I have learned the basics of both Kanku Dai and Jion, by which I mean I can get from start to finish reliably-but it's not pretty. I have pieces of Empi down, but I don't have them connected yet. At this point my favorite is Tekki Shodan, I have placed in tournaments with Basai Dai as a team kata and I think that Kanku Dai is on it's way to being my next favorite kata.

I know a sensei wouldn't invite a karate-ka to test if he didn't think the karate-ka was ready to test, but how do you, personally, know you are ready? My sensei has invited me to test and while on one hand I trust him in this matter, on the other I'm not sure I feel ready to test. I have a lingering injury that makes me slow and lack power. I think this is taken into account, but I'm just not sure if I feel ready. How do [/i]you know you are ready?

I was just curious because he has a school in my hometown, not sure what style, but was supposedly a champion of somesort. I think at one time he studied goju ryu, but I don't know if that's what he 'championed' in.

Breathing, I hadn't thought of that but now that you mention it you are right. When ever I was facing away from my team I did listen for their breathing to let me know where they were in the kata. Thanks for pointing that out.

Is anyone planning on going to the Nationals in Anchorage Alaska next year?

I've been doing Shotokan for a little over a year and a half, but I'm looking for a compliment to it. Aikido would be appealing, if my pompous roomie hadn't ruined it for me with endless 'mine is better than your is' talk. I've seen TKD in several open tournaments locally, and I just don't feel it's for me. Any thoughts on whether Tai Chi would be a good compliment to Shotokan, or if not what would be a good compliment? Thanks.

Has anyone here ever heard of or trained with Lee Puzniak?

I began shotokan about a year and a half ago and yet I've never heard of a blue belt. Our club is recognized by both the JKA and ISKF, so far as I know. Or do these mean nothing?

when my team and i were getting ready for our first competition our sempai recommended we stand as close to our kata formation as possible during kijon and try to work on our synchronization there, as well as work through all the kata we know together. both of these helped us to be more in tune with one another and our sense of group timing. we took first in the competition.