srv

I have no problem with Junior black belts, but in our dojo it is very clear that it is only an honourary black belt. All junior black belts have to retake their shodan test at 16 in order to be a full black belt. There are some juniors who fully deserve their belt (sounds like your friend is one of them) and some who don't, and most (not all) could not compete in free sparring with most adults of say green belt and above, not necessarily because of their skills, but their size and strength. This is why in our dojo, junior shodan tests are not done with adult shodan tests and the test needs to be retaken when you have turned 16. In addition, the junior shodan belts are distinguished from the adult ones by a red stripe on the end of the belt which is removed once the student completes their adult shodan grading. However, I believe all students deserve the same respect and I would certainly respect the rank that was awarded to you by your instructor.

Everyone needs to work out their strengths and weaknesses in training. Reality is us shorter females are never going to be as strong as the big guys. Our techniques won't pack the same sort of punch. And when you're sparring a taller opponent you can't afford to stand back and trade punches and kick at a distance cause they will outreach you everytime. I agree that what you need to work on is your speed, footwork and movement. Learn to move in and out as you attack and defend. Tuck up, move in quick, quick combo and move out. Use the angles as well. always keep on your toes. You will need to get quite fit to keep this up for a prolonged period of time sparring but that is your best bet as a smaller opponent. I know it's hard for females - particularly the ones who weren't tormented by older brothers!!, I was! - to get that agression going and get over the fear of being hit. You need to work with someone bigger than you who you feel comfortable with and let them go a little bit harder than normal to give you the feeling of being hit. Try tucking up in your stance and getting someone to hit you with focus mits, they are soft but will also get used to what it's like to cop a hit to the body or head. Reality is, the only way you'll get over it is to have a go. Get in there and spar. It might however be worth doing it for the first time with someone being controlled - maybe one of the black belts or other higher ranks - rather than on a fight night - I'm not sure exactly what that involves in your dojo, but if it's competition based, then your opponent will be going pretty hard trying to win. May not be the best time to have a first go in order to get your confidence up. Good luck. I promise, soon you'll be enjoying getting hit! It's weird I know, but very true.

Yes, most definitely.

Congratulations! Sounds like a tough test. For my Nidan we had to do 30 x 2 minute rounds of sparring. Was very tough. We didn't have to beat a certain number of opponents though. It's more about mental toughness - keeping going through exhaustion.

By the way, can't understand the concept of wanting to "beat up" a black belt as a kyu rank. Just seems like the wrong way to go about training. Sure, test yourself against a higher rank, but sizing up higher ranks to prove how good you are is just stupid IMO. Especially since most blcak belts sparring lower ranks are not going as hard as they can do.

This debate always seems to come up every now and then. For what it's worth you can get Junior black belts in our dojo but they are not recognised in the same way as an adult rank. If they do get a Juniour dan rank they have to retest for the adult dan rank when they are old enough. In our dojo you have to be at least 16 to do an adult shodan grading and at least 18 to do an adult nidan grading. There are occasionally exceptions - I have only seen this once. We have a 17 year old in our dojo who is an adult nidan. He has the size, physique and maturity of an adult male. He can EASILY match it with adult dan ranks and he is an outstanding assistant instructor. And no adult in our dojo feels uncomfartable or weird taking "orders" from him because he proves it on the floor with his maturity and his abilities. I can't see any good reason depriving him of a rank he definitely deserves. He is as good as / if not better than many other nidans who have reached the sacred age of maturity so to speak, myself included. I agree with the issue re 10 year old nidans etc but surely it is up to the Instructor to determine the truly deserving "kids" like the guy I mentioned and the 10 year olds playing at karate. Personally I think all that should bother you is what goes on in your own dojo as that's the only place where your rank, whatever it is, is comparable. If there are 10 yr old full nidans walking around trying to teach adults, then have a think about if that's where you want to train. If it happens elsewhere - then it doesn't really affect the quality of your own training.

We are only allowed to emboider our belts when we reach nidan and we can't choose what we want on it. It's pretty much your name on 1 side and name of the style on the other. You can do it in English or kanji - most do it in kanji. If you can choose what you want - why not talk to your sensei about it. Personally I would go for style rather than your sensei's name. Obviously our instructors are hugely important to us as students and you naturally want to credit him with what you've achieved. However if you talk to him or the other higher ranked instructors - the style is always more important than the individual. When we line up our first bow is always to our style, followed by the instructors. Just a thought.

Sounds very dodgy to me. Apart from the high fees and the grading and fees for "Ho" ranks, the fact that if you grade for a ho rank and then don't do the full dan grading you go back to nidan. Another excuse to take another $400 for a grading for Sandan-Ho. What happens if you get injured or get ill. What if something untoward happens in your life that affects you training? Are there any provisions for these circumstances or is it just bad luck - back to nidan and retest and repay for the recommended rank. By the way, our $100 test fees are Aussie dollars so thats more like $60 US. That covers everything - no extra fees for certificates or anything like that.

Definitely sounds like a lot. All our adult dan ranks are about $100 for each dan rank. Is 3rd dan recommended like Sandan-Ho? We don't have to grade or pay for ho ranks - they are awarded as an indicator that you are ready to prepare for the next dan grading. I've never seen anyone double grade in dan ranks. Anyway, yes $800 for a full dan rank, let alone having a $400 fee for a Sandan-Ho rank seems ridiculous to me.

It probably is growing pains but I agree with a previous post that said if you're getting pains in joints then juvenile rheumatiod arthritis may be a possibility. The reason you get growing pains is that your bones - especially the ends of the bones called growth plates are not fully formed until you are older. The growth plates basically allow the bones to grow as a child grows into adult size. Different bones growth plates fully form at different times. So while some will form at an earlier stage some will form later. Also at your age, hormones can play a part as well. However lots of pain in joints may point to something else like JRA but I can't get a good feel over the forum where exactly the pain is and what it is like so if you have further concerns - see another doctor. If it is just growing pains there isn't anything you can do to make them go away. Repeated use of pain killers is a bad idea - especially ibuprofen and other anti - inflammatories - they can cause stomach ulcers and bleeding in \side your gastrointestinal tract. To improve your flexibilty - as people have mentioned - get into a regular stretching regime. This will help with flexibilty and help ease the pains a little.

Brokenswordx - Does the fact that the black belts train for free bug you as well? At our dojo black belts who regularly assist in the dojo get significantly reduced fees but remember that they are usually putting in a lot more time in the dojo than you are. They may not do every pushup that you are doing but teaching is a lot harder than just concetrating on your own training - and as i said - they have spent many more years than you have sweating on the floor already. Do you respect the black belts at your dojo? do you aspire to be like them one day? Or do you just resent the fact that they are not out there doing every minute of training with you and that they train for free?

With all due respect, you are only 14 years old. You are nowhere near at your peak in terms of physicality and certainly not at your peak from a maturity point of view. Most 14 year old guys are yet to have their growth spurt and to devlop the adult male physique. You have been training for 7 years which means you started when you were 7. From intructing children I think that most martial arts taught before that age is really just about fun and games. What evryone is saying is that you have your whole life in martial arts ahead of you and quite frankly, I am yet to see a 14 year old do kata or kumite anywhere near the same level as an adult with the same experience. You have the foundation of training to be a great martial artist but most people who have trained for a while realise that the martial arts has little to do with winning competitions, being special or being some sort of child prodigy. Even a kid of your age in Japan who has trained their whole life and who you seem so impressed with have still only scratched the surface of martial arts. Only when you stop worrying about being too old to be thought of as special and winning comps and how slow or quick it takes you to advance belt ranks, will you truly understand what it takes to be a great martial artist - which in part is humility and a hell of a lot of hard work. I can see you have the desire to be a great practitioner in the arts, just make sure you are doing it for the right reasons. Good luck. I'm sure your dedication to training will pay off.

It certainly varies from class to class but at our dojo it is expected that black belts are involved in teaching. The black belts who are regular assistant instructors are usually there for kids class before the adults even start and are then there till well after the end of adults helping the Instructor tidy up the equipment / dojo etc. For some classes that don't involve too much one on one instruction we join in with evryone else. With other classes working katas or doing more complex stuff we are expected to walk around and help people out. During any given class we are expected to keep any eye out on other students and if we see something to stop what we're doing and help them out. We're certainly not slacking off - it is often a requirement of the rank. And as a result we are required and expected to do a lot more training outside of regular class times and have our own classes for more advanced ranks. And remember, we all did the same exercises and lost as much sweat along the way as you have. "We only ask of you, what those before you have already done"

You probably should have done your fitness and endurance work for your grading already. When we lead up to a grading we're builing up fitness over at least a couple of months. Over the last 2 weeks we usually pull back with our fitness work and as Jiffy said, just polish things up. I'm not sure if there's anything you can do in 2 weeks to really build up your fitness. I would however make sure you can do the 8 rounds of sparring in advance. Just be careful - the last thing you need is an injury 2 weeks before a grading. Good luck, hope it goes well.

Picking a dojo is not only about the style but also the instructors. Different instructors have different styles and methods of teaching. Some dojos are very formal and traditional especially with regards to etiquette in the dojo and during taining while some are more laid back. One type of method is not necessarily better than the other, it just depends on your personality and the type of dojo and instructor you wish attend and learn from. Any decent dojo should give you some free introductory trial lessons or let you sit at the back and watch a training. From that you'll get an idea of what the dojo and thye instructors are like. Also if you know a lot of people who do MA of some kind, why not go and check out some of your friends MA schools and see what you think of them. Basically look around and see whats available, go visit the dojos, don't commit to anything too early until you have seen what's around and find a place that fits your personality and what you want to get out of MA. And good luck. MArtial Arts are an incredible thing to get involved in, you will work hard, you will get stronger and into shape, but you will achieve more than you would have ever imagined you could if you put your heart and soul into it.

I agree with everyone else. You've only been training for a year which isn't long. You wouldn't expect to be getting brilliant at any activity after only a year of practice let alone a martial art. Flexibility will develop over time but ultimately having high kicks is not the be all and end all of karate. I know plenty of people with bad knees who don't have the best kicks in the world but their hand and arm techniques are awesome. I'd be more concerned that you don't feel your instructor has time for you in terms of teaching and helping you with your problem. Talk to him or talk to one of the assistant instructors (If you have any at your dojo) who may have more time to focus on you, or even just a higher rank. Also don't get too down hearted about this. People take different amounts of time to develop their skills. The most important thing is that you're enjoying your training, and if you're not, then give serious thought to why you're doing karate. You wouldn't pick up a guitar for the 1 st time and expect to be Jimi Hendrix in 12 months.

We have a variety of teaching titles which are awarded to people based on their training and the level of teaching that they do. Essentially similar to a previous posts list of titles. ie Hanshi, Kyoshi, Shihan, Renshi, Sensei, Dai Sempai and Sempai. In the dojo we use people's teaching ranks as a form of respect but outside the dojo that is not required. As far as getting wcolded for being called the wrong title - no that wouldn't happen and in most dojos (as far as I'm aware,) only the title of sensei is used - as a form of respect to the head instructor

In GKR all the instructors wear those black and white belts. They could be a yellow belt or a 2nd Dan. My husband used to train with them but left because of their dodgy sales tactics and the fact that he was wearing an instructors belt as a low level coloured belt. Granted he was already a Shodan-Ho in another style but he saw lots of very inexperienced people becoming instructors and being called Sensei. According to him though he was happy for the students he taught to know his belt level and i really think it is important to know the level of your instructors. At least if you know their rank then you can guage which of the instructors have the most experience. If you were being taught by a 2nd dan, a brown belt and a yellow belt then you will be able to see that if the yellow belt and the 2nd dan tell you 2 slightly different things then the 2nd dan has more experience and their explanation is probably right. It is your right to know the rank of your instructor and if they won't tell you then that is deception - just like those black and white belts. I would personally steer clear of GKR but if you're happy there and enjoy it you should at least know the rank and experience of your sensei.

oops sorry - just saw that you've been training 3 years. Still the $6000 fee seems very wrong to me.

$6000 for a belt test is absolutely ridiculous. I have no prblem with the belt system or belt testing fees (as long as it's not over the top with 15 kyu levels, 3 month testing and exorbitant test fees) but $6000 is crazy and clearly just a money making scheme. Especially if all other tests are $50 and they've never mentioned it before. At our dojo before each grading we are given a list of belt testing fees so everyone can see the cost to test for each belt even up to higher dan levels. Sounds very dodgy to me. If you don't mind a personal question, how long have you been training to get to a BB test? It will give us an even better idea of how dodgy they are being eg if you've been traing 18 months and they're sending you for BB with a $6000 fee then they are clearly in it for the money - not training you properly.

8 katas till shodan. 3 basic technique katas + Naihanchin, Sanchin Tensho Seiunchin Saifa + a freeform kata with a bo.

Hey, I'm from Australia and obviously GKR is very big over here. I have no personal experience with them but my husband does. He trained in e goju-kai based style as a teenager and reached shodan-ho level. This was in the country. When he moved to the city he became involved with GKR.(about 10 years ago now so a while back) Mainly from a misconception that he could make decent money doing something he loved. As far as his training goes - he said he enjoyed the classes and said that the classes for black belts were of a high standard. However what is really dodgy is their methods of selling. Going door to door, pressuring people to join, refusing to leave peoples homes till they join and bash other styles those people do. (He didn't do all this but was encouraged to) They allow very low ranks to teach by getting them involved in instructor programs. They can then run their own dojos and while teaching they wear a generic black and white belt. So a yellow belt will be teaching but not wearing their yellow belt but wearing a belt that for passers by looks like a black belt. I'd stay away - it is too good to be true.

I agree with that totally. A higher rank is there to help you and teach you so you go at your own pace. They will test you out a bit, but should not be out there to try and prove how good they are and beat up lower ranks. If this happens in your school - get out. Otherwise go as hard as you want to, and your partner agrees to, within the rules of your dojo. Oh and don't throw punches to miss, by that I mean don't throw them 20cm on either side of their body/head. Throw them directly at your opponent, but if your school does not allow contact, just pull them back slightly so they are close enough to still test out your partner. They will not learn if they don't even have to do some kind of block to avoid the punch. At a lower rank you will not have the control of someone who has trained for a long time so give yourself more room until your control improves.

The test is predominantly a test of physical endurance and mental strength. The fundamentals are tested extensively at black belt grading and during regular training at the dojo, The test consisted of 2 katas - 2nd dan kata which for us is sanseiru and a personal kata that we must develop ourselves and name. Then it's into free sparring - 30 2 minute rounds of sparring with only enough time in between to bow, change partners and bow again. It was 30 degrees celsius in the hall so pretty exhausting. This is not about pacing yourself, it's about going full on from start to finish and pushing through pain and exhaustion. (I think I broke my toe about round 5 of 30) And to answer someone elses question, right now I feel physically drained and sore all over. I need a break from sparring ( after 6 months of sparring 15 - 30 rounds twice a week + 1 session of 15 - 30 2 minute rounds on focus mits/bag work/ shadow sparring/push ups as well as multiple fitness sessions at the gym a week) I'm otally excited about this, but need a brief let down before getting back into it harder and stronger next year. PS Thanks for all the good wishes. Much appreciated.

The instructor should know when a student is ready fro BB grading. THE work is done before hand in the dojo, the grading day is about demonstrating what you know as well as a test of physical strength, endurance and mental strenght to push yourself through it. For our style BB grading is held in 2 parts 6 - 12 months apart. Part 1 Shodan-Ho - Very physical test - fullwarm up / stretching 100 pushups 100 sit ups, demonstarte all basics blocks / strikes -closed and open hand - kicks includes jumping and spinning techniques, elbow and knee techniques, all footwork, evasion techniques, all stances, shadow sparring incorporating everything, all katas to BB level including all previously learned katas, self defence against random attacks from different angles - should incorporate throws, locks, holds, takedowns and chokes and finally minimum of 12 (more like 15) rounds of free sparring. Throughout the grading lots more things to wear you out eg more pushups and situps, squat kicks, traditional punches in horse stance etc. After this, get to wear a honourary black belt but are not full BB's yet. Part 2 6-12 months later Shodan Written essay Shodan-Ho kata and Shodan kata - seiunchin and saifa Weaponry presentation with wooden weapon (usually Bo) including freeform kata and 3 self defence applications. 3 self defence techniques against each of knife and baton attacks - 6 in total. Whole grading is done in a hakama and applications are done in traditional MA way from seiza. After this you are considered a full BB.