shotokanbeginner

These are all really great ideas that I must try, how did you ever find out about such away to practice it sounds very effective?

I would have to agree with youn that.

I agree, I have luckily never had to use it either and hopefully never will.

I'm currently 1st kyu. wow your miles ahead of me, hopefully I will reach that level soon. how many times have you done Bassai? I just started kearning it and I find it to be a really different nice kata, but also very difficult.

Also practice really SLOOOOOOOW kicks. Kicking slowly is good for all the kicks but I think especially for side thrust. This helps you build up the muscles but also to feel where your balance is going off. Yeah I do, do that but not as much as I should I will definately work harder on that

all extremely helpful, thank you muchly

well I beleive my main problem is generating enough power through it, I don't no what it is, but something is restricting my power in the way I kick. I have a guess of my own and it maybe because I'm leaning to far back when I do it so my energy is lost that way, but I'm not quite sure

I'm so glad I didn't offend you. I'm glad you were able to show who we were also because I kind of left that out. Oh and as too the discussion that may have arisen about which style was better, I tried to avoid that by putting that I thought that no style is the best, it is up to the practitioner to make their style effective.

Ahhh my most recent victory, side thrust kick. I also had difficulty in completling this technque. What helped me was agrravating tedious practice with my sensei showing me how to practice it without develpoing bad habits. One tip would be to start off aiming your kick low to the ground and dont try to go for the face or anything. Ask your sensei, and then practice and practice. Sounds like a good plan to me. I know this really hasnothing to do with what we're saying but what kyu or dan level are you?

My side thrust kick needs some improvement and I need some tips on how to do that, I'm not super terrible at it but I feel that in all the kicks I know, that one is giving me the most trouble. I think one of my main problems is not putting my weight into it proper;y and not haveing the correct thrusting motion, what should I do? What other tips can you give me to help improve? p.s. I am sorry about the rudeness of my last post and also wanted to say I have never been in a real life combat situation and hope never to have to be in one. thanks to killer for bringing this to my attention

I must agree with Killer's post, except I'd like to add my own say. -PLENTY of topics like this, they arnt difficult to locate... I dont see shotokan as a tournament martial art because our club isnt... Yes, I have been a few real life situations where shotokan was so completly EFFECTIVE, I really started to question my whole philosphy on life. I then trained everyday. Shotokan is effective with the right tools and guidance. Now to add some depth... Shotokan is seen as a tournament/sport martial art often because of the Chain of Size idea...Shotokan I beleive is the most popular style of Karate. Every sytem has mcdojos, the more real clubs and people, the more mcdojos. People only see the mcdojos and doubt its effectiveness. Now many exellent dojos concentrate on sparring, I visit one every once in awhile, however mcdojos like to also "infect" (if you will) the philosphy of sparring more than others(I think). Thanks for some answers and please excuse my rudeness, I totally didn't realize how it could sound bad. I agree with killer too, he is completely right. thanks for taking the time to comment

I too am a shotokan pracitioner and am sorry that I made it sound that wa, it was not my intention to say it like that. I agree with you whole heartedly on shotokan being an art that teaches students to try and avoid fights, and also completely agree with you on how annoying it can be when they take shotokan in such a way that makes it sounds like violent or strictly tournament fighters, I haven't ever been in a tournament. This forum was simply to hear what others think and why, because I want to know where they got these ideas from. I am so sorry it was in no way meant to be a rude forum very sorry, your forgiveness for my idiocy

I wish I could help, but to tell the truth I'm not entirely sure. I would like to thank you though for all the kind words you've given me, and also ask which kata is your favorite?

I know very little about it myself, but from what I hace heard and read it would be a really good style to get into.

For all those shotokan practitioners and even to those who aren't, why is it that shotokan is thought of as a tournament sty;e of martial art? Have any of you ever been in a real life combat situation, and was shotokan an effective style at that time? Iknow in a sense it is kind of dumb to be asking if shotokan is an effective style, because my belief is that it is not the style that is ever lacking in effectiveness, it is the practitioner who decides wether it is effective by their ability to apply their style into combat, but I enjoy hearing others veiws and sometimes conflicting ideas.

I am thinking of trying out tai chi some time soon and wanted to know what I should look for in tai chi. I also want to know how to avoid a bad sifu, and what styles are more affective. Not only that but why do people think of tai chi as an old person art? thanks for any help

thanks I am sure that that is the case and it will get better. I really like the Goju style that I saw when these japanese people came to where I live and demonstrated it. so in the end I think a person who does goju aikido and jui jutsu must not only have good taste in martial aarts but knows what he is talking about. thanks

That is a very good question, but I can't say I agree with you that our kicks don't generate a lot of power. They can, but you must have the proper hip conection and be able to put your intire weight into it. I find the round house kick the way we do it is weaker, but at are club we do it in a more muay thai way because we know the power it can generate. I find that front thrust kick can be very powerful are way you just haft to initiate your hips put your weight into it, but not to wind up say they can see it coming.

I have just began learning bassai which I find is quite hard. I thought and still think heian nidan is very difficult.

too true that is exactly what my sensei says, he also says head kicks are generally less affective anyways

Its not useless to post, thats why your allowed to post. When you say have you ever been into a fight, do you mean to ask people if they have ever been into a real life combat situation? Well thank you very much. Yeah I meant have you been in a real life combat situation?

In a sense it reminds me of reincarnation, because scince energy can never be created or destroyed after deatrh perhaps some peoples energy change into other forms. Like when you drop a ball the energy the ball once had transforms to not only elastic but sound and it's original energy as well, but are all just fractions of what the ball once had. Is what your saying kind of like when one dies and their ki changes form and then can be found again in another person or being? Sorry if I'm not getting what your saying, but that's the way I took it.

haha it's rather funny really I feel sort of the same way (exceot for the quitting part) some times I feel like I am unable to improve and it is really frustrating. I'm sure you're your own biggest critic though, and that may be why you can't see an improvement. If you truly feel horrible with your kicks talk to your instrustor because I am sure he'd be willing to spend more time with you to give extra help, or some other helpful solution. lastly I'd like to say don't be so hard on your self, of course you have a future in the style you study.

Well, what type of kicks do you want to learn fancy ones or effective ones?

I am a bit of a beginner in karate, I've been studying for slightly over a year now and am a fifth kyu. My question is do you ever feel incompotent at what your doing in karate? Lately I have been feeling like I am constantly doing terrible at it and I don't know what to do. I'm studying outside of the dojo more than usual because of it which isn't a bad thing at all, but I constantly feel like I'm a let down to our club, to make things worse my knee is starting to screw up for some reason. What are some tips you could give me? thanks for whatever help you can provide (':D')