Shotokan-kez

Thanks guys, funny apart from my kids karate is the only thing i am really passionate about. It takes ages for me to come from my excitement everytime i get a new belt. i'm like a kid with a new toy. Last night me and my boy celebrated with a takeaway and i had a few beers. Ryan really excelled himself, he worked so hard i am so proud of him. Even sensei said 'Ryan you have surprised me'. Because he was really struggling in class, it's like it just came out of nowhere with him. Woohoo lol Kez xx

We did it!! Yippeeeeeeeeeeee

Tonight both me and my son passed our grading. Ryan got his green belt and i passed 2nd kyu brown belt with a white stripe. Overall it was a good grading and i managed to keep myself quite calm. I am very proud of myself and my boy. Thanks everyone for all the support and advice in one of my previous posts! Kez xx

Yeah Karate K in one of our combinations we have to do ushiro-geri, uraken. gyaku-tsuki. Then there is another which consists of Mae-geri, yoko-geri-kekomi, mawashi-geri, ushiro-geri, uraken, gyaku-tsuki. I hate that long one with all the kicks, and i have to do all that in tonights grading AAARRRGGGHHH lol Kez xx

Where does this take place?

Woohoooo roll on the world cup. Come on England!!!

Lol Sohan showing your age now!! I left school at 15 in 1993 13 years ago! Kez x

Yeah i see what your saying Karate K. I always do it slow and sensei says he doesn't mind that at all as long as the technique is there. I just find it hard to blend it in with the cobinations.

OOps i just clicked on the link i tried to suscribe but they don't have the option there for the type of card i have. Kez xx

Wow thank you Richard thats fab. In regards to the DVD's my sensei always says ' I don't care what the DVD's say, this is how i want it done ' Lol. Kez xx

That advice is great...but what about hips? We are told to do most most from the hips, is this where the turning comes in? Sorry to sound daft just trying to get the jist of it. Kez xxx

Makota.....I hear you!! I have been practicing Shotokan for years. We are not combative, aggresive and we are not full contact. Our club isn't competition based. When we do kumite is totally semi contact, controlled and i have to say it....fun!! I have heard people call shotokan 'boring'. I love it. It teaches me control, dicipline and good fitness. Shotokan is 'big' and in a way 'graceful' in some of the ways the moves are performed.

Do you find this kick difficult? I hate it. It comes in a lot now on my gradings and i always lose my balance. I can see that this kick can be powerful and effective if executed properly, but i just find it so difficult. Can anyone advise on how to perform this kick to it's full potential without losing balance and falling over lol. Kez x

Wow thank you Brandon......OSS!! Kez xx

OOO connect 4 eh......sounds like a challenge! No i don't do jam sandwiches much cos my eldest doesnt like jam...thats unheard of lol. I play footie with the boys and play with their toys at xmas, don't do a very good job at putting them together now. I just have a talent of pinching them and playing with them lol.

Hey you lot i was just giggling at your posts. I was on medication for 9 years for the panic but then decided i could cope with it and went cold turkey from the meds and thats when i took up karate again. I often have anxiety attacks sometimes in the street, supermarket ect it does get you down. I am learning breathing techniques and i have a paper bag to blow into if it should happen at home. Funny though i have never ever had a panic attack in the dojo, it gives me a sense of wellbeing, and my mind is far too focused on doing well and impressing the sensei. Thanks for all your comments they have been very helpful, i really appreciate it. Kez xx

Oh and just one more thing. With my panic dissorder as it is, and my adreniline problems. I know for a fact that i wouldn't be able to defend myself in the street if i was attacked. All my martial arts training would go out the window and i wouldn't fight, despite my rank. I mean is that bad? What would be the point of it all? In the class i'm all bulls raging and work very hard and win lots of points in my kumite but in real life confrontations i'm a big wimp! Kez xx

Thanks everyone. I had my last lesson last night before the grading and we did absolutely no grading work at all, i wasn't very happy to say the least. Instead of doing my Kata for the grade which is Bassai Dai we ended up doing Jiion which i don't even know. We didnt do any Jiyu Ippon Kumite, which again is another thing i need for my grading. It wasn't the chief instructor last night, it was his other sensei but still i would have thought he would have covered some grading work, now i feel a whole lot worse! Thanks for that link DCMS, good to know i'm not the only one this happens too, i'm just glad i don't have to break boards. Brandon your website is wicked! Kez xx

Yes Karate K that counts. My special talent too is being a mum, bringing both my boys up from babies alone....a real talent. I also make rugs, and am a whiz with jigsaw puzzles. Kez

Thanks P.A.L xx

Does anyone know how i can shrink my pictures so i can upload one in the photo gallery? All my pics are too large Kez

Hmmm thats interesting, might have to invest in one then...well as soon as money permits.

Yeah i will do okay when i get into it. It's worse because they go through all the lower grades first and i have to sit there anxiously waiting for my turn. I can relate to those symptoms of adreniline, the pulse in my throat races like mad and i go dizzy. I will try and stay as calm as possible this time. Kez x

Hi everyone. Has any of you managed to kick the habbit? Or do any of you smoke and still train? If you do how do you find your stamina when training. I am a smoker and train three nights a week, as well as three hours worth of cycling each week and lots of walking. I have been told i am quite fit and have a low cholesteral level. Having said that i don't want to use this as an excuse not to quit. I am constantly trying and it always gets the better of me. Kez

I loved hockey in school but the bigger girls always used to hit my legs with their sticks. Imagaine your legs in the wet and cold with just a gym skirt...ouch it hurt. Put me off hockey for life, although i do enjoy watching it. kez x