ramymensa

The purpose of MA's is to learn how to fight. Fortunatellyi in our day you don't carry a sword anymore and the daily routine doesn't necessary include killing some enemies. Thus MA's are more "peaceful". Honestly i don't train just in order to be able to kick b...ts. Hope I'll never have this "opportunity". I like the effort, the skills, the people I meet, the way my body "shapes" up, the time i spend there etc. The purpose for me now is to do something i really enjoy. And when my "joy" will pass, guess I'll start knitting socks

AAAAAAAAAAAARGGGGHHHHHHHHHH Getting up early I hate it and never tried to train at "small" hours I've heard from others that it would be a good idea, but my bed seem more attractive at those times i train in the evening after being away from home hor 12 hours, hungry and exhausted. But it's still OK. I usually go home from karate revived and feeling better. Maybe I'll try this getting up and training program. It would mean I'll have to go to bed earlier

Hmm Bad coordination. Guess my middle name should be this In the past months things got better and better. So don't worry. Everything will improve as long as you want it to happen. And MA will help a lot, maybe because in here coordination is very important

Guess I'm kinda amnesiac My first memory is at 3 years old. I was eating chicken soup I'm almost 24 (next week)

My sensei told us we must have some strenght in order to deliver a good punch or a kick. Weights help us do this, but everything must be done gradually. If you started kickboxing and it's 3 times a week, take it easy. If you weren't doing this kind of efforts before, give yourself some time to "adjust" for this. Be moderate in everything ... The fact that you felt sore means you are not prepared yet for too many efforts. Take care of your body and don't "punish" it You'll see in few weeks you'll be able to do both kb-ing and weight lifting and still feel great Hope I've helped Good luck in everything you do

Don't call youself crappy You've done some efforts in order to get there ... even if it's not that high. You should stop thinking all the time at ranks. There are "blacks" here, but think about those years they've been working for this. They have this time advantage and all that work. Want to become like them? Work ... and wait for the years to pass as you struggle I admire your effort. Be sure you'll make it About those 3? I do Shotokan and I think it's the best (for me). For you ... it may be .... may be not. Go see and then decide. Whatever you'll decide go for it. Good luck

A good dojo. I think people make a good dojo or everything else. The teacher, sensei, or how you wish to call that person must have a lot of qualities: kindness, proficience, intelligence, a good way to treat the student, a great deal of knowledge regarding MA, first aid ... Your coleagues must be also like family and the relationships between them should be fair and relaxed. In order for a dojo to be good you must feel like home. When you count the hours until the next training session then you can be sure you've found that certain kind of dojo. We shouldn't forget that a dojo must be well equiped and thus it has the chance of becoming the "greatest"

Thank you KickChick. I knew you'd help some girls in distress I'll try to follow your advices.

Guess we are a different breed Everybody else thinks we are either crazy either super humans, just because they say it'a a great effort and they don't feel like doing it. For a girl. things are even stranger I think we ate slightly different. Since doing karate I'm more confident and believe me I was confident enough before, ... now I boost confidence. I'm calm ... Dangerously calm Happy because I do something I really like, full of energy and even generous. karate or MA for everybody ... can do a lot of improvements in a person

You should train whenever you like and just because it makes you feel good. When you ar at the club, you should feel great with all your friends, so the motivation is clear At home you can program some little sessions and in order to be happy just think every effort will make you better. Find you proper time of the day, start with some easy stuff and just complicate it after a week or so. Keep telling yourself it's good, you like it, you got better and so on That's how I manage this kind of efforts. Perhaps it'll work for you too And don't forget ... give yourself some spare time ... and try to long for the training ... Be happy whenever you start again and tell youself you want badly to begin again. Not many pauses ... but few ... perhaps they'll help

My sensei doesn't smoke If he did and didn't admit it ... and I caught him "red-handed" ... I would tell him in the most friendly way he acts like a hypocrite Guess he'd be angry ... Seriously now ... I never saw anybody as a seper human ... thus my sensei could do anything for all I care. He might be a womaniser, smoker, drinker (well not this because I really hate them ) ... when he comes to classes I expect the very best of him ... If I don't get this ... there's always another club. And to come in terms with the others here ... Our teachers are humans and have their OWN life.

In our Shotokan club you start with a white belt on your waist. You must earn it and become a 9th Kyu from a 10th Kyu which is the complete beginner. The grading take place after 4 or 6 months of training. Afterwards you can take the exam twice a year. In theory you are allowed to test every 4 months, but we test in december and in may. After the blue belt (5 Kyu) it gets tougher koreantiger81 said they grade for white belt after a month. Great I had to wait for 4 months. In our style nobody cares if you get bored

As hobbitbob observed in Shotkan we don't progress that fast. Here in Romania, at our federation which is affiliated to JKA you are not alowed to become a black belt until you are 18 years old. The gradings take place twice a year for lower kyus and once a year for the advanced ones. Joining a school run by a shodan or a nidan is OK. In order to come there they've been working for 7-8 years ... so they've got experience and they are adults. In my club we've got a young woman shodan. She is very proficient and helps our sensei, who is 5 Dan. He achieved this rank at 40 years after 27 years of karate.

No problem about that ... in a way we are all "whites" till we become masters For Mark: ... excelent sie. i loved it. And the karate sucks article ... For all the others: Karate would be nothing without kata. Have you ever seen a total stranger in your dojo looking amazed while you perform kata? Their face make it worth to learn kata

I've got one that was made for me. It's not from a company It's white and without patches and colured stuff. I'll buy a new one. Guess it'll be kamikaze. I know for sure that I won't wear a coloured one from Century And not Adidas either. It has some embroidment on the neck. And I like it to be WHITE ... just white

I tried to find some sites. I don't know if they are of any good, but here's the linking part. I'm sorry if they are a waste of time http://www.cambridgekarate.org.uk/kata/#Katas http://www.ctr.usf.edu/shotokan/kata.html The last links to the site I used a lot. There are only the videos for katas, but they are for free. You can find a lot of paid stuff, but I like freebies

Welcome... i came across this site while searching for forums in google. and here I am

Cuuute. Guess I'll stay some time there

Great idea Patrick, because many of us here have some related stuff Unfortunatelly the price for some is too high, although not that high. In Romania 100$ is the medium monthly wage. And my site is only in my language ... but the idea should work. I'll take this opportunity to congratulate you again. Great job.

The see through dojos are good, but not always. Those with big windows will encourage all the people on the street to stare and make fun, and trust me when you are doing your training you won't like to have some idiots laughing at your work. Those dojos where you are permitted to assist at some sessions are great. Thus those who are interested may assist and the others could mind their own business Dojos that resemble secret labs are cool maybe, but personally I like things to be more "open".

A serious problem, but I guess it's all about reasonable force. If you are unlicky the bas...d might sue you although he was the attacker. Control is the key, but how could someone be calm while in the middle of a conflict and under that adrenaline rush In the end it comes to prevention: avoid "weird" areas, try to stay aware and ... some luck would be good

Welcome to my club Have the same "pleasure" and so far I just live with it. maybe KickChick could help us. HELP PLEASE

Shotokan is a traditional art and thus it seems to belong to another age, although it's not that old We do low stances, but as others said we also use high ones. It is said that low stances are for the beginners and as you "grow" you start using "natural stance". An instructor who is not respected UNCONDITIONALLY by his students is weird ... i don't want to call him stupid, or incompetent ... It would be too rough ... He is not allowed to bully his students and a karate practitioner should have more PATIENCE. And kick them ... there ... That's childish. In Shotokan we don't hit in that place ... because I guess it's not fair

I'll be a witch here ... sorry ... After a single year you are NOT proficient ... even if you train seriously. Sparring with few persons won't do you any good. You must meet many practitioners... And you MUST train under an instructor. i remember starting to learn English ... I thought I could do it on my own ... Well I couldn't. There must be someone to guide you. The "compilation" of other styles can be done by someone who previously has studied them and became proficient. And as Xtreme Fury said ... Find a school. This project of yours is to be admired, but in order to start your style ... you must learn a style cause otherwise there's no starting point. Hope I didn't offend you ... It's good you have imagination and you THINK. It'll help you. After you studied some styles you'll feel their weaknesses and AFTERWARDS try to avoid them by taking only the great stuff from them ... Good luck

In my area the popularity is slowly growing after a period of decreasing. The "down" period is due to some prejudices. The "ordinary" people think we just meet in order to kill each other Now the situation is changing and the growing rate of criminality changed some minds. People now think it's better to know to defend youself ...