kkennedy219

Our school teaches the beginners class to use the instep, as our sensei thinks it's easier to learn the proper form (I, however, have managed to fracture a few metatarsals kicking the heavy bag that way). The advanced class learns to use the ball of the foot.

At our dojo, we all have to spar for about a minute with one partner, and then we rotate until we've all sparred with every other student. We're all lower ranks, so there's no shots to the head allowed, no elbow strikes or any other hard core stuff.

Regardless of gender, I think the old rule should apply: do what you have to to keep yourself safe, but don't do more than necessary.

Have you discussed the matter with your mom and dad yet? I'd be interested to understand their perspective on the whole thing. I think, since you are concerned about the financial aspects of making a change, it is important that they be involved in your decision. As an adult who is fully aware that money does not grow on trees, I personally would not consider it a waste of time or money to get out of a destructive environment. The investment you (and your folks) have made in your training should be evident in the kind of person you have turned out to be. I commend you for recognizing that the situation that you are currently in is unacceptable. A lot of young people might just think "Oh well, this is how it is...it will be my turn to pick on someone else eventually". You should be commended for refusing to perpetuate this type of nonsene, and wanting to pursue the arts in an atmosphere of true respect and discipline. Let us know how you are doing. Stay strong.

I have a similar experience with my knees and feet. I sustained a knee injury not in karate, but years ago in high school during a high-jump accident. It still bugs me to this day. I find that wearing a velcro knee brace helps a lot. The extra support is helpful during class, and the knee hurts less afterwards. I also have an ongoing foot problem where my feet just hurt for no apparent reason. It would get worse during karate when I would kick heavy bags and such...it would hurt for days afterwards. I saw a podiatrist, who said I had a stress fracture of one metatarsal, and that I would just have to take it easy on that foot for about 6 weeks until it healed. He also told me to stop wearing crappy shoes and use those Dr. Scholl's arch supports. Those have really helped a lot. Things still aren't perfect, but I'm not in constant pain any more. Hope this was helpful! Good luck!

Hmmm...don't know wy my last post inserted that little smiley face instead of the number 8. I meant to say "under age eighteen". One for the bizarro file, I guess.

I agree that you should find a new school. It sounds like your in a class wil all kids (I mean under 18). It would be great if you could get into an adult class, with people who are past the age where picking on others is fun. The class I attend is for adults, but we do have several junior high and high school students. The fact that any kind of bullying is going on at your dojo is disgraceful. If and when you do decide to leave, you should have your parents make it clear to whoever's in charge exactly why he's losing their business. I bet that would be an eye opener. I also have major eczema on my hands, so I know how awful it can be. It really hurts in class when I'm hot, too. I don't have any advice about it...nothing I've tried seems to help, but I feel your pain! Stay tough!

Can anyone recommend a website that gives a good written step by step description of the shotokan kata? I had a good one, but it's down now...frustrating. Many thanks, friends!

You people rock! I still need some practice, but everyone's suggestions have been super helpful! Many thanks! Just thought of another question regarding Heian Sandan...the very end where we're in horse stance doing the 2 elbow strikes...are these truly elbow strikes, or could another interpretation be an over-the-shoulder punch? I find that when I think of them as elbow strikes, I tend to rotate my torso to far in either direction, which weakens my stance. It seems more logical to me to think of it as smacking someone behind me in the face with my fist. Cheers!

Hi, friends, So you know in the beginning of Heian Sandan there's those 2 parts where you do a gedan barai with one arm and an outside block with the other, and then immediately switch them? I am having trouble not smacking my arms together when doing these moves...timing is the problem, I'm sure. Does anyone have any tips that might help me do them without clobbering myself? Many thanks!

Sigh. The funk has returned. My boy went back to class the other day, and on the way to the dojo he started whining about how he doesn't want to go because it's too hard. I don't know where this is coming from because to see him doing it, he is totally good at it, at least for a 6 year old. He's kinda stressed out because sensei has commented that my kid and five or six of the other 6 year olds who have been there a long time will be moved up to the next level class pretty soon, and he's afraid it will be too hard for him. I have told him (and sensei has told him as well) that he wouldn't be moved up unless sensei thought he was really ready for it, but it still freaks him out. Sensei has said he can stay in tiny tots a while longer if I think he's just not ready, but I know my kid well enough to know that he just needs a nudge sometimes. I'm pretty sure that once he had gone to the "Big Kids" class a few times with all his old friends from peewees, he'd be fine. My husband thinks he just needs to toughen up and bite the bullet. I don't know...maybe he just needs a break from it. I'd be bummed to see him quit because he used to love it so much and he does have a ton of potential, but I also don't want to stress him out to the point that he's a basket case. The dojo is closed for the next 2 weeks for the holidays, so maybe the break will help.

Yeah, you're right...20 in the full kata, 12 in just the first "I". What was I thinking...that'll teach me to post messages so early in the AM.

It might be the name they use for the elementary kata "Taikyoku Shodan". My school calls it "Kihon Kata". I just counted and there are 12 points in it, though. You Tube has tons and tons of video clips listed under either name.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! THAT'S AWESOME NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, I sometimes wonder about the criteria used for grading and rank advancement. I am only 8th kyu right now, but I have noticed that the sensei's expectations seem to be different for different people, and he seems to make his decisions on who passes the test and who doesn't based on what he expects of the individual. For example, during the two gradings I have taken part in, a lot of people got really nervous and screwed up their kata a whole bunch of times and had to do them over and over again just to get through it, but they still passed the test because they put out effort. This is fine with me in the sense that I am friendly with all of these people and want them to succeed, but it's not fine with me in the sense that I seemed to take the test so much more seriously than they did, practiced till I turned blue, and didn't goof up my kata. I guess we just have to be satisfied with our own efforts and feel we have pushed ourselves as hard as we can as individuals. OK, getting down off my soapbox now!

If I'm understanding you correctly (and feel free to smack me down if I'm not), you're needing more power when moving forward and sideways? Our sensei always tells us to REALLY PUSH OFF the floor when moving. For example, if your'e in a forward stance and wanting to move in closer to the opponent to execute a technique, you'll really want to push off the floor with your back leg in order to add speed and power to the movement. It helps that my dojo has a squishy padded training floor that really forces you to do this. Am I making any sense here? We don't use the term "drive" in my classes, so maybe I'm not even answering your question right.

Funny you should ask...it was my idea to get him started in karate in the first place. I had intened to wait until he was a little older, like maybe 7, since I figured a 4 year old wouldn't have the attention span or the discipline for that sort of thing. But after his baby sister was born, I just needed something to keep him busy, so I got him going in karate at age 4 1/2. BOY WAS I WRONG about the short attention span thing. He really surprised me...he followed directions really well and stayed focused the whole time. Now that he seems to be over his little sparring quandary, he seems to be excited about karate once again. Leave it to mom to worry over nothing (ya know how moms are sometimes ) He's singing in the school holiday concert tomorrow night, which he is really looking forward to doing, although he's mildly bummed about having to miss karate class.

He's in the little guys' class, where he's been since he started at age 4 1/2. They keep the white belt all throughout this class, but add a different color stripe after each grading. Then when they are old enough to move up the bigger kids' class, they test for their orange belt, which will be 9th kyu. The little guys all stay white/color stripe until they "graduate" becuase sensei feels they are just too little to progress too fast. Anyway, my kid seems to be coming out of the funk. Yesterday he was all excited to go to karate, but then he started getting nervous about sparring in the car on the way there. I guess sensei told the kids they'd be sparring, but I didn't hear it. So sensei gave my kid a pep talk, and although he wasn't thrilled about having to spar (covered head to toe in protective gear), he did it anyway and guess what. He LOVED it. I think it helped that he won the first 2 matches. I gave him a big speech afterwards about how he showed real courage to do something he was scared of and how proud I was of him, which I think helped as well. Let's keep our fingers crossed it keeps getting better!

Thanks for the insight, guys. I've been trying to encourage him by telling him he's doing so great and he's really good at it, kind of like I encourage him with school and doing his homework and soccer etc, but you know...I'm just mom and he hears me squawking at him all day so my words seems to mean less sometimes. It's funny though because this morning he's all excited about going to karate tonight. I hope this change for the better lasts! Fingers crossed...

Hi, all, I need some advice on how to snap my 6 year old out of his karate funk that he's been in lately. He's been doing karate for about a year and a half, and until a couple weeks ago, he has absolutely loved it. Then all of a sudden he starts saying he doesn't want to go to karate and that it's too hard for him and that he always gets hurt. He has never gotten hurt...other than maybe a minor bump here and there...never even been bruised (our sensei is VERY careful not to let the peewees do anything crazy that they won't be ready for). But my boy has decided it's too hard for him (it's totally not. In fact, he's one of the more accomplished students in the class), and last night when we got to the dojo, he said his tummy hurt and that he just wanted to watch. Sensei was cool about it and just let him watch, but I'm almost positive the tummy ache was psychosomatic. So I talked to sensei about it later when I went back for my class, and he said he'd give my boy a pep talk, which should help, since Sensei has always been the big hero as far as my son is concerned. Any other words of wisdom from karate parents (or non-parents) out there? Thanks!

Well, turns out they didn't do an x-ray because, under my health insurance provider's regulations, only a podiatrist can order an x-ray, and the doctor I saw was just a GP. But she did give me referral to a podiatrist, who I get to see in 3 weeks...lucky me. But anyhoo, the visit to the GP didn't accomplish much. She just said "It could be a stress fracture...or it could be something else". (Brilliant deduction, eh?) So I'll have to wait and see what the foot guru says. Meanwhile, no roundhouses to the heavy bags for me! Sigh.

Wow. Amazing. I'll have to tell my father-in-law about it. I've been trying to get him to join my class, but he insists he is too old. He's only 57!

Friday nights for beginner adults, Saturday mornings for kids, and Saturday afternoons for advanced adults.

I'm a corporate drone turned stay home mom. It's great, but if I could start over from scratch...ASTRONAUT!!!!!

He sounds like a tough little cookie. Best wishes to your family!