Comparing yourself with Other students

[Ripper]

In our dojo we usually have a lot of people; sometimes up to 30 I think.

 

What we do is we divide the classes in lower belt and high belt. The first hour is for the lower belts and the second hour is for the higher belts. If you are a lower belt, you can train with the higher belts, and vice cersa, but that happens about 10%. And you have to accept that it could get difficult if you're a lower belt training with the higher belt, or when it's the other way around it is too basic for a higher belt.

 

If you don't have two hours you can also divide the class the same way of course. You can get assistance by a black belt teaching the lower belts.

[DarkAngel_Azrel]

i live in the scotish borders and my karate class only has 10 pupils three white belt's three

 

yellow belts three orange belts a blue belt .all senior by the way so with such a small class we get a lot of one on one time with our senci but for grading we have to go to other towns wich annoyes me who big are all your classes

[cathal]

In my dojo we've got 4 white belts, myself at orange, a green, and the rest are brown or black. There is about 16 in total. A lot of senior people makes for a lot of 1-on-1 time with them all. A lot of views, opinions, as well as feedback. I've got to travel as well. It isn't the funnest thing, but if you are committed, you go where you need eh.

[shotochem]

And you have to accept that it could get difficult if you're a lower belt training with the higher belt, or when it's the other way around it is too basic for a higher belt. quote]

 

You can never have too much basics. I still try to get to the beginners class occasionally. It keeps me sharp, eliminates sloppiness, bad habbits, and most of all reminds me of how far Ive come and how far I still have to go.

 

A little bit of slumming with the lower belts will do wonders for your technique.

[aefibird]

I agree. I think that it would do many people good to train more with lower grades. It helps to improve basic technique no end!

[cathal]

Bah! Slumming with lower belts! LOL

[Sibylla]

I had a similar experience as Cathal the other night, I went to see a Shotokan class that I thought of starting in...the techniques where horrible,

 

blue belts that didn't make a proper fist, very odd stances all over the place, one was chewing gum, one of the higher grades actually asked the instructor where to have his hands while doing mae geri, some had shuto uke that looked like their where about to start bellydancing...etc, etc...and I am not exxagerating at all about this! Never thought the differences could be so big from club to club..I am not going to start training in this club, obviously.

[cathal]

Now that kind of performance really does get to me. It makes you wonder about the quality of the instructor as well as the judge(s) at the gradings. Why bother learning karate if you aren't going to do it properly? There must be some limit to thinking that the student has had a major improvement from their last grading. Sometimes its just a clear cut case of someone not being able to perform at the level they are supposed to be at.

[Guest]

Some instructors have two kinds of students: Ones that they teach, and others who just show up (sometimes) and pay their dues. I don't think it's right or that it is fair, but maybe these were the people who just show up. Unfortunately, in many dojo's you have to display some sort of dedication above and beyond what the normal student has in order to get the kind of attention you need to become really good. The instructor will have high expectations of his dedicated students and nit-pick their performance, whereas the 'just another check' type student will display abhorrent form and not have much direction given. I have seen this with my own two eyes.

[kempocos]

If all of them were from the same line of SHOTKAN then your comments have merit. The kata names can be found in most Japanese and Okinawian styles yet they do not look the same. The founder changed them to suit his style. This so even in the SHOTKAN katas the ones that they inherited were changed from the original. So when in doubt holding your tongue is always best, you did the right thing only speaking to your instructor.