Controlling your nerves when doing kata in front of...

[AnonymousOne]

Its no different to public speaking. The more you do it, the more you get used to it.

[rivergirl]

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remember we are all nervous beginers once. the other beginer belts will be just as nervous as you, although they may not show it. and the more experianced karateka will understand.

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I think that's part of the trouble...I AM the beginner belt...our club is small and my dh and I, and one other are the only ones who haven't tested yet, ever. I've only been doing this for 2 months. I guess time will take care of my nerves. You'd think after being in a tournament I wouldn't get nervous anymore...but this is a new kata! I'll just practice more...

[DaChroniclez]

just train the kata everyday at home. Eventually it will be like a second nature to you. You wont be nervous of messing up, because you will nkow it so well.

[Pacificshore]

Eventually you will see the kata in your mind, feel the kata, and lastly be the kata when you perform it

[kenpo_fighter]

hi, rivergirl!

i completely understand how you feel, as i also, was there for the first part of my training. i started training when i was 8 yrs. old. i was a skinny, shy kid who was very self concious. i remember having to learn my first couple of katas for yellow belt. i learned the material, but when i came to performing in front of sensei, let alone the whole class, needless to say, i was petrified!

i turned to my sempai (senior student) for help. we went to the same elementary school together & he was a couple grades higher than me. so, i kinda looked up to him. he told me that before you bow to begin your kata, close your eyes. take a deep breath, in through your nose, out through your mouth. invision yourself in the time of samurai like what you see in the movies. picture yourself as an invinsible warrior. and you have all these enemies around you. bow in & picture your movements in kata as your actual attacks on those enemies. basically, picture yourself in a real fight & execute your techniques as if you were really applying them to somebody. if you can focus on just that, you'll forget about sensei & all your fellow classmates.

that advice would serve me well years later when i was a brown belt. i was at an all japanese karate all-region tournament in the sr. elementary division. i mustered up enough courage to run a black belt kata as a brown belt myself. given the fact that i was a gaijiin (foreigner) in a japanese tournament. because the tournament was so big, and so many spectators, sensei's, & peers looking onward, my stomach was crawlling with butterflys. but, i remembered the words of my sempai. i pictured myself being attacked and executed my kata. i went home as the all-region sr. elementary kata champion. i still use that advice to this day at the age of 25.

you're supposed to lose yourself in the kata. it's as much a mental excercise as it is a physical excercise. just make sure you find your way back in the end (lol).

[Psilokan]

You think doing it facing a different direction is hard? Wait till your Sensei asks you to mirror it, now that can get difficult.

As for the nervousness, that goes away with time. You get comfortable with the people you train with and start to care less about it. I still get nervous during tests when there's strange people watching, so dont feel too bad about it.

[Kaminari]

Desensitization. Practice regularly in front of others. This is true regardless of whether it's Karate, public speaking, etc.

Exactly. Try getting some friends together, or others you know, and have them watch you. After time, performing in front of people shouldn't be as nerve-racking, and it'll be much easier to do. I think almost every karateka, if not all of them, get nervous. I still get nervous, but I don't let it affect my performance. Patience and practice will be helpful in solving your problem.

[rivergirl]

Thank you for all the good advice, I guess I'll just have to be patient until I've done this enough times that it won't bother me much anymore...notice I said MUCH...

[Monkeymagic]

Good luck. Don't worry about it too much. It does come with practice but maybe you can practice with someone else outside of the dojo so your not as nervous

[JimmyNewton]

nervousness is real common.

i used t hae performing solo, but as you practice at home, they will become musch easier in terms of mermorizing and execution. dont only train in the dojo on class days, the elite warrior trains every day. if you do your katas ona daily basis, it won;t matter which wall your facing, but repetition is crucial. good luck.