First Lesson

[Samuel]

Well, I turned up at Wado-Ryu last night, And had my free session. I must say, I Enjoyed it alot

The first part which is primarly the proper Wado session, They where going though Kihon on a class scale, then Kata at the belt levels, me and my friend just tagged along with the Yellow belts and attempted one of their Kata's, I must say I was compleatly lost, But I suppose that is to be expected on one's first lesson,

I know one of the Sempai and a Brownbelt (Their father and son), So the Brownbelt reassured me that the classes will slow down soon and that the Sensei and other Sempai will notice im there and being to teach me.

What really impressed me was the secondary lesson to the class, The self defence and extra technique class, where most of the juniors pack their bags and go home, a few of the guys, mainly the Black belts and some Brown and Blue belts stay'ed and we learnt throws where if someone trys to 1. Throw a punch at you 2. Throw a Mawashigeri at you or grabs your wrist

Getting thrown and throwing my mate to the ground and having some one on one teaching from the Brownbelt kid was awesome

Theres a more advanced class on sunday which I hope to attend, Where most of the decicated guys go, since most of the little kids dont really want to go on a sunday, Brownbelt said it was mainly a cram session of fast technique learning for the dedicated and willing, I hope to show my intrest in going and getting to know the guys better

I think I've gots myself a winner here people, These guys know what there doing by the looks of it, Definatly not a McDojo by FAR!

[Hyatt]

I've never heard of Wado-Ryu. This style seems pretty interesting; I might read up about it. Your first classes kind of remind me of my first classes in Uechi-Ryu, (in the summer the classes became smaller so the Senseis were able to help me more.)

Good luck with your future lessons!

By the way, what is a "McDojo?" Just askin'.

[stoneheart]

Wado-ryu does seem to be a well-rounded art. Throws and takedowns are specifically taught in the system and is given emphasis in the bunkai. Congratulations for deciding to learn karate. It's an enjoyable physical activity in of itself, and if you train realistically as this dojo seems to, karate can be an excellent means of self-defense.

[Sohan]

Glad to hear you had a good experience. We had a Wado black belt in our Shorin-ryu class a while back and she was very impressive in all aspects of her style---and she was only 14.

With respect,

Sohan

[Samuel]

By the way, what is a "McDojo?" Just askin'.

McDojo is a term used by some martial artists to describe a martial arts school where image or profit is of a higher importance than technical standards. A McDojo of Korean martial arts is usually called a McDojang. (Sourced Wikipedia)

Heh. This isnt my very first experiance of Karate though, I did a few lessons along long time ago when I was still a wee laddy, About 6 or so, I got put off it for a long long time and took up fencing though.

The reason I was put off was because the Sensei liked to play very violent dodge ball games to warm up with, then if you made and mistakes put you in something like Shiko Dachi for half an hour. Didnt half hurt your thighs

[Hyatt]

By the way, what is a "McDojo?" Just askin'.

McDojo is a term used by some martial artists to describe a martial arts school where image or profit is of a higher importance than technical standards. A McDojo of Korean martial arts is usually called a McDojang. (Sourced Wikipedia)

Thanks. I'm reading about it now; but it's quite upsetting to know that many "instructors" are con-artists...

[aefibird]

Samuel, glad to hear you had a good experience for your first lesson - it certainly sounds like you've found a great club! Good luck with training.