First Shotokan class. Just finished.

[bushido_man96]

Sounds like a fun class. Good job!

[sensei8]

Just think....your first class has just set you on your MA journey. Good luck and please let us know if there's anything that we can help you with.

[DoctorQui]

How did tonite's session go Jeden?

[Jeden245]

Hi there. Thanks for asking about tonight class. It was a much more laid back affair compaired to Monday and was no where near as intense in terms of the excerise intensity and wa much more karate focused.

We started with a warm up consisting of a wide range of stretches and jogging to get the heart rate going.

The Sensei, who was incredibly engaging, started off by showing us the correct basic stance for shukokai. He made a point to visit everybody in the class and correct them where they were going wrong. Then he showed us a few punches ( all names of the stance and punches, kicks etc have fallen out of my head so I do apologise but I guess I'll pick them up as I go.)

We then Partnered up and began to work on a series of moves staring with a lunging punch while our partner blocked, from there he added another move into the routine and so on and so forth until we had a nice solid combination.

Again I apologise for forgetting the names but he did explain them in detail.

This went on for the majority of the hour until he started katas. He asked the class to demonstrate red belt kata ( i sat out and observed) i believe, then orange belt kata the. Went onto blue then black with anybody who didn't know the next dropping out.

All in all I much preferred it as a class purely because I felt u learned something and hadn't only taken part in some sort of boxercise class.

They also hold regular competitions and have Designated Kata classes on Thursdays afterwards and also hold Kobudo classes as well as advanced shukokai classes.

It is a lot more family orientated with a big mix of people from old to young male to female. The main thing was the Sensei was a lot more engaging than Mondays and I feel I could learn a lot from him. I also love the style of shukokai. The only thing that makes me not sure is that Mondays class was so hat physically, maybe that's what I need to help me shift the weight.

All in all I'm leaning towards tonight's purely on the fact I felt I learned Karate tonight and the style is so nice and fluid compaired to a more hard rigid shotokan.

Apologies for the typos again my phone is terrible..

Thanks

[Harkon72]

I have practiced both styles over the years. Any martial art can be superior with the right instructor, but for me Shukokai is a faster more upright style, the kata are traditional but open to modern interpretation. The strike pad work in Shukokai is better, it's positively scientific. The traditionalists favor Shotokan for its authentic Budo, but I find it too rigid. My Shukokai Sensei is tough but fair and is pleased if you can show him something new. The Kumite in Shukokai is fast and deliberate, the long stances in Shotokan are more stable but I find generating power through relaxation is easier when moving through stances that are more efficient. This is only my opinion, but I think shukokai has the edge in simplicity and focus. I am blessed to have a top Sensei, I advise that you can find your own way, good luck in Karate, Osu!!

[Dobbersky]

So glad you had a positive result in each style, the choice is yours as to which you feel is the right one for you.

OSU

[bushido_man96]

Sounds like a nice mix of a "traditional" type of class, and a conditioning type of class. A good mix, I think.

[MasutaDeKaba]

Don't worry You will grade up faster if you attend more lessons! Good luck for the future

[vlincent]

The first time i went to karate, was in august? also really hard training, i sweat alot. But keep going, it really feels good when you learn more about the style and karate. So far i am training 3 time per week. And we did last saturday a internationale training.

[Hawkmoon]

hehehe ...I hear that, as a Kyokushin student when I have visited other dojos (any ryu) the instructors do act different towards me!

I notice thsi sometimes with soem ease as the other students start to frown or question why this or that 'today when it should be the other' (some any way) when they get a chance point out the 'extra' focus, smile and knuckle down, and choose to work with me, other keep there distance.

What I noted from any dojo or system is no matter what you are able to do, no matter what you discover you can do, it is fact that you will ache in places you didn't know you had.

Its as much to do with the extra work put to you as the work your body is not used to doing!

I mean when was the last time you stood at all, let along for any length of time in a long formal stance.

When was the last time you went form one side of the room to the other kicking your legs at head height...just to get tot eh other side.

In time and with practice this will become easy even second nature, seriously enjoy it see what it it is teaching you, enjoy!

have fun!