Theory versus ability gap

[Maybetrue]

stop over thinking. Just train with a open mind and relax. thinking and being tense are the two enemies of technique.

everyone goes thru these stages of doubt. Even champions have doubt.

[Montana]

Everyone who has been practising karate for a few years will probably come to a point where there is a gap between what they know and what they can do. After training and practising for 3 years I find that I am less and less sure of any progress I may have made.

My techniques feel weak as if devoid of any power and seem clumsier and more awkward than when I started. Although I understand the instructions, descriptions and explanations of my instructor, I just cannot do anything in the way he says.

Assuming I am not the first or the last to be frustrated in this way, what would be the most sensible solution. How does one know when one is doing something correctly when the instructor is not there to comment? From an instructor's point of view, what advice would help a student in this stage of training?

Seriously? Just 3 years? You've just started..what do you expect? lol

It was around my 15th year that things just "clicked" for me. it was like a light bulb going on in my head and body, and I've never looked back. Things just started making sense.

[Spartacus Maximus]

3 years passes quickly but there can be more to learn in that short time than in 10 or 15. It depends on many things such as the instructor's skill, how and what one trains and how often. That is why I count only the last 3 years or so, but if I count the entire time spent on karate, it amounts to 15.

Realizing one has been missing essential parts and key points in training after 12 years is tough to overcome. Many things now make sense when I see them done by my instructor who is also very skilled at explaining how and why. Despite my best efforts, applying this knowledge to my practise remains a great difficulty.

Without my instructor's evaluation and observation, realizing my own progress or quality of technique is very confusing. I cannot tell when or if I am doing anything right.

[The Pred]

Everyone who has been practising karate for a few years will probably come to a point where there is a gap between what they know and what they can do. After training and practising for 3 years I find that I am less and less sure of any progress I may have made.

My techniques feel weak as if devoid of any power and seem clumsier and more awkward than when I started. Although I understand the instructions, descriptions and explanations of my instructor, I just cannot do anything in the way he says.

Assuming I am not the first or the last to be frustrated in this way, what would be the most sensible solution. How does one know when one is doing something correctly when the instructor is not there to comment? From an instructor's point of view, what advice would help a student in this stage of training?

Seriously? Just 3 years? You've just started..what do you expect? lol

It was around my 15th year that things just "clicked" for me. it was like a light bulb going on in my head and body, and I've never looked back. Things just started making sense.

Not sure of when things clicked for me, but I do know it was a bit of a process. When I was younger I really wasn't a fan of doing it. (I enjoy it now, parents made me go when I was younger without no choice) However, I started making friends with people who at the time was better than me (all of them pretty much left) so that gave me the motivation to get better. Then one day when it came to certain techniques I suddenly got it.

So no need to worry, some gets their slower than others.