Goju-Ryu - 10th Kyu testing tomorrow! I am a very beginner

[littlefoot]

I have been a white belt for two months. I am enjoying Goju-Ryu very much! There is a lot to absorb, I try my best.

The philosophy I entered Goju-Ryu with was that I would be an eternal student of something I appreciate and can dedicate myself toward as a person who is seeking out a personal journey. I want to be a part of a family, and that is what the dojo feels like. And that is the exact word my Sensei used when he said 'you're family now.'

Sensei says that I will advance as far as I choose, that my growth is entirely on my own shoulders. I took both comfort and a sense of responsibility from those words.

My 'but' here is that I do feel that there will be pressure to advance and be competent, won't there? Not a lot is expected of me as a white belt, but I am an anxious person in general, overly stressed, and I worry my head off that I will disappoint my Sensei. I look up to him more than any other person in my life.

Front kicking (Mae Geri) from Zenkutsu Dachi and landing back into stance is what I can't seem to nail. My body rises or moves along with my legs rather than staying still. I have a lot of balance issues.

Am I too perfectionistic? Is it okay to do poorly on some of the grading requirements? I am looking for some support. My Sensei is extremely supportive and attentive to any questions or concerns, but I have so much self doubt that I seem to need to ask you all here.

I have typed a lot, so thank you for reading this far. The jist of my post is: is it okay to be a poorly coordinated white belt, as long as I am giving it my best? Is it really okay?

[Bulltahr]

I wouldn't worry Little foot, we have all been where you are, in 12 months time look back and see how far you have progressed, it will be alot.

Your sensai is telling you that it's your journey, to take in your own time. No-one will force you to grade if you feel you are not ready. But, in saying that, one of the main things I enjoy about Karate, is how it pushes me out of my comfort zone. Embrace it and be happy that you have found something like karate to challenge you, both physically and spiritually.

Enjoy the ride.......................

[JR 137]

Great post, Bulltahr.

It's ok to be nervous. You've never been through a karate promotion test before and don't really know what to expect. If your Sensei is a normal human being, which everything you say indicate he/she is, you'll be expected to perform just like anyone else with the same amount of experience as you have.

The first thing every rational Sensei looks for is spirit. Doing the best you can, listening to instructions, and keeping at it, no matter how difficult it gets. If you do that, everything should fall into place. If you perform to the best of your ability, physically and mentally, you've passed, regardless of what belt you wore beforehand and what belt you wear afterwards.

To quote my system's founder (Tadashi Nakamura) - "Technique before strength, spirit before technique."

[sensei8]

Both Bulltahr and JR 137 have offered solid advice in their posts!! I'd only add, and this is what I was told by my Sensei and this is what I tell my students...

The testing cycle will take care of itself!! You've done the training...you've bleed the tears and the sweat and all that encompasses in MA training. So, just take a deep breath, relax, and do your best. If you pass, then you pass...if you fail, you fail; worse things can happen to you! If you mess up, and you will, big deal, ALLOW THE TEST TO TAKE CARE OF ITSELF. Whatever you THINK you've messed up, you can't, for that moment, do anything about it.

Remember, as in any test, and this includes tests that aren't from the MA world, you can miss so many questions, and STILL pass the test. Passing, for most, is 70%, and in time, that percentage will increase.

Relax; it's all good!!

[Nidan Melbourne]

Being a white belt going for promotion you are allowed to make lots of mistakes. I suffer from Anxiety and Depression, so I understand where you are coming from.

I'm a 2nd Dan in Goju-Ryu and I still have trouble every now and again with some combinations. I am a bit of a perfectionist, but I have trained for 14 (15 Years in October) and took me a long time to learn and realize that if I take my time then I grow and become better. So my piece of advice is don't rush yourself in any technique, enjoy the experience and work hard.

You are still new to this and it takes time to develop such coordination. I know there are a lot of people that feel that there is pressure on them to advance to the next grade by others. But they do it because they compete and feel like they need to keep advancing in grade to fight others.

Personally I would say your sensei would not be disappointed in how you perform. Let me elaborate: he has taught you from day 1, and knows what you are capable of. He wouldn't tell you that your not ready to grade or to anything unless he can see it in you or if he believes you just need more time.

It sounds like you have an amazing instructor, because people need to have an instructor that listens + understands your concerns and is able to help you along with it.

[armanox]

My 'but' here is that I do feel that there will be pressure to advance and be competent, won't there? Not a lot is expected of me as a white belt, but I am an anxious person in general, overly stressed, and I worry my head off that I will disappoint my Sensei. I look up to him more than any other person in my life.

Maybe, maybe not. Many schools do not push students to compete or to spar (I was the only student out of the three (five depending on how you look at it) schools in this area for my organization that competed in tournaments in 10+ years (and I haven't competed since 2013).

Front kicking (Mae Geri) from Zenkutsu Dachi and landing back into stance is what I can't seem to nail. My body rises or moves along with my legs rather than staying still. I have a lot of balance issues.

Am I too perfectionistic? Is it okay to do poorly on some of the grading requirements? I am looking for some support. My Sensei is extremely supportive and attentive to any questions or concerns, but I have so much self doubt that I seem to need to ask you all here.

To be perfectly honest with you, this is why you are a beginner - because you are still learning. This is one of those things that comes with time, and your next test will become more important because of this. Knowing that you need to work more on certain things and putting the effort into improving is what you should doing. And generally, for your next test, they'll want to see improvement. Not always perfection, but improvement.

[JackD]

For me karate is one of those things where the longer you do it and the more you learn, the more you realise how bad you are and how much more you should be able to achieve.

Early on I took to setting myself small targets that way you can be happy with a little progress rather than beating yourself up for not being brilliant!

[jaypo]

For your kicking issue, try to imagine kicking in a room with a low ceiling. Try to keep your head at the same level. Let your hips push forward and your leg follow. Let your knee point the way and make your lower leg and foot follow the knee. Practice the front kick painfully slowly to get the mechanics, and then work on the speed.

[126barnes]

Sorry I don't know all the terms, but I'm guess your talking about a back leg front kick.

If your having balance issues, break the kick down in steps. Start by lifting the knee and return to starting position working just that part of the kick. Then start extending the foot by punching the kick forward and returning it to your starting position. After balance can be maintained during this motion start trusting the hips forward on the extension to increase power.

Your kick should follow the same path back as it does forward. Up, out, back, down.

Don't be to worried about power it will come once the kick is performed correctly.

[bushido_man96]

If you instructor is as genuine as he sounds, then you won't disappoint him unless you don't push yourself and work as hard as you can. In that, you will then disappoint yourself. So as long as you are giving your all, and trying your best, your instructor should not be disappointed in you.

Good luck with your grading, and please keep us posted on how it goes. And welcome to KF, as well.