fireka Posted March 27, 2003 Posted March 27, 2003 hi everyone, im new and look forward to meeting all of you. as the subject probably sugested i am in the prosess of training myself in Shotokan style karate. yes, i know this is now considered a martial arts mortal sin, yes, i know all the reasons people THINK it dosent work. the fact is, i take this very seriously and belive that i can be a great martial artist despite the fact that im not rich enough to pay an arm and a leg for dojo lessons from a sensai whos been 'registered'. the fact is, the key word in martial art is 'art'. you dont nesaciarily need to go to school to learn to draw, if you have a natural talent and an eagerness to learn on your own. the same applies to the martial arts. what i need is help and guidence and resorces. ive just started kata training and will soon master Heian Shodan. I need any resorces online i can be given, also does anyone know a place were i could be tested for my belts? what about tournements that will except me? good places to get equipment? all this would be very helpful, thanks fellow karateka's! "i could dance like that!.......if i felt like it...." -Master Betty
tommarker Posted March 27, 2003 Posted March 27, 2003 look harder for a teacher. not all teachers hold class in a strip mall or business setting. depending on where you are in VA, I may be able to lead you to the something affordable and educational. I'm no longer posting here. Adios.
fireka Posted March 27, 2003 Author Posted March 27, 2003 i thank you very knidly for that offer, but sevral things work to my disadvantage. 1) money, even something affordable will be imposible till after may. 2) time i have time to study and train when its worked on my own schedule but between school, work and my girlfriend, there isnt much time to drive to a class, stay for two hours and drive home, not to mention, those places expect to many days for such a comute, which brings me to my next problem 3) transportation. i belive in my art, my parents im not sure do, i can guarentee ill be given a ride to and from my dojo through them. 4) art availability, i may be being picky, but i refuse to study anything except shotokan karate what about what i said? i would love to be taught someday, but is karate not an art? why must we treat it like a science, i dont feel thats what Fuinsuki wanted. "i could dance like that!.......if i felt like it...." -Master Betty
IAMA_chick Posted March 27, 2003 Posted March 27, 2003 just keep commited, and there are books, and many things on the internet, i don't know of any web-sites though. and as for testing i have no idea if you will be able to promote. and i'm not sure about tourney's either. as for equipment go to a search engine and type "karate supplies" and there should be a HUGE list of sites to go to. good luck. Tae Kwon Do15-years oldpurple--belt
Guest Posted March 27, 2003 Posted March 27, 2003 Kudos on your passion for the arts. Although you want to train yourself, I think some time soon you will want to find a partner to train with sometimes. There are some things that you simply can't learn by yourself. Blocking is a perfect example. You can punch and kick a bag, but it doesn't hit back. I find that people do not train thier blocking abilities well and much to thier shagrin fail them when needed the most. If you are insistent in training yourself, I also recommend that you get a video camera or something to record yourself doing your kata. You will find that you make many mistakes that you don't realize you are doing if you can't review what you've done. Mirrors help, but are no replacement for a camera. I think you mean Funakoshi, not Fuinsuki. Funakoshi didn't invent karate. Funakoshi "Japanified" okinawan karate. Karate must be treated very scientifically at times to be effective. Karate may be scientific and beautiful at the same time.
fireka Posted March 27, 2003 Author Posted March 27, 2003 thanks, actually i just found a way to get promoted, i know a licensed karate instructor and didnt even know it! shes american style though, but she can still sign the test form! also shes getting me a gi and im gonna reimberse her for it (thank god! ive always wanted one) right now im preparing for my 8th kyu test but i have a couple of problems, anyone know how to do a reverse punch and a kicking stance? there the only two techniques right now i cant find online. "i could dance like that!.......if i felt like it...." -Master Betty
fireka Posted March 27, 2003 Author Posted March 27, 2003 didnt see that second reply! thank you for understanding me! oh and thanks for the spelling correction, i thought it was wrong. yes, he didnt invent karate, but us Shotokan fighters pretty much worship him as a god also, thats a great idea! i need to get a video camera, or borrow one. and i will get some sparring practice, but mostly on test days. Does it count to compete against someone who is untrained at the martial arts? i mean, if its like a pre aranged five step. "i could dance like that!.......if i felt like it...." -Master Betty
Guest Posted March 27, 2003 Posted March 27, 2003 You should be able to do a reverse punch before you enter the 8th kyu rank. I can't vouch for shotokan, but I'll assume that a reverse punch is executed in the same method that my style's reverse punch is. Start with your hand in a prepared "cocked" position, probably just underneath your lowest rib, close to your body. You may want to adjust slightly to what feels most comfortable for you. Your fist should be held in a way that your palm is up. Punch by launching your fist out in a forward motion. All of the muscles in your arm should be pushing your arm forward. You should not tense up your arm to make it tight. This is counter productive. The only muscles that are activated are the ones that are moving your arm forward. Make sure that your elbow stays close in to the body. We aren't doing classic haymaker like we see on the John Wayne movies. Once your elbow has reached your side, begin to rotate your fist while it's moving forward until your palm is facing down. It does not have to be perfectly facing down, just make sure it is comfortable, and your knuckles are positioned properly. Your target is your enemy's solar plexus. When air punching, you're enemy's solar plexus is located where your solar plexus is. I don't know what the kicking stance is, I do shorin-ryu karate.
BKJ1216 Posted March 27, 2003 Posted March 27, 2003 Well althought it's not impossible to do it, it would probably take a long time though. My advice is to go down to a local karate school, try to find one that isn't really "rich" or "profitable" and see if you can make a deal with the instrcutor. White Belt- Shudokan Karate
bustr Posted March 28, 2003 Posted March 28, 2003 This isn't Shotokan but the info within is something I consider essential. http://www.taijiworld.com/download/RV.zip It will contradict some of the ideas that Shotokan teaches but it is sound info. Erle also has some videos on his site you may want to look at. Here's his list of free downloads: http://www.taijiworld.com/download/Free_books.htm
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