Karate essentials

[Karate Resource]

I am gathering material for a new article: The beginners guide to karate.

What kind of things do you wish you knew before you stepped into a dojo? What little things confused you and made you wish you had a bit more information available?

Input gratefully accepted!

KR Admin

[Aefibird]

I wish I'd known that my Sensei was a sadist who likes making his students stand in Kibadatchi for what feels like hours... ;D (guess what we were practicing tonight?)

I wish I'd known that L'Oreal hair dye will never ever come out of gi collars, no matter how much you wash and scrub them...

Seriously, even though I'm still pretty much a newcomer to karate (compared to some folk), 5 years is a long time and I can't really remember what I knew before starting karate and what I actually learned when I got there.

I suppose I'd like to have known more about what a grading was like and the reasons for testing students in the way that martial arts tend to go (with formal gradings and the like).

I was confused by the terminology of karate. My Sensei is great with beginners and one of the things he does with newbie students is always says the name of the technique in Japanese, then in English then in Japanese again. He also demonstrates the technique he wants them to perform at the same time. Even thought he did this when I was a white belt I still got mixed up with the terminology and wasn't sure whether I should be maegeri-ing or shutouke-ing or what.

Err, that's all I can come up with at the moment. I'm very tired and a little brain-dead tonight. I've got a lot of bruises from tonight's karate session; I don't remember getting whacked around the head but I must have 'cos I'm feeling very thick tonight.

I'll write more later if I can think of anything else.

[kev]

Having very recently started karate, i didn't really know much about it at all. I thought they would teach mostly blocks and defensive moves and preach only to attack as a last resort. This isn't the case. I was quite surprised when it was about my 4th lesson or so before i learned a standard block. The previous lessons were teaching me how to punch and kick, where to punch and kick which is fair enough, but the thing i found strange was that sensei would teach you to hurt people. What i mean is if i am attacked all i really know is how to hurt the person, possibly breaking something not that i have a problem with this, just that i had a different impression of what it'd be like, but i suppose self defence is about successfully disabling the attacker and if that means hurting them, well they started it!!

Moving on i wish i knew about kata or knew you were graded on a sequence of moves. I still don't know what a white belt does to progress and i've been there 4 weeks. Sensei doesn't like me getting too far ahead of myself and takes it step by step so we're not talking gradings yet but this is what i would like to know. I don't know names of katas (apart from my own research on the net) or which order they come in. I don't know about pressure points and chi/ki but like i've said i'm getting a bit carried away with it all.

I thought you'd like thoughts from a total newcomer as i assume these are the people you are trying to educate. I have looked around for in depth descriptions of what happens in karate and i would say not to be worried about making it too simple. Put basic stuff in even if you think it won't be of use because i, for one, can't learn enough about karate but a lot of the stuff i look at i don't really understand as it's talking about specific katas and referring to things in Japanese. I did enjoy reading about the mentality, history and respect of karate.

I may as well take advantage here and ask a quick question. Does a white belt have to perform a kata for their yellow belt and if so which kata is first?

Thanks and hope this helps,

Kev

[AngelaG]

Kev said:

I may as well take advantage here and ask a quick question. Does a white belt have to perform a kata for their yellow belt and if so which kata is first?

Thanks and hope this helps,

Kev

That's given me some great idea Kev, thanks.

As for your question - it will differ from club to club. The only way you can find out for sure is to ask your instructor.

At my club - yes. Although we grade first to orange belt, not yellow (see even belt colours are different orders). We do Kihon Kata to get our orange belt. Some clubs may start straight at Heian Shodan.

Angela

[kev]

Is Heian Shodan the first kata and therefore the easiest to learn?

[AngelaG]

Kev said:

Is Heian Shodan the first kata and therefore the easiest to learn?

Like I said it will depend on your club - and if you are doing Shotokan karate.

The first kata we do is Kihon Kata

The second kata we do is Heian Shodan

I found that once I had picked up Kihon then Heian Shodan was a lot easier as the basic shap was already there.

Angela

[kev]

Do you know where i can find info on Shukokai katas as this is what i'm studying?

Thanks

[AngelaG]

New article "Frequently Asked Questions", aimed at beginners to karate is now up Here

[RigsVille]

Kev said:

Do you know where i can find info on Shukokai katas as this is what i'm studying?

Thanks

Kev, check out the excellent website of the Traditional Shukokai Karate Association www.tska.co.uk/ you have to register (free and open to anyone) but there are loads of good quality Shukokai Kata's on video to download, plus loads of other useful stuff.

[kev]

RigsVille said:

Kev, check out the excellent website of the Traditional Shukokai Karate Association www.tska.co.uk/ you have to register (free and open to anyone) but there are loads of good quality Shukokai Kata's on video to download, plus loads of other useful stuff.

Some good stuff there rigsville, thanks for the link

[RigsVille]

Kev said:

Some good stuff there rigsville, thanks for the link

Glad to be of help.