Er....right. So, on a kind of spur of the moment thing, I went and got my lobes pierced today. And realised walking home that I have karate on Monday, and I have no idea about what's done for this. At the moment I'm planning on just going and taking tape with me to cover them with (I'm not bothered about sparring, as we never even throw shots to the head/face, and I'm fairly sure sensei'll be fine about me watching or doing kata instead, if we do spar, and he doesn't want to take risks) when training. Does anyone else have an experience with this? Cheers.Edit: crossposted to girlfighters

After a conversation with a friend also training in karate (although a different branch) I've got a question about training sessions.How are sessions divided up in regards to people and belts/ability/age at your dojo, and about how many people at a session there?At the dojo I'm training at, we've got about twelve people training if everyone's there (seems like masses compared to about seven at the start of the school year, and the end of the year before, if everyone showed up) and so there's one session for all of us and we generally work on the same sort of things, if divided up by belt a bit. How do things run at anyone else's dojo?

Felt like relating this story to all of you. :-) Apologies for any rambling.I just got back from a vacation to NYC last night, and I had missed a full week of classes due to it. I barely did any practicing....seisan like once or twice, and a few crunches/leg raises on Saturday night. So really, a whole lot of nothing. I was worried about what my week off would have done for me. (for most people it wouldn't be a huge deal, but since I train 5 days a week, and teach a 6th, it's a bit different for me).I get to the dojo after work for the Tiny Kickers (3-6 year olds). When the head sensei split up the kids, I usually either get one/two kids, or I help out a particular sensei. Today was different...four young kids...probably three of the four were 4 years old. What trust in me...especially since I was gone for a whole week and could very well be rusty! The great thing is, three of the four kids got a stripe, and the fourth tested right afterwards for her full yellow belt. (all four were junior yellows)The surprises continued into the next class, the white/yellow belt kids class (6-13 year olds). I do the normal pad holding during the kicks and punches, and then I go to put away my shield...and there's a tap from the sensei leading the class...he gives me the newest kid, he's probably only had like 5 classes. Sensei then walks away...without telling me what I am supposed to do. So, I do blocks, and worked on his back kick. The kid is bright, and was doing well. No stripes given out to any kids, but the sensei told me I did well.My class was next. Remember, it's just been a month since I graded, and the normal time at green belt at my dojo is 6 months. We go through the regular warmup, and then start doing katas...lower belts fall off...one yellow belt goes to one area, the two orange belts are left along, and then after seisan, it's time for us 3 green belts to stand aside. Sensei (the same once from the previous class) walks over, looks me directly in the eye, and tells me that I'm leading the count, and to stand in the back of the other two green belts (we all tested at the same time, keep that in mind), and watch their katas, and pick out any mistakes. 20 minutes of that...I then had cardio kickboxing to round out the night....spoke with the afomentioned sensei, and casually asked him why I was appointed de-facto leader, considering I was just on vacation, and we all tested at the same time. He just joked around and said that he wanted to put me on the spot...the shocker came when I asked him what I could work on in seisan, since nobody was watching me...all he said is that my seisan was good. So yes, an amusing, yet productive first night back after vacation. Except for the warmup part of my class, and then of course in cardio kickboxing, I was teaching/helping/giving pointers all night...I don't mind doing this at all, but what shocked me was the level of trust the senseis have in me. Sparring class is tomorrow (it's just light contact/touch sparring...it's really an aspect of sport karate)....looking forward to that...if only my sparring shoes had arrived, it would just be all the much better...guess it's another week with the annoying foot pads.Thanks for reading my rambles!

I've just got back from training tonight-well, alright, about twenty minutes ago, but I've been training in the carpark behind home since then. Sensei taught us all (just five of us tonight-how it was before numbers picked up) a new kata tonight-Niseishi (sp?). He says that its a kata that just does not stick in your memory, and that he's teaching it to us as insurance *grin*. We spent basically the whole session on it, with a couple of goes through other kata at the start and working in a bit of bunkai at the end. It doesn't seem really definite or strong in my mind at the moment-I still have to think through most things to make sure everything in the movement is basically okay, for example open/closed hands etc. Many of the movements are at least partly foreign to me as a 7th kyu, but after going through it again a few times in the car park, I've still got it all 1/2 hour after the end of the session, and I'm starting to get the timing better in a few places. The last technique really threw me, but after being shown the bunkai I sorta get the shape okay, even if the timing's off. I'm back (went away here to look at youtube) and I've found a lot of vids of niseishi being performed in several different ways, even the shukokai labeled ones not looking the same as the way we were taught tonight, so I've got to rely on myself for remembering this one properly. I'm normally okay at remembering kata, but I this one's different enough to the others I've been taught to make it tricky, I think.I love learning new kata *grin*. I have a tendency to run through them at any opportunity in the week or so after I learn a new one, so people can guess where I'll be all day tomorrow seeing as I have the entire day free. I LOVE summer holidays =D. I only realised on the way home that I don't have school tomorrow. I don't have to stay up late doing work, I don't have to get up early, I don't have to spend the entirety of tomorrow tired and craving sleep. So, I'm going to train =D.Right now, I'm going to try to draw/write down Niseishi incase I have major memory lapse overnight. I might post it later if it succeeds.

I have this fun gadget for visual feedback on training. Try it and see if you like it or have some comments.

Well, I'm back to training and doing weapons kata after midnight again. I thought I would be able to train on something resembling a sane schedule.I thought wrong.I'm not complaining. Don't get me wrong. There's something meditative about being able to train in the dark, without the distractions of the outside world. I just didn't think I'd find myself slipping into the groove so easily again.Some things are never forgotten, apparently.

Hey all.We've not graded yet, but I'm quite happy about that as I've hit a sort of wall in Pinan Shodan that I'm only just getting over, so I'm glad for the few extra weeks to sort it out. The main point of my post is to discuss (and greedily glean free advice on) training at home in the SUMMER as I am a tired school-goer who has music festival and sports day and locker-cleaning-out-duties to do and really can't wait the next four days 'til SUMMER HOLS!!! =D.Exam season has forced me to cut down on the exercise, and the dreaded flab has built up yet again, so the next four weeks are a getting back into shape period for me as much as anything else. The current rough routine I'm thinking of consists of a run/bike ride at least every other day (only 3-5km run, as I've not run for over a month) in the morning, but after usual morning exercises (pushups, situps, etc) then working on kata and kihon for two or so hours in the afternoon (broken up, probably around five then eight due to the ease at which I burn in the sun) and unfortunately no kumite or any partner work thanks to not knowing anyone else to train with.Anyone have any similar plans for the summer, or taking summer as the break it was designed to be (because really, I can't function in even British summer heat.) =D.

Hello everyone;I've recently been on the hunt for martial arts communities online, and I was pleased to find this one.I am a 24 year old female living in Ottawa, Canada. The school I attend is a mix of shotokan and chito-ryu...and I am currently a green belt, and have been training for approximately 11 months now. So far, the sparring classes have been my favorite thing, followed closely by kata. Eventually, I plan on branching out and trying additional styles, working from the bottom up. Currently, I am waiting until I reach Shodan (at the rate I am progressing, and the fact there is only one black belt grading per year in my dojo's system, that will be likely in 2 years), before I try anything else (mainly so I can have the focus necessary to achieve my personal best - and time is a factor as well...I work for the federal government as a web developer)That's it for now, I will definately post more, when I am not at work!

Heya.I'm a fifteen year old girl, sixteen in November, training in Kimura Shukokai Karate (SKF) in Lancaster, England. I've been training for 1 1/2 years, and am currently at 7th kyu (orange belt).I'm hopefully grading to 6th kyu (green belt) in a couple of weeks, after no one grading for just over a year for all kinds of reasons. I'm incredibly worried. Last grading, I misheard a command, therefore didn't understand, and froze. I've just got to the stage where I can think about that moment without cringing (I'm sure I deliberately avoided thinking about it for about eight months) but can still see and hear Sensei Keith's (who had come up from Manchester to grade us) "Oh dear". I've heard somewhere that he has the memory of a grudge-bearing elephant, and I'm not looking forward to it. Although it is nice to know that I seem to have improved in the past year. Does anyone have any tips for grading-for example, amount of training to do beforehand? In my previous two gradings, I've not trained any more than I usually do between gradings, for fear of my knee playing up again and being in a bad way for the grading, or overdoing it and ending up exhausted and sore. However, my stamina and general fitness are much better now, and I don't have to worry about my knee as much, so I'm looking for opinions on proportion of training to do.ThanksRen

I'm unsure whether posting this to a karate community is the right idea or not, but I'm stuck, and out of everyone I know I hope some of my fellow practitioners can at least sympathize...I've been doing karate on and off since I was 12 (I'm now 27). I finally got my black belt in March (I know, it took me forever), and since then haven't been able to work up any motivation to go back to the dojo. The problem is karate is something my dad and I have done together, and he's now the Sensei of the school. Unlike other black belts, who can show up and participate in class (or not, as the case may be), I am expected to help with the class. I have no desire to help teach, kids love me but with how many students come to class it ends up being chaotic and I get flustered. The problem is, I'm the Sensei's daughter, a black belt, and one of the long-standing members of the school, so I end up teaching whether I like it or not. It's very rarely the whole class, usually only 10 or 12 kids in my group, but all it takes is one precocious or questioning and I end up stuttering and self-conscious..This puts me right back where I started, with no motivation to go back to the dojo. I've tried talking to him about how I don't want to help teach, about how the kids get me tongue-tied and flustered to the point I can't even get them through an ippon kata, but I am just told I am a black belt, and as part of the belt I have to help teach. Karate was my outlet, my meditation. I would go to class after a bad day and be happy by the end of the class.. I hate to say it, but I just don't even want to do karate anymore, and I have no idea how to break it to my dad. :(

Okay, so I've decided I want a lightweight Gi for Summer and I''ve been browsing the net a bit to find a good price. I also found that you can have your name embroidered in katakana on them which I would really like so if anyone know a site which would do this could you let me know? i would really appreciate it.Anyway, what I'm really posting about is some of the 'models' on these sites. it really is blatently obvious that  the majority of these people  have never done karate before.  Some of the  'moves' they are  posing in  are  hilarious - especially when they're modelling black belts. And seriously - the amount of make-up the girls wear......who the heck wears lipgloss to training? Really?Anyway, just wanted    to rant cos I'm sick of seeing the same stock photos/stupid pictures over and over again and I still haven't found what I want. rumble grumble.  

Hiya, it's my first post here.I'm a 19 year old female and a 1st kyu in Shotokan karate. Hoping to get to know you all here :D. Are there other people here who practice Shotokan?  Anyone going to Train with the Champions in August?Hope to hear from you all!