New to Shotokan--Tips and cetera

Discussion in 'Karate' started by NothingTurtle, Jul 31, 2016.

  1. NothingTurtle

    NothingTurtle New Member

    Hey guys!

    This is going to be fairly long, I apologize beforehand. I've definitely got some questions to ask about Shotokan, but just as much I want to express my excitement. I'm 35, have been interested in martial arts for much of my adult life, but haven't had a great deal of success in finding good instruction in Karate. As a teenager I got a "black belt" in a shopping mall school, and basically forgot everything I learned as I went to college and became an adult. For a while I tried another school, and even signed a contract for a few months, where it soon became apparent that the teacher was an abusive jerk who routinely mocked a fellow student with brain damage from a car accident. I decided I could not continue attending there in good conscience, though I was stuck in the contract. When I moved to my current city I started at a boxing gym, which was awesome, did that for a year and a half, switched to Muay Thai, which was also awesome, but never really fell in love with it. Then, last week, I happened upon an SKA club just up the road from me. A little skeptical, I nonetheless went and watched a class. Then I came back and watched a second class taught by the school's senior instructor who is Godan. It was great. I really loved it. Afterwards we talked, the guy struck me as being very genuine and talented, and the terms of the dojo (no contract, reasonable pricing, etc.) was just what I wanted so I signed up.

    Now I'm excited, but I do want to start off on the right foot. I've re-learned how to count to ten in Japanese, have begun doing basic stance stuff again just to get my legs used to it, and have been reading all I can find about Shotokan on the web. At some point I'll start purchasing Funakoshi's books. One thing I worry about though is general conditioning. From what I can tell the heavy component of conditioning present in boxing and Muay Thai is less emphasized in Karate so I expect to have to do it myself, and I'll presumably just do the regular jumping rope, body weight and dumbbell exercises, and other calisthenics that I'm already used to. Does this seem fair? Also, I know I'm going to have trouble adapting to the different philosophy of striking. I got so used to to regular boxing stance and boxing blocks that I'm going to have to re-learn every bit of that. Any tips? More importantly, what else can I do, given that I don't even know what I don't know, to best prepare myself to take full advantage of being a white belt beginner with no useful knowledge to speak of? Unfortunately, for at least a few weeks, I won't be able to make every single class each week due to work and personal obligations.

    Anyway, thanks!
     
    Last edited: Jul 31, 2016
  2. Latikos

    Latikos Valued Member

    Maybe that's to easy and I'm just a simple mind.

    But idea would be:
    Listen to what your teacher has to say and do as he tells you.
    Be open to what they'll show and teach you.
    Don't go: "In xy we do it like this" all the time.

    So basically: Try to be a good student.
    Be respectful and friendly (obviously not only towards the teacher and not only in the dojo).
     
  3. NothingTurtle

    NothingTurtle New Member

    Thanks Latikos! You make a great point, and I take those things as a given. I'll certainly not be going on about "when I did xyz" because I sucked at them and have no reason to act like I have any useful competence at all. I might ask questions when something seems confusing to me, but I genuinely want to excel at this and learn, not trumpet my ego.
     
  4. Latikos

    Latikos Valued Member

    Questions, in my opinion, only show that you're trying to think and understand and therefore are a good thing.

    Sure, it can depend on the question, the timing and the way you ask, but I'm sure we both know what I mean ^^
    And my guess would be, that you can determine that better than I can :eek: :D

    My teachers like it when questions get asked.
    They either answer them right away or at a later moment, depending in the question.
    (Personally I nearly only ask questions in one to ones after class, but that's because I'm a bit challenged to see whether or not a question is fitting at the moment ;) )
     
  5. Guitar Nado

    Guitar Nado Valued Member

    Hi NothingTurtle welcome to MAP! Sounds like you already have a very good background in a lot of different arts. I could be wrong, but I think you are way ahead of the average casual student. In short, I think you will fit right in on this site! I look forward to hear about your Karate experiences.

    If I can offer any advice, it is to sort of "forget" boxing/Muay Thai ways of thinking while doing Karate. Think of it as a different thing. I do Muay Thai one day, and Karate the next - and I think of them as different. There are lots of things that cross over with the Karate style I do (Isshinryu), but there are always small differences that can screw me up when I try to do Karate. So I have learned to look at it as a beginner when I do Karate. For me I am way more comfortable with Muay Thai currently, but am really interested in learning Karate.
     
  6. NothingTurtle

    NothingTurtle New Member

    One thing the senior instructor said to me that I really liked was that the junior members (the white belts--there are only three belts rankings in this club) are the kings and senior members are the servants. The brown and black belts lead because they know the way forward, but they also expect and encourage the white belts to push. That way nobody becomes complacent and everyone remains focused on what the real goal of training is.

    I read on the internet Funakoshi's list of Karate basics, and the one where he says that beginners use less natural stances and movements while more advanced students use more natural ones makes a lot of sense to me, so I can see the value in doing some things that seem downright puzzling from a boxing standpoint.
     
  7. TwirlinMerlin

    TwirlinMerlin Valued Member

    I would say try not to look at it as re-learning or replacing your boxing and muay thai. Look at it as keeping those important skills as a part of you and adding on the shotokan as being additional tools in your tool box. When you're training shotokan you can do the forms and kata how they teach them to you without taking away the skills you already have. You can keep them warm on a side burner until you're ready to combine them with your shotokan in sparring or fighting. In my opinion by being able to utilize the best of these three arts, you will have an awesome striking game with all the ranges covered and an awful lot of effective techniques at your disposal.
     
  8. Mitlov

    Mitlov Shiny

    Calisthenics really helps performance in karate, but it's not traditional to include it as part of class like with boxing and the like, but definitely go ahead and do it on your own. There's no question that some barbell work, cardio work, and plyometrics will improve practical performance, so go ahead and do it even if class time is not set aside for it.

    My only advice is to take your time with it and be patient. Don't drink the Kool-Aid and assume that everything Gichin Funakoshi said is the best approach ever, no questions asked. But at the same time, the structure of Shotokan focuses on building certain theory and body mechanics instead of jumping straight into the practical. It's like a dance class that uses classical ballet to teach body mechanics before jumping into hip-hop, instead of going straight to hip-hop. I'm not saying it's better or worse than the direct approach that boxing gyms take--different approaches work for different people--but it's definitely a different structure for learning.

    You definitely should ask yourself from time to time "how do I make what I'm learning practical?" But don't be that guy who is asking the instructor every single class "why is this practical?" It's a fine line to walk, but if you can walk it comfortably, I think Shotokan has a lot of value to it.
     
  9. NothingTurtle

    NothingTurtle New Member

    Thanks again, you guys. I've been going for a couple of weeks now, and so far so good. The funniest thing is how maladapted I am toward the physical demands of the place. I thought I was in pretty good shape, but the muscles used are quite different from what I am used to. (It doesn't help that I took a couple to three months off from my old gym before starting here). I'll have to gradually get accustomed to things before I can train every day.

    For fun I'll share the hardest thing for me to do: kneeling on the wood floor! Oh my me that's an uncomfortable practice. I assume that your legs get used to it after a while (like they get to used whaling on stuff in Muay Thai), but I wish it would be quicker. Also, every day we wash the floor with a wet rag. Each student (and the teacher) running up and down the floor on all fours. That's tough too, and I've slipped more than once. Everything else is just me being terrible at all the basics, no matter what I do. Woot.
     
  10. GaryWado

    GaryWado Tired

    Probably more to do with how you are sitting. Correct weight distribution is important - I would ask one of the seniors for some advice.

    This is process is called "Soji" and it's not just about cleaning the floor. As well as a sort of warm up / warm down for the body, there is a meditative aspect to it. It is a ritual in this respect cleansing the mind and body as well as the dojo prior to training - polishing ones spirit.
     
    Last edited: Aug 18, 2016
  11. Gunner

    Gunner Valued Member

    Welcome NothingTurtle,

    I guess every school is different, but if we have one saying in our dojo it's, "Karate is conditioning." We spend 30-40 min. a class on conditioning drills. If you're not huffing and puffing after those jumping front snap kicks, you're not jumping high enough. And, don't neglect the abdominal work. I do HIIT workouts on my gym days - Weights then Cardio.

    Good Luck!
     
  12. John Titchen

    John Titchen Still Learning Supporter

    Depending on the Shotokan you do, and how knowledgeable your teacher is, you may well find you come full circle back to a lot of this.
     

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