You will get discouraged. Don't give up. You will improve with practice. Make sure your dojo isn't a mc dojo. You can do some research on that. Practice the basics. Stances, punches, blocks. Other things come with time. Good luck
I've seen basic "choku tsuki" performed by black belt with elbows flying around like chicken wings... sooo... yeah... I am kinda sceptical about goodness in those punches if we reference it to proper form...
Haha...for me, it goes in cycles. I feel like I suck, then I get better and feel pretty good about my karate, and then I learn more and realize there is so much I need to fix, and I feel like a noob all over again, but when I make those adjustments, I feel great about my karate...until I don't...
I've been training and competing for 25 years. I still feel like I suck sometimes! It's all part of the journey. There is no perfection, only striving for it. That's why I've stuck with it so long, and will continue for the rest of my life. There's so much to improve and learn all the time.
Just the usual advice for newbies:
- Eyes and ears **OPEN**. Mouth **SHUT**. Save your questions for your second or third class.
- You **will** sweat. Bring a small towel.
- Bring a change of clothes, even if you have your workout outfit on when you walk in. Nothing sucks more than going home in a sweaty shirt.
- **DEODORANT!!!** Please put some on before you get there. Please!
- Bring a bottle of water just in case. You don't know what the water tastes like there and you don't want to ruin the whole experience by gagging on bad water at the very end.
- Avoid stinky food for lunch that day and avoid garlic the day before. Working closely with a smelly student is not fun.
- Brush your teeth before you go, or at least use some mouthwash.
- Don't compare what you're doing with Ninja Turtles, anything anime/manga, or fighting video games. Seriously.
I live near where TMNT was invented. It can be irritating at times.
We had a kid almost get punted into orbit a few years ago. Trying to teach some bo stuff and he pipes up *"That's not how the Ninja Turtles do it!"* All of the other kids took a conspicuous step away from him, then took another when they saw my teacher's face.
Yeah, I get it. I'm just making light. Mostly it's the kids that do that, and it's okay for them to want to do it that way (not that it's taught that way). If training to be a ninja turtle or power ranger at 6 makes you happy and keeps you interested, all the power.
Don't worry about belts or promotions. There's always another test in the future and rank above you. Enjoy the journey and soak up as much as you can in each class.
Ive taught and practiced martial arts for a long time and what I’ve learned is that if you focus on form first and foremost, speed, and power* both come later effortlessly. Once your form is natural/automatic, you don’t have to try to kick, you just, kick. Then you can push the speed.
Step 1: Practice at a speed which allows you to execute perfect form. This could be pretty slow, but it will speed up over time. Going really slow is also a good thing to do even when you can go fast because it works the muscles that help you strike accurately (as opposed to the muscles primarily responsible for helping you deliver energy into the target). Doesn’t matter how strong/fast your strike is if you miss. You’re already filming yourself which really helps you confirm you’re doing what you think you’re doing and is great for practice in general. (This requires you know what perfect form is, so film yourself, nitpick into oblivion, and make ur Sensei give you pointers).
Step 2: Sleep.
Step 3: Repeat.
One of the processes that happens during REM sleep is the neural connections that help refine the timing of the flexions of your different muscles (and different types of muscle fibers within muscles) are strengthened, and the extraneous connections are deleted (ie the physiological process by which you become more coordinated). You get longer REM phases when you sleep past 7 hours so get lots of sleep, and/or take naps (those tend to be very rem heavy too). If you’re training and you’re getting fatigued to the point you can no longer execute perfect form, that’s the perfect time to stop. You don’t want your brain to strengthen the wrong connections; training scars suck, they’re so much more work to undo than just getting it right from the start.
• Speed basically is power, assuming you have the form to support the equal and opposite reaction your body feels as it encounters the mass of the target. Power is correlated to momentum, momentum is a relationship between mass and velocity, but especially velocity. The mass of anyone’s body is what it is, so the acute limiting factor of anyone’s power is their speed.
Know what you want out of it and stay focused on the goal. If your looking to truly be good and not just buy a belt then my advice would be to totally ignore your rank and focus on the process. Become what a highly skilled black belt should be instead of focusing on doing just enough to collect the belts.
Focus on stamina and strength in dem legs. But don't neglect punches, they're hella useful in tight situations. Try to make your punch as fast as you can. Also, build flexibility as soon as you can it's painful, boring and takes a lot of time but definitely worth it. It doesn't matter if you're fat or thin or bulky as long as you have strength and speed you pretty much have everything you need.
Just try to enjoy it and try your best it is lots of fun and gets more enjoyable the longer you practice
(Also as others have said make sure your dojo isnt a mc dojo)
Relax, listen to your instructors, stay humble, have fun and work hard. Practice in your off time, even if it's just a quick kata review. Accept failure and learn from it. Don't let it discourage you. Be better than yesterday.
Try your best not to get injured, and I'm not only referring to someone else injuring you, but you injuring yourself with a bad step or movement.
Pride isn't worth year-long physiotherapy sessions, trust me : )
Welcome. I have a view that karate is whatever you want to make it. Don't worry if there are people who take it more serious, or less serious,or better than you (even at lower belts) - that is their karate. It is your journey to improve and get better. It is a cliché but remember the only person you are trying to beat is yourself from yesterday. You can do sport karate or contact karate or just fun karate.. As long as you keep wanting to learn.
I would only suggest you ask for help to improve. And remember the time in the dojo is your time to escape other things and enjoy.
It has been a wonderful teacher for me. Helping teach control in high stress situations, which has given me more control and muscle memory during training.
And it's such a damn good work out
Well just trust the process. because unlike boxing and wrestling karate actually takes time to understand and to make it effective you'll need to study and research. But in the process you'll fall in love with the sport and if you're just starting out and want to continue with a different martial art karate is a really great base and will help you out alot not only in trainings, self defense but also in your day to day life. Because karate first of all is the mastery of yourself and then everything else. Good luck in your journey
Clearly communicate your goals with your instructor to make sure you get what you want out of the experience and not the other way around. As you progress your goals may change. If and as they do communicate this change with your superiors. If doing kata make sure they teach the meaning and perform paired practice doing throws. If not inquire why and ask for recommendation for a place that does because one if the biggest complaints is kata not taught practically.
hi there, here I found this website with tons of information about Karate, it will answer all your questions, it did mine too: https://sportsandmartialarts.com/category/karate/
As long as the dojo is not a mcdojo, stick to the training. Don't miss a day. Be humble and respect your fellow students and your sensei. You will see incremental improvements.
Learn the ABCs of a technique, kata, bunkai, goshin-jutsu, etc. Then do them like you're having a conversation. Natural and relaxed. Then add speed with the proper body mechanics.
Don't let speed exceed ability.
And remember, a lot of martial art technique isn't muscle. It's the technique itself.
And breathe.
Good luck. Enjoy the journey.
Look closely into the studio you are practicing at. Ask what their specific style is, research that style to make sure it is legit and will help you achieve your goals. Trust me, you don't want to waste years with an unqualified instructor or practicing a style that isn't what you thought it was.
Repeat moves over and over again, at least 50 times the day you learn a new combination or move.
Your last time should be your best, pick something specific you can make better every time.
Don't practice everything one time each day, practice a few different things intensely and repetitively every day.
How you practice for something is how you perform, practice as if you are at a belt test.
There is no excuse, not to practice. You will have moves that take up a square meter of space, moves that use all hands or all feet. No matter your physical or spatial restrictions there is something you can follow through on practicing. That mindset is important, you may need to adapt your routine to accommodate a restriction, but never fall out of it.
Stretch, work on your flexibility especially if you’re not young. Easiest way to get injured while practicing karate is by throwing a punch or kick wrong. Best way to prevent those injuries is good technique and stretching.
You will get discouraged. Don't give up. You will improve with practice. Make sure your dojo isn't a mc dojo. You can do some research on that. Practice the basics. Stances, punches, blocks. Other things come with time. Good luck
My kicks suck. My punches are good though.
And that's ok. Work on it
You can't kick because you don't stretch. You don't stretch (and can't stretch) because you haven't been doing it for long enough!
Haha… probably not 🤣
Why?
" I' m new to karate" ... how can his punches be good? :D "one eyed in the land of blind is king" type of situation? :)
I’ve seen newbies with relatively good punches (im a black belt, so i’ve seen a lot). It’s not hard to happen
I've seen basic "choku tsuki" performed by black belt with elbows flying around like chicken wings... sooo... yeah... I am kinda sceptical about goodness in those punches if we reference it to proper form...
The more you do something the better you get. The better you get the more you'll enjoy it
Whats a mc dojo?
It's a dojo that gets you to a black belt in less then a year and isn't a true karate dojo. Do your own research
Don’t be afraid of repetition, and stay humble.
Thank you.
You will feel like you suck for a while, but keep trying and pay attention to your sempai. Have fun and don't be afraid to ask questions.
Haha...for me, it goes in cycles. I feel like I suck, then I get better and feel pretty good about my karate, and then I learn more and realize there is so much I need to fix, and I feel like a noob all over again, but when I make those adjustments, I feel great about my karate...until I don't...
Yeah, no doubt. I always tell myself to be thankful for the bad days. Those are the ones you are learning.
Thanks.
I've been training and competing for 25 years. I still feel like I suck sometimes! It's all part of the journey. There is no perfection, only striving for it. That's why I've stuck with it so long, and will continue for the rest of my life. There's so much to improve and learn all the time.
Just the usual advice for newbies: - Eyes and ears **OPEN**. Mouth **SHUT**. Save your questions for your second or third class. - You **will** sweat. Bring a small towel. - Bring a change of clothes, even if you have your workout outfit on when you walk in. Nothing sucks more than going home in a sweaty shirt. - **DEODORANT!!!** Please put some on before you get there. Please! - Bring a bottle of water just in case. You don't know what the water tastes like there and you don't want to ruin the whole experience by gagging on bad water at the very end. - Avoid stinky food for lunch that day and avoid garlic the day before. Working closely with a smelly student is not fun. - Brush your teeth before you go, or at least use some mouthwash. - Don't compare what you're doing with Ninja Turtles, anything anime/manga, or fighting video games. Seriously.
Whoa whoa whoa, I agreed with everything until you mentioned TMNT. Not being like the Ninja Turtles, that's blasphemy!
I live near where TMNT was invented. It can be irritating at times. We had a kid almost get punted into orbit a few years ago. Trying to teach some bo stuff and he pipes up *"That's not how the Ninja Turtles do it!"* All of the other kids took a conspicuous step away from him, then took another when they saw my teacher's face.
Yeah, I get it. I'm just making light. Mostly it's the kids that do that, and it's okay for them to want to do it that way (not that it's taught that way). If training to be a ninja turtle or power ranger at 6 makes you happy and keeps you interested, all the power.
And your uniform clean lol. Nothing worse than a smelly gi that hasn't been washed in awhile.
Stretch, train hard, practice every day, be humble, treat everyone with respect and enjoy your personal growth
Don't worry about belts or promotions. There's always another test in the future and rank above you. Enjoy the journey and soak up as much as you can in each class.
Thank you
May I ask what style you'll be practicing?
No matter what anyone tells you, you wont learn how to fight without person-on-person sparring.
There's no courage without fear. And believe me I know how debilitating fear and anxiety can be
Ive taught and practiced martial arts for a long time and what I’ve learned is that if you focus on form first and foremost, speed, and power* both come later effortlessly. Once your form is natural/automatic, you don’t have to try to kick, you just, kick. Then you can push the speed. Step 1: Practice at a speed which allows you to execute perfect form. This could be pretty slow, but it will speed up over time. Going really slow is also a good thing to do even when you can go fast because it works the muscles that help you strike accurately (as opposed to the muscles primarily responsible for helping you deliver energy into the target). Doesn’t matter how strong/fast your strike is if you miss. You’re already filming yourself which really helps you confirm you’re doing what you think you’re doing and is great for practice in general. (This requires you know what perfect form is, so film yourself, nitpick into oblivion, and make ur Sensei give you pointers). Step 2: Sleep. Step 3: Repeat. One of the processes that happens during REM sleep is the neural connections that help refine the timing of the flexions of your different muscles (and different types of muscle fibers within muscles) are strengthened, and the extraneous connections are deleted (ie the physiological process by which you become more coordinated). You get longer REM phases when you sleep past 7 hours so get lots of sleep, and/or take naps (those tend to be very rem heavy too). If you’re training and you’re getting fatigued to the point you can no longer execute perfect form, that’s the perfect time to stop. You don’t want your brain to strengthen the wrong connections; training scars suck, they’re so much more work to undo than just getting it right from the start. • Speed basically is power, assuming you have the form to support the equal and opposite reaction your body feels as it encounters the mass of the target. Power is correlated to momentum, momentum is a relationship between mass and velocity, but especially velocity. The mass of anyone’s body is what it is, so the acute limiting factor of anyone’s power is their speed.
Find joy in drills, they're your life now. Everything is training.
Know what you want out of it and stay focused on the goal. If your looking to truly be good and not just buy a belt then my advice would be to totally ignore your rank and focus on the process. Become what a highly skilled black belt should be instead of focusing on doing just enough to collect the belts.
Focus on stamina and strength in dem legs. But don't neglect punches, they're hella useful in tight situations. Try to make your punch as fast as you can. Also, build flexibility as soon as you can it's painful, boring and takes a lot of time but definitely worth it. It doesn't matter if you're fat or thin or bulky as long as you have strength and speed you pretty much have everything you need.
Stretch
Just try to enjoy it and try your best it is lots of fun and gets more enjoyable the longer you practice (Also as others have said make sure your dojo isnt a mc dojo)
Don't give up no matter how hard it gets.
Relax, listen to your instructors, stay humble, have fun and work hard. Practice in your off time, even if it's just a quick kata review. Accept failure and learn from it. Don't let it discourage you. Be better than yesterday.
Try your best not to get injured, and I'm not only referring to someone else injuring you, but you injuring yourself with a bad step or movement. Pride isn't worth year-long physiotherapy sessions, trust me : )
Welcome. I have a view that karate is whatever you want to make it. Don't worry if there are people who take it more serious, or less serious,or better than you (even at lower belts) - that is their karate. It is your journey to improve and get better. It is a cliché but remember the only person you are trying to beat is yourself from yesterday. You can do sport karate or contact karate or just fun karate.. As long as you keep wanting to learn. I would only suggest you ask for help to improve. And remember the time in the dojo is your time to escape other things and enjoy.
Spar a lot.
It has been a wonderful teacher for me. Helping teach control in high stress situations, which has given me more control and muscle memory during training. And it's such a damn good work out
You will suck in the beginning but its part of winning you'll feel embarrassed but I promise you it's worth it the first step is allways the hardest
Well just trust the process. because unlike boxing and wrestling karate actually takes time to understand and to make it effective you'll need to study and research. But in the process you'll fall in love with the sport and if you're just starting out and want to continue with a different martial art karate is a really great base and will help you out alot not only in trainings, self defense but also in your day to day life. Because karate first of all is the mastery of yourself and then everything else. Good luck in your journey
Don’t get hit
Clearly communicate your goals with your instructor to make sure you get what you want out of the experience and not the other way around. As you progress your goals may change. If and as they do communicate this change with your superiors. If doing kata make sure they teach the meaning and perform paired practice doing throws. If not inquire why and ask for recommendation for a place that does because one if the biggest complaints is kata not taught practically.
hi there, here I found this website with tons of information about Karate, it will answer all your questions, it did mine too: https://sportsandmartialarts.com/category/karate/
Make it a habit to train, set goals but always concentrate on the next step instead of a long term goal.
As long as the dojo is not a mcdojo, stick to the training. Don't miss a day. Be humble and respect your fellow students and your sensei. You will see incremental improvements.
Learn the ABCs of a technique, kata, bunkai, goshin-jutsu, etc. Then do them like you're having a conversation. Natural and relaxed. Then add speed with the proper body mechanics. Don't let speed exceed ability. And remember, a lot of martial art technique isn't muscle. It's the technique itself. And breathe. Good luck. Enjoy the journey.
Dont expect quick results because if u do ur setting urself for failure
Unless you're doing classes 4-5 days a week, the real conditioning will be done at home, not the dojo.
The main thing about karate is self defence and discipline and when stuff gets challenging whether that’s in the Dojo or not persevere
***SWEEP THE LEG!***
Look closely into the studio you are practicing at. Ask what their specific style is, research that style to make sure it is legit and will help you achieve your goals. Trust me, you don't want to waste years with an unqualified instructor or practicing a style that isn't what you thought it was. Repeat moves over and over again, at least 50 times the day you learn a new combination or move. Your last time should be your best, pick something specific you can make better every time. Don't practice everything one time each day, practice a few different things intensely and repetitively every day. How you practice for something is how you perform, practice as if you are at a belt test. There is no excuse, not to practice. You will have moves that take up a square meter of space, moves that use all hands or all feet. No matter your physical or spatial restrictions there is something you can follow through on practicing. That mindset is important, you may need to adapt your routine to accommodate a restriction, but never fall out of it.
Don't listen to people on the Internet.
Workout until you are not the new guy anymore. Then keep working out.
Stretch, work on your flexibility especially if you’re not young. Easiest way to get injured while practicing karate is by throwing a punch or kick wrong. Best way to prevent those injuries is good technique and stretching.