Karate Talk

First Kyu Syndrome: "Stop Telling Me What To Do!"

I have noticed an outbreak of "1st kyu syndrome" in our dojo in recent weeks, and I'm not too excited about it. This syndrome is prevalent across many dojos and styles, lying dormant for months or even years then suddenly resurfacing. Typically, 1st kyu syndrome sets in right around the time that the 1st kyu has been putting in a few weeks or months of accelerated effort in order to prepare for their first black belt test. Generally speaking, this effort has been rewarded by improved technique, timing, strength, etc. The hard work is paying off! The 1st kyu is getting better!

This time in the life cycle of a 1st kyu coincides, NOT coincidentally, with the time when the senior students suddenly begin picking on the poor 1st kyu. Fix this hand position, draw arm tighter back, toes in heels out, your timing's off, etc., etc. The 1st kyu, somewhat understandably, is really not in the mood to hear how all their weeks or months of hard work have NOT paid off. Symptoms such as sulkiness, sudden selective deafness, and backtalk then ensue. The senior student, understandably, is annoyed that the 1st kyu wishes to stop making any progress, and keeps arguing that their splayed feet are not splayed, their protruding elbow is not protruding, and their awkward timing is not awkward. Hostile stalemates usually result.

Right now, we have several 1st kyus who have been working, with varying degrees of dedication and consistency, to prepare for their first dan test. All have at some time expressed their hope of testing this summer, now a mere 2 months away. All have been subject to increased attention from Sensei and the senior students as a result, trying to help them prepare for this trial by fire.

One student stands a pretty good chance, I'd say, if he chooses to go ahead and test. He's putting in not only dojo time, but also time outside of regular class. He comes early, stays late, asks for advice, and works diligently to incorporate the advice he is given, even though he gets visibly frustrated and admits to having bad days. Consequently, he has gone from being very stiff and slow, with some serious timing issues, to discovering more speed and better shifting than he ever imagined, and a much improved kata. His sparring no longer looks like an unlubricated robot, but instead shows some fluidity and "feeling" which comes with hard work and increased understanding.

One student has far to go, old habits long engrained which he's finding very hard to break. However, he is relaxed about it, understanding that these habits exist and will be challenging to overcome. He too works hard with the black belts and with Sensei, and tries to break those habits and build solid new ones. He wouldn't be ready to test in August, but he's on the right track to test next spring if he wants it.

One student only started putting in occasional extra time in the past month, and still has an abysmal absentee record. His control is questionable, his technique has many, many weaknesses. His sparring is virtually non-existent, his kata a mess of bad timing. No way can he test in August. No way. I'm not sure he knows that, however. If he chooses to test, against advice, then he will be permitted, but will find the result very disappointing.

Two of them are what I'd term "middle ground". They've worked harder than before -- but not as hard as they need to be working, honestly. They've put in extra time -- but not enough of it, and not focusing on the points they need to work the most. They've made improvements -- but there are still glaring weaknesses of the precise nature that will cost you a Shodan test.

They are also the 2 worst cases of 1st kyu syndrome. Our most senior student tried to work with them on their front snap kicks, and although he said they did listen, they also kept trying to "discuss" the matter so that what they were doing (they all have the same form error) would somehow be okay. Their kicks, I might add, have not improved. The senior student is disinclined to waste any more time on them at this point, since they obviously did not even try. Another senior student cautioned a 1st kyu about having better control and targeting on an in-class drill, as one of his techniques was potentially dangerous for his partner. The response was "you do that too!" A point which was both untrue, and irrelevant. A dangerous technique is still a dangerous technique, and if you're told to cut it out, the response is, "osu sempai". If someone of higher rank is doing the same thing, well, they should know better -- but that's not your problem. You worry about your own karate.

I well remember my own bout with 1st kyu syndrome. I was busting my tail off, training not only in my dojo, but driving an hour or more each way, twice a week, to train with 2 other senseis. To say that my karate improved during that year is a drastic understatement. A senior student from my own dojo, who I arrogantly regarded as old and slow, kept correcting me, every training. Resentful, I nevertheless paid lip service with "osu, thank you"... and, probably against my will, actually took in some of what he was saying. His advice was correct and to the point, and did in fact improve my karate. Other senior students and senseis, who I admired and respected, hounded me mercilessly, and successfully pummeled my burgeoning arrogance out of my system, partly simply because it was arrogant and disrespectful. Karate is not only about your technique.

There's an important lesson there. We all have senior belts that we admire more, and some we admire less -- and secretly maybe even wonder how they managed to get a black belt. The thing to remember is that older and wiser eyes saw fit to reward that person with that black belt, and that means they have put in their time, and have learned what was expected, have accomplished what was asked of them. It would be well-advised, therefore, to at least give them a chance if they're trying to help you out. Whether you realize it or not, what they have to say is probably pretty darn helpful. The higher in rank the senior student is, the more likely this is to be true. Don't be blinded by a style or technique that you don't personally admire or find as "good". Someone limited by age or injury might still be very wise in the ways of martial arts.

Right now, neither I, nor as far as I know any of the other senior students, has any real desire to work with 3 of the 5 1st kyus who are gearing up for testing. One doesn't show, two don't listen and talk back. It's a waste of our time, and it's frustrating on top of that. All three have timing and technique errors in their katas, and their sparring is sadly lacking. However, we have no desire to be continually pulling rank in order to try to force them to learn what they need to learn. It's a pain in the ass, to be blunt.

If you're a 1st kyu, remember this: Confidence is good. Confidence that is based on hard work and tangible improvements is even better. Cockiness, however, can cost you that Shodan you're working so hard for.

Kata Applications

Saturday morning's training was an intensive, 3-hour session on applications of kata -- or in other words, demonstrating just what the heck those kata are supposed to be useful for! Although it's hardly the first time that I've done application, I found my approach was much different this time.

When first asked to think up possible practical uses for some kata moves, I was a color belt, and got completely flustered at the thought of getting it "wrong". I also thought that whatever I did had to be EXACTLY as it was taught in the kata. Understandably, I dreaded hearing the word "application" in the dojo. I was sure I'd look like an idiot in front of the higher belts, and do something wrong.

As the years progressed, I got a bit more comfortable with the basic movements and of course, most katas have many basic movements. It was easy enough to give possible applications of stepping sideways and doing a down-block, or stepping forward and doing a rising block or knife-hand strike. However, there were still those "weird" sequences, where you're doing strange movements or combinations. Despite having an overactive imagination, I was still hard-pressed to come up with possible uses for some of the odder physical movements.

Everyone else in class on Saturday had been forewarned, and had been assigned a kata to prepare. I of course missed the week due to some evil little virus that laid me out flat, so I walked into the dojo to see not only Sensei and the class, but also a visiting sensei from a neighboring town. I had roughly 2 minutes to ponder this before class started!

The first hour, we worked on the very basic katas (the Heians) plus Bassai Dai, which is the test kata for almost all of our brown belts. The second hour, we dealt with the other intermediate katas and a few of the advanced, and the final hour was spent doing the Tekkis and several advanced katas. Most of the first hour, the senseis gave the applications and had us do them, but the second and third hours were mostly student-taught.

As expected, those who had prepared did well, although the senseis stepped in with suggestions or alternative applications from time to time. I was asked to do applications of Empi, my old test kata. Fortunately, our sensei feels that doing application is important to true understanding and performance of your kata, so I'd done Empi before -- however, that was about 2 years ago, and I focused on the basics then! I was pleasantly surprised to find myself quite calm as I selected a couple of assistants and had them be my imaginary attackers, demonstrating possible uses of the sequences of movements. There are undeniably a few "non-standard" sequences in Empi, and if I ever knew the "official" application, trust me, I've forgotten it. However, possibilities entered my mind quickly, and if one didn't work in practice, I'd try the next one. I got through the entire kata with little difficulty, and enjoyed the interchange of ideas with our visiting sensei when one sequence was giving me some trouble.

One brown belt and one black belt were not quite so fortunate. The brown belt got visibly flustered demonstrating Tekki Shodan, and had to stop and repeat sequences. The black belt was given a kata he did not expect and hadn't prepared, and Tekki Sandan is not necessarily easy to tackle. However, both presented quite acceptable possibilities, although I could tell they didn't feel very happy about their demonstrations.

The session as a whole was intensive not just physically, but very much mentally. A great deal of concentration was required to assimilate the possibilities and see if they made sense, and some of the options presented were not the ones I expected. I even surprised our visiting sensei with one possible application in Empi, but when he tried it, he agreed that would work! This is a valuable learning experience in its own right, to develop new ideas and feelings. It makes karate come alive, instead of being just rote sequences of movements.

What I learned from that session was not just practical applications of kata. I also learned that another long-standing dojo truth was, yet again, true: The more you train, the easier it gets. I really do understand karate on a deeper level now, and it really did just take time. My applications were coming instinctively, from my body's reaction when faced with an opponent. I now realize that application and kata are 2 different things, and applications can take a few liberties with the kata movements, so I don't worry so much about duplicating the kata moves so exactly. Also, I now know that there's no such thing as a "wrong" application; there might be "better" applications, but there are many ideas. Having your own ideas is extremely important.

Missing Training

Every time I think my schedule is opening up, the opposite seems to happen. I feel like I've had little or no free time for months, and that time has been tainted by personal issues, work-related concerns, family troubles, and a million and one other things.

Karate is one of my bulwarks. I hide behind its strength, allowing the physical movements to work out the negative energies, allowing the focus required to wrench my mind from other matters, at least for awhile. The atmosphere of the dojo is familiar to me and soothing, doing something I love with people I like, something I feel makes me a better person mentally, emotionally, and physically.

Which might help explain the fact that I've been really grouchy for about a week now. This time last week I was looking forward to a weekend which seemed filled from start to finish with things to do, and no time to breathe. Instructor Training in Denver after work on Friday, up early Saturday morning for my usual 3-hour karate marathon, driving 2-1/2 hours that afternoon to see friends and then driving all the way back, and Sunday trying to catch up on everything I hadn't gotten accomplished during the week, in addition to spending some time with my mom, and helping my boyfriend out with some computer issues since he had to work all day and didn't have time.

I was running tired, this time last week, and wasn't sure how I'd get through the weekend. I was tired just thinking about it.

What I didn't know then was that I had a bout with the flu to schedule in too. Friday night was tough, but I got through it, and assumed I was just overtired. Saturday morning dawned awfully early, but I made it to class. I helped teach a returning student, then did a few katas at the end of class, as the beginner class began to file in. Normally this would be followed by teaching for an hour and then some sparring, but instead I went home to lie down. I made it to visit our friends and back, but by then, I realized I was in pretty bad shape. Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday were spent in a fog of pain, aching from head to toe with a skull-crushing headache to top it all off.

Today I am much perkier than I've been, and feel much more energetic. This is partly illusion, however; I had to go downstairs, and climbing back up left me no doubt that my muscles have still not recovered. Friday night was mostly talking and very little karate, Saturday morning was almost no training for me, and Monday I missed class entirely. I have training tonight, and very much want to go. My mind and spirit say I can do it, no problem! I'll be a little tired, sure, but if I take it easy, I'll be fine.

My body knows better. My body is telling me, at every opportunity, that it is still tired, still recovering. The odds are excellent that I couldn't make it all the way through class, and even if I do, it might be more than my system can handle. My body is a wuss sometimes, it's very frustrating. Whiner. Slacker.

I miss training.

I WANT TO BE HEALTHY AGAIN ALREADY!!!!!

Distraction

I'm just testing something here today, sorry. I'll write a real post soon, maybe even tonight. I've been sick as a dog, busy, and really grouchy!

But here goes the test: pink fuzzy bunny slippers.

Don't worry, I'm deleting this link in a couple of days. Like I said, testing something...

Karate Injuries

I have written before about training around injuries, but haven't written a post about the injuries that you can receive in the process of doing karate itself. This is partly because I don't really focus too much on getting "hurt" in karate, and serious injuries aren't really that common. However, a lot of people do search the web for information on karate injuries, so in this post I've decided to summarize the most common, from my experience:

1. Bumps and bruises. Karate is a contact sport, and some minor dents are inevitable. As long as your dojo is well-run and you are practicing proper techniques, it's relatively safe. However, bruises, especially to the forearms, are a routine occurence. Other common injuries include jammed fingers, the occasional smashed toe, bruises to the shins. None of these injuries is serious, almost all will heal completely in a short time as long as they are properly taken care of.

2. Sprains, strains, and muscle pulls. Karate, like any other physical endeavor, can leave you feeling stiff and achy at times. Tired legs are quite common, along with sore shoulders or back muscles from punching (if your arms are tired but not your back and shoulders, you may not be punching properly!). It's not unheard of for people to twist an ankle, jam a wrist, or twist their knee. These are all minor injuries and heal quickly with proper attention.

3. Knee injuries. Beyond the normal tired muscles or joints that follow a hard training, many people will find themselves developing more chronic conditions. Again, this is common across many physical activities. In karate, one of the most common problems is a sore and swollen knee. Knee joints are actually rather delicate instruments; they can stand up to quite a lot, but they will let you know if they've been overworked, or worked improperly. Using proper form can help prevent many knee problems, but not all. If your knee starts acting up, be sure to take it seriously. Go home, elevate it, and put ice on it until you can get the swelling down. Take some anti-inflammatory drugs. Be careful to rest it as much as possible for a few days, and make sure you move carefully. You might want to wrap or brace your knee for the next few karate trainings, or take a few days off. Preventive measure now could avoid knee surgery later.

4. Contact injuries. These are generally far less common than people outside the martial arts believe. Serious contact injuries are usually associated with full speed, full power free sparring. In a good dojo, the participants will be wearing fist guards and mouth guards if hard contact is planned, to minimize the damage. We are taught not to aim at particularly vulnerable areas such as the nose, throat, temple or eyes. However, even with a skilled karate-ka, accidents can happen. Concussions, black eyes, split lips, cracked or broken ribs, and internal injuries are all possible, although again, they are not at all common.

In my 8 years of training, I have taken only 2 hard blows to the head, and I've never had a black eye or a split lip, and I haven't seen very many of them even in very aggressive tournaments. I have semi-permanent forearm bruises from blocking, but I hardly notice them anymore. The same thing applies to my shins and ankles, which routinely take a few shots. The worst injuries I've carried out of the dojo were a smashed toe, a hairline fracture in my foot, and a badly jammed finger. These injuries had to be taken seriously and took several weeks to heal, but they healed completely and there's no trouble with them now.

If you're worried about getting injured by doing karate, don't let that hold you back from trying it out. Just make sure you check out the dojo to be sure you'll feel safe. Watch a training session and see how much contact they make and how it is handled. If you're not comfortable, try a different dojo.

If you're currently doing karate and nursing an injury, be smart. Don't expect to be back to 100% right away, and do give yourself time to heal (even if it's a little frustrating!). Be careful of your injury while you're training, and take care of it once you get home.

After all, karate is no fun if you're sitting on the sidelines in a cast!

Shut Up and Spar!

Saturdays are long training days. We train for an hour, then teach for an hour. The following hour, we usually work on things we want to work on. Some people might do kata, or self-defense; most of us who stay, however, are working on sparring. I was really looking forward to sparring last Saturday, because I haven't done much in almost a month.

This will sound like a digression, but it's not. A book on how to teach martial arts had chapters written by many different senseis for many different styles. One chapter was written by a sensei who also had a Master's (or maybe PhD?) in Education, and I found it educational indeed. She wrote that people learn in 3 ways: By hearing, by seeing, and by doing. Everyone has one aspect of learning that is easiest for them, followed by one that's less effective, and finally one that really doesn't work well. Therefore, she emphasized, it is important when you teach to make sure that you present things in such a way that all 3 types of learners can benefit. For example, you explain it for the audio learners, demonstrate for the visual learners, and walk the action learners through it. She also comments that whatever you are weakest in, you will emphasize when you are teaching.

I am, emphatically, a "learn by doing" kind of person. In school, I had to take copious notes, or I didn't retain a darn thing. What I saw, what the teacher said, went in one ear and out the other unless I wrote it down to reinforce it. In karate, I will listen and I will watch, but until I put my own body through the motions, I don't really understand it.

One of the men in our class, a brown belt, is 100% a "learn by talking" person. He wants to hear, and to discuss. This is my personal worst way to learn, so, just as the Education major said, I will spend any amount of time explaining it. I spend less time demonstrating, and even less time walking people through it. Perhaps I think that learning by doing is so easy, they ought to pick it up on the first or second try!!

However... this all does have point. I should get to it.

So, I sparred for about 3-1/2 minutes. Then, our brown belt sparred. Then, we spent 10 minutes discussing everything I'd done wrong. Then 30 minutes discussing what he needed to work on. Then they asked if I wanted to spar again. I said no. I was tired, stiff, angry and totally frustrated.

The reason for this is simple: I learn by doing. I was not given the opportunity to "do". I have not been able to spar much, if at all, for over a month. Sparring was always my greatest weakness, and I get rusty FAST. What I needed on Saturday was about 10 minutes of casual, playful sparring, followed by 10 - 15 minutes of much more serious work once I'd warmed up and relaxed and gotten the "flow". Instead, I got 2 minutes with our senior black belt at a much faster and more aggressive level than I was mentally or physically warmed up for at that point, followed by about 1-1/2 minutes of sparring a large brown belt man who was going all out -- a session that ended abruptly when his knee drove into my shin so hard that I lost feeling in my toes for a few minutes. This extreme frustration was followed by 10 minutes of people discussing the problems I already know that I have, the ones I am trying hard to correct -- which I need to do by SPARRING, not by talking about it for 10 minutes! Yes, yes, I know that my stance is too high, my shoulders too stiff, and I wasn't shifting to the side enough but more straight back, allowing me to be crowded. And let's not forget my I'm tired/I'm nervous/I'm frustrated head-level punches on people who are a foot taller than me -- punches which have nothing behind them and are a total waste of energy. Again, I knew I was doing all these things. These are bad, bad habits that I've had for about 3 years now. They were getting better finally, but a month off undid a lot of hard work. The only way I'm going to get rid of them is by sparring long enough to start to relax again. Instead, I got talked to before, during, and after everything I tried to do, the sparring stopped after every 2 or 3 moves for more talking, I sat for 40 minutes talking and not moving, and THEN was finally given the opportunity to spar again -- with only 5 minutes remaining. No way.

It was very good for our brown belt, and hell for me. I'm glad if it helped him; his sparring is finally coming along but it can use all the help it can get. Trouble is, my sparring is not where it should be for my rank. It too needs help.

Next week, I'm going to have a sign ready. After training, after teaching, when we get ready to do some sparring, I will carry it over and hang it on the wall. It will say:

SHUT UP AND SPAR

!!!!! :-)