training – Page 7 – Seitou Ryu Karate

By Mick Simmonds

So, you’ve taken the plunge and joined a karate club and whilst the first few weeks are confusing, you find that it’s an activity that you find yourself looking forward to the next class that you can attend.

A few weeks/months down the line the ‘karate bug’ starts to really kick-in and you find that you are talking ‘karate’ with anyone at home who will listen and find yourself going around your day-to-day business with little karate images in your mind’s eye, thinking now what did Sensei say.? Hopefully at this stage you increase the classes you attend each week and start training with different Sensei’s within your club and make new contacts/friends in the greater karate club family , but you still find that you crave more information at different times of the week, so what do you do.? With the easy access of the internet you’ll start looking on Google or searching YouTube video clips or similar and be totally amazed at the sheer volume of material that is out there waiting to be read or viewed, but beware all that you see may not be what you need!

So, you’ve managed to wade through the quick-buck material, discarded the impractical applications etc, and still find that there is a huge amount of available material due to the variety of karate styles that are practiced throughout the world, and those ‘styles’ that are the more honourable all have a valid place in the greater ‘karate world’ – But it may not be the same style that you are training in, which will then waste your time & efforts by learning a style that will not be used in your dojo!

By talking with others within the dojo you can be guided to a fantastic array of reading materials ranging from books or magazines covering subjects such as the History/ Origins of Karate, to books dealing with self-defence, to bunkai to auto-biographies of some of the masters that have gone before us on the same journey we are treading, to DVD’s covering a variety of kata and other topics relevant to your style usually linked to the governing bodies that reputable clubs are affiliated to.

We practice a style of Karate that is predominantly of the Goju style, but blended into this is elements of the Shotokan style, which means that you will be directed at different times during your journey to the literature etc, that is most relevant to you at that time. Be that from Goju and our affiliations with Seiwakai and JKF Goju Kai to authors such as Sensei Iain Abernethy, who writes on many subjects including Kihon , Kata, Bunkai, Grappling etc, as does another Sensei Kris Wilder.

Additionally each Sensei within Seitou Ryu has a copy of the official JKF Goju Kai instructors manual which covers areas ranging from basic kihon through all the Goju Kata which can be referred to upon request by the individual.

Within the Shotokan style there is a great array of literature such as Best Karate by M.Nakayama or various titles by Sensei Enoeda and numerous others, then from the origins of Karate a must read would be Karate-do: My Way of Life by Gichin Funakoshi

Once you have the correct style sourced, usually by talking with your Sensei for guidance, practicing at home is a great thing to do, but can never replace the same conditions you will have in the dojo, be it space, time, constructive criticism from other students and possibly mostly importantly the interaction with other karateka to practice those techniques on, as there can only be limited benefit in this regard to training on your own, and when you get to actual self-defence and kumite practice. Escaping from a wrist/head-lock or blocking a kick made by a shad- ow, can never compare to the ‘live’ training you will get from a partner in the dojo.

Be inquisitive, explore as much as you can the variety of information available and practice, practice, practice! But be aware that unfortunately like in all other as- pects of life there are un- scrupulous individuals who in the karate world are col- lectively known as ‘McDojo’ people who are just con- cerned with selling a brand, a label. These individuals will for a price (upfront of course) provide you with material that when you get right down to it can prove to be irrelevant to your own training or totally impractical in application or use. It’s not a bad thing to explore the various areas of karate, in fact we encourage all students to do so. Just make sure that what you’re looking at is actually going to be useful. Ask your Sensei for books they have read and would recommend. Online there are 2 great resources just a click away; our own YouTube channel and iDojo.com.au, Shihan Rod Martin’s site which has an abundance of useful training videos that you can download and keep. We will be adding our own training videos to iDojo sometime in 2012 so you’ll have even more reason to go on there.

By Kim Mandy

Yes it is nearly that time of year again and we need to start thinking about where we want to be with our training and what we want to achieve over the coming year!

Setting goals is very similar to your “New Year’s Resolutions” which most of us never achieve or stick to throughout the year. By knowing what you want to achieve, you know where you have to concentrate your efforts. You will also quickly find out what distractions would lure you from your course.

Properly set goals can be very motivating. Goals give you long-term vision and short-term motivation. They can help you focus on your training to attain the goals you want to achieve and make the most of your training, giving you the satisfaction of knowing you have achieved what you set out to achieve in the year or the time scale for the particular goal. By setting goals you also help to increase your confidence as you improve your abilities in each area. By setting sharp, clearly defined targets you can measure and take pride in your achievement.

When setting your goals, think of where you want to be in your training by the end of the year. Once you have done this, you need to break down the final goal into smaller time scales as to know how you can achieve it.

E.g. What belt do you want to be by the end of the year? Look at the reality of this and what needs to be achieved i.e. Time scales between gradings. This may mean increasing your weekly training sessions, attending seminars or taking private lessons. When determining what your end of year achievement will be or what you would like it to be you will have to think about what you need to work on during the year or specific time period to achieve the associated level.

Once you have decided your long-term goal, keep reviewing and updating your short-term goals in order to attain your final goal. Once you have attained a specific goal, ensure this is kept up and proceed to the next one.

When setting goals, be realistic in what you are able to do. Set a time scale and stick to it! Make sure you prioritise your goals to ensure you are paying attention to and working on achieving the most important ones. Set realistic goals – goals that you know you can personally achieve with the right time and dedication. Write your goals down to make them “real”. Keep low-level, easy attainable goals small and achievable. If a goal is too big – it will seem like you are not making any progress!

When deciding and writing down your goals, ensure that you have set the goals that YOU want to achieve – not what someone else wants for you! We all have different abilities and strengths. Be specific; have time scales; ensure the goals are achievable for YOU and relevant at your grade level or potential grade level! Remember: Setting goals will help you decide what is important for you to achieve in your training, what is relevant for you personally and will help keep you motivated.

Enjoy your training and set goals you can stick to!