# How do you train yourself!



## Mark77 (Aug 26, 2009)

In my experience, in almost all full contact karate style, it's normal to train using pads, pao, boxing sacks and similar thinghs. But, what about shotokan?
When i used to play it, about ten years ago, i never used these equipments. Can some shotokan practitioners give me an aswer?


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## Daniel Sullivan (Aug 31, 2009)

My Shotokan experience is fifteen years older than yours, and was part of high school, so we practiced in the gymnasium.  Our school was a parochial school and the closest thing to an official martial arts program was the wrestling team.  

The instructor had some padded targets and a kicking shield (which may have been a made from piece of gear appropriated from the football team) and that was about it.  Not much different at the school where I train now, except that we have a 'Bob' and a couple of Wavemasters.  Probably the biggest difference in terms of equipment is that since I am in a Kukkiwon taekwondo school now, free sparring involves hogu.  

Daniel


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## twendkata71 (Aug 31, 2009)

*You train yourself, one kick at a time, LOL. *


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## Grenadier (Aug 31, 2009)

Mark77 said:


> In my experience, in almost all full contact karate style, it's normal to train using pads, pao, boxing sacks and similar thinghs. But, what about shotokan?
> When i used to play it, about ten years ago, i never used these equipments. Can some shotokan practitioners give me an aswer?


 
For conditioning of the mind and body, we use a heavy bag that's mounted up against the wall.  There's a bit of give to the bag itself, but because the bag isn't going to swing after being hit, the students must be conscious about keeping their fists closed when striking the bag.  

The same holds true for kicking.  If they aren't in a good stance when kicking the wall-mounted heavy bag, they're probably going to find themselves either falling away, or falling down.

We have two such mounted bags.  One bag is mounted lower, and has a good bit more give to it, so that it's more appropriate for the kids.  The other one is mounted higher for the adults.


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## Cayuga Karate (Aug 31, 2009)

I've trained with several Shotokan groups over the years. Shields are fairly common, especially for kicking practice. Heavy bags required dojo space, and the schools I was in didn't have them.


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## Mark77 (Sep 4, 2009)

Ok, you are lucky! 
Maybe a studied Shotokan in the wrong place.


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## Kyo Sa Lorena Cortes (Sep 4, 2009)

Hi, I agreed with you. I´m 43 years old now, but when I was 12 I used to practice Shoto Kan ando don´t remembered we used nothing but the sparring training, in those days we didn´t have any kind of protection or pads or anything, we did everything barehanded


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## Mitlov (Sep 11, 2009)

Mark77 said:


> In my experience, in almost all full contact karate style, it's normal to train using pads, pao, boxing sacks and similar thinghs. But, what about shotokan?
> When i used to play it, about ten years ago, i never used these equipments. Can some shotokan practitioners give me an aswer?



Regrettably, our dojo uses none of this stuff (except for a kicking shield which we use perhaps once every couple months).  I work with a free-standing heavy bag at home.  I would much prefer to use focus mitts and thai pads for some of the kihon work instead of doing it all at the air.


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## Mark77 (Sep 15, 2009)

Mitlov said:


> I would much prefer to use focus mitts and thai pads for some of the kihon work instead of doing it all at the air.



I agree with you. But sometimes it's hard to change "Shotokan mind".


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## NW_Tengu (Sep 17, 2009)

In our Dojo, we use focus mitts, Thai shield, and makiwara.  If I had to choose only one, makiwara wins hands down IMHO.  Takes up very little space, and requires proper body mechanics to avoid injuries, so lessens the chance of reinforcing sloppy techniques.  Best to learn initial use under supervision of a qualified instructor though.


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## Mitlov (Sep 17, 2009)

NW_Tengu said:


> In our Dojo, we use focus mitts, Thai shield, and makiwara.  If I had to choose only one, makiwara wins hands down IMHO.  Takes up very little space, and requires proper body mechanics to avoid injuries, so lessens the chance of reinforcing sloppy techniques.  Best to learn initial use under supervision of a qualified instructor though.



Mind if I ask where in Oregon you're located, and which dojo you train with?


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## Mitlov (Sep 17, 2009)

Mitlov said:


> Mind if I ask where in Oregon you're located, and which dojo you train with?



Sorry, never mind, saw in one of your previous posts that you train with Suto up at the Intel dojo.  I'm down at the Medford dojo with Debbie Gillaspie.  Nice to see another JKA-US Northwest karateka around here


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## sfs982000 (Oct 20, 2009)

When I trained in Shotokan back in the 80's the only equipment we used were kicking shields and focus mitts.  Sparring was pretty much all out with gear.


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