Help Me, Please!

[Shotochem]

good luck with it!

Thank You...
I slowed everything WAY down today during practice, and I started to draw closer to achieving Embusen everytime that I performed the kata, although it's difficult for me to walk now! AHHH!!!! Must make stances deeper!, Must make stances deeper!, Must maintain the same plane throughout the movements! :erg: [/quote]

The good news is that it does get easier over time. You are still new.
Keep in mind that when you are in a back stance you should be able to snap a kick off your front leg with ease and without shifting your balance. If you can't lift that front leg, you are too long and need to shorten up.
Remember shortening up does not mean coming up in the stance keep your but down and most of your weight on that back leg. :whip1:

Yes, I know it does hurt......

 

[oldnewbie]

It's the Kokutsu dachis on line 3, and the Yoko-geri/Back fist combo on line 1...

Oh yes, the combo on line one...all I can say is ...balance..

Good luck, and wait til you get to Heien Godan.. one of my favorites!!

 

[JasonASmith]

Good luck, and wait til you get to Heien Godan.. one of my favorites!![/quote]

I'm already there, and I agree...With the exception of the jump...I hate to leave the ground!

 

[JasonASmith]

Well, I had a BIG boost of confidence in my practice tonight at class...
One of our Renshi(we have two, I believe) listened to my woes with Heian Nidan and had me perform the kata while he observed...
According to him, I landed almost exactly at Embusen...so close, in fact, that he wasn't bothered by it! Practice(and beating myself to death) makes perfect, baby, yeah! Actually, he was more worried about the individual techniques themselves than Embusen, and he didn't have very many quibbles with my performance, so praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!:boing2:

 

[exile]

Well, I had a BIG boost of confidence in my practice tonight at class...
One of our Renshi(we have two, I believe) listened to my woes with Heian Nidan and had me perform the kata while he observed...
According to him, I landed almost exactly at Embusen...so close, in fact, that he wasn't bothered by it! Practice(and beating myself to death) makes perfect, baby, yeah! Actually, he was more worried about the individual techniques themselves than Embusen, and he didn't have very many quibbles with my performance, so praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!:boing2:

Hey JAS---well done! No matter what it is, if you keep going after it really hard, you're going to get it.

As the techs used to say, `There are no problems---only solutions'. Keep up the good work

 

[oldnewbie]

Good luck, and wait til you get to Heien Godan.. one of my favorites!!

I'm already there, and I agree...With the exception of the jump...I hate to leave the ground![/quote]

Oh no... the jump is the best!!!!

Congrats!

Sounds like you are blasting through the katas!

 

[JasonASmith]

Oh no... the jump is the best!!!!

Congrats!

Sounds like you are blasting through the katas![/quote]

I like to put it this way: I am replicating the movements of the katas, which is important, but the application of the movements is what's really important...That will take time, and I will be happy to spend as much time as possible on the applications.

 

[exile]

the application of the movements is what's really important...That will take time, and I will be happy to spend as much time as possible on the applications.

JAS---just as a matter of interest, when you talk about the applications here, is this something your instructor spends a lot of time going into? Is he showing how to analyze the kata to determine the bunkai, or is he just showing you the concealed uses without refering to any general method of decoding them into their combat uses? This is something I'm really interested in---it varies so much from dojo to dojo and instructor to instructor...

 

[JasonASmith]

JAS---just as a matter of interest, when you talk about the applications here, is this something your instructor spends a lot of time going into? Is he showing how to analyze the kata to determine the bunkai, or is he just showing you the concealed uses without refering to any general method of decoding them into their combat uses? This is something I'm really interested in---it varies so much from dojo to dojo and instructor to instructor...

Often times, Sensei will go through part of the kata, and then stop and give us some bunkai for what he has just shown us...He was also "open the floor" for some bunkai from either Sempai or the Renshi to get a different take on the subject...Sensei's always attempting to get us to visualize what's going on, as well...
Sensei will also take some time(usually once every other week) during class and have US pick a portion out of a kata to analyze for bunkai...Usually we pair into groups and work something out in a short amount of time, then we have to present what we have worked out in our groups in front of the class...

 

[oldnewbie]

Oh no... the jump is the best!!!!

Congrats!

Sounds like you are blasting through the katas!

I like to put it this way: I am replicating the movements of the katas, which is important, but the application of the movements is what's really important...That will take time, and I will be happy to spend as much time as possible on the applications.[/quote]

No offense meant.. It's just that in my dojo, it took two years to get to Heien Godan, and in one of your posts, you stated that you started in Shotokan in late August, early September of this year.

Therefore, you are blasting through the katas, time wise.......

 

[exile]

Often times, Sensei will go through part of the kata, and then stop and give us some bunkai for what he has just shown us...He was also "open the floor" for some bunkai from either Sempai or the Renshi to get a different take on the subject...Sensei's always attempting to get us to visualize what's going on, as well...
Sensei will also take some time(usually once every other week) during class and have US pick a portion out of a kata to analyze for bunkai...Usually we pair into groups and work something out in a short amount of time, then we have to present what we have worked out in our groups in front of the class...

That's a great approach to teaching---sounds to me like you're in a very good school. I think it's very wise on his part to try to get you all thinking on your own about how a given kata sequence could translate into a series of fighting moves.

Based on your original query starting off this thread (about his emphasis on absolute precision in execution of the kata to get enbusen exactly right) and your comments about his interest in a `hands-on' approach to bunkai analysis, I'd say your instructor is someone who sees the forms as the true foundation of the art. That's about as traditional as you can get, and in the end will wind up giving you a very rounded, sophisticated and versatile grasp of karate. You picked a great dojo!

 

[JasonASmith]

You picked a great dojo![/quote]

Thank You, and everyday I thank God that I have stumbled upon this school and our Sensei...
All are welcome! Come watch! Come workout!

 

[Robert Lee]

Coming in late on this subject I would say practice your stances seperate each day Then you learn the stance and its correction factor As when you train Kata you will have that better understanding of the stance distance foot position and such. Use say some tape make a X on the floor the beeter you train your different stances the beeter you will move in your kata. And Its better to learn the kata at first in sections so you set them to memory better as you learn. Bunki shows you both the offence and defnce motion of that kata then also you have to rember to break each move down as a possible selfdefence motion. It takse time for Kata to come together and to be smooth Strech practices all your stances and train the kata slow at first then add some speed then a show of power. I was never taught bunki until I had trained a certion kata long enough to have smoothed itr out then bunki was introduced. Now kisokumite was given at same time bunki was training was started. But that was then this is now. Good luck with your training And remember do not try to learn fast try to learn good.

 

[JasonASmith]

And remember do not try to learn fast try to learn good.[/quote]

Great advice, and I intend to use and follow through with it...