Tell me about your first day of training..

[Gerry Seymour]

Let me inform you, you sometimes learn and comprehend more when you are trying to teach it to someone else. When I first started teaching, I would run into a student that did not pick up on things as easily as your standard student, and it was those students that helped me better comprehend what I already thought I fully comprehended. As I struggled to get them to comprehend, I started comprehending more. My teacher knew that would happen, but wanted me to see it for myself. Sometimes you can not be taught, sometimes you have to learn it for yourself.

Everyone I trained with (and some instructors I helped train) improved rather dramatically when they started teaching, even though they were suddenly spending less time actually practicing (because part of that time went to teaching now). We pay attention to more things, and I think most of us start to think differently about the principles as we start to teach.

 

[BigDon]

My first training day was a bit embarrassing as i farted doing a kick. The Instructor, "Master" called me a pig.
I never went back to that dojo but it reminded me not to eat baked beans the night before training

 

[Gyakuto]

My first training day was a bit embarrassing as i farted doing a kick. The Instructor, "Master" called me a pig.
I never went back to that dojo but it reminded me not to eat baked beans the night before training

You should have insisted that you were in fact being polite by not following through and sh*tting yourself.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

You should have insisted that you were in fact being polite by not following through and sh*tting yourself.

Somehow, that sounds like you're talking about practicing it, like stopping a punch 1" from target.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Think it's time to log off, shut the laptop down, and go train something.... TTFN

 

[nipper219]

My first day of training, I was SUPER NERVOUS; everybody was in uniforms which somehow intimidated me. I just wasn't used to that. Everybody looked so serious; there was actually lots of smiling and laughter. Which then as time went by I wasn't as nervous. My first day we worked on front kicks, inside and outside crescent kicks. As well as a center punch. My first day of training went very well though.

 

[Belkster]

My first day of training went very well. I was already a bit trained physically, so I didn't get exhausted during the warm-up like some other beginners. Learning the kicking technique was my best part of the training. But also defending against kicks (when we swapped roles with my partner) - really enjoyed it too. All in all, I'm still a beginner, and I've become interested in being in a community that respects martial arts. Hi all

 

[Darksoul]

Isshin Ryu Karate, 1989 around 9 years old. The school had a smaller room off the main training floor where myself a 2 other newbies were shown some basic moves, mostly to see if we would listen and follow directions. I think we did that for 2 sessions before joining the actual kids class there. Stayed for a year, lost interest. Wish I had stuck with it but I didn't understand that at the time. Guess I had first days with Kuk Sool and 7 Star Mantis but neither one of those lasted long either. One of these days I'll have a brand new first day.

 

[Gyakuto]

Sunday May 18th 1981. 10am at Priestnall Recreation Centre in Stockport/Manchester. I was 12 years old. It was a municipal Karate course which turned out to be Wado Ryu and I’d waited about 3 months for the course to start so I’d borrowed a book on Karate from the library and had been doing press ups on my knuckles on a stone hearth, so I felt prepared! It was a sunny, warm morning and as a consequence the instructor, Keith Harrison, decide the class should take place on a grassy area adjacent to the sports hall. I was a bit disappointed as I thought the first class would be better in a gymnasium. I wasn’t nervous but rather keen to do my best. Punching from kibadachi, front kicks from hami gamae, soto use, uchi uke and then to finish off, front kicks from a really long stance to work this anterior thigh muscles and it was all over. The two hours flew by. My first real experience of Budo…the most influential thing on my whole life.

On the 18th May, every year, I celebrate that first morning. I feel thankful, I wonder what became of my teacher and my regular training partner, Barry Wicks (I’ve tried to find them with little success..they could well have passed on) and the late Tatsuo Suzuki, hachidan hanshi our national teacher. I sometimes buy a cake to celebrate too, but mostly I just feel thankful and with love and warmth, remember the people, whose guidance touched my life so deeply…..

43rd anniversary of starting my Budo journey. My deepest thanks to Keith Harrison, Barry Wicks and Tatsuo Suzuki; you enriched my life in ways you’ll never know.

 

[Fungus]

Somehow, that sounds like you're talking about practicing it, like stopping a punch 1" from target.

It must be the higher subtle level substite for kiai along with japanese Kime.

In contrast with Okinawan Chinkuchi, which I think would have opted for a full follow through, rather than choking all the power at the tailpipe.

 

[Fungus]

I started at older age, but recall the first of my "try 3 classes for free" when I hadn't been making a single pushup the last 25 years, but was mentally supercharged to get started. I also hear instructors saying that dedication and focus is more important than excellence, so I drained all my energy during the first kihon just training the various basic blocks, I did it with the mental intention of breaking the neck of a bull. It was fun, I got some compliments for dedication but I was totally exhausted with max pulse after only 15 minutes, so I had to break and take an embarrassing rest

This is normally not allowed in kyokushin. No rest and no water for the duration of the class, it's part of mental endurance training. Overcome pain, thurst and fatigue. Exceptions are if you are about to faint/fall, or beeing a beginner. If someone yawns during class, the whole group gets to do pushups.

I also receall beeing impressed by the snappy sound of instructors moves.

After that I learned to economize with my energy to last for the 1.5 hour class, not to start 100%

 

[Gyakuto]

, I did it with the mental intention of breaking the neck of a bull.

Dude! Massaging the neck of a bull…veggie/animal respecter here!

This is normally not allowed in kyokushin. No rest and no water for the duration of the class, it's part of mental endurance training.

Has anybody died as a result of this? I bet young people struggle with that. They constantly have to swig from a bottle of water thinking they’ll dehydrate in a few minutes if they don’t. Bottled water companies marketed that idea very effectively.

Exceptions are if you are about to faint/fall,

If someone yawns during class, the whole group gets to do pushups.

It’s very…military isn’t it?

I also receall beeing impressed by the snappy sound of instructors moves.

Oh yes, that is impressive. I remember my teacher’s snappy punches too.

After that I learned to economize with my energy to last for the 1.5 hour class, not to start 100%

That is not very Kyokushinkai! Now get down and gimme 50!

 

[Fungus]

43rd anniversary of starting my Budo journey. My deepest thanks to Keith Harrison, Barry Wicks and Tatsuo Suzuki; you enriched my life in ways you’ll never know.

Wow! That is an impressive experience!!

After how many years did you stop thinking of yourself as a "beginner"?

I've only a modest 2 years experience and I definitely see myself as a beginner scratching the surface. I like to understand things in depth so I even if I learned alot of basics, I am not personally done contemplating the details and constructing principles of techniques we are just "taught". I feel deep dissatisfaction from learning something without solid founding. In this sense I find alot of "teaching" in class as somewhat "superficial", as explanations are not always conveyed in full depth, so creates "extra homework" for us beginners to figure it out on our own.

 

[Fungus]

Dude! Massaging the neck of a bull…veggie/animal respecter here!

We can replace the bull for "an attacking opponent that is twice your weight".

Has anybody died as a result of this? I bet young people struggle with that. They constantly have to swig from a bottle of water thinking they’ll dehydrate in a few minutes if they don’t. Bottled water companies marketed that idea very effectively.

The worst I've heard is that people throw up, but every now and then people do step aside as they feel like about to faint. Worst I've heard is people leaving the dojo without notifying instructor, and then faints outside the dojo (and worst case hits their head in something). This is the real reason why you can not just leave the dojo without telling the instructor. Sometimes we also have someone getting axiety attacks.

It’s very…military isn’t it?

A tiny bit, but it's also a bit fun. After all, doing pushups is part of training anyway, so why not take the opportunity if someone yawns? If noone yawns, we have to do them anyway later.

Another tradition is that if someone has it's n'th birthday on training day, all in the dojo gets the same number of free punches to the stomach. But this exercise is also something that we do anyway! But if you have a birthday you get same extra conditioning. But this is good.

That is not very Kyokushinkai! Now get down and gimme 50!

Hehe... that is true. It's not the official version of course. But those who say you start 100% and then increase, are those that bad at math.

Actually part of fighting class is to LEARN howto dispose of your energy throughout the whole fight. It's like interval training, you explode during attacks and try to relax and recover in between. Relaxing isn't just for speed, its also to save enery. Our instructors also say that it's VERY demanding to stay 100% in high alert with tension for a full fight. So I apply the same thinking to the class. The class is 1.5 hours - those are the boundary conditions

 

[Prince_Alarming]

I did it as part of my Duke of Edinburgh's bronze award. We met in the youth club, and it was one of the most positive experiences of my life. I was active at the time, doing a lot of running, pushups and pullups and playing rugby and I was utterly fascinated by this new thing. I'd never believed I'd actually get the chance to do it, I was grinning from ear to ear

 

[Gyakuto]

Wow! That is an impressive experience!!

I wish it’d been continuous as I had a few breaks for education and work…I’d be a 9th Dan Super Hanshi otherwise!

After how many years did you stop thinking of yourself as a "beginner"?

At the risk of sounding falsely modest, never! I sometimes thought I’d attained a level of competence and then I’d see someone shift their body in a certain way or pause momentarily before kicking and think, ‘Wow, I’ve not achieved that much‘ and feel slightly dejected. At that point I’d look and those with just a few years under their belt and laugh at them mercilessly…perhaps kick ‘em up the **** and I’d feel better about myself

I suppose there are levels of expertise just as there are levels of awakening in Zen. But I think once you genuinely believe you’re an expert, all is lost and one has fallen foul of one’s ego and you lose that valuable mindset of ‘shoshin’

I've only a modest 2 years experience and I definitely see myself as a beginner scratching the surface.

I’m sure things must be clicking into place here and there. I remember the first time I could make my shirt sleeve snap with a punch, or consistently snuff out a candle flame with a straight punch…little achievements. My biggest step didn‘t occur in the dojo but on my last day of high school. It was traditional to pelt each other with eggs and throw flour over each other on this day (). I saw an egg flying threw the air at me and without thought I pivoted on the balls of my feet to evade the eggs trajectory (tai sabaki - a characteristic of Wado Ryu Karate). I was amazed and pleased that my training had taken effect!

I like to understand things in depth so I even if I learned alot of basics, I am not personally done contemplating the details and constructing principles of techniques we are just "taught".

I like depth of knowledge too, but the anti-intellectual types in the MA will foolishly criticise this mindset. Ignore those ‘jocks’!

I feel deep dissatisfaction from learning something without solid founding. In this sense I find alot of "teaching" in class as somewhat "superficial"

I sometimes think this is done deliberately so you can ‘discover for yourself’. Well that’s all well and good if you’re a young teen and have all the time in the world!

, as explanations are not always conveyed in full depth, so creates "extra homework" for us beginners to figure it out on our own.

There is value in this, I suppose, but why ask each student to reinvent the wheel or rediscover calculus? A woodworker can hammer in nails with his fists, but please instructor, give him a hammer…it’s quicker and a lot less painful!

 

[Fungus]

I like depth of knowledge too, but the anti-intellectual types in the MA will foolishly criticise this mindset. Ignore those ‘jocks’!

I've been ignoring similar types all my life, even outside MA there are "jocks" as the phenomenon we discuss here is generic, so their critique doesn't work on me. It tends to be the same people that suggest you shouldn't overthink things. Well, I think things to pieces, and it works flawlessly!

 

[Gyakuto]

There’s an attitude in British Iaido, from certain quarters, of, ‘shut up and do more repetitions’. What’s the point if you don’t know what you’re doing? My teacher analyses everything to the minutest detail. He can look at your problem and sa, “Ah…your issue two movements before that pint. Correct that by doing this and this problem will disappear” A brilliant teacher!

 

[Gerry Seymour]

There’s an attitude in British Iaido, from certain quarters, of, ‘shut up and do more repetitions’. What’s the point if you don’t know what you’re doing? My teacher analyses everything to the minutest detail. He can look at your problem and sa, “Ah…your issue two movements before that pint. Correct that by doing this and this problem will disappear” A brilliant teacher!

I had experience with instructors who were prone to correcting the finish. I learned to correct the process, like you're talking about here. Rather than telling a student "your foot should be turned further at the end", I'd be able to say "your weight was too far forward before the pivot, so your body needed your foot pointed this way to keep balance." Students learned faster - and understood better - when they were correcting the process (using principles), instead of just getting technical critique.

 

[Gyakuto]

I had experience with instructors who were prone to correcting the finish. I learned to correct the process, like you're talking about here. Rather than telling a student "your foot should be turned further at the end", I'd be able to say "your weight was too far forward before the pivot, so your body needed your foot pointed this way to keep balance." Students learned faster - and understood better - when they were correcting the process (using principles), instead of just getting technical critique.

I think it’s a less common way of teaching as it requires real understanding on the part of the teacher, something many martial arts teachers do not possess.