Frequently Asked Questions
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Frequently Asked Questions?
Try our FAQ search!
Answer: There is no pressure to be fit, as you work at your own
pace or as hard or easy as you want. We start the class with a good
warm up and stretch so you will be ready for the training that
follows. Karate will provide you with the skills necessary such as
improved flexibility, coordination, balance, muscle strength and
muscle tone, not to mention fat loss. You will notice an improvement
with each class. I often hear concerns such as "I have no
coordination, I am not flexible enough, I am not fit enough", but
remember, you train to get fit. You don't need to get fit to train.
You wont develop a "Karate muscle". Karate training exercises almost
every muscle of your body. Will you be sore after your first ever
Karate training session? Quite likely! But this is completely normal
for any exercise activity that you're not used to.
Answer: Students are often worried joining in with other students
who have already been training for some time. However, holding
specific beginners only classes is not the best way to teach someone
Karate. You may end up with the blind teaching the blind, where
no-one knows what is going on. By placing beginners in with the more
advanced students, they are able to copy correctly what the other
students as well as the instructor is doing. And as we practice
partner work, you will be paired with a more advanced student who
can correctly show you what to do. In this way we are able to teach
you Karate at a much faster rate. You don't need to worry about
whether you'll "get beaten up by little 6 yr old Karate kids" -
presently we only take students from 14 years and up, as we are
holding adult-only classes, to ensure a mature, relaxed and
professional atmosphere that makes our Karate classes fun and
effective.
Answer: To start with for your first FREE class, wear something
comfortable such as a T-shirt and shorts or track suit pants. We
don't wear shoes so you also don't need expensive gym shoes. Later
on if you decide to continue we can sell you with a Karate Gi that
will last you for many years to come. The Gi is the traditional
uniform of Karate, and its main purpose lies in its functionality. A
Gi has the advantage that it is very robust and comfortable at the
same time. Typically a Gi sports quite short sleeves and pants, so
that you don't get caught with your finger or trip over yourself. It
allows you great freedom of motion, and for a beginner it also has a
psychological effect, as it makes you feel more "real" when you wear
the Gi, and you also feel as if you fit in better with all the other
Gi-wearing students.
Answer: Many martial arts schools manage to squeeze 30 - 40 or
more students into a small hall with only one relatively
inexperienced instructor to teach. Our classes are quite small with
the average class size being around 10-15 students. We train in a
very large hall with good ventilation and a sprung wooden floor that
is perfectly suited for Karate. The advantage of small class sizes
is obvious. You get much closer supervision and much more direct
instruction compared to a class were 30 or more students practice.
In large classes the instructor will not be able to correct,
supervise and instruct everyone to the same degree as in small
classes. Large classes also often demand a military-style of
discipline to keep things in order, which can be stressful for
students and instructors alike. Smaller classes automatically tend
to be more relaxed and focused on enjoying the experience.
Answer: Renshi Suggs has been practicing Karate for 30+ years and
in that time he has taught beginners from 5 years to 60 years old.
Presently we only take students from 14 years and up, as we are
holding adult-only classes. We find many people have done a little
of some Martial Arts in earlier years and are quite surprised how
quickly it all comes back to them. With advanced age, everyone may
find one or another technique harder or impossible to perform. Let
this not deter you. Karate is a martial art, and as such it is
self-defense system, not a display of superhuman ability and
athleticism. There is no shame in not being able to pull off a
triple spinning flip kick. Chances are that in a real situation a
simple front kick would have been the better option anyway. All the
benefits of Karate in terms of self defense skills and improved
health still apply, regardless at which age you start. With
increased maturity you will also be in a better situation to judge
what exactly YOU want to gain from Karate training, and you will be
able to focus on that in our classes - this way you'll gain maximum
enjoyment and benefit from Karate training, regardless of your age.
Answer: The injury risk in Karate is lower than in most other
sports. All contact is controlled and the most you would expect is
the occasional lump or bruise. Our classes are meant to teach Karate
- thus Gung-Ho bone breakers and street thugs are not welcome, and
you wont find them in our classes. Broken bones and noses as well as
knee and joint injuries common with most popular sports are in fact
very uncommon in USA Goju Karate. It is the responsibility of the
instructor to ensure a safe environment for his students.
Answer: You will be better equipped to defend yourself from day
one! At the end of your first class you will know how to perform
several punches and kicks correctly as well as how to block and
evade your attacker. At each following class you will build on this,
getting better every class you attend. Your confidence will also
grow with your new found skills which will also benefit in keeping
you out of trouble in the first place. Some people say that "you
learn Karate so you'll never use it", and for most of us, this will
hopefully apply in the sense of hopefully never having to defend
ourselves or our loved ones in a life-threatening situation.
However, with Karate training, you will have a much better chance of
doing so starting with your first training session.
Answer: As we grow older we all have some legacies of previous
sports played or work related injuries. With Karate training you can
simply work around them, if something in the training is not good
for you, we can do something else. The general rule is: It is your
body and you know it best, so when training be aware of anything
that may upset your injury. In principle, Karate training
strengthens the back muscles, and also the muscles and tendons
around the shoulders and knees. However, if you contemplate to start
Karate as a beginner, it is better not to exacerbate existing
problems with a new sport that contains movements that you're not
familiar with. Always consult your medical practioner before
commencing training in any martial art. If you have minor physical
problems that may or may not interfere with your training ability,
let your instructor know before training so that your safety and
physical health is ensured.
Answer: In our classes of USA Goju Karate, you can expect to be
taught correctly a practical method of self defense that may one day
save your or a loved one's life. With continued Karate training, you
will gain... fitness confidence flexibility improved reflexes
coordination muscle strength relaxation In addition to these obvious
physical benefits, you will also find a strengthening of your
character, and you will gain peace of mind that you are able to
defend yourself in any situation.
Answer: Katas are an integral part of Karate and many other
martial arts, where they are also sometimes called forms or
patterns. The martial artist follows a particular sequence of
movements that include the attack and defense against one or several
imaginary attackers. Practicing Kata is a good way of exercising the
pure form of techniques. Many Katas also contain
secret or
hidden Karate techniques that are not obvious to the
unsuspecting bystander (and often not even to the student performing
the Kata). Katas are a means of maintaining the true form of an
original style, and its tradition from master to student, who may
then in the future teach his own students. The meaning and
application of techniques found in Kata is called
Bunkai.
As the student progresses through the ranks), more and more Katas
and the techniques contained therein (Bunkai)
are mastered. Thus, Katas are also an important aspect of the
grading procedure, where student undergo an examination process that
culminates in the award of a belt whose colour indicates the
achieved skill level of a student. Katas are the blueprints for
certain styles, but it is natural and often cannot be avoided that
individual masters or schools change Katas, or the order of the Kata,
or other aspects of the Kata to better fit with their understanding
of "their" style. Historically, many sports styles of Karate have
intentionally modified some Katas to be better suited in the context
of tournaments. Apart from documentation in books (which then is
also open to interpretation by the reader), the knowledge of Katas
is traditionally transferred person-to-person, and are bound to
change slightly over the generations. This is another reason why
exponents of particular styles tend to stress their "direct
lineage", which basically implies that they have learned it from the
grand master or even founder of a style, and thus their
interpretation of Kata and other aspects of their style is undiluted
and preserves all aspects of the style, including Kata, in the way
it was meant to be.
Answer: The grading system in Karate has been introduced for a
variety of reasons. In modern day, it is a sign of having achieved a
particular skill level, that gives the student an indication on how
they are progressing. As a visible sign, the color of one's belt
lets other students in the class know what skill level to expect
from their fellow students. This makes partner training easier, and
the newer students know where to look for the more experienced
students. Traditionally in most Karate styles, there are 10 stages
where students go from 10th kyu (kyu means student) to 1st Kyu
wearing colored belts, and ultimately become 1st Dan (Black belt). The grading procedure typically involves a
training session where experienced Karateka (typically black belts
from 1st Dan onwards) examine the performance of the students,
including basic techniques, Kata, self defense, and sparring. In general, the
further you advance in the study of Karate, the more precision and
also fighting spirit is expected in the performance of all
techniques. Familiarity with Dojo etiquette and also a good grasp of
the
Japanese terminology is also increasingly expected.
Katas
play an important role in Karate, and USA Goju Karate is no
exception.
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