My Karate Training and different stages of fitness
The first time I was interested in the Martial Arts was after I had been to see a film staring Bruce Lee.He became my hero straight away,and I wanted to learn the martial arts as soon as possible.
There was nowhere in my home town that had a training hall for anything like that.
I did find a town seven miles away that was teaching Karate.
Before I did anything I asked around to find out if anyone new anything about Karate.
A Friend of a Friend said that he had tried it for a little while but gave it up because it was to hard.I also found out the training hall was called a Do Jo, and that the style of martial art was called Shotokan Karate.
So I made my mind up that I was going to give it a try,and not be like the other person and give it up because it was to hard.
As I was a bit shy about going on my ownIi asked my mate Steve if he would go with me.As he played football and table tennis he was quite fit so did not think he needed to go to a Karate lessons
But after some persuasion he said he would go with me,just to keep me company.
So we found out that there was a Karate lesson at seven pm at Trowbridge.seven miles from where we lived in Melksham.
So that was it we were on our way to train in Martial Art called Shotokan Karate.
On the way to our first Karate lesson I was having doubts,as it was in the year of 1979 and I was 28 and thinkingIi was to old to start Karate training
I liked a drink and smoked soIi was definitely thinking this was not for me as I was not very fit.
It would be all right for Steve he was already fit so it wouldn't do him any harm.
We got to the Karate school and with a deep breath I walked in to the Karate club for my first lesson in the Martial Arts.
The first person we saw was Pete our Karate instructor
If I remember right he was a third Dan,which means he had earned his black belt first Dan about three years ago,because you need to train at least one year before you can go from first Dan to second Dan,and the same for each Karate Dan after that.
There was about thirty pupils there and I think about five of use were first timers.
We all lined up in our different Karate grades,highest to the left and lowest to the right
We started by doing some stretching exercises which is very important as you need to warm your body up because if your body is cold and you do a lot of physical training you can pull muscles or tendons because your body is cold.
We did running on the spot,side and forward splits,plus push ups and sit ups.
I had done about ten push ups and ten sit ups and light stretching.
That was enough for me,but I noticed the higher Karate Belt you were the more you did.
You start off as a beginner and have to buy a white Karate suit and a white Karate belt.I cant remember how much they were butIi bought mine from the Karate school,and I'm sure it was not to expensive.
If it was I think I would of been put off Karate training
Anyway the first lesson was mostly doing exercises to start toning the body.
Near the end of the Karate lesson the black and brown belts did a demonstration of how good you could be if you kept up your Karate training twice a week.
And I was amazed of how fast and strong they were.I was definitely going back for some more Martial Arts training.
After three months of training it was time for my first karate grading,although the first grade to a 9th kyu orange belt(kukyu) is very basic and that all you really have to do is stand in a horse stance and throw punches,and then show you can kick.
Next is a kata which is a set of defined movements showing kicks punches and blocks.
Next stage is you partner someone and they will try and kick or punch you and you have to block them
You must show a certain degree of control but with aggression and all this watched in front of a high ranking Japanese Master.
YES i passed.
There was nowhere in my home town that had a training hall for anything like that.
I did find a town seven miles away that was teaching Karate.
Before I did anything I asked around to find out if anyone new anything about Karate.
A Friend of a Friend said that he had tried it for a little while but gave it up because it was to hard.I also found out the training hall was called a Do Jo, and that the style of martial art was called Shotokan Karate.
So I made my mind up that I was going to give it a try,and not be like the other person and give it up because it was to hard.
As I was a bit shy about going on my ownIi asked my mate Steve if he would go with me.As he played football and table tennis he was quite fit so did not think he needed to go to a Karate lessons
But after some persuasion he said he would go with me,just to keep me company.
So we found out that there was a Karate lesson at seven pm at Trowbridge.seven miles from where we lived in Melksham.
So that was it we were on our way to train in Martial Art called Shotokan Karate.
On the way to our first Karate lesson I was having doubts,as it was in the year of 1979 and I was 28 and thinkingIi was to old to start Karate training
I liked a drink and smoked soIi was definitely thinking this was not for me as I was not very fit.
It would be all right for Steve he was already fit so it wouldn't do him any harm.
We got to the Karate school and with a deep breath I walked in to the Karate club for my first lesson in the Martial Arts.
The first person we saw was Pete our Karate instructor
If I remember right he was a third Dan,which means he had earned his black belt first Dan about three years ago,because you need to train at least one year before you can go from first Dan to second Dan,and the same for each Karate Dan after that.
There was about thirty pupils there and I think about five of use were first timers.
We all lined up in our different Karate grades,highest to the left and lowest to the right
We started by doing some stretching exercises which is very important as you need to warm your body up because if your body is cold and you do a lot of physical training you can pull muscles or tendons because your body is cold.
We did running on the spot,side and forward splits,plus push ups and sit ups.
I had done about ten push ups and ten sit ups and light stretching.
That was enough for me,but I noticed the higher Karate Belt you were the more you did.
You start off as a beginner and have to buy a white Karate suit and a white Karate belt.I cant remember how much they were butIi bought mine from the Karate school,and I'm sure it was not to expensive.
If it was I think I would of been put off Karate training
Anyway the first lesson was mostly doing exercises to start toning the body.
Near the end of the Karate lesson the black and brown belts did a demonstration of how good you could be if you kept up your Karate training twice a week.
And I was amazed of how fast and strong they were.I was definitely going back for some more Martial Arts training.
After three months of training it was time for my first karate grading,although the first grade to a 9th kyu orange belt(kukyu) is very basic and that all you really have to do is stand in a horse stance and throw punches,and then show you can kick.
Next is a kata which is a set of defined movements showing kicks punches and blocks.
Next stage is you partner someone and they will try and kick or punch you and you have to block them
You must show a certain degree of control but with aggression and all this watched in front of a high ranking Japanese Master.
YES i passed.
When I think back now it seems so simple to pass this first Karate grade,butIi can assure you it was very hard and nerve racking at the time
NowIi have three months to train for my 8th kyu which will consist of the same kicks and punches but with more power and accuracy.
Plus there will be more emphasis on blocking as the martial arts are all about defence.
As for fitnessIi have noticed instead of only being able to do ten push ups and ten sit ups,I am now able to do fifty of each with a lot of effort.
So Karate must be doing me some good.
NowIi have three months to train for my 8th kyu which will consist of the same kicks and punches but with more power and accuracy.
Plus there will be more emphasis on blocking as the martial arts are all about defence.
As for fitnessIi have noticed instead of only being able to do ten push ups and ten sit ups,I am now able to do fifty of each with a lot of effort.
So Karate must be doing me some good.
Going for my 8th kyu red belt(hachikyu) was very similar to training for the 9th kyu,but we had to be more precise in our movements and train a lot harder to get ourselves fitter.
I think the first grade was to see if we were really interested in learning karate.
As sensei Pete said,I will now see if you have the potential of being a karate student or not.
I think the first grade was to see if we were really interested in learning karate.
As sensei Pete said,I will now see if you have the potential of being a karate student or not.
Sensei Pete came over and told use that this lesson would be about the rules of training in Karate.The first thing was that we always show respect for our instructors and fellow students,and show respect for the dojo by bowing on entering and exiting.
Always bow to our opponents and to our instructors.
That we are not here to hurt anyone but to learn to defend ourselves against any attack from assailants.
The longer we train the fitter and stronger we will get so always be in control.
Always bow to our opponents and to our instructors.
That we are not here to hurt anyone but to learn to defend ourselves against any attack from assailants.
The longer we train the fitter and stronger we will get so always be in control.
Plus we must have license which will give us our rules and grading records.Mine started on the 14.03.1979.It is a license to the KARATE UNION OF GREAT BRITAIN SHOTOKAN.
And it says I promise to uphold the true spirit of Karate-Do and never to use the skills that I am taught against any persons,except for the defence of myself,family or friends in the instance of extreme danger,or unprovoked attack,or in support of law and order.
And it says I promise to uphold the true spirit of Karate-Do and never to use the skills that I am taught against any persons,except for the defence of myself,family or friends in the instance of extreme danger,or unprovoked attack,or in support of law and order.
We must start to learn some of the Japanese words and meaning,so I will give you a run down of some of themIi had to learn.
The forefist(Seiken)the backfist(Uraken)the spear hand( (Nukite)the wrist(Koken)the knife hand(Shuto)single-knuckle fist(Ippon Ken)and you have the elbow strick(Empi)which can be a very versatile and powerful contact point.
Then there is the heel(Kakato)the instep(Haisoku)the ball of the foot((Chusoku)the knee(Hiza)another good contact point used a lot in kick boxing.That's the main striking contact points which will be explained later as I write more about my training and gradings.
The forefist(Seiken)the backfist(Uraken)the spear hand( (Nukite)the wrist(Koken)the knife hand(Shuto)single-knuckle fist(Ippon Ken)and you have the elbow strick(Empi)which can be a very versatile and powerful contact point.
Then there is the heel(Kakato)the instep(Haisoku)the ball of the foot((Chusoku)the knee(Hiza)another good contact point used a lot in kick boxing.That's the main striking contact points which will be explained later as I write more about my training and gradings.
A lot of effort is now going to be put in your training to get you fit.
So this session we were really put through our paces.
Instead of the ten or more push ups and sit ups we could do we had to stop take a minute breather and then start again
.At times we just wanted to stop because we had had enough.
Some students gave up because they could not take anymore,but about four of use would not give up and kept going until out sensei told use to stop.
I think I must of done about a hundred push ups and press ups,more than I had ever done in my life.
My mouth was dry and my arms and legs felt like lead.
So this session we were really put through our paces.
Instead of the ten or more push ups and sit ups we could do we had to stop take a minute breather and then start again
.At times we just wanted to stop because we had had enough.
Some students gave up because they could not take anymore,but about four of use would not give up and kept going until out sensei told use to stop.
I think I must of done about a hundred push ups and press ups,more than I had ever done in my life.
My mouth was dry and my arms and legs felt like lead.
We were allowed to rest for a couple of minutes,and then we done some light stretching so that we would not stiffen up or get cramp.
Now it was time to do some fighting moves.
We had to keep our backs straight and lower our body's down so we were standing in a very low stance with legs about shoulder width apart.
And then without rising up, we had to throw punches,starting with fist clenched at our sides and punch forward and just before our punches reached arms length we had to twist our wrist and shout.
Now it was time to do some fighting moves.
We had to keep our backs straight and lower our body's down so we were standing in a very low stance with legs about shoulder width apart.
And then without rising up, we had to throw punches,starting with fist clenched at our sides and punch forward and just before our punches reached arms length we had to twist our wrist and shout.
The reason for the twist is to rip the flesh of an attacker and the shout is two fold,one to stun the attacker for a split second and to bring all of your strength from inside to the end of the punch,plus it helps with breathing,holding your breath when attacking is a common mistake so shouting ensures a smooth exhalation with the technique.
The shout is called a [Kiai] and if done properly it brings the inner strength from within,we all have this inside its just a matter of bringing it out and controlling it.
The punch we were learning is called [Choku zuki]a straight punch,
The reason for the low stance[dachi]is to strengthen the legs when training and when you stand up to fight you will be quicker on your feet.
The next karate session we are going to learn to kick.
Went home very tired.
After each karate lesson we would watch the higher graded members finishing off their training,and wonder and hope we will make it to the next level.
The shout is called a [Kiai] and if done properly it brings the inner strength from within,we all have this inside its just a matter of bringing it out and controlling it.
The punch we were learning is called [Choku zuki]a straight punch,
The reason for the low stance[dachi]is to strengthen the legs when training and when you stand up to fight you will be quicker on your feet.
The next karate session we are going to learn to kick.
Went home very tired.
After each karate lesson we would watch the higher graded members finishing off their training,and wonder and hope we will make it to the next level.
The karate kick we we were being taught is called(Mae-Geri),we had to start with a front stance(zenkutsu-dachi)that is with your right leg forward and knee bent with the left leg behind you out straight,and arms straight down by your sides.
You keep your body up nice and straight moving forward without rising up,lifting the knee as high as possible and striking straight out with the left leg,keeping the toes tucked back and striking with the ball of the foot,then snap the leg back and hold it so your left foot is by your right knee.
You hold this position just in case you have to strike again,plus you snap the leg back so an opponent can not grab it.
Repeat this with the right leg,and go through the same motions many times.
As I had had an operation on my toes when I was young I could not tuck my toes back soIi was taught to kick with my heels.
In the martial arts there are many ways of adapting if you have to.
You keep your body up nice and straight moving forward without rising up,lifting the knee as high as possible and striking straight out with the left leg,keeping the toes tucked back and striking with the ball of the foot,then snap the leg back and hold it so your left foot is by your right knee.
You hold this position just in case you have to strike again,plus you snap the leg back so an opponent can not grab it.
Repeat this with the right leg,and go through the same motions many times.
As I had had an operation on my toes when I was young I could not tuck my toes back soIi was taught to kick with my heels.
In the martial arts there are many ways of adapting if you have to.
Now that we had been shown how to punch and kick it was time to learn how to block these movements from an assailant.
We had to choose a partner about our own size,so I chose my mate Steve.
We had to stand facing each other about arms length away hands straight down by our sides and bow(rei) as a sign of respect.
As this is very early days in karate training we had to do everything slowly or we could hurt each other.
Your opponent would throw a punch by stepping forward with right leg and throwing a punch with his right arm,you would step back and block the arm with a downward block(Gedan Barai).
Which means you focus on the punch step back with the left leg left arm out straight right arm up under your chin with fist by your left ear and as the punch comes forward you pull the right arm down to make contact with his arm and push it out of harms way,as you do this you bring your left arm back with fist clenched at waist height.
This action gives power to the block.Repeat with the other side and then change so your opponent can practise.
You do this many times and slowly speed up as you get more used to blocking the punch.
We had to choose a partner about our own size,so I chose my mate Steve.
We had to stand facing each other about arms length away hands straight down by our sides and bow(rei) as a sign of respect.
As this is very early days in karate training we had to do everything slowly or we could hurt each other.
Your opponent would throw a punch by stepping forward with right leg and throwing a punch with his right arm,you would step back and block the arm with a downward block(Gedan Barai).
Which means you focus on the punch step back with the left leg left arm out straight right arm up under your chin with fist by your left ear and as the punch comes forward you pull the right arm down to make contact with his arm and push it out of harms way,as you do this you bring your left arm back with fist clenched at waist height.
This action gives power to the block.Repeat with the other side and then change so your opponent can practise.
You do this many times and slowly speed up as you get more used to blocking the punch.
The next block is called(Uchi-uki) which is a sweeping block across the body to defend against a stomach attack.
You start with a front stance(Zenkutsu-dachi)as the strike comes towards you begin to step back right arm stretched out left arm under right arm fist clenched and sweep the left arm outwards to stop the attack.
Repeat with the other arm.make sure you do this very slowly to start with or you will get hit or kicked.
Your timing will be way out to start with,but if you and your partner start slowly and speed up as you get more confident.
Always remember when training in the martial arts whether it is karate,kung fu,kendo,judo or any other form you are in the dojo to learn to defend yourself,and not hurt you opponent.
You start with a front stance(Zenkutsu-dachi)as the strike comes towards you begin to step back right arm stretched out left arm under right arm fist clenched and sweep the left arm outwards to stop the attack.
Repeat with the other arm.make sure you do this very slowly to start with or you will get hit or kicked.
Your timing will be way out to start with,but if you and your partner start slowly and speed up as you get more confident.
Always remember when training in the martial arts whether it is karate,kung fu,kendo,judo or any other form you are in the dojo to learn to defend yourself,and not hurt you opponent.
My Sensei Pete had a word with me before my next karate training session,he told me that he new my father and had a chat about me.
My father told him that I drank and smoked to much,and that I would get in a fight just for the fun of it,so my father asked Pete to keep an eye on me and hopefully sort me out especially my temper whichIi must admit at that time was very quick and could be violent.
I seemed to have no fear and would take anybody on even to the stupidity of fighting more than one person at a time.
A couple of times I got beat up bad taking on more than was good for me
.So now I was a marked man and Pete said he would do all he could to sort me out.
So now for the next few lessons we were put through a lot of hard physical training,I think this was going to happen anyway.
I have been to a lot of karate dojos since we had this type of training but have not seen any physical as this except when I went to learn Kung Fo for a few months(more about that later).
Every karate training session now started with a lot of stretching ,this was doing the side split as far as you could go and then somebody would come and sit on your shoulders to make you stretch even further,i always seemed to have a very heavy person sit on my shoulders.
Another stretching exercise was the front splits where you would go as far as possible and then someone would come and push your front leg forward a couple of inches,did that hurt,one of the exercises that I hated the most was bunny hops but to make use stronger we had to not only to do bunny hops up and down the dojo,we had to bunny hop over a person knelt down.
If we hit them we would have to stop and do twenty press ups and start again.
Of course the more tyred we got the more we hit people,so the more press ups we had to do.
We would then do sit ups and forward stretches where someone would come over and push your head forward and down to the floor as far as possible.
This would take up the first hour of training,then we would practise sparring,kicking,blocking and kata.
Getting up in the morning was hard as I was so stiff and tyred,but in the end it was worth it.
Now was the time to get ready for my yellow belt(shichikyu).I new I was a lot fitter and that my techniques were a much better.
For this grade I had to do triple punch(sanbon tsuki)with a rising block and a reverse punch(age-uki,gyaku-zuki)followed by an outside block(soto-uki)and a reverse punch then an inside block(uchi-uki) and again a reverse punch,next was a knife hand block(shuto-uke)followed with a front kick(mae-geri)then a side thrusting kick(yoko kekomi)finishing off with a side rising kick(yoko keage).
The kata I had to do was called (heian nidan),I had already learned(kihon)and(heian shodan)but this one was going to be a lot harder,and as usual the grading finished with five step sparring.
Now it is time to start learning my syllabus for my green belt.I no it will only get harder as my sensei said no pain no gain,
I'm sure he is right butIi did not think so at the time.
With all the stretching and sit ups plus push ups and running getting harder and harder I asked him when the pain of training would stop,his answer was never.
So then I thought it was about time Ii started to help myself in karate training if I was to progress any further.
So I bought myself a punch bag and put it up in my garage,and worked at punching and kicking it for at least half an hour a day and started to do 100 press ups and 100 sit ups every,and to go for a mile run at least three times a week.
I new I had to do this when seeing how fit and good the higher martial art students were.
And all this after a 12 hour shift.
So nowIi had gone from struggling to do ten push ups and ten sit ups to being able to do a hundred each.
It was about this time that I started to have a lot of back pain.
I had been suffering from a bad back for a while,so I decided to have a rest from karate training,because
I was sure it was all the physical work I was doing.
I told my sensei the problem and he said have a break for a month and then go back to see how I was,but to make sure I still done some light training at home.
So that is whatIi did,but I was missing the comradeship and the competitive of the martial art work outs,plus I was going to fall behind the others of my grade,butIi new I had to rest.
After a months rest I went back to the Karate dojo and saw my sensei and explained that I was on pain killers from my doctor but he was not sure what was wrong.
Sensei said he was pleased to have me back and to get back into full training slowly as we are not there to hurt ourselves.
I started training again and was pleased to be back,butI I had to skip going for my green belt this grading and wait for the next one because it would be hard to catch up,and it is better to miss a karate grading than it is to fail.
I was disappointed but new it was the right thing to do.
I was so determined to pass the next time round that I cut down on my social life,which was mostly going to the pub and having a few beers most nights to only going weekends.
I even had a go at packing up smoking,but no luck there but cut down on them.
As I am writing posts on help with karate gradings I will not go into details of the techniques,but just write about what I did generally to get to my black belt.
Back pain or not it was now time for me to knuckle down and get into some serious training.
I found myself a way round town which was about eight miles and was determined to run that distance at least three times a week.
My first try was a bit hit and miss,I newI could run a mile but eight was pushing it.
The first two miles was OK then I started to slow down to a trot for about a mile,then it was a jog for a mile and a slow walk home.
WellIi had been four miles which was not bad really for someone who was not fit.
I was up to doing 200 sit ups and 200 push ups on most days now,I did have the occasional day off,but they do say do not have more than three days off at a time because you lose a lot of what you have already gained.
I new i was getting fitter as Ii could go into my garage and have a workout with the punch bag for about an hour with kicks and punches and the bag would now move with the force of my blows.
My father told him that I drank and smoked to much,and that I would get in a fight just for the fun of it,so my father asked Pete to keep an eye on me and hopefully sort me out especially my temper whichIi must admit at that time was very quick and could be violent.
I seemed to have no fear and would take anybody on even to the stupidity of fighting more than one person at a time.
A couple of times I got beat up bad taking on more than was good for me
.So now I was a marked man and Pete said he would do all he could to sort me out.
So now for the next few lessons we were put through a lot of hard physical training,I think this was going to happen anyway.
I have been to a lot of karate dojos since we had this type of training but have not seen any physical as this except when I went to learn Kung Fo for a few months(more about that later).
Every karate training session now started with a lot of stretching ,this was doing the side split as far as you could go and then somebody would come and sit on your shoulders to make you stretch even further,i always seemed to have a very heavy person sit on my shoulders.
Another stretching exercise was the front splits where you would go as far as possible and then someone would come and push your front leg forward a couple of inches,did that hurt,one of the exercises that I hated the most was bunny hops but to make use stronger we had to not only to do bunny hops up and down the dojo,we had to bunny hop over a person knelt down.
If we hit them we would have to stop and do twenty press ups and start again.
Of course the more tyred we got the more we hit people,so the more press ups we had to do.
We would then do sit ups and forward stretches where someone would come over and push your head forward and down to the floor as far as possible.
This would take up the first hour of training,then we would practise sparring,kicking,blocking and kata.
Getting up in the morning was hard as I was so stiff and tyred,but in the end it was worth it.
Now was the time to get ready for my yellow belt(shichikyu).I new I was a lot fitter and that my techniques were a much better.
For this grade I had to do triple punch(sanbon tsuki)with a rising block and a reverse punch(age-uki,gyaku-zuki)followed by an outside block(soto-uki)and a reverse punch then an inside block(uchi-uki) and again a reverse punch,next was a knife hand block(shuto-uke)followed with a front kick(mae-geri)then a side thrusting kick(yoko kekomi)finishing off with a side rising kick(yoko keage).
The kata I had to do was called (heian nidan),I had already learned(kihon)and(heian shodan)but this one was going to be a lot harder,and as usual the grading finished with five step sparring.
Now it is time to start learning my syllabus for my green belt.I no it will only get harder as my sensei said no pain no gain,
I'm sure he is right butIi did not think so at the time.
With all the stretching and sit ups plus push ups and running getting harder and harder I asked him when the pain of training would stop,his answer was never.
So then I thought it was about time Ii started to help myself in karate training if I was to progress any further.
So I bought myself a punch bag and put it up in my garage,and worked at punching and kicking it for at least half an hour a day and started to do 100 press ups and 100 sit ups every,and to go for a mile run at least three times a week.
I new I had to do this when seeing how fit and good the higher martial art students were.
And all this after a 12 hour shift.
So nowIi had gone from struggling to do ten push ups and ten sit ups to being able to do a hundred each.
It was about this time that I started to have a lot of back pain.
I had been suffering from a bad back for a while,so I decided to have a rest from karate training,because
I was sure it was all the physical work I was doing.
I told my sensei the problem and he said have a break for a month and then go back to see how I was,but to make sure I still done some light training at home.
So that is whatIi did,but I was missing the comradeship and the competitive of the martial art work outs,plus I was going to fall behind the others of my grade,butIi new I had to rest.
After a months rest I went back to the Karate dojo and saw my sensei and explained that I was on pain killers from my doctor but he was not sure what was wrong.
Sensei said he was pleased to have me back and to get back into full training slowly as we are not there to hurt ourselves.
I started training again and was pleased to be back,butI I had to skip going for my green belt this grading and wait for the next one because it would be hard to catch up,and it is better to miss a karate grading than it is to fail.
I was disappointed but new it was the right thing to do.
I was so determined to pass the next time round that I cut down on my social life,which was mostly going to the pub and having a few beers most nights to only going weekends.
I even had a go at packing up smoking,but no luck there but cut down on them.
As I am writing posts on help with karate gradings I will not go into details of the techniques,but just write about what I did generally to get to my black belt.
Back pain or not it was now time for me to knuckle down and get into some serious training.
I found myself a way round town which was about eight miles and was determined to run that distance at least three times a week.
My first try was a bit hit and miss,I newI could run a mile but eight was pushing it.
The first two miles was OK then I started to slow down to a trot for about a mile,then it was a jog for a mile and a slow walk home.
WellIi had been four miles which was not bad really for someone who was not fit.
I was up to doing 200 sit ups and 200 push ups on most days now,I did have the occasional day off,but they do say do not have more than three days off at a time because you lose a lot of what you have already gained.
I new i was getting fitter as Ii could go into my garage and have a workout with the punch bag for about an hour with kicks and punches and the bag would now move with the force of my blows.
It had now been six months since my last shotokan karate grading,and I was told by my sensei that I was ready to take it.
I was really pleased as I had missed one grading because of ill health,and so I was behind a grade with the couple of students that were still training,and had started the same time as me.
I'm not sure how many people started about a year ago when I did,but I did know that there was only five of us left.
I was really keen to get my green belt because in our dojo when you got to purple belt you could take part in competitions and fight for your club,plus being a green belt you were taught to free style.
I was really pleased as I had missed one grading because of ill health,and so I was behind a grade with the couple of students that were still training,and had started the same time as me.
I'm not sure how many people started about a year ago when I did,but I did know that there was only five of us left.
I was really keen to get my green belt because in our dojo when you got to purple belt you could take part in competitions and fight for your club,plus being a green belt you were taught to free style.
It is a shame so many karate students give up.
I no it can be very hard at times but you can not progress if karate training was made easy.
As with any of the martial arts it has to be very physical or you will not get any benefit from it.
There was a few different moves to execute for my karate green belt like after doing the rising block with a reverse punch it had to be finished with a downward block
.After the outside block was an elbow strike,with the knife block came a spear hand strike,instead of a front kick it was consecutive front kicks,the rest was the same as the yellow belt.
The kata is called Heian Sandan incorporating the extra moves.
The Kumite was one step sparring,head level stepping punch and stomach level stepping punches.
As always i was very nervous but got through OK.
My instructor said I had done well so I was pleased as punch.
I new now that the training would really get serous because free style was going to be taught and you can get hurt bad if you do not have enough control.
Now my karate training really begins.
I no it can be very hard at times but you can not progress if karate training was made easy.
As with any of the martial arts it has to be very physical or you will not get any benefit from it.
There was a few different moves to execute for my karate green belt like after doing the rising block with a reverse punch it had to be finished with a downward block
.After the outside block was an elbow strike,with the knife block came a spear hand strike,instead of a front kick it was consecutive front kicks,the rest was the same as the yellow belt.
The kata is called Heian Sandan incorporating the extra moves.
The Kumite was one step sparring,head level stepping punch and stomach level stepping punches.
As always i was very nervous but got through OK.
My instructor said I had done well so I was pleased as punch.
I new now that the training would really get serous because free style was going to be taught and you can get hurt bad if you do not have enough control.
Now my karate training really begins.
This was one of the best parts of my karate training,I was allowed free style training.
As I used to street fight a lot this was right up my street.
I used to fight anybody just for the hell of it and i was told that I was pretty good at fightingIi can only remember losing three fights and one was three blokes picked on me while I was walking over melksham river bridge andIi must admit they gave me a good pasting
.When I got back to my lodgings the daughter of my godmother who I was living with could hardly recognise me.
She spent about an hour cleaning me up,and wanted me to go to the hospital,but in those days it was a sign of weakness.
I was lucky because I used to heal very quickly,and two days later allIi had was a fat lip and a black eye.
I had a lot of nerve and would not give up no matter how bad I was beaten,so in a way I was lucky that not many lads of that day would want to take me on.
The second time I got beat up was when I was drunk and did not no anything about it until the morning when I woke up with blood allover my sheets.
Even today I don't no who or why it happened,I expect I got mouthy and deserved it.
The third time Ii remember getting beat was by a hard man from out of town came to boost his reputation,and that day he did,again I had had a lot to drink and he kicked the shit out of me.
Two weeks later I found him and kicked the shit out of him,I made sure I was sober then.
I have wrote this not to brag but just to let you no what type of person Ii was in those days,and you will understand why I have mentioned my fighting days as I write about my karate training.
As I used to street fight a lot this was right up my street.
I used to fight anybody just for the hell of it and i was told that I was pretty good at fightingIi can only remember losing three fights and one was three blokes picked on me while I was walking over melksham river bridge andIi must admit they gave me a good pasting
.When I got back to my lodgings the daughter of my godmother who I was living with could hardly recognise me.
She spent about an hour cleaning me up,and wanted me to go to the hospital,but in those days it was a sign of weakness.
I was lucky because I used to heal very quickly,and two days later allIi had was a fat lip and a black eye.
I had a lot of nerve and would not give up no matter how bad I was beaten,so in a way I was lucky that not many lads of that day would want to take me on.
The second time I got beat up was when I was drunk and did not no anything about it until the morning when I woke up with blood allover my sheets.
Even today I don't no who or why it happened,I expect I got mouthy and deserved it.
The third time Ii remember getting beat was by a hard man from out of town came to boost his reputation,and that day he did,again I had had a lot to drink and he kicked the shit out of me.
Two weeks later I found him and kicked the shit out of him,I made sure I was sober then.
I have wrote this not to brag but just to let you no what type of person Ii was in those days,and you will understand why I have mentioned my fighting days as I write about my karate training.
At the beginning of this post I said I could do about ten push ups and ten sit ups,now I can do five hundred of each,which I did most days,and I went for about an eight mile run three times a week
.In my garage I put up a punch bag and used to go out their for a workout most days for at least an hour.
It was a good job that I only worked eight hours a day at that time,or there would not be enough hours in a day.
All though may karate dojo was in trowbridge my sensei advised all purple belts and above to go to other martial art halls and train as well,because like he said each instructor has slightly different ways of teaching karate.
I went to my main martial art hall but at least once a week I went to different towns to train,and I found this was very helpful and recommend it to everyone.
.In my garage I put up a punch bag and used to go out their for a workout most days for at least an hour.
It was a good job that I only worked eight hours a day at that time,or there would not be enough hours in a day.
All though may karate dojo was in trowbridge my sensei advised all purple belts and above to go to other martial art halls and train as well,because like he said each instructor has slightly different ways of teaching karate.
I went to my main martial art hall but at least once a week I went to different towns to train,and I found this was very helpful and recommend it to everyone.
I new that Shotokan Karate had helped me with my temper and my stupidity in getting into a fight just for the hell of it.
When I was in my local labour club and there was four lads picking on me because I had a spurs scarf on.
I was at the bar and they were were taunting me so I got my drink and walked away ignoring them,as I was about half way across the hall the hairs on the back of my neck stood up,so I turned round and one of the lads was throwing a punch at me,I blocked his arms and sweeped his feet away from him,and as he was falling I grabbed hold of him and let him hit the floor without hurting him.
I then picked him up with the hand that helped him to the floor,and i told him to go back to his mates and have a good night and enjoy himself as I did not want any trouble.
When I sat down with my mate he could not believe that I not only controlled my temper but I had not spilled my drink in the process.
There was no more trouble that night,and I no it was all down to my martial art training.
When I was in my local labour club and there was four lads picking on me because I had a spurs scarf on.
I was at the bar and they were were taunting me so I got my drink and walked away ignoring them,as I was about half way across the hall the hairs on the back of my neck stood up,so I turned round and one of the lads was throwing a punch at me,I blocked his arms and sweeped his feet away from him,and as he was falling I grabbed hold of him and let him hit the floor without hurting him.
I then picked him up with the hand that helped him to the floor,and i told him to go back to his mates and have a good night and enjoy himself as I did not want any trouble.
When I sat down with my mate he could not believe that I not only controlled my temper but I had not spilled my drink in the process.
There was no more trouble that night,and I no it was all down to my martial art training.
Now back to karate training for my purple belt belt.
I new it was only going to get harder,butIi did not expect to have to do bunny hops over people knelt down on the floor with their heads tucked into their body's so if you missed you did not hit them in the head.
There would be about ten lower grade students lined up in front of use green belts and above.
We had to bunny hop over each one then rest for a couple of minutes and start again.
I hated doing bunny hops but you just do as you are told.
If you hit anyone as you were going over them you were punished by having to do ten press ups,hit someone again and it was twenty press ups,I did a lot of press ups which I used to like doing.
At this training stage you could see the difference in fitness between green belts,purple belt and brown or black belts
.Green and purple belt graded students would normally hit some of the students and have to do a few punishing press up and the brown belt students would hit a couple,but the black belts hardly ever hit anyone,they just seemed to fly over them,this just shows how fit they are and how fit you can be.
I new it was only going to get harder,butIi did not expect to have to do bunny hops over people knelt down on the floor with their heads tucked into their body's so if you missed you did not hit them in the head.
There would be about ten lower grade students lined up in front of use green belts and above.
We had to bunny hop over each one then rest for a couple of minutes and start again.
I hated doing bunny hops but you just do as you are told.
If you hit anyone as you were going over them you were punished by having to do ten press ups,hit someone again and it was twenty press ups,I did a lot of press ups which I used to like doing.
At this training stage you could see the difference in fitness between green belts,purple belt and brown or black belts
.Green and purple belt graded students would normally hit some of the students and have to do a few punishing press up and the brown belt students would hit a couple,but the black belts hardly ever hit anyone,they just seemed to fly over them,this just shows how fit they are and how fit you can be.
Now it was time to take my purple belt karate grade.I was fairly sure I would pass except for my kata which was HEIAN YONDAN.
I was having problems with it in training,but with a lot of help from my sensei and fellow students I should be ok
.This time I was really on edge,I think i must have gone to the loo about ten times in the hour before my grading.
I was told it was because like an animal before a fight you try to lose as much weight as possibleI don't no if it is true or not but I passed my grade.
The kata went well and my free style was very good,I beat my opposite number,very much to my surprise as he was a good free style student.
After the grading he came over and congratulated me saying he was glad it was not for real as I would of killed him.
This really pleased me as he was a very good student.
Now I was at the stageI i wanted to be,purple belt and I could now fight in competitions for my club.
They would not allow anybody to fight until they had achieved purple belt ranking.
All clubs are different,but I think that is about the right time.
I was having problems with it in training,but with a lot of help from my sensei and fellow students I should be ok
.This time I was really on edge,I think i must have gone to the loo about ten times in the hour before my grading.
I was told it was because like an animal before a fight you try to lose as much weight as possibleI don't no if it is true or not but I passed my grade.
The kata went well and my free style was very good,I beat my opposite number,very much to my surprise as he was a good free style student.
After the grading he came over and congratulated me saying he was glad it was not for real as I would of killed him.
This really pleased me as he was a very good student.
Now I was at the stageI i wanted to be,purple belt and I could now fight in competitions for my club.
They would not allow anybody to fight until they had achieved purple belt ranking.
All clubs are different,but I think that is about the right time.
Now that I was fairly fit and could free styleIi thought I was the bee's knees especially as I was a street fighter.
One day I came down with a hard bump.
We were practicing free style,that is all karate purple belts and above.
I new that the black belts were good but I was quite fit now and could fight.
Anyway I was put with a girl of about twenty yrs old,black belt and about five foot two high,so we were having a light sparring when I accidentally hit her and she told me off and said we were only practicing and to take it steady,I said sorry so we carried on,again I hit her,this time she was a bit annoyed and said if i done it again i was in trouble.
I can honestly say I was trying to be careful and did not want her to tell my sensei .I did hit her again and the next thing i no is that i am on the floor and she has her fist right by my face and the look in her eyes was not pleasant and she said you could be dead now so have you learned to be careful.
I got up very sheepish and again said sorry,and I did not hit her again.
From then on I relaxed and was taught a lot about fighting from her and to never under estimate your opponent.
Now I new I was going to learn as much as I could about the martial arts.
One day I came down with a hard bump.
We were practicing free style,that is all karate purple belts and above.
I new that the black belts were good but I was quite fit now and could fight.
Anyway I was put with a girl of about twenty yrs old,black belt and about five foot two high,so we were having a light sparring when I accidentally hit her and she told me off and said we were only practicing and to take it steady,I said sorry so we carried on,again I hit her,this time she was a bit annoyed and said if i done it again i was in trouble.
I can honestly say I was trying to be careful and did not want her to tell my sensei .I did hit her again and the next thing i no is that i am on the floor and she has her fist right by my face and the look in her eyes was not pleasant and she said you could be dead now so have you learned to be careful.
I got up very sheepish and again said sorry,and I did not hit her again.
From then on I relaxed and was taught a lot about fighting from her and to never under estimate your opponent.
Now I new I was going to learn as much as I could about the martial arts.
I'm not going into much detail about training for my karate brown belt,butIi can tell you the training got a lot harder.
I will just tell you some of the things I had to go through to get my fitness up to a higher standard
.It was bad enough doing bunny hop's over student's knelt down,but now we had to do them with somebody sat on your shoulder's,that really hurts.
Instead of just doing push ups we had to do them on our knuckles,and another way of doing push ups was to start the normal way with hands flat on the ground and then we would have to do ten with four fingers,then three then just index finger and thumb,we had to do at least ten of each.I must admit push ups was my favorite and later in my training period i could do ten press ups just with one thumb.i no a lot of people may not believe it but it is true,it used to be my party trick when showing off at party's.
I will just tell you some of the things I had to go through to get my fitness up to a higher standard
.It was bad enough doing bunny hop's over student's knelt down,but now we had to do them with somebody sat on your shoulder's,that really hurts.
Instead of just doing push ups we had to do them on our knuckles,and another way of doing push ups was to start the normal way with hands flat on the ground and then we would have to do ten with four fingers,then three then just index finger and thumb,we had to do at least ten of each.I must admit push ups was my favorite and later in my training period i could do ten press ups just with one thumb.i no a lot of people may not believe it but it is true,it used to be my party trick when showing off at party's.
I was about ready to take my brown belt but my back had been hurting a lot at this time and I was advised to give up the martial arts.
This was something I was dreading would happen,so I took a break from training and started a lot of different types of treatment,like acupuncture,rekie,physio,you name it I tyred it,but to no avail.
I was still in a lot of pain all the time.
It was about six months of no training when I decided to start again.
A Kung Fu class started up in my home town so I thought I would give that a try as I would be starting at the bottom and it would not be so bad for my back problems.
It is advised to seek out another style of martial arts to train in as you get a good all round knowledge of the different styles,and as there is no one perfect style it is a good learning curve.
This was something I was dreading would happen,so I took a break from training and started a lot of different types of treatment,like acupuncture,rekie,physio,you name it I tyred it,but to no avail.
I was still in a lot of pain all the time.
It was about six months of no training when I decided to start again.
A Kung Fu class started up in my home town so I thought I would give that a try as I would be starting at the bottom and it would not be so bad for my back problems.
It is advised to seek out another style of martial arts to train in as you get a good all round knowledge of the different styles,and as there is no one perfect style it is a good learning curve.
I went to my first lesson in Kung Fu with my older brother,who thought he was fit and all this Martial Art stuff was a load of rubbish.we were introduced to our Sensia who I must admit I can not remember his name,but he was a second Dan of Kung Fu.
As the martial art school had not been going for very long there was about ten students and only two had graded at all.
I told our Sensia that I had a bad back but had practiced Karate and was ready for my brown belt until I was taken really bad,and told him my brother had not done any training at all.
His reply was that we would all train together and do what he told use to do.
As the martial art school had not been going for very long there was about ten students and only two had graded at all.
I told our Sensia that I had a bad back but had practiced Karate and was ready for my brown belt until I was taken really bad,and told him my brother had not done any training at all.
His reply was that we would all train together and do what he told use to do.
We started off with about a five mile run which was ok for me and the other two graded members,but the others really found it hard.
The three of us arrived about ten minutes before the others who were at a walking pace.
I remember my brother telling me that the Martial Arts were a waste of time and that he was as fit as any of use.
When he got back to the dojo I took the mickey and asked him how fit he felt now,he was not a happy chappy.
After we all had rested our sensei took us back into the dojo so we could do some stretching exercises so we would not pull any tendons
.My brother andIi paired up and after a short time he had to go outside and was sick,because the sudden exertion was to much for him.I must admit I did take the mickey out of him,and he had to admit the Martial Arts was a very hard sport.
The three of us arrived about ten minutes before the others who were at a walking pace.
I remember my brother telling me that the Martial Arts were a waste of time and that he was as fit as any of use.
When he got back to the dojo I took the mickey and asked him how fit he felt now,he was not a happy chappy.
After we all had rested our sensei took us back into the dojo so we could do some stretching exercises so we would not pull any tendons
.My brother andIi paired up and after a short time he had to go outside and was sick,because the sudden exertion was to much for him.I must admit I did take the mickey out of him,and he had to admit the Martial Arts was a very hard sport.
I stayed at this dojo for about six months and must admitIi did enjoy this different style of martial arts.I never took any grades as my heart was still for karate.
I was going to practice both arts at the same time until the kung fu instructor put me off.
We were doing some light free style and he was fighting with a young black student and by accident he kicked him between the legs and the poor chap went down in agony.
Instead of saying sorry and punishing himself like an instructor would have done in karate he just stood there and laughed.
I walked out in disgust and never went back.
Don't get me wrong it is very rare to have a sensei of this low standard in any martial art.
I was going to practice both arts at the same time until the kung fu instructor put me off.
We were doing some light free style and he was fighting with a young black student and by accident he kicked him between the legs and the poor chap went down in agony.
Instead of saying sorry and punishing himself like an instructor would have done in karate he just stood there and laughed.
I walked out in disgust and never went back.
Don't get me wrong it is very rare to have a sensei of this low standard in any martial art.
I heard that my best friends mate Jeff had opened a dojo in Melsham,so I went to have a look and make sure he was a good instructor,especially after the last encounter.
I was happy with the way he was teaching and as he only had about ten students and I was the second highest so I would get a more personnel teaching,and I would have the chance to help train the lower grades,which Ii think helped me a lot as well as them
So now it was time to get back on track and train for my brown belt.
I told my good friend Steve about this dojo and he came along and joined as well,which was another good thing for me as we had been training together right from the beginning,and he was the same grade as me but was fitter and had better coordination than me.
And as I had a good sense of controlled aggression we would help each other to gain our brown belts.
I was happy with the way he was teaching and as he only had about ten students and I was the second highest so I would get a more personnel teaching,and I would have the chance to help train the lower grades,which Ii think helped me a lot as well as them
So now it was time to get back on track and train for my brown belt.
I told my good friend Steve about this dojo and he came along and joined as well,which was another good thing for me as we had been training together right from the beginning,and he was the same grade as me but was fitter and had better coordination than me.
And as I had a good sense of controlled aggression we would help each other to gain our brown belts.
We both new that we had to up our training,so Steve spent time teaching me the finer points of karate,like katas and lower stances and better coordination,while I helped him with the aggressive part.
As I used to fight a lot I new how to take and give a punch but Steve had never had a real fight in his life.
One day after Jeff had finished our training we stayed on to do some free style.
At one stage Jeff was getting worried we might kill each other as we really did hit each other.
Like Ihave always said its no good being able to give a good punch or kick if you can not take one.
You can be a brilliant martial artist but get one bad hit and you are finished.
So now it was a regular thing to stay behind and do some extra training,Jeff used to join in as he used to street fight so he new all about defending himself.
He was a lot better than use but we all liked to get stuck in.
We used to go home sometimes black and blue up are arms and down our legs,but we never done any head strikes unless it was very controlled as this was much to dangerous.
As I used to fight a lot I new how to take and give a punch but Steve had never had a real fight in his life.
One day after Jeff had finished our training we stayed on to do some free style.
At one stage Jeff was getting worried we might kill each other as we really did hit each other.
Like Ihave always said its no good being able to give a good punch or kick if you can not take one.
You can be a brilliant martial artist but get one bad hit and you are finished.
So now it was a regular thing to stay behind and do some extra training,Jeff used to join in as he used to street fight so he new all about defending himself.
He was a lot better than use but we all liked to get stuck in.
We used to go home sometimes black and blue up are arms and down our legs,but we never done any head strikes unless it was very controlled as this was much to dangerous.
Anybody who is at this stage in Karate training now is doing well, it is a big step up to brown belt.
I do not no what it is like in every ones dojo but with use it was when you could fight for your club,help teach other students and take over the class when your sensei asks you to.As i said not every dojo is the same,some let you fight at yellow belt stage but Jeff thinks that is to early,but everyone to there own.
I do not no what it is like in every ones dojo but with use it was when you could fight for your club,help teach other students and take over the class when your sensei asks you to.As i said not every dojo is the same,some let you fight at yellow belt stage but Jeff thinks that is to early,but everyone to there own.
I remember going to a tournament and a white belt was fighting,but whatI did not no he had been training for years and had never graded,no wonder he was good.
I remember my first contest I had t go against a older black belt,I d seen him warming up and new he was good and there is me still a mere purple belt.My thought was if i get in fast he wont no what hit him and not have time to use his skills.We faced each other and bowed and the ref said fight,we eyed each other up and moved about a bit and then i went in for the point with a kick and punch at the same time,i was amazed that my punch just touched his jaw and my kick just connected with his body and he never had time to do anything.I was just about to cheer my win like the rest of my team were when the ref said foul as the black belt went to the floor.As per custom i turned away from him and knelt down with my head bowed.I was to be disqualified for a low kick but because he never had a box on we had to fight again.He was not taking any chances this time he wouldn't let me near him and took me out with a lovely punch to the head and a sweep to the floor.I night not have won but it was a great experience and i new i would fight many more times in the future.
I remember my first contest I had t go against a older black belt,I d seen him warming up and new he was good and there is me still a mere purple belt.My thought was if i get in fast he wont no what hit him and not have time to use his skills.We faced each other and bowed and the ref said fight,we eyed each other up and moved about a bit and then i went in for the point with a kick and punch at the same time,i was amazed that my punch just touched his jaw and my kick just connected with his body and he never had time to do anything.I was just about to cheer my win like the rest of my team were when the ref said foul as the black belt went to the floor.As per custom i turned away from him and knelt down with my head bowed.I was to be disqualified for a low kick but because he never had a box on we had to fight again.He was not taking any chances this time he wouldn't let me near him and took me out with a lovely punch to the head and a sweep to the floor.I night not have won but it was a great experience and i new i would fight many more times in the future.
Now that i was back in full training i was determined to go for my brown belt.My doctor had advised me not to train in the martial arts anymore,but the pain killers and determination kept me going.I new this was a big step in karate to get your brown belt,as in my dojo when you earned your brown belt you were allowed to teach the lower belts,which was one of my goals to teach the youngsters as i could relate to them very well. My Sensei Jeff was a very good teacher and as hard as nails but he could not relate to the juniors very well so i had the job of teaching them.I found this was good for me as i had to go through all the moves and katas with them so my skills were improving all the time.At the end of a session Jeff would then take me through my brown belt training,and he was very strict but fun with it.I had to learn a black belt kata so out of the four he showed me i chose Basi Di as it looked like a very powerful kata and i love power.
Just a short note on a site i have just read,i won't put a name to it as i do not recommend people to read it.I was amazed that this person said he had been training in the martial arts for over twenty years and it had not helped his fitness.He was either super fit before he started training or he was not training properly or hard enough.When i first started i could just about do ten push ups and ten sit ups and run about half a mile.After four years training i could do five hundred sit ups and press ups run eight miles three times a week and do an hours work out in the garage most days,that is with going training at least twice a week.I must admit i really don't no where he is coming from.He maybe a great martial artist but his training had to help him get fit if not fitter than he was.Well that's my opinion and i stand by it,and next i will get on with my story of karate training.
As training for my brown belt is a big step in my life,and Jeff was busy teaching the other karate students as i was with the youngsters he suggested that i go to Trowbridge one a week and train with sensei Pete who i started training with,plus there were a lot of students of brown belt and higher there so i would get some good training in.So that is what i did,and it was nice to see some of my old mates again.There was not that many as when i first started as a lot packed it in as training got harder,but the ones who stuck it out were getting really good.It was a bit strange at first as i had to go up against some black belt students who at the beginning made me look poor,but they were a great bunch of people and gave me a lot of help.Nothing against Jeff but he was the only black belt in Melksham and the sensei so his training for me was a bit restricted.
Sensei Pete new that i still smoked and liked a good drink,which i must admit i was one of the rare students to smoke but most liked a drink,but not as much as me.One day Sensei Pete got all of the brown belt trainees together and set up a free style bout.At first i thought it was a competition until i saw a student lose his fight but had to stay up and fight again.This was very rare as after a fight you are very tyred weather you win or lose.It was my turn to get up and as usual Sensei Pete said your turn Harrold,he never called me Phil unless we had finished training.I got up and faced my opponent bowed and away we went to try and win for our own pride as well as to impress Sensei.I won my fight and thought we would both sit down ready for the next two students,but no it was stay up Harrold.Again i just won this fight and again he said stay up Harrold,the third fight i lost so to me it was plain to see i was very tyred and would sit down.But no stay up Harrold,i just scrapped through this fight to win,but i had no spit left in me and my jaw was hanging on the floor my legs felt like lead and my head was swimming.I knew i had to sit down or fall down,but no it was stay up Harrold.Fight number five was a disaster,i lost very easy.But to every ones amazement it was stay up Harrold.As the next opponent was getting ready for what he thought would be an easy win i heard Sensei Pete whisper to him that Harrold was finished so go in there and take him apart.That made me very angry and i fought him with my last bit of energy i had left and won the fight ,i could not believe it nor could anyone else.I was so shattered it was unbelievable,it must of took me ten minutes just to start breathing again.After the session Pete took me to one side and told me why he had done something he had never done before.He said that i was not the fittest of students at my grade but new there was more to me than others could see.He took me to my limit and then a bit more,he told the other student to take me apart just loud enough for me to hear,and that was enough for me to respond the way he hoped i would.Like he said in a real fight you don' sit down for a rest you must win.This was the Chi he taught me that day and it has stayed with me all my life and it will never go,controlled anger greats great power,and it has helped me many times.Thank you Sensei Pete.
The kata for my brown belt was TEKKI SHODAN,i must admit some of the training i mention might not be in complete true order as it was a long time ago,but i do try and get it as close as possible.i will at a later date write all the kata's down for you in as much detail as possible.This is a nice fast moving Kata which did not take to long to learn the moves but to perfect them was as usual hard to do.I was now very busy in the Martial Arts what with training with sensai Jeff and teaching the juniors in melksham and spending as much time as i could being trained by sensai Pete in Trowbridge.All this training and getting fitter faster and stronger was of great help in my passing my Karate Brown Belt.Steve and i passed on the same day so it was a good night out,with Jeff and a couple of mates.I got shit faced,Steve was not a heavy drinker but he got drunk just like the others.Well that's my 3rd kyu passed and now time to practice for my 2nd kyu.
I have not wrote on my blog for a while as i have been busy working on my other two hoping to make a bob or two,as times are getting hard,one has to try.Anyway back to my Karate Training days.I was now fairly fit now and was realy enjoying teaching the juniors at the Melksham dojo,and training at Trowbridge for my next belt.It was getting even harder as most of the training was with the other Black Belts and some very good Brown Belts.I remember when i asked when did the pain stop and Sensai Pete said to me NEVER,i must admit i did not believe him,but i no it's true now,i still go home shattered but no it is always worth while.I am going to write about my next two grades in short as although they are very important i want to start again with help on Karate grading as i see most of my readers want a more in depth knowledge of the grades.So in the next couple of weeks i shall stop my personal training and concentrate on grades.As it has been a long time since i graded i shall swot up as much as i can and give you an all the right information i can.
For my brown belt and one white strip 2nd kyu i was a good boy,i virtually stopped drinking and cut down on my smoking.My wife put me on a strict diet knowing how much i wanted to pass and go for my black belt.I chose Bassia Dia for my kata as with most karate martial art students it is the favorite.I practise3d every day without fail on my kata and trained with Steve at least twice a week.At one stage Jeff was getting worried that we might kill each other when we were free styling.But like we said we have to free style in grading and it will be better if we win,plus like i said,if you are in a real fight outside you have to be able to take a punch or kick to survive,no body give a martial art expert the right to win.So now we were both ready to grade and very up for it.The first time i was not too worried and really felt like i would pass.
Now the day is here and Steve and i are outside warming up with lots of stretching and light sparring.As we are going for a brown belt grade we have a long time to wait as all the lower belt students go first.We are called up to do our gradings and in line we one step movements which go well for me as i have messed them up before by not understanding what was asked of me.Then one step sparring against an opponent,which you try to help each other pass.I was paired against a student named Boo who was very strong as he done power lifting as well as all the other training.This went well but i was hoping i would not be against him in free style because of how strong he was.I completed my kata and I'm sure it went well as i put a lot of power into it.Now it was free style time and yes i had to fight Boo,i thought that because he was so power full that he might be a little slower than me.We moved around and i put in a couple of punches and kicks and all of a sudden Boo came at me with a kick and i pulled down my arm with as much power as i could to stop him but to no avail,his kick was so strong that he lifted me right off the ground and i went tumbling onto the instructors table and crashed to the floor.I jumped straight up to carry on the fight but they would not let me carry on.I failed my first grading,Boo came up and said sorry and that he should of held the kick back a bit,but that did not help i had failed,i thanked him and went home with Steve who had passed,i was happy for him but inside devastated.
THIS IS NOT RECOMMENDED
I must make this as clear as possible
Do not do what i did to get my grade
I was so disappointed to fail my grade that i can't explain it.
Still i had to get on with it and not show my pupils how i was feeling,and help them get their grades.At this time in my life i was the fittest i had ever been and Jeff was thinking about leaving the karate club and letting me carry on on my own.I tried to talk him out of it as he was a good black belt and a good teacher to the older students.He left a couple of weeks later and went to train and teach karate in Bath.Most of the students stayed with me but some left to be trained in bath or else where.I wished Jeff and the others all the best,and new i had a lot on my plate but i was determand to carry on.I had one brown belt and one purple belt student still in my dojo,so at least i had some help.Anyway back to why not do what i had done,when my grading came up again i did not no how to go about passing it.My missus said to me why not do what you do normally on a Fridays,which was to go out and get drunk.
So that what i did,i got really drunk,smoked to much and woke up with a hangover.I had a big piece of steak for breakfast and lots of tea,and off i went to my grading.I remember sitting outside the dojo holding my head in my hands sporting a raging hangover and feeling very sorry for myself.Everybody else was doing light exercises and stretching ready for there gradings.I must of had a dozen wees while i was waiting,and then it was time to line up ready to grade.I just thought that i would give it my best in the state i was in but would not pass again.But as soon as i moved to start my grade the hangover just seemed to go away and i felt great and mean,and i was ready to pass.Well i did not have boo to go against but he was a good opponent.I won my fight and did all i was supposed to do with flying colours and yes i passed.Like i said don't do what i did because I'm sure it want work for you.
Just one more belt to go and it is the BIG one,1st Dan Karate Black Belt.I was now running the dojo on my own and was enjoying every minute of it.I did not no at the time that running your own club actually can help in passing your 1st Dan.Not many brown belts at that time had their own dojo's,so Jeff had helped me by leaving.I new that when you got your 1st Dan that it was a great help to run your own dojo to proceed to 2nd Dan.I was stepping up to the mark in training and working very hard,but my back was giving me hell and i was popping pain killer's like no tomorrow.I went to a specialist and he told me to give up the martial arts,but i was not ready to do that yet as i wanted my black belt badly.
I'm not saying passing your brown belt 1st kyu is easy but i found it was not a lot of difference to tacking your 2nd kyu.I can't speak for everyone but i new i had to step up my speed and control,and perfect my kata more and i should be alright to pass.I did this by going to other dojo's in the area and training with the black belt students in their club's.This i found very helpful and would advise it to anyone taking any grade.Every instructor has a slightly different approach to training and standards.A big plus is with the free style in that you fight a lot of different people and get used to people's way's of trying to win.So when you are taking your grade you will be ready for anybody.Two week's before my grading i left my club in the very capable hand's of a dear friend who doe's not want to be named to concentrate on my own forth coming grade.
On the day of my grading i was strangely not as nervous as i thought i would be.There was a lot of student's taking there brown belt grade's,more than i had seen before.Before it was my turn to grade i noticed there was a lot more people failing than usual.I'm sure the reason was that a lot were put up for grading before they were really ready.I no some student's had passed their grades every three month's which i am sure is to quick,i no where i was concerned it was a good idea to wait an extra three month's before taking my grades,and it was good for me to fail as well,it does open your eye's that it takes hard work and dedication to get a high standard in Karate. I passed my Grading and was so pleased that all my hard work and help from fellow students had paid off.
Now it was time to train for my Karate Black Belt 1st Dan,but i was having a lot of trouble with the pain in my back and had problems with training.I had to give my Dojo up as it was to much for me and i could not find anyone to take it on.It was i shame as i really enjoyed the teaching part of Karate.I did not no until later in life that one of my students went on and became a 4th Dan,i was so proud when he met me and said that i was a big influence on him in his early days of training.He said i was a hard task master and taught him good controlled power.I was proud of him and myself that day.I trained as much as i could for the next six months but new back pain would stop me from training soon.So i took my 1st Dan as soon as i could because if i didn't i would not be able to take it later on.I am not going to brag about being a black belt because i must admit i don't think i really deserved it.On the day i w2as in pain and must of done just enough,there were a lot of better student's than me and some of them failed.Maybe the senai's seen something i me and not the other's.It was a privilege to have the honour of 1st Dan but i new my Martial Art day's were over.I did go to some dojo's to help teach there student's controlled power until finally that was to much.
One thing i do no is that if i had not been taught the Martial Art of Shotokan Karate i would of had a much worse life than i have had.It teaches you self discipline and inner strength.It was not until a few year's later when i could not stand the pain any longer and paid to have an op on my back that i found out that i had a nerve welded to one of my disc and it took the surgeon twice as long to operate on me than anyone else he had operated on.If i had not had the op i would be in a wheel chair now but because of the op and my training i can walk with a stick and still do some exercises to keep reasonably fit.So my life is not to bad even though i am in consent pain.I do thank the Martial Arts for my resolve in life.
I am going to write about keeping fit even when you are disabled.And i am going to write an e book on the subject which i hope will help other people stay fit and live longer,and i hope people will buy it.as like anyone else i could do with a little extra money.So to all you Martial Art student's keep it up and best of luck to you all.
Happy training Phil
