Any students of Karate here?

[maflynn]

I recently signed up for some karate classes.

I was given a free week trial (which was 2 classes) and I enjoyed it so much that I signed up.

I'm a complete newbie in this and being in my mid forties, its a little over whelming.

I'm curious to know if any folks here takes karate class and what do they think of it.

 

[wpotere]

I recently signed up for some karate classes.

I was given a free week trial (which was 2 classes) and I enjoyed it so much that I signed up.

I'm a complete newbie in this and being in my mid forties, its a little over whelming.

I'm curious to know if any folks here takes karate class and what do they think of it.

I never did Karate, but was a Taekwondo student for many years up into my 30's. Sadly a bum ankle keeps from doing it now but if not for that I would have continued as I really enjoyed it. It certainly is great exercise... I'm now in my forties as well and I am still a gym rat but I feel like a 20 year old so keep it up!

 

[maflynn]

I'm in decent shape, at least cardiovascular wise, I typically run 5 days a week. While the winter has proven quite difficult to keep my mileage up, I love getting out in the summer and banging out a nice 6-10 mile run.

Partly because I'm unable to run as long as I want in the winter, needing to work out inside on a dreadmill. I thought the karate would be a nice diversion. Its an hour class and last nights was so enjoyable that before I knew it, the hour had gone by.

I can't say that I'm good at it at all, in fact I'm finding it quite difficult to ensure my feet are in the correct position as I do my hand movements and vice versa. Still, its a fun challenge.

 

[wpotere]

I'm in decent shape, at least cardiovascular wise, I typically run 5 days a week. While the winter has proven quite difficult to keep my mileage up, I love getting out in the summer and banging out a nice 6-10 mile run.

Partly because I'm unable to run as long as I want in the winter, needing to work out inside on a dreadmill. I thought the karate would be a nice diversion. Its an hour class and last nights was so enjoyable that before I knew it, the hour had gone by.

I can't say that I'm good at it at all, in fact I'm finding it quite difficult to ensure my feet are in the correct position as I do my hand movements and vice versa. Still, its a fun challenge.

That is great to hear. You should be able to pick a lot of it up quickly. Just remember that a lot of it is muscle memory and it will take time and practice to develope. Good luck with your new hobby!

 

[maflynn]

I try to set aside time each day to practice the few moves they've taught me.

I want to get to the point where I stop thinking about moving my legs and hands, and rather make fluid motions.

 

[Melrose]

I'm not sure about Karate because I haven't read much about it, but other forms of martial arts offer more variation depending on your style or body type.. Course, I realize you have the free trial which is why you started, but just a thought.

Forms of Kung Fu, for example, are better suited for taller people (northern schools) or shorter people (southern) and for different body types as well.

I practice Tai Chi - when I have time - and while it's not the speedy type like what most people think, it's still classified as a martial art and has some very good benefits like flexibility, balance, and is good for "inner strength" as well. Tai Chi is more "mellow" than the fighting styles, obviously. A lot of middle-aged and up people practice it.

 

[r0n1n]

I recently signed up for some karate classes.

I was given a free week trial (which was 2 classes) and I enjoyed it so much that I signed up.

I'm a complete newbie in this and being in my mid forties, its a little over whelming.

Be patient, it takes time to get you're body adjusted to using muscles that you're not used to using.

I'm curious to know if any folks here takes karate class and what do they think of it.

I've been training kyokushin karate for about 8 years. Had to take a hiatus two years ago, because I had to move away to college and there's zero, good karate dojo's where I'm living currently. So, I started training muay thai kickboxing (started a year and a half ago) and judo (started 4 months ago). I love it. I've also studied ITF tae kwon do for 2 years when I was a little kid.

My opinion of karate as a martial art will vary, depending on the style and the organization. There are styles that focus more on mid to full contact sparring, conditioning, and is very strict when is comes to proper execution of a strike or block like with kyokushin (which is a good thing), and there are styles that typically focus more on kata, only dose light to no contact sparring (even for black belts), practices out dated self defense techniques and aren't strict (a lot of american kenpo/kempo, shotokan and isshin-ryu karate dojos that I've visited where like this. Not saying that all kenpo, shotokan and isshin-ryu dojo's are like this, just the ones that I visited.).

Finding a good karate dojo in America, is like finding a needle in a haystack. If you're just looking for a decent workout, then most karate dojo's will be O.K. But if your looking for a martial art that will teach you how to properly defend your self. Then I suggest that you try muay thai, judo or brazilian jiu jitsu.

 

[maflynn]

Be patient, it takes time to get you're body adjusted to using muscles that you're not used to using.

Thanks, I'm trying to make sure I spend a little time each day practicing my moves and training my muscles to do the moves without my thinking

My opinion of karate as a martial art will vary, depending on the style and the organization. There are styles that focus more on mid to full contact sparring, conditioning, and is very strict when is comes to proper execution of a strike or block like with kyokushin (which is a good thing), and there are styles that typically focus more on kata, only dose light to no contact sparring (even for black belts), practices out dated self defense techniques and aren't strict (a lot of american kenpo/kempo, shotokan and isshin-ryu karate dojos that I've visited where like this. Not saying that all kenpo, shotokan and isshin-ryu dojo's are like this, just the ones that I visited.).

the class I'm taking seems to be focusing Kenpo, Jujitsu Goju. I see them taking time on katas with some light contact. For me that's fine. What sold me on the class was the camaraderie and they weren't intense about it. Its great that I'll be learning some self defense techniques, but I'm also enjoying the expereince and the time to focus my brain on non-computer stuff

 

[andalusia]

I'm currently a student of Karate. I did it when i was much younger and got to Yellow belt, but quit for some reason (low attention span probably). My dad continued it on though, being a second dan black belt, it's a very large part of his life. He convinced me to rejoin last October and a combination of remembering what I learnt when I was younger and having my dad's martial art influence around the house meant I was quickly able to progress from a white belt back to a yellow belt within a matter of weeks. For me, I really enjoy it because I feel I can get so much from it. Personal improvement is a massive part of what Karate teaches, and if you don't try then you can't improve. That's why every time I go (twice a week) I push myself to my very limits to try and make myself better. Whilst I might not build any fabulous muscles like you would if I hit the gym instead, the conditioning and exercises I go through build core strength and help to make better use of the muscles I already have. There are some kids there who really don't try and as such their standards slip and they lose focus. I should be training for my next belt in the next few weeks - it's up to my Sensei to decide which belt to try for.

 

[gfish31]

karate? the dane cook of martial arts? please!

 

[kim2272]

I tried Karate, didn't really interest me..

After that I decided to try Capoeira, a form of Brazilian Martial Arts, and have been doing it for 9 years now!

 

[maflynn]

karate? the dane cook of martial arts? please!

Don't know who dane cook is, but really, do you need to insult the people who are enjoying this. So what martial arts are you doing and why is it superior to Karate?