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Q:
How fit do I need
to be to start Karate?
Q:
Is there any age limit. Am I too old to start doing karate?
Q: What do I wear at
my first lesson and what equipment do I need?
Q:
What happens in the Lessons?
Q:
How long
will it take me to get a black belt?
Q:
What are the injury
risks for Karate?
Q: I
have various injury problems ... can I still do Karate?
Q:
Is it an expensive martial art/sport to
practise?
Q:
Do you have beginners-only classes?
Q:
Can you explain the etiquette and rules
expected of me when I am in the dojo? (training area)
Q:
What is a Karate Kata and why do we
practise them?
Q:
Do you have a belt system and what do the
colours mean?
Q:
How fit do I need
to be to start Karate?
Not at all, Wado-Ryu is about relaxed, flowing body movement - you
don't need the physique of a body-builder to develop effective
technique. You don't have to be physically fit-though. Through
continued training you'll be surprised how much fitter you'll be
after a few months worth of training. You will work at your
own pace which is as hard or easy as you want. Karate will provide
you with the skills necessary such as improved flexibility,
coordination, balance, muscle strength and muscle tone, not to
mention fat loss. It is a great all round exercise! You will notice
an improvement with each and every class. We often hear concerns
such as "I have no coordination, I am not flexible enough, I am not
fit enough", but remember, you start karate and train to get fit.
You don't need to get fit to train in the first instance. (Please
seek advice from a doctor before embarking upon any karate practice
if you suffer from any condition which could be affected by exercise).
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Q:
Is there any age limit. Am I too old to start doing karate?
Our current students age ranges from 5 - 60. 3 years ago we had a 58
year old start and he has not looked back! Staring at an
advanced age means everyone may find one or another technique
slightly harder to perform. This should not put you off or deter
you. Karate is a martial art, and a complete self-defense system,
and we are not trying to perform displays of superhuman ability and
techniques Olympic gymnasts would be proud of. There is no shame in
not being able to pull off a triple spinning flip kick. (with or
without a pirouette!) Remember, in a real situation a simple but
effective technique is always the better option anyway.
All the
benefits of Karate in terms of self
defense skills and improved health still apply, no matter what age
you start. With increased maturity you will obviously be in a better
situation to judge what exactly YOU want to gain out of Karate
training, this way you'll gain maximum enjoyment and benefit
from Karate training, regardless of how old you may be.
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Q: What do I wear at
my first lesson and what equipment do I need?
For your first lesson you will need nothing more than a a T-shirt and
loose fitting jogging bottoms. We go barefeet, so there is no need
to worry about footwear. Most people like to start wearing their
suit when they are comfortable in the knowledge that they are going
to continue with their karate training. This is normally after
around 4 weeks. You do need a suit after grading for the first
coloured belt, which is the red belt (9th Kyu). Obviously after
being awarded the red belt, it won't look correct tied over a
T-shirt. Suits are available and should be purchased through the
clubs. Some students like to own their own safety equipment when
sparring and this is compulsory when entering competitions. A
mouth-guard, groin-guard and mitts are the basic requirement. Kids
and even some of the adults use head-guards and shin protectors.
This is for safety though and minimises risk of injury. It doesn't
mean they go around beating each other up! Other
equipment for higher grades which is optional includes their own
focus pads to practise with and things like wooden knives for Tanto
Dori (knife defence). All are available through the clubs at very
reasonable prices.
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Q: What
happens in the Lessons?
Firstly we will bow in the lesson. Then we have a
thorough warm up and stretch taking anything up to 30 minutes.
Lessons can then consist of the following. Basics, where we
learn the basic blocks kicks, punches and any combinations of these.
A karate students progress is built on regular and thorough
practice of all of these basic techniques. Kata,
(translated as form) are used to develop focus and technique and are
the applications of many basic and advanced techniques, but all are
done by performing a kata alone and imagining a series of opponents,
rather than actually facing a real one. All moves are preset.
Pair-work. These exercises are designed to develop skill in
proper distance, timing, speed, and body movement and although
pre-arranged, get a student used to evading and countering an
attacking force. Kumite, Sparring is something that some
enjoy and others don't. don't worry, all is done within a controlled
environment and you will be paired off against someone who is in a
similar learning curve to you. You will not start fighting straight
away and we introduce students to the movements by getting them to
attempt to touch each others belt knots to start with. You will NOT
be put in to spar against a meathead who wants to bash you in!
This allows them to practice evasion and combinations of
counter attacking techniques in a more realistic situation
and you will develop in more advanced fighting as you go through the
grades. Competition training is optional and the
emphasis in the sparring in class is to learn, so we always try and
explain how you can improve. Other types of training include
pad-work, knife defence, kneeling defence, self defense techniques,
various drills to improve certain areas that we want to work on,
fitness lessons and we've even been known to practise with
pads to music! After a gentle warm down, we will then bow to end the
practice.
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Q:
How long will
it take me to get a black belt?
An average time for a typical student
is around 6 years and this is based upon someone who trains 2-3
times a week, attends seminars regularly by our senior instructors
and possesses an average level of fitness and co-ordination. Some
clubs claim you will be able to obtain a black back within 2 yrs.
Students in these clubs are not necessarily of a very high standard.
The students that train at our clubs are of a very high standard and
they know they have got what it takes when they receive their black
belts. People who can only attend sporadically due to work commitments or students
who have an injury or disability that slows down their progress may
have to wait a while longer. Getting your black belt isn't
everything, you can go to some schools and take a black belt in two
years. It's not what you have on it's how you feel and no matter
what is tied around your waist, continual training makes progress
and should be your ultimate goal. Many people stop when they attain
the coveted black belt, but as any senior Dan grade will tell you,
this is still only near the very start of a very long learning curve
and one that can last a lifetime in the pursuit of perfection.
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Q:
What are the injury
risks for Karate?
Many of our students come in injured having
sustained them playing football, cricket or some other popular
sport! In fact it is almost a running joke now within the lessons
that injured students have been hurt doing "supposedly" safer
sports. It is a misconception karate is dangerous. Taught by a
knowledgeable instructor it is very safe and the risk of injury is
low. Injuries in karate tend to be quite minor such as localised
bruising due to beginners being heavy handed in their blocking.
Proper Wado technique evade rather than block, so there should be no
real risk of injury. Karate has taken on board ideas taken
from modern sports science and any dangerous exercises are no longer
taught by reputable dojo's. The best advice is if it hurts don't do
it and bear in mind that there are no 100% safe sports, all sports
have there dangers.
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Q:
I have various injury problems ... can I still do Karate?
In
principle, Karate training strengthens the muscles of all the body.
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.
As we
grow older we all have some legacies of previous sporting activity
that we have played in or even work or lifestyle 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.
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Q: Is it an expensive martial art/sport to
practise?
No! You only pay for the lessons that you attend and therefore you
will not pay in advance for something where you might not be able to
get to. We are a non profit organisation, so the lessons are
reasonably priced. You will need a license and a suit after around 4
lessons. These are unavoidable but a a necessity and we don't
expect them to be acquired on the first lesson. As an example, kids
licenses are £15 per year, adults £25. The only other costs are a
small additional charge when you either grade, or when we have a
gust instructor down. Compared to most sports, it is cheap to
partake in.
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Q: Do you have beginners-only classes?
Yes, please go to our beginners section for more details.
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Q:
Can you explain the etiquette and rules
expected of me when I am in the dojo (training area)?
A simple explanation is that when we train you are expected to
concentrate on improving your karate technique. Whilst waiting
having booked in under no account should people be running around,
but they should be lightly stretching and preparing for the lesson.
Kids at all times must be seated when awaiting or resting during a
lesson. A second basic principle to work to is whilst training we do
not chat or engage in idle conversation about the weather! It is not
regimental, but a student cannot practise properly whilst their mind
is elsewhere. We have dojo rules which are listed at the end of the
beginners section.
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