My Mentor (My Sensei): How I Entered Karate

I know I haven't told you the whole story I got into Sunova Centre. It started in late September or mid October (I can't remember) I was stuck on how I'm going to find a dojo, so I went up to my father for help. We stopped by at Sunova Centre to find karate lesson. I meet this man who was in charge of the lesson I can't remember his name but i think his name was Ron. So, I decided to go to the lesson I was confused at first with lesson because I was a beginner. So, his son named Derrick taught me the introduction of karate. I followed every move he made as he instructed me to do the moves I was beginning to believe him as my mentor. Because he helped me with my mistakes during the lessons. I still had struggles but I'm learning from my mistakes. Today I starting to get use to the routine the moves and I was listening and following one of the black belts' advice. I also got an update for you guys I already to got my karate white belt and my robe. Thank you so much for reading my post and commenting on my page for the past three months.

Kicking

Okay, now that you already learned about punching and rising block. We're going to be learning about kicking. It's going to be much different than you probably thought kicking's going to be easy this time it's different. Okay get into you're front stance (bending your front knee) with your left leg forward. Now you're going to lift the right to the chest and then kick in the middle of the air. (Pretend there's a person there in front of you and you're going to be kicking them in the chest.) After kicking in the air, start practising with your other the leg the same thing I told you. Remember don't kick if you're not in you're front stance you're going to have someone have the higher advantage of hurting you.

Picture of me @Copyright from Jacqueline

Updates on techniques 2

I'm going to off from from writing different martial arts for awhile. Reason why because I haven't been writing about the techniques awhile. I'm sorry for the delay but I will try to my best to post my techniques. It'll take awhile to get them in the blog because I have to keep going to Sunova Centre and keep learning the techniques in order to post them on the blog.

Jackknife Hand Block

We're going to use jackknife hand for our techniques. First you're going to the yoi position (get your hand into fists and put your arms out towards you) then you're going to get ready to move your arms. First get your right hand to your left ear and your left arm out, then step in with your right leg out (once you step in you have to be in backstance) and slide your right arm out. When sliding them out your right hand is out (like a high five) it should be shoulder length, your left hand (like the right hand) at your side should be at your abdominal, but don't forget to tuck your elbow in.

Picture of me @Copyright from Jacqueline

Punching Basics

Now I'm going to show you how to do punching, read closely. Make your hands into a ball, remember keep your thumbs over your fingers and don't put your thumbs under fingers. Stretch out your right hand in the centre (knuckles in front) and pretend you're doing a punching bag, take your left hand close to your side (beside your ribs.) Now you're going move that left hand, you're going to rotate that wrist to the centre and then get your other hand to your side. Repeat the process and practice those moves. You can use those punches to hit the face and the chest. Remember that!

Picture of me @Copyright from Jacqueline

Martial Arts Resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_martial_arts
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okinawan_martial_arts
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenjutsu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sōjutsu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninjutsu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karate_gi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karate_belt
Punching Basics, Jackknife Hand Block, rules in the dojo, and Rising Block - Karate Class West St. Paul Sunova Centre


Thank you for reading my articles! I post more any updates for resources from my blog!

Update on Techinques 1

I have to keep going to Sunova Centre because I tend to forget after the lessons. But I will keep going there so I can learn the techniques and then post them on the blog. This may take awhile. ~Jacqueline.

Sōjutsu

That martial art means art of the spear; it means you'll have to fight with a spear. The spear (Yari) was a well known weapon throughout the feudal period of Japan, it was being cheap to produce and required less training than other battlefield weapons and contributing itself to close development of ashigaru troops. Sōjutsu became popular immediately after the Mongol Invasion in the thirteenth century. Today Sōjutsu is a minor art that is taught in few schools.

Ninjutsu part 2

Here are the weapons they used for their martial art.

Composite and articulated weapons:

Kusarigama: Long robe or chain
Kyoketsu: Rope dart
Bo staff: Long wooden staff
Kusari-fundo: a chain and weight weapon

Fistload weapons:

Kakute: These rings are poison tipped spines, they are used to strangle the enemies.
Shobo: A piercing weapon
Shuriken: throwing darts
Tekko: The early brass knuckles
Tessen: A folding fan with a iron frame
Jutte: Similar to Sai

Modified Tool Weapons

Kunai: A multi-objective tool
Shikoro: It's used for stabbing/slashing and opening doors

Projectile Weapon

Fukiya: A blowgun with poisonous darts
Makibishi/tetsubishi:
Yuma and Ya: Bow and Arrow
Bo-hiya: fire arrow
Tekagi-shuko and Neko-te: claw hand weapon

Staff and polearms

Hanbo, bō, jō, and tambo: Staff
Yari: Spear
Nagamaki: A polearm with a blade and a handle
Nagiata: A polearm similar to Yari

Swords

Katana: A long curved single edged sword
Wakizashi: short sword can be hidden by the ninja's body as a back up weapon
Ninjato: short-bladed sword
Tantō: dagger
Kaiken: Same thing but similar to Tantō
Bokken: Traditional Wooden Sword
Shinai: Bambo Sword

Stealth Tools:

Kaginawa: grappling hook
Shinobi Shōzoku: ninja clothing
Ono: Axe and hatchet

Rising Block

Get in your standing stance, get your right foot out to bend your knees, get your left foot pointing left and put your left foot back; so you can in your standing stance. Now we that already done the punching basics I'm going to explaining about how to defend yourself. Now step your left foot pointing in the front, get your right foot pointing to the right side; while your left foot is out get your left arm over head and right hand fist to your side. Repeat those again if you get stuck ask your instructor they will help you how to perform those moves.

Picture of a rising block @Copyright to Jacqueline.

Ninjutsu Part 1

You probably clicked on the post because you're thinking the word "ninja." Well I will be explaining about Ninjutsu, the art of stealth. Ninjutsu was developed by groups of people from the Iga province and Kōta, Shiga of Japan. During the course of history the shinobi (ninja) have been sighted as assassins, scouts, and spies. They were mostly known for the use of stealth and deception. Ninjutsu included of obtaining information, and the techniques of going in without detection, escapism, and misdirection. It also involves training including free running, disguise, escape, concealment, archery, and medicine.

There are eighteen skills that shows the same way of a samurai and ninja, the other techniques are used differently by those two groups.

1. Seishinteki kyōyō — spiritual refinement
2. Taijutsu — unarmed combat
3. Kenjutsu — sword techniques
4. Bōjutsu — stick and staff skills
5. Sōjutsu — spear skills
6. Naginatajutsu — angina tea skills
7. Kusarigamajutsu — kusarigama skills
8. Shurikenjutsu — throwing weapons techniques
9. Kayakujutsu — pyrotechnics
10. Hensōjutsu — disguise and impersonation
11. Shinobi-iri — stealth and entering methods
12. Bajutsu — horsemanship
13. Sui-ren — water training
14. Bōryaku — tactics
15. Chōhō — espionage
16. Intonjutsu — escaping and concealment
17. Tenmon — meteorology
18. Chi-mom — geography

I will explain the other ones on the next post. To be continued...

Kenjutsu

Kenjutsu translates the art of the sword. Although the term relates to the swordsmanship; Today kenjutsu refers to the specific feature of swordmanship is dealing with partnered sword training. It's the oldest form of training, it's at the simplest level, to be pared with two partners wielding their swords and practicing combat drills. It's historically practised with the wooden katana. Among to the experts, kenjutsu training may include increased degree of freestyle practise.

* Remember every time if hear/see the word "jutsu" in Japanese it literally means "the art of."

Jujutsu part 2

However they are the methods of combat including striking, throwing, restraining, and weaponry. They are defensive tactics including blocking, evading, off balancing, blending, and escaping. Today, jujutsu's practised in many forms between both the past and present. Various techniques of jujutsu's been combined into judo and aikido, as well being spread throughout the world and transformed into sport wrestling systems, adopted whole or parts of the martial arts school or the unrelated martial arts, jujutsu's still practised as they were centuries ago.


I am so sorry it wouldn't let me post the whole article in a single post. I had to do it separate. :(
~Jacqueline.

Jujutsu part 1

Jujutsu's a martial arts which translates to art of pliance. This martial art shows the art of indirect force, such as throwing techniques, defeating an opponent, opposing to punches and kicks in a direct force. This doesn't suggest that jujutsu does not teach and employ strikes, but to put it another way the art's aim is the ability to use the attacker's force against the opponent, and counter attack when they're not defended or they're weak.

Intro to karate classes and understanding the colours of the karate belt

If you're wondering where I'm practicing karate, I'm taking the lessons at Sunova Centre at West St. Paul. I'm going to explain about the colours of the karate belt. The karate belts are called obi, it shows the other people about their level. Now I'm going to list one of the obi colour from beginner to expert:

Beginners' and Tenth level: White Belt
Ninth Level: White Belt with a yellow stripe
Eighth Level: Yellow Belt
Seventh Level: Orange Belt
Sixth Level: Green Belt
Fifth Level: Blue Belt
Fourth Level: Purple Belt
Third and Second Level: Brown Belt
First Level: Black Belt

Once you obtain one of the colour belts you have to line up to a group of your colour belt beginning of the lesson and the dismissal of the lesson. Thank you for reading along about the understanding the colour of the Obi (karate belt) and please don't rush to get the black belt very quickly. That means you'll lose your patience and wisdom if you keep thinking over the idea of getting that belt.

Appropriate Dressing and Warm up

Now before entering the dojo you'll need something to wear in the lessons. For beginners you'll need a Karate Gi robe (pronounced gee) and a white belt for your lessons. The first rule is take off your shoes and socks off when your getting inside of the dojo. Now before warming up with the others you must sit down on your knees and bow down to your sensei. When your starting to warm up you will follow your sensei's movements and a lot of leg stretching. I post next time about how to kick and punch.

Picture of me @Copyright from Jacqueline

Japanese Martial Arts

In this post I will be talking about Japanese martial arts. These martial arts can only be found in the warrior traditions of a samurai and the caste system that restricts weapons by the members who are not warriors. These combative weapons that they interwined the tools used was to execute those techniques. However when it changed as the tools they used started to change and required the tools to be reinvented. The Japanese weapons were slowly evolving as well of the rest of the world, the teachings and the training of martial arts did evolved. However they are different categories that represents the Japanese martial arts are jujutsu, kenjutsu, Iaijutsu, Naginajutsu, sojutsu, and ninjutsu. I will explain one of those categories in the next post.

Okinawan Martial Arts

There are two different martial arts that both fighting techniques come from are Okinawan martial arts and Japanese martial arts. But I'm going to be explaining about Okinawan martial arts first. Okinawan martial arts were formed in 1372, the Chinese martial arts were introduced to Ryukyu Islands (it becomes Okinawa, Japan later) by visitors from China. Chinese families immigrated to Okinawa sometime in 1392 for cultural exchange, where they established the Kumemura community and shared their knowledge of a wide variety of Chinese arts, science, and marital arts. The early styles of karate are Shuri-te, Naha-te, and Tomari-te; they were named after the three villiages from which later on they would merge. I'll explain about the Japanese Martial Arts on the next post.

Hello bloggers!

Hi, my name is Jacqueline. Thank you for visiting my blog. My blog that you are about to read is about karate. I have always wonder what is karate about? Well, my friends karate is about fighting and defending yourself. I may have not enough information but my journey to learn the knowledge of karate has just begun. I will try to find enough information as much I can. ~ Jacqueline.