Tags: GKR
GKR Newbies
July 30th, 2005, by Em & Rich.
It’s becoming a bit of a habit now; Sensei John asked Rich to take the warmup again last night.
This was probably the biggest class we’d been in. There were a signficantly large number of white belts, probably due to a whole bunch of new people attending their first class.
Rich took a particularly good warm up, and included everything he needed to in the right order. The interference caused by mirroring the class (as you face them) is a challenge still, understandably as it takes a lot of practise to get right. It’s caused by the person at the front instructing the class to use their right arm, but as that person is facing the class they have to demonstrate using their left arm. It’s a bit like the Stroop effect or patting your head and rubbing your tummy at the same time. Sensei John tends to get this right, but amusingly when he turns round to demonstrate a technique to the class and faces the same way as them, he has to undo this training, and it’s almost possible to see the cogs whirring as he works out that left really is left. GKR certainly tests your mental agility as well as your physical agility.
It was interesting to see the new people in training. We went through Taigyoku Shodan, several times, with arms and without arms. I found this a really useful opportunity to practise my stances as the pace was slow enough to work on making sure my feet were two shoulder widths long, and one shoulder width wide, my back leg straight and my back straight for long fighting stance.
The new folks had a little trouble, after all, the turning in first kata is enough to begin with, let alone learning all the moves, but they all seemed to do really well. Its good to see how we must have been at the start of our training, and how quickly we’ve come along. Although the orange and green belt demonstration of Bassai Dai highlighted just how far there is to go.
September 28th, 2005 at 8:36 pm
Hi,
Only went to my first lesson last Sunday but immediately smitten by GKR and wish I’d started ages ago. I’m a “not very fit” 45 yr old…as my slightly aching muscles prove, but looking forward to my next lesson (Sandal, Wakefield - West Yorkshire). What are your thoughts about using videos or dvd’s for home practise? Would you recommend any in particular?
Glad I came across this site as I’ve only looked at the main site thus far….your comments re the left right, right left, left left etc are very amusing…gave me something to smile about last Sunday as a “newish” person was doing the warm up and lost it completely a couple of times…sounds fresh coming from someone who was on their first lesson I know..but the smiling was part of the experience.
Regards,
Carl.
March 3rd, 2006 at 12:14 am
I have been a sempai for a while and the mirror imageing soon becomes habit.Being within a class soon becomes awkward.I have to remember to do do things in the order in which i was first taught.It is never easy to stand in front of a class to do the warm up, and you have to laugh at your mistakes as, if you are anything like me, there will be many.Just enjoy the experience and i hope you will go on to become Sempai’s or even sensei’s.check out other GKR websites because you can download Kata video’s.I would however recomend the GKR vids .Maybe invest in one and decide for yourself.In the meantime, have fun, train hard and reap your rewards.Oh and Carl, good luck when doing your first warm up.It will make you laugh thinking back.We’ve all been there HaHa.
March 3rd, 2006 at 12:40 am
The recent release of the new DVD’s was certainly popular with our class, though I personally have refrained from buying one just yet because (perhaps through being more technically minded than most) I’m a bit disappointed at that the technology hasn’t been fully exploited. The new DVD’s are essentially just reworked videos with no significant improvement over the linear format.
For example: If it had been done with more consideration for the format, each Kata could have been viewed from multiple angles with the viewer able to switch angle mid-kata. This would be fantastic for checking if the hand you can’t see is shuto or not, or understanding about weight distribution in stances, etc.
Similarly, there’s are no additional commentaries. On a normal DVD, where the director talks about his artistic influences for a particular scene, I find it a total waste of time; but on a karate DVD different useful commentaries could be layered on the same visuals - perhaps focusing on foot positioning, stances, body attitude, strike technique, timing, bunkai… … that’s enough to be going on with, and I’m sure you get the picture, it’s a missed opportunity for this release, but maybe hopefully next time.
June 27th, 2006 at 12:31 pm
What can I say, I love teaching. I teach in reading and have a 6 til 7 and 7:30 to 9 class. I love seeing the students arrive and enjoy seeing them progress. On occasions new people arrive, but the key in GKR is to keep people interested. I pride myself in keeping and retaining my students. I have about 47 over the two classes. So how to keep them keen, well, vary the lesson and add interesting new formats, competitions, for example, I do games in the first lesson and see even the grown adults enjoying this. I work the second lesson harder and get a lot out of them. Many students now do both lessons.
June 29th, 2006 at 8:27 pm
I have been attending GKR Karate for approx. 8 months and am 6th Kyu ( Without sounding big headed I think I am pretty good for my grade - as you know you get vast differences in ability even amongst a group of the same kyu)
I know they have been critised for their door knocking policy but I have to say I will be forever grateful that they knocked on my door. It was marketed as a family friendly style and I have wanted to try some kind of martial arts for years. I have visited a couple of different styles of martial arts in the past just to observe with a view to join and I felt very alienated, both appeared to be filled with people full of themselves and seemed very eliteist. It put me off attempting anything for many years.
I have never trained in any other style so can only comment on what I have experienced. I train 4 times per week. I have read various articles on the net about GKR and I know they receive quite a lot of bad press from other styles. I, myself thoroughly enjoy my training with GKR. GKR allows you to visit any GKR class so I have 3 different sensais all who seem very thorough in their teaching. | consider myself fortunate to be able to train with the regional area sensai whom is very impressive .
I have read the term mcdojo mentioned but I have to say I speak as I find and the attention given to technique in all the classes I have attended has been excellent, bunkai is discussed, kata explained etc.
My question though is this - I was asked to try out for the sensai training programme and out of around 20 people put forward for it I was one of 6 chosen.
Even with a black and white belt I will still know what grade I really am and this bothers me. I am getting a great deal out of the training programme and if I pass I will get all my Karate for free obviously saving me a great deal of money but its the being a fairly low grade sensai that doesn’t sit comfortably with me. What do you think about this ?
I have been told all my adult life that I am good at teaching stuff to others whether it be work related or whatever apparently I have a good knack of explaining things in an easy to understand plain english way, I am not on an ego trip with the black and white belt and with plenty of knowledge and experience without sounding big headed I probably would make a good teacher but its the experience thing that bothers me slightly.I cannot possibly attempt to teach someone of a higher grade than myself and would not attempt to, ( A Liar/Fraud I am not)
So do I have anything to offer a class of white belts ? What do you think ?
August 9th, 2006 at 2:43 pm
Hi Pinkynomates,
I was really interested in your thoughts re: teaching whilst still relatively new to the art yourself. I have been with GKR for 2yrs now and passed the Sensei training programme a year ago - for the first few months after achieving my black and white belt I sempaied and now I am a Sensei …
At first I was just thrilled to pass the programme and keen to help others learn and enjoy GKR as much as I do, however in the past couple of months, as my understanding of the art has deepened and I become more critical of my own abilities I have questioned whether I am experienced enough to teach anyone above 7th, or at a push, 6th Kyu.
I spoke to my Sensei about my concerns and he was able to give me some good guidance and tips and hints and explained that black and white training is far more intensive than public training (after last night, don’t I know it!!!!); I’m still trying to decide whether it is morally right for me to continue to teach whilst still so new to the art myself though …. the bottom line here is, you will receive excellent training yourself in the senior class and have the support of the other instructors as well as your own Sensei, but you need to think hard about what you think is right and whether you would be happy being taught by someone the same grade as yourself.
September 23rd, 2006 at 7:26 pm
Im wandering what everyones’s thoughts are on non contact vs contact martial arts. I do both non contact tai chi and full contact mma, and from my experience working on the front line door work, its the full contact training that has saved myself and protected my collegaues. i have now begun working the non contact training into a workable contact training programme.
sifu ross
November 6th, 2006 at 2:02 pm
I am responding to the letter I have just read regarding joining the sensei training programme, I also had the same reservations as you when I passed the programme I became a sempai in my public class which I still attended and found this a great help it is so differant standing up front doing warm ups and taking students through kata etc. Then the day came when i was offered my own class, I felt so privaliged that my regional manager thought I was good enough to teach, now I have been a sensei for about a year and love it you get the best teaching skills from other senseis who are all human and remember what it was like having these reservations themselves your regional manager will give you all the support you need but you have to be committed to turning up every week even your students cant be bothered to pull themselves out from in front of the fire on the cold days or if just 2 or 3 students turn up you have to be ready to give up your time and stick to it good luck hope you make the right choice for you I know it was right for me.
April 28th, 2007 at 9:31 pm
Hi,
I’m a 6th kyu student down in Oxfordshire! Now running my own unofficial website: ‘http://www.gkrkarate.info’ for anyone interested in GKR and other karate styles to join. It’s free, only takes 30 seconds to register and once a member you’ll get access to our regularly updated discussion boards!
Loads more stuff to be added in the coming weeks/months and so on, but if you have a look at it now then you can join the discussion boards if ya like :P
Gkrkarate.info ~ Everyone’s invited.
August 6th, 2007 at 1:32 am
Hi
This has been an interesting read, thanks. I am in Perth Western Australia and have been an instructor since mid 2000 and believe me I have seen it all, did a stint full-time with the club and was on the state team for approx 5 years although I don’t want to blow my horn.
Starting from the top of the page I will make a few comments to try and help. I will try and be brief. Mirror image - within a few moths it will be second nature. What helps is Kata practice, when you do a few simple combinations add a simple combination which is the first four counts of Taigyoku Shodan. Do this as just another combination, slow, medium and fast pace with Kiai on each punch. The beginners are learning the Kata and you are doing the Kata in mirror image. The benefit is two-fold. The students learn their Kata and you get used to mirror image. Once you are doing Saifa and Bassai-dai mirror image fluently you are well and truly on your way to a high level of competence on your Kata and you are always pushing yourself above and beyond the requirements. Do it bit by bit and you will get there, of course practice outside the dojo on this. I believe this is important, as in Katas like Saifa where you repeat a combination three times (1st six counts) you are doing the techniques twice as many times on one side than the other, this way you even it up and that left side won’t feel so uncoordinated.