tags: GKR
GKR Newbies
July 30th, 2005, by Em.
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 4th, 2007 at 6:44 am
hi
just found this site after going to my first training in melbourne last night
and really enjoyed it.I am 59yrs old and was a little doutful thinking i may be
to old,would like to hear from others in my age group or general opinions on age
cheers
October 28th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
i am a member of gkr, in chell , stoke-on-trent,
at the minuit i am a newbie that is currently 33 weeks pregnant :o
got to say i like the way i dont get treated any different than anybody else and am
always pushed to do better, i put a lot of effort into my class to try and get the most
out of it, i started my gkr lessons in the hope to get my 5 year old son interested and
well he just doesnt want to do it, but i got hooked,
i havnt got a grading yet but this is not because i dont think i am capable, more along
the lines of i would prefer to wait until i had the baby so i can push myself that extra
mile, i enjoy doing the kata 1st and second. and watching the bunkai moves on the video
i am trying now to learn the saifa which seems complecated but i am determined to master
it, sensei says i dont need to know it to get the grading but i like to push and practice
and it would give me the upper hand for the grading as i beleave it would widen my understanding more of the gkr experience and why we move and act the way we do, i am still practising the 1st and second kata as much as i can and constantly trying to improve it, however at the min with a moving lump infront, sometimes causes a few minor difficulties, im just hopeing that when i have had the baby i am not that used to having a lump in front that it knocks all my balance back off..
one thing i am wondering about the dvds as i only just brought one as i am on bed rest at the min, is are they done in mirror image, if i was looking at the screen would i be turning the same way as the person or the opposite way?…
hopefully be going back to lessons again next week and all i can say is what a joy they are, always something to learn or correct and something more to focus on and strive to improve, aiming high, one day i hope to be one of the best (know it sounds big headed) but i never really had anything to aim for up until now and i really do hope one day i can make it to somewhere decent in the ranks and be good at something for a change, practice makes perfect and even though im a mess now, when i watch a higher belt i sit and think, well they used to be where i am now and watch how good they are, hopefully one day somebody will look at me with the same thought :D
December 20th, 2007 at 11:30 pm
Hello
I have just started GKR as a S.D.C, I enjoy all the new skills i get every day from talking to people and letting them also join and benifit from GKR. My sensei Chris Brierly
helps me train hard and always shows me how to improve my self.
January 11th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
hi there folks
I was interested to find your comments on your first few lessons and your first time out in front of a class and just wanted to offer some advise.
i have been training qith GKR for 5 years now, and became a shodan-ho in december 2007. that day to me, was as nerve racking as my first lesson. i remember my first lesson, i ended up sitting out and watching with tear- streaked cheeks because i was so dissapointed i couldnt do it. at that age i was niave enough to beleive that after your first lesson, you know the whole works and are ready to take on the world. just one of the many lessons karate has tought me is humility ( thankyou GKR ). in your first few weeks, you will feel more likely than not feel a bit put out that everyone around you knows what they’re doing, but soon enough you will learn that their karate is a whole world away from yours, and that yours is the only thing that you should care about. your first time out infront of a class is ( to say the least) terrifying because you dont want to skrew up infornt of your class mates. i’ll tell you once, dont worry, relax, and think ” what would sensei do?” we all know practice makes perfect, the more times you lead a warm up, the easier it will become. so just relax and enjoy the chance to be a sensei for 5 minutes! good luck to everyone.
victoria.
June 11th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
After being with GKR for a few years and becoming a sempia i had to due to personal reasons give it up.after a break, i am now able to go back to training. I feel i earned my black and white but as i had a back injury and am now with a new partner who also wants to take up karate, i am going to train as a white belt again, at least untill my partner has grasped the basics and i feel comfortable to go back full time.As with many things, after a while you forget some of what you learned and i feel it would be wrong to assume i could go back to where i left off. I took a test on line tonight and although i got well over 50% of the answers right, i know i have alot to remember.I would however like to say to anyone who stopped training, for whatever reason, it is not too late or you are not too far behind to go back. There are people i trained with who are now teaching and will therefor be teaching me. What a privilage to be taught by someone you sweated and agonised with! You people know who you are, and thanks to Sensei Andrew Jordan for over a year encouraging me to go back! I’m not wearin the white belt tho! Back to no belt will be fine!! LOL. Good luck to all members, New and old, and if you see someone at your Dojo looking a bit haggared and slow, but who knows the moves, that person just might be me. XX