Karate Training – How Often Should I Practice?

Normally, someone new to Karate will attend one session per week in the beginning, as the student progresses this will obviously increase.
I personally recommend training at least two sessions per week, as soon as possible, but once per week is ok for the first three to six months, after this, a minimum of two lessons per week is essential.
There is so much to learn and practice, if after six months you are only training one session per week, not only will your progress be slow, you will also struggle to keep up with others in your class and because you will struggle there is a good chance you will become disillusioned and quit. In fact, I have never known anyone reach black belt from practicing one class per week.

These numbers obviously vary from person to person, we have members who go straight into unlimited training and members who only train one session per week but practice karate regularly at home, everybody is different and everybody has different circumstances.

The important point to remember is that if you Continue Reading

Shotokan Karate Soto Uke Outside Block

Soto ude uke, or outside forearm block is one of the basic shotokan karate moves. A difficult move to begin with because it contains both linear and circular arm movements, this karate move should be first practiced in shizentai (natural stance), with feet approximately shoulder width apart and toes facing forward as in the video below
 

Shotokan Kihon Gyaku-zuki

Shotokan's Gyaku-zuki is a very strong punch. Here is a video with some tips to help with this karate technique.

Karate Classes And Kihon

 Karate Kihon

Kihon is a Japanese word meaning “basics” or “fundamentals.

So, what is karate kihon and why do we do it?

Kihon is the basic karate techniques of stances, blocking, punching, striking and kicking.

Repetition of basic Karate kihon holds all the secrets!

Basic karate moves, or simple combinations, is all that’s needed to achieve a very high understanding of karate. But I must emphasise, when it comes to repetition, correct form, both physical and mental is essential. Bad habits can develop quickly and can take years of correcting and can even cause injury and that’s just the physical side, if the state of mind and attitude is wrong, it can unleash a whole plethora of problems, some of which, can never be fixed.

This is why I always recommend joining a really good karate dojo, but if you are unable to train at a karate dojo, then take heed of the words in this article and get your mind, body and soul right for karate!

An incredible inner focus and determination can develop, when practicing very basic karate techniques, over and over again. Levels of understanding continually reveal themselves, as your karate practice continues.

Here’s a quote from the late and great Bruce Lee ~
I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.

Master Masahiko Tanaka 8th Dan, was once asked what the secret to his success was, he replied, ‘basics, basics and more basics!’