Your Training - karate IS personal !

LOL calm down Brian.

'How else would develop timing,distance,resistance,knowing how to hit,what it feels like to be hit,adrenaline,fear,working from compromising positions'

by drills mate, they start of simple and formal and build to less formal and more demanding.

if were freesparring - then its no longer self defence IMO. Thats called a brawl and its completly different.

And I do spar from time to time, but I really honestly dont see any major benefits in doing so regulary, against similair skilled partners anyway. (although I did spar, ALOT for several years, which might have put me in good sted?)

Mondays i go to karate from 6-10pm. Class usually starts off with warm ups (push ups, sit ups, dips, etc.) Then we do all 32 kata hard and fast, sometimes breaking them down (all depends on the type of class we are having). we do a lot of drills and sparring.

Tuesdays i weight train. Wednesdays i run or work on the heavy bag. Thursdays i do mma, we all know how demanding mma is right? Friday its back to karate to teach from 6-8pm then we train from 8- sensei gets tired. We always have a different type of class so its hard to tell you guys what we do every day.

Saturday is more weight training (if the wife allows it!) Sunday rest!

I'd say I'm 100% invested in...something...but not sure if it is 'karate'. One two hour goju class per week. It focuses on kata, and then working on segments for application and learning body movement/dynamics. Also, a two hour kobudo class per week. Everything else, and anything else is 'catch as catch can'.

about 8 hours total a week so far...slowly building up to more. actually, next week I have a meeting with someone...after that meeting, my training schedule will likely increase to 10-12 hours a week. My Doc has given the ok.

last year around this time, I was at about 4 hours a week and was 10lbs heavier.

right now, my training is half advanced kata application class and half body mechanics w/strengthening on my own. progress is slow and often undetectable, but steady.

...and I'm having fun of course.

Sparring falls under "Body Conditioning" in my book. We do spar, sometimes it is controlled, other times it is basically a fight, without pads. Sometimes it includes weapons and other times it does not. We try to train for reality and sport sparring is not real good for that. Kata is still most important for learning correct way to handle combat.

It all depends on the type of sparring.

For me, it is getting me used to the idea of some big bloke coming at me with intent in his eyes and shouting at the top of his voice as he kiais. Despite having done kumite in another style for nearly 3 years, the first time my goju sensei partnered me, I wanted to run away and hide, it was terrifying. He's a retired policeman who's been training and using his karate to defend himself for 30 years. I realised then that the tourny style sparring I had been doing with other 'civilians' was not actually preparing me for anything!

So now I do goju twice or three times a week for 90 mins - doing a selection from basics, fitness training, conditioning, padwork, kata, bunkai, kumite. More often than not I am the only adult female. I work on kata and bunkai around the house and use my punchbag when I can. I also attend as many different seminars as I can afford timewise/moneywise/familywise.

"my" karate is about 2 1/2 hours twice a week with my sensei and another nidan, we do kata and various other requirements, also do some weapons for a bit. I also teach a beginner's class on Tuesdays, and do a quick set of push-ups/ sit-ups before going to bed.

I try to put karate into everything, though. for example, I made up a new kata last week:

From a short cat stance, the right arm perries and grabs, then the left arm perries down. both hands push to the right, then the left, and you sit deep into the stance and slide forward against your opponent. I know it doesn't sound too effective, but trust me, it is.

You just have to practice it over and over and over (and over and over), with a power sander in your hands, and when you're done there's a pile of absolutely beautiful smooth oak planks in front of you. MAN, what a workout!

"You just have to practice it over and over and over (and over and over), with a power sander in your hands, and when you're done there's a pile of absolutely beautiful smooth oak planks in front of you. MAN, what a workout"

..and next you'll be painting a fence, right?

On a good week, my training is JJJ Monday, Karate at club Tuesday and Friday, weight training and bag work Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Saturday rest and training in Combat Arena with Gavin on Sunday.

I practice kata in the evenings every day at home.

1 lesson a week at present as they're a little bit expensive (£4 each/approx $6). thats usually about half an hour kata and the other hour drills/kihon/light kumite.

i'll spend a few hours a week on my heavy bag, but thats had to stop for the last month because i got some muscle damage down my right foot (cleared up now) and i sprained both ankles in one week lol and i'll spend a few hours a week thinking (day-dreaming) about bunkai for the whole two katas I know!

i also consider this site training as its taught me pretty much every non-physical thing i know about MA.


edit: wanted to add that i'm feeling a bit dis-enfranchised by my dojo and wado ryu generally. we don't spar hard enough, everything is light contact. i also don't really agree with the nagasu concept; of blocking lightly and using almost entirely tai sabaki. i don't mind tai sabake but i have problems with the light blocking, i feel you should treat blcks as attacks and aim to cause pain to a limb as it attacks you - dead arms don't move so well no?