hi, maybe this has already been addressed somewhere (i tried to find, but couldn't)...

here's the deal: i take karate twice a week (i'm an orange belt, just started karate this past summer) in a large class. i'm really into learning all the details of the kata. but the classes are so large and we have so much to cover (basics, kata, kumite) that i'm often frustrated in learning some of the basic important details of the kata.

for example, we had a substitute teacher last night who pointed out a bunch of things i was doing wrong in heian nidan in the moves that come AFTER the 4 knife-hand blocks. he did tell me what to do differently, but he went so fast that i don't remember, and it seemed sort of complicated, but definitely of crucial importance. are there any books or videos that would help a girl like me who loves to obsess over detail and technique? is it worth it to take a private lesson or two?

thanks, everybody!

piano-dudette

Private lessons are a great way to "fill in the gaps", if you have access to them. I was lucky enough to get a lot of private/semi-private lessons from some very experienced AKK people when I was coming up through the ranks. Invaluable for me.

wow. ok, i think i'll try that. i like to practice the kata, and i don't want to be practicing things that are wrong. thank you for your opinion!

I guess this is a problem of large classes, I have always felt a lack of detail when training in big (ie over about a dozen students) classes.

generally a good workout though, I keep classes small these days - some would say not by choice!

when we're all together, it's sometimes as many as 30 people, tho we usually split into 2 groups.

If you want fine detail then I would forget books. All you get in books are snapshots that don't tell you anything about the dynamics of what you're supposed to be doing. DVDs? Hmmm. A bit better than books but still not in depth instruction. Go with the private lessons if you can, but remember to write down a list of things that you want to pay particular attention to. Things you thought of in class, but didn't have a chance to ask about there and then.

Hope that's a bit more useful than Jim telling you that your classes are too big.

For the real picky details you could possibly buy a book? The one I would suggest for your level would either be Karate-do Kyohan or maybe one of the "Best Karate" books. There are TONS of shotokan kata videos on the web. Just Google Video search "Kanazawa heian" and boom you have every heian kata done by Hirokazu Kanazawa himself.

Take your time on the kata, no one does everything right the first time. And dont get frustrated... everything takes time.

hey, salek, thanks for the very specific advice! one of my teachers recommended the best karate series to me, so i got the first 2 books, comprehensive, and fundamentals. they're actually a little bit hard for me to follow, tho. i'm going to see if i can find the kata books in the series and look at them before buying them (i got the others online). and i have watched a lot of luca valdesi on youtube. apparently he's made some sort of video series, and someone has uploaded them. do you know the videos i'm talking about, and if so, what do you think of them?

thanks!

prima pianista

While I agree with the others, private lessons are the best method to improve, however I will recommend Dynamic Karate by Nakayama. It is pretty much regarded as the ultimate guide to shotokan technique and perfecting each individual movement will improve both your kata and your karate in general. The book also includes little practised techniques and offers hints for usage. It is a must have for any Shotokan practitioner.

ok, thanks, i'll check that out. is there more than one large umbrella shotokan karate organization that holds local, regional, and national tournaments that all feed into a world championship? i've been getting that sense...