Frequently Asked Questions
If you have other questions or comments, don't hesitate
to contact us:
uconnjka@charter.net
* Do you have to be a UConn
student to join? * When do you accept new
students? * What do I have to do to
join? *
What should I wear? - Do I need to buy a uniform? *
Do I need previous martial arts experience? *
How often should I practice? *
How old should a child be before starting karate? *
Can older adults practice karate? *
How coordinated and physically fit do I have to be to practice karate? *
Will I get hurt practicing karate? *
How long must I train before I can defend myself? *
How effective is karate REALLY? *
When do we get to free spar? *
Will I have to compete in tournaments? *
What's all this bowing about? *
What are the belts (ranks) in karate and how long does it take to reach them?
*
How does Shotokan karate differ from other martial arts? *
What's different about traditional martial arts? *
What's the advantage of a JKA karate school?
The benefits of karate practice are myriad. Physically it enhances strength, coordination, stamina, balance
and flexibility. It is well documented
that regular exercise can improve both the quality and longevity of your life
and that it makes people feel happier and more alert. There is also evidence that exercise can help cognitive brain
function. Everything that you do in
your life becomes a bit easier because of your karate practice. Karate trains the mind as well as
the body, resulting in improved self-awareness, discipline, confidence and will
power. Not only will you become more
confident that you can defend yourself, but your confidence to tackle all of
life's trials will grow. One of the translations of the
Japanese symbol for martial arts (the "bu" in "budo") is
"to stop conflict". This is
a philosophical goal for a martial artist, but does not only apply to
external conflicts. Karate training results in feeling less
conflict within yourself as a result of what's usually referred to as increased
"inner harmony" and "inner strength".
Do you have to be a UConn student to join? No, the UConn Karate Club is a
student-run organization and, although most of its members are college
students, its membership is open to all.
When do you accept new students? Formal beginner classes start at the onset of each University semester
(around Jan 25th and August 25th) and at the beginning of either of two summer
sessions (around May 20th and July 7th).
You can start anytime you wish; however, it's a little easier (physically
and psychologically) for most people to start at the same time as other
beginners. All you have to do is come to any of
our classes and try it out! If you
decide you like it, you can then see a club officer and fill out an application and release form. If you're shopping around for martial arts schools, you're
welcome to come observe class and talk to the instructors or club members.
What should I wear? - Do I need to buy a uniform? Beginners are not required to wear
uniforms (called "karate-gi") during the first 3 months of
practice. Any kind of light clothing
that you can stretch and move easily in is OK.
Beginning students do have the option of purchasing uniforms if they wish.
Do I need previous martial arts experience? No, most of our new members have no
previous experience. If you have
experience in karate or some other martial art, of course you're also welcome. Beginners (and advanced students for
that matter) should establish a regular and consistent training schedule in
order to learn techniques efficiently and not develop too many bad habits. In general, the more you train the faster
you'll learn. Three times a week is a
reasonable target for beginners to aspire to.
Two times a week is OK, but learning is slower. Progress is very slow and bad habits become
rampant at practice levels below two times per week. It is important that beginners not
expect instant results! Karate takes
patience and perseverance - it takes years to become proficient no matter how
often you train. You must also balance
training with your life. Don't neglect
other things due to excessive training.
How old should a child be before starting karate? This depends on the child's maturity
and attention span, which can vary widely among individuals. For most children, age 8 should be
considered as a minimum and around age 10 as an optimum starting age. The value of teaching martial arts to very young
children is arguable. Kids who start
young usually end up quitting young. They
view karate as just another one of a parade of activities that mom and dad have
ushered them through (like ballet and midget ice hockey). It could be argued that karate geared for
children is more beneficial than many other available activities;
however, starting a child young is probably not the best way to introduce him
to karate as a lasting endeavor.
Moreover, most young children do not have the maturity to use their
physical techniques only for self-defense.
If your child expresses interest in karate, she should be told that
karate practice is very serious and that only "big kids" who can be
responsible are allowed to do it.
Can older adults practice karate? Karate can be practiced at any age
as long as a person is relatively healthy.
A physical exam and doctor's OK is a good idea for anyone older than age
50 or so. Older people may not be as
strong, fast or flexible as someone in their 20's, but they can still practice
karate at their own pace and derive great physical and emotional benefit from
it.
How coordinated and physically fit do I have to be to practice karate? Most world karate champions, like
any top athlete, were probably well-coordinated natural athletes before they
began their karate training. Most of
us, however, come to karate in order to become more coordinated and physically
fit. So the brief answer is, "not
very". Even if you feel like the
world's greatest "spaz", you can still practice karate and by doing
so, your coordination and fitness will greatly improve.
Will I get hurt practicing karate? Karate training is very
rigorous. Bumps, bruises and sore
muscles are not uncommon. Serious injuries
are extremely uncommon; however, because karate emphasizes physical and mental control
as well as respect for your training partner.
No contact is allowed during our sparring exercises or during
competitions. The result is that karate
practice is considerably safer than many other popular sports such as
basketball and soccer.
How long must I train before I can defend myself? The
ability to defend oneself from attack is dependent on many factors. Certainly, the longer you train, the more
able you will become. The
probability of success is relative to the strength and ability of the defender
vs. that of the attacker(s). It is important
to realize; however, that there are no guarantees! It is possible for a beginner to get lucky or an advanced karate
person to be caught during an inattentive moment. This uncertainty is one of the practical reasons why strategies
that reduce the chance of conflict are more important to self-defense than
physical prowess. Beyond all that, a beginner should think on the
order of years (as opposed to weeks or months) before he/she begins to be
proficient at karate. Herein lies the
danger of the many so called "self defense courses" that typically
run from 6 to 8 weeks. Nothing of great
lasting value comes easily or quickly.
The most important thing a short course can teach you about self-defense
is how vulnerable you really are if attacked and that you should be extremely
cautious about dangerous environments.
The value of any physical techniques taught in such a course is
questionable.
How effective is karate REALLY? Again this depends on the ability of the individual
karate student. The most adept
technicians in the world, who train constantly and have devoted their lives to
mastering the art, are certainly able to vanquish multiple, variously armed
attackers under most circumstances. The
key to this is highly developed timing, reflexes, and accuracy as well as
developing sufficient power to disable an attacker with a single blow. The average karate student with
only a few years of experience may not be able to do the all the things you see
on TV, but his karate knowledge could nonetheless save his life. Basic sparring is emphasized during
the first year or so of practice. Free
sparring becomes more important for advanced students. The main reason for this is that good basic technique
is a prerequisite to effective free sparring and too much free sparring tends
to create bad habits in basic technique.
Beginners occasionally free spar, but typically it is with senior
students as partners. This is primarily
for safety reasons - the senior students won't hurt you because they have
learned to control their techniques, and no matter how unpredictable your
technique is, you probably won't be able to hurt them.
Will I have to compete in tournaments? If you want to. We participate in a number of regular
competitions as a supplemental form of training and a means to test
skills. Competition is stressed as an
important, but optional, training opportunity.
Tournament prowess is not a goal in traditional karate. More important is development of body, mind
and a non-violent philosophy. Instructors are addressed as
"Sensei". Sensei is a
Japanese title of respect (sort of like "Sir" or
"Mister"). It means
"teacher" and is literally translated as "before birth"
which infers that the instructor is someone older than yourself. In this case we are speaking of "karate
age". In other words, an
instructor is someone who has more karate experience than yourself. Sensei and "Master" are titles
which people use to refer to or address someone else. It is considered very improper to refer to oneself as Sensei or
Master. "Sempai"
("senior") is another term of respect that is often used when
addressing someone who is not an instructor, but is senior to you in karate
experience. Bowing is a gesture of kindness
and respect for another person. Common among Eastern cultures, we have
no real equivalent here in the West. Bowing is a both a greeting and an acknowledgement
of another person's worth. Karate students embrace a philosophy that all
people are worthy of respect. Learning to respect others is paramount
to correct understanding of martial arts. Great physical and mental power
must be offset by making a habit of putting other people before oneself,
otherwise karate students might easily become bullies. So as we gain
strength with potential to harm others, we also endeavor to
become kinder people. Bowing and other forms of martial arts etiquette
are training tools to help the karate student make kindness a habit.
What are the belts (ranks) in karate and how long does it take to reach them? Beginning students first go through
the "kyu" ranks. Students
typically rise in rank by one kyu every 3 to 6 months. Kyu ranks and the color belts that go with
them are: White belt - 8th kyu, 7th kyu Green belt - 6th kyu, 5th kyu, 4th kyu Brown belt - 3rd kyu, 2nd kyu, 1st kyu Six months after students attain 1st kyu, they may
then start testing for "dan" (black belt) ranks. Students who train regularly typically
require 3 to 5 years to reach the first level (Shodan) of black belt. Each succeeding black belt level requires
increasingly more time to attain. For
example, it generally takes at least 2 years to go from Shodan (1st degree) to
Nidan (2nd degree), at least 3 years between Nidan and Sandan (3rd degree), and
at least 5 years between Sandan and Yondan (4th degree). Karate training is a combination of
aerobic, endurance, flexibility and strengthening exercises, all the while
honing the practical skills of the art.
The training is very rigorous - expect to sweat a lot. Classes are typically 1.5 hrs in
duration. Beginners have separate
classes for 2 to 4 weeks where they gradually build up technique and fitness
levels before joining in with the regular class. The JKA Boston web page has a good description of a
"typical" karate class.
How does Shotokan karate differ from other martial arts? All martial arts have their
specialties and unique character.
Shotokan is traditional Japanese karate that specializes in punching,
striking, kicking and blocking techniques.
However, there is much overlap in technique among martial arts
styles. For example, we also do
sweeping, throwing and joint-locking techniques. In Shotokan, you won't see much of the flashy spinning and
jumping about that is popular in martial arts movies - just techniques that are
powerful and effective.
What's different about traditional martial arts? Traditional martial arts emphasize a
holistic view to training both the body and the mind. Philosophy and ideals are just as important to traditional
martial arts as physical prowess (see the Dojo Kun). Traditional martial arts are based on
time-honored techniques and systems.
Classes are more disciplined and place more
emphasis on etiquette than the typical street-corner karate school.
What's the advantage of a JKA karate school? The Japan Karate Association is the
largest and one of the most prestigious martial arts schools in the world. Exacting standards of technique and rank are
the same in our club as they are in Japan.
JKA schools will not compromise their ranking standards just to keep
students happy. Instructors are
nationally and internationally certified and regularly participate in
instructor training courses and seminars to better their teaching skills
throughout their lives. Regular
training camps provide JKA students exposure to a great number of world-class
karate instructors. Your JKA rank is
recognized throughout the world.
Independent schools and smaller organizations do not have this depth of
opportunity to offer. There is a lot of etiquette (for
example, bowing) associated with traditional karate, but few rules. The line between the two is often thin. Karate etiquette is based on respect and
kindness toward other people, while dojo rules are more for safety and not
disrupting the class. Some
of the steadfast rules are: ·
No
shoes may be worn on the practice floor (we practice in bare feet). ·
Fingernails
and toenails must be trimmed to a reasonable length (otherwise they become
dangerous weapons to your partners). ·
No
jewelry (including rings, watches and necklaces) may be worn during
practice. This is also primarily for
safety reasons. Exceptions may be made
for simple items that could not hurt a person or be accidentally pulled off. ·
No
talking during class. Raise your hand
if you have a question/comment. Some
quiet instruction/advice between students is OK if brief. ·
Students
may not enter or leave class without an instructor's permission. If you are late, you must wait at the side
until you are acknowledged to enter class.
If you wish to leave for any reason, you must raise your hand first.
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* Why should I practice karate?