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Post by mrsvalden on Oct 4, 2007 16:16:23 GMT -5
I saw on their website that karate means open hand. The "kara" is empty and the "te" is hand. So it seems to me it should be pronounced kara-tay. Is that right? Mrs. V (Carol) Yes you got the pronunnciation right. In japanese the e makes and ay sound as in day, i makes an ee sound as in see and ou makes an oh sound like go. It is my favourite language. Me and the girls will be signing up for karate when I get feeling better. the last couple of days have been bad. I am glad to hear that you are still enjoying it. People hear karate and they immediatley think fighting but I feel its more like and art form. Works your mind and your body. Good for you Carol. Thanks!! I'm as excited about the mental/character-building part of karate as the physical. I agree that it looks like art when someone like Sensei does it (not when I do it yet! ) They keep drilling into us that karate is for self-defense only. You should not be the aggressor with karate. Only if someone attacks you do you use it. That's why it's all block-based. Blocking everyone else's punches. And then getting some good punches and kicks in yourself to drive them away. I love watching my brother-in-law doing the roundhouse kick with the bag. It looks so awesome! I can't wait to learn that one. Carol
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Post by mrsvalden on Oct 4, 2007 16:21:41 GMT -5
Great job Carol! I love reading your posts .. very inspiring and interesting. Would you say you have to be somewhat in shape to start something like this or are there out of shape/overweight people there also. It seems so intimadating Awww...thanks!! I'm sure that there are some people who start karate in much worse shape than me. I know one guy there was pretty heavy when he started. And my brother-in-law was more overweight than me. And he had really bad flexibility. I am more flexible right now than he was at the beginning. And he's made huge leaps and bounds. So I don't think you have to be in shape to start. If you go to a good school, that is. These guys are awesome about starting you off slow and not making you feel bad if you can't do something for a while. They are very understanding as long as you are trying. But I'm sure some schools (the ones that are not quite so traditional perhaps) are more about looking good and kicking butt. Right now I am the most overweight out-of-shape person there. Because I'm the newest. But I'm sure eventually, there will be someone worse off than me. It really was intimidating for me. And it still is. I really don't think I would've gone without my brother-in-law. I would have been terrified to go in there by myself. So I'm really not all that brave, I'm afraid. Thanks for the compliments!! I'm glad my posts are boring you!! Carol
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Post by mrsvalden on Oct 4, 2007 16:27:28 GMT -5
The push ups will get better over time. My school had 10 levels in the kyu grades and at my first test I did 10 of the worst looking push ups on my knees they had every seen. Next test I managed to hold the proper position, fists on the floor, knees off the floor. I held the position and shook while everyone else did their push ups. I was always remembered at test - I was the only one in the system who wore shoes. With the atrophy in the smaller muscles in my feet I was not stable enough to move around without them. Making contact with your partner will get better over time. You will toughen up. Same with the way you knuckles feel against the hardwood floor; one day you will realize with amazement that your hands don't hurt. Well, that's good to hear. Because the push-ups are really kicking my butt right now. I just need patience, right? Our dojo's motto or whatever they call it is "Patience and Strength equals Perseverance" or something similar. It seems like in Japanese it's "Nan Tai" and it's what is on the back of some of their gi's. And it's on a wall hanging at the front of the dojo, so we can see it all the time. Patience...patience...patience...perseverance. I'm excited about seeing my progress down road. I hope there's progress!! ;D Thanks again for all your tips and kind words!! Carol
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Lintje
Iguana
you're my sunshine~!
Posts: 192
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Post by Lintje on Oct 4, 2007 16:40:00 GMT -5
Good luck, mrsvalden! I know you can do it! I have to get in shape, too. I've only been working for three days (it's a lot of running around and standing on my feet for six hours...) but the muscles in my legs are already sore like I ran a marathon or something.
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Lintje
Iguana
you're my sunshine~!
Posts: 192
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Post by Lintje on Oct 4, 2007 16:48:57 GMT -5
Yes you got the pronunnciation right. In japanese the e makes and ay sound as in day, i makes an ee sound as in see and ou makes an oh sound like go. It is my favourite language. Me and the girls will be signing up for karate when I get feeling better. the last couple of days have been bad. I am glad to hear that you are still enjoying it. People hear karate and they immediatley think fighting but I feel its more like and art form. Works your mind and your body. Good for you Carol. Hey! xD Sorry to correct you, but I'm 99% sure ¿ÕÊÖ [¤«¤é¤Æ] is pronounced kara-teh with a short sound.... I've always pronounced it while keeping in mind that [ÊÖ] means hand and is pronounced like "teh", very shortly with no lingering "ayyy" at the end. O.o Is amusing to think that a Japanese sport could sound anything close to the verb for cutting hair/mowing the lawn/etc. *blink!* Edit: I'm not familiar with the Kansai accent, though. O.o
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Post by bookjunky on Oct 7, 2007 15:11:11 GMT -5
The first time you are presented with a chance to go through a board with a straight punch you will appreciate knuckle push ups.
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Post by mrsvalden on Oct 7, 2007 21:12:54 GMT -5
The first time you are presented with a chance to go through a board with a straight punch you will appreciate knuckle push ups. True that, true that! Mrs. V (Carol)
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Post by mrsvalden on Oct 8, 2007 15:30:27 GMT -5
I'm also sick to my stomach today, because I have karate class. This is the stupid social anxiety at work. I've already been to class twice. I am familiar with the people. I know about bowing and what to wear, and all the other stuff I was worried about the first night. But I'm still sick about going. I think it has a lot to do with my performance anxiety. I feel like I'm being watched the whole time...which I am, because I need to be to make sure I'm doing things right. But it really bothers me. I constantly feel like I'm going to mess up.
I really hope this starts easing up, because I'm getting tired of being sick the whole day before I go to class. That's going to get old really fast.
I really enjoy what I'm learning...I just wish I could do it one-on-one with an instructor. But that would probably be bad for me too. That's why I had to quit piano lessons. I didn't have to do recitals. I didn't have to perform. But just sitting there with the teacher playing was too much for my performance anxiety.
Gawd, I get so sick of being me sometimes. I wonder if I need a meds change.
I don't want to be a quitter. I want to learn karate. But I really wanted to learn piano too. But I couldn't stand the anxiety involved. Ugh!
Those of you who are prayers, please pray for me. I'm getting so scared about this all.
Mrs. V (Carol)
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Post by mrsclean987 on Oct 8, 2007 17:50:20 GMT -5
Okay Carol - here's what you do...(This is what I do and it works for me sometimes) DON'T look people in the eyes that you think may be watching or looking at you. That way, you won't see their expressions or worry about things like, "oh, I bet they think I look fat" or "I bet they are thinking I look so stupid" I saw in a movie once that if you picture them in their underwear or on the toilet, it will make you loosen up as well. LOL!! Everyone has these anxieties. You are not alone. At least you are brave enough to talk about it. In all seriousness though, my friend, your feelings are REAL and if they continue, at least to the point that you feel sick, you need some more support!! GO CAROL GO! GO CAROL GO! GO CAROL GO! GO CAROL GO! (Just picture me and all your other great friends here on this forum chanting that in the background) We love ya and I'm sure I speak for all us when I say YOU CAN DO IT! Now go out there and kick some major boodie and show us all up! (Me, sitting here on my fat butt with no motovation to do anything physical and being jealous of you for doing something so brave!!!) You GO girl! Love your guts!! Judy
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Post by mrsvalden on Oct 8, 2007 21:55:53 GMT -5
Thanks, Judy, for your kind words. You crack me up, which is awesome! I could always use a laugh! I was really freaking out today. But I honestly felt better after karate class tonight. I need to remind myself that next time--"you'll feel better if you just go." See, that was never the case when I worked out in the gym. If I felt like crap when I went in, I felt like double crap when I came out. But karate is so different. It's so neat to LEARN things. And something that is so cool! It is really exciting.
Me and another kid that only started a week before me worked one-on-one with Sensei Roberts tonight. He went through the beginning of the basics with us. The beginning position (yoi) and then the fighting stance. Then we switched legs with the fighting stance over and over. Then we practiced the first few blocks of the 27 movements. I did fine with the first 2, but the 3rd one I had a mental block with. It's really not hard at all, but when he was showing me, I was having a total brain fart. It was ridiculous. My mind would not work with it. He was very nice about it. He said each of us have something that is just harder for us. But my goodness, it was ridiculous. He finally moved onto to kicks, because I was such a sped.
I was GOOD at my kicks though. The other kid (he's probably 13) was having a lot of trouble with the kicks. But he's in a very awkward growth spurt phase right now, and slouches and is so scrawny. He just had trouble kicking and stepping. But I was good. So after my fiasco with the one punch, I was so glad. Then it was 8:00 when the kids leave, so he taught me the beginnings of side kicks and roundhouse kicks. That's one I'm really excited about...roundhouse. That's the Chuck Norris special.
Anyway, he showed me a movement I can do at home to try to loosen up my hip flexors. They are pretty tight right now. But he said I did well with my sidekicks, etc. too. So yay for me!! I just have so much trouble when they want us to get in position and move on to the next step fluidly. I have to stop and think still.
I did a few more push-ups tonight, so that was good. And I was able to do all my sit-ups, so yay for me again!
All in all, a good night at karate. So I'm so glad I made myself go. I just hope I can stick with it when I get sick and nervous every night.
Sensei Roberts is the younger one (probably 25) and is shorter than me and not hot like Sensei Bottrell. But I was actually more comfortable with him working one-on-one with me tonight. He's not as intimidating as Sensei Bottrell. Sensei Roberts is kind of like a fluffy little teddy bear...he has a little pudginess around his middle, and he is short and looks like a little kid in the face (except for the scraggly beard he's growing to make himself look older.) I like working with him the best.
Thanks again, my friend. Your supportive words and thoughts definitely helped me out!
Carol White Belt (once I finally get a gi and belt)
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Post by mrsclean987 on Oct 8, 2007 22:10:38 GMT -5
The beginning position (yoi) and then the fighting stance. I was such a sped. Then it was 8:00 when the kids leave, so he taught me the beginnings of side kicks and roundhouse kicks. That's one I'm really excited about...roundhouse. That's the Chuck Norris special. Anyway, he showed me a movement I can do at home to try to loosen up my hip flexors. They are pretty tight right now. Sensei Roberts is the younger one (probably 25) and is shorter than me and not hot like Sensei Bottrell. Sensei Roberts is kind of like a fluffy little teddy bear...he has a little pudginess around his middle, and he is short and looks like a little kid in the face (except for the scraggly beard he's growing to make himself look older.) White Belt (once I finally get a gi and belt) Hey Carol! Again, I am so glad you had a better evening than you thought you would!!! I quoted the parts of your post that made me giggle!! What in the heck is a sped? *feels like a dork for not knowing* Smooches! Judy
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Post by mrsvalden on Oct 8, 2007 22:19:34 GMT -5
A sped is like a spaz. It's a hold-over from when I was in school. We called each other speds all the time. I guess it does sound pretty funny when I think about it. Maybe it's just a Pike County, IL thing! LOL!
Glad I made you giggle!! Giggling is good.
Are you laughing at my tight hip flexors!! LOL!
Carol
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Post by mrsclean987 on Oct 8, 2007 22:24:23 GMT -5
A sped is like a spaz. It's a hold-over from when I was in school. We called each other speds all the time. I guess it does sound pretty funny when I think about it. Maybe it's just a Pike County, IL thing! LOL! Glad I made you giggle!! Giggling is good. Are you laughing at my tight hip flexors!! LOL! Carol Yep - I'm laffin!! I've never heard of a "Sped". Although, now that I know what it means, I know some. ha ha ha Oh - the first comment I quoted just sounded funny. I don't know why. I guess I have a dirty, dirty mind. *blushes* Judy
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Post by Little Pet Crazy on Oct 8, 2007 22:53:07 GMT -5
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Post by mrsvalden on Oct 9, 2007 10:29:41 GMT -5
A sped is like a spaz. It's a hold-over from when I was in school. We called each other speds all the time. I guess it does sound pretty funny when I think about it. Maybe it's just a Pike County, IL thing! LOL! Glad I made you giggle!! Giggling is good. Are you laughing at my tight hip flexors!! LOL! Carol Yep - I'm laffin!! I've never heard of a "Sped". Although, now that I know what it means, I know some. ha ha ha Oh - the first comment I quoted just sounded funny. I don't know why. I guess I have a dirty, dirty mind. *blushes* Judy You must have a dirty mind! For shame!! I thought I was the worst, but you beat me!! ;D Dirty, dirty, Judy...
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