The Ten Commandments of Karate by Steve Denoo
How do you become good at Karate?
First, Get Serious.
You must have a goal, a real and specific goal with a time line to achieve this goal. The time must be specific, like the first of the month January 3 years from today, I will be ... Reading will not do it, you must do it physically. If you can only do one push up, to get to 100 you must do one push up, 100 times, even if it means resting between, write it down, soon you will be doing 100 push ups at one time. Remember you can not eat an elephant in one bite.
You must have a good teacher in the beginning to show you the fine points.
You must have some ability, then you must demand of yourself the will to work and train and train hard. Remember you play like you practice. If you do not work to the best of your ability, you will not be a good fighter, it can be hazardous to your health.
Second, you must believe in your mind that you are the best. Your style is the best. I always liked Bruce Lee's admonition, there are no inferior martial arts, only inferior martial artists.
Third, You must meditate on your ability at least 10 - 30 minutes each day. I recommend that you go over your Kata every night before going to bed. Do them perfectly in your mind.
Fourth, Write out your Kata, move by move, and sparring response move by move.
Fifth, You must be honorable. You must not hate anyone. You may hate evil, but not the person. You must not envy others. You must not be selfish. You must be a giving person. What ever you want for yourself, you must first give it to someone else. (It will come back to you.)
Sixth, You must believe in yourself. Even if you are weak and small, unable to do one push up, you must believe that with training you can do more. Soon you will.
Seventh, You must read and study, analyze masters. What did they do? How did they do it? Why did they do it? You must get knowledge.
You will only value what you must pay a price for. Dues are part of what you pay for this knowledge. You get what you pay for. Training and sweat is another kind of dues. Pay all you can afford, later you will see it was too cheap.
Eighth, Practice, Practice, Practice.
Ninth, Presentation, You must look like you can take anyone's head off. Confidence will give you this, how do you develop confidence? Assume it. When you have practiced enough, it will just be there.
Tenth, Study your opponent. Don't go barging in with fists flailing. You will get decked. Have a plan.
How Do You Develop your Karate:
1. Listen, hear what your instructors tell you. A Positive Mental Attitude
2. Read all you can, Study, then write it out in your own long hand. (This is the part people often miss.)
3. Practice, partner work, this helps you to really build your timing. You need to work with more than one partner.
4. Video Tape your technique, This one hurts. But do it on your own and notice that your stances are not what they should be, where your hands are, where are your feet. Feel will not do it. This will make you better.
5. Train in a good school, stay away from average schools. Do not train with your friends, you will make new ones. This is an important skill. You need serious training, friends will not help you here.
6. Look the part, Is your GI clean and pressed? If not you are not ready. Did you shower or bathe before class? If not you are not ready. How is your attitude? Positive, Friendly, Courteous, and helpful? If not you are not ready.
7. How is your language? Any curse words? get rid of them. Use the best language you can muster. It effects the rest of your Karate. (Regardless of what language you speak)
8. When you shake hands with your sensei, use two hands. This shows your commitment to his teaching, and that you are holding nothing back.
9. Do not be afraid to ask questions. That is why you are here, to learn! If you knew it all you would have your own school.
10. Convert what you have observed, heard, read, and learned into something you can use.
There is much out there on Karate, I feel that Kyokushin is the best style, because it features a different kind of sparring and training than you will find anywhere. I put this page together that it might be of help to those seeking better Karate. I appreciate any advice given and will do my best to use it.
I am 56 at this point in my life yet I still find myself working out later in the day as I have done for years. When I get home from work I only want to lay down and rest, could there be a great way to help optimize your exercise routine? I find that by working out after a hard day, I become relaxed, and it takes me away from the troubles, clears the mind. In the summer I swim for 45 minutes every day after work in the summer, or bike, or something.
Never the less, Each morning I do Push ups as soon as I get up, and crunches. I was taught that exercise the first thing when waking is worth twice the work at the end of the day. It is the hardest to do.
It has been written that your breathing resistance appears to vary throughout the day, according to your own circadian rhythms. Chinese feel that the time for exercise should be later in the day when lung function peaks in many people. This should help you feel less winded and help you get more out of your workouts. Furthermore it is said that the only things that matter are action and engergy.
To energize we need to exercise, and increase our oxygen intake (chi or KI). Breathing eliminates the poison our body creates. Breathing is therefore important. The average person only breaths 15 times per minute. Old masters used to breath 5 times per minute, and during meditation slower. This is because they learned the secret of using all of their lungs. Americans breath in the upper chest, and then become winded quickly. Ibuki and Nogare breathing will teach you to breath properly. These should be done daily.
Karate is the art of the empty hand therefore I am not to fond of weapons training. Weapons do help to extend our body, and make up for what we lack. However, what do we do if there are no weapons available to us. Karate.
It is a sustained commitment that requires personal discipline, the same kind of
discipline that is required to stay in shape and maintain your physical health.
It is a commitment that must be reinforced daily, or it is soon forgotten and the scrap heap of good intentions. When you take charge of your fate
and determine that you will live positively in every aspect of your
life-physical and mental-you will receive an extra benefit. Positive physical
conditioning will reinforce your Positive Mental Attitude, and your positive
attitude will help you stay in better physical condition.
When you watch a karate master perform his kata, you will know what karate is. You will be riveted to the beauty of the movement, its strength in movement. Its dance like quality. If it does not posses the fluidity of dance and strength, it is show and not karate.
One of the most important aspects of Karate is that regardless of rank, all work. All do basics, no one is better than another. If you believe you are great, look out there is someone greater.
IF YOU HAVEN'T THE WILLPOWER TO KEEP YOUR PHYSICAL BODY IN REPAIR, YOU ALSO LACK THE POWER OF WILL TO MAINTAIN A POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE IN OTHER IMPORTANT CIRCUMSTANCES THAT CONTROL YOUR LIFE.
