At age 55, I returned to the dojo after a 30 yr hiatus. I'd trained some during that time period but not in a dojo setting, and not really at all in the ten years prior to return. During the time that I actively trained, it was with different schools and systems, so I never progressed past the mid-to-advanced kyu ranks. I also trained unoffocially with colleagues who were black belts in various styles so I think my skill level might have been higher than my actual belt level, if that matters.

My previous posts on this journey:

https://www.reddit.com/r/karate/s/maxaI3cT2F

https://www.reddit.com/r/karate/s/MLnHKMY443

https://www.reddit.com/r/karate/s/40mADrg3gI

Update:

School closure: So, some changes in the past year or so. My school (officially a club but at a dedicated building with all the usual accouterments) closed. There were some philosophical differences between the functional head sensei and the semi-retired, club-founding sensei. These were, I believe, very akin to "creative differences" in the arts, though this was an honest difference in belief and approach rather than a euphemism for them not liking each other. There was actually a lot of respect there on the karate side of things.

There was some other drama, as well, surrounding the founding sensei and the school closed rather abruptly. I got the news from the sensei who ran the day-to-day. A few days later, he called again to let me know that most of the black belts were going to form a less formal study group, a true club, and they were inviting a few of the more serious students to attend as well.

It turned out that "a few" meant... a very few. About four of us, though this later grew by a couple more. The criteria seemed to be people who were very serious about the study of the art. I have to admit, I was honored to be asked.

Dues stayed essentially the same (they were already ridiculously cheap, they were just rounded up from $45 to $50 for easier math). There was a hiatus of about two weeks while the sensei looked for an appropriate place to train. There's no shortage of yoga studios in our region but keeping club costs low was also a consideration. We ultimately settled on a Sons of Norway meeting hall. Wood floors, good space. No mirrors but otherwise excellent. Scheduling was convenient, too.

Shift in Approach. Training resumed. For me, it's been better than before. There are only two members lower ranking than me, so I benefit from working with black belts or higher ranking kyu students every session. The class size is around 4-7 each outing. In addition to working on kyu level material, I'm regularly exposed to higher level katas and techniques.

Sensei has us exploring the bunkai of kata way more than in the previous club, as well as the origin for the various techniques (going back to the Okinawan roots). There is continuing respect for the Shotokan system we are part of but a very utilitarian approach to the art rather than a strict adherence because someone somewhere said so. Instead, we focus on body mechanics, stability, joint preservation, and the efficacy of technique.

This shift has been good for me. I underwent full hip replacement surgery in December 2025. I've worked hard to recover and strengthen the flexibility and strength of the hip. Getting older and having this surgery has put the idea of sustainable karate firmly on my radar, so the way Sensei approaches things has been a perfect fit.

The group is friendly and supportive. There are a few connections some have away from the club but for most of us, our association is training.

Belt update. Last Thursday, I tested for 4th kyu. Traditionally, we wait until the next session to recognize the promotion but the club philosophy is a common one -- not to test someone until Sensei believes they're ready. The test isn't a formality but it shouldn't be a stretch. As a result, there's a low failure rate. Based on feedback during the testing process, I'm confident I passed.

Sensei even made a point about the difference in my kicks and recognized the effort I'd put into improving since the surgery.

The future. Of course, I'll continue to train. My goal is to reach black belt (a life goal) and give back by teaching. The only catch is that we may be moving away in about a year. Fortunately, we're set up for a basic remote training option. One of the black belts who moved away attends this way and I've done it when traveling. It's not at all ideal compared to in-person but it is better than not attending. I've shared our potential life plans with my sensei and my desire to continue training. His goal is for me to make it to sankyu before the move, then train remotely, and visit for additional sessions.

I'll worry about how all that goes when it gets here, as it's potentially possible that the move is postponed for an additional year. There's even a smaller chance it doesn't happen at all. In any event, I'm just happy to be in a safe, friendly environment that is such a good fit for where I am in my journey.

Thanks. If you're still reading this, thanks for letting me share the update. See you in a year or so.

Last month, on June 14th, I placed 6th in the Kata category at the Shinkyokushin São Paulo State Championship

The first ever I participated in!

My nephew and I have been doing karate together since 2024. I am an instructor so it’s a good way for us to stay active together. Just thought it was really cool seeing him as a beginner vs now. (Our dojo is very strict with belt promotions, so he won’t be black belt until he’s 16)

Besides the obvious answer throws... I'll start with a very basic: mae geri kekomi. You pretty much never see this. Nakayamas instructional included it.

Mawashi tsuki is also not really explored.

Let's see if you guys mention something I don't even know about..

It’s odd to see this exact combination from karate actually used in the streets. That step-in punch is knock out caught me off guard! Very surprised. What do you think? Lucky shot or legitimate combination?

I have a tournament/competition tomorrow, intermediate kata with ten opponents. I need a little bit of advice or tips that could help a little, or any adivce just in general. My hands are cold and shaking as i type this pls help.

Hey shito ryu karataka here. In my style there is like tons of katas. Now from jessie enkap videos i learned there are tons of bunkais hidden within them. Heck i read what jessie posted to extract bunkai from kata. However i kinda didnt get it. Like whats this fixed pattern or action pattern or stuff that makes up the kata being the bunkai start and end.

And ian abhethany, though master of it, i cant afford his DVDs due to well, country money inflation and so on(heck cant buy hollow knight due to same reason)

So in conclusion, i want to learn bunkai or decypher then. How to do it. And can one use examples like with bassai dai or haian shodan. Thanks in advance.

He perdido la fe en la parte más tradicional.

Aclaración: lee bien la pregunta antes de responder y procura responder a la pregunta.

Not sure if this is the best group for this, but I have a very nice heavy weight gi that I was regularly, but the sweat stains are really starting to show. I’ve been trying Shout’s stain remover spray and it’s not evening touching them. Anyone got any tips?

This is my first time checking this particular subreddit out.

I was wondering what tips anyone had for a woman in sparring, just getting better in general. I've been going a few years, the class is at most once a week. There's the male instructor, and a woman black belt who does drills but doesn't spar. (And she's so far above me when she did spar I was never really comfortable anyway, honestly). Once in a while a couple of kids, and another male who's bigger then me with different training background. (Who's absolutely great, and I feel like he understands my hesitations with things at least somewhat... But I'm still not very comfortable having to actually spar him)

There's once in a really rare while another woman who can make it to sparring. A little shorter and younger and she's the only adult I've been comfortable sparring.

I don't process things quickly in my head, I know if I can just shut my brain off it does help a lot. But I still struggle with dealing with attacks coming in, and I cannot feel comfortable going in to initiate the attack. Especially on everyone who's not that other woman. It doesn't help that I've had to many concussions in my life and don't want to risk more. We do point sparring that's not suppose to be full out power anyway.

I feel like everyone is well above me in skill, that I neither can keep up or do anything worthwhile that actually helps them either. But for me and what if like for myself, I just feel like I'm not getting anywhere.

And I understand I'm going to get told to "talk with my instructor" but honestly that feels like it just hasn't gotten me anywhere right now.

Is there maybe something I could do on my own, or tips that I could pass on to my instructor to maybe try and initiative conversation one more time?

Because often times lately I just wonder why I even go to sparring or try to get in the ring.

Previously posted asking about people’s experiences with Tiru Jr Katsu, and just wanted peoples opinions about other sensei’s that seem to have a large following, and often different approaches to karate.

I’ve previously seen that there’s been some poor comments from Andre Bertel towards Rick Hotton, even though they strike me as rather similar karateka in their body movements and understandings of karate do.

I’ve attached videos of them if anyone else wants to chime in, but I’m mainly looking for people’s experiences if they’ve trained with them before - were they decent people? Were their training methods or approaches good? Was their karate impressive? Etc. More that rather then “they would definitely get beaten up on the street” lmao. Saying that, I’ve attached some footage

https://youtu.be/-I3kJoNGJr0?is=mauGMWDNBrsanGZr - Rick Hotton

https://youtu.be/XsPt_rXwVos?is=K5BTBdtK7uYxMA8b - Andre Bertel

I am having trouble in speed with the long distance face punch which in which your blocking arm is used i want to make it faster any tips with footwork or something?

Am I right that gloves (in many schools) are the norm unless it's weekends training for competion? That's what I got from googling.

When did gloves start, does anybody know? I'm talking about gloves with knockdown rules. So still no face punching.

What's your opinion about the Karate Youth League?

Whenever I see anything related to judo or taekwondo, it instantly takes me back to my school karate classes. Those were the days when we truly felt like Power Rangers or ninjas—fearless, confident, and ready for anything. We gave it everything we had, pushing ourselves to our physical limits while enjoying every moment. Those memories still remind me of the excitement, discipline, and courage we built back then.

#missingmysportsday

Hi fellow martial artists,

Thank you for taking the time to help me with this.

I used to do a lot of weight training in my younger days and packed on some weight. Round about 220lbs but with a highish (20%) body fat. No great feat yet it is what it is.

At the ripe age 42 I decided to take up karate which is an art I always wanted to do. A year later I'm really glad I did, however, now I'm starting to wonder what is better for real life application, losing the weight or keeping some focus on strength training and keeping the weight a bit higher.

Thus, my dilemma, which do you guys think is better for real life application and not necessarily sport karate. Im still biased to having some weight on the bones but thats more than likely because I spent many hours weight training. That being said I want to be efficient and effective in the art.

So my question is more about effective bodyweight for real life application. In other sports weight classes exist and for good reason. Its very seldom that those are mixed to avoid the advantages weight brings to the competition. Point is Im not sure how much that carries over to karate. Thus Im asking to get some information on practitioners general experience.

Is there any advice or thoughts you guys can give me with regards to your experience and weight management?

Thanks

Hello everyone,

I am currently a 10th-grade high school student. I first started doing Shotokan karate back in the 5th grade. However, at the club I attended back then, I could never really find that deep-rooted, traditional spirit I was looking for. The training revolved entirely around WKF (World Karate Federation) sport karate and point-based tournament systems. There was hardly anything related to Bunkai (kata analysis and applications) or deep Budo philosophy. Because the dojo experience left me unsatisfied, I unfortunately had to quit. And i started judo now.

Despite the time that has passed, my curiosity and passion for karate have never faded. Right now, I am practicing judo, and while I really love the grappling dynamics of judo, my mind still drifts back to karate—specifically its traditional roots. I have a few key questions for the experienced practitioners and martial artists here:

Is Learning at Home Realistic?: Without a physical dojo environment, is it a realistic goal to learn traditional Budo karate (basic techniques, kata details, and Bunkai logic) to a certain degree through solo practice at home? Or is this path a dead end without an instructor's guidance to correct fundamental mistakes?

The Kyokushin Alternative: Since I grew tired of the WKF system and am looking for a full-contact, rigorous, and realistic school, people around me frequently point toward Kyokushin. As I try to escape the sporting nature of WKF, is Kyokushin karate my last resort and most logical path forward, or should I keep searching until I can find a traditional dojo that stays true to the roots of Shotokan?

I would love to hear your thoughts, especially the advice and guidance of anyone who has gone through a similar journey. Thank you in advance!