Therefore, I suggested at Monday's training session that if the registered subscribers to the blog reached at least 10, then I would commit to regular entries. In case you are unsure, a subscriber is someone that has indicated that they would like to be informed by email that a new blog entry has been posted.

I am pleased to say that the magical mark has already been reached, so true to my word, blogging will now recommence.

However, it would be nice to hear from subscribers, or indeed non subscribers, if there is anything specific that you would like me to cover in future blog articles. I am not concerned about the diverse nature of topics that this could generate, but please remember that all opinions expressed are my own, and not necessarily representative of White Tiger Martial Arts as an organisation, or any of the other Instructors or senior students.

Obviously karate and martial arts related topics would be sensible due to the nature of the blog! Please feel free to leave a comment to this post, or if you would prefer to remain anonymous to the internet community, you can email me at wtma@live.co.uk.

I look forward to more blogging activity soon!

Sensei

I'm sure that those of you that have trained with me for some time will have realised that my expectations of myself and my students are often unreachably high, and in some instances, impractical or damn right unattainable.

As much as I truly believe that aiming high should never be seen as a fault or weakness, I also appreciate that not everyone will share my determination to continue to improve and develop as a martial artist, or share my passion for karate, and everything that it has given me.

However, whatever your own expectations of yourself as a martial artist are, there is only one sure fire way to achieve them, and that is REGULAR training.

The benefits of training on a regular basis should be obvious to everyone, but just in case, here are the main ones:

a) You will continue to improve and develop, while learning a balanced amount of each part of the syllabus

b) You are more likely to be selected for grading assessments

c) Your Instructors will notice your dedication and commitment, and really enjoy teaching you and pushing you forward

The problems of not training on a regular basis should also be obvious to everyone, but again, here are the main ones:

a) Your development will slow, you will have gaps in your knowledge and ability, and because of this, your enthusiasm and drive will begin to wither

b) You are unlikely to be selected for grading assessments, and because of this, your enthusiasm and drive will wither even further

c) Your instructors will notice your lack of dedication and commitment, your disappearing enthusiasm and drive, and wonder whether they should devote any more time to teaching you

Ok, so the last one is a bit harsh, but put yourself in the instructor's position. They are having to teach you differently to the rest of the class because you haven't learnt what everyone else has. This usually ends up with a student complaining that they don't know what they are doing, when they really only have themselves to blame for missing the previous sessions.

So what am I driving towards with this post? I totally appreciate that it is not possible for every student to make every session, but I do look at the attendance figures very carefully, and it is not too difficult to notice patterns emerging.

It usually starts with the odd missed session, maybe through work or holiday, and then this slips to every other session. Before long, there are more sessions being missed than attended, and then it is not long before the student stops training altogether. I have taught for too long not to notice these patterns, and that is why I assume students that have not trained for four weeks without advising me in advance have resigned from the club.

There are many reasons why students cannot train, such as illness, injury, work or holiday, and these are all totally understandable, but that is why you have to train on a regular basis for the rest of the time, so if you get held up at work one evening and have to miss a session, or the school is closed and the session cancelled as per last week, it does not end up with a month's gap in your training.

If you are making excuses not to train, then you really need to think where you see your karate heading in the long term. I hate missing any sessions, and I know there are a few of you that share this feeling. That is why I have attended the last 88 consecutive sessions, and ignoring holidays, 215 consecutive sessions, last having to miss training through work on the 3rd of December 2008.

In this time have I been ill, injured or been invited to social events? Yes, of course I have, but my attitude and determination keeps me training through illness and injury, and my friends appreciate how important my karate is to me and understand that I will attend a meal or party on any other night, or arrive late on a karate night after a well earned shower! There is not much any of us can do about work commitments or holidays.

I can just about hear you say that it is easier for me when I'm feeling ill or carrying an injury because I am teaching the session. Let me assure you that isn't the case, and when it is your turn, you'll understand.

Until next time

Sensei

Many people start Karate with big dreams, but many fall out along the way. Of course, everything starts with a dream, but it is up to us to make our dreams into realities. To reach the goal of Black Belt and beyond, it is not just a matter of dreaming of what could be, but of physically and mentally pushing to get there as well. People fall in love with the idea, but often don't realise the hard work it will take to get to the final destination.

Attending a session every couple of weeks isn’t going to get you there. Coming to classes and not trying your hardest isn’t going to get you there either. Paying your membership and session fees will not buy you your next grade - there’s no miracle that happens when you pay your fees. Your instructor is a guide and can help you along the way, but only you can get yourself to your final destination, and that only happens by hard work, dedication and commitment.

Sometimes a person comes along that has a huge talent, but cannot seem to focus into commitment and proper dedication. Often people who have half the talent of this person end up being twice as proficient. Why? Dedication, Commitment and Hard Work.

Yes, at times you will get frustrated and bored. Unfortunately not everything can be fun all of the time, it is a matter of pushing past this and keeping focused on where you ultimately want to be. It is these times that test your true character, and believe it or not, it is these times when the art truly becomes a part of you. As hard as it sometimes is, we must always remember our dream, and in turn, we must remember how we realise our dreams – hard work, and a never give up attitude. It is not enough just to want something – you must be prepared to stand up and go and get it.

Your instructor can open the door to your Karate, you must walk through it.

Remember - A black belt is just a white belt who never gave up!

Until next time

Sensei

It is normally around the time of the pre grading kata course that I get asked about session count and attendance requirements for grading selection.

To clarify, a student must reach, or be able to reach before the grading assessment, a prescribed number of attended sessions to be eligible for selection. This expectation rises as the student progresses through the grades, and is designed to keep pace with the increasing commitment that dedicated students demonstrate.

For the junior grades, normally regular attendance of one session per week, combined with the monthly courses, should be enough to see the requirement met and grading selection confirmed. For the intermediate and senior grades, attendance will need to increase to make sure of selection at every grading, although it is recognised that some students cannot make another session due to other commitments, and so continued attendance of one session per week is likely to result in selection for every other grading assessment.

However, as the title of this post questions, is it just a numbers game?

Does hitting the attendance requirement guarantee a place at the grading assessment?

Does missing the attendance requirement guarantee non selection?

The answer to all three of these questions is no! The session attendance requirement is just one of the factors for grading selection, and should not be considered on it's own.

For instance, consider two separate students each requiring 24 sessions for selection that have both only completed 20. One has taken twelve months to reach this figure, while the other has taken four. One has been ill or injured and still attended sessions even though they cannot participate, while the other has simply been absent. One has attended every course, while the other has decided that Sunday mornings are better spent in bed. Does either of these students deserve to attend the grading assessment? I'll leave it to you to decide.

I think you will probably now understand why, as much as a good indication of dedication and commitment a session count is, it cannot be used to make the grading selection decision alone. It is merely a tool to compare an individuals attendance against an expected benchmark, and does little to indicate whether that student is ready to attempt their next grade.

However, and this is a big however, the more sessions a student attends, the more chance they have of improving their technique, and ultimately passing their grading assessment with flying colours!

Until next time,

Sensei

This Wednesday's session was dedicated totally to defence against knife threats and attacks. This included threats from in front and behind, thrusts to the body, slashes to the body, over arm thrusts to the head, and knives held to the throat from the front and from behind.

We were of course using the rubber training knives, but they are still fairly weighty, and it is easy to forget that they are not the real thing. However, there are is an important point that I want to make about knife training:

A student that has attended one, or maybe more, knife training sessions, does not suddenly transform into an unarmed combat instructor whose speciality is disarming assailants armed with a knife or other sharp instrument.

As I say in every session, if you are being threatened with a knife and you only have a fiver in your pocket, just give it to them, rather than risk any injury to either of you. I wouldn't want anyone to attempt to put a value on what their life is worth, you can always get more possessions! Of course, remember as much as you can, and report it as soon as possible to the police.

A threat is definitely different from an attack though, as the assailant wants something when threatening, and this situation is unlikely to turn into an attack (unless you provoke them).

If you are unfortunate enough to find yourself being attacked with a knife without any warning, then you do need to defend yourself, and the most important task is to neutralise the knife, preferably by knocking it away. At least then you are both unarmed, and as a trained martial artist, you will undoubtedly have the upper hand.

I hope that none of you are ever faced with defending yourself against a knife threat or attack, but I fear it is becoming the weapon of choice, and appears in the news stories nearly every day.

Sensei

Hello, and welcome to the first entry in my new blog.

It will not have gone unnoticed by all those that attended last night's session that it was very warm in the dojo before the session had started, and much warmer once the session was over.

There is not much we can do to ventilate the dojo any more than we do, so it is down to each and every student to make sure that they take on enough fluids before, during, and after the session to replace what is being lost.

The dangers of dehydation are severe, as the following, courtesy of Arthur Matthews, demonstrates:

1% - You'll feel thirsty

2% - You'll feel parched and have a loss of appetite, and unknown to you, you'll experience a 20% reduction in your capacity for exercise

4% - Tiredness, nausea and emotional instability will kick in

6% - You'll start to lose colour and will probably experience waves of acute nausea, agressiveness and irritability

10% - Very severe symptoms present themsleves and your thermo regulation systems breakdown, leaving you unable to control your body temperature

11% - Sometime soon you are going to need urgent medical attention to restore the chemical imbalances that are going on in your body. You need hydration quickly

20% - You have reached the limits of what your body can take

21% - That's it, you are off to that big drinking fountain in the sky

So next time you forget your drinks bottle and don't rush back to get it, consider the impact of just a 2% drop in hydration levels on your performance!

Sensei