Author: Ash Prime

Enso is 8!

Hi all. Welcome back. Term 4 marks 8 years of Enso Karate! I thank everyone who has supported us over the years. While many people come and go in martial arts, we have a strong core group that have been with us for a long time now. It’s a great pleasure to see people learn and grow over the years.

We will have grading at the end of term 4 for those who are ready to advance. Next week, in preparation for this we will have pre-grading evaluations of kata requirements. This is for those who are keen and feel ready to grade to demonstrate their kata. Those who can adequately perform the required kata will be invited to test for their next belt at the end of term. This will allow plenty of time to refine kata and focus on the applications for grading.

Grading is to give recognition of progress and knowledge of karate. A reward for effort and dedication. There is no requirement to grade. It’s always optional. There is no rush to grade. Students should take their time and be confident in their knowledge for each level before attempting to advance.

Please ensure training fees are paid by the end of week 2 or let me know if you need to pay over time.

Thanks.

Attention Ipswich members. I have just been advised by Girl Guides that the toilet in the hall is currently out of order and will not be repaired until next week. The closest toilet is in Queens Park up the top near the animal center. It’s a bit of a hike (or a short drive). I know this is inconvenient and Guides are very apologetic. Additionally there is significant sand on the grassy area as work has recently been done on the property. Please avoid the sand. The shelter and space behind the hall will be available for use. This will also be addressed by Guides as soon as possible. Thanks.

Term 4 starts Monday October 5.

Private Lessons Available

Openings available for private karate lessons at my home dojo Eastern Heights. Private lessons allow us to spend more time on content catered to the individual.

Suits one or two participants.
$50 for 1 hour.
$25 for half hour.

Kettlebell strength training also available.

Spaces limited. Email karate.ipswich@gmail.com to discuss.

Home Practice Help

It can be hard to practice at home. From motivation to distractions, there’s many things to overcome to get regular, effective practice at home happening. Here’s a few things that can help. 

Routine. Making practice a regular occurrence helps to form a habit and become something you just do. Setting a reminder for a specific, convenient time of day is really useful. When the reminder goes off, you do the thing. I like to start the day with at least one Sanchin kata. That way I’ve at least done something and often it leads to more practice. 

Preparation. Take a moment to prepare for training. Gather your gear. Put on your karate-gi or other specific training clothes to help mentally prepare for training. While you can easily do some practice in whatever you are wearing, I find a more intentional preparation leads to more focused training. 

Space. Anywhere can be your dojo, but having a dedicated training space that’s always available is helpful. No need to clear an area, just get in and go. It doesn’t have to be a big space. A few square meters can be enough. A patio, shed or under shady tree can make great training spaces. Maybe you can find a tree or beam to hang a punching bag. 

Support. Not everyone has Sensei at home but a parent, sibling or friend can provide encouragement and assistance with various aspects of training. Whether it’s someone to hold a pad to kick, practice kata applications on or just say “hey it’s time to practice”, we all need support. 

Fun. Do the things you enjoy. Hopefully there’s plenty of aspects of karate that you actually like to do. I know it’s probably push-ups, right? While it’s important to work on all aspects, doing the fun stuff can be a great way to get into practicing more. So if you like hitting pads, do that a lot and then do a bit of other stuff like kata and stretching. If you have someone to practice sparring or kata applications make sure it’s clear what you are doing and be careful. When you enjoy practice, you’ll get more out of it and do more of it. Figure out what you like. 

Hope this helps. Go practice. 

That’s the end of term 3. Thanks everyone. I continue to see strong effort and great progress all around.

Please keep up some practice over the break to maintain what you have gained.

Term 4 starts Monday, 5 October (a public holiday but class is on).

Week 10

We are now entering the last week of term 3. In preparation for the break and term 4 grading I have a new element to introduce:

Pre-grading evaluations.

The next grading will be at the end of term 4. Grading is a test of knowledge, skill, fitness, dedication and overall progress. To assess preparedness for grading, I will be introducing pre-grading evaluations, which will take place early in term 4 (week 1 or 2).

These evaluations will primarily focus on kata performance to determine who is ready to grade. Kata holds the knowledge of karate and as such, it is an essential aspect of grading. Those who can demonstrate their required kata will then be invited to test for their next belt at the end of term. It should be clear to the individual whether or not they know their kata. While we frequently work on kata in class, it is essential to continue working on them outside of class to ensure retention and development.

This early evaluation is designed to encourage students to prepare well in advance, showing their dedication and intention to grade and allow time to further refine their kata and applications before grading. With two weeks break between terms, it is easy to neglect practice. It is my hope that with this evaluation on the horizon, students will put in the effort required over the break to ensure they are ready.

If anyone has questions about their kata requirements or anything else, please reach out.

Bingo! I’ve been very impressed with the effort students have put into Karate Bingo. Many students have completed a full bingo card and a few have completed several. See photo. Great work. I still have plenty of bingo cards available for those who want to continue.

This week I will be giving out weekly training log sheets as seen in the photo. This is a more general training record with recommended activities and space for additional activities along with boxes to fill in details for each day. Students can choose the amount they do and how often. I recommend doing at least a small amount of practice every day. Home practice is essential for higher grades to advance and evidence of this will be required to grade further. While this is a non-grading term, those who wish to advance should be continuously working towards their requirements.

Reminder that mouth guards are now a mandatory requirement for sparring in 9+ class. Those without mouth guards will not be able to participate in sparring.

Halfway through term 3 already!

Please ensure training fees are up to date. 

Mouth guards are required for 9+ students. Those without a mouth guard will be unable to participate in some elements of training. This is a safety issue. Mouth guards must be brought to every class. 

Additionally, please ensure finger and toe nails are cut short and no jewelry is worn in class. 

Bingo! It’s been a good few weeks of Karate Bingo with many students having a go and a few completing their card several times. Great effort all round. This week comes Legendary Karate Bingo. It’s a big one. 

Motivation and Discipline 

Motivation is the spark of desire  to do something. You want to do it or at least like the idea of it.

Discipline is following through and doing what’s required, despite feelings. 

Breaking it down further we have 

external and internal motivation and discipline.

External motivation comes from wanting the reward, your next belt for example. Internal motivation comes from enjoying the actual experience, you enjoy the training, not just the reward. This can fluctuate. Sometimes you have lots of energy and are keen to go. Other times, you are tired or interest is waning and it’s less enticing. You can try to increase motivation by reminding yourself why you like it. Having inspirational material is helpful. Books, movies, games and such can all provide inspiration and motivation. I like to watch karate movies and technical videos, play martial arts video games and read books on karate history. 

External discipline could also be thought of as obedience. You follow instructions or orders for fear of punishment. This can get the job done but can also build a habit based on fear rather than personal drive. Internal discipline however is the willpower to do a thing even when you don’t feel like it to achieve your goal. Maybe you don’t feel like training today, but you know you have to if you want to improve so you just do it. This develops a healthy habit and a stronger mindset that allows you to push through difficult mental or physical feelings that are holding you back. 

Both motivation and discipline and important in martial arts (and anything else you want to achieve) but motivation can be fleeting. It can come and go with changes in mood or energy. This is when discipline is most important. More specifically, internal discipline. There won’t always be someone there telling you what to do. You are responsible for yourself.

It can take time to develop strong internal discipline. It doesn’t just happen. It’s something to work on. A simple method to start is daily routine. Every day at a set time, do  one minute or one set of the thing you want to improve. Set a reminder and just do it. Gradually increase the duration or add variety. In time this will become a habit, just part of your daily routine. You will see results and increased internal discipline. It won’t always be easy. Motivation is still a factor, but when you develop the skill to just do the thing, it becomes easier to bypass the negative feelings.