There is no pressure to be fit,
as you work at your own pace or as hard or easy
as you want. We start the class with a good warm
up and stretch so you will be ready for the
training that follows. Martial Arts will provide you
with improved
flexibility, coordination, balance, muscle
strength and muscle tone, not to mention fat
loss. You will notice an improvement with each
class.
We often hear concerns such as "I have no
coordination, I am not flexible enough, I am not
fit enough", but remember, you train to get fit.
You don't need to get fit to train.
You won't develop a "Karate muscle". Karate
training exercises almost every muscle of your
body. Will you be sore after your first ever
Karate training session? Quite likely! But this
is completely normal for any exercise activity
that you're not used to. It would equally apply
to Salsa Dancing or to your first ever round of
Golf!
Students are often worried
joining in with other students who have
already been training for some time.
However, holding specific beginners-only
classes is not the best way to teach someone
Martial Arts. You may end up with the blind
teaching the blind, where no one knows what
is going on.
By placing beginners in with the more
advanced students, they are able to copy
correctly what the other students as well as
the instructor is doing. And as we practice
partner work, you will be paired with a more
advanced student who can correctly show you
what to do. In this way we are able to teach
you Martial Arts at a much faster rate.
The Gi is the traditional uniform of
Martial Arts, and its main purpose lies in its
functionality. During your introductory
class you will be given a FREE Gi valued
around $ 35.00 that will last you for quite
some time with proper care.
A Gi has the advantage that it is very
robust and comfortable at the same time.
Typically a Gi has sleeves short enough that you don't get caught with
your fingers. It allows
you great freedom of motion, and for a
beginner it also has a psychological effect,
as it makes you feel more "real" when you
wear the Gi. You also feel as if you fit
in better with all the other Gi-wearing
students.
Many Martial Arts schools
only have 3 to 8 in a class (7 years old
and older), mostly
because they have a small student body.
Martial Arts schools that are high
quality and FUN will usually have
classes ranging from 8 to 30 students;
if they have
anything less for Karate Kids or
Teen/Adults, ask why.
The advantage of larger class sizes is
obvious.
At East West Karate each Karate Kid
class has 1 Black
Belt Senior Instructor and often 1-3 Teen
Junior Instructors. Our Teen/Adult
classes are led by 1 Senior
Master Instructor. Our Instructor to student
ratio allows us to have larger classes
for FUN and Excitement and at the same
time to provide 1-on-1 detail time with
each student covering all phases of
Martial Arts training; Basics, Kicks,
Techniques and Forms.
Our Senior Master Instructor leads
all classes; Little Dragons,
Karate Kids and Teen/Adult, in such
a way that
allows dedicated time for each student.
In many schools
students
are lost in classes.
I have been teaching
Karate for many years and in that time
have taught beginners from 3 years to 62
years old.
With advanced age, everyone may find one
or another technique harder or
difficult to perform. Don't let this
deter you. Karate is a Martial Art, and
as such it is a self-defense system, not a
display of superhuman ability. There is no shame in not
being able to pull off a jump spinning
inward crescent kick. In real life in a real
situation simple front kicks or side
kicks would be the better option.
You will gain all the benefits of
Martial Arts in terms of self
defense skills and improved health, regardless at which age you
start. With increased maturity you will
also be in a better situation to judge
what exactly YOU want to gain from
Karate training, and you will be able to
focus on that in our classes - this way
you'll gain maximum enjoyment and
benefit from Martial Arts training, regardless
of your age.
The injury risk in Martial Arts
is much lower than in most other sports. All
contact is controlled and the most you
would expect is the occasional lump or
bruise. Our classes are meant to teach
Karate - weekend warriors or bone-breakers and
street thugs are not welcome, and you
won't find them in our classes.
Broken bones and noses as well as knee
and joint injuries common with most
popular sports are in fact very uncommon
in American Kenpo Karate.
It is the responsibility of the
instructor
and students to ensure a safe environment.
Rules are widely known and each student
is expected to show respect to the
school, instructors and other students
by obeying the rules designed for
safety.
You will be better
equipped to defend yourself from day
one! At the end of your first class you
will know how to perform several punches
and kicks correctly as well as how to
block and evade your attacker.
At each following class you will build
on this, getting better every class you
attend. Your confidence will also grow
with your newly-found skills which will
also benefit in keeping you out of
trouble in the first place.
Some people say that
"you learn Karate so you'll never use
it"; We feel
fighting is WRONG! Unfortunately,
it is sometimes necessary.
As we grow older we all
have some legacies of previous sports
played or work related injuries. With
Martial Arts training you can simply work
around them, if something in the
training is not good for you, you can do
something else.
The general rule is: It is your body and
you know it best, so when training be
aware of anything that may upset your
injury.
In our classes of
American Kenpo Karate, you can expect to be
taught correctly a practical method of
self defense that may one day save your
or a loved one's life.
With continued Karate training, you will
gain...
- Fitness
- Confidence
- Flexibility
- Improved reflexes
- Coordination
- Muscle strength
- Relaxation
In addition to these obvious physical
benefits, you will also find a
strengthening of your character, and you
will gain peace of mind that you are
able to defend yourself in any
situation.
Forms or
Katas are an integral part of Karate
and many other Martial Arts. Martial Artists
follow a particular sequence of
movements that include the attack and
defense against one or several imaginary
attackers. Practicing Forms/Katas is a good way
of exercising the pure form of
Techniques.
As the student progresses through the
ranks more
and more Forms/Katas are mastered.
Forms/Katas
are an important aspect of the
belt advancement process, where students undergo
an examination process that culminates
in the award of a belt whose color
indicates the achieved skill level of a
student.
Forms/Katas are the blueprints for certain
styles, but it is natural and often
cannot be avoided that individual
Master Instructors change Forms/Katas, or the
order of the Forms/Katas, or other aspects of
the Forms/Katas to better fit with their
understanding of their style. Direct lineage
Instructors basically
imply that they have learned it from
the Founder or the current Grand Master, and thus their interpretation of
Forms/Katas and other aspects of their style is
undiluted and preserves aspects of
the style, including Forms/Katas, in the way it
was meant to be.
The Belt system in Karate has been
introduced for a variety of reasons. In
modern day, it is a sign of having
achieved a particular skill level that
gives the student an indication on how
they are progressing. As a visible sign,
belt colors let other
students in the class know what skill
level to expect from their fellow
students. This makes partner training
easier, and the newer students know
where to look for the more experienced
students.
In American Kenpo Karate at East West
Karate there are 12 stages where
students go from White Belt to
ultimately testing for Junior Black Belt
(Kids) or Black Belt 1st Degree (Adults).
The Belt advancement procedure typically involves
a session where experienced Instructors
or Assistant Instructors (typically Black belts
or Junior Black Belts with advanced belt
experience) examine the performance of
the students, including Techniques and
Forms/Katas. The further you advance in
the study of Karate, the more precision
and intensity is expected in
the performance of all techniques.
East West Karate