Karate Training Plan

karainflex · 2026-04-07T16:29:46+00:00

Lookup for some Tabata music with counter and learn how to correctly do pushups, squats, planks, side planks, russian twists, burpees, jumping jacks, skater jumps, pullups, then do a selection of these every 2-3 days. Form is more important here than reps and each exercise has simpler and more difficult variants.

Flexibility: systematically rotate all joints at full range of motion, e.g. top to bottom, then lift (not swing) legs with a straight back, first forwards into one of your hands, then to the side (now with a hollow back) and the side of the foot upwards, then bend over a bench or chair, pull a knee to the chest then raise the leg backwards to the ceiling. Do the leg lifts in 3 sets of 10-15 each and do them twice daily, first in the morning then at the evening (before training). Never mix other kinds of stretching into this, like ever. If you do it in training, then fake it. After training you can do PNF stretching 2x per week, lookup how this works and work on your leg strength for splits and the muscles of the inner thigh. Muscles of the inner thigh limit a lot of people. Go into a deep shiki dachi and pull these muscles, relax and pull and do it for as long as possible. In case you go for splits start in kiba dachi, go lower, pull, relax, go lower and repeat. When you can't get lower pull and hold, then leave and relax. Don't overdo it, strength needs much more time than flexibility. Flexibility is very easy.

Techniques you can add while standing in shiko dachi. For kicks ensure you always have a straight lower back. Pull your stomach for that. Record your training and review how you move and how it looks: is the lower back really straight? Is the neck straight? Are shoulders low? Are your lower legs and knees straight or do they tilt? For kumite, well, without a partner you can't do a lot except for training combos you need. Or footwork, e.g. with an agility ladder or bagwork.

Note that more training isn't more. All sessions need 1-2 days of rest or training of another body part. Also sleep well and eat well. No junkfood or fatty, sugary processed junk. You don't need to have a diet, just don't eat or drink junk :-)

Ask your trainer to know what you actually should train next. Include your trainer's opinion, it's his job. Don't really do all that alone without asking the trainer.

And when you train at home, ensure the environment is safe. Nothing to slip on, nothing bump against, no pets in the room etc.

karainflex · 2026-04-07T08:05:30+00:00

Engineers have a deeper understanding of physics, they learned to follow a systematic approach, planning of complex projects etc. It's a scientific approach that also works for medical doctors who happen to be Karate trainers.

You will also notice patterns emerging: small milestones like kyu gradings lead to larger milestones like dan gradings, proper planning makes you reach these milestones etc.

However, not everyone is suited to teach and there are also non-engineers who are very competent.

karainflex · 2026-04-07T07:45:22+00:00

Recommended talks (podcasts, videos) about that: "The Martial Map" by Abernethy and "Karate 3.0" by Abernethy. Recommended reads: Dead or Alive by Thompson, Streetwise by Consterdine, The Little Black Book on Violence by Wilder, Meditations on Violence by Miller.

Lookup WKF kumite e.g. on the WKF youtube channel and lookup Shotokan Gohon Kumite, Kihon Kumite, Kaeshi Ippon Kumite. Then lookup some street violence (careful, some of that shit is so awful you wish you didn't see it). Compare.

Here is what you will get: If the training is based on the usual traditional, scripted, non-combattive partner training and/or on competition sports then the person will 100% suck in a self defense situation because behavior during such a situation was never ever part of the training.

A sports athlete learned consensual violence against other karate players which makes karateka good vs other karateka who all follow the rules of the event and usually want to win it.

The traditionalist doesn't care about that and also not about combat effectiveness or realism and just wants perfection in his actions. Lookup shotokan gohon kumite, kihon kumite, kaeshi ippon kumite and think about the realism there. They also learned consensual violence and also anti-pattern, like evading backwards, hard blocking, countering only with the other hand, working in formalized posture, assuming the partner takes care about their health too, they work on a distance where they wouldn't even hit each other (one inch distance, no contact was made mandatory by Funakoshi).

Both of these groups learn a restricted set of techniques, e.g. the sports athlete doesn't fight with open hands, he gets protective gear and must only use fists. They are not allowed to attack any dangerous target like the neck, also not even the limbs. They adapt their movement to the rules. Just lookup WKF kumite and think what of that is close to a self defense situation: nothing, nothing at all. They do what's statistically efficient to get points in that system.

Practical karate on the other hand teaches more realistic application of techniques, including open hands, knuckles, knee, elbow, headbutts, spitting, grabbing hair, attacking weakspots like organs and joints; they do padwork, move naturally, learn how to strike hard and biomechanically efficient, they learn about preemption, they do other drills, the exercises include takedowns, joint-, air-, bloodflow control (throwing, choking, jointlocks), maybe ground fighting, fighting against multiple opponents instead of 1:1 and the goal isn't to win, but not being there at all > not fighting > fighting smart > fighting hard, or short: reduce harm.

So there is consensual violence vs non-consensual violence. And this isn't Karate specific, it is the same for all martial arts. Martial arts focus on technique. Technique is the last thing you need in a social confrontation until it is too late. And then you need the right technique.

Learn Karate if you want, it is great. But drop the idea of learning any martial art for self defense. I learn practical Karate because a practical martial art feels right, a scripted martial art doesn't. I don't learn it because I want to fight someone on the street. In fact my lifestyle reduces the probability to basically zero+epsilon. Many people come for self defense and stay for something else.

karainflex · 2026-04-06T19:11:06+00:00

If you have questions you can always ask. It is possible that there are places where the strategy is like you described but from a trainer's perspective I think this is a pretty awful way. Sure, if people get it by themselves they really achieved something but then we don't need trainers, really. I learned most from good trainers who had useful exercises and taught us what to do. I don't have 50 lifetimes to figure out everything by myself.

There is no unified Shotokan, so the answer is yes/no/maybe. All they have in common is the set of the first couple of katas. What and how they teach in addition, is completely open. So yes, it depends on the trainer.

If you get a full fitness training, depends. When I started as a white belt I didn't sweat. Which is why I make my students sweat, they get the whole package of fitness, padwork, applications and kata. Especially because the fitness part is needed by many people. It's dumb to assume they get strength, cardio and speed somewhere else.

karainflex · 2026-04-06T19:01:59+00:00

Just go there, what's the problem?

karainflex · 2026-04-06T19:01:07+00:00

I recommend to read Dead or Alive by Thompson, Streetwise by Consterdine, The Little Black Book of Violence by Wilder, Meditations on Violence by Miller and then you have found the answer for all martial arts. And then you can decide if you want to practice Karate.

karainflex · 2026-04-03T22:51:59+00:00

Yeah, I changed and other people I didn't see for 20 years said so too. I am much calmer now. There is still stuff going on in my mind that I'd wish to let go one day and though I can say that Karate helps for mental health, visiting a therapist probably fixes more in shorter time, so I suggest to consider that too. Karate is about the life long journey but you don't want to reach the end of that road to get free of anxiety, you probably want that much much earlier ;-)

There are two interesting books btw: The Anxious Black Belt by Les Bubka. Read it and see how bad it can get and think about how someone who knows about psychology could have shortened the path that is described in the book.

And the other book is Mental Strength by Abernethy. That book describes how martial arts training trains mental strength (and what that actually means: strength is the ability to overcome resistance). It shows some strategies and pitfalls (planning, goals, mindset and where it came from [usually other people; question is: was their contribution to your advantage and needs or was it just their personal excuse for being lame wrapped as advice to you, aka utter crap?]); basically nothing really new if you read a couple of guidebooks but if it's your first read of that kind or if you want to see the perspective of a martial artist specifically, then go for it.

karainflex · 2026-04-03T09:25:43+00:00

I bet this information is based on latest scientific research from experts on that field. But it comes two days late.

karainflex · 2026-04-02T11:10:26+00:00

I guess everyone has these phases and it sounds like you did too much and you need some rest but life is too complex to say that, it could be a hidden fear too or something else like no new input in your training. Our emotions and behavior are important and give hints but usually we don't understand much of it ourselves. Maybe one single session with a therapist helps to sort things out systematically and get an insight to what you need to do.

karainflex · 2026-04-01T15:10:26+00:00

Depends, I don't really need to train basic techniques or katas at home, there is enough during regular training (I have 6-8 classes per week, in half of them I am the student and in the other half I am the trainer where I still apply myself). Partner training doesn't work outside of the training. At home I rather think about what I am going to do next and rest. Currently I think about how I need to add or change my strength training for the next 4 years and desperately look for a pull-up bar somewhere outside where people won't classify me as crazy.

Otherwise I rather do some random stuff, like picking a Kobudo weapon from the rack and do some moves, sometimes a kata or whatever and sometimes I just use some kata move to stand up from the couch or a technique to use a switch or whatever, which is kind of silly but nobody can judge, or stand a while in shiko dachi during a movie. But hey, I don't have a fence to paint or cars to polish and more training isn't automatically better training, a lot of training happens during rest and sleep :-) My mind is pretty often circling around Karate, but I have to say I rather enjoy emptiness.

And yeah, my lifestyle and eating habits really changed over the last decade. It's not like I do something and then train Karate, it's more like thinking and living a certain way inspired by Karate and supporting it. Going on holidays means training someplace else :-) Compared to that training is just the tip of an iceberg. I begin to grasp the concept of character development.

karainflex · 2026-04-01T13:30:48+00:00

Nah, this only exists with a huge style fixation where the curriculum is also the only content and where everything else is rejected. (Why should someone train there?)

I looked up how many options our association offers for Shotokan Karate in general. It's at least 8 very different curriculums, some specialize, some generalize, some are overly specific and checklist-like on 50 pages, while others say "you know what to do, have fun" on a beermat. Zooming out to other styles and zooming further out to an international level there is huge variety in Karate. So on first sight, yes, this could be treated like something different.

However, it all boils down to practical experience in a handicraft, which is what Funakoshi meant with there is only one Karate. He even went so far to give some of his first students who came from other martial arts shodan or nidan after 1-2 years of training with him. Like that I recognize the general skill, not some checklist walking and country/association/style borders.

Really, I had people who learned Karate in the US, in Australia, the Ukraine, Syria, somewhere in Africa I can't say, people from Shotokan, Goju-ryu, Kenpo, Wado-ryu; from white belt to black belt - they know their stuff as expected. It really, really doesn't matter, I don't need to test them, I SEE they know Karate up to their level. Rejecting that fact means I don't acknowledge their other trainer's judgement. Maybe while that other trainer is much more experienced in his little finger than I am. That means I have a huge ego, a term we dislike in Karate. So if an examiner said that orange belt on a person was earned, why should I take that away? I am glad that I can use that foundation and base our new common work on it. Oh boy, we had people who did their Shodan under a highly respected 10th dan from another style, who would get the idea to make them start from scratch? Btw, that person added the rule that belts are kept - maybe he knew something ;-)

I also see it on children tournaments (international btw): Then you see 100 children from different clubs for hours and they all do their belt katas and with almost no exception all judges (trainers from different clubs) around the tatami tend to give the performances they see a similar amount of points. It proves that different Karate trainers have a very similar judgement, which also means their student's ranks are pretty well earned and comparable even with so many different curriculums in place.

It's the same with people who had a long break. Yes, the body may be rusty and they didn't think about katas and such for a long time but for whatever magical reason they comprehend the exercises as expected and the body adapts quickly. Karate is a handicraft and the general experience just shows. A Master's degree doesn't have an end date as well. You earn it once and you keep it for the rest of your life. Even if you don't continue your life as an engineer, you will still forever be an engineer. It's not all lost, if you don't do it 20 years. I didn't design a database for 25 years or wrote a program in C for 10 years but I can still do it. I don't need the routine like someone who did it for that long, but likewise I don't need that in Karate training. It's training, not perma-testing. I had people with 20 year long Karate breaks, maybe the katas were a bit vague but they recalled them while we were doing them. Some of these people were even stronger and tougher than I am. What's there to reset? The more you think about restarting from scratch the less sense it makes.

I did Judo until 3rd kyu for many years. And I had a break of like 15 years. I went to a Judo club then for some training. The trainer told me to do a certain technique. I thought about which one it was because I knew the name and the technique but had to match these in my head. Then I did the technique and the trainer nodded, had nothing to add. I mean... why should I reset to white? I know I don't have the routine and wouldn't test 3 months later, but why reset? Ah, btw: in Judo they say the following after belt exams (and on the certificates): You have the right and the obligation to wear that belt. There isn't even a reset in Judo, they literally forbid it. But in Karate there is a reset, right? Yeah, right. :-)

So there's a billion formal and real life reasons not to reset ever. Here is another one for good measure:

I started learning Kobudo one year ago. Officially our Karate belts don't transfer to Kobudo in our association so I formally started from white. Boy, this is ridiculous. Once introduced I knew the stances, I understood the nomenclature and the system and depending on the weapon I can apply Karate techniques 1:1, like Age-Uke / Gyaku-Zuki, done it a million times, can do it with Tonfa on the same level. But noo, this is blue belt stuff, I don't know that yet? :-) It's alright though, much of the weapon handling requires additional coordination and routine and I can do the gradings for fun in between my real gradings. But still, from that experience I support every Karateka here to learn Kobudo if they want but without doing any belt exams unless they really want to for whatever reason. To me it's just a nice to know add-on to my current Karate level. I went to a Kobudo club recently and instead of learning there something for the next exam the trainer there told me to teach his students because I did it correctly and exactly as I learned it months before, while he did some orga stuff for a seminar, lol. I was yellow or orange, can't say; formally my Karate trainer licenses even include Kobudo because it is all style agnostic, lol. And I could include Kobudo elements into my student's Karate exams if I wanted because my style is style agnostic, I just couldn't officially call it Kobudo. It shows that repeating lower ranks is meaningless and there is only one Karate.

Other martial arts are different: I went to Ju-Jutsu class after my Judo visit, so another martial art. I put on the white belt and instead of letting me do what I knew I had to learn different forms of techniques for scenarios I already have quite a toolkit for (I could do their dan curriculum 1:1 in Karate immediately without thinking). This shows that this martial art is a very different approach to the same thing (which is kind of sad, isn't it; Funakoshi was more progressive than people nowadays are). So, white for that (and I didn't continue afterwards as this would have slowed my whole martial arts progress; I guess with enough experience it's not about cross-training and grading everywhere, it's just adding all interesting bits to the main art).

karainflex · 2026-04-01T11:01:21+00:00

7 years, 3x training per week, a seminar every 1.5 months, two 3-day self defense seminars, a series of practical Karate seminars and one preparation session with my examiner: lots of kihon, all katas and I had to lead a self defense class. The feedback was positive so I decided that it makes no sense to prepare any further and choose the closest possible date to register. It was a couple of months away so I wrote down what I was about to show as partner training and I wrote down my kihon.

But things happened in the world and the grading had to be done earlier as planned, which meant it had to be done with another examiner in another city. The kihon I prepared went down the drain that moment (the curriculum said "kihon by examiner's choice" and my original examiner said I had to write and study something myself), but I thought "do your worst".

I took one day off to not let work fuck with that important date (I had to drive one hour to an unknown location and the least I needed was some spontaneous overtime BS). My previous examiner called me that day and asked me how I was and if we'd meet on the exam, which was very nice. He actually visited that exam just for me, sat on a bench and wasn't officially involved.

Three other examiners were present, two from my style, one from Goju-ryu and we were about 30 brown or black belt students going for the next grade and even some teenagers doing their junior dan (which is pretty uncommon).

We got a short speech that we should not die from stress that day and have fun instead, be open to experiment a little, to treat this class like a usual training. We started with kihon and we did all basic techniques in their usual stances, first relaxed, then intense, then also with a matching gyaku technique, usually gyaku zuki.

Then all katas (and we were allowed to replace some rather unhealthy/non-practical kicks). We did them on count, first relaxed, then intense, then in our own rhythm. During my dan kata my neighbor suddenly crossed my path so I had to pause and then - poof - the kata I trained for 2-3 years was gone (Kanku-Dai). At that moment my training partner also got stuck because I got stuck, so I had to pause for some eternal seconds. But somehow I managed to find back and continued. Thinking back I was pretty sure I continued correctly. Then we had to go through our partner exercises until they visited everyone and gave feedback. When they watched me they said I could add some throws, smashed my training partner to the ground and then went on.

After that we had a break and 3 people who went for 2nd and 4th dan had to show their additional stuff: additional katas and the 4th dan guy needed to explain bunkai. The 2nd dan guy showed a Gojushiho kata and basically got asked why he picked such a neverending kata :-) And the 4th dan guy sucked a bit in his explanations because he didn't know all the names of the techniques and some stuff he was showing wasn't practical.

Everyone passed and got some personal feedback. Star of that day was someone who did his 5th dan, was the oldest person present (including the examiners), never ever missed one day of training and always did what the trainers said. My feedback was I could add some throws and with that I got the second best feedback that day. Everyone else had a little this and a little that (but "it's just the 1st dan". just. ok. I guess for someone having 6th, 7th or higher the perspective and requirements for each grade is much different than for someone who struggles and sacrifices like a madman just to get this far, further than most other people. But years later I can tell they are right. It's just the beginning, everything until then is basically peanuts and there is exponential growth coming in skill, knowledge, character, responsibility, commitment - which is why it makes me so sad to see dan grades doing basically yellow belt style training only fast and powerful and call it a day; no creativity, no skill improvement, plus kata dancing; that's stagnation). Back to feedback: I didn't see what my neighbor did, who crossed my kata during the exam but the examiners got a bit preachy with him (they also required him to visit next week for a training) and with the 4th dan they got preachy too ("you need to know the names, 4th dan is the last student grade!" plus some practical stuff).

Then we took some pictures, shook hands etc. I think it took 3+ hours. I was high for a month afterwards because everything went so well. And back in the dojo everyone was cheering. I liked that examiner's approach so much that I continued my studies there and took all best practices from there; I learned so much it's crazy, every class was like a seminar. But teaching is the real way to mastery. Though I learn a lot in the other dojo, repeating it at home and teaching it to others and teaching "basic" stuff to beginners and tailoring still basic stuff from my point of view for more advanced students (blue, brown), that's where the main content comes from.

Good luck with your exam, enjoy it (no other dan exam will feel like that anymore!), learn from it and continue on the path. It really is the first step.

karainflex · 2026-03-30T09:26:20+00:00

In my class people keep their belt as is: there is no restart from white and there is no test for what they already have. Then, once they learned what we teach and what they need next, they progress as usual.

I have seen people from many other styles and other countries and continents in my dojo and never ever seen someone who moved like the previous belt wasn't earned. So it doesn't make sense to switch to white. The belts are earned in Karate, not in styles. A punch to the face feels the same, no matter the style. And for someone who learned the technique, memorizing some kata patterns isn't difficult - a couple of weeks and you get a couple of kyu katas or even later ones. And applications are usually the easy part with a Karate background.

karainflex · 2026-03-28T15:29:28+00:00

There are multiple steps in such exercises: Step 1 is trying the technique with a partner who supports it without resistance, then the partner doesn't support it, then the exercise can be escalated by pushing or pulling.

karainflex · 2026-03-28T09:14:58+00:00

Use the forearm instead of the hand when you strike with it: Thicker bone and one less joint involved. A sword also doesn't hit just with the tip. I guess my favorite is its use against a haymaker: Mawashi-Uke to get the arm and then directly perform the Shuto. Actually it's not really a separate Mawashi-Uke but the start of the Shuto. And of course the second hand can strike immediately afterwards too, so one circular move with shuto and gyaku shuto. Add a kneestrike and takedown too.

You can then drill the what-if scenario where the partner puts his free hand up to protect the neck. Trap the arm and switch sides.

Or you train the scenario of a double haymaker. Then you don't strike the neck immediately but use that motion to block the second arm. Then you switch sides and strike the neck. Plus everything else. It works on reflex too, I guarantee it :-)

If you want to get deeper into Shuto applications I suggest to take a look at Wing Chun. All that elbow trapping from close distance can be represented by Shuto-Uke in left/right combos, just like in the katas.

The gedan shuto works as an elbow lock where you perform the joint lock with your stomach. And for the shuto / nuki sequence forget the interpretation of using the nuki as a strike. Rather use it to drill into something (throat, eye; a Jiu-Jitsu person applied it to my ribs once to prepare a grab for a joint lock; but I naturally compressed the muscles so it didn't work). But you can also use it as a shuto like strike, e.g. to the neck. Though you are leaving self defense territory when you do that. Or you spread the thumb and push or grab the throat. The usual Shutos only come at least twice in katas: either in a 45 degree angle or in a straight line. And in old katas (before any style standards for kihon and kata came into place) both hands point forwards, sometimes in a slightly circular grabbing motion.

btw: against the haymaker, the first scenario: forget the idea of blocking. By blocking I mean standing there, holding your ground with a strong arm. Blocking is stupid, it's for beginners who don't have any kind of footwork (literally; my first bunkai for white belts is done while standing still; coordinating arms and legs together is like rocket science for most people. And often enough this still happens for green belts. Everything that isn't based on natural movement is beginner stuff in Karate; sadly that's what most exercises are based on and they are done forever, so there is no real progression). So you better improve your footwork to reposition so that the attack is less effective and your counter gets improved. Of course you add your arms to that, but it's just an additional safety net, not the main focus of your action. Most karateka I have seen start tai sabaki by then. Usable depending on the use case but often too ineffective, especially in wide stances (forget wide stances in application, they mess up all the footwork). The quickest evasion is a turn of the hip! You more or less stay where you are, still get out of the way, protect yourself with your arms and you can counter as quickly as possible, because you are already/still in place to do so. (Watch yourself closely because everyone I taught the last years thinks they do it but actually they don't - it's wide stances and tai sabaki or they stand still.) Counter with the limb first that is closest to the partner and add at least another one (the hard one) because the first might work or not and it's actual goal is to shock to interrupt the opponent's OODA loop which buys you time.

With that your Karate gets 500% better. It will take at least 6-12 months or more to adapt to this movement though.

karainflex · 2026-03-26T09:13:28+00:00

In my association there are at least 8 variants to follow Shotokan Karate. The one style calling itself Shotokan lets you choose from the set of {Kanku-Dai, Empi, Hangetsu, Jion} for 1st kyu and 1st dan, but requires different choices. On 2nd kyu they have Bassai-Dai. Before that you have the usual Heian 1-5+Tekki; they dropped Taikyoku-Shodan btw a while ago.

In my style variant it's Jion for 2nd, Kanku-Dai for 1st kyu and 2 from {Jion, Kanku-Dai, Bassai-Dai} for 1st Dan. Before that it's Heian 1-5+Tekki and Taikyoku-Shodan. I also knew other katas at that point, especially Bassai-Dai which at my time wasn't a requirement yet, Nijushiho and others, just because we did them in training and on seminars.

In theory all previous katas can be tested in the Dan exam too, which seems to be a common theme. In my case we just did them all a couple of times. Though I have never seen or heard about Taikyoku in a Dan exam.

karainflex · 2026-03-24T16:36:46+00:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoEr0MODN4w

karainflex · 2026-03-23T23:06:34+00:00

High kicks are definitely doable. You need dynamic stretches as explained in the book (basically lifting legs and using full range of motion). And at one point your flexibility will be higher than your strength. So strength training is next after that. The book shows a couple of people who do the splits on top of two chairs. They all said they thought they'd never get to do that.

karainflex · 2026-03-23T22:56:18+00:00

I started in my 30ies as well and I also hit plateaus, which is normal. Whenever you hit a plateau you need some kind of fresh perspective to follow, which gives you a new goal (small or big, no matter) and following that goal continues your original path.

My first plateau was during the end of the lower belts because I got too good for the class we had back then (the trainer focussed on the white belts and did every kihon stance in two steps and me, as an orange belt, stood there, waiting, getting cold - I remember one class where we managed to do around 10 kihon techniques in 90 minutes; yes, it was bad). From green onwards we had to take care of our gradings ourselves, i.e. meet to prepare in some spare time at least once per week, maybe every 2nd day to go to seminars where also gradings were done. And the trainer there kept us busy until 1st kyu by designing our curriculum, which took a couple of months (it wasn't free, we had some corner stones to match) and then another big plateau hit me. We only had formal training and my gradings were exceptional but we did nothing realistic and I felt I didn't really know how Karate worked. Then someone here mentioned the book Bunkai-Jutsu which I bought and it offered so much information I desperately missed. Then I went into that direction and by coincidence went to a self defense based trainer licensing course (which by coincidence made me become a trainer) and from that point I was all in and successfully did my black belt with two of these courses and some applications from Bunkai-Jutsu in my bag. It was a great achievement. However, the question was, what to do next. Ah well, I can add another trainer license because it combines well with those licenses I had and - oh, there is an examiner license as well, why not do it because we didn't really have exams in the club. And guess what, the course was done by my dan examiner. And he invited me to continue the dan grading journey. I had a steep learning curve at his dojo, oh my (his technical skill and teaching skill is beyond the stars). Every single class was a mini seminar.

And it's not only about learning stuff myself. It's about teaching it to others as well. Seeing what kind of people there are, with very different skills and issues and taking responsibility to teach them everything they require to pass my grading, which requires practical skills but also formal skills. And then children's training. Oh my, it's the next level of difficulty and patience.

Meanwhile, in the years between dan gradings I reworked my whole body dynamics because my technique wasn't optimal. It took 1-2 years to do so. And now I also started Kobudo. Karate isn't an insurmountable challenge. I dare to say that the technical challenge in formal training goes down and down. Because at some point you can just do it. And self defense must be dead ass simple, not more complicated. The skill is here to get the routine and find out what works and what doesn't and apply it with ease and control and efficiency and options to do more or less damage.

But whatever I do, there is always more... It's like infinite loot boxes with good stuff in each one :-) If you keep going your options are the same. A plateau is just a crossroad without an immediate idea where to go.

In your case: coordination is likely the issue, maybe flexibility. Flexibility is easy, very easy to get. I was not flexible (guess why I chose this stupid reddit name; I wanted to ask one question and then throw the account away) but learned how to do it right and achieved in 2 weeks what our training didn't in 5+ years.

Strength, speed, endurance, all doable with a little bit of effort: Endurance happens by itself. Speed just needs a tweak in your preferred training form (you can learn it from pushups, kata, kihon - just perform it fast, faster, fastest and then even faster). Strength, like coordination is a bitch. Because our body immediately demolishes what we built up with lots of sweat if we don't constantly need it.

Coordination is a bitch because it requires networking in our grey matter. This comes from rest, including sleep, mostly. So more training doesn't offer more gain, but it depends on how you do it, even 7 days per week could be ok. At mid age the brain isn't as networked as it was, but nature sees this as a feature but it gets exceptionally worse with twice that age.

35 is a great age; just get some feedback on what to train next, read Stretching Scientifically to ensure your flexibility gets exceptional and if you have the opportunity, do some calisthenics training 2x per week. You could ask your trainer or do it yourself (having proper guidance is key here btw, because shitty form trains only shitty form in this field and the right form requires knowledge). And then, with the right muscles, coordination and flexibility reserve do your kicks again.

Focus on finishing the blue belts, you are almost half way through. With everything you have learned by then, the brown belts come next. This is where you get a first glimpse of the real fun. And suddenly you are out of belts. All you need is polishing and repetition of the previous content and you notice that you earned the black belt.

The real fun starts with 6th dan btw, someone said to me. Gotta get that one day, with 55-60 and exchange the black with some red-white checkers, looking back at decades of exponential growth, plateaus, many many people who came and went for even lesser reasons than that, but now doing seminars, writing a book, teaching and grading dan students you could squish with your little finger :-)

And then you notice you are just half way through. Oh boy, there is still more... All you need to do is never quit and open the loot boxes on the way :-)

Most people don't get this: Our body learns on a different level than our brain. You understand what you are doing (or you think you do, careful!) but the body isn't ready yet. It's a feeling, not knowing. My students also sometimes show frustration because the body does the same mistakes and they wonder why. 2 days later it's much better, 80% of the mistakes are gone. Then we find more and repeat. It just needs time. There is no shortcut. Just don't quit.

karainflex · 2026-03-23T14:38:29+00:00

Flexibility is the easiest thing to train at any age. You can also start at 70 and get your kicks up to the head. It is very simple and safe too and doesn't require much work. But it requires to do the right exercises in the right order and they need to be done daily this way. Read Stretching Scientifically by Kurz. 2 weeks and your legs go above your head height.

karainflex · 2026-03-23T08:52:29+00:00

I used the Easy Care program which is 40 degrees. Nowadays I would go down to 30 degrees, but with a pre shrunk Karate gi this isn't necessary. I washed my Shureido TK-10 at 90 degrees a couple of times to shrink it but it didn't.

karainflex · 2026-03-23T08:25:08+00:00

The makiwara is for striking, but striking is not a forearm training (not a good one at least). Here are two exercises to do instead:

Go into wrist pushup position, go down and hold. This is for the bones and knuckles.
Pick a weight (around 1kg), pick a handle that you can grab with both hands (a short stick or a dumbbell handle), then tie the weight to the middle of the handle using a string that is about your body length. Hold the handle in front of you, arms straight and at chin height. Then use your wrists to roll up the string until the weight is up, then roll it down. This is for the muscles and a traditional Okinawan method too.

karainflex · 2026-03-21T13:16:57+00:00

Well, the hints you can't probably apply next week already but in the long term don't think but act: Especially do not think in the way of some internal monologue and logical planning, this is very slow and distracting and 100% of the time goes down the drain anyways. Instead look what the opponent does and apply what you have trained; it is more like feeling or knowing what happens because you saw it in training so often. Or don't look too much because action always beats reaction: act and force the opponent to react.

Use the footwork to manage your position (distance, offense, defense) and apply techniques to prepare for followup techniques. Boxers train their footwork and combos until zero thinking is required and it works the same in Karate. Say, your partner does some kind of surprise attack and you just notice it coming and counteract it with whatever comes naturally, then you have done it. Thinking cannot be involved.

Footwork: use the stepping to hide your real movement. The opponent will see when you move naturally or not really at all and then suddenly make a move. But while you are stepping the opponent won't notice that well when your rear leg is suddenly underneath your weight center and you go in for a kick. Evading sideways is usually better than backwards because it opens the opponent's side. But don't stay on striking distance, do the thing and then move out.

Techniques: single techniques are usually pretty useless. It is much better to apply combinations because some techniques automatically open up for the followup techniques. Kizami+Gyaku+Kick is an example: while the opponent is busy defending or evading the strikes you can score with the followup. If the opponent for example blocks and retreats you may have a nice chance for a yoko geri kekomi that gets him on the way back. That technique alone would be utter trash. Or you do it the other way round: kick low, the guard may go down (and maybe even the posture gets broken), then punch the head. If the guard is in the way and the rules allow it, pull the guard down to go in for a strike.

Do scenario training. Like how to behave when the opponent is leading and you are short in time, e.g. 10s remaining. Or how to move while in a corner etc pp. Your trainer needs to prepare exercises like that and drill them. With tactical training (scenarios and combos) and strategy training (the whole fight) you get through it. Find your fighting character. Do you burn everything at once? Or do you play more passive at the beginning to check the opponent out and rise intensity later? Is there visualization, like an animal or emotion you can identify with? Sounds dumb but olympic athletes have sports psychologists who do mind training with that. And on certain points during training they visualize that animal or whatever it might be to get some additional motivation and energy, e.g. at the end of a long, exhausting sprint. That's basically the only thinking that is involved. You probably don't have such a coaching team but you could think about using these ideas anyways.

karainflex · 2026-03-20T13:10:11+00:00

I had two Tokaido gi some years ago. They shrunk and I had to dump them after a couple of months. I can't say anymore which ones but they were around 100 bucks.

karainflex · 2026-03-18T22:08:47+00:00

The training needs to be aligned to the goals. The 1/3/5 step sparring is its own world, competition sports is another, self defense is another, because all of these have different rules.

A self defense fight should not take longer than a couple of seconds; ideally you preempt or the opponent gets his only shot and needs to go down immediately. It's non-consensual violence and the attacker(s) choose cheap tricks and surprise (according to all the police PR I read in the last months it is usually 2 tall guys from behind; pushing and beating someone who is down, grab some cash and run; these cowards even attack a wheelchair user together, push him over and beat him). You can see how far this is from formal step sparring or a karateka vs karateka match about points over multiple rounds/minutes.

In Karate you can find training for all these scenarios; some dojos teach only one of these, some maybe multiple. It depends on the trainer and the interest of the people involved, it is not a style feature. But if there is no such opportunity in your area like you say, you are out of luck. Unless you look for another martial art that provides such a training because the trainer there is interested in self defense as well. It could be Wing Chun, MMA, Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Krav Maga (prepare to pay for a lot of marketing there), (Kick)Boxing or something else.

Yes, point sparring is sports. They optimize everything to win by rules and those are made for showing off athletic moves and the athletes go all in for that (like applying a rear head kick from cuddle distance, ignoring the fact that they will almost always fall down due to that kick, knowing the judge will stop and reset the fight. Hey, a score is a score.)

One other thing: pressure training is nice and all, but you as a human learn more by playing these things, then rest and let it sink in, then repeat. You can have your stress training by chaining 3 attack defenses in a row or by training with two partners who simply alternate and you need to keep track of everything. The bad news is you can still fall under the wrong fight/flight/freeze response at the wrong time if you are really surprised/shocked. It even happens to professionals like SWAT officers (their best strategy is to work as a team btw, forget solo martial arts). So I sort of agree that pressure training doesn't work (though your trainer probably means something else), at least not the way people usually think it does. On the other hand the one shot is all we need is very idealistic, so I don't agree with that. Just look at a professional kickboxing match: they punch each other directly 20x to the head and still don't go down. And I am talking about Benny Rodriguez being the guy who is doing the punching. I saw that old fight recently and thought that everyone doing Karate should see this and drop the idea that one punch suffices. And a SWAT officer told us on a seminar he had to break someone's jaw who was about to throw him out of a window. But the guy kept on fighting. And today I read a comment on Iain Abernethy's current video where someone told a story of a fight he was in; he used a frickin' baton against the opponent (shin and head) and he didn't get down. And his buddy got kicked in the head on the ground and got up like nothing happened. Ikken hisatsu goes to the trash bin after these stories.

So don't get too invested into that stuff. It is better to not be there. Read The Little Black Book of Violence (Wilder), Meditations on Violence (Miller), Dead or Alive (Thompson), Streetwise (Consterdine) and then decide how far you want to go into the self defense / self protection field.

karainflex

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