karate

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Anyone else here taking karate? I've found it really helpful in building coordination and confidence, but also difficult because of my motor and sensory issues. And because not all senseis are understanding of an invisible disability that causes inconsistent problems.

One issue I'm dealing with lately is tolerating wearing my gi. I find it extremely uncomfortable due to the texture and seams, but I want to be able to wear it regularly by the time I get a yellow belt, because if I don't wear my gi no one can see what belt I am.

Yeah, absolutely love Karate but general control and coordination are a problem. Passed three gradings so far and each time the grading Sensei has told me that I need to work on my forms (apparently, how elegant my movements are). I've literally no idea how to improve this.

I struggled with similar issues when I picked up Karate, allthough I did not have many problems with coordination. Generally speaking, martial arts are good overall exercise and can help improve self esteem issues. I know how you feel about the gi, they can be quite uncomfortable. Thing is, at least from my experience, good karate gis are expensive. Mine cost about 100€, which for a peace of sports apparell is rather pricy, but it fits well, is durable and does not feel uncomfortable on the skin. Don't put any pressure on you to push yourself to something that you think is expected from you. While I strongly hold up to the idea of wearing uniform during martial arts training, since it helps both with discipline and a since of union and equality among the practitioners, remember that the origins of the gi is simply underwear, and that the many different belt colours have their origin in Judo, and are only a rather recent addition to styles like Karate. For example, japanese martial arts that have their origin in bujutsu (warrior caste martial arts), like kendo, kyudo or aikido, you do not wear different coloured belts, just keiko gi and hakama, so there is rarely a distinquishable difference between junior and senior practitioners. It is within the sense of Budô that you should always be proud to represent both your martial art and your grade, but do not put to much emphasis on wearing a yellow belt. If your teacher is a good one, he will understand your problem and be lenient in this regard.

@oppositedirection

Funny thing is, in all martial arts that incorporate some kind of form (kata), my teachers tell me the same thing. They praise the fact that I move very correctly, powerful and quick, but at the same time, wonder how I can do so since I look incredibly stiff and unrelaxed, and I, too, have no idea how to work in these parts in particular. Many people say, though, that I did make improvements in this aspect, but it is still a noticable "flaw".

It takes many years for kata to look and feel natural, some people of course are naturally more graceful. Kata becomes smoother the better it is known as it converts to muscle memory, when it is a thought process they can be jerky and not confident.

The things I tell my students that struggle with this is don't force it or worry as this will reflect in performance. Take time to breath and relax before hand. Practice! a cliché yes but its so true. And really important... slow it down! When you are practising, slower kata = more time to gather thoughts.