And BTW - "gasshuku" does not mean "competition. Has nothing to do with competition.
train harder, discipline harder,
Hey guys
So I am 17 years old and a brown belt in Goju Ryu karate. I began training roughly 6 years ago. For my first belts, say white to blue I was very much enjoying my training; but I still didnt take it very seriously. By that I mean I was not 100% attentive at my dojo and I did not practise at home. Now that I have grown and matured a little, I am beginning too see the true value of my art and my desire to train and improve grows every day. I realize my mistakes now- I should have used those years to my advantage and trained whenever possible but I didnt. Today, I am no where near as skilled or as knowledgeable as a senior student should be. I feel ashamed that I misused my training time and I know in my heart that I have not truly earned my brown belt status( although my sensei would disagree, but part of his job is to encourage his pupils). Anyway, I have about a year and a half before I go off to university and I want to make up for wasted time. How can I become a better, true karateka? I wish I could spend days on end training but I just dont have the time between work and school. I want to hone my kata, kumite and sharpen myself body and mind before the next big gashuku(competition). I know that karate is not meant for sport, but this will be my milestone to see my progress. Basically, I am asking for simple but effective workouts I can do at the dojo and at home, and any strategies on improving kata and kumite. Thank you all :)
