FORUM
Forum 2
The junior members have the floor...

Here are a few questions/answers raised by “junior” members in their first contacts with our form of practice in our Dojos.

Question : Why salute, and how does it differ from club to club?

SSK : the salute (“Reď” or “Ritsu-Reď”) is a fundamental element of all martial arts practice. There is always a phase of bowing on the knees (“Seiza” or “Suwari”) at the beginning and at the end of the session. In some schools, you may often see a salute to the “essence of Karate“ (”Shomen-Ni-Reď“), the master instructors (”Senseď-Ni-Reď"), the students among themselves (Otagaď-Ni-Reď), etc. This is often managed at the discretion of the session director. But in our form of “traditional” Shotokan Karate, there is only one salute, commanded simply by “Reď”, but in which we hold the stance longer (approx. 5 seconds).

Q. : What's the point of a minute's “silence” at the beginning and at the end?

SSK : this moment, called “Mokuso”, allows us to move from the outside world to the world of practice, and vice versa. In the beginning, you should try to empty your mind, without thinking about what precisely you're going to do and strengthen your mind with visualizations such as: “I want to give the best of myself, without calculation or reserve, etc.” Belly breathing is recommended during this concentration phase, which is also a phase of communion between all practitioners.

Q. : Why do stances always have to be “lowered”?

SSK : indeed, this is a constantly recurring question. There are a number of reasons for this. If you want to move quickly and stably, you need to have your supports otherwise there's no action. Then tactical: lowering your center of gravity than your opponent gives you an immediate advantage in terms of “Ma” and control. Finally, mental: strengthening the lower limbs implies a major personal effort, which has a knock-on effect on the mental development.

Q. : How can I avoid cramps (in “Kiba Dachi”, for example)?

SSK : only one answer: train and practice some more! And let's not forget a healthy diet, good hydration and regular stretching to eliminate toxins more quickly. During exercise, concentrate solely on breathing and not on muscular tension ...and especially not on the clock!

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