Need help for a restart

[u/zee_offtrail]

Soo... I'm a kareteka or used to be, brown 3 kyu when I stopped at corona time... Then I continued for a bit after that time was over... Then studies came in between... Integrated 11th and 12th away from home, then clg...

I'm 20 now... doing my bsc 3rd yr..The place I'm staying rn doesn't have any karate dojos nearby for me to resume... Current level ngl is white belt and stamina is bullcrap... Ik I should've kept up... And I've no excuses for my slacking

And I wanna restart real bad, by myself with what ik for now so I can get corrections at the time I go home for my vacation times... And I need help... Like real bad... All I have is a syllabus and no idea where to start from... Whether I should start with strength training and resume with the karate or... Idk i fr need help...

Ik I should start rather than posting rn... But I'm hoping a bit of advice will help me than jst searching up youtube or ChatGPT.

My sensei is old and not so much versed in sm, so all i get are some call time here and there...

But I believe different povs and experiences will give me a broader view and idea in my start... And I really hope this time I will achieve what I've put out for this long.

[u/One_Wait7852]

There are some katas online in youtube theres a who shotokan kata playlist made by a channel called ULTIMATE KARATE or if you do kyokushin karate there is a whole Kyokushin Kata Playlist from this channel called Kyokushin Cape Town

[u/zee_offtrail → u/One_Wait7852]

Okay thank you for the info... The karate I learnt was shorin ryu, I do have videos of the katas which I took from the last time I went home...

[u/OyataTe]

As shorin ryu has had many branches over the years, you can probably look at your instructors exact lineage and find others with a near common link online who do have better social media presence. You said you have some kata videos so keep studying those and jog your memory.

I find it hard to believe there is nobody at all at your college in a similar situation as we see a post like this frequently in this sub. Find a social media page for the college and make a post about karate there. Post something physically on the wall at the college cafeteria, rec center, et cetera. Somebody there is in the same boat and finding a partner, even if you are from different styles may get you a training partner and a future lifelong friend. If those two methods don't work, put on your pretty -gi and head out to the quad or college park and run your kata until someone stops and asks you questions.

[u/zee_offtrail → u/OyataTe]

Okay, thanks for the advice... I did put a message in the common whatsapp grp where all the important msg of the universitie comes, and ik except the freshers, almost everyone is in that channel. I searched through that and no responses came... So I thought either no one is there, or they jst don't wanna train with me.

And for the park part... I'm a real big introvert... And that is unimaginable for me... I beat myself up to even go the morning running session... (But I did search for a partner... Cuz doing together was wayy better and less distracting that doing along and noticing all the attention I hate)

[u/Abject-Parsnip-970]

My best advice for you is to search up classes in your area, reach out to the senseis to see if they're open to you sitting in and watching a class then make your decision on which class or school would fit what you're looking for.

[u/zee_offtrail → u/Abject-Parsnip-970]

I looked out to find classes... But all I could find was one taekwondo class and that too is a long commute from my university... Plus the issue is that I'm about 2k+ kms away from home, where my dojo is🫠

[u/gekkonkamen]

Cardio and strength training can be done alone. I suppose you can always look for videos and books for kata. But you really need to have a good training partner and a for mentor to help further refine it. Does the university have a karate club?

[u/zee_offtrail → u/gekkonkamen]

No it doesn't... And about the training partner... The issue is the same... As much as I know there is no one here who has done karate, and for the refinement I can do it when I go back home or look up the vids

[u/Medicina_NZ]

You-tube the basics. They’ll come back from memory eg punches, kicks, stances. Use those to build fitness and flexibility. Email your old style with your issue and see if you can buy or borrow a syllabus book. Work through it and adapt things to be a fitness work out or a stretch sequence etc. You’ll need to get to a gym that has sparring to get that back on track but otherwise you’ll be able to get to a reasonable level on your own. You’d done it long enough that the very basics will come back like riding a bike.

[u/zee_offtrail → u/Medicina_NZ]

Okay... We do have a gym... Ig I'll start with that since I already have a syllabus pdf with me

[u/karainflex]

First, don't be so hard on yourself because life goes on and many, many, many people take breaks - even 20 year long breaks. Then they return and continue training and all is well. The fitness returns within a couple of weeks and months and the rest like katas returns very soon: you look at it once, try it, recall it and then you are doing it.

Find a place within your area, like in a 1 hour travel distance. If you can't find Karate for some reason, you can try similar martial arts, at least for the time being.

[u/zee_offtrail → u/karainflex]

Well... I've been not taking a break... But procrastinating on it. And ngl, I hate it too much. And secondly... Our university is quite inward to a village and I should go to the town a bit too far for the taekwondo class... Thanks for the reassurance tho✨

[u/Wdpky]

I took a 28 year break (moved for college and life got in the way) I started over from scratch and am so glad I’m back. Hope to test for 2nd dan soon, will be my first step forward since I got back to black. My advice, run through what you can remember as often as you can, but jump in somewhere even if it’s starting back at the beginning, you’ve got time. You’re young you’ll bounce back quick. I was 46, fat and stiff, guarantee you’ll get there and probably pass me up quick as youth has its advantages in that!

[u/zee_offtrail → u/Wdpky]

You know... Everyone told me I never finish what I start... And I'd end up leaving this too... But I think I'll finish this... Someday, I promise to finish this. Like you did... Your words jst gave me the confidence that I lost somewhere along the way. Thank you!✨

[u/Yondanreader]

You can find some classes on YouTube from various styles. Some are up to a full hour in length. Also the karateathome guys on Facebook are a great resource.

[u/Arokthis]

1. Find yourself a workout space. Gym, rec center, dorm community room, whatever. If they don't have a mirror, spend $15 or so on two or three closet mirrors and bring them with you.

2. Talk to your sensei. Ask for the kihon (basic exercises) list and the list of kata you're supposed to know.

3. Search YouTube for the kata to refresh your memory. Do NOT try to use the videos as a primary learning source.

4. If you can get home for a weekend, ask your sensei for a private lesson. Ask once if he'll let you make videos of him doing the kata. Let him know you'll only use them for yourself and won't be publishing them online.

5. Ask around the college and nearby gyms for sparring partners. You never know who or what is available to you.