Welcome to Gaia! ::

A small dojo on the outskirts of town that teaches Shotokan karate. To enter you MUST have a martial arts top. I don't care what color it is. Or a Yukata or Kimono, or something that screams Karate.

Just one rule here, and read it carefully:

NO WEAPONS IN THE DOJO!!

I've come to my descision:

The sensei here is Nekoyasha-san!

Oh, so I assume it's closed to females then? Even females that have some knowledge of Shotokan? stare

Oh, okay. sweatdrop I just happen to actually know some Shotokan in real life, so I was kinda disappointed that I wouldn't be able to join, but I see that you've adjusted it now. 3nodding

At whom is that question directed? sweatdrop

Wait... you actually made me the sensei, Matt? eek Umm... wow... I'm honored... Okay, I'll do my best then. sweatdrop

Where shall we begin? Do you have any knowledge of the martial arts?

Okay, I guess we'll start with the basics then. Everyone has to start somewhere. 3nodding

Hmm... what is Shotokan all about? o_O; Let's not start there. We'll just begin with stances. Move your feet outside of your shoulders, and bend them, sort of sitting in mid-air. This is called kibadachi, or horse-riding stance. It is the strongest stance in Shotokan.

*makes a few minor adjustments* Yes, there you go. ^_^ It'll start to hurt your legs, but it'll build up your strength too, of course. Now we're going to try some punches from this position. Oizuki is a forward punch. Put your left hand out, making a fist, then start pulling it back, scraping the edge of your body. As you do that, simultaneously thrust your right hand forward, also staying close to your body. When your right hand is fully extended, your left hand should be pulled back, and both should arrive at their destinations at the same time. (I hope that made sense.)

Very good. Now, I want you to just practice punching with alternating hands for a while until you've become accostumed to the movement, and then we will move on to another technique.