Along the thinkings of taking up teaching karate
My time previous to taking karate back up was along the lines of Monday night --> Roleplaying. Tuesday Night --> Roleplaying. Wednesday Night --> Board gaming or Roleplaing. Thursday night --> Movie/Whatever was on, or night off. Friday --> Draft Magic. Saturday --> LARP or whatever else is on. Sundays --> gaming & tv @ Dogs.
My expected schedule for next year is going to be Monday Night --> Roleplay if i can. God damn it, I will try to ensure that the M&M campaign continues if my schedule allows for it. Or train at Point England if that falls through. That game is NOT allowed to fall through Tuesday night --> Sempai'ing for first class @ Dowie, train in second. Wednesday night --> Black Belt training class @ Manakau. If i want to teach karate, and I do, I have to commit to that class every week. Thursday night --> Train at Bailey Road School. Friday night --> Sempai @ Dowie again for both classes if they have 2 on a friday night, or for the one if they don't. Saturdays --> Whatever special classes are arranged are normally on saturdays. Saturday nights reserved for larps that i join :p. Sundays --> Tournament classes @ Manakau, Another class i have to be able to commit to every week if i want to become a sensei.
This is kind of freaking me out at the moment on the basis that it looks like I will be heavily giving up my geekery... pretty much all of it, except OWBN once a month. More importantly, i'm going to lose contact with a lot of my friends. Thank g-d for facebook, but seriously, I have a feeling I'm going to go from seeing some friends 4-5 times a week to maybe seeing them every 2-4 weeks... and those are my closer friends at the moment. *That* worries me.
On another martial arts related note, I started writing this a couple of months ago, and thought i'd publish it on LJ as well as expand on it. It's my explaination for why geeks seem to have an affinity to martial arts.
Initial Stage: Choose your class. By this, I mean which martial art interests you? Which ones do your parents make you go to? This is going to be your first class. Should you decide that your class doesn't suit you, don't worry. There is always the option to take up a new class (new martial art). There aren't even experience penalties for taking up new classes, and you can sometimes train in multiple classes at the same time.
In whatever class, you will start as level 1 in that class. There are so many classes you can choose from. And almost every class has alternative class features you can choose from. So there is Class - Karateka, and there are alternative class features for the shotokan variant class, as well as the Go Kan Ryu variant class.
Level 1 in most classes is define as white belt. From here, you have to complete sidequests to earn enough experience to level up. In Go Kan Ryu Karate, my chosen class, the first few levels can be achieved solely through completing enough sidequests (lessons) in order to attain the next level (grade). Sidequests involve repetitive mimicry of basic techniques and the gaining of class features (kata) as well as the exp gained by fighting against other students (kumite/sparring). What is a class feature for one variant, such as the Kata Basai Dai class feature in the Go Kan Ryu variant class (blue belt, mid-level), can be a epic level class feature in another such as it is in Go Jyu (black belt, high level campaign). After low-levels are gained, the requirement to further attain new levels changes, and becomes better based on your GM sending your character off to a series of challenges, known as a plot quest. Should you satisfactorily complete the plot quest, you are award a level. This is normally called grading.
Each level requires more experience than the previous level, takes more time, and helps you build up your character.
Once you reach level 20 (Black Belt), you begin your epic level campaign. This is where most martial arts truly begin. You have finally mastered a basic understanding of the system, and it becomes time to focus on where to go from there. Several people give up, upon achieving entry into an epic level campaign. But, for a purist, this is where everything begins. The rules change. Nothing is *really* illegal. You can break the laws of reality, physics and society (also known as the laws of fighting), and it will be perfectly acceptable for a person of your level. There are times when it's better not to do certain things, but if you really have to, you can.
In the long term, you can actually reach epic level in several classes. Your levels in judo don't affect your levels in karate, although you may find certain skills and techniques in common in different classes. All classes have a maximum level you can achieve, although the high level epic levels are very very difficult and time consuming to obtain. Many people simply lack the perserverance, physical attributes or mental attributes to gain them. Indeed, in many cases, it will take less time to hit 20th level in a new class, than advance up the epic level tables.
I wish the best of luck to all readers of this in their attempts to attain levels in such adventures, and that you perserve into your own epic level campaigns, as i am hoping to start my epic campaign next year.
My expected schedule for next year is going to be Monday Night --> Roleplay if i can. God damn it, I will try to ensure that the M&M campaign continues if my schedule allows for it. Or train at Point England if that falls through. That game is NOT allowed to fall through Tuesday night --> Sempai'ing for first class @ Dowie, train in second. Wednesday night --> Black Belt training class @ Manakau. If i want to teach karate, and I do, I have to commit to that class every week. Thursday night --> Train at Bailey Road School. Friday night --> Sempai @ Dowie again for both classes if they have 2 on a friday night, or for the one if they don't. Saturdays --> Whatever special classes are arranged are normally on saturdays. Saturday nights reserved for larps that i join :p. Sundays --> Tournament classes @ Manakau, Another class i have to be able to commit to every week if i want to become a sensei.
This is kind of freaking me out at the moment on the basis that it looks like I will be heavily giving up my geekery... pretty much all of it, except OWBN once a month. More importantly, i'm going to lose contact with a lot of my friends. Thank g-d for facebook, but seriously, I have a feeling I'm going to go from seeing some friends 4-5 times a week to maybe seeing them every 2-4 weeks... and those are my closer friends at the moment. *That* worries me.
On another martial arts related note, I started writing this a couple of months ago, and thought i'd publish it on LJ as well as expand on it. It's my explaination for why geeks seem to have an affinity to martial arts.
Initial Stage: Choose your class. By this, I mean which martial art interests you? Which ones do your parents make you go to? This is going to be your first class. Should you decide that your class doesn't suit you, don't worry. There is always the option to take up a new class (new martial art). There aren't even experience penalties for taking up new classes, and you can sometimes train in multiple classes at the same time.
In whatever class, you will start as level 1 in that class. There are so many classes you can choose from. And almost every class has alternative class features you can choose from. So there is Class - Karateka, and there are alternative class features for the shotokan variant class, as well as the Go Kan Ryu variant class.
Level 1 in most classes is define as white belt. From here, you have to complete sidequests to earn enough experience to level up. In Go Kan Ryu Karate, my chosen class, the first few levels can be achieved solely through completing enough sidequests (lessons) in order to attain the next level (grade). Sidequests involve repetitive mimicry of basic techniques and the gaining of class features (kata) as well as the exp gained by fighting against other students (kumite/sparring). What is a class feature for one variant, such as the Kata Basai Dai class feature in the Go Kan Ryu variant class (blue belt, mid-level), can be a epic level class feature in another such as it is in Go Jyu (black belt, high level campaign). After low-levels are gained, the requirement to further attain new levels changes, and becomes better based on your GM sending your character off to a series of challenges, known as a plot quest. Should you satisfactorily complete the plot quest, you are award a level. This is normally called grading.
Each level requires more experience than the previous level, takes more time, and helps you build up your character.
Once you reach level 20 (Black Belt), you begin your epic level campaign. This is where most martial arts truly begin. You have finally mastered a basic understanding of the system, and it becomes time to focus on where to go from there. Several people give up, upon achieving entry into an epic level campaign. But, for a purist, this is where everything begins. The rules change. Nothing is *really* illegal. You can break the laws of reality, physics and society (also known as the laws of fighting), and it will be perfectly acceptable for a person of your level. There are times when it's better not to do certain things, but if you really have to, you can.
In the long term, you can actually reach epic level in several classes. Your levels in judo don't affect your levels in karate, although you may find certain skills and techniques in common in different classes. All classes have a maximum level you can achieve, although the high level epic levels are very very difficult and time consuming to obtain. Many people simply lack the perserverance, physical attributes or mental attributes to gain them. Indeed, in many cases, it will take less time to hit 20th level in a new class, than advance up the epic level tables.
I wish the best of luck to all readers of this in their attempts to attain levels in such adventures, and that you perserve into your own epic level campaigns, as i am hoping to start my epic campaign next year.