Sitting!

Kojiro · (#1 (**permalink**))

Hey here's a question. Does anyone here find it sort of painful to try to sit on your ankles... like formal Japanese style... I dunno how else to really describe it but you guys should know :3. Well anyway I find it hard to sit like that and I can't seem to get use to it ( almost feels like im gonna break my legs or de attach my knee from my fibula and femur when I do :O) and at the Dojo I go to ( well I currently don't go there for I don't have the money to continue learning Kenpo) at the beginning of and at the end of class we sit like this and it just is painful >.<. Anyone know what I can do to condition my legs or how long it might take before it get easier from repeated practice?

Wasn't sure on where to put a question on sitting so I put it here in the General.

Excessum · (#2 (**permalink**))

You mean as in this picture?

It's usually painful only for the first 2-3 months of training... then you get used to it. It also depends on how you position your feet- do you either sit on your toes or stretch out the leg and sit on the top of your feet. And the younger you are (and more ofthen attend dojo), the sooner you will get used to it. It took me personally ~3 months to be able to sustain this position for longer than 30 minutes while i was attending dojo 3 times a week.

yuko81 · (#3 (**permalink**))

hehe...
The first time, my legs had problem when I practised Karatedo. But 1 month later, I feel that it's better for me to breathe. My teacher oftens say that, the breath is very important for uor health and spirit.

But I stopped practising Karatedo 3 years. My spirit is beginning fall down.

yuko81 · (#4 (**permalink**))

Seiza is the formal way of sitting on the floor while kiza is a special way of kneeling. The Kiza form of sitting involves basically the same position as seiza with one exception. In lieu of the right toe crossing over the left with the toes pointing to the rear; instep to the ground; the toes are curled up under toward the front with the buttocks on the heels and the soles facing to the rear (soles flat and foot is vertical).

In both cases the following apply to sitting seiza/kiza:

1. Head, neck, and spine kept straight.
2. Chest and shoulders are kept naturally relaxed.
3. The weight of the body is centered in the hara or lower abdomen.
4. The eyes look forward along the line of the nose to a point six feet away on the floor.
5. Keep the mouth closed at all times.
6. Keep the fingers together in a relaxed fashion.
7. Men keep their knees about one fist width apart while women keep the knees together.

Copy from one blog

Paul11 · (#5 (**permalink**))

Sit with your knees appr. 1 -2 hand widths apart and cross your big toes (one over the other) and keep good pusture. Don't make the mistake of crossing your whole foot like some people do when they try to sit Seiza. Of course it becomes painfull soon, but you have to build up to it. Japanese sit like that since they are tiny, so it's easier for them. You are starting late in life. Look at the top of a japanese person's feet near the ankles. One side will usually have a brown spot from the wear of sitting seiza (it's on the side that contacts the ground more when sitting in the favored position).