One should never assume you’ll get to stretch during class. Why should the instructor pamper you? When class starts, you should ready to perform and train. A perfectly example was tonight. We jumped straight into training, skipping stretching, instead warming up with some kihon drills where we faced another karateka, doing the specified technique down one way, then retreating just outside of reach practicing control of “mah” while our partner comes back at us. After sufficiently warming up, we did some actual ippon kumite work, then split up into lower and upper ranks, the upper ranks continuing with more ippon kumite, focusing on four block-counter moves involving striking the carteroid artery or temple, or using an x block and spinning to do an arm break move.
We finished class with a few upper ranks taking turns performing individual kata from Taikioko Shodan through Heian Sandan. Then the whole class drilled all the way through, up to Heian Yodan, performing each kata at least five to eight times. I must admit, it was rigorous. Anyone who says otherwise isn’t trying hard enough. Even once through a kata should have you breathing quickly and give you a flushed face a the very least.