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Tuesdays with Morrie was a short read, did it in two sittings. What to read next....

Raiders fired OC Chip Kelly on Monday following yet another lackluster performance on Sunday when they lost to the Browns. Pete Carroll said "I think we can do better," while Max Crosby said "it was time for a change." Raiders are on a five-game losing streak and are 2-9. They have a chance to get a win on Sunday when the visit the Chargers. I know it is unlikely, but how unlikely was it for the Cowboys to beat the Eagles?

Thank you to everyone who has voted thus far! There is still plenty of time. Please take a few minutes to review the ballots and place your vote. Every vote makes a difference. It's also a great way to recognize some of your favorite contributors here at KarateForums.com.

Every half-anniversary, I invite a member of staff (in order of seniority) to address the community. Thank you for writing this, Brian. I appreciate you and all of the members who have made this sentiment a reality.

Funakoshi discussed what he learned from both Anko Itosu and Anko Asato in Karate-do: My Way of Life, and some of his other works. Both Mabuni and Gusukuma have only had the same two teachers: Itosu and Higaonna. The Shito-ryu curriculum divides their kata into two groups: the ones taught by Itosu and the ones taught by Higaonna. The Tomari-te katas are listed under the ones taught by Itosu. Hanashiro only trained directly under Anko Itosu.

Sorry, I should have been more clear. Where did you find this information? I would like to read into it myself.

Yes - Gichin Funakoshi, Kenwa Mabuni, Chomo Hanashiro, and Shinpan Gusukuma all learned Tomari-te kata from Itosu. I don't see why Chibana wouldn't have.

I don't think him adding things negates the statement that he insisted on teaching everything that Itosu passed on. As to the final statement, I don't know enough about Itosu's personal karate to make a comment on his teaching Tomari-Te. I was under the impression that he was largely in the Shuri-Te camp. Do you have more information about his study of Tomari-Te?

I'm not so sure about that. First, Chosin Chibana did create kihon and fukyugatas. In other words, he added things. Secondly, Kobayashi Shorin-ryu teaches the Naihanchi series before the Pinan series. There are valid arguments for and against this, but the Pinan series was specifically created by Itosu to be the first katas taught, which means that Chibana went against this. The other thing Kobayashi Shorin-ryu is known for is the lack of Tomari-te katas. I know of some Kobayashi-ryu schools that teach Rohai, but it was added after the fact, as neither Chibana nor Nakazato taught it. I find it hard to believe that Itosu taught all of his other students Tomari-te katas, except for Chibana.

11/22/2025 BJJ: 10:00 - 11:00 am. Open mat. I don't know how many rounds we rolled today, but we did a bunch. There were three of us and we did round robins. A younger guy I hadn't met before showed up. He was quite a bit lighter than me. I did have a pretty good hip throw takedown. I don't recall if it was from an underhook, or if he tried to step behind me to take me down and I was able to keep a base and wrench him back over. I do recall I was really deep with my hips, behind both his legs, and when I threw him I was worried that one of his legs stayed planted and twisted his knee up. Thank goodness that wasn't the case. I also pulled up on the finish so it just wasn't an absolute slam. During a few of the rolls with this kid I was able to get a couple of Americanas going. Didn't quite get them finished, but I was getting close; I know time ran out on at least one of them. The kid was really lanky, too, and had a pretty sticky guard. The other was one of the coaches, I guy who's short and stocky like me. I always struggle against him. He just keeps moving and framing. I need to keep my legs more active. When they stop I lose what decent position I had gained and end up getting sucked back into a guard of some kind. The coach would stop and briefly discuss a few things here and there, but by and large we kept the rounds going, which was great. At the end of the class, he did cover some details on mount and moving up to high mount and isolating an arm.

Could be several reasons. Perhaps there are only a few things an instructor would be willing share with only the most dedicated students, those that are willing to spend years studying under him or her. Perhaps the instructor just doesn't see the value in something and therefore doesn't bother to teach it. Perhaps something better was figured out and that is passed along instead.

What besides redundancy could motivate a martial arts instructor to decide not to pass on something?

11/21/2025 Heavy Bag/Forms Workout: 8 rounds, 1:20/1:00 (first round got interrupted by a phone call). 2 rounds orthodox boxing. 2 rounds southpaw boxing. 2 rounds kicking focus. 2 rounds of speed bag. PNF stretching in The Rack. Floor drill: I worked on the "side kick" segment of Choi Yong, focusing on balance on the reverse side kicks. The segments are back to back in the form. I found that if I do a higher side kick chamber on the reverse side kicks as opposed to "buzzing the knee" I tend to keep my balance better. When I chamber and turn into the one-legged stance, I try to bring the knee directly up and across, not let it circle out in front and then come back; trying to make it a good chamber position, and make it sharp. Sitting stance, knife hand block/punch, hands come to hips (come set) and chamber for side kick in one-legged stance, turning the body side on; side kick, then advance to x-stance and reinforced middle block; uncross back foot, reverse side kick, land back stance knife hand strike. Then step up to sitting stance and repeat the segment on the other side.

11/20/2025 Aikido: 8:45 - 9:45 am. Just me and sensei today. Started with some meditation, during which time I prayed, and then some okinage breathing. Meat of the class was working with the jo, which I had not done in quite some time. We did the 4-hi, 4-low, 8-high, and 8-low two-person drills, then did a few reps of jo kata 1 on both left and right sides.

It sounds like your approach to the Pinans is the same as it was originally, for the youth. I agree with your assessment that if the applications can be found in other kata, then the redundancy just isn't necessary. I'm not a fan of curriculum for curriculum's sake.

It is a well known historical fact that every lineage of traditional martial arts has one and sometimes several instructors who either added something or removed something from what their own curriculum. This is one of the reasons why there are ´lost’ kata/forms. Chibana of shorin ryu , for instance was well known for insisting on passing on exactly everything Itosu taught him. However several of Chibana’s successors changes. Chinese chuan fa is also known for this as different teachers of the same style will often have a different curriculum and not include everything.

Happy 24 and a Half Birthday KF; forever shall your light shine!!

Today marks the 24 and a half birthday for KarateForums.com. That is quite a landmark! The fact that this community has lasted for so long is a testament to its members and how we all interact with each other. Sure, there have been ebbs and flows along the way, but by and large, it’s easy to see why this community has stayed active for so long. It’s because we are a community. KarateForums.com is so much more than a collection of random usernames floating about the ether of the internet. Amid a collection of newer members and longtime members, one can see that this is a community nurtured by caring and respect for others. Upon first glance at our community, it would appear that martial arts brought us all here, and one would think that martial arts is what binds us all together. I think it’s much more than that. Martial artists are who we are, and who we are is why we are martial artists. The drive, the determination, the perseverance of sticking with something and making it not just a hobby, but a lifestyle, says something about who we are. And that “something” is also what continues to build this community. All martial artists experience the highs and lows, positives and negatives that come with a lifetime of training in the martial arts. This community, KarateForums.com, has been a pillar of support for those of us who continue along this journey, because community members come here to laugh, cry, exclaim, and gripe about our training, knowing we are coming to an open and honest community that will back each other, guide each other through, and support each other as we navigate “the way.” Whether one has been a student for 30+ years or is a brand new white belt just donning the gi for the first time, KarateForums.com is a collection of like-minded individuals that all share a common set of interests, and I truly see that each and every one of us genuinely cares about everyone else here and the goals that we have. KarateForums.com isn’t just another website; it’s as much a part of my martial arts journey as practicing the martial arts is. I truly believe I am not alone in this. The longevity of KarateForums.com is good proof that this is the case for many others as well. Happy half-birthday, KarateForums.com! Let’s keep it rolling!

Josh Allen was sacked eight times in the Bills loss to the Texans on Thursday. The team looked frustrated as they have a losing road record (2-3) including losses to the Falcons and dreadful Dolphins. If the Patriots beat the struggling Bengals on Sunday, it would put them 2 1/2 games up on the Bills after 12 weeks. Who would have predicted that back in September?

Oh, it's definitely controversial. Some people get REALLY mad about it. My view, though, is similar to Yabu Kentsu, who said "if you have time to practice Pinan, practice Kusanku, instead," although there is also material from Passai and Chinto in the Pinan series. Basically, the Pinan kata were developed by Itosu for his school PE karate program, and while they do have valid and effective applications, almost all of those applications can be found in the older kata. Additionally, I've found that teaching the Pinan series and then teaching Kusanku, Passai, and Chinto actually makes it MORE difficult for students to learn the older kata, not less, as is often claimed. It takes a long time for them to be able to stop mixing up the kata, because there are such similar sequences. I don't have any issue with the concept of yakusoku kumite, but the way that most yakusoku kumite is designed is just bad. The distance is too large, the techniques are applied impractically, the attacks are unrealistic, etc.

Actually it is the same here - can bet on almost anything: time for first yellow card, player who gets it, number of throw ins, time for throw in's etc. etc.

Yeah, big deal…my Cowboys won their last game…but against who?!? The Raiders?!? The Raiders couldn’t win against a Pop Warner football team if their life’s depended on it. Get rid of Carroll?? Who cares?!? Bad play calling on both sides of the ball?!? Maybe!! Raiders players can’t execute the play call more than half the time anyway!! Let Smith warm the bench for a while…Mr. Interception king!! Let Aidan O’Connell take over the QB spot seeing that he’s been reactivated from his IR spot with a injured right hand. Man oh man…I sound like I’m a disgruntled Raiders fan…I don’t care about the Raiders?!? I’m a Cowboys fan (ssshhhhh…keep that between us) who aren’t my cup of tea most of the time these past few years. Browns VS Raiders…who cares?!? Cowboys VS Eagles…who cares?!? GO YANKEES!!

No!! I hand down to my students what I was taught without any reservations. Due to the cross-training that I’ve done for quite some time, I’ve added things to my curriculum that I found effective. For example, in Shindokan, we do not kick above the waist; our kicks are primarily used for set ups. Therefore, I’ve added kicks above the waist due to my TKD days from my youth and so on. That’s my choice!!

I think that might be a bit controversial. I think all kata that predate karate moving to mainland Japan should be safe from elimination. All katas developed after that, especially the ones meant to be taught before the Pinan and Heian series (or Naihanchi and Tekki, if your school teaches those before Pinan and Heian) should be fair game. Even the more advanced ones, such as Ananku and Gorin should be fair game. I agree with this 100%. I think yakosoku kumite is useful, but I don't believe it should be testable.

Yes and no. My late Sensei had to teach the full curriculum of the organization we were in, but he wanted to trim it down. Since I left the organization, I trimmed it down the way he and I discussed. This does technically mean that I don't teach everything that he taught me, at least not entirely, but most of the material was redundant, or simply not as effective as what was kept. For example, I made the Pinan kata my youth curriculum, and I don't teach them to adults, at all, but I do teach them at seminars, and most of the techniques in them can be found in kata that I kept for adults. I also got rid of Passai Sho and Kusanku Sho, but again, most of that material is also found in other kata. I dropped the formalized yakusoku kumite drills, because they were a waste of time.