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Black belt ranks are a strange thing. On the one hand, in Japan/Okinawa, the Shodan rank isn't a big deal, since it just means you have learned the basics in your system, and it isn't uncommon to achieve it in 2-4 years. On the other hand, because of the way karate was introduced to the West, the importance of the Shodan rank was inflated, and the length of time to earn it was extended, so it was more common to have to train very hard, learn more material, and spend 5-8 years training to earn it. On the other-other hand, we have McDojos and belt mills cheapening the accomplishment of earning the Shodan rank to something you just pay for in advance, and we have Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu establishing the belief that a black belt means you have mastered the art and takes 10+ years to earn. That's a lot of very different perspectives on what a black belt rank means, and what it takes to earn. There is no universal standard across all arts, of course, but there also is no universal standard WITHIN any given art. Judo and BJJ usually use competition success as a fairly objective benchmark for their ranks, but outside of that, you're generally going to be seeing very different standards in every school, even among schools that do the same style, or which are part of the same organization. Any rank only has value within the school it is issued, and to a degree within the organization it is issued, but that's about it. Now, all that said, I personally do not like the idea of giving minors black belt ranks. Regardless of how Shodan is perceived in Japan/Okinawa, I am in the US, and the way we look at Shodan tends to be more akin to the way Sandan is seen in Japan/Okinawa. Plus, my late Sensei had the same requirements for his Shodans that the organization we were in had for GODAN, minus the minimum age and time-in-grade requirements, and it generally took an average of 8 strong years of training to earn a Shodan under him. He did issue junior black belt ranks a couple of times, but the youngest person my Sensei ever tested for a proper Shodan rank was 17, and that kid tested right alongside me, having to do the exact same test as a full-grown man in his mid-20s. I would say that it's pretty rare for a 17 year old to be able to do that, but it's possible, and I'm willing to make the exception here and there, but as a general rule, I prefer not to promote anyone under the age of 18 to Shodan. I want my students to have an adult level of understanding, skill, and maturity to go along with the rank.

I found the essay that sparked my imagination on this one. It’s from a collection of essays by Garry Lever titled Karate Parting the Clouds with Empty Hands. The essay is titled “Kata According to the Elements”. It’s a bit much to explain without writing the entire essay again, but basically he ties together ancient Chinese views on nature, Yin-Yang, and the 5 Elements with the Goju-ryu kata. For example, if we take the duality of the seasons as representing: Winter – Yin Spring – Yin to Yang Summer – Yang Fall – Yang to Yin Then in each season you would focus on the kata that expresses or favors the corresponding concept. Something like Sanseiru, a very Go/Hard/Power/Yang kata, would be the focus in summertime while Seipai, a Ju/Soft/Supple/Yin kata would be more appropriate for the winter. Of course you can also divide an individual day according to Yin Yang as well. Midnight is Yin, Noon is Yang, 6am and 6pm are transitioning between them. So you would practice the corresponding kata at the corresponding times. I don’t think this is true, really, but many of the Okinawan karate masters lived in this sort of pre-modern world and probably wouldn’t be phased by this. And I can’t help but wonder if I’m being subtly influenced by the time and day when I’m deciding what to practice. I do often choose kata based on what feels right in that moment... I’m going to have to set a calendar reminder to practice Seipai at midnight on the night of the Winter Solstice.

Minors seem to think that having Shodan by itself protects them from a very determined adult heck bent on destroying said minor. The lack of maturity in both techniques and mindset aren’t an imaginary problem. Not that I’d ever want to intentionally harm a minor, but if I ever did, that minor’s Shodan would not stand any chance against me. Their actions would only anger me at their blatant audacity. My only advice to any minor that has ever earned Shodan, and I do commend them for training hard to achieve Shodan, is…stay in your lane.

Terrible all around.

I don't think there would have been The Rock had there not been Hulk Hogan first. RIP. Condolences to his family.

I saw this news as well. Terrible. I get tired of people shifting blame. He's the one that made the decision to play football. The NFL did not force him to play football. It's a tragedy for all the victims involved, the families of the victims, and the shooter and his family.

Yeah, whatever else people think about him as an individual, his impact on popular culture worldwide can't be ignored. He was a genuine global star and i would still say he is possibly the most well known wrestler anywhere (even compared to the Rock etc.)

It is my understanding that kata oyo, and the bunkai process by which you derive them, weren't taught all that much by Funakoshi Gichin, and which were almost entirely left behind by Funakoshi Gichin's son and his contemporaries, so that by the end of WW2 pretty much everyone doing Shotokan wasn't learning oyo or bunkai. After WW2, the Okinawans needed to rebuild, and teaching karate to the soldiers stationed there was one way to get the money for that, but many of those soldiers had friends stationed on mainland Japan learning Shotokan, and so that's the sort of karate they wanted to learn. At least some of the Okinawan instructors during that era stopped teaching kata application because their students simply weren't interested in it. They also tended to issue those soldiers yudansha grades between 1st and 3rd Dan during their tours of duty, with the expectation they would come back to Okinawa to continue their education, and that's probably where the "bunkai is for black belts" thing really came about. Most likely, those soldiers just didn't learn kata application while stationed on Okinawa, and only picked it up later, and so they assumed it was black belt material, or they made their students wait until black belt to learn it so they could market it as some sort of "secret knowledge." Now, personally, I think this is a terrible approach, even as an attempt at retaining students. We all know that most people who train in martial arts who make it past the first year will still end up quitting when they earn their black belt, and that happens regardless of where you stick the "secret knowledge" of your curriculum. All this ends up doing is producing a bunch of people who trained in karate long enough to earn a black belt who have no idea how to actually use the classical material of the art, which makes karate look watered down, outdated, and ineffective. On top of that, it is cheating the individual students out of valuable skills for self-defense! My late Sensei taught application right along side the kata, and I do so, as well. This has left just about every student we've ever had with not only a better understanding of the art, but more appreciation for it, and an awareness that there is more to karate than point fighting tournaments and Kyokushin.

We teach the Kata first, Bunkai later type of approach. Do we leave it till Shodan? Not exactly. Our Juniors it is introduced at Shodan-Ho. Our Seniors at 5th Kyu. We trialled it a few times over the years of various methods. But found that the kids were struggling to add it to their repertoire at the same time as learning the Kata. But we teach introduce the idea of it at around the same time. Just like school, we learn what's relevant to their age and skill. Look at a little prep student (5/6 years old) vs. A Year 12/13 student (18 years). You wouldn't ask a little 6 year to write a 8 page analysis of the book 1984. But you would expect something from a 17/18 year old. You would get vastly different responses, let alone understanding of what is even going on. Kids have enough stuff on their plates already. Even if they are little sponges and are able to learn things quickly (sometimes). Same with Bunkai.

most here seem to have a few years in the game. i myself began this journey, life, back in 1980. trained 5 or 6 days a week 2 hours per day on three of those days of the week. did so for the first 6 years before joining the military. while some buddies and i would train in the PT sawdust pits, trading ideas and techniques, that was the first of my lapses in actual training at a dojo or a particular style... i did resume training after leaving the service for a few years in a different style. then came the second drifting away, after getting married and starting a career that required travel. once we got settled in halfway across the country i found and started training again. but this was only for a year before another move, again across country, took place. this was followed by a lapse of 5 years or so. afterwards i did start teaching for a few years for a local dojo, settled in and dove deeper into the philosophical side of life. looking back its cool to see the changes we go through and how we have matured or the directions taken. these humps, obstacles and lapses come and go, but the life always calls one back..... that last dojo went out due to the owners age/health and the timing of the pandemic.... but even before then i had built my own training area in the back yard, a full outdoor workout area with gym machines, free weights and multiple benches. and a full indoor dojo. just for myself and a few students i will occasionally take on......so, from an activity/sport in 1980 to a lifestyle today, interesting journey, is this just another lapse, so to speak, or is this finding the meaning of sorts. a coming to a new chapter or realization....... what are some of your stories? any lapses or times of drifting away?.....lessons in themselves of who you are?