granitemiller

I like the idea of doing both. I agree that for grading purposes we should change to the Japanese version, but also keep the Korean one but on the side. I am going to start looking into the Bunkai of both and then write up a description of both with the Bunkai and analyze the changes and see if I can determine why they were changed. I will post it once I am done.

Bassai-Dai is one of our Black belt katas, and Bassai Sho is for 2nd degree. I am going to look into the bunkai for both Bo and Sword.

Does anyone know if there is an official list of Shotokan throws? Any thoughts/comments would be appreciated.

Shoulder - from not falling correctly.

Part of any throw is to break your opponent's balance. A good solid stance, regardless of what it is, makes it that much harder to bring him down.

Conditioning your body, and mind over matter.

Judo emphasizes the stand up- throw your opponent, whereas BJJ will emphasize working the opponent into a submission hold. Both are good - I took both and enjoyed each for what it offered!

When you are speaking about traditional wrestling, like high school wrestling, then yes, it is very aggressive because you are trying to manipulate your opponent for a pin. I think BJJ is aggressive too in this light, as you are also manipulating your opponent for a submission.

It depends on your motivation. You can find a school that churns out belts if you search around.

Tough call here. If the person comes in as a white belt, then he should be expected to be treated as one. Sometimes the experienced MA will come into a school as a white belt so that they can humbled, because they want to be.

In the Shotokan form we jump.

We have a similar sweep in Shotokan. The video was well done.

In our school, which is a traditional Shotokan school, we have a kata called "Chinte", and this one particular kata does not follow the traditional Shotokan steps of the kata. So I did some investigating and found out why. My Sensei learned Shotokan from a second generation student of Master Teruyuki Okazaki, but my sensei also learned Tang So Doo. When he taught me Chinte, he used the Korean style of it. I am not sure why and can not ask him anymore. Now my question is, in my own school, should I teach the form of Chinte as I was taught (Korean way) to honor my sensei, while explaining to the students (advanced kyu and dan) why it is different, or should I teach it in the traditional Japanese way? Should I teach it both ways? I would appreciate your comments. Thank you.

Nice to have you!

Kumite is very hard, just keep trying. You will get better and better. Try focusing on one or two moves that you can do well, with a lead that causes your opponent to block high/low, and then a second move to the opening you created, and only work on/throw those moves until you are able to score at will with them, then add more to your arsenal. One that I like is the step-up backfist to the head, followed by a side kick. Good luck!

Both Bassai Dai and Bassai Sho are considered upper level kata, typically brown-black belt. These forms are practiced in many Japanese and Korean styles. It was originally taught as a defense against a Bo staff, but Bunkai can have many different meanings to the movements. Master Itosu (one of Master Funakoshi's instructors) is believed to have divided the original Bassai form into two, the "sho" (meaning small) and the "dai" (meaning great). If you learn Bassai-sho after learning Bassai-dai, you will see the similarities. I have seen both katas at tournaments, even being used by Korean Tang So Doo, so it is a widely used kata. Enjoy the kata!

Here are some Shotokan Kata names which hopefully will refresh your memory: Heian (aka: pinan) ichi, ni, san, shi, go Chinte, Bassai Dai, Bassai Sho, Tekki Ichi, Tekki Ni, Tekki San Looking at the way you spelled the kata, "pinonsono", I would have to guess that it is "pinan san-dan" is my best guess (I speak Japanese), but I am not sure. I can not think of a kyu kata that you don't have to "walk" but the Tekki kata go side to side, so maybe that is it? Hope this helps.

Karate Pros: Striking, Kata, Bonkai, Throws Karate Cons: Grappling Judo Pros: Grappling, Wrestling, Throws Judo Cons: Striking, reliance on gi

Catch wrestling is also called "Catch as catch can" or also called "lancashire style wrestling". There is a book on Lancashire wrestling. From what I was told by some old timers, that this form was used in the carnivals by the the "champion" who would make the challenger submit. There was also a great usage of eye gouging, which accounted for many fighters wearing an eye patch and retiring early.

I was wondering how you are doing? Has the pain decreased or gone away? I had a lot of trouble with my left knee for a long time, I wore a brace which helped a great deal.

You are in a tricky situation. My advice is to first put yourself in the senpai's position and think about how you would like to be told about this situation. Then, meet together with the sensei and the senpai and explain your situation just like you did in this email. I am sure that they will see your valid points and make corrections. It is important not only to do the reps, but to do them right.

There are still "raw" sumo-like tournaments outside of Japan, especially in Mongolia where it is said to have originally come from. Basically, from what I have seen, the two competitors try to throw each other, much like Judo.

I have studied Kung Fu, Judo and JJ before coming to Shotokan. While all styles are beneficial, it all boils down to what you like and what suits you best. For me, Shotokan has really been a great decision, plus, it is just about in every city all over, so if you move or transfer jobs you can find another dojo pretty quickly.

If you are in an "open" division, then most always the "flash" will win. I would recommend that for open divisions, you prepare a kata with more flash to it, to the best of your ability. And for the "traditional" divisions, stick to your traditional kata.