sensei8

Very nice topic!! Self Defense. When all is said and done by the end of the day, self-defense, is the primary reason as to why I even started to learn the MA, and still am. While I agree with tallgeese that SD isn't as preeminent as it once was; it's still a very important part. That can't be denied nor can it be circumvented across the board. It's true that the many, many years have been very kind to me, it's the students that truly keep me coming back; they're the exclamation to my MA journey.

And yet belt systems are everywhere.Yes they are, and I use one. Still, I know exactly what my students' levels are W/O a belt system; the floor gives away everything.

Solid post!!

Welcome to KF!!!!!!!!

If an instructor of any MA doesn't know the levels of their students without a belt system; that instructor has no business being an instructor at all. Not now and not ever!!

Welcome to KF!!!!!!!! I sincerely believe that cross training is quite complimentary if approached properly across the board. If not approached properly, that's when cross training can be contradictory. Look for MA styles that have their share of grappling and the like as Wastelander has suggested. Please let us know how things are going.

Changes are made to kata for a wide variety of reasons. Here are some I can think of off the top of my head: - To make a movement "fit" the way they think the style should work - To make a movement "fit" the way they think the style should look - To make a movement more interesting-looking for competition - To make a movement easier to do in their old age or with their injuries - To make a movement easier to teach to large groups - To make a movement safer to practice - Because they forgot how it was supposed to be done - Because people in the organization disagree about how it was supposed to be done and had to compromise Solid post!! Nonetheless, Kanazawa Sensei DID make changes to JKA kata's, as it was his right, whatever they might be, imho, to separate himself from JKA across the board. SKIF, imho, can't be true to itself and its student body if SKIF/Kanazawa Sensei holds onto the kata's of the JKA. Whatever brand of Shotokan you are, embrace those kata's as they're being taught to you currently, inasmuch, don't forget what kata's you've been taught by the JKA curriculum because they're just another interpretation and no less or greater than what SKIF is teaching. Hang in there, rock and roll, and TRAIN like you never have.

The problem here is that action is faster than reaction. So your block is always behind the attack. Not a good place to be. I think the "there is no first strike in Karate" is one of the most misinterpreted and misunderstood maxims out there. I concur!! Karate ni sente nashi is the concept of Go no sen. This concept means that one would induce an opponent to make the first move, and then leverage that to win against an attacker/opponent. When compared to Sente hissho, [First attack guarantees victory] these two maxims seem to contradict each other. Other concepts are... In Go no sen, [initiation of Defense]; one deliberately waits for the attacker to attack first. Why? Baiting the attacker to make that certain move or attack that may not be his/her true wish, therefore, his/her attack will end up with a less effective or an uncommitted technique. In Sen no sen, [initiation], one will attack appropriately just as soon as the attacker initiates his/her first move, therefore, he/she wins the altercation. In Sen sen no sen, [superior Initiation], one senses the attackers desire to attack. Ones attack will happen just before that of his/her attackers intention, even though the attacker has not moved yet. Out of these three tactics or concepts, Sen sen no sen is considered to be the highest level of skill. Therefore, Go no sen is much less supported than the other two.

Running my own dojo and teaching for over 40 years, as well as running our styles' Hombu for many years hence, my quality of teaching hasn't been influenced in any shape, way, and/or form; this is my main source of income.

Hypothetically... You wander inside of a MA school. No one's wearing any type of uniform. There's no identifiers anywhere or on anyone. There's no one barking any commands. Everyone's engaged in some type of drilling exercise. You sit down, and you just start observing everything. You're now thinking...ok...hhmmm...which one's the senior student and Teacher or Master? Who's the Chief Instructor? Who are the Sempai(s)? Who are the Kohai(s)? I mean, how can YOU tell who's who without waiting for the class to end??

To my understanding, the main difference is the use of knees. Links below might help you out... GLORY: http://gloryworldseries.com/en/rules K-1: http://www.k-1.tv/en/rules.php

Oh yes I do...my goal, however twisted it might be, is to take Greg's head off each and every time we kumite. But hey, he tries to do the very same thing to me...first. Oh...who's Greg? Greg started about 6 months after I did; he's Kancho [Vice-President] of our Hombu.

Having video available to students is vitally important. Camera never blinks, and in that, students can see the who, what, where, why, and how their successes as well as their mistakes. The camera makes the students accountable for their own training/practice away from the school. Lights, Camera, Action!!

I began my MA training when I was 7 years old. I was being bullied quite a lot at school each and every day. My mom, after finding out what was going on, she enrolled me in the nearest local karate school immediately so that I could learn how to defend myself. My behavior at work and in my personal life are not entirely from the practice of karate. No. Why? Because I've parents! Parents who raised me properly across the board. The ethos of Karate have taught me very important things that can be intertwined with what my parents instilled in me as well. Karate is a very, very important part of my life and I thank my Dai-Soke for teaching me everything that is and isn't part of Karate-do. However, to give karate more credit than it deserves in my personal and work life, is to ignore my parents and all that they did to raise me properly. I'm now approaching my 49th year, and karate has made every difference in my life; personally as well as professionally. Karate affects my work in a big, big way. I'm Kaicho [President] of the Shindokan Hombu, and I've been teaching Shindokan Saitou-ryu well over 40 years. It's impossible to do what's required of me at the Hombu and/or in my own dojo day in and day out without being accountable to my students, as well as to the entire student body. Karate affects my work because without karate I couldn't learn it, albeit, I couldn't teach it, nor could I be the Kaicho of our Hombu. I'd be doing something else, now wouldn't I.

Absolutely...Solid post!! Against the misconceptions of karate, you cannot blame some sensei's for emphasizing the self-defense part of karate and impressing upon the public the non-aggressiveness of karate. Regardless of the reasons, it is a hidden fact that the kata we practice do not necessarily start and never end with uke waza. By knowing this, I hope that our mental attitude at the beginning and end of the kata would be amended, different from when we thought those techniques were only blocks.

One of MA most undying myth is that...All kata begin and end with blocking technique(s), and this myth is usually fueled by either the layperson or by MA practitioners who lack the knowledge/experience that one can only be gleaned by understanding the aspects of Bunkai and the like. Misinterpretation of kata movements has lent itself to falsely propagate that this myth has solid roots; that downward block in Heian Shodan's opening movement MUST be a block and nothing else.

Yeah...Ok...let me rephrase my question... Why do YOU think kata's usually start with a "block"?

Welcome to KF!!!!!!!!

Welcome to KF!!!!!!!!

I believe that my question still remains...Why do kata's usually start with a "block"?

One more thing...don't run out of bounds. Shift anyway that you can so that you're not back peddling out of bounds. When you're blitzed, angle away so that you're not forced backwards and out of bounds. You lose points when you do and if you do it to often, you run the risk of being disqualified by the center judge.

Solid post!! Oh yeah...RELAX, and enjoy the experience. Good luck, and please let us know how everything goes...you'll be fine.

Your 3 year journey will NOT be a wasted one. The basics are the MA roots that must be watered for them to grow stronger.

I know it as a change-up roundhouse kick. If properly done, very few can block it. Especially if the front kick segment causes your opponent to totally commit to a kick that isn't there anymore. Used in religiously during my tournament days; quite effective and successful.

The back fist, if properly executed, is NOT a weak jab, no, it's on the contrary. Yes, the hips, legs, and the transitional shift do drive the technique, but it's also the whipping/snapping motion of the back fist that increases the impact. Where the elbow is aiming towards, that is where the fist will contact said target. The back fist can also strike in a downward motion. Usual targets for that type of back fist is the top of ones head, top of shoulder, and while intercepting either a hand or a foot/knee, as well as to the groin. You could use either a back fist or a jab whenever the need presents itself; personal desire might decide which one to use over another. If you're more comfortable with one over another, than stick with what one knows. However, lend a lot of time to properly learn and practice the back fist until you're acclimated to it. "Traditional blocks", imho, aren't going to help you much, if at all, until you are very well versed in them, especially in the venues you're speaking about. To use the right tool, no matter what it is and what it is for, takes plenty of time to learn, understand, and adapt. I'm not saying that "traditional blocks" won't work at all. No. I'm just saying for a MAist that's not well versed in them, success will be quite limited. For the time, stay with your strongest tool, and then slowly introduce them into your desired venue. As in anything, experience is something that has to be cultivated properly before its fruits can be appreciated and enjoyed. The only wrong mentality to have while learning is to just give up. Be open and experience for yourself what works and what doesn't work...for YOU!! Until you're more versed in Shotokan, you'll respond more likely in the core that you're most effective with. Having said that, you might not ever be comfortable with Shotokan because your core is your comfort zone, and in that, you know your core much more than you know Shotokan.