doug_kissaki

Karatejock, it's been over a month since your initial post. I hope you decided to go back. I know where you are coming from here. I have had several "layoffs" over the years. At one point, I was out of training for 5 years. Going back to training was one of the best decisions I ever made. Don't fool yourself.. you're never too old to train (in any style)

Killuminati. Good for you for having the courage to walk out on that dojo floor! Others have already said it, but that really is the hardest part. I can totally relate to you. I first joined a karate school at the age of 16. I was awkward and had trouble catching on, but I kept at it, but I'm glad I did... and I promise, you will be too. I am 42 now and I can't imagine my life without martial arts. Congratulations on joining. . And remember, if you are ever having a tough time, this is a great place to come for support. No matter what you are going through, I guarantee that at least several people here have gone through it to!

A lot of this discussion raises an interesting question for me... I have taught little kids for several years and I have always taught by teaching starting with one hand on the hip and the other straight out. This is how I was originally taught when I started and have always considered this a "beginners" punch. However, the discussion has been taking place in my dojo that perhaps this is not the best thing to do. If this method of punching is abandoned in the more advanced stages, is punching from the hip really a basic punch or just an incorrect punch. One of the head instructors from one of our dojos in England has begun teaching children (4 - 7 year olds) without using a draw hand and has been having some very good success. Opinions? (I assume we have a lot of instructors on this board)

In my opinion, a punch should be started from a guard up position. The traditional method of starting a punch from a draw position (whether on your hip or ribs) comes from the idea of pulling the other hand in to that position while the punch is being delivered. And this method of doing the technique is not really correct. In a fight, hands do one of two things... protect you or harm your opponent. A hand on your hip does neither... unless that hand was pulled in as part of a grab. Before I start receiving all sorts of "flames" for going against something we've all been taught for years, take a look at an interesting article... http://www.kissakikai.com/newsletter.php

That does sound more realistic, and I agree that anytime you train against a risisting opponent is useful. I have to give you credit... if you are able to completely control techniques thrown to vital areas in a sparring situation when you can not predict your opponents movement, you are very good.

Sparring is an excellent tool for experiencing someone really trying to hit you and, in fact, getting hit. It also trains you for to deal with high-stress situations. But don't be fooled into thinking that sparring equates to street fighting. Very few real altercations involve standing toe-to-toe with an opponent and fighting with rules.

One thing needs to be considered here... sparring has very little to do with real world application of martial arts. Most of the points that you would hit in a true self defense situation are illegal for sparring.

I have to agree that a belt is nothing more than a piece of cloth. What it represents is much more, but the belt itself means very little. If tomorrow I walked into the dojo and tied on a white belt, I would still be me and I would still receive the same level of respect from the other members of the dojo.

It's ironic... quite often, the people most deserving of titles are those who have the humility to feel that they don't need to be addressed by those titles. My instructor travels the world giving martial arts seminars. He says he can always tell who in the room is the "master". He is the one who isn't training.

For teaching kids, I actually think ranks are a good thing too. Otherwise it would be like signing your child up for soccer ("football" for the Europeans among us), making them go to all the practices and never letting them play in a game. True understanding of martial arts can only come with maturity. And if a child has grown up learing the physical part of martial arts, the philosophical aspect will come easier.

This topic has been dead for a while, but I find it very interesting, so I had to chime in... I have been in schools over the years that have been very hung up on titles. Anyone wearing a black belt is always referred to as Mr. (or Miss/Mrs.) and their last name. In one school, if someone reached 4th Dan, they were considered "Master" and you were actually corrected if you called them "Mister" In another school, a Nidan that taught or a Sandan that didn't teach regularly was called Dai Sempai, a Sandan that taught or any higher rank was called Sensei. Once 4th dan or above, they may be given the title of Renshi and eventually Kyoshi. And the head of the entire school is called Shihan. I may be in the minority here, but I am not a big fan of titles. I never expect anyone to call me by my last name or stop what they are doing and bow because I enter a room. When I started in my current school as a white belt, there was (and still is) an 4th Dan there that is one of the most talented karateka I have ever met and an excellent instructor. Not only didn't he insist on being addressed with a title, it was several months before I ever even knew his last name.

Definitely keep doing things to keep yourself in physical shape. I agree about running. However, for maintaining what you know in martial arts, I have one word for you... KATA.

This argument, while somewhat true, is preposterous. If I am somewhere and get into an altercation (forget how my training may allow me to all together avoid an altercation). I should simply whip out my gun and shoot the other person?

This is a topic that has always been a "hot button" for me. The common misconception is that, as many have said already during this discussion, black belt equals mastery. And many schools actually perpetuate this myth. I have been into many dojos where there is a sign (some the size of an entire dojo wall) that reads "YOUR GOAL IS BLACKBELT". It's ingrained into us from the very beginning. Many of you have said it already that black belt is not the end of the journey, but the beginning. The best explanation I have heard along that line is that earning a black belt means simply that you have learned all the basics.

Hi all... My name is Doug. Over the years I have trained in Japanese Goju (Shodan-Ho), Tang-Soo-Do (Green belt), and now Kissaki Kai (Ni Dan). I look forward to chatting with people from around the world and in various martial arts styles I hope to hear from many of you.