Wa-No-Michi

To be honest swadoryu2000, what I think is irrelevant. The important thing is to do it exactly how your sensei teaches it. My group "Wado-kai" does certain techniques a little differently to say the "Renmei" group does, but I still do it the way my group does it. Also bear in mind that even within the same group, instructors will teach things differently. It shouldn't stop you however from being aware of how other groups / instructors do these, and after a while, you will begin to discern between what remains constant throughout all of the major wado schools - as opposed to instructor personalisation. Until you are ready to do this, you must follow your instructor who (hopefully) has already been down this path.

I agree - great kata

Not in Pinan Sandan?? Kiba Dachi as i understand it, means horse riding stance. So it is highly likely that some senseis are going to refer to any straddle stance as Kiba Dachi - including Shiko and Naihanchi dachi. But I see Naihanchi Dachi as a little different to Kiba Dachi. I see it as an inner circular stance (similar to Seishan dachi but with feet in line). Unlike Kiba-Dachi the knees are more inside of the line of the toes. More like the arched doors of a church.

Well he was Korean by birth, apart from that I haven't got a scooby.

Well done dude. You yudansha... Onegaishimasu!!!

Yes I agree, but there comes a point where you have to stop your imagination overtaking common sense. Unfortunately, there seem to be quite a few "high profile" authors of karate bunkai books these days that seem to "pray" on junior karate-ka's lust for the rapid and total understanding of karate-do with theories and applications that are so creative and imaginary some deserve an Oscar. Don't get me wrong, they serve their purpose to an extent, but they are no substitute for a knowledgeable instructor in my eyes.

Well you say it isn't a Wado Kata, but there is at least one senior Wado instructor that I know of that includes this Kata in his book. Go= 5 Ju= 10 Shi= 4 So together they mean 54 (a mathematical factor of 108). So nothing to do "necessarily" with the correlation of the ryu-ha names of Goju / Shorin Ryu. If that was what you were eluding to. WNM

Cool, practice them with your friend. I would also look toward your sensei in terms of explanation of these matters. If he can't explain, then maybe he hasn't fully understood. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, I don't pretend to know a fraction of my sensei's understanding, but I think all knowledge is transient in this respect. You "realise" these things by yourself as you go along. That's the great thing about Karate... it is by its nature - continually evolving.

I think you're right. I'd be reluctant to stand side on to an opponent. Perhaps this lends it self to point scoring karate but as you say tallgeese.. leaves to much exposed to attack. Also, it protracts your ability use of the arm / leg that is furthest away from your opponent. And yes, Zanshin was a quality contributor to these boards. I hope he will visit again soon.

Well yes and no, depending on how you look at it.... Katas in Wado are primarilly about learning how to move.... transition between techniques as it were. Traditionally of course, Wado does not employ the process of "bunkai" in the same way as the Okinawan arts do. Wado katas are there for a different purpose IMO. But you need to speak to your instructor about this. Do you practice Ippone / Sanbon, Ohyo, Kumite Gata, Kihon Kumite in your group? Perhaps you should look toward these for some of the answers... In terms of application in its raw sense. WNM

Barry Mcguigan. Small guy, BIG HEART. Excellent technician, but most of all, he would never give up. Great spirit.

Thank you Joe for your valid contribution to these boards. I always enjoy reading your posts. They are well intentioned and you have a very balanced outlook IMO. Cheers WNM

The BB of C, I owe you an apology, I have just re-read my post this morning and it comes over a bit rude. I am sorry about that it was not my intention. So what you are saying is that you have already got 5 stories mapped out? As far as understand Tai Chi, would it be an idea for you to train with a TC group even if it is only for few weeks. Explain to them why you are doing it, I am sure they would be more than helpful. You could always give them a credit in your book. Just a thought.

Brilliant!! Well if he didn't before, he will now. When I first read your post i thought that you were talking about reading a series of books, but by the sounds of it, you are writing them yes? So if this is the case, how do you know (even before you have written the first of them) that there will be five in the series? Surely though, if you are a professional writer, wouldn't you go to some primary source material in order to research and develop your main character?

Yes, I agree with you. I definately can see that as a throw. Training-wise, I guess we are taught to do a throw, but I was just scrapping up ideas as to what else can be done. For some reason, I always pick something out, find a bunkai, and say ''There has to be another way to do this move!'' heh. But I guess some moves has very limited bunkai as to what can be applied, and this particular jump may very well be one of them. I just can't see this as a throw. From a Wado perspective it is not a throw its a jump. The objective is to achieve lightness, agility and flexibility. Trying to turn it into a throw defeats this objective. Also I can not see how the throw would be effectual from the the proceeding technique ie the urazuki, as you have opened yourself up into the nagashizuki posture. This is a very unstable stance and does not lend itself as good foundations to enable a throw. Just my thought.

You are right to do Kiba dachi with your feet pointed forward but Kiba Dachi does not feature in Wado Katas (not just my group but Wado as a whole). Why?, because it is too rigid, lacks flexibility. You can move through Shiko Dachi a whole lot smoother. But if your group does Kiba Dachi then fine (just isn't Wado).

Kiba dachi = Horse Riding Stance (Straddle stance etc), but with toes pointing forward. Zenkutsu dachi = front stance - (Zen = all and Kutsu = foot/shoe)

Kiba dachi is a straddle stance where the toes of both feet point forward. This stance does not appear in Wado Katas. Instead we use "Shiko-dachi" (sometime called Shimata-dachi) which is a straddle stance where the feet are turned outward.

Well yes, but more interesting are the fights where guys who are sub 70K fight the 90K plus guys. In American money thats a 150 pound guy fighting anyone 250 pound the sky is the limit.

It can be about ma-ai or distance between you an an opponent who has a different height. Quite often, the shorter guys will try and drive down this distance so as to limit the long range techniques of their opponent, (working inside as it were). Obviously this does leave them vulnerable so the key (if you are vertically challenged) is movement. Get in and out quick. Interesting actually, as many of the senior comps I have taken part in have had an open weight section where the smaller guys can go up against the big boys. They are often the best fights of the day, and the small guys hold their own a lot of the time. Despite what you might of heard ... Size doesn't always matter.

Well, each to their own of course, but I would always look toward the eyes. Yes, maybe with "eyes that look through mountains", but in the first instant, I would be reluctant to look anywhere else. I think as combat pursues however, then you should look toward what is appropriate. Have a look at this guy. His name is Tetsuzan Kuroda and for my money he is probably one of the best martial artists in the world today. Look at where he is looking.. and with more at risk than just being kicked / punched.

Can't you get dan grades from your own group to help you out.

The stance(s) in the middle are "gyakuzuki no tsuk-komi" (with the tenohira-uke) and "gyaku-nekoashi" with the tate uraken.

In Pinan Yodan (some schools teach this as the third Pinan), the stances used are: zenkutsu dachi, long neiko ashi dachi, short neiko ashi dachi, and one other stance I don't know the name of in the middle of the kata.In Pinan Sandan (some schools teach this as the third Pinan as well), the stances used are: short neiko ashi dachi, zenkustu dachi, kiba dachi, and hachiji dachi (natural stance). Least, this is how it is in the Wado-Ryu system. There is no Kiba-Dachi in any Wado katas.

Style of karate is one thing, but if you are just starting out, (or re-starting) I would (as others have said) look at the clubs you have on offer. You will learn the best karate from the best instructor, not style IMO. To find a good Wado instructor I think your chances are limited, but that doesn't mean to say that the clubs in your area don't teach Karate well.