Kruczek

This is done a bit different from mine. Thank you for posting the video though.

I appreciated the video...not to sure on discussing Bunkai about it - bunkai tends to be something better explained in person.

Congratulations! (Sounds like you should update your signature then though )

How did it turn out?

We had a guy start taking shorin-ryu classes at my school a few years ago. He was a fifth degree black belt in TKD - out ranking anyone in our school. So we told him to keep it on. The respect he earned that came with that belt didn't disappear just because he was doing something else. Additionally, more times than not, he had more insight to what we were doing because of that background. I may have interpreted a move to mean something and he would kindly come up after class and say "ever think about it meaning this or that" - So again, he definitely earned the respect that came with it. When I myself started classes in TKD, they had me start over as a white belt. Mind you, I taught in the Shorin-ryu class at the same building, everyone in the TKD class knew I was a 3rd Dan there, but the rational was that it was a class of primarily younger kids who would get offended. I am not trying to call you childish, but I would just suggest you really ask yourself if it matters that you didn't have a white belt at that school. You are not getting promoted till you have everything the new school requires....so I just wouldn't worry about it, pocket the money saved. If someone does have a problem with it - you and your sensei can always adapt then by either changing you or changing their attitude. Good luck with studying a new art!

Congratulations! Just keep in mind that there is still another what, 2 years before Nidan? 5 for Sandan.... Keep working hard, but don't look at Blackbelt as the end of your journey, rather the landing pad as you start up a new staircase. Congrats again!

What is his rank and is he affiliated with an organization like ATA, WTF, or ITF? How long has he been teaching? You mentioned reading something that suggested you should be more consistent with kids (I agree), perhaps giving him the article and saying you thought it was really interesting. Little hints like that to see if he maybe just didn't know. I think when convincing anyone it is best to offer an unbiased opinion from an outside source. Ideally - you have a relationship where you can suggest things and he can offer his reason for doing it different, but that takes time.

Keep your hands up and far enough in front of you to make it difficult for them to strike. Lift your leg and use that as a block rather than trying to block a low kick with your hands. As long as you can keep control of the situation, force them to try and go around those hand in front of you, then tap them real quick when they open up the middle of their body trying to hit you. I just taught one of our new guys this, he only uses a high block and a reverse punch - all he really needs if he uses those simple rules I suggested. I think the point about thank the guy who beat you for giving you the practice. The trophy is worthless, the real experience is why I pay the $40 or so to spar. Good luck.

I have almost no recollection of it. They asked me things like "name of our sensei" "name of our school" and I knew the right answers, but didnt fully grasp anything but what I knew I should say. I did our basic form, some kicks, punches, etc. Even for 9th Kyu, we had 3 black belts grade it and they all had a little score sheet to mark what we needed to improve. We never saw the sheet, was for their benefit I guess. I was a little nervous, but mostly just so new to it, I didn't know what to expect.

Everything should just be opposite? Twists, blocks, attacks, and which hip it sets on - just reverse everything. There was a 2006 Samurai movie on hulu I saw a few weeks ago that had one of the characters left handed. I applauded the fact that he did everything left handed, not just the one scene it worked into the plot. I too am a lefty swordsman (not sure if I would ever call myself that though lol), I have yet to run into any problems except partner work where it is expected that the other person will mirror you.

It is my last name lol. Polish decent, but that is about the only thing Polish about me - my name. I was told it means small raven and was originally used by shorter poles with black hair (looking at my Grandpa...sounds about right).

Oops lol. Sorry Ma'am. Well I am glad to hear that I am not totally off base when I say that the writing helps the student learn. I see your point about coming from another style and already knowing the content of the papers. This seems like a great time for a quick oral assessment that would exempt/validate you from the paper. I do not think the paper being bad would keep me from promoting someone to Shodan. I think not understanding the content of the assignment would. Often they would be similar, but for those karateka out there who are not writers of any sort, as long as orally or crudely in the paper they can prove they understand the concepts - their writing ability itself is irrelevant.

I wish I would have recorded my face when I googled it.... ...thank you for correcting my years of saying that. As for the real question, I won't elaborate - the first response said it all.

@Rateh - You are the perfect candidate for this questions then. After doing this for years - do you feel you gain something from writing the papers? Does it force you to expand your knowledge before submitting the paper? If the paper is not perfect, do you feel that makes or breaks your promotion, or as you said, does it offer your graders a better understanding of you before you test. @sensei8 - But if he can do it, then we know he is a black belt who can teach or at least are more inclined to believe it.

You raise another point here though. I am talking about Karate-Do, which is Karate along with the philosophies that go with it. If you are learning Karate to keep in shape, then yes you are most likely only practicing things that require reacting and physical repetition. In your case, there is no reason to write about it unless you feel like it. I also agree that the person who learns the most is the one writing, and that is why I suggest we have them write . You definitely added a new dimension to this argument with the fact that some people study Karate as well as Karate-Do and they have different needs. Thanks for the input.

@ Quinteros1963 - I agree video training is better than nothing. I would recommend FREE video training over $200 video training though. There is an individual on youtube that goes by hempev. Has the most amazing collection of Matayoshi Kobudo training - all free. Whenever I need a refresher on Kobudo Kata, I just go there. @ Montana - Thank you. I try .

It is my biased opinion that you should avoid home study courses. Unless you are a personal friend of the teacher, I don't recommend trying to do anything through videos. You aren't able to ask questions and learn the same way. Crane Karate appears to be a catchy URL for his website. Hakatsuru (Crane) is significant in many Karate styles claiming relation to Hohan Soken, like this one. As for Crane Style...his lack of information on where it came from makes me think he created it. Lawerence Vellucii was a marine officer who studied Karate in Okinawa and wrote a book on it called "Nintai". His marketing of the books comes across like he is claiming to be one of the only Americans to study karate...which is far from the truth. I am sure there is a footnote somewhere I missed. He is a 6th Dan in Matsumura Shorin Ryu, but does not mention who promoted him to that rank. He is a 6th Dan in White Crane Karate, which again I think he created and promoted himself to that rank. He also created the Kobukan Martial Arts Federation which consists of a handful of black belts on the west coast of the United States. He is the head of it. His Home Study kit has a few red flags in it. There are no mention of Pinan Sandan (third) or Godan (fifth). These are universal katas in any Shorin-ryu style and either he does not know them or decided they weren't worth teaching to you. His curriculum mirrors a Matsumura Seito school I know of, so I believe it is heavily reliant on his instruction from Chuck Chandler. He also includes a long list of "Karate" techniques ranging from "Tiger Jaw" to "Panther". Whether the moves are actually karate is impossible for me to tell, but the names he calls them by are most definitely something he came up with to market his stuff to Americans. He claims to have been taught by two lineages of Karate. If you are interested in learning the same stuff I would consider Kenshinkan Shorin-ryu under Fusei Kise. Their website offers a list of schools in the US. Hanshi Jeff Ader just became one of the heads in the US at 9th Dan. I have trained with him, and we have our fair share of differences, but the Karate is authentic. The other lineage he mentions is under Shuguro Nakazato of the Shorinkan Shorin-ryu system (what I study). Again their websites offer a long list of schools in the US, if you give me a general location I can also pull up some schools in your area. I my biased speculation is that Larry Vellucci knows some Karate. Enjoys doing it and is looking for a way to make it affordable to teach. His kids games are excellent games...for kids... If your game plan is to just learn from a video - you might as well just youtube. I even upload how to videos for karate to litter the 1000s of ones already available. Hope that helped.

@Dobbersky - As was said, I am not talking about structured writing where you are deemed incompetent for misspelling things. I want my students to go through three steps. Research, Talk, Get Feedback. You are very right when you say that everyone's karate is different - and I also agree that this is ok. By your definition however, a white belt who does it "differently" is fine because he/she is simply doing their interpretation. If you are not capable of writing (and judging by the fact you are discussing this here with us, I assume you are capable), then by all means verbally discusses it with your instructors, fellow karateka, and even your students. Get feedback on what you know and see if others can guide you on things you may misunderstand. You mentioned the different but not wrong argument. This is true with a handful of things. The history of your style is not a difference of opinions - someone is right and someone is wrong. Things like "why do we do this" are often speculation, but speculation based on something. When I say that I believe Bushi Matsumura introduced Buddhist beliefs to Karate-Do, it is speculation, but I base it on my knowledge of when things were happening at the time period and who was capable of being influenced by those things. If you say that Karate primarily developed from sai training, even though the Chinese influence is obvious in the name Tode and the Chinese lack of sai would make this extremely false, then you are misguided and need some peer feedback. I suggest writing because public speaker is a much greater fear of people than being told your paper was bad. Additionally, publishing your thoughts online opens you up to global feedback rather than just your Sensei. Anko Asato was very supportive of Anko Itosu also teaching Funakoshi because he felt more input on his Karate was better. In this world of business Karate, people call it disrespectful to get more feedback from anyone but their Sensei. Mine has personally been wrong a few times, as have I. It isn't a matter of it being my interpretation of something - I just didn't have all the facts. I think we want the same thing, I am just pushing for a bigger audience. Hope that clarifies some things.

Haha, again hit it right on the head. When I said equivalent, I meant they held a similar status in society. Pechin were typically protectors of the King of Okinawa. They shared little to nothing in common with Japanese Samurai. @Bushido_man96 - The Okinawans had a native "Te" that the Pechin would have been familiar with. As the Chinese came to Okinawa, the Pechin would frequently ask the diplomats to teach them Chinese Boxing. Through them they learned a lot of techniques and blended the two arts together. The Shimazu Clan took over Okinawa in the 1600s, they banned weapons (some exceptions to the Pechin) and did not allow open teaching of Karate. While you are correct that it was commonly taught in backyards, Gichin Funakoshi talks about his experiences learning it at night to avoid being caught. The only reason he learned Karate was because his childhood friend was the son of Anko Asato. This was years after the Meiji Restoration, and even then he still didn't practice Karate openly. No one just "showed up". In 1908 Anko Itosu (unrelated) petitioned the Japanese Government to allow him to start teaching Karate in Okinawan primary schools (refer to the Tode Jukun - copy on my blog), arguing that it would help the military. This was the first I know of it being taught publicly without an invitation. @Wastelander - I recognize that story about a former Judo student in Arizona from somewhere else . I still stand by what I said though. I was already a black belt before I realized the need to read and discuss my understanding of karate. I initial realized that my instructor was taught some great kata..."Heian Nidan"...and I noticed that it wasn't the Shotokan kata, and it definitely wasn't Shorin-ryu. It sparked me to read more and now I regret not starting from day one. Shoot me a PM if you ever run into a roadblock in your learning, I think you have a lot of potential if you are able to punch and kick too

Most of the original developers were Pechin (Okinawan equivalent of a Samurai) whose jobs were martial arts. We often picture the Mr. Miyagi of humble origins practicing in the family dojo - but that was not how it was founded. As far as my lineage - and others may offer a different view - Sensei Itosu was born to a family of nobility and in between studying Chinese classics he learned from the local Pechin (not exactly a hard working man with no free time). Chosin Chibana was born to a family of nobility (until they lost it in the Meiji restoration). Again tons of free time and it was his job his whole life. Karate was something kept secret amongst upper nobility until the Meiji restoration. It didn't start being taught publicly until Itosu introduced it into the Okinawan Schools in early 20th century. Gichin Funakoshi made it main stream to our current "class on wed." format when he brought it to Japan in 1930. Offer a different light on it?

@Dobbersky - A hundred years ago people had the time to dedicate the majority of their time to karate-do. Students would study daily for multiple hours and often with senior students of a style. How often do you study? Do you think that you learn as much in the same time as someone with personal instruction? The intent is to help students learn many of the things that would be taught when you were able to spend more time with an instructor. While you are correct that it does not add any title to the end of your name. Consider Bushi Matsumura. His name was so famous for his knowledge of karate that people would seek him out from across the country and dedicate the better part of their life learning what he had to teach - I don't even know PhDs with that kind of a reputation. I offered this as how I think schools should be run. You are welcome to do what you wish, but I want my students to have a well enough understanding to explain things, not just demonstrate them. A website for your style is an excellent example. It said that, Koku Tora Ryu translates to "The Black Style School of the Empty Hand Way". Koku Tora Ryu means, "Black Tiger Style/Method". Koku Tora Kan KaraTe-Do is the closest translation of "The Black Tiger School of the Open Hand Way". How would you be able to explain the discrepancy to a new student who speaks Japanese and is confused? Basic research will teach you (although I can't explain that specific discrepancy), and basic writing allows your fellow karateka ensure you are staying on track. To each his own, but I stand behind my statements here. @Wastelander - Rank does not denote a right to talk I am happy to hear any and all of your opinions, and I think you understood exactly what I was saying. If you are reading and learning this early in your journey - you are way ahead of me and I salute you for that.

@Sensei8 - No harm. No foul lol. I actually got a great laugh out of it. The source of my motivation is my two pet peeves: 5 year old black belts and $2000 testing fees. When anyone under the sun can give a black belt to someone, we end up with 5 year olds on youtube wearing a black belt. This is fine - that is their decision, time, and school - but I don't want to be looked with the same confusion, "How in the world did they earn the right to wear that?". At the same time, when we turn to organizations to run things it eventually gets political. For me, to test in my previous organization for Sandan was like $300. Some schools charge $3000. This limits the ability of good people to stick with a school because they just don't have the money - and that isn't what karate is about. Anyway, so the happy medium I found. Panels of fellow karateka promoted me, I bought dinner lol. Now I am opening myself up to peer review because it is often harder for friends to critique each other than total strangers. @xo-karate - I am happy you found the paper useful in learning about your own school. Ryu is based off of Ryukyu Kingdom (former name of Okinawa), Bu is the symbol for martial arts (BuDo, BuJutsu, BuGei all stem from this), and Kan is the symbol for a house (ShotoKAN and ShorinKAN are examples of this). The translation is "The house of the fighting arts of Okinawa". RyuBuKan Ryu is "The style of the house of the fighting arts of Okinawa". As for karate developing. I'm glad you agree. It is great for us to understand the basis for what we practice today. "Where did this come from?" It always amazes me the number of changes to karate when it went to Japan, yet when it came from Japan people refused to change it because "its a tradition". If the Okinawans were happy to change it to make it more Japanese, why can't I change it to make it more American? As long as I keep the important parts, I think it is ok to do things like a camouflage belt and pistol disarming (I doubt Bushi Matsumura was worried about that). I am not trying to find a better system, just evaluate if we already have the best system. From the 17th to the 20th century, there were no Gis and no karate belts, and Karate was taught and learned just fine. I am no suggesting we start calling former blue belts Sergeant or the head of a school being "Mr. President" instead of "Sensei". I just want to see what are the Pros and Cons of each organizations structure and what Karate schools could gain from them. This is just like when Funakoshi thought that Judo had the right idea with the Kyu/Dan system. If nothing else, he offered something the Japanese people already knew. Well what do Americans (or the Finnish) already relate to that they would be more comfortable with? So I am not saying there is definitely a better rank structure, I just want to explore the idea. If it turns out the Kyu/Dan system is better than anything else - now when someone else asks the same question I can show them what my research says. Thank you both for your input.

I teach Shorinkan Shorin-Ryu, which has no affiliation with Gichin Funakoshi. Both he and Chosin Chibana share a common teacher, but Funakoshi's writings are completely separate from any karate I have learned or currently teach. I chose to highlight his philosophies because I think many of them exemplify what karate-do really means, regardless of his organization. Rather than say my organization (I am not active in an organization) adapt his philosophies, I said all true karateka should value his teachings. If that is not adventurous enough for you than perhaps "The Great Karate Myth" is more up your alley. I meant to inform not create controversy. I don't think there was anything meant by it, but if you actually think of organizations as rivals, then please consider Funakoshi's request that his style just be called Karate. He argued that tons of branches and styles was a bad idea and that everyone should just unite under a universal flag of "karate" (Karate-Do My Way of Life).

Well I thank you for the feedback. I actually received my Nidan April of 2007 and my Sandan in 2009, the intent of this paper is to add legitimacy to it because I do not actively participate in any major organization. There is no one to turn it into because I did it out of self-motivation. It gives me the opportunity to receive peer feedback. If the responses were "you are so far off it's not even funny", then I would have a lot of work to do clearly. The plan was a "what do you know about karate from personal experience" for Shodan Paper. "What do you know about other people's views on karate" for my Nidan Paper. My next big project is a 30+ page paper on the Dan/Kyu System - exploring its effectiveness and postulating if there is a better rank structure and award system used by other organizations.

Looks like bad verbiage on my part. "This paper is a research paper on the evolution of the philosophies that shaped karate-do." So I will go ahead and remove the word Thesis, because I agree with you - that wasn't my intent. I only mean to offer my explanation of already available information, not add more. Thanks for the feedback, it helps.