Shizentai

Wow. I feel like I can relate to your situation quite a bit actually. I too began training karate seriously around age 15, and furthermore I too was homeless by age 19. However this wasn't because of eviction, but rather, because a hurricane came and destroyed my city six years ago. I lost my house, I lost my work, my college was gone, I had no savings, no dojo, no food, no spare clothes and nowhere to go. I didn't even have my gi or my new blackbelt that I had been awarded no more than two months prior. For the first two weeks I just stayed in a crowded truck stop with my parents waiting, hoping, praying, as one by one each of my family members came back from what seemed like liquid death. But then something funny happened in the third week... as the urgency of the moment waned, I began filling my useless days with kata. Much to my aunts' and uncles' amusement I would turn my back on the constant flow of devastation that had us all glued to the screen, and instead would train my heians and sentei again and again until I began to feel better. It really is amazing what positive thinking can do. Soon, with the great help of a distant contact I was out of there. I flew to a city on the other side of the continental US, and begged their local college to admit me. To my surprise, they did. There they had a swiftly growing karate club, with which I trained as much as possible. Because I was one of only five black belts at the time, the club asked me to teach for a small portion of their annual training camp, which was shortly before the end of the semester. Taken by surprise, I had no idea what I could possibly convey to a huge room of people that would help their karate.... So then, I just walked up to the front and said to them all: "As I am still a novice, I can't teach you guys much waza. But I can tell you something I recently learned: Even if you have nothing, no money, no place to live, no work, no status, you can still have karate. Those other things are insignificant because they can be taken from you. On the other hand, if you train hard, then as long as you live no one can take away your karate. What a wonderful gift we all have been given! I hope that you will always treasure it." Karateka63, Now that you know pretty much everything there is to know about me, I hope you'll understand where I am coming from when I give you this advise: Just get out there. I know it seems daunting to leave home and take that big step, especially if your life is in flux, but sometimes these are the best moments to ride the wave of change so to speak. If you are 19 and interested in college (as I'm guessing you are by your original post), then go out and do it! I know it is expensive, but there are scholarships, need-based grants, even loans if you must. Many colleges have karate clubs with which you can train for little to no money. Meanwhile, you can find a career that suits you, and better your life in the future. I'm not trying to sound preachy or anything. I am just trying to give you encouragement, since I was once in a similar situation. You can do it! Just don't lose hope!

Oh no!!! Hahaha! Yeah, my personal experience with trying to spar with my significant other is completely negative so far. The first guy I dated who was a martial artist was open to sparing. It was pretty fun and educational actually, since he studied a different art and it was useful to practice techniques against different shaped attacks. However, every time he felt as though he won, he would go out of his way to tell me why his art was better and more complete than karate. I'm not really about making fun of other people's styles so... yeah, that didn't last long. The next martial artist boyfriend I had studied aikido, which I thought was really cool at first. However, he was just a beginner and he wouldn't go to class, so when he asked me to practice with him he couldn't move me at all (and I'm not a big person either lol poor guy). Also, none of the beginner-level joint locks he tried worked as I am incredibly double-jointed. He would get so frustrated and competitive. He even went so far as to join my karate dojo, which I tried to encourage as much as possible, but then he would tell me that he didn't want to train with me taking the same class because he was a man, and didn't want to seem like he was lower than his girlfriend. Sometimes guys just don't get it I think.... My current boyfriend plays soccer, and I love him!

Now I see. I apologize for misreading that. You know, I think another ramification of situations like this one is that often kind-hearted instructors such as yourself who have clearly never harmed your students in this way become fearful of the manner in which they relate to females in the dojo. Personally, I don't mind hard-contact. I don't mind when my sensei grabs my arm without warning and wraps it backwards on itself to illustrate a point. I don't mind being treated the exact same way as all of the male students in my dojo. In fact, I long for it. I think people who commit this sort of crime don't realize that the affected parties are not just two people, or even just the families of each person involved (though they are by far the ones who suffer the most). Rather, when a disgrace such as this one occurs, the effect is widespread, and harms the morale of karate-ka everywhere. Ossu!

This makes me very sad to hear, as a female karateka. When I was 16, my first instructor, a 35 year-old sandan (who I DEFINITELY wasn't interested in) tried something one night after training while I was waiting for my mother to pick me up. I was lucky, because as soon as I realized what was going on I was able to get away from him, run like heck out of there and never come back. If it weren't for one of my senpai taking me to another dojo (my current dojo), I would have never trained again. I was disillusioned with the whole process of training. I felt like I couldn't trust anything he taught. I questioned every compliment on my technique, every stretching exercise, every little kumite bout. I had no confidence in myself or my karate for a long time after that. Almost a decade later, it's still not something I comfortably talk about. It's difficult being a young woman in that situation, especially when other people write it off as if it were nothing, or try to casually sweep it under the rug as "just one of those things." My heart goes out to all involved. I believe he admitted to guilt at the time charges were brought against him. So... I'm a little confused what you mean.

Style: Traditional Shotokan Karate Rank: 2dan How many day and times a day: 5 days a week Mon. Wed. Fri: - 90min training with my big sensei Tue. Thur. - 1 hour morning training with sensei (If I have work off) - 2 to 4 hours training with the various kids' classes I also train kata and precision kihon drills by myself often, though I don't have a set schedule for that (whenever I have free time), so I didn't count it for these poll purposes. ...Although, this week will have me training every day it seems. We have a visiting instructor from JKA headquarters staying for a camp this weekend and I believe I am to drive him around and attempt casual conversation with my terrible Japanese @_@. Well, here goes nothing!

A woman once came into my place of work wearing a skin-tight t-shirt with the word "cheap" written across the front in Japanese. She thought it meant "serenity" and apparently had a tattoo of it as well. I didn't ask where. As for the topic of this thread, I like this dojo's name: Seikukan Karatedo Zurich sei = sincerity; honesty; integrity; fidelity (first character from the second line of the dojo kun "be faithful") ku = emptiness; the sky (same as "kara" from "karate") kan = house; hall (same "kan" as in "shotokan")

Well, I didn't mean to sound as though I thought it was reputable. The sheer fact that I can only find one record of this university anywhere other than on their website tipped me off that it was questionable at best. Then I read the one other article (http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/article_528a9952-9b34-11de-8069-001cc4c03286.html) and I realized that the educational approval board that permitted the school to open used phrases such as these to describe it: so yeah... enough said. I just meant that the idea of spending my days studying the history, religion, philosophy, physiology, etc. of martial arts sounds like a really awesomely enjoyable way to get a higher degree. My thoughts exactly. I was half hoping someone on this forum would know something about this, just to quench my curiosity.

My dojo recieved an ad for this program in the mail the other day: http://www.auwi.org/ At first I thought it was a masters of science program for all martial arts, but I'm thinking now that it's really only Taekwondo, which is not what I study, so it's not personally relevant, just interesting none the less. I think the idea of getting a higher degree in a martial art is kinda cool, though I have no idea how it would be executed. Thoughts anyone?

The most common bunkai I've seen for that technique is an evasion of practically any attack (kick, bo strike, punch, whatever else have you), but I've also seen it as a "what if" scenario where an attacker has swept, and the karate-ka must fall correctly, then swiftly regain a more favorable and defensive position. Therefore, the proper execution of a modified gedan shuto-uke that follows is integral to that point. Also as Sensei8 pointed out, it's important not to forget the jodan augmented uppercut punch done with the right hand immediately preceding this falling technique. When I've seen the fall taught as an evasion, the practitioner is both attacking and defending at the same time. It's a cool moment imo I like that. So you see it as more of an agility drill. Not a bad thing. Promotes coordination and kinesthetic awareness...plus it's simple. Would you say the same for the jumping turn at the end of empi? Haha! I can attest to this! I train kata jumping often on my own, and it's surprising how useful it is in a pinch to look at barriers around you and be sure you can clear them with little to no room for a running start.

IMO, no pain that another person gives to me in an attack can equal the pain that I ultimately cause myself by being ill-prepared for it. Therefore fear is pointless, respecting one another is common sense and self-discipline is mandatory.

This is very true! I should offer after training tomorrow! Thanks guys! haha! I have a feeling that I'll be tasting the dojo floor for at least one of my my two senpai's bunkai practice.

I accidentally bent a couple of hollow metal dowels in half with my instep once... but that was a rather sad and painful accident that involved me as an orange belt attempting to practice side-snap kick while looking at my form in the bathroom mirror. The towel racks were one thing, but trying to explain to my dad how the sink came off the wall was quite another. I was such a clumsy kid...

YES! I helped design a shirt for a new tournament that my big senpai was putting on in another city yesterday (well, when I say "helped" I mean that he did all of the work, I just made a poster design that he converted into a snappy high-contrast shirt design). Anyway, after the tournament yesterday I stopped at the grocery store on my way home. As I went through the vegetable section I noticed several people, including the security guard stopping and reading my shirt. Then, sure enough, a man waking past out-of-the blue says "How did you do today?" To Which I responded, "Go number 2~ haha!" We then had a long conversation about where I trained, how to get there, and whether or not they accept students of other styles. He even jotted down our website. I don't know if he will actually come and visit us or not, but that was a heck of a lot more interest than when we set-up a table in the mall! I don't know if it was my senpai's eye for color, or if a smiley miniature female with a giant bruised arm wearing a martial arts tournament shirt is just a curiosity in and of itself.

Wow! Those are some amazing stories! I've only been teaching for a short time now, and thankfully none of the kids I help teach have had to face a real-life violent situation before. Although I will always wish that they never do encounter someone who wants to do them or their loved ones harm, if they ever do, I can only hope that as an instructors, the preparation we have have given them would allow them to handle the situation as well as your students one day. Ossu!

Tonight the head sensei of the kids' classes at my dojo was out on a business trip and left me (a part-time assistant instructor) and one of my senpai in charge of the classes for the week. When it came time for the advanced children's class only a few students showed up. One of the students was an incredibly shy girl who has a lot of talent, but who often hesitates and doesn't commit to her technique when she is put on the spot. Even after training is finished, I've never heard her say more than two words at a time. I'm sure it doesn't help that aside from her, all of the other advanced children are boys, and have been training a bit longer than she has. Still, for a long time I just wished I was better at encouraging her self-confidence. Tonight we did a review of several new advanced kata that we had learned over the past several weeks. One of these kata was my personal favorite kata that I had chosen to teach them a month ago (the last time that I filled-in): kanku-sho. I fully expected that after such a long time no one would remember the kata, and when we ran through it briefly, based on everyone's performance I was sure this was the case. However, at the end of class, my senpai asked the students which kata they wanted to do again before we ended the session. Though everyone else hesitated, to my surprise, the shy pupil responded quickly, "kanku sho!" So my senpai asked her if she wanted to lead the class. With large amounts of encouragement from me and the other kids, she finally agreed. Then wouldn't you know! She remembered every single technique and performed it more confidently than any of her peers had to date. She even had pretty good timing actually. After finishing, we gave the nine-year-old a big round of applause and she looked at me with the biggest unquenchable grin, but said nothing, as always. What a great kid! So lets hear yours! Most rewarding moments anyone?

I agree, Tokaido is the best quality (as are Hirota and Yamaga. The founders of these companies used to work for Tokaido so it's the same craftsmanship and price pretty much). The only problem is that these can be really freakin' expensive! Personally, for a good training gi I prefer something that not only looks good and is durable, but that I can afford to replace when it gets inevitably disgusting from heavy perspiration. The line I prefer for all-around satisfaction (i.e. price, quality, durability & fit) is called "Mugen" and it's made by KI. Here's a link: http://www.kiintl.com/1/home.php?cat=254 They make them in light mid and heavy fabric so you can choose, but all of them are way more affordable than Tokaido. Even though I have many other more expensive gi (including a Tokon), I actually usually end up wearing my Mugen to tournaments because it looks the best on me. Lastly, if it is helpful I did a big gi review on my blog a while back. Here's the link: http://www.mariorange.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry091022-220711 I reviewed 6 different gi brands/lines that I have owned in the past. There are photos and info on prices, comparative sizing, cuts, washing advise, heaviness of fabric and links to where you can order each online.

Politics and business and everything else aside, I do find it ironic that they would choose the same kanji for "go" as in "gojuryu" since it means "hard" and apparently (based on what a practitioner said in the other thread) GKR has a no-contact policy. It sounds to me like "Jukanryu" would have been more appropriate.

This is why mine didn't like showing up actually! I still liked knowing they were there though. You have to understand, before I started training, my ankles and wrists and knees were in a constant rotation of stability braces. Basic things like stepping off a bus and walking across a street quickly were actions that I sometimes couldn't do without hyperextending and hurting myself. I wanted to show my parents that karate was helping, and that I wasn't their frail daughter that they had to worry about anymore. When I was a beginner we didn't do free sparing or self defense or randori or anything like that so they came then, but nowadays they just show up to watch kata and then go home. It's probably for the best considering how close I was to being unconscious on the floor on my last test (granted, my last test was as a yudansha not mudansha as the topic suggests).

I rode home in a car with my senpai who gave me advise about where my technique needs improvement. Then when I got home, I slept. It was an exhausting endeavor, since in my dojo usually people test on the third day of a three or four day training camp with very little time alloted between sessions for eating meals or sleeping a full night.

Man! All of that sounds like so much fun!!! When I was a kid, my reward was when my parents would watch me test... well, sometimes. Haha! Actually, once or twice my mom dropped me off and then forgot to pick me up afterwards so my senpai and I waited around for three hours talking about technique. Those were the days. Though now that I'm an adult, I've made it my tradition to take my kohai out to dinner at the best sushi place in town when they pass.

Very soon two dear friends of mine that I have known for a decade now will be taking their godan test. Being a nidan myself, this sort of testing seems very far off in the distance to me. In our organization this rank requires the practitioner to demonstrate not only kata, kihon and kumite, but also to be drilled relentlessly on bunkai, practical self defense, and to present primary research in their field of specialization before taking an hour-long written exam. Then, often they must speak at length with an instructor from our headquarters in Japan. In the past I have seen many people test for godan. Almost all fail. So my questions for all of you are this: Have you ever had to take a high-level rank test before? If so, what was it like? Also, in preparing for such a test, what is the best way that a kohai can help?

I agree with everything you've said in this thread ev! Good advise on both counts! In my organization we learn mawashigeri with both instep and ball of the foot, but for different applications. We do this because each has its advantages and disadvantages, so it's best to keep both in your arsenal. A shin/instep kick is much harder for an opponet to avoid, since there is a much longer range of applicable striking surface coming at you. However, with increased area of striking surface goes decreased force (lbs/in^2). Additionally, the instep is nowhere near as naturally hardened as the bottom of the foot (which everyone conditions by walking around on it every day). By contrast, a ball-of-the-foot strike can deliver a stronger penetrating force since it has a smaller surface area. It is also less likely to damage the attacker's foot in doing so (especially for people who don't do too much conditioning training). However, practicing toe flexibility and most importantly, accuracy in target is essential (as it is much easier to miss with this sort of kick). Though it is not my personal opinion, I've heard many instructors for this reason recommend kicking with the instep for strikes to the head (since less force and more range is required for incapacitation), and kicking with the ball of the foot to lower targets like stomach level (since more penetrating force is required for incapacitation). now, back to the OP's question: 1. Ev's pseudo-seiza is a very good idea 2. So is the idea of doing lunges on your toes that someone else mentioned. 3. Then, after you've stretched them out for a good long while (as in months or maybe years, it depends on you), I would also recommend finding a thick stone or brick wall and practicing kicking that gently at first, then progressively harder with time. This will allow you to first feel if the weight is being successfully applied mostly to the ball of the foot, before putting force behind it. If you feel as though your force is on the ball and not the toes, then you are bending them back enough for basic safety, even if it doesn't look perfect when you kick in the air. 4. Just like everyone else said, Practice practice practice! Repeat items 1-3 to increase flexibility. Now, all of that being said, I knew a high-ranking sensei who was born with a defect in his feet that prevented him from moving his toes at all. All bodies are different. If you are like him and over time still can't seem to bend them back enough to be safe when you kick with the ball, rest assured that there are many ways and techniques to compensate for that and still be perfectly awesome at karate.

Hello fellow JKA member! First of all, very nice! I love your snap, and really good contrast of fast vs. slow movements. I've been doing this kata a lot lately (at least 20 or so times this evening actually) so it's a bit of a fun coincidence for me that you should post it. I'm not nearly as far along with it as you are, so it's a pleasure seeing how you perform it. If you don't mind me asking, how long have you trained this kata? It's so hard ending in the same place for this kata isn't it? It's a little easier than gojushiho dai though in my opinion. Nice recovery there at the end though, using the yoi and bow to scoot back to the middle. On a completely unrelated note, I love JKA Hungary's flag! Due to the ISKF split, we no longer have the tiger on ours. I miss it...

Normally I wear my belt just an inch or so longer than the top of my jacket (which is not terribly long either). However my favorite belt used to belong to my sensei, and being a smaller-than-average person I don't quite fill it out. It doesn't reach the tops of my knees, but it's not far off. What's pathetic is it's only a size 4. =_=

When I was training in Japan I remember an old sensei from a nearby dojo came to visit ours on my Sensei's birthday. When he grabbed my arm to fix my koukutsu dachi I saw that he not only had GIANT knuckle callouses, but the callouses had cracks in them that were deep and black in the valleys. ...they were the most extreme karate hands I've ever seen! My hands by contrast are very small, supple, and have a weak grip. The one good thing I have going for me is a genetic deformation of the nerves in my forearms. Basically I can punch and do knuckle push-ups and have my hands joint-locked till the cows come home, but I don't really feel the pain. My fists are just numb little bludgeons. ...Inconvenient for cooking though.