wouldbemaster

I agree nothing in life is fixed and all martial arts is about the application of principles not fixed techniques delivered in a fixed/forced manner.

It is interesting to see the variety of levels/grades different clubs use before black belt/1st Dan in particular when you think of what kyu means in japanese i.e. nine which we take as being the nine steps to black lots of threes and multiples of three in martial arts. Obviously if it is a professional club then having lots of grades means more grading fees of course.

Looking at KK1 I agree I was always taught Seishan-Dachi as initially. Key point I think is around application and use of nagashi. In this case we are flowing with the attack on both the initial block and the following block/punch combination, when I was suggesting the 45 degree angle it was in turning from facing to turning to 45 degree so you are attacking against the weak angle against stance of attacker to maximise the impact utilising centre of gravity both theirs and yours. Yours in Wado

I am in no way suggesting that you do not start to learn until you get you black belt I am now 45 and have been training in various martial arts since the age of 6 and am a firm believer that you learn everyday and not just from those who are further on their journey, you can learn more sometimes from the fresh faced new starter who has no previous input of thought on your art. I am purely saying that in my experience gaining a 1st dan is much like passing your driving test, it proves you understand the basics and can apply them safely and with some thought, but I am sure you would agree with me that when you have past your driving test that this does not make you an good/advanced driver. To utilise another analogy Star Wars and the young talented Anikan Starwalker had reached the 1st Dan position potentially over confident and thinking he knew enough to be able to make the right choices only to fall to the dark side. I have trained in main arts and learnt from all and Wado was not the first art I trained in but was the one that I have focused on and trained in to a level that allows me to explore other arts and see the links to my art without falling to the dark side. Consolidation of training is essential is you are to become a true master rather than a jack of all trades and master of non, it is a thin line I can only share you my experience for what it is worth. The person who raised the question has his own journey and decisions to make everyone else is only watch and is principled hoping they make he right choice.

totally agree with looking at different arts and learning from them but might I be radical and suggest that you wait till you you have your 3rd dan in one art. I humble believe at 1st dan (which is a great achievement) you can now start to learn. from 3rd you start to understand. Please consolidate and become more proficient in your base art to avoid watering down and becoming a generalist. Sent with best wishes and good luck.

There are only two good black belt looks: 1. A brand new black belt when you have just achieved 1st Dan 2. A heavily worn and tattered blackbelt (from hard work not from rubbing and banging it) that reminds you of the journey you have made. I know some people are a it pretective of a plain belt but I think you can have anything on it if you want you have earned it and need to be able to justify it when you wear it. Just need to remember it is only an indication of the journey and expreience you have had not your ability. I my humble experience a true black belt starts to learn when they get their 1st Dan and start to understand from 3rd dan. Not a fan of those who say you shoulnt wear a belt that is jist reverse snobbery. What are peoples thoughts on red and white belts for renshis?

Katas take four months to learn and fourty years to master. Also an interest previous comment earlier was around reasons for studing kata, just for grades, to learn the true art etc etc. Has anyone stopped to assess what each kata fundamentally teaches you for example Pinans focusing in on power generation etc. It is a very eye openning experience. Also has anyone tried to develop a full kata that expresses your art and could be used to train others. a great learning experience.

Understand the principles you are discussing. Bottom line is it coulds down to the attack as to the best defence and the counter attack you are looking to achieve. I apologise if you comments came out as the only answer. I my experience for this attack the utilisation ofthe 45 degree angle ha the most useful reaction in terms of positioning for nex6t move and leaving your attacker at the best disadvantage. As you asked 4th dan with around 25 years wado experience but always open to suggestions from sensei or day one karateka. I can learn from all and it is up to me to decide whether they are right or not. What grade are you and where do you train?

i know 15 katas and nore movement from 15 the true path of half and master of none

can I be contriversial and suggest that the power generated in this move would be far greater at 45 degree angle ane that the effect on the attacker who be far greater at 45 degree angke

Point on preserving the path is vital. My club is called the Ashiato Institute, Ashiato being the foot print tht is left like on a beach. We believe it is vital that we study the footprints of our masters and not water them down, that we continue to ensure the footprints are not lost for future generations and even more importantly that we work to ensure the footprint/legecy we leave ourselves is a positive one on the world. With regards criteria for ranks, whilst time is always a factors i.e. without the time and effort you will not progress this should not be set. For some people two or three months of training can make a huge difference and for others 20 years of practicing and never truly listening or being willing to open their minds just means theyu have done it wrong for 20 Years. I have trained with people who are mid to high grades ue to their time training who's technique and undesrstanding of technique is limited. It is not what you are taught, it is what you have learnt that is vital. Good technique and good learning equals value in rank. Brian

I have just been having a winge about this on another post in some ways the whole point of kids (6 and 7 year olds) in black belts. Couple of points: 1. There is a lot of maturity and responsibility that comes with a dan grade, I know that some associations have tried to go down the junior black belt route and there does need to be some way of keeping them motivated and recognise their potential skill. I am not a great believer in very young black belts but have seen some mid teens with the maturity to handle it. 2. Is part of the problem down to the time taken to get to blackbelt, really anything less than 5 or 6 years is giving it away all my blackbelt have 10 years training to get there and it shows. 3. Final point is really you should not focus on others but purely your own journey. Trust me I know it is difficult and frustrating etc when you see it all around you, all you can do is try and focus on quality from you and the people you teach the rest of the world will just have to look after itself.

The true measure is not the rank but how long you have been learning and more importantly what you have understood and applied, and to some degree how well you can pass on the message to others. I have trained and learnt from everyone I have trained with from new student on their first night to 10th Degree Grand Masters so rank is the only indication in learning. We have all seen good and bad black belts and looked on and amazement as th value of the traditional black belt has been watered down with 6 and 7 year olds being given them. Sorry bit of a whinge there for a moment. I'm 45 and have been training in a variety of arts since age 6. If pushed I would say my main art is Wado Ryu Karate Jitsu with a recognised rank of 4th Dan. Just remember whilst beauty is in the eye of the beholder true rank is far more about whats inside than what is on the outside in terms of belt. I should say that I am not a snob who refuses to wear a black belt, I wear my black belt with pride for I know the lifetime of work that has gone into it but you will never see me in a bright red gi!

As an experienced instructor I have found that: 1. Most key learning as in knowing and starting to internalise it comes every three grades which links back quite interestingly to the origional three white grades, three green grades, three brown grades etc introduced initially with 3th Dan being a key grade as well as 6th Dan. I can see the a clear difference in skill, knowledge and approach at these stages. 2. In higher grades you consolidated your learning as you teach and constantly learn new ands interesting things about the techniques etc with your attention not on the basic form but a more advanced awareness of situation, reason for movement etc. With the best will in the world from white to yellow you may get graded for doing a basic punch or kick but that in no way means that you have learnt it, that comes much later. How many times have we heard or said that the true martial arts learning starts after you have your black belt! 3. Whilst I do not stick to a rigid time frame between gradings, i.e. when an individual is ready they will be graded not as part of a structured every three months (sometimes can be used as a money making system) but at the same time recognise the need to encourage and motivate, I personally do not use the grading system to do this but instead rely on other coaching tools and techniques. Cheers Brian 4th Dan Wado Ryu Karate Jitsu

Wado is far more ju jitsu than karate which is hardly unusual when you think of where it comes from. Most power generation of moves that look like karate are fundamentally ju jitsu in origion. Just for the record the initial post talked about Master Otsuka wanting to study karate to gain more power into punches etc but again the ju jitsu style he was a grand master of was an atemi (striking) style with far more pressure point application than in shotokan being taught by funakoshi. Hope you find this useful.