barefoot-kohai

Shortyafter, I do not know if you have already read it, but If you have some spare time , get yourself a copy of Funakoshi's book "My Way of Life" I think you will enjoy it.

Well... everything is nice and beautiful when you are 20... your stance is strong your kicks are hight... But I (some of us) am (are) not 20 anymore... In fact I am about to be 51... Kicks are not so hight (well... not hight at all), legs hurt, agility is... not what it used to be... How do you face it? Good thing about age is that you are empowered to start doing things "your way" and start adapting to you new circumstances, despite what other people say. In my case... I find myself in a phase of discovery... In my case, all this is leading to the discovering of my "true way of doing things". I am not a person who is afraid of age (one more year is not a tragedy)... I like travelling my path through life. There is a time for youth (and for doing stupid crazy things), a time for maturity (and regretting all the crazy and stupid things you did) ... an a time for seniority will come (finally time for wisdom -expected-) . I intend to enjoy each step of the way, because evolution is what life is about... If it were not... What would be the purpose of it? And karate is a part of it. What do you think? If you are in the same circumstance... How do you face your future (present) in martial arts?

Most effective technique... 1 - Avoid fight (As said above) If not... I heard this same question asked to my instructor long ago... What is the best thing to do in a dangerous situation? He replied... What is the first thing that we do in class? Kihon and solid techniques? - pupil replied No, before that? Warm up and stretching ? - said pupil No, before... - sensei replied Before that ... we run,... (in my language no difference between jog and run ) So the instructor replied: that's it... that's what you shall do when facing a serious threat... run! It is really "un-martial"... but the truth is that the only winners in a war are these that remain alive when the war is over... no matter which side you were figthing for. There is not a definitive and most efficient technique. As long that your opponents are varied and different, your approach has to be adapted to the circumstances. Silver bullets do not exist... If such tecnique existed, what would be the good in developing a whole combat discipline if everything could be solved with a definitive misterious single technique? So... learn a lot and "be water... my friend"

One of the most difficult things, the true Philosopher's Stone in martial arts is making things easy. As a wise boss of mine used to say: The person that uses thousand words to say something that can be said in ten, is capable of many other evils. Only a piece of advice: Don't be the one in your way. As Pablo Picasso said at 80: It takes a long time to become young.

Couldn't say. I never have given much importance to (high) kicks. I have never been able to go higher than my waist, so I have devoted my efforts to perfecting other things: Stance, fist techniques and medium level kicks. I prefer things like this: (but not so high)In case you body allows you, an effective one: But, As I see it, belts and performance are different things. There is no correlation between grade and techniques execution.

As Shotokan practicioner, I know these katas as Tekki (the three: of them shodan, nidan and sandan). Rules state that they have to be performed in Kiba dachi -"standard " length of the position, about twice the size of your hips (just to say something)-. But as long your years start piling up your position tends to be a bit higher (as your aches and pains are more frequent )

My little piece of advice: Be yourself. About etiquette: "In Rome do as Romans do". Practice your best and be open to corrections and adjustments. You may find dojos with with relaxed atmosphere and some others with lots of ceremonial and discipline. As long as is healthy, there is nothing bad about it. Best person to talk about this subject is your instructor: He must know people about attending his/her class. It is his/her duty. Of course you are not going to be able to change from one style to another in a week. Your first style or martial discipline is like your swear words: You may speak many languages, but you will always swear in your native one when you are really angry. But take into consideration the small corrections that you instructor will probably do. In the class I am attending there are a couple of guys that used to practrice TaeKwonDo. You can notice. From time to time, sensei says: Hey! that heel! Look at the stance!... Shouldn't be a drama. You are going to a school to practice, learn and have a good time, not to be punched or be scolded. Best of lucks.

Can't say... Tae Kwon Do seems to be holding.

Easy: Something like https://www.wkf.net/pdf/WKFCompetitionRules2018.pdf Links: https://tokyo2020.org/en/games/sport/olympic/karate/ https://www.wkf.net/olympic-tokyo2020.php Like in all sports, the competitor's selecion is a matter of the local olympic comitee through the official Country Karate Feederation. For example, for the Americas and USA https://www.wkf.net/structure-panamerican-karate-federation.php https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Karate

Never understood the word uke as block. We translate it as 'defense' (when is a technique) or 'receiver or defendant' (when is a person) I think the meaning is more clear.

Old subject, but i would like to give my opinion. Unsu is a beautiful and difficult kata BUT: Unsu IS a kata with a (big) jump in it. Unsu IS NOT a (big) jump with a kata attached. Jump is important if you are a competitor, just for the sake of spectacularity. If not, specially if you are facing seniority, just do what you can or what you think is correct and, of course, meaningful, and, please, don't break yourself anything. When in yoi, you can see in performer's eyes that they are thinking in the jump. You can see all along the performance that their mind is in the jump, and after the jump, they relax as if the job has been finished. Don't do it. Seen lots of beautiful jumps in ugly Unsus... pity.

Old subject, but intersting. As I see it (with example): Gedan barai, from yoi and turning to the left (beginning of Heian shodan) From yoi, you twist your body facing left side and extend your right arm (later the hiki-te arm) -your chest is "facing" left side- and then "untwist" your body performing gedan barai with your left arm and turning your hips "towards your back" (like twisting a piece of cloth) -"creating a snap with your hip counter-movement", that is Gyaku Kaiten From yoi, you "charge" your gedan barai "giving your back" to the opponent and then pushing your technique with the hip in the same direction of the gedan barai, that is Jun-kaiten. Summarizing: Hold a bottle with a screwcap. Open that bottle turning both cap and bottle in opposite directions. That's Gyaku kaiten Hold that same bottle and turn it in the closing direction holding the screwcap. Let inertia close the cap and let the cap follow. That is Jun Kaiten Hope it helps

Karate evolves with time... and kata practice also evolves. These are some performances of Bassai Dai (including the two already mentioned"). You can see the evolution Old one: Enoeda and Nakayama Sensei: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hhooy5dZ_1Q I do not know the exact year of these films, but by the style they must be pre-seventies. Kanazawa: By the kind of performance must be eighties. The following ones are "modern" performances : Kurihara Kazuaki Kazuaki 2017 Germany 2017 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIAmfyHu1cQ You can see the evolution. You must take into account that performances evolve with time (and with performer's age). The requirements in tournament kata change with time. As my sensei mentioned some time ago, Shotokan practitioners "adapt" to the new competition styles and aesthetics: compare, for example, Kanazawa (classic) with Luca Valdesi (Modern). Sadly, evolution tends to competition, where the choice of kata, the rhythm and dynamics and even the wrinkles in the karategui affect. If you search in youtube for Bassai Dai performances, for example, you won't find many Shotokan Bassai in championships. Even though is a disctintive kata, Shotokan performers must compete with karate-kas of all styles. You have "nothing to do" if your opponent goes with Suparimpei or Seienchin: they are long katas, fast and spectacular. If you practice Shotokan you end up with Gojushiho(dai or sho),or Kanku(dai or sho), just for the sake of lenght, or Unsu, for complexity. The mre or less exact thing that my teacher said about one of his competitors is that he "in performance, is Shito-ryu-izing itself" Just compare Enpi: Nakayama (40s), Kanazawa 80s, Valdesi (2012) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6V-NIizD3g Plus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSF91ojuhNc

What is black belt? Interesting question, easy answer: it is a belt that is black in color. Serves its purpose: hold the karategi together and puts a lot of eyes over you... What is black belt?... It is just the beginning. Just compare Karate with writing: When you learn to write you follow a process: First you learn to draw strokes and circles Then you learn to write capital letters and learn the alphabet Then you learn to write small letters Then you learn to join letters and make syllabes and words Then you learn to make sentences When you can make sentences you start joining them and make paragraphs. Then you are ready to start creating your own texts: Then you are a Black belt. But this is only the beginning. Then you have to learn to create your own college compositions. Then you can evolve and write short stories. Then you learn more and more and write short pampleths. Then you go on and start writing books And then you keep going on and are able to write trilogies, and book series... you are a grand master. But, first of all, you have to learn to write and be able to do it. There is a "before" and an "after" of "I can write, I am good enough to write". This moment in time is your First Dan Black belt... But beware... critics are terrible and sometimes audience is not buying your book... so keep calm and carry on. Everybody ask me: Why are you practising karate? Is it for discipline? is it to better yourself?... Even this question (Why...) was asked to me in an exam. To me the answer is simple: I practise Karate because I like it, because I have fun, because It makes me feel fine. The day this would change, that day I will stop practising... This was my answer in the exam. The belt is just a burden I have to suffer... Sensei told me to wear it... something about knowing who is who in class and some "social thing". I can live with that. At least it holds my pants in position.

Thank you very much! The only backstory is that I am a foreigner. I will think about another dojo. First: Find a new Dojo. If you have been respectful to others, others must be respectful to you. If somebody, specially a sempai (or even a sensei) thinks that he/she is better than others, just for the simple fact of having a more advanced degree than you they don't deserve to be called sempai. I have seen attitudes like "I am a black belt, these white or yellow belts shouldn't be addressing me unless asked". People with such ideas can be good, or even excellent practicioners, but they will NEVER be sempais. They don't deserve to be considered as that. Degree may give you some privileges, but they come with a price: you become a "sort of" public figure in class -something like a model- and you must give example, in practice and attitude (at least in class). Honestly, a particular day, sometimes a black belt "feels the need" to spar with other black belts, but this particular day the circumstances lead you to practice with a beginner. If you are a black belt, don't think about it as a nuisance: In terms of quality, sometimes YOU WILL LEARN MORE FROM YOUR KOHAIS THAN FROM YOUR SENSEI. Kohais (or beginners), also must know when to "leave space" to sempais: sometimes, when practicing complicated techniques or preparing some kind of formal kumite, is not the best time to interrupt with a question about how gedan barai is performed. It is a bit on each side: respect and etiquette. I follow the rule "we are all friends here" Second: Being a foreigner shouldn't have to be a problem. Karate is karate: in a Dojo you are neither asian nor american nor anything. You are a Karate-ka, your culture is respect and your language is karate. Tsukis and keris are not local or foreign. Best of lucks.