KarateOx

Hello everyone. I have been out of the Karate scene since the late 90s. I have practiced myself (Isshinryu), but have not had a dojo since about 98. Any dojo I have been in since then has been what we used to call a McDojo (is that term still in use?). I have really been thinking about opening up a dojo again, but am wondering what has changed in the American Karate scene since I left it. I come from a very old school, strict background. No early/easy/numerous promotions. Discipline is everything. Sensei says, student does. Is this going to fly in 2016? Has Karate mellowed/softened? Would parents go for this nowadays? Would adults tolerate this training? Any advice would be welcome. Thanks in advance.

Spinning back kick, specially in response to a rear leg roundhouse kick, which is a VERY common kick used. I get plenty of opportunities to use my spin in every match.

Been studying/practicing since 1983. I studied under Phil Molinero, who studied under Ray Salapka, a student of Dale Jenkins, who's sensei was Don Nagle, who learned at the knee of Tatsuo Shimabuko.

Sanchin is a kata that goes back a long way. It can be traced back through China all the way to India. It has survived and evolved over time. However, the current incarnation bears little resemblance to it's forefathers. This was always a source of mystery to me. Some say when it comes to Karate, "Sanchin is all you need." Why? It really doesn't have that many techniques. It's techniques are very rudimentary. It's slow nature doesn't really lend itself to self defense applications. Some say it is not meant to develop fighting ability. It is meant to develop health and fighting spirit. Here is where my theory comes into play..... and remember, it is only my theory. The Okinawans have a propensity for weight training. Watch any traditional Gojuryu school and you'll see them practicing all sorts of traditional weight training and conditioning. Pots filled with sand for grip strength, a long iron oval used for neck and body conditioning, stone clubs for swinging, stone rings or handles for tossing and catching, all sorts of muscle building techniques and equipment to train the body within the context of the art being practiced. So, I wonder if Sanchin was modified to be practiced with weights? I know some practice it with iron rings around the arms, but is it possible that the reason the kata was changed to closed hands is because the hands are normally closed when holding a weight? This would explain why the heavy breathing and dynamic tension were incorporated, aspects that never existed before it came to Okinawa. This would also explain why the hands, which used to be open, were now closed. Physical conditioning was a very important part of traditional Okinawan martial arts, so this seems to fall in line with that thinking. If some doubt this (and again, this is just one person's opinion, so please doubt it), try grabbing two twenty five pound dumbbells, and going through the kata. It works the arms, obviously, but also the hands (grip) and th rest of the body as well, as it has to work as one cohesive unit in order to keep the weight up and not allow the body to fall forward. It also would explain the tight, pidgeon toed stance. And, since Okinawans placed so much emphasis on physical culture, it would also explain why they felt that to truly master Karate, "Sanchin is all you need." Your thoughts?

My issue with kumite is it is not Karate, it is kickboxing. Where are all the stances, the high blocks, the uppercuts, etc. Where are the kamaes and the inside grappling? I look at arts like T'ai chi or Wing Chun. They have push hands and sticky hands. It is the way they "spar". I understand Wing Chun also does kickboxing, but they have a method to thoroughly practice and USE all the techniques they train with. In Kumite, we don't. I never understood that. There's the argument that karate is so deadly that we couldn't go all out because we'd kill each other. LOL Contact is a moot point, as Boxing, Judo, Muay Thai, MMA, etc., have contact. If you are afraid of getting hit in Kumite by an elbow or some other technique that is considered too "deadly" for sparring, how are you going to defend against it int he street? Now, look, I'm not saying we have to bash each other's brains in. Not at all. That is not what most of us practice for. I am saying, a system of "Karate" sparring should be developed so the practitioners can use all the techniques they learn. Or at least most of the techniques we learn. Why does there "need" to ne sparring anyway? Again, using Wing Chun and T'ai chi as examples. Their sparring is not competative. It is a chance for them to learn sensitivety, interaction, and balance. They learn how to deal with various issues that come up and to do so within the system they are practicing. I am not against Kumite. Not at all. I just wish it was improved upon. There's just too much left out.

Miyamoto Musashi and Choki Motobu. Two misunderstood warriors who thoroughly followed the Bushi way of life.

What's REALLY disturbing is that, back then, in the eighties, this Blythe guy was a dime a dozen. So many teachers felt and taught the way he did. Granted they may not have killed anyone..... or at the very least not recorded it, but they all thought a Karate black belt gave them cart blanche in life to do whatever to whoever. I remember going to tournaments back then, and hearing instructors yelling at the students to beat their opponent up or GET beat up themselves. It was crazy. However, it was part of the art for many at the time. Even so, this video is disturbing in a very disturbing way.

Isshinryu's 13 katas: Empty hand- Seisan Seiuchen Naihanchi Wansu Chinto Sanchin Kusanku Sunnsu Weapons- Chatan Yara no sai Kusanku Sai Tokomine no kun (Bo) Urashi Bo Shishinokun (Bo)

What surprises me about Isshinryu is that, after practicing it for 27 years, I am still learning. I have dabbled in other styles of martial art in the interim, but the one I always return to is Isshinryu, and it never fails to surprise me. Everytime I think I have to look outside the box for something, I find it again in Isshinryu. A very practical, modern, and effective art, for the street, or for life.

If you want to get in shape, try bodyweight calisthenics. Hindu squats, push ups, back bridging, etc. These work wonders in a very short period of time. If you want to improve your karate, as someone has already mentioned, do something different everyday. One day, concentrate only on your punches. Another only on your kicks. Stances another day, etc. The basics go a long way. If you do nothing else, practice, practice, practice those basics. You get them down, everything else falls into place.

I'd say I consider myself Isshinryu. I have dabbled in MMA, Aikido, Judo, and boxing, but Isshinryu, a mixture of traditional and modern, is the one I most identify with.

The only kata taught in the Isshinryu system are: Seisan Seiuchin Naihanchi Wansu Chinto Kusanku Sunsu Sanchin Weapons: Tokomeni no Kun Urashi-Bo Shi Shi no kun Kusanku Sai Chatan Yara no Sai That's it folks. There are no more katas in the system. Of course I am talking about Tatsuo Shimabuko's Isshinryu Karate. As with most styles, additions are made per school. For example, coming up the ranks, we were taught Pion 1 and two, between the basics and Seisan kata. However, these were NOT Isshinryu kata. They were taught by Joel Jennings as a bridge between the basics and the kata. Same with the Nunchuku and tonfa katas. These are NOT Isshinryu kata. Anything any school adds is ok for the school. I see nothing wrong with this, if it helps the students learn, then it's all good. However, because a school adds it does not make it Isshinryu. I started training in Isshinryu in 1982, and didn't get my sho-dan until 1990. I got my ni-dan about 5 years later, and stopped accepting promotions. As someone on here said, the belt is really pointless. I'd rather get the knowledge then the acknowledgment, you know? I have been to many school in many places, and seen what they teach as Isshinryu, and it makes me shake my head. Additions are fine, but subtractions are not, and I have seen this as well. Actually, if you want to get technical, there is only ONE Isshinryu kata, and that is Sunnsu, since all the others are modified versions from other styles. LOL. However, yes, there are only 13 kata in Isshinryu. 8 empty hand kata, and 5 weapon kata.

This is the article I was talking about. Thanks Kuma.

I often wondered about western martial arts. I mean, we were raised with the mystique of Asian Martial arts, and that's what we have accepted. Anything that is created here is often times looked down upon. The Defendo system, for example. I am not sure who created it (have a mental picture, but no name. Bald guy, mustach). My martial arts teacher laughed at these systems because they had no heritage, no history, no anything. "Just a bunch of techniques thrown together by some guy who wanted to say he created something". I knew A LOT of people who felt this way about new "systems", and have to admit, some times they were right. However, I don't think that way anymore. Why NOT create a system? I mean, to create something for no reason other then to be famous is pretty much pointless, as it's effectiveness, or lack of, will probably come out sooner or later. However, if someone has a great idea, something totally different, in delivery if not in technique, then why not? I wonder if many Western innovators feel this pressure from the "traditional" guys and just kind've keep quiet about their arts.

I think Musashi was referring to the intangibles involved in a violent encounter.... or ANY encounter, for that matter. Intent. Energy. Body language. Environment. To know how to throw a reverse punch is great. Knowing WHEN to through it, or WHERE to through it are better. Knowing IF to through it is best.

There are a lot of ways to describe Chi/ki. I call it intent. Intent? Allow me to explain. Have you ever walked into a wall, door, parking meter, pole, etc.? Why is it, that, no matter how fast or hard you try, you can never hit it as bad or hard as you do when you hit it accidentally? You can run at a wall and slam into it trying to relive the infamous moment, and it will never be the same. Yet, simply walking, turning the corner, and walking into someone knocks BOTH of you silly. Why? You were walking, not running? Because your body didn't know there was a wall, pole, etc., there. It was 100% committed to walking through that particular space. Your energy goes THROUGH the space, even if your body does not. This, I believe, is chi. when the body is completely relaxed, it hits harder or moves more powerfully then if it is tense and ready. If this can be channeled and used in a striking technique, it would be oh so much more powerful. Can I do it? No.... not yet. LOL. Not very mystical, I know, but this, I think, is the begining of my understanding of the energy transfer we call chi. The honest intent for this energy to go somewhere.

Karate is not practiced in a dojo. It is LEARNED in a dojo. You don't need a dojo to practice what you have. I say start at home practicing what you have. It might not be perfect, and you may not have a sensei looking over you making sure every move is perfect, but who cares? It s the journey that matters, and this could be the restart of yours. I know people make excuses, like they need to be in a dojo to practice martial arts. However, that's defeating the point of discipline. Try it out. Practice what you have. Get back into the flow. THEN, if it is still something you can do, go back to the dojo and check it out.

Well, I only know what I've read, (and I was raised to believe half of what I see and none of what I read) but there was a study done on the stresses Sanchin had on the body when compared to weight training. One of the big problems detractors have with Sanchin is that it will raise your blood pressure to dangerous levels. However, this test, performed by doctors and scientists, hooked a Martial Artist to a weightlifter, and had one perform Sanchin, the other squats, all the while, monitoring blood pressure, heart rates, etc. Turns out that performing Sanchin raises the blood pressure about as high as performing a heavy squat. The strain on the body is about the same. Are there other factors to consider? Probably, but in terms of strain and pressure to the head and system, it is not too bad.

It is my understanding that Karate was a much different art before it got introduced into the Okinawan school system. Ankoh Itosu introduced it to the schools as a way of helping children develop as they grew. However, in order to do so, he had to change alot of what was practiced. The more damgerous applications had to be removed or modified. So what was a system of grapples, joint locks, and atemi waza became a simpler system of strikes and blocks. A middle block might have been a wristlock. Or a back fist to the ribs. A punch might have originally been a finger lock, etc. Of course this is all theory, but it is what I have read. Also, if you look at the moment before a block, many times, in many styles there is a cover, then block. Theory has it THIS was the block, or parry, followed by the offensive techniques, which now are a block and strike. Again, this is all theory I have read, but it does make a little bit of sense. For a style as respected historically as Karate, it does seem too ritualized and impractical. This would explain it.

Just to put in my .02 cents in, this is the time when the true results of your martial arts training comes in. I mean, it is easy to practice and live the martial arts when it is a perfect world. It is easy to say we practice to develop our selves, to learn to defend ourselves, etc., when things are running fine. However, you just had an extremely traumatic experience. This is probably a life changing experience for you, and will not be easily forgotten, and it shouldn't. However, what I am talking about is the strength we gain from martial arts training. NOW is when you are supposed to draw from it. NOW is when all those endless repetitions, hours of training, and sore muscles should carry you. It was not your martial arts fault you got hit. It just happened. Such is life. We can go back and dissect the situation, and discuss whether you should have drank as much as you did, whether you should have kept a keen eye, whatever. We can do that, but like Tallgeese said, it would be a bit of armchair quarterbacking, and it won't change a thing. What happened happened. This is the hand you were dealt. The only one you have to play. So, now what?

To echo wouldbemaster, I always viewed the Black Belt like a driver's license. You have to learn all the basics before you get your license. Where to stop, where to yield, how many feet behind a fire engine, how to park, etc. You also have to learn all the physical aspects. Actual driving, braking, parking, 3k turn, etc. Then you have to put them all together, the theory AND the practical, before you can take your test. Then you take your test and either pass or fail. Once you pass, you get your driver's license and are now free to drive on your own. However, as anyone here who drives knows, NOW is the time where true knowledge and understanding of driving takes place. Now is when you hydroplane on a wet road. Now is when you have a child run out in front of you. Now is when you have to deal with someone suddenly cutting you off or stopping suddenly in front of you. Now is when you experience all these driving difficulties and have to put all you have learned into use. You start to develop your own diving style and your very own understanding of driving. I believe the Black belt is the same thing. From white to black is all the basics. Once you reach your Sho-dan, that is when TRUE understanding of Karate, or whatever art it is you study, takes place. Now is when you apply what you have learned, to either teach others or yourself, or to defend yourself. THIS is when the real learning takes place.