mudansha

At our school, the minimum time for a black belt is around 6 years. if a recipient is under 16 years of age, he is given a "Shodan Sho" which is a black belt with a white stripe through the center of the belt. At the age of 16, he is allowed to test for a full black belt.

Well that's a pretty bummer way to say it... I prefer to say that the ultimate truth in Karate is not perfection of technique, but the non-stop effort to achieve it And I disagree with you Jake, you can know a kata and understand it. What he said. There is no such thing as a perfect kata... we will always make mistakes. it does not mean that we lack the knowledge of what is a perfect kata and strive every day to achieve it.

Not really... the closest we have is a myspace: http:/www.myspace.com/wayofjapan my shodan told us that kiba dachi helps us do for example yoko geri keage and yoko geri kekomi easier than when we're in zenkutsu dachi. so it helps that way too. In my experience, it a "proper" kiba dachi, NOTHING is easier. Even standing is a pain in the leg!

Kancho Kanazawa is well revered as possibly the most technical karateka ever. Here is his Heian Nidan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VApwsBSx7mg

Yes... non standard. When was the last time you were taught renoji dachi? It is not normally covered like: fudo dachi: rooted stance kiba dachi: horse stance / side stance kokutsu dachi: back stance neko ashi dachi: cat stance Sanchin dachi: hourglass stance zenkutsu dachi: front stance yoi dachi: basic stance

On the non-standard stances, it is nearly impossible to tell what you are talking about through text. Most of these obscure stances show up in Kata. If you watch some youtube videos on shotokan kata, see if you can find the move in there, and then we can help you. All of the kata books list the names of these obscure stances. Some of them that come to mind are "Hangetsu dachi". It is very similar to sanchin dachi, but wider. The ONLY time you see it is in the Kata Hangetsu. The other is the "Renoji Dachi" or "L stance" found in heian godan just before the jump.

getting fatter

You must know my Sensei... Abe Belardo. He trained under Halliburton Sensei in the 70's. He follws Halliburton doctrine to this day when teaching. "Give 100%, or leave".

I passed!!! I put a link to our belt requirements below. From what I have been told, JKA removed those katas when Funakoshi sensei died. Even SKI does not officially recognize them. Many dojos have brought them back, including JKA and SKI affiliated dojos. One of the people that trains at our dojo came from JKA and never heard of them, Kihon Ippon Kumite, or our Kihon Katas. I've never heard of it. Here are our requirements: http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=440127210&albumID=738476&imageID=457153

I practice Shotokan... we are affiliated with SKI No Ido Kihon? Chitsu

Well.. unfortunately, here in California, collapsible batons are classified as felonies to posess. Any stick or hard object carried for personal defense is felony possession of a "billy". It is also a felony to possess a sap, nunchaku, metal knuckles, weighted gloves, throwing stars, shuriken... et cetera. Now... if one has a broom stick at his disposal, or a walking stick... and someone happens to attack him, then it is ok to use it for defense, but to carry something easily identifiable as a self-defense weapon, is against the law in California. Carrying a concealed, loaded firearm, is only a misdemeanor... I think I would rather go that way anyway.

The information is 10 years old but I show his email address to be: dragononli@att.net

I think that is aimed more at the black belt level. It is not up to a white belt to choose specific techniques to "master". Only after the karateka has been exposed to everything, should he decide to start "trimming the fat". Get proficient with several weapons.... and then settle for one that you choose to master. If it be the bo staff because it is the most adaptable... then so be it.

Okay, first of all: 'kama.' That's the accepted Romanization. Second, I'd like to address your examples point-by-point. If training with a sai translates to proficiency with sticks, then why not simply train with sticks? There are a lot of excellent stickfighting arts out there. And the degree to which your sai techniques intelligently exploit the unique features of the sai- its prongs, which enable it to be held in different grips than a stick and to parry other weapons in a unique fashion- is the degree to which they will be unsuitable for use with a typical stick. Much of proper nunchaku use depends on the balanced nature of the weapon, the fact that you can easily wield it from either end. Use a half-brick in a sock the way you will a nunchaku once you've gotten good with it, and you'll be hitting people with the sock end half the time. It doesn't translate well to an improvised flail with only one weighted end. As for the kama- if you're using an edged weapon even remotely like a hammer, something is wrong. The defining strength of an edged weapon- the *reason* you put an edge on one- is that a blade behaves much differently than a blunt weapon, requiring far less impact to cause significant injury. Knives are popular and deadly weapons because you can essentially slap-fight someone to death with a sufficiently sharp one. While the kama may be weighted like a hammer, in use it shouldn't even resemble one, and vice versa. I won't say anything about the tonfa except that your examples seem rather strained for examples of 'typical' items that you're likely to have on or near you in a self-defense situation, unless you're a mechanic or are very good at quickly and precisely breaking chair legs off. And agreed- staff techniques are widely adaptable. The question isn't whether proficiency in any weapon is better than nothing- it's whether attaining proficiency in those particular weapons is better than spending the same amount of time and effort studying weapons that will more closely resemble what you're likely to have on hand or close by in a typical self-defense encounter, such as Tallgeese's aforementioned club, knife, and gun. The list shouldn't 'go on and on'- it should be as short and as widely applicable as possible. We can go back and forth all day long and it wont really change anyone's mind. My argument, however, is the easier to prove. My statement is that proficiency in traditional martial arts weapons will better-prepare you to use objects around you for self defense. Even if it is a minute amount, the statement is correct. Are you stating that being proficient in traditional weaponry will have absolutely no benefit in self defense scenarios? The other aspect is, why not do both?? I have spent thousands on firearms training and am more proficient with a Glock than a nunchaku, sai, bo staff, or any other traditional weapon. In California, carrying a concealed, loaded weapon without a permit is a misdemeanor where carrying nunchaku is a felony. One might argue that if I am proficient with the glock, why even bother with nunchaku? I take a holistic approach to self defense. I think training in any weapon is beneficial.

A staff is one thing, but what common everyday objects resemble a tonfa, sai, or kama sufficiently to make training with them, specifically, useful? Ever trained in weapons??? Techniques learned with a sai could be easily adapted to a stick of the same size. This is true of nunchaku as well.... ever heard of a sap??? Take a sock and put something heavy in it... a rock, a bar of soap, a lock, even change.... Then wield it like nunchaku; it is a very effective weapon. Techniques learned on a cama could very easily be adapted to a standard hammer. It has the same basic shape with a lot more weight. Techniques learned on tonfa could be adapted to any T shaped device... a breaker bar with an extension on it... a ratchet with a deep socket attached, a chair leg.... Techniques learned with a bokken, or oar, could be easily adapted to a bat, or any straight hard object. The list goes on and on. Proficiency in weapons is always better than nothing.