Himokiri Karate

This is what David mentioned as well. He said that before getting in to Chakras, you should take care of your mental landscape which includes working out whatever trauma or suppressed memory that is deep in to the psyche. Once you come to terms with it, then you can start with light training. The color white since it has all the colors and the activation of all the chakras will be done evenly for a more symmetrical approach to activation. I have had one bad chakra session. I decided to visualize the color gold or the halo and I had a hard and I mean HARD shutdown! Aside from that, bad chakra session is usually anxious energy for me and so its best done early in the morning. But just like physical training, its good to do regular meditation as a warm up and also to end session gracefully. One thing I learned from yoga that I keep forgetting is, yoga that is marketed is what exercise is to martial arts in terms of warming up, stretching and prepping for the actual session. What I mean is, the whole point of yoga is to prime yourself for the main course sort of speak. The yoga asanas allow you to reach a state of relaxation so that the chakra work and the deep esoteric chakra meditation sessions can be done in a state in which the body is relaxed and not angsty. After yoga, I feel so relaxed and chilled. This is a good state to be in when working with the powers that be. The antagonist of this scenario is, being hopped up on everything that makes you frantic and emotionally wild and unstable. Now you add chakra energy to a person who is imbalanced and frantic and you end up with body having a hard shutdown which leads to time for recovery. All and all, what we do at yoga studio is the appetizer and that after classes is when the real yoga session begins or SHOULD begin if we are considering the totality of it all. As far as Qi Gong and Kujikiri goes, I will have to better educate myself. I have no rebuttal since these two particular arts are something I enjoy but have never truly talked to many people and thus I lack different perspective. With yoga, I have talked to many trainers, they shared their point of view and personal experience and with that, there is reference point of many types of experiences from people with different character archetype. Qi Gong sounds like an umbrella term for many things. Dr. Frank Youngs Yogametrics seems like a practice similar to iron wire form of Hung Ga Kung Fu. Very similar and yet also very different in the intent in regards to achieving goals and results. That being said, I have no doubt in my mind that Iron Wire is going to be very different than yoga metrics when fully engaged in its subtlety. But from the naked eye, they look similar. Speaking of Hung Ga, I believe this particular Kung Fu gave birth to Karate or was one of the main styles that inspired karate if I recall correctly. I guess its my way of bringing everything back to karate since this is karateforum.com

This is what David mentioned as well. He said that before getting in to Chakras, you should take care of your mental landscape which includes working out whatever trauma or suppressed memory that is deep in to the psyche. Once you come to terms with it, then you can start with light training. The color white since it has all the colors and the activation of all the chakras will be done evenly for a more symmetrical approach to activation. I have had one bad chakra session. I decided to visualize the color gold or the halo and I had a hard and I mean HARD shutdown! Aside from that, bad chakra session is usually anxious energy for me and so its best done early in the morning. But just like physical training, its good to do regular meditation as a warm up and also to end session gracefully. One thing I learned from yoga that I keep forgetting is, yoga that is marketed is what exercise is to martial arts in terms of warming up, stretching and prepping for the actual session. What I mean is, the whole point of yoga is to prime yourself for the main course sort of speak. The yoga asanas allow you to reach a state of relaxation so that the chakra work and the deep esoteric chakra meditation sessions can be done in a state in which the body is relaxed and not angsty. After yoga, I feel so relaxed and chilled. This is a good state to be in when working with the powers that be. The antagonist of this scenario is, being hopped up on everything that makes you frantic and emotionally wild and unstable. Now you add chakra energy to a person who is imbalanced and frantic and you end up with body having a hard shutdown which leads to time for recovery. All and all, what we do at yoga studio is the appetizer and that after classes is when the real yoga session begins or SHOULD begin if we are considering the totality of it all. As far as Qi Gong and Kujikiri goes, I will have to better educate myself. I have no rebuttal since these two particular arts are something I enjoy but have never truly talked to many people and thus I lack different perspective. With yoga, I have talked to many trainers, they shared their point of view and personal experience and with that, there is reference point of many types of experiences from people with different character archetype. Qi Gong sounds like an umbrella term for many things. Dr. Frank Youngs Yogametrics seems like a practice similar to iron wire form of Hung Ga Kung Fu. Very similar and yet also very different in the intent in regards to achieving goals and results. That being said, I have no doubt in my mind that Iron Wire is going to be very different than yoga metrics when fully engaged in its subtlety. But from the naked eye, they look similar. Speaking of Hung Ga, I believe this particular Kung Fu gave birth to Karate or was one of the main styles that inspired karate if I recall correctly. I guess its my way of bringing everything back to karate since this is karateforum.com

I am glad you found some usefulness from my ramblings. As to kuji-kiri (九字切り and by default kuji-in 九字印), I did respond a few months back to a post of yours...I am not sure if you saw it as there was no response that I saw. You can find it here for reference: https://www.karateforums.com/the-esoteric-aspect-of-martial-arts-vt53204.html I would just say in short here that I do think you might have some of the esoteric side of things a bit out of line. But, I don't know where you got your information. And, most certainly your source could be much more knowledgeable than I am. But, I am a follower and adept in the Dragon Gate Sect (Longmen Pai - 龙门派) of the Complete Reality School of Taoism (全真). Taoism itself is replete with esoteric teaching and knowledge. I cannot say that I am personally "sold" on all of the teachings. However, I can say that I have seen some crazy stuff that makes me rethink all that I believe and how the universe works. And it is a wide open area that covers longevity, sleep, sex, general health, meditation, mental/spiritual enlightenment, martial arts and more. If you have a genuine interest in more esoteric aspects of your training (that would go along with your interest in yoga), then you might look to the Dragon Gate. Once you find a qualified instructor, it might really broaden your horizons. Just a thought...check out that other post if you haven't in the past. You might find something interesting or useful there as well. I just responded and it was an amazing post. Now that you mentioned dragon gate. I remember a book written by by François Lépine. I think he talked about Kuji-in and Qi-Gong. The pics depicted moving meditation or something to that nature. I have to re-read it again. As far as the supernatural topic goes, I really love David's work. He is a computer scientist and breaks it down in a very pragmatic manner. His teaching is more clinical and devoid of culture but more from the perspective of how a supernatural would occur and that some folks have a conscious mastery of it and some cannot control it because their mental landscape is too messy for consistent replication of ability. Some folks who have these abilities can perform them in a conditional setting from a place of comfort an quietness but not if their surrounding is messy. While he mentions that a true master can perform their abilities under any condition. Stress, fear and excitement is said to cause a blockage in the Chakras which shuts down a manifestation of a special ability. This is what I have been told. I would love for a day to come so that I too can experience the pinnacle of human potential.

As to the above comment...when it comes to qigong, I think that it needs to be established what qigong actually is. Some may disagree with the following and I would be happy to have that discussion as well. Put as simply as I can, you have neigong (inner work) and qigong. They are not the same. Qigong starts outside the body and works inwards. Neigong starts inside the body and works outwards. By way of example, Yiquan (I-Chuan) is neigong. 5 Element Qigong (wuxing) is...well...as the name implies...is qigong. This is a very simplistic way of looking at it. Just remember outside in or inside out. More discussions can be had on this. To say that qigong is not for combat and is geared towards the cultivation of spirit and or vitality is not correct. Think of neigong as a pie. Qigong are slices of that pie. So, you can have qigong that are strictly health related. You can have qigong for enlightenment or spiritual development. You can also have qigong for longevity. While that is certainly health related, I am defining health related as a specific qigong set dealing with a specific issue and qigong for longevity as general qigong to help live a longer and healthier life that is not trying to deal with a specific ailment. And, yes, you can have qigong for martial benefit as well. I am going to leave kuji-kiri/kuji-in alone for the moment and get into that below. Suffice it to say that the comments above by the OP in regards to kuji are, essentially, incorrect as well. So, both disciplines are not necessarily rooted in yoga. When it comes to qigong, yes...that term is Chinese. And, yes, there are some similar aspects from yoga to qigong. But that hand seals of kuji-kiri/kuji-in are also found in Ayurveda, the sister science of yoga. And they are also found in the traditional Indian martial art of Kalaripayattu (or Kalari). The key is that it is ALL based on the intrinsic internal energy prana (qi), pranayama (breath or energy work), nadis (meridians and channels or jing luo) and marmas (xue). Side note: Even in Kalari they had a sub-art or method of striking the marmas the have an effect on the prana, killing the person being struck! Hello Dim Mak/dian xue! LOL! The key here is that all of this ties to Hinduism. So, not necessarily yoga itself per se. Was yoga (hatha and raja) a part of this? Yes, absolutely! But did qigong derive from yoga? No. Yoga is a root. When Bodhidharma gave us 18 Monk Hands (Shiba Luohan Shou), the Sinew Change Classic (Yijin Jing) and the Marrow Washing Classic (Xi Sui Jing), ALL of the above reference items were roots of this training. Remember, Bodhidharma (due to his caste) would have knowledge and training in ALL of the above and all of these would be incorporated in what was taught to the monks. The key takeaway to all of this is that the base is Hinduism and NOT yoga alone. FINALLY! The really good stuff! Kuji-kiri/kuji-in! So, yes...the term kuji-kiri (and kuji-in) is Japanese. And yes, it is a part of ninjutsu. No, it is NOT a stand alone practice. It is a part of or a sub-art of a number of different practices. Remember at the very beginning of this when you said that kuji is not for martial arts? Well, isn’t ninjutsu a martial art? Aside from that, you can also find kuji in other Japanese koryu martial arts.An example of this is Otake Risuke Sensei (Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū bujutsu) in his book “The Deity and the Sword” references kuji. And, to different degrees, you will find kuji referenced in the densho (scrolls...documents of transmission) in both Toda-ha Buko-ryu and Araki-ryu. So, kuji-kiri/kuji-in is absolutely a part of martial arts. As to more on the being a stand alone practice, kuji is actually a part of a specific ritual derived from Shingon mikkyo...which is an esoteric sect of Buddhism (Mìzong in Chinese and Vajrayana in Tibet...and, by the way, there is also a line of thought that kuji came from Tibet and not India...but that is a topic for a different time). So, if you were initiated into and adept of Shugendo and/or Shingon Mikkyo, you would have not only been trained in the ritual of kuji-kiri, but also the ritual of Hannya Shin Gyo (Heart of Transcendental Wisdom) and many others. Kuji-kiri could be taught nowadays as a stand alone art (and probably is by someone). But, speaking from a historical and traditional sense, it is not. Using the reference that I used above, kuji-kiri is a slice of the larger pie. Circling back to the comment by the OP that this comes from yoga, no...Are there mudra (the hand seals) in yoga the look very similar to the mudra of kuji-kiri? Absolutely yes. A very good example of this is the Vajra mudra from yoga and the Zai mudra in kuji-kiri. But remember that there are a number of different schools of yoga. You can literally find hundreds of different mudras in yoga. The Nātyaśāstra scripture from the Indian traditions lists 24 asaṁyuta ("separated" and/or "one-hand") and 13 saṁyuta ("joined" and/or "two-hand") mudras. I have to break your question(s) into different parts to answer them the best way that I, personally, can. As to qigong (moreso neigong) and the above question, yes. Use taijiquan (pick your favorite flavor) and use press (ji) as an example. If I can outwardly express peng jin and with a small movement bounce your 5 or 10 feet backwards, is that a great capability? As to kuji-kiri/kuji-in, also yes...but not the way that you think. Especially in light of the rest of your comment below. So keep reading...I really am almost done here! So kuji-kiri/kuji-in first... Kuji is actually known for “super powers”. Especially with the bovine excrement your find in modern popular media nowadays. For example, “hearing the thoughts of another” is one of the capabilities that kuji is supposed to bestow upon you. The problem here is that we are looking at this from a Western perspective and meaning. When you say hearing or listening in English, the usually means something that is actually auditory. Sound waves being emitted by someone or something that causes the mechanisms of our ear to vibrate and transmit to our brains as “sound”. Now, look at things from an Asian (specifically Chinese and Japanese in this particular instance). If I am showing your Taijiquan push hands (tuishou) and I tell you that you need to develop listening energy (ting jin), does that mean that I am telling you to listen or hear (using the auditory system) for some sort of energy emitting from your opponent? No. The same thing applies to kuji. You are not getting some telepathic connection to your opponent...although I suppose there is at least one person out there trying to actually teach that! So, in answering this last part of your question, just what the heck is kuji-kiri? In a brief nutshell, kuji is an esoteric teaching that purports to show how one can almost instantaneously switch to a state of muga (no self) for a number of specific reasons through the use of the following mechanisms: A hand position (mudra) A spoken expression (mantra) A mental visualization or actual object (mandala) SIDE NOTE: I am already way out in the tall grass, so I am not going to go even further at this point in this post, but there are those that also teach that a focus point on the body and/or a philosophical concept or problem...think like a Zen koan as a basic example of this. A topic for another day. There has been little and I do mean VERY little Western scientific study into this. But there was one that I know of. There is alot that they were able to measure, but the TLDR version of it is that meditation is a state that takes a bit to achieve (meaning the measurable effects). The the people that did kuji, the effects were virtually instantaneous. FINALLY, back to qigong and the last part of your question. For me, the answer is yes. There are qigong sets that can help you with all of the ailments your reference. If someone does not believe in the existence of some sort of intrinsic internal energy that we have a means of controlling and enhancing, then their answer would probably be no. And...really lastly....not only is there kuji, there is also juji! LOL! Don't worry, I will save that for another post. Man...that made my own head hurt! LOL! I hope the OP is still around to read this or someone got at least a little something from this book that I have written! I’ll stop my old man ramblings now. I am happy to discuss any of the above with anyone that has an interest. For those that made it to the end, I thank you and appreciate you. I am just responding this because of recent reminder in different thread. I was blown away when I was in middle of reading it but then work emergency and other issues got in a way and I forgot to finish since this posts requires true attention to understand and it is worth understanding. I am blown away and I agree with you about Hinduism being the origin point or inspiration for Qi Gong and Kujikiri. I suppose my yoga teachers get carried away with their love of Yoga and so they want to say that Yoga inspired everything that is also awesome. But I find that your answer is more broad and not biased which gives it the air of accuracy. I wish I would have responded sooner. This post was made when I made a dramatic rekindling in to my yoga journey and the words of my old yoga teachers who were fanatic about these things made me paint a picture. That being said, since wee are eon this topic, did Koreans have anything esoteric as well? I have heard of druids and medieval magic talk about mantras and visualization in Steve Richards book.

Ah! Thank you sir! That helps. I would not, personally, rely on a fictional TV show to impart any sort of historical fact. However, if it does spur personal interest, research and learning...then I guess that it has served its purpose. I think in answering this question, you really have to understand the situation at the time. Many folks have posted good snippets along those lines. It is important to understand that prior to about 1900, there really were not martial arts "schools" (dojo - 道場). Or styles, or ranks...or any of the things that we would normally think of along those lines. You were merely a "student of so-and-so". 1900 is used a general line of demarcation because it is around this time that "karate" was being pushed into the school system in order to popularize the art and make it more "mainstream" to not only the educational system, but on mainland Japan as well. Funakoshi Gichin was one of the main proponents of this (under Itosu Anko) even said the following: “Hoping to see Karate included in the physical education taught in our public schools, I revised the kata to make them as simple as possible. Times change, the world changes, and obviously the martial arts must change too. The Karate that high school students practice today is not the same Karate that was practiced even as recently as ten years ago, and it is a long way indeed from the Karate I learned when I was a child in Okinawa.” Not only does Funakoshi state clearly that he changed the martial arts that were currently being taught as compared to about 10 years ago, but there is a clear implication (that I think may folks often overlook) there as an even earlier change in the martial arts from what he (Funakoshi) learned as a child...or further back in history. Consider also the quote from Mabuni Kenwa: "As up to now [1938] karate has only partly been introduced in Tōkyō, people who exercise karate in Tōkyō believe that it solely consists of atemi (punching) and kicking techniques. When talking about gyaku-waza and nage-waza they assume that these only exist in jūjutsu and jūdō. This way of thinking is exceedingly counterproductive with respect to karate itself and can only possibly be attributed to a lack of knowledge. In any case, with respect to the propagation of karate-dō it is exceedingly disappointing that only a small part of the entirety of karate had been introduced in Tōkyō. To those who have the future of karate-dō in mind I recommend to under no circumstances narrow-mindedly hold on to the “nutshell” of a style and a school, but rather to synthetically explore karate as a whole. We can see that even in 1938 (with just a couple of decades of real exposure in Japan), "karate" had changed such that it was thought of and primarily taught as a punching and kicking art only. Thus loosing a large part of the whole of the original art and being a changed art from what it originally started as. So, can we say that there are "secrets" that were not being taught at this time? Sure. Look at the pre-1900 situation. No real formal classes or schools that were open to the public...with only a small handful of students being taught at a time. So, technically, a level of secrecy there. Then, as those that were working to make "karate" more mainstream to the public, even they say that what was taught "back in the day" was very different than what they themselves learned (reference the quote above). So, at least in technical terms, there was a level of secrecy there because the art being publicly taught was different than what it was originally or at least in the historical past. In general, consider the following quote from Soken Hohan from about 1978: "There are many secrets in karate that people will never know and will never understand. These ideas are really not secret if you train in Okinawa under a good teacher. You will see the teacher use these so called secret techniques over and over again until they will become common knowledge to you. Others will look at it and marvel that it is an advanced or secret technique to them. That is because they do not have good teachers or their teachers have not researched their respective styles." The above is a deep, deep statement. According to Soken, there are "secrets" in karate. But, he does indicate that these secrets are not secrets since you can see them displayed (and by inference, not necessarily taught or explained publicly) by a good and qualified instructor. This reminds me of the fact that Yamada Haruyoshi (9th dan, Hanshi) had a scroll on the wall of his dojo that said: “The esoteric principles of karate are found within basic technique” This idea goes back to the discussion we had here on the forum about the terminology of kata and, in particular, kakushi (隠し or kakushite/kakushidi)...that which is hidden or obscured even though it is clearly shown or evidenced (in the kata). And even the concept of "nanjiru gokuden"...that is the secrets learned by yourself and understood through great trial and effort. So, again, secrets or hidden/obscured aspects to what was being taught? Yes, but not so much in the way modern and/or Western students may think of it. More hidden in plain sight and/or hidden in the sense that you have to personally uncover what is there (i.e. what is being shown to you by a qualified teacher but not specifically being taught explicitly) by means of you continued hard work, training, exploration and learning. Lastly, look at how the koryu (古流 - old school or traditional) martial arts in Japan were taught. There is a great and interesting (as well as expensive) book by Maki Isaka Morinaga with the title "Secrecy in Japanese Arts: 'Secret Transmission' as a Mode of Knowledge". Secrecy was very much a means of teaching. Such teaching utilized hiden (秘伝 - secret writings) and this was very often in the form of densho (伝書 - a scroll or some form of a "book" that was handed down generation to generation and was considered to be a "book of secrets"). They also used kuden (口伝 - oral instruction) and that too was "secret" as what was taught verbally to one student or deshi was not necessarily taught to others. All of this was a part of the menkyo (免許) licensing system (as opposed to the dan/kyu ranking system used by modern of gendai budo (現代武道). So, if two people trained for 25 years (just as an example) in a koryu art and one of them attained the rank (or license) of menkyo kaiden (免許皆伝 - a license of "total transmission" - the highest level of rank that one can receive), then he will have learned all of the true "secrets" of the art that were not taught to anyone else...including those that had trained for the same amount of time. Just as a side note, there could have been (and were) more than one single person that received a menkyo kaiden in a given ryuha or school of koryu budo. The point here being that, yes...there were secrets that were taught to some and not to others (for a variety of different reasons). Jeez...I am rambling here more than I usually do! LOL! Bottom line is, in my opinion, there are secrets in the martial arts. And, in particular, there are secrets within the Okinawan martial arts ("karate") that were not taught to the Japanese (or anyone else for that matter). The art in Okinawa was changed to make it acceptable to the educational system (of Japan and Okinawa) and the mainland population of Japan (given the socio-political environment of the time). So, it was not "appropriated" as was originally asked. The issue is that you have to define, really, what kind of secret you are asking and looking for as there are several. There are things that became "secret" because they were left out as the art changed. There are things that are "secret" because even though they are clearly visible in what you are shown, you are expected to figure them out yourself. Additionally, there are also things that are "secret" because your instructor never learned them or learned them correctly (for a number of possible reasons). Sorry to have rambled so much. Hopefully someone will find benefit from all of the above. I read and re-read this post. That is how much I enjoyed it. I want to address the esoteric stuff and I will do so from the yoga perspective. I myself am big in to yoga and yoga has inspired Kung Fu and Kung Fu as we know has influenced Karate and Japanese martial arts. As you know, a Japanese discipline is Kujikiri which is associated with ninjas. Technically speaking, yogis have been using mudras and mantras to go with their meditation. Kujikiri is that discipline that comes in Japanese flavor. In yoga, the idea is to develop extreme concentration. Part of it is will power and discipline and part of it is to find harmony in your practice. In a way you have to be tough and strong willed but also relaxed and light hearted. There is a balancing act. The next step is to add a layer of difficulty to your meditation by adding movement to it while maintaining those qualities. Anyways this is what I was taught with the yoga stuff. There is the chakras as well which is part of the meditation. Unlocking it is supposed to grant superpowers that range from trivial, modest, impressive to godlike. I wonder if the karateka secrets revolve around practices that deal with a persons internal landscape.

This makes sense. Perhaps its because in the world of teaching I am still new and the novelty has yet worn off. Of course my sensei is younger than me but he has seen people lose interest and leave time and time again. So I may be the exception and not the rule. This is not meant to be a braggart but if I project my own enthusiasm on to others, it will lead to disappointment I suppose. That being said, even with all that aside, it is still a rewarding path. Where is it that you live? If you don't mind me asking. I live in Canada but it keeps getting worse and worse. The entire city is becoming more and more expensive and this was like this before Covid. Soon, the whole town will turn in to East Hastings. Its a place filled with anger and resentment as well as sorrows. Van city has been voted the most unaffordable city in the entire North America. More so than L.A and New York. Yet it provides no opportunities to truly grow in life and stiff legal punishment for getting someone's gender pronounces wrong.

I guess this is my problem. When I love something with a raging passion, I just assume everyone is the same. Like martial arts for me is as important as air and water. Not having it is something I experienced and it was an extremely horrible life filled with sadness and barely getting out of bed. So even when training becomes unbearable at times, I am still grateful for it knowing that the alternative feels like a fate worse than death. Also fighting aside, just the stretching, the culture of karate in specific helps to a small extent become a better individual. The bowing, talking about different techniques and learning the social and business aspect can be very rewarding and this goes beyond punches and kicks. I like a world that revolves around martial arts.

I really like the bold part. I have a fear that a student leaving is because I did not offer them the right type of training needed to deal with the dangers of life. As a student, I left a Kung Fu Sifu because the teaching he was offering was not good. He himself was a great martial arts fighter and fought in the MMA but he could never raise proper students. The moment I tried Korean Karate it was not love at first sight because it was beyond brutal. But with time, I fell in love with it because of the result that bestowed on me. From combat styles, I have trained in boxing and sambo, but Korean karate was so difficult that I had to wear a jacket after practice even during warm season because my body was cold. To this day, I get nervous waiting outside of the dojo/dojang and yet, there is no place on earth that I would rather be than to be at Korean Karate. I just want to make sure my future students feel that about me If you live in America, then I can agree with you on the bold part. But where I am from, it is horrible and very dangerous. I pretty much live in a forgotten English Colony and the people are completely different than Americans. Sure Americans can be rowdy and little bit loud and rude but they have a good moral compass. My country breeds dangerous sociopaths who are never taught to have plans, goals or dreams in life. My buddy T went to visit relative in San Diego and when he came back, he was saying that he was to go back and live in the U.S once again. Anyways not to get off topic but I agree with you at the end of the day. Students should have fun but also to know how to defend themselves. My fear is that a karate student might run in to a thuggish MMA/Kickboxer who wants to give a traditional martial artist a hard time. This used to happen a lot in my town in 2000s, not sure if its like that but I want my guys to know that they can handle themselves off and on the mat.

This makes sense because its impossible to appropriate a martial art style that is in-depth and full of subtle movements. In boxing, you either know it or you know a very poor version of it. The poor version can be spotted easily and generally speaking 98 percent of the people want fitness boxing and so boxing tends to escape scrutiny. But Karate is not really part of the fitness culture and so a karateka has to know their stuff. In fact now more than ever because of the prominent presence of Muay Thai and MMA, a sensei has to give students superb and brutal training with the knowledge that is of the highest quality. In the past, I have heard brutal karate fights and that is why they created the point system. But my point being is, at one point, karate HAD to work for real and it would make sense to have a willing sensei teach the Japanese the real deal for most parts. I am sure many Okinawan masters kept their best moves secret . And by way of this, not everything passed into Japanese karate . In particular one needs to look at Itosu . He trained for a bit with Matsamura (who told him he was not fast enough and did not want to teach him anymore ) so he went elsewhere and trained hard under another master who actually only taught him body building - which he didn't even seem to realize until Master tells him on his deathbed . So he went elsewhere again . Then he developed his own style suitable to teach in school system in Okinawa . So already a HEAP of stuff is left out or modified for school kids . Also he was Funakoshi's teacher And then he took this system to Japan , pre-empting Funakoshi ; " It was Itosu who brought Karate from the shadows into the light of public study. (4) In 1901 he began instructing karate at the Shuri Jinjo Primary school (Iwai 1992, Okinawa Pref. 1994) and taught at the Dai Ichi middle school and the Okinawa prefectural Men's Normal School in 1905 (Bishop 1999, Okinawa Pref. 1994, 1995). ... " In October of 1908 Itosu realized it was time for Karate to reach beyond the shores of Okinawa to the heart of Japan itself. It was to this end that he wrote his famous letter of Ten Precepts (Tode Jukun) to draw the attention of both the Ministry of Education as well as the Ministry of War. After demonstrations were held for several naval vessels, the most important of which was the 1912 visit of Admiral Dewa, karate emerged as an attractive vehicle for developing young fighting men for the imperialistic Japanese government of the period. " http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/article.php?id=1 Then there was all the stuff Funakoshi cntributed to Japanese karate . So we could say , NO not everything was shared with the Japanese . Not everything was shared with the Okinawans ether . Eg from the same source above ; " It is perhaps one of the greatest testaments to the skill of this karateka ( Itosu ) that he developed such a group of superb students, who in turn promoted his art. The karate that descended from Itosu represents one of the great Okinawan karate heritages known as Shorin-Ryu. His students comprise a virtual "who's who" of the founding fathers of modern karate. They include: Kentsu Yabu, Chomo Hanashiro, Jiro Shiroma, Chojo Oshiro, Shigeru Nakamura Anbun Tokuda, Moden Yabiku, Kenwa Mabuni, Gichin Funakoshi, Chosin Chibana, Moden Yabiku, and Choki Motobu (who contrary to popular stories spent some eight years of training under Itosu). " yet here , and nearly all karate history nothing is said of that 'other line from Matsamura ' that did not undergo all these dynamics and changes . And the names of the people in that tradition from Matsamura do not appear above . Hence that tradition is sorta secret , to most . It certainly is not in Japanese style , nor 'Okinawan school style' nor anything that followed on from it . Its not even in many "Shorin-ryu " schools . - I have written more about it here in other posts . I hope you liked the 'juice' above . That is amazing, thank you for sharing this. Sometimes teachers hold back because they do not want their students to open their own dojo and compete. Better monopolize the market I guess. Sometimes the teacher is trying to make sure the student is well equipped. The sensei that taught the students body building was still doing him favors. Sure it might have been deception but the student also learned the physical aspect of being a martial artist. Also knowing bodybuilding is good for test levels and boosts GH naturally. See its complicated because I can see both perspective.

In season 2 of CK, Chozen told Dan about Japan invading Okinawa. But recently I was reading about the history of Okinawa and Japan. That Okinawan karate masters and senseis did not share everything with the Japanese and that they kept their best move secrets. I heard this in a martial arts podcast and I am not sure how accurate this is but aside from that, I actually love to know more about Japan's history of learning karate from Okinawa. This interest came from my recent readings of Karate in Korea and it was a truly wild and interesting story or stories about how Tang Soo Do was born and then it became Taekwondo and I really enjoyed it. That and there are so many untold stories that I have yet to get to and share some once I gain full perspective. Now I love to hear about Okinawa/Japan Karate connection. Tell me or recommend me movies, docs or books in regards to this or even your own personal experience!

What makes you want to wonder? Because the answer to your question comes with age and experience, while you said, "The only thing understandable is if its taking care of a loved ones or dealing with family issues that can mess a person up emotionally." those are certainly valid reasons, but as I mentioned above, life reveals many others. My thing that threw me off was your comment of "Aging out" To me this answer is not valid because I have a TKD/TSD mentor who is nursing an injury himself. He still has the knowledge to pass on the technique and he has done an incredible job and my improvements are beyond what I thought I was capable. Another thing is, the owner and master of my sensei may not be able to do some of the fancy jumping spinning moves but he still has incredible athletic power and Master Kang has mad flexibility and kicking skills despite being in his 70s and same goes for my man Thomas Ian Griffith. Also if I may, the beauty of Korean karate may lie in the kicking ability but my teachers have found ways to help me with past injuries from other styles. So even though some may not be able to do superstar kicks, they can still be a contributing member of the dojo/dojang in some shape or form. I say this because I would NEVER EVER want to dismiss someone because of some type of flaws or short coming.

What makes you want to wonder?

Well, it depends... If you are in the US, if you are teaching a seminar or in a school that belongs to someone else, then THEY should have insurance and the insurance I described earlier (especially the professional liability) should cover you as an independent contractor through them. Just make sure that your agreement with them is done in the name of whatever corporation you have set up. I am not a lawyer. Nor do I play one on TV. So, I cannot speak to the legal use of any name. And, my comments about "staying away from the cobra kai thing" was not ment in regards to the legality of anything. I'll approach this as delicately as I can...and, to be clear, I am only speaking for myself. I think playing off of the cobra kai name and dressing like actors in the series is unprofessional and you would be doing yourself a disservice by utilizing it. Like it or not, we ALL judge a book by its cover in one way or another. Personally, if I saw someone very clearly playing off of the "Cobra Kai" name and dressing in a sleeveless gi with a design on it like what is worn in the series/movies, I am going to pretty much write you off as being anything I am interested in. Again, I don't mean that as a personal attack against you. I don't know you. I don't know if you are competent or not. Let me try to relate a story that kind of explains this line of thought... Back in the mid 1980's I lived in Hollywood, CA for a bit. And when I say live in Hollywood, I literally mean that standing in the little apartment I lived in had Hollywood Blvd on one side of me and Sunset Blvd on the other. So, I was reading a copy of Black Belt magazine that I had bought. In it was an article about Frank Dux. Yes, that Frank Dux...Bloodsport fame. It referenced him having a school in the area. So I looked it up in the Yellow Pages, got the address and took a bus to go to the school one late afternoon. When I got there, he actually had a class going and he was teaching the class...it was the end of the class actually. I went in as they had a visitor area. The class was all lined up facing him. He had a kind of really odd sleeveless gi on that was a cross between a Japanese gi and a Shaolin kung fu uniform. Anyway, he pulls out a piece of paper and starts reading out what is a rank promotion. He calls the guy out. This guy, from seiza, does a forward roll, turns right (in seiza), does 3 more forward rolls (from seiza) until he is in front of Dux, turns left, takes the certificate and does this "seiza roll" thing back to his place in line. Apparently, that is how a "ninja" does rank promotion. At this time, Stephen K. Hayes was all the rage for his training in Togakure-ryu ninjutsu with Hatsumi Sensei. So, Dux was doing like so many others and laying claim to ninjutsu. That was enough for me. I kinda chuckled and walked out the door, never to look back and then later laugh heartily when the movie came out. It is my personal opinion only, so you may find it to be of absolutely no value to you whatsoever...but I think if you go with the play on the name of Cobra Kai and dress like Cobra Kai, may people are going to write you off as being a serious martial artist. Is that fair? No, not really. Is it true? No clue. Additionally, I think you are probably going to attract the wrong kinds of students based off of this as well. Again, I don't mean that as a personal attack against you. I don't know you. Just putting it out there as something to consider. You be you man... Thank you for the info on the insurance. Its good to know all this because of getting a working visa and different insurance for travel, teaching and all the legal business. Regarding the dress code: I wear white gi...maybe purple ( in spirit of himokiri karate) I don't like overly colorful designs. My favorite Gi is white with the logo of cobrakingkai on the back as a teacher. Nothing too colorful. In fact, my students may have a pure white gi with the cobrakingkai logo on their wrist sleeve. That being said, I do agree with you, I am going to be written off by the traditional karate culture. However, I also am going to be operating in the striking world which would be boxing and karate competition. My main focus is to bestow upon my students: Endless cardio, freakishly fast, active footwork as our base foundation which is something I learned in boxing and Korean Karate or TSD/TKD. With that being said, I am prepared for scrutiny In fact, I welcome it, new ideas should be challenged, they should be scrutinized. I do deserve to be tested, questioned and even dismissed it as well as criticized from every direction and aspect from technique to culture. This will allow me to truly rise to the occasion towards the type of mastery that wins people over and also forces me to give my future students techniques that are top of the line. My main career occupation is promoting a healthy approach towards vegetarianism in a world that is filled with vegans and Paleo followers. So from money and career, this is where I operate. Cobrakingkai is a passion project. Its not meant as a means to make income but rather its about making an impact. Failure for me is to not train my students to the standard of the dangers they can and will encounter in a town that I am trying to escape due to falling apart. Hence I added boxing so that my students can have quick fast hands to set up their karate techniques. Hikuta and the snake recoil/retraction method is designed to help reload our power strikes for quicker fire and counters. My "selling" point as a serious martial artist is to win boxing and karate fights with superior technique and overwhelming power. Aside from that, if someone feels like our name is off-putting, then that is the beauty of human race, they are allowed to feel that way because it is their free will which makes humanity interesting great at times and that is a good thing since my free will is that I believe my name is super awesome. Every person has a right to their opinion, my main and most important mission is that my students can handle themselves under stressful pressure of hostile situations. If I can do that and help them become happier, more secure as human beings, then I have done my job as a sensei. I remember Stephen Hayes and even Konigun ninja dramas. I look at the ninja world as " overpromise and under deliver" We are modern human beings, we work, we have family, we have car insurance and girlfriends/wives and etc... To be a ninja, you have to go big or go home. As a yoga practitioner, you have to commit SERIOUS hours to mudra/mantra and meditation. For the ninja, that is the Kujikiri which the ninjas learned from the yoga world. I personally do believe in these abilities. But I also believe you have to like meditate 6-8 hours a day and as the ninja goes, I believe every moment has to be spent crawling, squatting, climbing, weapons, espionage, taijuitsu. EDIT: I am sure people who train modern ninjutsu may know what they are doing. That and I felt like my comment was a bit more opinionated as oppose to educational. Since I am a Karate guy, I should keep it at that. My thing is, there was one ninjutsu person I met that was over promising things by saying that ninjitsu striking is superior to every striking arts and etc... On and on with ninjitsu has the best everything. This person +Konigun ninja saga created a negative bias in me. So please understand that I mean no disrespect. I fully admit that as a flawed human being, I have my bias which creates a blind spot. Going forward I will be more diligent to spot this character flaw before posting.

Regarding the cobra kai. My business is called cobrakingkai. I have no fear with that name because there have been few places named cobra kai. Mine has king in the middle which makes it different but also pays homage to the brand. We have cobra kai jujitsu and cobra kai fitness that are currently active. In the 2000s, my town had cobra kai kickboxing. I have the name everywhere. I am not worried. If they would go after me, then they have to go after the cobra jujitsu and cobra kai fitness first and right now they are still active. Cobrakingkai is too good of a name and its mine 100 percent. Its also a homage to my favorite anime dragonball z which had a martial arts master named king kai who mentored the protagonist. Regarding boxing, I incorporate tons and tons of boxing in to my karate. Korean karate/Tang Soo Do is very bouncy, dynamic and you are always jumping and spinning. Boxing has many different styles as well. Some boxing trainers teach you to stand sideways, some teach you to be 45- degree angled and some get you to square up and fight in the pocket. Karate stances can strengthen and add nuance to the boxing stance. You develop a different types of rhythm in your footwork and hip rotations which allows you to become very difficult to time in boxing. The switching of the stance is also something boxers are not use to. In Japanese and Korean Martial arts cultures, you see the two countries martial arts to be very organized on how they teach the moves, its like they have a blue print and a path way to doing their moves and transitions to another move down. Ultimately, boxing and karate have much to offer to each other. With my progression of training, I noticed that I kind of cornered myself in to the Tang Soo Do/Korean karate move set. That and Tang Soo Do uses hybrid language of Japanese and Korean. So it makes sense for me to be Korean Karate. That being said, I have a mentor in Korean martial arts that teaches me privately. Absolutely, positively, 100% yes...yes...YES. If I am reading you right, you are outside of the US? If so, this might have to be modified. In the US, we have a Limited Liability Corporation or LLC. In the eyes of US law, a corporation (LLC) is considered to be a person. So, I created an LLC. Students that want to train under me sign a legal document that I had a lawyer create that states that they are waiving their rights to sue me personally, anyone that works for me or my school (the LLC) should they be hurt during the course of training. Of course, even if they sign that, they can still sue. Therefore, you need insurance. In the US, you should have general liability insurance that also includes professional liability coverage. Additionally, if you are teaching in a building or location that is not your home, then you need to have premises liability as well. If you are teaching in a home or an apartment, then you need different insurance to cover that as just about any kind of renters or home owner insurance is going to reject outright any claims since you are, essentially, running a business (no matter how or if you collect fees). But, all of that needs to be translated over to the laws governing whatever country you may be living in. But, everyone likes to sue. You need to be fully covered on every angle possible to ensure you don't get wiped out financially regardless of where you live. I have done custom embroidered gis in the past. Let me warn you now...it was not cheap back then and I expect it is probably more expensive now. You can Google something like "custom embroidered martial arts uniform" and see what comes up. What is usually easier is to get a design done that you want to use, buy the gi and then find someone locally to do the embroidery work for you. That would probably be the cheaper option. By the way, I reference going with embroidery option because any sort of silk screening process (meaning applied ink) to a gi is really not going to hold up to the rigors of martial arts training. When you combine this with how often a gi is likely going to have to be washed, then it makes it even worse. One of the businesses I own does t-shirts, so I have a little experience there. I can also tell you that creating a large patch to have attached to the back of the gi is going to be expensive as well. Anything over 4" the cost goes up significantly. And, if you are ordering only a few of them, the cost goes up as well. Put it this way, I am having a new patch designed. 2 colors. 4.5" x 3.5". If I want just 10 of them made, it is going to cost between $250 to $300. If I can offer a bit of personal advice, don't go with the "cobra kai" look. Good to know, this is actually important stuff. Like if I wanna travel to US to also teach, I need to cover my rear end I suppose. So I appreciate it. I am cobrakingkai and there is not a lawyer who can take me down. That and if they want to, they have to go after the two active gyms that are blatantly using cobra kai for their jujitsu gyms. Also some of the stuff I use is based on a cobra since principles do come from Dok Lees Hikuta that was based on movements of the snake. Cobra kai jujitsu has been active for over a decade. They have the same exact logo. Mine is different. Same with cobra kai fitness. There is also a small cobra kai kickboxing in U.S while ours closed down despite either being related. Technically speaking, I would be 4th on the list. Like Ray Croc, its all about the name. I do not have the name but I have something as good or almost better and yet its authentic. Cobra kai jujitsu has been operating for far too long. Mine being cobrakingkai is something that I feel safe. Yet I am willing to fight for it because its my name, I came up with it. I have the domain, the social media handles, no one can it away from me. Also king kai is one of the martial arts master of the protagonist in the dragonball series which is a show I grew up with. So I combined my love for karate kid/cobra kai + dragonball to create a new name that I am extremely proud of. I will always be cobrakingkai. CKK all the way! Somethings in this world are worth fighting for. This is one of them. When I came up with this name, I fell in love with it. It also true to my style since I plan on incorporating Dok Lees Hikuta principles which is retracting and recoiling. Something I learned with my Taekwondo/Tang Soo Do teacher and being able to change directions the last second which is also a boxing technique that not many boxing coaches know. Its the name, its the technique, its everything that go well together.

Tang Soo Do/Korean Karate or Kyokushin. These are the two styles that I have seen use grappling. I incorporate sambo moves to my Tang Soo Do/Korean Karate. That being said, its important to note that... Karate grappling is ALSO very dependent on individual sensei or dojo. Not all Tang Soo Do/Korean Karate or Kyokushin karate dojos are going to incorporate grappling. So you have to talk to the sensei to learn about their curriculum. Kyokushin is the most consistent curriculum but Korean Karate is more freestyle since sometimes it can look like Shotokan or Taekwondo Some taekwondo dojangs grappling comes through hapkido and some Kyokushin sensei's use judo as their grappling style. IMPORTANT: Regardless which style of karate you choose, make sure you learn to...Sweep The Leg! Assaaaahh!!!!

I like to offer donation based karate. At this point in my life, if I am not going to boxing gym, then I am pretty much karate 24/7. Like even watching Netflix, I would pause to Google a specific version of nukite. Or Google a fictional karateka like Mike Barnes or Terry Silver. Or like 3 days ago, watching a deadly Himokiri karate (my username ) master fight the main character of a now popular series that has been making a resurgence on Netflix. Of course, I cannot forget the fictional OG called Shio Sakaki-sensei! Its been like this and I thought this would be a phase but its been growing since 2005. Even though this love was suppressed by the rise of MMA and me getting tricked that Karate was ineffective by MMA pundits. I have reached a point that I do not care if someone says Thai kickboxing is superior. Karate is more than just striking, its culture, its an energy, its a way of being. That being said, its SUPER effective! It also has turned me in to FREAK in boxing. Due to Taekwondo/Korean Karate training, my footwork has gotten so fast as has my cardio. I have become reborn. Sadly, I live in a country with not a big boxing culture and my town almost has no boxing. That being said, I enjoy the training and the mix of Korean Karate with boxing has opened my eyes to a whole new possibilities. Yoga has added another extremely colorful dimension. Another thing I love is, the people that enter the dojo. Not saying everyone is a saint but karate does not attract the unsavory character who aspires to be a cage fighter/MMA superstar. The act of putting on a Gi and knowing as well as willing to recite few Japanese/Korean words keeps the questionable characters away for most parts. This brings us to my final point, I like to teach karate donation based for the time being. Do I need insurance? Do I need to any paper work? Also I want to have a gi design that is similar to cobra kai, who do I go to that designs a gi with logo on the back? No patches, just want it to be part of the gi. Like its inked in sort of speak as oppose to a patch that is attached.

This is a case for everything and anything in terms of interval. Dating apps are boring when you shuffle through. Movies have boring moments due to build up of the story that has the protagonist and antagonist clashing. Driving can be boring. Preparing or waiting for food can be boring. This is how I view everything and anything. Boredom exist in all things. Irony of have an extremely exciting fighting style is practicing an aspect of martial arts that is very tedious in the beginning...footwork! Martial Artist/Boxers with fast blinding speed, quick feet who can dart and dash as well as bounce have to go through endless amount of footwork drill as well as employing different footwork methods. This is what I do in Korean Karate and Boxing. Putting things together, performing the techniques and foundation, learning to switch without losing balance as well as doing the exercises needed to improve attribute. To me, this is like playing strategy games. Its exciting because there is purpose in it. To combine Karate with Boxing and few interesting concepts from lost martial arts techniques is something I cannot ever get bored. I feel that there is something missing in terms of marketing. Humanity is based on creativity and innovation. Martial arts is one of the best and most creative activities that has ever existed.

I never understood why people quit karate. I mean what I hear is "its boring" but I do not understand it one bit. In TSD/Korean Karate, we do tons of jumping, spinning, bouncing, moving around using different angles and throwing all kinds of colorful kicks and unique strikes. In regards to Japanese Karate, I have done Kyokushin karate and although its not as diverse in terms of technique, it is very sparring and conditioning heavy. Tons of sparring and tons of techniques that you also find in kickboxing and MMA which are art forms people find exciting. That being said, what are the main reasons that people quit karate? The only thing understandable is if its taking care of a loved ones or dealing with family issues that can mess a person up emotionally.

That's a great attitude to have. I look at money the same which is rather have it and not need it, then not have it and need it. Problem is, its hard to make it and keep it. Yoga has gotten a bad rep due to various yogi scandal's. Main one Bikram but in the yoga circle, others have done pretty bad things. Regardless, the yoga skill is just that, its a skill, a tool that bestows benefits. For me, I am just beginning to slightly get a taste of what I feel is tip of the iceberg. That being said, yoga doesn't care about you in a sense of what you like or dislike. For me, the best yoga benefits is to be mainly eating raw foods and cooked vegetarianism and not just any type of vegetarianism but the right kind. Also not engaging in different thoughts can be challenging. Yoga is not something you do, but rather its something that becomes a part of you, One potential bad benefit ( or good depending on circumstance ) is being in a mood for grown up activities. This might be fine if one has a partner. But it is difficult because you are fighting the compulsion of having raging teen hormones all over again. Vegetarianism I find helps suppress it as oppose to extinguish. Anyways I am getting off topic. My point that I am getting at is, I believe the elusive mysteries of yoga and what it potentially bestows upon an individual can be extremely powerful. Those benefits can be very to a person of any passion or interest and that includes a karateka.

In the last few days that I showed up, the owner did not even bother to say hi. I assumed he was busy with his fighters. I sent an email but no response even though he always responds. Did not bother to wonder since he is a boxing trainer and also recently, his gym which is commercial is catering to the whole woke culture and he has a timeslot that is "no straight males allowed" When I saw that, I was pretty much stopped caring or wondering. I was just an ATM and when he found a more lucrative clientele, it was time for him to take out the trash/me. I have witnesses something pretty bad myself. I used to practice traditional karate, then quit and many years later I joined a "kempo karate" (so basically, Americanized Karate) school because it was close to my home and I craved getting back into the martial arts. It was certainly different from your average shotokan or goju ryu or shito ryu class, but it was still fun and had some applicability to it, so I decided to stick with it. For the first 3 years it was ok. After my 3rd year there, things began deteriorating horribly. 1) First the separation between adults class and kids class began blurring. Sure, having a 19 or 18 year old in class was fine. But then there were a couple 16 year olds in class. Next thing you know there is a 14 year old in class, under the justification that "he is a brown belt so he is too advanced for the kids class". Then there was a 10 year old. This should have been enough to make me leave, but I didn't see the red flag and stayed. 2) Then they implemented a very dishonest business model These american karate schools have an odd system. You get the regular class ("group class") and then you get one "private lesson" per week included in your monthly fee. "This is awesome!" I thought to myself, I get to have private instruction too! My mind raced with the possibilities, this is going to be a Daniel San and Mr. Miyagi sort of thing!!! Truth is, the "private class" model is actually a detriment to instruction. They get to charge you more because of these private lessons, which would not be an issue if you actually got them as an "extra". But the private lessons became the perfect excuse to have subpar "group classes". You see, at this school, all of your rank material, be it kata, ippon kumite drills, etc, they are all taught during your private lesson. You're learning all of your rank material during those once-a-week lessons. That frees the "group class" for aiming at the lowest common denominator: Calisthenics, practicing punches from the horse stance and the ocassional kick shield drill. That's it. No kata learning, no ippon kumite drill learning, no rank learning at all. This way they can group all kids in one class, regardless of rank, and all adults in another class, regardless of rank. Lazy, isn't it? But this is not what made the model dishonest. What made it dishonest after my 3rd year? See point # 3, "the teaching corps"! 3) The teaching corps. The group class model was bad enough. But not bad enough to get me to quit. At least I did have the full attention of my sensei for one class a week, right? Enter the teaching corps. What are the teaching corps? Free labor! The school began offering these "special elite instructor courses" (I changed the name slightly just to make it less obvious what school I am talking about) to all students. All you have to do to be eligible to take these courses is... to pay a hefty fee. ca-ching! $$$ Pay for 4 "elite courses", teach kids' private lessons (for free) and you will earn yourself a fancy "assistant instructor" belt. This belt looks almost exactly like a junior black belt, but with the colors inverted. You will be referred to as "sempai" or "assistant instructor". This is where the dishonesty kicks in: You can be a yellow belt for all they care. If you go to 4 of these courses and keep the kids busy with playing "ninja ball" or other games like that, you get to be some sort of instructor. What are these kids learning?!?! Then if you teach enough kids' classes and pay for more of the same "elite courses" (not even different ones, the same ones all over again), you will get a red belt and get to be called "associate instructor". Now you can teach rank material to kids and adults alike. You're basically a sensei, only without the name and without the pay. This is where the dishonesty really gets overwhelming. Imagine having junior ranks (we're not talking about brown or even blue or green belts here) get called instructor and teach kids and adults their rank material, during the much-hyped private lessons, with as per # 2 above, are the only chance you get for getting taught your kata and other material like that. 4) The dojo politics Who in their right mind would pay hefty sums of money in order to work for free for a dojo, without getting to learn anything (no, you won't get taught anything extra or get any sort of spiritual, mental, technical or physical benefit in exchange for spending several hours a week playing ninja ball with the kids or teaching a grown up an erroneous version of pinan nidan that you just learned yourself last week) and presenting yourself as an "associate instructor" with a fancy red belt that looks like the belt a a 10th dan okinawan karate master would wear? The students that ended joining this horrible program were for some reason the bottom of the barrel of the class. the lowest skilled students that also happened to be power hungry and prone to gossip. In other words, the people who had no business teaching anything. Their newfound "teaching corps" status led them to form a clique. This clique resented any students that they didn't like personally or that were more skilled, in a Mean Girls kind of way. Soon these "teaching corps" people began suggesting the sensei that some students should get kicked out because they "brought down the vibe" of the classes or "were mean people" (these people actually managed to brand as "mean" some of the kindest people I have met). The sensei didn't go as far as to ban these students who were targeted by the teaching corps, but the whole atmosphere was poisoned. 5) The teaching corps and politics had an effect on the student body and rank material Who has the time and energy to deal with a bunch of childish, gossipy overgrown children who feel that they're bruce lee? The good students began leaving the dojo on their own accord. Many joined BJJ, Judo, Muay Thai and Boxing schools, many quit martial arts forever. On my last year there, the student body was overpopulated with children, incredibly unskilled and out of shape adults and "the teaching corps", who now look like they're actually skilled because they were successful in running out most people who were better than them. This had an effect on the teaching. We stopped sparring forever ("if you want to spar, come to our specialized sparring class that's held every Sunday, that's it"), the instructor demanded that we stopped wearing our belts during sparring (he never gave a good reason, but in reality it was to save two particularly bad "associate instructors" from embarrassment when they get schooled by white belts) and kick shield practice became more rare because some teaching corp members didn't like to feel the impact of kicks on their body through the kick shields (!!!). By this time I was very conflicted and thought about leaving this horrible place for good. I made several posts here and a topic about it, and asked my fellow martial artists here for advice. In the end I didn't need to make such a decision, COVID happened, then I took some video lessons, and when I was ready to come back to the dojo my sensei told me he would no longer be teaching me. My grown man Shodan self would have to be taught by a 19 year old "associate instructor" who was actually a brown belt (not even a 2nd degree brown belt) or a middle aged former child daycare employee who also became an "associate instructor" recently and who was a brown belt too. At that moment I chose to quit. Later on I learned this sensei was actually still teaching some private lessons, so he lied to me too. Good riddance. Good lord, I guess its human nature and not the art itself but the culture that surrounds it. I hear you on the cliquey aspect. This is why I am beyond grateful at the Korean Karate Dojo/Dojang. Its a very lowkey place and the private lessons are incredible. The teacher goes beyond the clock and sometimes an hour session turns in to two hour and its free of charge. They tell me that I inspire them and I have tried to pay them extra because I feel bad but they never take my money. Yet they charge 20 percent less. After experiencing the boxing place I was in to as well as reading your experience, I have greater levels of gratitude for the style, teacher and school that I am currently part of. I truly am grateful for having a legendary Korean Karate master on my side. What I learned from honorable dojos and dojangs is that, karate or martial arts shouldn't just be about making money but also making an impact! I understand making money is very important but I would not want to sacrifice quality for commerce. That and I want to promote and reward students who are dedicated and not just talented. This creates a healthier culture within the dojo/dojang. Sorry you had to go through that. I am really happy you made this topic, writing all that was quite cathartic for me I am very curious about your style. Is it tang soo do? I have seen tang soo do, taekwondo and moo duk kwan as referred to as korean karate. I have always had a scholarly side to my interest in martial arts, and I fondly recall a book I read in my childhood called "Korean Karate: The Art of Tae Kwon Do" by Duk Sung Son too. Glad to hear it and to answer your question, the person is a boxing coach but when I became orphaned, I got in to Korean Karate at a dojang that teaches various Korean martial arts. Since I am a private student with karate and boxing, they created a training program in which they are teaching me their specific move sets that are Tang Soo Do/Taekwondo techniques. Hence for simplicity sake, I call it Korean Karate. Been with them since March or so I believe and I just got my green belt and I am loving my training. No complaints at all with the Korean Karate. The training is brutally difficult because its a private class, the master is a general in the South Korean military and I requested an authentic Korean training regimen and they obliged. The price of private lesson is extremely affordable and high quality.

The bold part is pretty much me man. I use yoga as a restorative. The tree pose, warrior 3 to warrior 2 really helps with my side stance since my style is more Korean Karate or TKD/Tang Soo Do and yoga helps relieve the tension and rejuvenate for more hard karate while avoiding injuries. I also find that it helps me maintain my diet, it calms my mind which means my mind thinks less of food and satisfying my taste buds. Hard to explain. A decade ago, I heard about how yoga grants supernatural abilities of many kinds. I thought it was nonsense but the more I get in to it, the more I believe there is something truly magical about it. I mean its not so much woo woo fantasy but its actually pretty comprehensive in terms of using mantras to maintain concentration, how sounds and tone can effect health and the chakra aspect is hard to describe. I am not saying I am a believer all of a sudden and at the end of the day, I enjoy the feeling of yoga/meditation but credit where credit is due, the ancient yogi text that talk about attaining special ability is pretty detailed about its science. Its not the typical " just believe really hard" new age stuff. I made this thread a while back and with passing of time, I am really beginning to slowly understand the connection of yoga and karate in which kung fu being the middleman in all it.

Ken Shamrock had a fall from grace. I am not going to get in to details but Google and peoples experience of approaching him were very unpleasant. Gracies are doing good but the news breaking story the Gracies and their saga with Rufino Do santos which was pretty dark and a huge deal did have an effect. Also one major problem is, not cleaning mats= getting staff infection which= losing tons of students. There was a UFC fight with Womens fighting in which one of the female fighters was caught in a submission but she was able to escape from it using a poke in the eye. Most people were horrified but others questioned the effectiveness of grappling outside of sporting arenas. This brings us to karate. In karate, you train your fingers, toes, palms, back of the hand, forearms, elbows, knees and etc.. That and the nature of karate is one that allows for improvement in solo training. It has many colorful and cool variation and you can become very good without risking injury or staff infection. Its friendly for folks who are germophobic and do not enjoy the ground. While sometimes taboo, you can also come up with your style of karate or ideas which will be challenged but its also very exciting to have your thoughts, your creativity manifest in your karate. The training can be very fun for youngsters if it is also taekwondo/Korean karate based. As you mentioned, cobra kai makes a difference, at the dojo/dojang I train at, my teacher tells me that every cobra kai season brings new students through the door. Not everyone sticks with it but many try it for sometime before novelty wears off. I believe the karate nerd is doing great as well as well as sensei Andrade and Sensei Rick Hotton who are really growing karate on YouTube. Hopefully someday I too can get there as well in 5 years or so.

I have witnesses something pretty bad myself. I used to practice traditional karate, then quit and many years later I joined a "kempo karate" (so basically, Americanized Karate) school because it was close to my home and I craved getting back into the martial arts. It was certainly different from your average shotokan or goju ryu or shito ryu class, but it was still fun and had some applicability to it, so I decided to stick with it. For the first 3 years it was ok. After my 3rd year there, things began deteriorating horribly. 1) First the separation between adults class and kids class began blurring. Sure, having a 19 or 18 year old in class was fine. But then there were a couple 16 year olds in class. Next thing you know there is a 14 year old in class, under the justification that "he is a brown belt so he is too advanced for the kids class". Then there was a 10 year old. This should have been enough to make me leave, but I didn't see the red flag and stayed. 2) Then they implemented a very dishonest business model These american karate schools have an odd system. You get the regular class ("group class") and then you get one "private lesson" per week included in your monthly fee. "This is awesome!" I thought to myself, I get to have private instruction too! My mind raced with the possibilities, this is going to be a Daniel San and Mr. Miyagi sort of thing!!! Truth is, the "private class" model is actually a detriment to instruction. They get to charge you more because of these private lessons, which would not be an issue if you actually got them as an "extra". But the private lessons became the perfect excuse to have subpar "group classes". You see, at this school, all of your rank material, be it kata, ippon kumite drills, etc, they are all taught during your private lesson. You're learning all of your rank material during those once-a-week lessons. That frees the "group class" for aiming at the lowest common denominator: Calisthenics, practicing punches from the horse stance and the ocassional kick shield drill. That's it. No kata learning, no ippon kumite drill learning, no rank learning at all. This way they can group all kids in one class, regardless of rank, and all adults in another class, regardless of rank. Lazy, isn't it? But this is not what made the model dishonest. What made it dishonest after my 3rd year? See point # 3, "the teaching corps"! 3) The teaching corps. The group class model was bad enough. But not bad enough to get me to quit. At least I did have the full attention of my sensei for one class a week, right? Enter the teaching corps. What are the teaching corps? Free labor! The school began offering these "special elite instructor courses" (I changed the name slightly just to make it less obvious what school I am talking about) to all students. All you have to do to be eligible to take these courses is... to pay a hefty fee. ca-ching! $$$ Pay for 4 "elite courses", teach kids' private lessons (for free) and you will earn yourself a fancy "assistant instructor" belt. This belt looks almost exactly like a junior black belt, but with the colors inverted. You will be referred to as "sempai" or "assistant instructor". This is where the dishonesty kicks in: You can be a yellow belt for all they care. If you go to 4 of these courses and keep the kids busy with playing "ninja ball" or other games like that, you get to be some sort of instructor. What are these kids learning?!?! Then if you teach enough kids' classes and pay for more of the same "elite courses" (not even different ones, the same ones all over again), you will get a red belt and get to be called "associate instructor". Now you can teach rank material to kids and adults alike. You're basically a sensei, only without the name and without the pay. This is where the dishonesty really gets overwhelming. Imagine having junior ranks (we're not talking about brown or even blue or green belts here) get called instructor and teach kids and adults their rank material, during the much-hyped private lessons, with as per # 2 above, are the only chance you get for getting taught your kata and other material like that. 4) The dojo politics Who in their right mind would pay hefty sums of money in order to work for free for a dojo, without getting to learn anything (no, you won't get taught anything extra or get any sort of spiritual, mental, technical or physical benefit in exchange for spending several hours a week playing ninja ball with the kids or teaching a grown up an erroneous version of pinan nidan that you just learned yourself last week) and presenting yourself as an "associate instructor" with a fancy red belt that looks like the belt a a 10th dan okinawan karate master would wear? The students that ended joining this horrible program were for some reason the bottom of the barrel of the class. the lowest skilled students that also happened to be power hungry and prone to gossip. In other words, the people who had no business teaching anything. Their newfound "teaching corps" status led them to form a clique. This clique resented any students that they didn't like personally or that were more skilled, in a Mean Girls kind of way. Soon these "teaching corps" people began suggesting the sensei that some students should get kicked out because they "brought down the vibe" of the classes or "were mean people" (these people actually managed to brand as "mean" some of the kindest people I have met). The sensei didn't go as far as to ban these students who were targeted by the teaching corps, but the whole atmosphere was poisoned. 5) The teaching corps and politics had an effect on the student body and rank material Who has the time and energy to deal with a bunch of childish, gossipy overgrown children who feel that they're bruce lee? The good students began leaving the dojo on their own accord. Many joined BJJ, Judo, Muay Thai and Boxing schools, many quit martial arts forever. On my last year there, the student body was overpopulated with children, incredibly unskilled and out of shape adults and "the teaching corps", who now look like they're actually skilled because they were successful in running out most people who were better than them. This had an effect on the teaching. We stopped sparring forever ("if you want to spar, come to our specialized sparring class that's held every Sunday, that's it"), the instructor demanded that we stopped wearing our belts during sparring (he never gave a good reason, but in reality it was to save two particularly bad "associate instructors" from embarrassment when they get schooled by white belts) and kick shield practice became more rare because some teaching corp members didn't like to feel the impact of kicks on their body through the kick shields (!!!). By this time I was very conflicted and thought about leaving this horrible place for good. I made several posts here and a topic about it, and asked my fellow martial artists here for advice. In the end I didn't need to make such a decision, COVID happened, then I took some video lessons, and when I was ready to come back to the dojo my sensei told me he would no longer be teaching me. My grown man Shodan self would have to be taught by a 19 year old "associate instructor" who was actually a brown belt (not even a 2nd degree brown belt) or a middle aged former child daycare employee who also became an "associate instructor" recently and who was a brown belt too. At that moment I chose to quit. Later on I learned this sensei was actually still teaching some private lessons, so he lied to me too. Good riddance. Good lord, I guess its human nature and not the art itself but the culture that surrounds it. I hear you on the cliquey aspect. This is why I am beyond grateful at the Korean Karate Dojo/Dojang. Its a very lowkey place and the private lessons are incredible. The teacher goes beyond the clock and sometimes an hour session turns in to two hour and its free of charge. They tell me that I inspire them and I have tried to pay them extra because I feel bad but they never take my money. Yet they charge 20 percent less. After experiencing the boxing place I was in to as well as reading your experience, I have greater levels of gratitude for the style, teacher and school that I am currently part of. I truly am grateful for having a legendary Korean Karate master on my side. What I learned from honorable dojos and dojangs is that, karate or martial arts shouldn't just be about making money but also making an impact! I understand making money is very important but I would not want to sacrifice quality for commerce. That and I want to promote and reward students who are dedicated and not just talented. This creates a healthier culture within the dojo/dojang. Sorry you had to go through that.

I went crazy and I refrained from posting because I tend to get overexcited and use language that is not how you say, dignified. So here are my thoughts: Terry became a better person. Friendship well apart because Kreese abandoned Terry after the tournament. It was implied that the Borneo toxic deal was discovered and that rocked Silvers world. During that time, Silver needed a friend and Kreese was not there. Silver resented that. Kreese comes back to his life. Wants him to comeback, guilt trips him, shames him, makes him feel bad when Terry is teaching kids to be respectful and strong. Kreese was unhappy that Terry called him out on his thirst for vengeance. Silver starts falling apart mentally because of Kreese verbal abuse, he snaps in to his old unhinged self that we love from karate kid 3. Problem is, he attacks Johnny who Kreese adores. So Kreese shames him again. This makes him a target to the unhinged and unleashed Terry that I consider to be legendary. In the end, Terry returns to his ruthless self that we saw in karate kid 3 and this time, he is number 1 boss. In fact, a bit worse and more dangerous because he is not motivated by friendship but by chaos and carnage. Terry Silver= Mix of batman and joker. Like batman, he is rich and a trained martial artist who knows how to dress, has butler, mansion and access to resources. Like the joker, he is wild, unpredictable and unconventional which makes him dangerous. Terry when in a state of madness is one of the most dangerous villains in any work of fiction.

I understand that. He needs to do what its best for him. My gripe is that he preaches loyalty and community. If he said nothing, if he never claimed standards of excellence, then I would not bat an eye. I would treat it as another boxing gym that runs on the concept of "the weak dies and the strong survives" mentality. This is all fine and dandy. My problem is this person preaching virtue but being just like everybody else at the end of the day. If teacher wants loyalty, he must show case loyalty and not focus on his perceived top athletes. But fair point on addressing the nature of boxing. But truth be told, 98 percent of people that join a boxing gym do so for fitness and cardio. Most people do not want to fight. This person I am talking about is trying to over extend and in doing so, he is over promising and under delivering. I sincerely believe that this runs rampant in every MA, or in anything where human beings are being taught anything by other human beings. Patience is a very vital element for being a teacher, and for those teachers that lack patience, the most promising students are given far better attention than those students that struggle. Without patience, there is no effective and quality of learning whatsoever. The bad thing is that this type of teacher sticks out like a sore thumb, and if that type of teacher isn't made accountable for their actions, then not just the selected few, but the entire Student Body suffers. Struggling students are of the same value as a talented and gifted student and should be treated equally across the board. Perhaps it goes beyond the lack of patience, if so, then said impatient teacher is just not a good teacher at all. Lacking teaching skills can be hidden behind the gifted and talented students, whereas flaws of the teacher can be readily seen. It's sad to witness and it's even worse to just stand by and do nothing at all. Teachers forget that all if their students are the perfect representation of themselves. Proof is on the floor!! Exactly! A paying customer is a paying customer. But most importantly, the less talented is even more vulnerable because they also have to spar the talented fighter who is receiving preferential treatment. The less talented fighter must find a new gym because I feel like they are very vulnerable and in danger of getting hurt because of the asymmetry of instruction that they are receiving.