ryanryu

I’ve been slowly decorating my home dojo, so maybe some of these ideas will be relevant – • Dragon Associates (https://www.karatekaikan.com/) sells a number of dojo scrolls of various sizes that you can order. They also sold old photographs of several Okinawan masters in the past, but I couldn’t find it on their new website. (I had ordered a great photo of young Chojun Miyagi looking suave.) • Etsy has a whole host of calligraphers and sumi-e artists, plenty of whom will do specific commissioned pieces. I’ve bought pieces from both FlowWithTheBrush and MyJapaneseNamePlus. • Century’s Versys standing bags are also great. I have the Versys 3 in my home, which is possibly discontinued, and also trained with the Versys 1 in an old dojo. It’s been a great multi-use tool for kicking, striking, even setting up take downs. I ordered mine during Black Friday a few years ago at almost half price. • I also have a bookshelf in my home dojo. If you have a good karate library, I say share it with your students!

We hear all the time that advanced students must “be their own sensei” while at the same time we hear that black belt is “just the beginning”. How do you/have you managed this transition? This seems like a common problem given that the majority of students are not black belts and the majority of teachers are more experienced training students up to black belt. But what then? Are yudansha just left to their own devices? Should a sandan be practicing the same way as a shodan? The rank is a convenient symbol here, but it's the same question for any martial artist who has reached that milestone of training.

I’m in the same boat with scohen, that feeling of consistency is really powerful. I’ve changed the specific morning routine over time, usually a mix of light bodyweight exercises and gentle stretching. It was really a lifesaver when I was trapped in my apartment during the early COVID lockdowns and going stir-crazy. At least I could start my day with some calm. I continue to refer to this practice as my “daily constitutional” because it makes me chuckle. During training, I almost always begin with Sanchin and end with Tensho. I think that’s a fairly common Goju-ryu practice, although I’ve trained in dojo that save Sanchin for the end of a session. Lastly, another ritual I’ve started in the past few years is New Year’s Day training. I’ll light a few candles in the dojo and go through every Goju-ryu kata as a way to kick off a new year of training. I think the candles make it seem more like a 'ritual' and not just another practice session. But I've really enjoyed setting aside that time to refocus and put some intention into the practice. It’s a great way to start the year.

Seipai! My favorite Goju-ryu kata, very different from the ones before. I love the whipping, snapping, slamming techniques, the complex turns, and all the two-armed movements. For some reason, I've found it an easier kata to practice the hard/soft transitions you want in Goju. It's a kata that made me look at my other kata differently.

Hello KF! I’ve recently uncovered my log in information for Karate Forums in an old notebook and was surprised that it still worked… almost 10 years since my last post! Lots of changes since then - moved 1/2 way across the country, started a small karate club, finished school, got a real job, moved 1/2 way back across the country, got married - but I've kept up my training throughout, in one form or another. I’m really glad this community is still going strong. See you in the forums!

I can't believe it. I just saw him June 25th at a seminar with my Shihan. He promoted me to nidan. I'm grateful for all the times I got to work with him, he was a true karateka and loved Goju. He will be missed. -Ryan Payne

I have two belts, both from Kamikaze. They're cotton, 10 rows of stitching each, but they offer up to 12. I have stripes embroidered in red and my name and my style on each side embroidered in gold. I'd expect most quality belt manufacturers would offer both colors in any form you want. The local sewing shops i went to though didn't have equipment to sew stripes through the material though, so for any additional stripes I'll have to send the belt away. Regardless it's a small price to pay for a nice belt that's lasted me 4 years now. The belts do fray as well, mine was after about a year of hard training with it

I'm at Iron & Silk Karate-Do with Shihan Romania, 8th dan

I've actually been going to classes for about a month now. It's been fantastic, I'm picking up the actual techniques really fast. The instruction isnt as precise as in goju-ryu, but since I've trained in the MA before I can usually figure out that best way to do a technique. My training is still pretty polarized though, I can either do Aikido or Goju, not a synthesis of both, which is what I'm aiming for. Hopefully someday I'll get there though! This Aikido dojo has a lot of personality and a lot of skill so I'm definitely going to train there as long as I can. The only thing I'm worried about is that it's definintely going to take years to develop a true, deep and effective understanding of Aikido. Even with my training accelerated by what I already know, I think I'll only have scratched the surface of the art by the time I graduate from school and move on. It's a shame but it just makes me more determined to train hard and learn all I can

I think the one I hate the most is when you hit something and your bend back or rip off a fingernail or toenail. your nails really don't need to be that long to get bent too

I agree with Bushidoman. It depends on how well you know those katas. I think traditionally, though, Isshin-ryu isn't really kata heavy. I know there's only a few goju kata, and my school supplements those with Shorin and Isshin-ryu kata.

Yea my instructor is Candy Romania, she's a student of Frank Van Lenten. Small world i suppose.

I have a simple plain black belt, and my 'fancy' one that has my name on one side, my style on the other, both in gold, with red stripes My Shihan also has a red and white belt to signify her teaching rank. I think you get gold stripes on that to show your teaching title (She would have two to show her kyoshi)

I know this post is old, but I love kata and couldn't help adding my list So here goes: Sanchin Taikyoku Kosho Seiha Gekisai Ichi Gekisai Ni Senki Dai Sanseiru Saifa Seienchin Anaku Shisochin Wansu Nijushiho Tensho Seipai Sochin Miyagi Seisan Matsumura Seisan Naihanchi Dai I study Goju, and I know a fair number of these aren't traditional Goju kata but there's still a lot to be learned from them

This is good to hear arcelt. I've training extensively in Goju, and it's a style that I'll always love, but since there are no dojos around where I live now I decided to sign up for Aikido (as of yesterday). I've only taken a trial class, but I already know it's going to couple really well with my Goju while expanding my knowledge exponentially. It's nice to hear about the path from one who's already walked it.

I agree with ps1 I just started training at an Aikido school, and although the instructor is a sandan, he's a very young guy. While this made me nervous at first, after observing him teach a class and taking a trial class for myself, I knew I had nothing to worry about. If the instructor knows their stuff then you can't go wrong, regardless of rank.

This topic reminds me of a story my friend told me A few years ago she tried to learn Spanish and Italian at the same time. However because she was new to both, having only ever spoken English, and because both languages were so similar, the only thing she ended up learning was how to cheat on her tests so she didn't flunk the courses. She ended up doing twice as much work and learning half as much material as the other students. But since my friend was traveling to Argentina in a few months she decided to let go of the Italian and focus solely on Spanish. She speaks pretty good Spanish now, and maybe in a few years she'll go back to studying Italian, which she already can stumble through with only her Spanish vocabulary. What I'm trying to say is that I think Shotokan and Goju would be too similar to effectively learn at the same time. Keeping straight which school does what would be too confusing and would probably detract from your training. If you focus on one until you're very comfortable with it, then when you study another similar art, or even one totally different, you're already setting yourself up for success and it'll come a lot easier

Fantastic article! A very unique expereicen and a really interesting perspective too. I'm studying history in Japan this winter for 3 weeks, and I can only dream of going there for martial arts training. I'll have to see if I can at least visit a dojo.

At my school the fastest time I've ever heard of anyone getting to shodan has been 3 years. On the flip side though, we've had black belts who trained for 10 years before getting their rank. Karate is a personal journey and it's going to be different for everyone. I think part of being an effective instructor is knowing when the students are ready for a test. I tend to agree with Truestar and think time in rank requirements are a gimmick to get a few more dollars, same as instituting 10 or 15 different belts. If you know the material and can meet the standards of the test I don't think you should be held back. It's ok to test on something even if you don't understand every facet of it. As you develop as a martial artist there should be an understanding that any past testing requirements you perform should be at a higher level than when you tested on them. An orange belt can test on Saifa perfectly well without having the insight and abilities a black belt would have. In my mind there comes a certain point where you can't get any better at your testing requirements until you pass your test and work on something more difficult

My tournament gi doesnt have anything on it, but my main practice gi has an instructor patch on the arm and our school's patch on the chest. my 'fancy' gi also has my name embroidered opposite the patch. It's not too much, and none of them really bother me.

Traditional Goju-Ryu! also not part of IOGKF

It makes sense the reasons to attack the frontman, but my school always advised going after the weakest opponent first. That way you can take them out or control them, somehow keeping them in between you and the main group, similar to a human shield. I always saw it as a delaying tactic to buy you time and an escape route. After all isn't running the wisest thing to do in a gang fight?

I agree with sensei8. I've had many different instructors, but it always seems to lead back to the same one, my first and current teacher. I think that's for the best, and that most artists have their one key teacher that got them on the path.

The only reasons I know of students being expelled involved sexual harrassment, rage issues, and bad attitudes. when a student's behavior threatens the well-being of the other students, or damages the property itself, I think it's grounds for expulsion On that same note though, a student that was asked to leave our dojo several years ago just came back to train with us. He's calmed down a lot, and he's been a real positive force to the school. I'm curious to know if anyone else would invite back an expelled student, and under what circumstances?

I thought the different names only arose because of differences in dialect and language. I wouldn't call one more right than another, any more than I would say "taylor ham" is the right name for "pork roll"