Dr. Frank

The story I heard was that some big honcho from the JKA performed one of them on a TV show and called it the wrong name. Not a big deal to most people but he was mortified and to save face for the big cheese the JKA swapped names on Sho and Dai so that he was correct. SKI did not swap. So when an SKI guy does Sho a JKA guy would call it Dai.

While a kick or a punch looks the same regardless of style, the forms (kata; self-defense techniques; etc) are unique to each style and only someone trained in that style can accurately assess the candidate. I could not tell you if a Tae Kwon Do candidate performed his kata properly as I have no idea how it should look. For tournament judging purposes I can opine if it was done well, but I never know if it was done properly.

Unfortunately those back issues only go up to 2004. This issue is from within the last 2 years but I don't know the exact date of publication and can't make it out in the photo of the cover.

White is the standard in most Shotokan schools and the story goes that when Funakoshi wanted to introduce karate into Japanese public schools the administrators insisted that there be standardized uniforms and colored rank belts. Funakoshi simply borrowed the white gi and colored belt system from Judo. One of my secret desires is to where a black gi.

Anyone have this issue? I need the date of publication. http://www.fototime.com/D75E6E566570242/standard.jpg

Feeling just a tiny bit better after 3 days. Can almost sort of lift my arm to shoulder height. Will be a long and painful recovery. Took photo of 1 trophy from each of 5 decades. 1975, 1984, 1991, 2009 & 2010. http://www.fototime.com/C824D10CCE45C4E/standard.jpg

I started training in 1973. Won my first trophy in competition in 1975. I won trophies in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and I won one today in 2010. That makes five decades in which I have placed in open tournaments. But I foolishly entered kumite and was matched with some hotshot 22 year old nidan who had absolutely no concept of control. He kicked me on the elbow and messed up my whole arm. I am hoping it's just muscle pull and strain and not something more serious. Right now I am in agony and can't lift my arm more than a few inches. I should have withdrawn when I learned there was no age division and us old guys had to fight the youngsters. To add insult to injury, the head referee was his instructor and I got screwed on points. Watched the video my wife shot and I saw 3-4 punches I landed that should have been called but were not. My instructor was observing and he agreed that I wasn't getting points. The two corner refs would call my punch and the head ref would call no point. Supposed to be if two see it then it's a point. Didn't work that way, today.

Just out of curiosity, are you permitted to wear uniforms other than all white? My first instructor allowed black uniforms for brown and black belts for a while then decided to return to all white. My current instructor insists on all white. I associate traditional Shotokan with white gis. Am I mistaken?

That video is from a Shotokan school? Red gis?

I met Kanazawa in 1987 when he came to our dojo to give a seminar. My instructor had just joined SKI and as it turned out, I (with several other black belts) wound up leaving in a dispute over recognizing our ranks. K is very good, one of the great karateka. He brought a couple of students with him from Japan (no idea what rank other than they were wearing black belts) and I recall not being all that impressed with them. Our shodans and nidans (the ones whose ranks he refused to recognize) pretty much kicked their butts at will. I have a lot of respect for Kanazawa as a martial artist, but I would not wish to be a part of his organization.

Well, you've listed a fair number of different katas so I guess somewhere amongst the bunch is a winner. Seriously, there is no pat answer to which is the best kata for competition. It will depend on the rank and abilities of the practitioner. If you are athletic Gamkaku looks fantastic to the judges. At my age I look for a routine lacking spins and high kicks. I'll be performing Gojushio Dai tomorrow. I think the JKA calls this one Sho.

As noted standards will vary wildly. My 1st instructor expected at least 6 years of study for shodan. Took me 6.5 years. I now realize he was slow in making promotions. My current instructor thinks 3 years is good. This seems a bit fast for me, but it's his dojo and he makes the rules. Be aware that rules may vary for kids. There may be a junior rank for under 16 or 18. Even though my current sensei is fast for making black belts he refuses to promote anyone under 18 to black belt. Even his own son was a brown belt for 9 years until he turned 18.

We counted on new BBs bringing GFs for the show. We made it a point to go all out with a formal bow and loud OSS for their benefit. Usually bowing to arriving BBs was just a quick head snap in their direction.

I am a bit disappointed at the "we don't bow" comments. I spent 18 years in a dojo where we bowed when entering and leaving the training area. We bowed when we greeted Sensei or any black belt. We bowed when a black belt entered or left the room (best part of being a new shodan was taking your girlfriend to the dojo so she could be impressed when everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and bowed to you as you entered). We bowed to each other before and after practicing one on one. We bowed at the beginning of a kata and at the end. We bowed at the beginning and at the end of humite. Sensei is still Sensei even in the grocery store. But we didn't usually bow outside of the dojo or tourney venues. We would, however, nod and say oss! The instructor I am with now doesn't insist on nearly as much bowing. The first time I walked into his dojo I paused in the doorway, bowed and loudly said oss! He turned towards me, smiled, and said "Ahh... old school Shotokan!"

Yes, I would see Sensei Belardo at tourneys and at seminars quite frequently in the 1970s and 1980s. I saw him sweep a very tall nidan to the ground in a match after the nidan had bragged that nobody had ever swept him. It was pretty funny.