Wastelander

It can be compromised based on the ideal of "perfect" for the style, and still be functional, based on the build of the karateka. Personally, I am MUCH more concerned with function than style purity/perfection. Indeed, I am not the only one, as even Nakazato Minoru Sensei accepts such variances in the style, as it should fit the practitioner. He once said, when someone asked him about a small variance between how two of the senior Okinawans did a technique: "Little things not so important. Big picture important." Just a difference in approach.

We don't have kokutsu-dachi in Shorinkan, although it is part of KishimotoDi--the back foot is pointed to the 45, rather than straight to the side as you describe, however. That being said, I am hardly an authority on that stance, in particular. From a general perspective, I would say that foot placement/alignment is very important...to a point. People like to say that humans are all built the same way, so the body works the same way, but that's not the case. People have bones of different lengths, joints aligned at different angles, varying degrees of flexibility, etc. With that in mind, I tend to reject the rigid "this foot must be pointed at this exact angle, as measured along this line" approach. If the feet are aligned in such a way that they accomplish what the stance is intended to do, and not compromising structure, then it is a successful stance. This will almost always mean that the feet are generally pointed where they should be, of course, but there are going to be degrees of variance, and that's okay if the stance isn't compromised, at least from my perspective. As far as shiko-dachi's name, "shiko" is the name of the stomping (done from that stance) that sumo rikishi do at the corners of the dohyo before a match.

I'm looking forward to meeting Smith Sensei, in person, when he moves out here--we've interacted online for a number of years, but never actually met. Unfortunately, I know that does leave you in a bit of a tough situation. If you're up to it, I would keep the program going on Tuesday nights, even if you can't do Thursdays, so there is at least something, and if things change with your schedule you could add Thursdays back. That said, I would ALSO still check out the Uechi-Ryu dojo, so that you can advance your karate, even if it means you take a different road going forward.

I don't see why age should stop you from opening your dojo again. As you said, the rank isn't really important. Additionally, even if you were to stop teaching some years down the road, before you had a Godan ranked student to take things over, you will still have made an impact on a good number of people. You will have given them training and experience they may otherwise never have had. That's worth it, in my opinion.

Hello, everyone! This morning, I posted a very short video clip on social media showing first the basic arm motions of gedan-barai/uke (low level sweep/receiver/"block") without any power generation, then gedan-barai/uke done with what we would typically call "reverse hip thrust," and finally the technique powered the usual way. I exaggerated and slowed down the motions to highlight the mechanics, but normally they would be done in a much more fluid manner. https://www.instagram.com/p/BUrn3jjlDPq/ The reason I'm bringing this up here on KF is to get some input, because I was surprised at the number of responses that suggested people couldn't see the purpose of the "reverse" version. I know that it is not the way people are generally taught when they first learn kihon, but I didn't think it was that obscure. Is this something that most people do not practice?

DWx is correct, and it's a very useful feature! I do have some basic kata on my YouTube channel that are in both slow motion and normal teaching speed, though I don't know which kata you are looking for in particular

I use the makiwara pretty regularly, and still keep my knuckles from looking gnarly. I do bruise, of course, but in my experience most people don't bring it up. I also don't keep my training private, so I'm pretty open about it if they do.

Thank you for all the work you put in here on the forums, Danielle!

How would a new student tell real from fake? They won't, unless the "fake" is clearly fake from the perspective of the average person with common sense. The "no touch" stuff, for example. It takes experience to be able to see the other problems

Thank you for all that you have done for the forum, Heidi! I look forward to seeing you around the forum as a VIP member, and wish you the best of luck with everything you have going on!

Not being a person who wears skirts and dresses, I do not know the answer to this, but are there skirts and dresses that are cut differently, which would allow you to continue the use of the techniques you are accustomed to? If not, then perhaps modifications could be made to existing ones? Aside from that, the only thing I could think of would be a style switch to something more suitable to your clothing.

Welcome to the forum! Everything is Naihanchi, and all is Sanchin, so you're in good hands with those kata

There's always something that's not quite right--nobody is perfect, and nobody can perform a kata exactly the same way every time. Fatigue, soreness, injuries, any number of health issues, lapse in focus, etc. Lots of things can cause you to lose form. I have a tendency to do some movements too low as my shoulders get fatigued, especially if I'm working a lot of Kusanku Sho or Passai Sho. Sometimes my neurological issue gives me balance and motion sickness issues, so I can't move quickly, or have to alter my stances to keep my balance. Sometimes my brain just leaves me, and any number of things can happen

Thanks for letting me know Sensei Poage's currently a Godan, not a Rokudan, as I thought; his obi made me think that. A matter of fact, in reading the "Meet the Peaceful Warrior team" link at your dojo's webside, it does state "Renshi, 5th Dan", which I missed that bit of detail. In Shindokan, a Renshi must be a 6th Dan for consideration. The plug was my honor, as I fully honor and respect Sensei Poage, Peaceful Warrior Martial Arts, as well as his entire Student Body...especially you, Noah!! A solid post, on your part, as well, Noah. Not every rank is equal; not even the slightest at all!! Knowledge...experience are the core of each and every rank!! No problem, and thank you! We put the white stripe on top for Godan, and the red stripe on top for Rokudan, for what that's worth, and we do Renshi at Godan, although both the belt and the Renshi title at Godan isn't all that common in the karate world. You're also not the first person to assume he was a Rokudan, although the last time that happened, he was still a Yondan

sensei8 - Thank you for the plug! Lex and I are friends on Facebook, and he has a standing invitation--we'd be happy to have him. For what it's worth, my Sensei is a Godan, so higher than the website (that needs updated ) and lower than your estimation. With regard to the subject at hand, I would say that no ranks are equal across systems, so a first degree black belt in one style might be a green belt in another, or a third degree black belt in another. You can't really go by belts for consistency. Learning to the point where you feel ready to move on is going to be a personal decision, and shouldn't really be associated with a belt rank. I will say that, as a general rule, one should try to develop a deep understanding of an art, even if they explore the wider world of martial arts out there. Cross-training is a great thing to do, and will absolutely benefit you, but there is something to be said for really fine-tuning your body to the mechanics and methods of your style, and supplementing that with other material.

Well, I know that there are a couple Shotokan dojo, a Shindo-Jinen-Ryu dojo, and a Kyokushin dojo down in Tucson, but I'm afraid I don't know them, personally. The instructor of the Kyokushin dojo seems very nice, though, from my Sensei's discussions with him. Those are all Japanese styles, though, and often those have a tendency to place a great deal of emphasis on solo kata without bunkai, endless kihon, and sport-style kumite. That may not be the case with these dojo, of course, but you will have to visit and watch classes to find out. And, as sensei8 kindly pointed out, you would be welcome to stop by out dojo if you ever come up to Scottsdale!

Welcome to the forum, from another Arizonan! Where do you train?

Welcome to the forum!

I'm afraid we are going to have to accept the fact that ranks only have value in the context of the school they are given in, and every school is going to set different values for those ranks. I could decide that black belt is the first one you get after white, and grant it after 3 months, if I wanted. We can hate it all we like, but we are never going to stop someone from granting a Yondan rank to an 11 year old if they feel like it. This is one of those situations where we simply have to hold to our higher standard, and clearly explain/publicize the higher standard.

I am curious if you/your art utilizes this technique to attack vitals/cavities? If so do you only utilize Nukite to attack the neck or do you attck other soft targets? Yes, we do, and yes, we attack other soft targets as well. We also use the same throwing application you described in your post. Depending on the opponent, we sometimes end up with the nukite actually being a sliding forearm strike to the back of the neck. There are just so many ways a movement can be applied. For the sake of this conversation, though, I was sticking with the most straight-forward thing--striking to vulnerable points in the neck (or the eyes) with the fingertips or thumb. For someone with little experience with the bunkai process, it's a solid place to start.

Well, your fingers will never penetrate a human ribcage, so the orientation of the ribs doesn't really matter. The simplest application is that you are actually attacking the neck, not the body. There are many other ways to look at it, though

Everything is Naihanchi. Admittedly, I practice two versions of Naihanchi, but even so, everything is Naihanchi. From a structural and application perspective, you don't really need anything else. I do still like Tawada Passai quite a bit, though, as well as Seiyunchin

The more expensive gi, as Nidan Melbourne mentions, generally use higher quality material that will last longer. They often also have more reinforcement in areas that take a lot of strain and wear during training. Of course, part of the price is also paying for the prestige of the brand.

As I understand it, bamboo of a certain size is roughly as difficult to cut as bone, but people often mistake that for being the same as breaking a bone. I believe Mythbusters worked out a certain diameter of poplar dowel broke at the same point as bone. Bone is a rather hard thing to emulate, it would seem

I submitted mine--please, do share the results of your project when it's ready! Too often, these types of surveys come up and we never hear any more about it