Wastelander

For our students interested in competition, we have switched from USKA-style kumite to WKF-style kumite. We only have one class a week dedicated to that, though, and aside from the occasional focus on it in other sparring classes, that's it. The rest of our sparring is either the way you describe, or more MMA-style, or kakedameshi. The parents definitely like the WKF approach--it's clean, structured, and gives the kids a relatively safe way to compete. Personally, I suggest you simply set up an additional class, or transition an existing one, to spar this way for those who are interested in it. It's worked out quite well for us. Our students don't clean-sweep WKF competitions, but they pretty much always medal, and we still have a reputation as a tough fighting school when we do other competitions.

Welcome to the forum!

I suppose I could send a letter to our honbu dojo and ask for the number of registered yudansha, as they would have that information. Unfortunately, I can't answer that, at the moment. I can say that my Sensei has promoted 8 people to Shodan in the time I have known him. He has done some Nidan and Sandan promotions, as well, but those aren't "new" black belts, so I'm not counting those.

I don't mean to say that discussing different teaching methods is silly--only that "arguing" about them is silly, as there simply is no such thing as the "best" teaching method, which can be applied to all students. To be fair, I suppose the distinction between discussing and arguing is pretty blurred. In any case, I can see Kusotare's point in that too much application too fast can lead to poor performance of the kata, but I also agree with wildbourgman that not enough (or no) application can lead to a weak or useless kata performance. There has to be a balance, as with all things. Now, with regard to Naihanchi being for internal mechanics and structure, instead of practical application, I can't agree completely. Admittedly, the Naihanchi passed down by Itosu was altered to place more of an emphasis on mechanics and structure than before--older versions have different structure and are more "flowy." That said, I'm of the opinion that EVERY kata develops body mechanics and structure, but that they do so specifically in order to support the applications. Without knowledge of the application that the mechanics and structure are supposed to facilitate, they don't serve much purpose. Mechanics and structure for their own sake exist in dance, already, for aesthetic and athletic purposes. No need for that in kata.

I think Kusotare's point is not that kata were created before their applications, but that they should be taught in their solo form before their applications are taught? That is a pedagogical opinion, so we are bound to have people on different sides of that issue, and they can all have quite valid points. There are benefits to learning strictly the solo performance of kata before ever learning applications, just as there are benefits to learning applications before ever even seeing the solo performance of the kata, and everything in between. Honestly, I tend to think that arguing over the best teaching method in this situation is a bit silly, because I have found that no method works for every student. Some students learn better by focusing just on solo kata, while others learn better by focusing on bunkai, and everything in between. I am of the opinion that we should teach to the student, not expect the student to learn the way we want them to. Now, I know that is not the Eastern/Asian way of teaching, but I am not Eastern/Asian, and just because I practice and teach an Okinawan art does not mean I have to teach it in that manner.

I agree!! Does anyone know his rank?? I know he's of no particular core style anymore, according to his writings. He's a 4th Dan. I would like to know which style. It's one of the original ones, but it could be either Okinawa or Japanese. Okinawan Karate. I believe he has studied Shito-Ryu as his Base Style. His father and primary instructor is Leif Hermansson, if I remember correctly, and he teaches a blend of Shindo-jinen-ryu, Goju-Ryu, Shotokan, and Shorin-Ryu.

Which tournament will this be? Our dojo may have people competing in it, too, depending on which one it is If it makes you feel any better, it can be tough for us to adapt in tournaments, as well, since we only do tournament sparring in one class per week, and the rest of the time we spar in ways that would get us disqualified . The biggest benefits that I see are that it forces you out of your comfort zone, and you have to keep your wits about you instead of fighting on "autopilot," so to speak.

If your Sensei has seen that you struggle with applying the moves of the kata, then it makes perfect sense that he or she would make you focus on precisely that. If you avoid the things you are bad at, in favor of the things you are good at, you'll never get better, and you'll eventually get bored. Now, any time you are concerned about the way your training is progressing, you should talk to your instructor! If you want to get in more practice on just the kata movements, then tell them! That doesn't mean the bunkai will go away, of course

Goju-Ryu does, indeed, have both a Japanese version and an Okinawan version, and yes, Gunnar Nelson did train in Goju-Kai, the Japanese style of Goju-Ryu. Different instructors will approach their styles differently, though, so it's hard to say that a style is watered down, when instructors within a given style can vary widely in their methods, from hardcore to weak. Even within my organization (which teaches Okinawan Shorin-Ryu), we have instructors who teach knockdown kumite, and instructors who ban sparring/contact, and everything in between. These methods aren't dictated by the style or organization, and that is true for the majority of karate styles out there. Now, as far as how to know in advance what you are getting, the answer is quite simple; ask and watch. I don't understand why people have the desire to know all there is to know about a school based on never having spoken with the instructor or visited to watch classes. You will never know if the school is a good fit if you avoid it. Go to the school, talk to the instructor about what you are looking for and what they do, and watch some classes--both the beginning classes you would be in, and the advanced classes to see where they go with it. Watch more than one of each class, as well, because the instructor's focus will likely shift from class to class, and you shouldn't expect what you see in one class to be what is done in every single class. Once you've done these things, you'll be able to form an educated opinion on the school. Not before, based on what other people say abou the style they teach. All that will get you are generalizations that may or may not be true of a given school.

Hello, everyone! I think the majority of karateka are familiar with koshi, and some are familiar with gamaku, so the use of the hips and core in karate is pretty well known. That said, I've found that beginners and people from systems that don't use the hips this way can have a hard time figuring out how to move their hips. That led me to developing this drill, which we just published as a Waza Wednesday video this week, since a viewer actually requested that we show some hip engagement exercises. The drill is very simple, and doesn't address the more subtle components of koshi/gamaku, but it's a good starting point for beginners. Sometimes, it can be hard for students to see the instructor demonstrate hip motion and be able to replicate it. By using a staff, as I show in the video, to expand the motion, it makes it much easier to see what the instructor is doing, and for the student to replicate it.

Congratulations!

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Welcome to the forum!

Out of curiosity, when you say "Kendo sticks," do you mean shinai or bokken? Bokken will eventually break, and you have to be careful of flying shards of wood if you are doing contact drills with them. If you break a shinai, beyond just splitting the bands around the bamboo, I will be quite impressed.

Some people simply don't enjoy the practice of kata, no matter what--my wife is one of those, for example, and is willing to hit things or learn self defense techniques, but refuses to actually practice karate because of the kata. Other people tend to hate kata because they don't see the value in it, which seems to be where you might be. I tend to see that the most in Kyokushin practitioners, too, honestly, because your kata just have no real connection to your kumite, and kumite tends to be the main focus for a lot of Kyokushin people. As has been mentioned, the best way to appreciate the value of kata is to learn practical fighting applications for them. Your instructor may or may not know these applications, but the only way you'll find out is to ask, so I recommend that you do! If you don't get satisfactory answers, or you simply want more points of view, then doing your own research can help with that. If you do decide to do your own research, I have some recommendations for you. First, I recommend that you read "The Way of Kata" by Kris Wilder and Lawrence Kane, as it will give you a good understanding of the basics of kata bunkai (analysis). Since the kata curriculum of Kyokushin is a mix of Shotokan and Goju-Ryu, you'll have to do research on two systems to find applications specific to the kata you practice. Iain Abernethy does Wado-Ryu, but it is quite similar to Shotokan, and so you will be able to find connections to your kata from him. You can also check out Kissaki-Kai methods from Vince Morris or his students, like Don Came, as they are Shotokan folks. For the Goju-Ryu side of things, I highly recommend material from Masaji Taira and Paul Enfield. All of this should give you a good, solid base of material to work with that connects to your kata.

While that would certainly have some hand conditioning benefits, and I've seen people do this, I find that it doesn't serve the purpose a makiwara is supposed to serve. Because it's mounted on a swinging (or free-standing bag), it can only resist with its weight, instead of with a spring action. This means that once you are hitting hard enough to make the bag swing away from you, the resistance diminishes instead of increasing like it does with a proper makiwara.

Welcome to the forum!

Well, I don't know him personally, but he has come up in my browsing before. He has an awful lot of ranks that can't be verified, and some of them are in styles that don't generally do belt ranks that way, but that doesn't necessarily mean they aren't legitimate. In checking his website again, I see he still has those listed, although he's apparently been promoted to BJJ black belt since I last saw it. If I remember correctly, he is associated with a number of known, legitimate martial arts instructors, so I would say that he is at least knowledgeable and skilled enough to be teaching. For the karate side of thing, I believe it's largely based on Suikendo, which is Yamashita Tadashi Sensei's personal approach to the Shorin-Ryu he learned in the Shorinkan (my organization) from Nakazato Shugoro Sensei (the founder of the organization). If you haven't seen it, it looks something like Shorin-Ryu mixed with American Kenpo.

Context is key. In our self defense/bunkai training, we never move backward unless it is a small slide to adjust for something, or we are pulling the opponent. As has been mentioned, this is important to end fights quickly, to avoid obstructions in the environment, and for when you simply don't have space. In sport fighting, however, there are a number of tactical advantages to be gained by moving backward for the right reasons. Resetting to catch your breath and get a better look at your opponent, adjusting distance to set up longer range techniques, and baiting your opponent into a committed attack for you to counter, for example.

I didn't have the chance to use it before so can I ask how ?! Well, I can't say I'm an expert, but I did put together this video a while back on some basics of working with the makiwara:

I'm afraid these are really no good for makiwara training--they don't have the right type of resistance. All they are good for is making a nice clacking sound and doing a little knuckle conditioning. I always recommend people build a proper makiwara instead of resorting to these.

It's certainly true that there is a level of ignorance involved in this type of situation--it can be very difficult to account for the needs of people that you simply don't encounter that often, and so people who spend a lot of time with LGBTQ+ members of society are more likely to consider their needs than people who don't. That's not necessarily malicious, as DWx says, but the problem may be there nonetheless. I feel we've done a pretty good job of being inclusive and accommodating in our dojo, despite being in a typically white upper class city. Given our location, the demographics that we can pull from are going to naturally lean toward white middle-to-upper class people. That said, we have a good mix of men and women in the dojo, from a variety of backgrounds, along with kids. My Sensei's girlfriend (who is a black belt in another system) is the co-owner of the dojo, and runs another business as well, so she does a good job of ensuring that the needs of the women in the dojo are addressed. We have never had a transgender student, that I am aware of, but we do have students of different races, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, and levels of disability, and we do our best to accommodate them while still teaching our system appropriately. We don't have locker rooms in our facility, but the bathrooms are single-occupant, and we have four offices that can be used to change in, all of which lock from the inside, so people can change alone. We have set up private lessons with students whose religious beliefs prevent them from training with the opposite sex. We have set up lessons in students' homes with specially cleaned equipment because of immune diseases. We have learned some American Sign Language to communicate with a deaf student. We have sheltered students fleeing domestic abuse. We have had students help with things at the dojo to make up for not being able to pay all of their student dues. Could we do more/better? I'm sure we could! As it stands, though, until someone brings a concern or complaint to us, how are we to know what problems to address? We would be happy to, but as it stands we are falling into the category that DWx mentions--we may be doing things wrong, but it's from lack of knowing that we're doing them wrong. As unfair as it may be, it is up to the people who need accommodation to let us know if they feel they are not being accommodated effectively, because our life experiences simply haven't given us the perspective to figure it out without it being pointed out, at this time.

Thanks Wastelander, seems like I have underestimated the dojo/instructors role ! It's certainly a major component, but you also have to remember that some instructors branch out far and wide, and can give you a broad spectrum of information, while others laser-focus on their system, specifically. You may get more or less of what you are looking for from your instructor, depending on what they know, but it's an excellent and important starting point!

I've certainly gained a lot of knowledge just through training and talking with my instructors, but that's been over the course of a little more than 10 years, now. Asking questions and listening to stories will get you a lot, but it will also bring up more questions. That's where independent research comes in--books, articles, videos, forums, etc. This also leads you to contacting people you might otherwise not have, and asking them questions and comparing what you do with what they do, and why. It's a natural evolution of training, in my mind.

Although I don't completely agree with you, I do thank you for your thoughtful write-up, MatsuShinshii! Personally, I see no problem with people trying to work out the truth of history. You are absolutely correct that we were not there, and do not have much in the way of solid documentation to point to for karate history, but that doesn't mean we must just accept what we are told. If we did that, we would just keep telling people that karate was developed by farmers to fight samurai, which is a completely false but widespread notion. I also don't think that this is necessarily an indication that we do not honor or respect those who came before. It is human nature to want to understand the past, and how we came to arrive at our present, and karate is not exempt from that. Now, that does lend itself to opinion and speculation, due to the lack of definitive evidence, as you mention. You even admit that your own point of view is, essentially, opinion and speculation, for the same reason. You have done your research, as have others, and you have all drawn your conclusions based on what you have found, even if you have arrived at different ones. To me, that simply means we cannot discount the possibility of either perspective, outright. We must weigh what evidence does exist and develop our own opinions. I happen to disagree with some of the "standard history" taught in my own organization, for example, because my research leads me to different conclusions. When asked about it, I will generally say "Well, commonly this is what is said, but other information suggests that this different thing may be true, instead," and recommend that the students do research for themselves. I certainly understand the desire to defend that which you believe to be true, and when someone claims that the style you've dedicated many years to studying isn't what you were told, that can definitely feel like an attack. That was definitely how I felt when I was studying Shuri-Ryu, and people told me it was something other than I was told. Now, over the course of years and research, I see what they were talking about, but at the time, it was hurtful. I don't think anyone intends to hurt others when they bring these things up--on the contrary, I think they are actually trying to help by providing you with more information on a subject that you are passionate about. I've trained and had discussions with several people, over the years, regarding Matsumura Seito Shorin-Ryu, although I don't practice it. What I have seen in my research, and learned from those discussions, has not given me any sort of definitive answer of whether Soken Hohan Sensei's claims were true or not. I think he was a very knowledgeable and skilled karateka, regardless, and passed down much of value. I don't know that I believe he learned it from Matsumura "Nabe" any more than I believe the stories of ancient masters learning from gods or shipwrecked sailors. Could it be true? I suppose, but without evidence, I can't say for sure. Could Shorin-Ryu have legitimate White/Whooping Crane material as a historical component of its system? Naha-te systems maintained a much clearer connection to their related Chinese arts than Shuri-te systems, in my opinion, but I suppose Shuri-te systems could certainly have the same type of connection I can say that if it does, I (and my Crane-style friends) can't see much of it left, with the exception of various collections of Hakusturu kata, which are hard to trace reliably, and verify the authenticity of. Gokenki was known to make up kata on the spot, when asked to teach people his system, for example, leading to a number of Crane forms that trace back to him, but with no real history behind them. Matayoshi Shinpo said as much, and actually did the very same thing, from what I understand. Does that make the material bad, or the people who taught it bad? No, not really. But I feel it's good to try to work these things out. When it comes down to it, all people are human--even karate masters--and humans have a tendency to forget, exaggerate, omit, lie, and make mistakes. That doesn't make them bad, or unworthy of respect, but it does mean that we have to take things with a grain of salt. As I said, I even apply this to myself in the system I actively study, so I hope you don't feel that this is any sort of attack on you or your style. I honestly can't even say with certainty that Itosu Anko Sensei trained with Matsumura Sokon Sensei, despite that being a widely accepted fact, for example. Be that as it may, I'll keep training, and studying, and researching. Maybe I'll find out that everything I've learned about the history of my style has been a lie. Maybe I'll find out that everything I've learned about it was perfectly true. Most likely, I'll just collect enough bits and pieces to decide for myself. In the end, that's all you can really do, but I personally encourage people to bring forth all the information and evidence and speculation they have, because without it, we can't develop an educated opinion. Again, I hope you aren't offended by this in any way--I truly don't mean any offense--and thank you for the discussion!