Wastelander

There are two exercises I use for that: 1. Find a railing or chair that is about as high as your hip, prop one foot on it, toes up, and practice pivoting on your supporting foot while twisting your "kicking" foot over to the side, then twist back. This isolates the foot pivot and hip rotation. 2. Chamber the kick and place it against a heavy bag, then push off the bag by pivoting and extending the kicking leg. This removes the impact component and puts your kicks under resistance.

I require jewelry to be removed, unless it's silicone or some other soft material. Hard jewelry is a hazard to the wearer and others, particularly when you're working at close range the way we do. You don't want to be strangled by your necklace, or get your finger caught in someone else's, nor do you want to have your finger degloved because you wore your wedding band while grappling.

On-Ko-Chi-Shin is a favorite Japanese/Okinawan proverb of mine, and it reminds me of the other quotes. One is "there is nothing new under the sun," which I can't remember the source of, another is "do not seek to follow in the footstep of the wise, seek what they sought," by Basho Matsuo, and the other is "tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire," by Gustav Mahler. To me, On-Ko-Chi-Shin is a reminder that no matter how far we advance and improve on what we've learned, we can always go back to older sources and learn more from them. We can even learn more from them than was originally intended, provided we follow the path that those sources laid out. As Bob rightly points out, this ties into Shu-Ha-Ri quite well, as it is a cyclical process.

Well, in my first dojo, the testing process took 2 days. One day was the written test, essays, and fitness requirements. I think that usually took around 3-4 hours. The second day was all day, at least 10 hours, depending on how many people were testing. My second dojo, though, took about 5-6 hours for the black belt test, including the time given for a written exam.

My late Sensei was big on tai tanren (body conditioning), and we worked the arms, legs, and body pretty regularly--enough that I wasn't out of my depth training with Kyokushin folks. It's definitely important, and should be touched on at least couple times a week, but it's uncomfortable/painful, and that doesn't usually do well in most commercial schools, which is why it's largely fallen out of favor. On top of that, the prevalence of point fighting has made it so tons of karateka have never and will never be hit or hit someone, so conditioning would be a waste of time for their competition preparations.

There is the "Naihanchi Ju no Kata" that, as far as I know, is a creation of Shimabukuro Katsuyuki: He was a student of Chibana Chosin and Higa Yuchoku, both of whom did not teach Naihanchi this way. Aside from that, there are some additional open-handed techniques in the Isshin-Ryu version of Naihanchi: https://youtu.be/MnJis1yIVLA?si=47jkvYixLvE55Qqi I have also seen open-handed versions in a particular branch of Shito-Ryu: Personally, I see all of these as being personal interpretations of the kata, rather than historical versions. Granted, that is partially because both of them are post-Itosu creations, and older versions (KishimotoDi, Matsumura Seito, and Tomari-Te) don't use these methods. I do, occasionally, play with using open hands in many of my kata, including Naihanchi, and I assume I'm not the only one. It certainly has value, even if it isn't historically accurate. For what it's worth, though, KishimotoDi's Tachimura no Naihanchi DOES use open-handed gedan-barai, where other versions use closed fists:

Yes and no. The applications for Tachimura no Naihanchi work because of the mechanics used in that kata, and those mechanics are generally not used in Itosu's kata. You can still use those applications, or take inspiration from them, but they won't totally fit the way the kata are practiced. There are, of course, a few that will work even if you change the mechanics, and those are the easiest to make a connection between the two styles. They are really made from Passai, Kusanku, and Chinto, more than Naihanchi, although Naihanchi does tie into Passai and Kusanku, historically. I'm sure that he considered applications when building the Pinan kata, but he was also using his Naha-Te (learned from Nagahama) to reshape the kata that he learned from Matsumura. I believe that is why there is such a significant difference between how Itosu's kata are performed and how KishimotoDi, or even Matsumura Seito or Ryukyu Kenpo are performed. The sweep in Gekisai is definitely similar to the scissor throws in Tachimura no Naihanchi, but is very upright, without any sinkin/rising action, and usually without much twisting. A more similar technique is actually the gedan-barai in Pinan Godan, just before the hammerfist/elbow sequence. You can ALWAYS use the applications from any style in your practice, and use it to help inform your training. Even if they don't exactly match up, they can provide inspiration or be useful tools, on their own.

I wouldn't say that Sanchin is necessarily the Naha version of Naihanchi, but they definitely do both act as fundamental kata for teaching structure and mechanics. Naihanchi is more directly combative than Sanchin, while Sanchin focuses much more on structure and mechanics than direct combative applications. In Naha-Te systems, they have a saying: "Do not look for applications in your Sanchin. Look for Sanchin in your applications." Conversely, in Shorin-Ryu, we say "Karate begins and ends with Naihanchi," because it is both structural/mechanical and combative. As I mentioned, the big things are structures and mechanics. Modern Shorin-Ryu Naihanchi has more in common with Sanchin than older versions, because Itosu Anko incorporated Naha-Te methodologies into his Shuri-Te. Either way, you're going to learn rooting and stance/stepping fundamentals, strong angles and positions of the joints of the body (chinkuchi), and power generation (rotation, sinking/rising, spinal whip, etc.). They share what I mentioned, above. The big difference is that Naihanchi explores a great assortment of combative techniques, while Sanchin focuses on a much smaller collection of combative techniques so it can emphasize everything else in greater depth. Some Shuri-Te and Tomari-Te practitioners actually do practice Sanchin. In Motobu Udundi, they practice Mutudi or Shuri-Te Sanchin, which is similar to the Naha-Te versions, but not quite the same. The versions I've seen from other Shuri-Te and Tomari-Te lineages tend to be more like Goju-Ryu Sanchin. The version of Sanchin practices in Uechi-Ryu is more like the Chinese versions, because Uechi-Ryu is really the Sam Chien form from Pangainoon kung fu. Supposedly, Miyagi Chojun (founder of Goju-Ryu) actually did practice and teach Naihanchi. I suspect it fell out of favor simply because it wasn't a Naha-Te kata, and after Miyagi's death, his students reconstructed his style, because he didn't teach the same material to every student. It isn't in Uechi-Ryu because Uechi-Ryu is really Pangainoon kung fu, which doesn't contain Naihanchi. It's a "style purity" thing. Depends on the version of Naihanchi you're practicing. If it's a modern Shorin-Ryu version, the stance is basically the same as Sanchin-dachi, just oriented straight side-to-side instead of at an angle. This means you can really incorporate the rotational power generation of Naihanchi into your Sanchin, and explore how that can provide power to the techniques you're doing in Sanchin. You can also carry over applications for some of the similar postures, such as chudan-uke and the mawashi-zuki.

Your best bet is finding or booking a seminar with someone. My teacher, Ulf Karlsson, Shihan, teaches pretty regularly throughout Europe, as well as when he goes to Okinawa, and I periodically teach it across the US. If you search on social media, you can find small groups of people practicing it here and there, as well. Aside from that, you can use reference videos to get started. Ulf Karlsson has put out a good reference video of the solo kata, showing it from multiple angles: He also has a video giving a nice overview of many different applications for the kata: And one that he did in preparation for a seminar we did about a decade ago: For a bit of a closer look, here is an example application from a seminar I taught several years ago: And a couple Waza Wednesday videos my late Sensei and I did on the subject:

It just so happens that I am one of the few people in the world teaching KishimotoDi, so I can actually answer your questions! KishimotoDi is much softer than both Shorin-Ryu and Goju-Ryu, and doesn't use hip rotation to generate power, instead relying on twisting at the waist, sinking and rising in the stance, and stepping into the techniques. It doesn't have any ties to Goju-Ryu, at all, from an historical or curriculum point of view, but it does share 3 of its 4 kata with Shorin-Ryu; Naihanchi, Passai, and Kusanku. Of course, the versions practiced in KishimotoDi are notably distinct from modern Shorin-Ryu. Yes, although most of the tuidi-waza are techniques of opportunity, rather than something you actively seek out, and there is certainly less of it in KishimotoDi than in something like Motobu Udundi. Motobu Udundi is, as the name says, the "palace hand," practiced by the royal family and their close relatives, such as the Motobu family. While it does feature some of the same techniques as KishimotoDi, Motobu Udundi is based more on classical dances, and is more about the study of how to manipulate the body than about practicality, in my opinion. KishimotoDi is much more of a "get in, get rid of the bad guy, and get out" kind of system. "Todi" Sakugawa --> "Bushi" Tachimura --> Kishimoto Soko --> Higa Seitoku (founder of the Bugeikan) --> Higa Kiyohiko (current head of the Bugeikan) My KishimotoDi instructor, Ulf Karlsson, is the first non-Okinawan to be granted a Shihan license in the art, and has been training directly with Higa Kiyohiko. Noteably, this style is so small and niche that it didn't even have a name registered until 2011 (they just called it "Kishimoto's material," or "Kishimoto's Shuri-Te" before that), when Ulf and a few others suggested to Higa Sensei that the art was dying out, and that registering its name could help with preservation efforts. The four kata are: Tachimura no Naihanchi, Nidanbu, Tachimura no Passai, and Tachimura no Kusanku It only has 4 kata because that is the way karate used to be trained and taught--a smaller selection of kata, studied in greater depth. Many of the past Okinawan masters even wrote about this, saying that it was normal for karateka to only know a handful of kata, and that they would study each kata for years before moving on to the next one. Think about how many kata some of the notable masters taught. Matsumura Sokon taught Naihanchi, Passai, Kusanku, and Gojushiho. Uechi Kanbun only taught Sanchin, Seisan, and Sanseiryu before creating five more kata for his students. Motobu Choki only taught Naihanchi, Seisan, Passai, Wanshu, and Jitte, before he created Shirokuma. KishimotoDi has three overarching principles: issun hasureru (avoid by a sun/inch), taigii ichi (body and technique as one), and kobo ittai (simultaneous attack and defense). These are present in the way that all of the kata are applied. Naihanchi introduces fundamental mechanics, such as rotation and sinking/rising, fundamental footwork, primarily using kosa-dachi to avoid and enter against an attack, and basic 90 and 45 degree angles, along with tekko-gamae (steel turtle posture, aka meotode-gamae, husband and wife hands posture). It is also very throw-heavy. The rest of the kata build on these fundamentals, and explore finer angles, but they are all interconnected. Tachimura no Passai introduces sagurite-gamae (searching hands posture), and Tachimura no Kusanku introduces hotate-gamae (standing sail posture). Nidanbu was specifically designed to help connect Tachimura no Naihanchi to the other two koryu kata, so it shows variations of some techniques that sort of blend different kata together. Not at the moment, but I'm open to travel, and Ulf Karlsson is planning on a US/Mexico trip either next year or 2026, which I'm sure he'd be happy to extend to Canada. I'm also going to be teaching an online seminar on Tachimura no Naihanchi this saturday.

It's been a long time in the making, and I look forward to seeing it come to fruition! Thanks for all the work you do behind the scenes, Patrick!

There's an ebb and flow to discussion forums, in my experience. There are a lot of beginner questions and conversations, and over time they mature as the martial artists involved mature and grow, until new beginners start to come in, and a lot of the same conversations come up. The thing about that is that we get to see how the folks who've stuck around have evolved over time thanks to those discussions. It makes for a great community, as well!

I wouldn't say that it's vital, but it DEFINITELY makes things easier. As Montana said, parents will pay for their kids to do things that they won't pay for themselves to do, even if they are interested--the kids come first, and people generally see more benefit for kids training in martial arts, as well. If you think about it, most adults who train just want some exercise they enjoy, and maybe some self-defense skills. When it comes to their kids, though, they see all the other benefits: discipline, motor skills, coordination, balance, confidence, cultural exposure, competition, etc. Now, I do believe you can get adults to recognize all of those benefits for themselves, and run a successful program without young children, but I think it is MUCH harder. It's also impacted by the demographics in your area, which is outside of your control unless you can afford to move your program to a different area with better demographics. You can market it perfectly, but if the adults just don't have the funds, or have to work too much to have the time, it's not going to work out. That takes some serious market research, but it's definitely beneficial.

Thank you, everyone, for the kind words! It's been a wonderful journey, and I've been able to make some great friends along the way! I look forward to continuing on for another 10!

Torii USA is a solid choice, and handmade in Phoenix, AZ: https://www.toriiusa.com/tonfa.html

That is certainly an interesting way of looking at things. I haven't heard any of the Japanese or Okinawan instructors I've been involved with use "making" in place of "doing," but they tended to say the word "practice," more often than not. I do think there is something poetic about "making karate," though. Thanks for sharing!

Welcome to the forums!

I don't have them up right now, but I have usually hung them up in my office or bedroom. I don't have a college degree, and while I have a couple professional certifications, I don't have those hung up--I have either hung them up at work or I keep them in a safe. I think it's less about importance and more about the "vibe." When I have the certificates hung up, I generally have them accompanied by artwork and weapons to create a martial arts display wall, of sorts. IT certifications just don't fit that vibe

So, I was reluctant to post a link to their site but, hey, if they are legit, they will appreciate my due diligence. If they are bogus, then I won't train there anyway. So, here is the website to their school (is it OK to post that?): http://clerouxkaratedojo.com/HOME.html You will see that the first parts of the site are in French. Please persist "an English version follows". The "patriarch" is Hanshi Cleroux. He is purportedly a 10th Dan. The head instructor is also a 10th Dan while another instructor is a 9th Dan. This dojo seems heavily intertwined with the "Canadian Karate Association" which has a facebook page but no website that I could find. The dojo and the Association seem to be very closely related. I can find no reference to either of these entities other than through the other. So, only the Cleroux dojo seems to mention the Canadian Karate Association and only the Cleroux dojo seems to mention the Canadian Karate Association. Anyway, I am eager to hear what those with more knowledge than I seem to think about this. If it is legit, I am indeed fortunate to live so close to them and to potentially benefit from their instruction. Well, provided his bio on the website is true, he was ranked legitimately to 9th Dan in Chito-Ryu, although some of his intermediate dan ranks were done a bit oddly--sort of a break in his lineage. It also looks like his 10th Dan was an honorary thing from the government, which is weird. I can't speak to the politics involved, because it's certainly possible there was some pay-to-play or quid-pro-quo going on, but there's no evidence to say one way or the other. It is definitely unusual for a single dojo to have two 10th Dans and a 9th Dan, unless it is the headquarters dojo of a major organization/style. For example, the Shorinkan on Okinawa has two 10th Dans, and a few 9th Dans, I believe, but it's also the largest Shorin-Ryu organization in the world.

Welcome to the forums!

Thank you, everyone! It still feels surreal. Bob asked if I was going to start wearing a Renshi belt, but I don't think I will. For those who aren't familiar, there are a few different styles of Renshi belt. Goju Kai uses a half-red/half-white belt, which they've trademarked, so everyone else has a black backing on it to avoid legal issues. On Okinawa, more often than not, they just put one stripe on each end of the belt to denote Renshi, then two for Kyoshi, and three for Hanshi. Some styles will use a black and red panel belt for Renshi, as well. They're neat, but unless someone gifts me one, I'll probably just keep wearing plain black belts until they wear out.

Congratulations, again, on your well-deserved promotion! Sorry I wasn't able to be there, this time around!

Haisai, everyone! On Monday, my friends and fellow INKKS co-founding members stopped by for a visit on their way home from this past weekend's seminar event, and presented me with not only a back-dated Sandan certificate for when I should have originally tested (that test was canceled on me just 3 weeks prior to the date for political reasons), but also a certificate for my promotion to Yondan, and a Renshi title, which came as a complete surprise! After my Sandan test was canceled, with both my Sensei and the dojo's Shihan having passed away, I actually figured I would just stay a Nidan forever. After pressure from several friends in the martial arts community, I eventually reached out to Iain Abernethy, and developed a grading syllabus for my Sandan, although schedules, life events, and health issues meant we never went through the evaluation process. Last summer, Nathan Ogden, Shihan, offered to evaluate me for my Sandan, and I finally agreed in the fall. It was after that evaluation that he said he was grading me to Yondan, as I was due my Sandan in 2019, making me eligible for Yondan in 2023, and he felt that my knowledge and skill were at that level. It was a complete shock, and still feels surreal. Being given a Shogo title, on top of that, was even more of a shock. I'm honored, but it feels strange to be just one dan grade below my late Sensei, and with the same title. I'll be doing all I can to live up to that.

That's your concern, not your students. But does the fact that you're seeking rank from a particular organization while your students are being denied the ability to do the same not bother you at all? Technically, I wasn't seeking rank--I was told I was at 3rd Dan level, and would be taking my test on a given date. I also didn't intend to seek additional rank while remaining in the organization, I simply intended to continue supporting the organization with my membership. I have been quite clear with my students about my independent status, and no one has had any issues with it, but had I remained with the organization as I had originally intended, I would have also given students the option to test with the organization, and taught them accordingly, if they wanted to do so. I would not have denied them that, but knowing what I know, now, about the higher-ups in the organization, they might have denied my students out of spite, anyway, which is inappropriate. Doesn't seem as bad as the self-promotions that are more likely in independant dojo owners. Just because something is less bad than something else doesn't mean it isn't still a problem. We're talking about "traditional martial arts." There are non-traditional martial arts that are designed to evolve, that are focused on "the streets," that train in the uses of knives, firearms, extendable batons, etc in addition to hand-to-hand. As long as students know that that's what they're getting, versus "traditional" Japanese/Okinawan/Korean martial arts - hey, no problem. Karate was never intended to be written in stone, or preserved in amber, never to be changed. The founders of all the major styles of karate were quite clear on that, and yet it's become the norm, despite their wisdom on the matter. There's no reason traditional martial arts can't evolve. Even within an organization, your rank can carry different weight from dojo to dojo, because different instructors hold their students to different standards. My late Sensei's requirements for 1st Dan were equivalent to the organization's requirements for 5th Dan, except for the lower age and time-in-grade aspects. Some schools in the organization don't do any kumite, some do point kumite, some do knockdown, some do MMA. It's easy to say that your rank certificate is better than someone else's because of the organization stamp on it, but the reality is that your instructor has more to do with it than the organization, and you're the one who has to back it up. If you are in the IOGKF and get your 1st Dan, but you've never done kumite or worked bunkai, and you go to another IOGKF dojo that requires a lot of kumite and bunkai work, they might honor your piece of paper, but you'll still be put in lower ranked classes to catch you up, because you aren't up to the instructor's standard. People in general are aware that you get what you pay for. The shodan exam at my ISKF dojo is $80. I'd gladly pay that, and still be a shodan at any ISKF, SKIF, ITKF, or most other Shotokan dojos worldwide, than pay $20 at an independent Shotokan dojo and not have that. Except that paying more doesn't actually get you a better certification than paying less. In fact, I would argue that the higher the cost of the rank exam, the lower the legitimacy of the organization tends to be. There are some solid organizations out there that charge nothing, or next to nothing, for rank certifications, but there are a plethora of good-ol'-boys organizations trading money for rank and charging an arm and a leg. I know of several people who've paid thousands of dollars to be ranked as 8th, 9th, or 10th Dans in various organizations. Your argument also suggests that larger organizations are more legitimate than smaller ones, because your certificate is recognized in more places, but that simply doesn't hold up, IMO. Often, the less legitimate organizations are also larger than more legitimate ones, because people love rank and are willing to pay to get it, even if they haven't earned it. For example, the Bugeikan is a perfectly legitimate organization, headquartered on Okinawa, and run with integrity, but there are, MAYBE, 200 members, worldwide, so even if you earn a legitimate certificate from the Bugeikan, the chances of you finding another Bugeikan school somewhere are slim to none. Does that make the certificate worthless? In contrast, there are several sketchy American martial arts organizations that sell ranks to the highest bidder which have thousands of members, and you're much more likely to find a member dojo if you relocate that will recognize your certificate. Does that make the certificate worth more than the one from the smaller, legitimate organization?

I've definitely found that organizations die out, more often than not, when their founder dies, and those that don't almost always take a preservationist approach that can completely kill a style. It always reminds me of the famous Japanese poet, Basho Matsuo, and his quote, "Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Seek what they sought." Far too many people are interested in following the footsteps, and far too few are interested in seeking what their predecessors sought. It's easy to copy and preserve an art--that's the Shu phase of Shu-Ha-Ri--but it's far harder to push for its continued development and evolution. Being part of an historical legacy is nice, but in my opinion, you're part of that legacy whether there is an organization or not, because that's what your lineage is. I know that's not how a lot of people see it, though. It's easy to take the "no organization, no legitimacy," approach, unfortunately.