Wastelander

I'll be one of those that promotes kata practice, but I say that kumite should be part of your kata practice. Kumite, as we know it today, is not the way it was originally done and while it can be fun and an effective way of learning how to fight competitively, I don't think it is the most effective way to train for self defense. Ideally, I think that kumite should be role playing--one person is the defender and one person is the attacker--where the attacker does any real-world attack, typically based on habitual acts of violence, and the defender does whatever they need to--ideally utilizing techniques and concepts from kata--in order to end the threat. During this, the attacker does not throw one attack and freeze, but rather should react as they think an attacker really would and continue trying to accomplish their goal until they have been "defeated". As has been said, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth, and this provides you with the opportunity to experience getting hit and reacting to it, but in a self-defense specific context. That's just my own view on it, though, and keep in mind that I still do MMA-style sparring on a fairly regular basis

What, why? Also, where did you read this?Jesse Enkamp, who writes the Karate by Jesse blog, posted about it and since he's been working with the WKF to spread information about this "The K is on the Way" program, I believe him. I, personally, believe that putting karate into the Olympics will further promote the watering down of karate--why spend all that time learning how to apply the kata when you could just get really good at point sparring and make your kata look really nice and make it to the biggest sporting event in the world? I think that it might become much more popular, but if that popularity only serves to spread pretty kata and point sparring then it isn't doing karate any favors. Judo was watered down in order to get it into the Olympics in the first place, and now Olympic rules for Judo govern how Judo is practiced worldwide, which has caused a severe decline in the practice of newaza and has elminated atemi-waza from almost every Judo dojo.

I'm on the side of people against karate in the Olympics, but that's just me. I think they are going to mess up their chances because of the new rules they just put out that ban people from sharing video or photos of any WKF events, though.

When it comes to home study materials, it's best to ask your instructor. They may have some for you, or know where to get them, whether that is online, from a book or from another instructor who has already made those materials.

This has not been my experience. Is that a McDojo price? I haven't come across a single karate dojo anywhere I have lived (except garage dojos) that charges less than $100 a month, McDojo or not, and other martial arts change that average. If I account for judo schools then the average drops because you can find that for $30-$60 a month (when it isn't a free program), and if I account for BJJ or MMA gyms then the average rises because I have seen that anywhere from $100 to $250 a month.

From the information you've given now, I would say it is definitely not a McDojo. You are paying about $24 USD per month for your training, while the average in the US is $120 USD--I don't know what the rates are, typically, in the Netherlands, but you are getting very affordable training. Paying a testing fee is not unusual, since the tests are typically not normal class times and the instructors do need to be paid for participating, but the fees should not cost more than your monthly tuition. As far as gloves go, you really should embrace the idea of sparring with them, because they are a good idea. If you insist that you only want to spar without gloves then you should try Kyokushin instead.

The use of gloves doesn't make it a McDojo--my dojo uses gloves, and so do Muay Thai, MMA and boxing gyms. Gloves are a safety precaution to help reduce injuries from sparring, and there is no shame in trying to prevent injuries during training. If you are concerned about being in a McDojo, you should know that they are martial arts schools that are trying to make a profit, first and foremost, and if the students get good training out of it then that's just a bonus. Some of the features of a McDojo are very high fees, fees for just about everything you can think of (belts, tests, uniform patches, etc.), contracts that lock you into continuing to pay them that are difficult to get out of, and many times these schools teach everyone the exact same curriculum without caring about the students becoming proficient and will often let them pass rank tests as long as they pay for them. Be aware that some places can be a McDojo and still teach good, effective martial arts, though.

I definitely prefer a heavyweight gi, and have worn one since I got one for Christmas in 2006 at the rank of blue belt (Rokkyu). I like the way it feels and because of my build I look sickly wearing lighter weight uniforms because of how they hang off me, so I also like the way the heavyweight ones look. The weight of the fabric your uniform is made of is entirely personal preference, tempered with some practicality (if you don't know how much longer you're going to be training, it doesn't make sense to drop $140 on a heavyweight gi) so don't worry about the "proper rank" to wear one. Also, don't get too wrapped up in the "traditional" factor of the gi--the karate gi as we know it isn't very old, and for most of Okinawan martial arts history training was done shirtless wearing underwear or shorts.

I don't know much about their curriculum, but I was under the impression that Tracy Kenpo IS American Kenpo that has just been personalized by the Tracys over time. In order to find out if it's the right martial art for you, you will really need to try some classes at that school, as well as at other schools.

I did successfully test for official rank in my current style, passing the test for Nikkyu in Shorin-Ryu, so I met that goal! Unfortunately, a double hernia repair put my amateur MMA debut on hold and my injuries still didn't really heal, so I didn't get those two things accomplished. I'm looking at taking my medicals for the athletic commission this January or February so I can fight next year, though!

I feel that, when it comes to martial arts, ego is actually fairly easy to discern from confidence. A confident person is one who believes in themselves and what they do, but with the understanding that they can improve and change, and a willingness to do so. A person with an inflated ego is one who believes so strongly in themselves and what they do that they feel they can do no wrong and do not need to change for anything or anyone. Confidence: I believe that what I am doing and teaching is effective, but I am open to other interpretations and am willing to change what I do and teach if I find something better. Ego: I KNOW that what I am doing and teaching is effective, and if you disagree with me it is just because you don't know enough about martial arts.

I didn't get along with the guys on the wrestling team in my school, either, and I went out for wrestling anyway. This resulted in me getting utterly ignored by the coach, who also didn't like me, so I learned absolutely no techniques or skills and was constantly made to practice with people several years older and 40-70lbs heavier who liked to slam me down on my head and see how far they could fold my neck. Try the BJJ place and see if you like it. If you don't get hooked right away--or even if you do--feel free to still check out other grappling arts in your area.

Iron body training is, in general, a method of controlling your breathing and muscle tension in order to strengthen your body to withstand impact. Over time, this training will make your more accustomed to absorbing strikes both from a physical standpoint and a psychological standpoint. Sanchin and Tensho training are good examples of this in karate, and many Chinese martial arts utilize supplementary iron body training, although I do not know if they have forms dedicated to it in the same manner that karate does. If you can locate a Kyokushin, Goju-Ryu or Uechi-Ryu dojo in your area then you will be able to watch iron body training, from a karate standpoint, in person. It may be more difficult to locate a school teaching Chinese martial arts that includes iron body training, because many of them seem to be teaching more modern wushu-based arts. Many followers of traditional Eastern medicine attribute the "iron shirt" ability to controlling the circulation of chi/qi/ki, but I am of the belief that the concept of energy circulation merely serves the purpose of providing the student something to visualize that assists in controlling their body. A case in point--the "unbendable arm" trick is done by "projecting energy through the arm and out through the fingertips like a water hose," and when you visualize such a concept it causes you to extend your arm outward in a way that tenses only the muscles for extension, leaving the rest of the arm relaxed. If you tell someone to resist having their arm bent, they will typically tense all of the muscles in their arm, effectively fighting against themselves and allowing the arm to be bent, but if they only tense the muscles for extension it becomes much more difficult to bend their arm, despite the appearance of a relaxed state.

Solid post!! Another meaning is Dai means "Big" and Sho means "Small" Looking a swords, you've got DAIto meaning long sword and SHOto meaning short sword. Hence the word Daisho means big/little. Bassai Dai consists of 42 movements Bassai Sho consists of 26 movements Kanku Dai consists of 65 movements Kanku Sho consists of 20 movements Gojushiho-Dai & Gojushiho-Sho both consist of 54 movements This brings me to the amount of the movements aren't indicative of why one's small and the other's big. Applications/techniques/etc within said kata's might be the main reason as to why one's dai and the other's sho. Styles differ across the board in many, many things, and the reason(s) one's called Dai and the other Sho will be determined by ones governing body. If you would like yet another reason for sho being small and dai being large, in my branch of Shorin-Ryu our Passai Sho is very compact, utilizing tight pivots, dropping body weight and small forward motions, whereas our Passai Dai utilizes long lunging forward motions and sliding steps forward, generally taking up more space. That's what I meant when I posted... Gah! I totally missed that part-sorry about that!

Solid post!! Another meaning is Dai means "Big" and Sho means "Small" Looking a swords, you've got DAIto meaning long sword and SHOto meaning short sword. Hence the word Daisho means big/little. Bassai Dai consists of 42 movements Bassai Sho consists of 26 movements Kanku Dai consists of 65 movements Kanku Sho consists of 20 movements Gojushiho-Dai & Gojushiho-Sho both consist of 54 movements This brings me to the amount of the movements aren't indicative of why one's small and the other's big. Applications/techniques/etc within said kata's might be the main reason as to why one's dai and the other's sho. Styles differ across the board in many, many things, and the reason(s) one's called Dai and the other Sho will be determined by ones governing body. If you would like yet another reason for sho being small and dai being large, in my branch of Shorin-Ryu our Passai Sho is very compact, utilizing tight pivots, dropping body weight and small forward motions, whereas our Passai Dai utilizes long lunging forward motions and sliding steps forward, generally taking up more space.

I feel that even if you don't, personally, find much value in photographs, you should still take pictures and record video in your dojo. Just because you don't find value in them doesn't mean you won't change your mind later in life, and who knows how many of your students might find value in them? I see martial arts instructors on Facebook posting old photos, video clips and magazine articles that people thought were lost, only to spark up conversations and reminiscent thoughts associated with those things. It's definitely terrible that you lost all of those photographs! I hope some of the other members of your style have copies so that you can at least partially rebuild the collection, and I would definitely scan all of the photos you have so they can be saved digitally. I think that bushido_man96's suggestion is also spot-on! Start taking photos and recording videos now so that you can add to your style's history through images that will last longer than memories.

If you want to be as effective a martial artist as possible, you need to be able to fight at all ranges. Definitely hit up the BJJ gym, and look around for judo or sambo as well in case there might be a smaller gym for one of them nearby and you can get a feel for which art you would prefer. Good on you for branching out!

I would never expect rank to be negotiated! As you said, it is standard business practice to provide incentives to promote your business, but those incentives must have some value to the person you are marketing to: A free uniform means they do not have to spend extra money to buy one. A discount on tuition because they bring in a friend saves them money and means they can keep learning. A free rank doesn't really save them anything--they will probably still pay some sort of testing fee if there was going to be one to begin with--and it doesn't come with anything useful to them (knowledge). Rank has no value in and of itself, because the value of rank is the experience and knowledge that lead to it, not the rank itself. The only time someone will want rank as an incentive is when it has been offered to them in the first place, because that offer is implying that the rank has value in and of itself.

Generally there is nothing wrong with that--many karate masters of old cross-trained in Chinese martial arts to complement their karate, after all. Whether it will be okay with the instructor is another matter entirely, so be sure to ask. I know of a karate instructor in my area that will let you come and cross-train at their dojo, but they will make a point of "correcting" everything that you do. When you talk to the instructor, just be clear about what your goals are and where your primary focus in the martial arts lies and hopefully they will be willing to adapt their training to your goals, rather than trying to fight with the skills you are building in those other styles.

I can't stand that wax they use at the dentist! I actually had my custom mouthguard made by Gladiator Guards, and they did a fantastic job--plus, the impression media is basically like modeling clay, so it isn't as nasty to bite into.

We do the crossing arms for our blocks as well, and there are a couple reasons for it. One is, as you've described, to use one hand to deflect and the other to trap. Another is to utilize hikite, the pulling hand, to grasp and pull some part of our attacker so we can utilize the "block" as a strike or joint lock (usually). A third reason is because bringing up both hands is a natural reaction to being attacked for most people, so by training them to come up crossed we develop the ability to trap and counter an attack by utilizing a natural response that would otherwise simply provide cover.

Despite not being a Kyokushin stylist, I'm going to come to the defense of Kyokushin here and point out that not all Kyokushin schools train only for knockdown rules, which is what you were referring to when you talk about not punching to the head. I would also mention that the idea of ending a fight in one blow is great, but also highly unlikely--if it were that easy, do you not think that full contact arts would be doing it? After all, they certainly have more incentive to end the fight quickly than someone doing no-contact sparring. Them trading lots of blows is the result of how difficult it is to achieve a one-strike finish. In any case, back to the topic at hand. I think that it's great that you want to get back to your Shotokan training, although I would still try to make it to a BJJ class once or twice a week just to keep your skills from degrading. If there is not a Shotokan dojo near you then you may have to just train solo and visit the nearest dojo every now and then, or you can try another style of karate. Check out other styles in your area and you may find that they provide what you are looking for, even if you have to modify your kihon or learn new kata along the way.

People are generally surprised to find out that I train in martial arts--I'm rather shy, friendly and polite, combined with being rather lanky and a nerd, and most people don't seem to associate those traits with martial arts. I discovered that a guy at work who is in my department (but in California) and is an aspiring actor trains in some form of bare knuckle kickboxing. He and I haven't had a chance to really sit down and discuss it, but it definitely surprised me. Also, now everyone wants to see us spar

I can do snapping kicks to the knee and lower that I suspect could break boards and, in theory, bones. I haven't quite worked up the nerve to try kicking through a pool cue (though I think I could do it) or a baseball bat (I get visions of breaking my shin on that one) as Dobbersky suggests. I have broken plenty of boards and tree branches with stomps from various angles, though. As far as how I view the application of kicks, it depends. For self defense I am confident that the snapping kicks to the lower legs that I can do would be effective, although it is difficult to know for certain until I go ahead and start breaking baseball bats or people's legs, and I won't have many training partners left if I choose the most "realistic" option . For combat sport applications I mostly use my kicks to maintain distance (thrust kicks) or deal soft-tissue damage to the legs and body (roundhouse and hook kicks). Very rarely do I kick to the head and I try not to take the Muay Thai approach of kicking through people's arms, so I'm not generally intending to do any damage to bones. I will admit, however, that for the past 9 months, or so, I have been using a low oblique heel kick to the shin in sparring, so I guess that's kind of doing damage to bones, in a way.

The way that I kick hard isn't conducive to breaking boards either way--I can't pull my toes back far enough to kick boards with the ball of my foot, my instep/shin is not an ideal striking surface for hitting boards with, and my side kick is too slow