mal103

Well done, probably the first of many! Now lots new stuff to learn

It's interesting to see the different attitudes towards this problem, I would expect an "old-school" Sensei to just tell the parents and be done with it, but modern thinking has changed slightly. I still think that you should NOT speak directly to the parents, if you are not the Sensei or club's Child Protection Officer (or even staff) then you should inform them immediately. As an Instructor or CPO then in this case it would be appropriate to speak in private to the teen and assess the next move, during the conversation you can maybe ask if their parents are aware. After this then decide who to speak to next, they will likely lie to cover up the problem but you should be able to tell by the reaction to your questions, make sure to ensure they can speak with you at any time about anything. In the UK we have Social Services or similar support groups which can be found via the local council/authorities. Even if you ask them for advice. They may be aware of previous problems and can investigate. We also have a Duty of Care to do something, follow up on your reporting, ask the Sensei what happened, if it's been passed onto Social Services etc then you know it will be dealt with or recorded. Get this wrong and the student will disappear or get in worse trouble. If it gets a lot worse for them then the normal reaction is "nobody knew" or "if only someone had done something".... The responsibility is currently yours. For anyone reading this that doesn't know what a Child Support Officer should do, or are not aware of courses like Protecting Children in Sports then maybe it's time to find out about them, or the local equivalent in your country. http://www.sportscoachuk.org/workshops/workshop-search/results?term=Safeguarding+%26+Protecting+Children Edit Just like to add that the above is my opinion and obviously doesn't match that of the majority or the admin, because of this some posts have been removed. I thought the idea of a forum was to share opinions? This is now my last post here, ever.

You can get everything from Shotokan IF it is being practiced properly! Fitness, real world applications, ground fighting, hard contact, fast paced, it's all in Shotokan if it includes the full system, a lot of this will depend on the instructor. From what I've seen of kyukushin then it seems a lot of kicks and punches whilst in close, a lot of what Shotokan teaches is to get in, strike and then get out, or have part of the opponent in your grasp that you take the initiative. Most strikes are designed to end the confrontation quickly. I have cross trained with a few other styles and can find a lot of their stuff within a full Karate system, it's very annoying when people make statements that Shotokan isn't this or that, or doesn't include xyz... You just have to find the right instructor.

Don't rush in.... A good club will have child protection officers, one male and one female. They should have done the protection children in sports course that will outline the best ways to deal with these situations and who to contact. There are professional groups etc who are experts in these areas, they just need to know. If your club or Sensei give you a blank look when you raise your concerns then maybe they haven't the correct support network so then maybe look at investigating who to contact. In the UK we have a non emergency number for the Police and things like citizen advise bureau, think about contacting them or the local council etc. Sometimes the parents ARE the problem so you could be making the situation worse and their reaction could be to stop their training which removes the teen from where they could get help. You could try talking to the teen but this may not work either or have negative effects. They could also just be clumsy but please speak with people and let us know what the outcome is. Too many people cry out for help in ways like this, unfortunately if it escalates then it could get a lot worse.

As beginners we are helped every step but as we progress then the responsibility should be gradually placed on the student, after Shodan then more emphasis is placed on the student to push themselves - unfortunately not everyone can deal with this, or wants to. Some just still want to turn up and train without thinking too much. A lot of how these attitudes are dealt with by the instructor will reflect on if they keep training. Also as pointed out the Sensei has no experience or time to deal with Shodan/Nidan training. Most clubs are mixed and haven't the time, some just don't have the knowledge. I've seen many Shodans give up for all of the reasons above. From my personal journey I was teaching as part of a larger club but realised the limitations on the senior instructor and then the dodgey dealings, I split and run my clubs myself but have a small enough ego to realise my own limitations so now train as much as I teach with 3 local clubs. One of the clubs where I train has managed to keep the majority of it's Black belts so it can be done.

I have the highest respect for those that have earnt it, unfortunately there are some who haven't. I get the feeling that the OP Sensei may just not be bothered with it which is fine, although as pointed out he is part of his students lineage so should also think of the knock on effect for them if they progress upwards. Now to the (hopefully) minority who get ego drunk with the idea of rank or assume they will make themselves and their school look better if they are a high rank. Out of the clubs near me I have several Dan ranks from 4th to 7th, the 4th Dan teaches "watered-down" Mcdojo style rubbish and its a mystery who he graded with from 2nd Dan. A 5th Dan managed to get his 4th from somewhere then fraudulently got hold of a blank certificate and wrote his own name on it, the thought of running an association massaged his ego so much that he is now conforming to most of the McDojo rules in a recent online article. I've trained with most of the other seniors and they are very knowledgeable, never go on about rank, they just teach AND train. The 5th mentioned above has not been in another Dojo for around 17 years and is well out of touch. If a senior needs to grade and doesn't like the idea of seeking out someone to do it and isn't part of a larger org then the temptation to self grade may be high, also if there isn't anybody worthwhile in the area then what should they do? Another point is that you may think they are great now but as you progress you may change your mind, I used to think the 5th above was good up until Brown belt area before I realised their technique wasn't great and their knowledge was thin, later on discovered it was more about money and ego, then fraud.

Thanks Gaz! I am very humbled and impressed with your offer and I may even take you up on it. I fully intend to keep close links with all of the good MA'ists that I meet so we can out shine those bad ones. Going by that logic then my 2nd Dan combined with my son's 1st Dan = 3rd Dan! I have always thought that the grader must be 2 ranks higher than the gradee so have always assumed I can't grade a 1st Kyu to Shodan but going on what I have witnessed others do with self grading and skipping grades then I don't think many people would be bothered if I graded them. The students would be more than happy, although a few of us believe that there should be an additional grader to validate the Dan grade. When I realised my old Sensei was more interested in money and self graded then I almost went out and took my 2nd Dan with someone else as it felt worthless. I've now trained with enough good Dan grades to know I'm at the right standard. I've since been led to think of Dan grades as nothing more than one or two people saying that they think you are at that level, there is no national or international rules or standards that must be met. I recently spoke to an Austrian Dan rank who was shocked what some clubs are allowed to do in the UK, they mentioned that most of their Dan grades had to go before a central board. Thanks again, will let you know how I get on.

Our club: https://www.zenshotokankarate.co.uk We aren't part of a larger organisation but we have close links to all of the good clubs in the area.

Agreed, for instance the gedan barai in a form/kata could be interpreted as a downward block or an arm lock. Or a takedown, or a throw depending on which kata you are interpreting and what stance/hip movement is going with it Absolutely! It's fine to teach a block to junior grades and most kids but as the student progresses then more applications should be shown and realised. Some will still happily plod through life accepting a block as the application but some will hopefully be more hungry for ideas and inspiration. It's annoying when that is all that's shown though. My favourite for the first move of Heian/Pinan Shodan (which was Nidan apparently) think of the attacker with their fists in your face, pointing, pushing or grabbing. Use your left hand to grab the attackers left wrist (with your thumb pointing downwards), you then turn 90 degrees as shown in the Kata and perform Gedan Barai - then look where their head ends up - directly in front of your stepping punch. The turn/Gedan after this is better as a throw. Thanks for sharing the vids - will watch them later when not at work....

Thanks for your replies - when can you visit the UK...? I will ask them soon and see if they would be okay with the idea, as said it doesn't matter what they do - it's how they do it. I would plan a detailed and hard grading, it would be up to the visiting senior to decide if they think the candidate performed them properly. I have since spoken to 2 other 1st Kyu's who are due this year and they were very keen on the idea as well. They prefer that it is done in house but think it's good that another senior should be present.

I'm surprised to see a running test as part of the grading, it suggests that your normal training is too easy. I trained with a 1st Kyu that would be bent over trying to catch their breath after 20-30 minutes hard training, I would have made them stay a 1st Kyu until this improved.

I would just like to mention that I think all Karate styles should be up close and personal, in your face and include limb control etc. A lot of how it appears is how the instructors interpret the Bunkai. As an example I've had a fake 5th Dan teach me a block to a long range technique, another instructor showed me an arm twisting whilst putting them off balance version which is far more likely and practical. I think there is a growing trend to learn/teach Bunkai as it should be done which is great for Karate.

start easy and build up gradually, 20-30 mins 2 or 3 times a week is a good medium, I got up to 1 hour runs, 4 to 5 times a week and did a 10K and 2 half marathons but slowed down due to knee pain. Running on hard surfaces means you need a GOOD pair of trainers (sneakers in US?), it's worth going to a proper running shop and spending around £80 and get a pair with the correct camber - some people run unevenly so the heels are angled to compensate. I never had a blister and it felt like running on air, I only got into knee pain when they were "used" and probably should have replaced them.... Running tops are good as they breath, also get some thermals for Scotland... I now include 2-3k in my gym sessions purely to get the heart going.

Maybe this should be in the grading section but it's aimed at instructors. Who would consider a request to visit another club, sit on their grading panel and be the grading officer for senior grades? Or would you insist they visit your club to attend your grading? The scenario I have is two 1st Kyu's nearly ready to grade for Shodan, I'm a 2nd Dan so can only grade them to 1st Kyu but no further. We have close links to 3 other really good clubs in the area and one of them has offered that my 1st Kyu's attend their grading, the problem with this is that they get a slightly different syllabus, slight variations in Kata, have to get used to another Instructor and are in a strange Dojo. Yes they should be able to cope with this but it all adds to the stress of the grade which can make some people panic. What I would like to happen is that we invite a senior (5/6th Dan) grade to sit in on our grading, they do our syllabus and anything else the grading officer throws in. They get our certificate but with the senior signature on it. I know 4 I would ask but not sure of their reaction - is this a common thing? I know seniors attending club gradings is common but this is normally WITHIN the same organisation...

Not officially but a phrase that I made/used is below. It's typical of a near by McDojo that train with sweat shirts on if they get a bit cold.... "If you aren't sweating then it's not Karate!"