bassaiguy

I like the no-cross in the back. Although I've seen traditional people do it both ways, so I'm not sure it matters much. Length is something that gets my goat sometimes. I don't want my belt flopping in my face when I kick. I keep my belt a bit on the shorter side (more like judoka and old-style karate do it) rather than at mid-thigh. The trade-off is I can't get any cool embroidery on my obi. Not sure how to attach in image.

I'm a little over na hour away so I can't do the classes, but if you guys ever do a seminar or event let me know. A few of us from "up the road apiece" might be able to make it down.

My biggest challenge is teaching students that when they hear "No" it doesn't mean I'm mad at them of that I don't like them, it just means that there are boundaries in the dojo. Many kids today don't seem to hear no very often so they think that being given limits is personal or vindictive. This isn't only true of martial arts, however, it seems to be a cultural phenomena. I actually had one mother say, "NAME doesn't like to be told no, so we try not to use that word around him."

Maybe an alternate would be either an uchi deshi program such as exists for some aikido organizations in both the US and Japan, the senshusei course if you are determined to live in Tokyo or a college program in the United States that offers a concentration in martial arts like the ones at Naropa University or Indiana University Bloomington.

http://karatejka.com/

C.W. Nichol said brown belt is the most dangerous rank. Your technique is strong, but you haven't yet mastered the control of a black belt. I, also, find sparring brown belts tough. What is it with you guys wanting to kill anyone with a black belt around their waist ?

Classical Fighting Arts was (is?) a high quality print magazine. I haven't purchased an issue in a few years and I haven't seen it in my local bookstore in awhile. After the demise of the Journal of Asian Martial Arts I thought it was the best around. Also, if you can get your hands on old copies of Budo Dojo published in the 90s to the early 2000s there are some gems in there.

I do think that in many dojo the sparring is lighter and contact is more limited today than in the "old days". No one needs to get hurt to enjoy a hobby so this is probably a good thing, but I don't think this is a development or evolution as much as it is a reaction to commercial pressure and potential litigation. In other words, it's a reaction to the market rather than a well-thought out change to the curriculum. I think if you go to some backyard dojo or advanced classes you might find that traditional karate is as hard as it has always been. Also, this isn't the first time martial arts have evolved for commercial purposes. For example, in the late Tokugawa era (1700s to mid-1800s, e.g.) many bugei were modified to attract commercial clients from outside the samurai class who could pay impoverished samurai instructors in Japan's cities. The training while probably heavy by today's standards was certainly less intense than had been the norm during the early Tokugawa when martial arts were restricted to the professional warriors class. This sort of safety consciousness was a direct influence on the creation of judo, for example. When my grandfather trained in karate in the early 60s he trained four hours at a time because they conditioned so much. When I began training in the 80s cracked ribs and other injuries were commonplace. Today, it's hard to get a decent set of push-ups out of some of my classes. That's certainly training lighter, but I'm not sure it's training smarter or better.

You make an excellent point about students being the living legacy of masters. I try to remember this every time I step onto the floor as a teacher or student and whenever I have faced confrontations. My actions are a reflection of my teachers and lineage. So the next time someone says, "Style X guys can't fight." or "Style X guys are all jerks" I know they won't be talking about me.

Good luck! Go hard!

Removed my post due to weak attempt at humor...

Takeda Sokaku, Azato Ankoh, Funakoshi Gichin, Only an hour, though. That's tough.

I'm lucky in that people can sign up for my classes through the local Rec program and I get paid quarterly - no book-keeping on my end. For those who want to pay as drop-ins I have a box at the back of the class. For private lessons it's pay as you go. I've lost a few bucks here and there, but I've also been "paid" in barter (traded kids lessons for some backhoe work, e.g.) and once in moose meat from a guy who was down on hs luck, but wouldn't take "charity." Then again, as my wife says, I'm good at a lot of things, but making money isn't one of them.

I'm pretty psyched for this movie: http://lrmonline.com/news/birth-of-the-dragon-trailer-features-young-bruce-lee-vs-shaolin-master-wong-jack-man , even though the stereotype of the "ancient Chinese sage" is way over done. It looks like a fun movie as long as you don't take the history too seriously. I'm actually sort of a Wong Jack Man fan - I think he's gotten a bad rap because of the Bruce Lee-philes. Here's an interesting piece talking about the mystery behind the famous duel: http://freebrucelee.com/bruce-lee-fights/bruce-lee-battle-wong-jack-man/ .

When I was practicing competition karate back in the early 90s I was asked to do this for a brown belt test, as well. It caused me to think about what I was really doing and I ended switching to traditional karate. That was my choice, I'm not criticizing schools and students who feel otherwise, but I couldn't figure out how I was supposed to construct a meaningful kata when I didn't even know the entire syllabus of our core style. My suggestion if you want to tackle the challenge of designing a kata is to practice what in education is called "backwards design". Start with the end result in mind, you have defeated your opponent, and work backwards from there - what techniques would you have had to employ to defeat the specific attacks an enemy is likely to confront you with? Then, you can reverse that process and go from the initial attack to the conclusion. This is probably tougher if you haven't ever been confronted under pressure. I have not designed a kata even though I have fought in and out of the ring. Like you said, it's a pretty daunting task.

I believe it was Kanazawa's group that first brought it in in the early 1990's , but I've seen different groups perform it since. Additions to Shotokan aren't unheard of though, even from Naha-te. Funakoshi wrote that Sanchin was one of the kata practiced in the early 30s in his classes. It seems that Shotokan has been playing with its syllabus for a long time.

For me, it would be Tatsuya Naka of the JKA and Minoru Higa of the Kyudokan Shorin-ryu. Naka Sensei is an amazing technician, but from what I've read of him he is also dedicated to the budo ideal in karate and can articulate clearly how to progress in both budo and shiai karate. Higa Sensei is basically a living encyclopedia of Shorin-ryu and his speed and "inside" fighting are amazing for a man of his years. As a Shotokan guy with a historical mind I'd love to sit in on a Kyudokan class.

I've seen very talented 1st dan and total crap 3rd dan. It's the person, not the rank that matters. When I started martial arts my first instructor was 1st kyu and got promoted in front of all of us at a large grading. We were very proud of him. Of course, this was back in the early '80s and rank inflation wasn't what it is today. I haven't tested for rank in a looong time. I've been training in martial arts for 30 years and I'm 1st dan in one style and 2nd dan in another. I also have a Masters degree in Asian history and I'm a former LEO. I'll put my experience up against a lot of high ranking instructors that I know any day. If you maintain good relations with your teacher and s/he feels you're ready to teach I'd say go for it. However, if you are thinking of starting a club because you feel that you have a method that your association/style/instructor can't address I would be cautious. Maybe you haven't explored your own style completely? Or, maybe there is another established method that you haven't trained in that addresses what you feel your original style lacks. There is very little that is truly new under the sun and I am hesitant of relatively low ranked folks who create their own systems. Not because they aren't necessarily talented, but because it's possible they haven't fully explored the methodology of their own system.

I do not. It's hard enough putting on long sleeved heavy jacket for rigorous training forget about an extra layer. Plus, I kind of think it's weird of Americans to be so modest and formal when t-shirts aren't often worn under gi in Japan. In Okinawa where it's hot shirts sometimes aren't worn at all.

Shotokan is sort of famous for its affiliation-snobbery and as a traditional Shotokan person from an independent school I have experienced this bias before at tournaments and seminars. Locally, because my instructor was well-known and well-regarded, it hasn't been as much of a problem. I recently joined a small association that my instructors belonged to back in 80s and 90s. I joined in order to rebuild friendships rather than impress anyone with credentials. I have to say, I have been pleasantly surprised by the friendship and attentiveness this association has offered my little school. For the minimal affiliation cost it has been a rewarding experience. This is a multi-style association that does not interfere with the internal functions of my school, however. Coming from an independent background I don't judge anyone based on their lack of affiliation, but I also feel that my students and I had better perform as well or better than the big groups in our area because I think there is a bias.

Well, this is months out of date, but I just logged on for the first time here in forever... SKIF is Kanazawa's Shotokan. It is famous (or infamous) for including the influence of tai chi in some of its movement, for modifying slightly some of the advanced kata (for example, Gojushiho) and for including kobudo in its syllabus. It is still 100% Shotokan, but it is definitely Kanazawa's interpretation of Shotokan. SKA is Oshima's Shotokan and it preserves the Shotokan style karate of the 1940s and 1950s more closely than some other Shotokan factions. The grading only goes to 5th dan because that's as high as Funakoshi was graded during his lifetime (unlike other Shotokan orgs which promote to 10th dan), it uses only the 16 kata in Funaksohi's Karate-do Kyohan text and emphasizes ippon kumite over other forms of fighting. It is also 100% Shotokan, but a bit anachronistic and different from what the JKA and other some other big groups practice today.

The more of these threads I read the sorrier I feel for my English buddies.

In my Shotokan branch by shodan we expect our students to know: Taikyoku 1-3 Heian 1-5 Tekki 1-3 Bassai-dai Kanku-dai Empi Jion or Hangetsu Students are expected to be able to perform all of the listed kata, but focus on one or two to demonstrate bunkai. By brown belt students may not know Tekki 2 & 3, Jion or Hangetsu, but the others are expected. After shodan the sky is the limit, but honestly, who can really master 26 kata?

Ueshiba once said, "Ninety percent of Aikido is atemi." Maybe he's just showing the strikes that most aikidoka leave out of their practice in order to work on waza.

Now that I'm older and not chasing trophies I've pared down my routine. basically I do Karl Gotch's Royal Court, Hindu Squats, Hindu Pushups and Wrestlers Bridge, and makiwara. I'll add leg lifts and other abs exercises as well as dumb bells , too if I'm feeling motivated. I used to run a lot, but injuries began mounting and I found that distance running really didn't contribute to my fast muscle conditioning. Keep in mind that I'm now 42, I don't fight continuous rounds like boxers and kickboxers and I'm no longer in law enforcement. My goals are to maintain functional strength for self-defense well into old age.