Harkon72

If that's true, then ask to see the insurance document, I bet most clubs ask the name of the child and not the parent. At the end of the day, the club should be insured for the cover of all its students. What they should do is be honest and call the membership fee what it is. Why do they need to use terms like "insurance" and "licence" when they don't exist? Usually, membership or whatever you call it in the UK costs between £10 and £20 a year, yet to register each student with a governing body costs about £3 a year, this is a massive short fall and with grading and tuition on top, you can see why martial arts clubs go into business. I'm not calling for little huts on the top of Snowdon with little men with white eyebrows to be the only valid masters. Profiteering has destroyed martial arts, there is no doubt about it. Masters have always wanted payment, but it was to live, not to exploit through fear. "Join our Club or your Child will not be safe." "Women, be empowered, be street lethal in three months." "We are a Black Belt School - the Number 1 martial arts school in the UK!" If you can afford it, go for it; but take a hard look at what you are being taught.

I didn't realise the status of children in martial arts until I was married. My wife's father is a Judge and he owns a law firm. My wife has been brought up in legal circles. She said; "A child can't have their own insurance policy, they just can't. Because, in any legal dispute or question of rights, a child is not deemed legally responsible. They are not a legal agent until they are 16. You can have a policy for them, but it must be yours or the instructor's, not the child's own." How many clubs claim that the fee you pay represents the child's own insurance? Ask to see the policy document, see who's name it is in. Don't be surprised if they don't have one.

I did shotokan karate to 2nd kyu. I did: Kihon Kata 1,2.3.4. Heian Kata 1,2,3,4,5. Tekki Shodan Tekki Nidan Bassai Dai Kanku Dai In the grading, you could be asked to perform any of the above until the examiner was satisfied.

You are right, our Aikido has no Kata or Kihon. What it has is principals that you apply to contact with another person or multiple opponents. Our Sensei tells us not to look for any technique; until it happens it is not there. Karatedo is the art of application, but in a different way. The way you interpret kata is where the art lies. One style or tradition can vary greatly in its Bunkai while another does exactly the same kata. It's not just focus and pace, it's the visualisation. If you don't visualise a response to attacks in kata, what are you doing more than performing meaningless movements? This is what happens when children are taught advanced kata; they are not aware of what they are doing. This results in children attaining black belts in performing martial art like exercises, I know it sounds harsh, but that is what they are.

I looked into this, the facts are as follows. 1) You don't need a licence to practice martial arts in the UK unless you are a professional fighter. Their existence is by product of a myth. 2) You don't need independent insurance to practice martial arts. It is a choice, your club's policy should cover you. You may be sued as an individual for negligence, so it is a good idea. A child cannot hold any as they are not a legal entity. 3) Most of the martial arts in the UK bear no resemblance to their parent style. They carry the name of the style, but seldom resemble the original. 4) The belt system is a Western invention. To ask a student to achieve 20 or more belts before reaching Dan grade is a revenue builder, nothing more. 5) The existence of Child Black Belts trivialises what the status of a Dan grade is. 6) If someone tells you that they achieved a Dan grade in 2 years, try not to laugh. Thoughts?

This is so ironic, I met a junior Dan grade who has no idea what style of karate he has been doing. I spoke to a kickboxing instructor who has no idea why they call their style "Chinese Kick Boxing." I met another instructor who claims that MMA is a martial art in its own right. I met a martial artist who claims to have a black belt in Krav Maga. I also trained with a man who has knowledge of a Nordic Martial Art in which you make body shapes in the form of Futhark Runes. Martial arts take some intelligence to perform, you are limited at least initially to the quality of your teacher. If you meet one who's ambition is to further your skill past their own, then you are lucky. Read, go and seek as much knowledge as you can and make it your own. Be wary of any Sensei who tells you; "You will never be as good as us your teachers." They are deluded.

I'm sorry Bushidoman, I stand by every word of that post. I might be from an old tradition, it may be a culture clash but; if your style teaches no application of technique then by simple definition; IT IS NOT A MARTIAL ART.

I don't know what it is like in your part of the world, but here you have to be aware of the bottom line. There are clubs who run a pyramid system. There are others who are run as satellite clubs from the other side of the world. I am lucky to have a Sensei who believes that to earn a living from a spiritual path takes you away from where you started, he is a special but sadly rare individual. People wont come to us at times as they believe that expense equates to quality. But as Dave says, the true seekers of Budo will find their way to your door. Many instructors see students as cash cows, what they do is lose the thread of their art. I know of a genuine Goju Ryu teacher in Birmingham who changed his style to teach utter rubbish he called MMA, when it was nothing of the sort, it was just fashionable; kids played it on their consoles and saw themselves in the octagon. He made a lot of cash, but what will happen when the trend changes again? My advice is stick to what you know, do it, do it well and students will find you.

I hate and love many aspects of a few schools in my area, but I'll pick one of each; I asked a junior Dan grade of a local school "What style of karate do you practice?" His answer blew me away; "Karate! What do you mean style of karate?" I have no words. There is a Shotokan club local to us, their reputation is for hard, fair and authentic karate. They don't need to advertise their club.

Yes, very good. On joining my present club which has hundreds of years of experience on the mat I was given the simple instruction; "Put your belt in the bin, hang your ego in the cloakroom, you are welcome."

A Merry Yuletide my friend, enjoy the holiday.

Real silk belts are expensive, they are worth it because the best ones don't fray and they hold their shape. I had a satin belt, the thread didn't hold and the belt became discoloured after a while. It is worth the effort to find a good one because the material is softer and the quality makes a big difference. Good Luck.

We train joint manipulation hard in Aikido, and it goes much further than the classic Ikkyo to Gokkyo that O Sensei gave us. They can be subtle, gentle and guiding, at other times you hit a wall as the technique is applied; sometimes a sharp pain as the mechanics of your body are used against you.

You are right, there is the simple application Bunkai and a deeper study that can take years. Yet, there is nothing mystical about it. I was shown some and then encouraged to be creative in my interpretation of Kata. It is surprising what you discover, in a way, you can never be wrong. If that is what you see, fair enough. You will find that others see the same. The study of Bunkai is not separate from the style, it is the style.

I practice traditional Aikido, which O Sensei refined from Aiki Jitsu. I studied Karate for over 25 years before that. In Aikido practice, you can attack any way you want. I was challenged to, I tried, I saw the mat each time, very hard. There are no set techniques in Aikido, only simple principals which you learn to apply to any thing that comes your way. You might find that a certain approach works well with one person, great. Then on the command to change partners, you find you must adapt and feel your way to take on another person who might be totally different. This has been Aikido's greatest gift to me. You cannot rely on technique, you cannot look for it, every encounter is different. If you have a set move in your mind as you see your opponent close on you, you will lose. We are taught technique, but the application of the natural flow of where the point of balance is is where the essence of the art is realised. The amazing thing is that you can apply these principals to any martial art, it doesn't have to be the Aikido tradition only. My Karate has come on in leaps and bounds. It's still Karate, but it moves and executes with the flow of Aiki.

Kata with no Bunkai or Forms with no application are nothing of the sort by definition. If you are not taught the application to a form or you are not encouraged to develop your own to what you are doing; then you are not being taught a martial art. The movements without Bunkai are just movements. I heard a one Sensei say that he never teaches Bunkai and that "Bunkai is for Gangsters." Fair enough, but in that case, he doesn't teach Karate if you ask me.

That's interesting, my original teacher taught me for free, I only paid for my gradings, and that was not to him. He was on a ship in the Far East and his teacher was Okinawan. What he paid him, I do not know; but he returned safe and well from some of the toughest ports in the world.

More to the point unfortunately these days; "How much does the average person need to pay to earn their black belt?" Everything seems to have a price. Insurance your child doesn't need - £20 a year. Tuition - £50 a month. Grading by your own instructor £30 a quarter. Non recognised black belt grading for a 10 year old - £100. These figures are typical. Okinawan Masters were humble people, Karate for some is no longer an art, it's money for old rope. Thoughts?

Wow, that's bonkers! I will never complain about our fees for classes again! I know that there is an exchange factor in the currency and you can't really compare the cost of living with the UK, but it sounds crazy. 4 hours a week of Aikido costs me £40 a month. Our gradings are twice a year at £10 each and insurance costs £10 a year. That's it, I think we are very lucky.

Weapon to Target, yes, I agree. You shouldn't throw instep kicks at someone who blocks with his knees or his forearms, it hurts. Just watch what happens when punches are blocked with the points of the elbow; you won't do it twice.

The Old School tradition is that as the person being tested, you can call any karateka of higher grade in the room for the kumite. It makes sense, if they aspire to grade you or they stand in support of your elders, they are up for testing you. It's old fashioned, but I think it's right. If a man wants to grade he must be willing to fight; safely of course, at least in modern dojos.

This is true, I agree. I just hope we have a choice. My Sensei says to us that if you are calm, if you can see options and maybe their consequence, then you are blessed. The Red Mist is a dangerous place to be; it may save your life but it could end it also. I pray that I will always see some options and that the day where I am faced with the point of no return never comes.

Danielle, that makes sense; that part of your foot is a poor weapon for tough targets. We can argue that you could smash a person's shin with your instep, this is true; but if you struggle to walk afterwards, I think it's a poor exchange.

I did not mean to be disrespectful of those who have gone before. My Sensei is a frail man, he relies on his excellent budo and understanding to hold his own with the best of us. He uses no strength, his art does the work for him, he has practised for more than 40 years, 10 of these in Japan. What angered me to start such a forward if misguided stance was a young Dan grade who pointed to who she referred to as her "Kyoshi". This man is no older than my brother, but makes no effort to further his martial art learning. He is grossly over weight and has health problems because of the fact. He does not train, he cannot. But, he grades a syllabus that is way beyond his prowess. I was surprised and could not stay in that dojo a moment longer while contemplating the fact that this man would aspire to grade me and my peers. That is not a boastful statement. His association is a pyramid system of dojo's and he reaps the fees each month. I too would love such a job, becoming rich by the sweat of others. Here is a real master; Osu!

If you do this, it becomes a variation of the kata, that's all. The Bunkai is yours, of course. We call the Kata Tekki Shodan, it's the same but the stance is deeper; this JKA karateka demonstrates a similar form to the way my Sensei was taught it. http://youtu.be/f9Pa-JRpY5c