Harkon72

The perception of a Human can transcend the five senses. You don't need narcotics to do this. You do it when you dream. Being aware of more than the apparent is not spooky, children do it all the time; adults have just thought too much to allow it. I once asked a Psychiatrist friend "All the feelings come from me, don't they?", "Not always" she said. Some of us feel the rain - Others just get wet. Osu!

It's Logical, Karate has Kata, Kata has Bunkai; so Good Bunkai leads to good Karate. I follow that some styles are excelling without Kata, maybe sport Karate doesn't need it, but I see it as an integral ingredient even if it is not acknowledged as such.

This is an interesting point, our instructor would be VERY proud of us if we achieved this!

For me "Do" means path or way. It is the steps in our journey towards our better self. Karate is just a tool to fashion the person towards a surer step, a path of character and honor. Consciousness is a focus in time, a reality that can be balanced by spiritual training. Each is unique, it has the color of your existence on the canvas of the universe. Mind what you have learned, save you it can, it is the way of the Force!

I don't want to sound pompous, but it's a fact that a higher spiritual Consciousness can be achieved through the practice of Kata. I have had a change in awareness at the very least. It can bring you closer to the "Do" in Karatedo, a oneness, a symphony with the Style you practice. I believe you can surf the wave of Kata. This is difficult for me to touch by just performing endless Kihon or combinations. Kata is a link with the past.

Zen is. The essence of Being. Be, Love, Live. Kime and Ki give life to Zen and Mushin. Osu!

I agree totally with sensei8, Karate with no Kata is just Kickboxing; Combinations and sparring without the big K. Kata is the Spiritual Vehicle for Karatedo.

I second that!

Osu! Our Bunkai is tested at Self Defense level, very intensely. I agree with some argument that if you don't teach effective Bunkai to Kata it is meaningless. Teaching Kata for Kata's sake is no good at adult level. The Bunkai is where the style is. The pace and rhythm of the Kata is the way you are taught, then the way you develop your own Karatedo. I spent an hour doing Kata in the Sun in a field today, eight different ones. It's an amazing feeling; visualization, focus and poise together with power and control. My wife is a beginner, but she uses the Teisho block in Pinan Nidan for self defense already. It might be an extreme opinion, and call me old fashioned, but Karate without Kata is like making Bread with no Flour!

A local Dojo has made the decision to teach Karate but to drop the Kata from the syllabus. Is Karate actually Karate without the Kata? I say a definite no! Kata is the Soul of Karate; that's where the style's techniques are taught. Can you have a style at all with no Kata???

I agree, I think a pre-Dan is all they should achieve by the age of 16. They are not old enough to entertain the true spirit of lethal Karate. I think at 16, they should learn all the Kata again with the true Bunkai, well enough until they reach Shodan again. Maybe as much training to be 21 before they are given a Black Belt. The Japanese word "Dan" means "Man" or "Adult" after all.

My Favorite Kata is Bassai Dai, Storm the Fortress!

In our class we have a 15 year old 2nd Dan, she has been training from the age of 6. My Sensei's daughter is a 1st Dan, she is 11. She will have to wait many years to go for 2nd Dan, even though she has known Karate from the cradle.

The enemy is injury, and to defeat it, all you need is luck. A great instructor, good diet and a lot of luck. All the best!

Gradings are the highlight of my year! My Sensei REALLY wants to know how much you want the grade! Good Luck guys! Osu!

I too have used both. I think a counter hip action, moving the hara forward is the stronger of the two. Osu!

Good Luck Paul! Your an Inspiration!

I use the 45 degree punch to the body, it presents the knuckles better.

Children have white stripes on their belts between each color in our club, they are not expected to learn as much as an adult in one go. A child asked me to explain the system to him, I still made him feel competitive with the other children while respecting the fact that they need to take their time. I think it's a good system.

The scenes are pretty basic, and many were edited out of the popular rendition of the film. Good film though, one of Connery's best.

I know of a local instructor who was coaching after 14 months of Mr. Gracie's course! I think he saw the MMA £££££ in front of his McDojo eyes!! Gain the experience first, many years of it before you teach, or all you will do is give yourself a bad reputation.

I'll sleep enough when I'm dead too, Wade Garrett's favorite quote!

Yes, the whole style uses a totally different body shape. The hip action is different, the timing is different and the projection of energy has a different focus too. It has been a challenging time, exiting and interesting. My Sensei has never asked me to empty the cup completely, we are learning together. I still catch him out with new kata bunkai, we see new facets to both styles, it makes our karate richer.

Yes, with the roundhouse kick that uses the instep to strike, the feet are in line but pointing in the opposite direction, pointing at 180 degrees away from each other. With the roundhouse Kick that uses the ball of the foot, the feet are in line but parallel, facing the same way. This is true of many Shotokan kicks, front kick, roundhouse kick and side kick. I hope I am making it clear, this is the way I was taught traditional Shotokan. My present style, Shukokai, uses the instep to strike and is very different.

The two kicks are very different, with the kin kick, the feet are 180 degrees away from each other. With the ball kick the feet should be parallel.