kensei

Just to clarify here...you meant you call it by an "English name" right?

I marked yes, but technically its the Heian Katas. First off they teach the basis for which we use to move, make and form techniques and apply them in Kumite or actual situations. however, if you are looking for a system of Kata to suit your own style...dont. the Pinan/heian system starts teaching a system of movement or a way of moving that compliments or forms the Shorin/Shorei styles of Karate; including but not limited to Wado, shotokan, Shito ryu, Kyokushin, Shorin ryu, ext. If you are from a different branch or forming your own branch you should be looking more at what makes you guys click....this way you can form your Kata around how you move. For instance, the Naha te styles (goju, Isshin, Uechi ext) have a different way of moving, a different feel to them...way deeper in some stances and alot more close fighting skills...the Pinan's would have to be altered alot for them....

Here is a twist on the story....had a friend of mine join us for Karate, he was not the most "consistent" student and would train for a few weeks, take a few off. He managed to train and test up to Green belt, but at Green he took four months off! Then came back and after a month of "semi-consistent" training wanted to test for purple belt! When I told him that he was not eligible till he put in three months minimum training and knew his Kata well enough he said "then I think I am going to walk away"...after calling him weekly to get him to come out and reminding him of class...i had enough and said "Fine, you are done, thats your choice!" and left it at that. We talk all the time because he is a good friend of mine...but I did not poke or prod him once, and last week he called and said he wanted to start up again. I am not going to push anyone to train, what you put in is what you get out of Karate and the Juice is worth the squeeze as it were! If he comes back and gets better he can test, but I dont bend rules! Not for friends and not for students.

First off Koryu means "Old school" in JAPANESE and refers to ancient martial arts...it does not in any way mean Okinawan, which to be frank woudl be Gendai Budo...or new age budo styles as they are NOT as old as the Koryu schools. Other than that...kind of agree with you here.

1. I give the black belt a tad bit of a talking to as a senior he/she should be adult enough to have not harmed the guy...but seeing as he was shaken up a and not really hurt...its only a short talking to...then I explain protocal to the junor and help him up. 3. No dojo "rule" was broken, just a minor breach in the "protocals" that are unwritten and I will have to do damage control with the junior to ensure he realized that it was not personal and its a hard lesson to learn. The Dojo Kun was not broken...if the lad had broken ribs or was hurt more than his pride then it would have been broken, from what you say the Black belt showed great controla nd did not hurt the student. The fact is that some clubs have different cultures attached and you need to be flexible in those. I remembe going to one club were they had kind of double standards. Black belts would approach students to spar and everythign was fine but if the white belts or lower belts approached a senior, to even ask a question, they were beat up pretty bad. Then a senior would always ask "outside" stuff of some of the students, like how to figure out what was wrong with their car...I always thought it would be fair for the student to then charge 10 times the amount as it is basically the attitude they got in Karate! However, most clubs only have a thin veil of this kind of old culture now.

The only stories I can say are for sure about the Oyama, who was a great salesman and showman is that he had a shodan in Judo at one point (and may have been given higher rank) and a Ikkyu in Shotokan (and again may have been given higher rank but only trained 2 years in shotokan before moving to a few years in Goju). Kase sensei tells a great story about him and how he would boast about things and then be shot down by others who were in the know at the time. For instance he told people he was a yondan in Shotokan at a local dinner when Kase was attending (he was a judo instructor as well as a Shotokan instructor) and Kase challenged him and he admitted after lots of ribbing that he left shotokan prior to gaining his full black belt, but was training to earn it now. I am not putting anything that Oyama did down, he was a great showman and business man and his Karate is very strong! But I am suggesting that he was, and admitted to being, a bit of a salesman and used the showman ship he learned as a pro wrestler to really get students hooked. Again, its a lesson we could all learn, how to sell yourself a bit better! in the end, he mixed a strong influence of Shotokan with what he learned of Goju from one of Miyagi's head students and created a very valid style of Karate.

I am not one of those guys that thinks you must go to Japan or train with Japanese instructors. I have trained under Japanese instructors and they are good, but my instructor is good and he is an Irish Canadian! Traveling to Japan would be great, but traveling to Ottawa to train would be great too!

Very True about the Wado style and a few others. I dont believe that Kyokushin merged with anything other than shotokan and Goju however....so it kind of fits in as well...but not really....

two things, first when you consider history...you simply must take rhetoric and spoken word out of the way and go with what you know. Karate as a system was formulated in Okinawa when Chinese military and governement officials met with Okinawan officials and a sort of "military cultural exchange" occured. The details of which are, as mentioned before, rhetorical in nature. We have no real "this guy taught us this thing" kind of sources so we go with a bit of guess work but mostly sourced out information that has written documentation to back it up. Beyond that Chinese Maratial arts for the better part are not linked to India directly. You can quote the Buddhidarta thing this you are blue in the face, I can then counter with he never really existed and he is a fake story told to explain many people brining buddhism to China over a great many generations ext and so forth, so lets go with what we know. Chinese Martial arts merged wiht local martial arts and created Tode, which became Karate, which them moved from Small port cities of Okinawa to big cities in Japan and then to the world. Next, Do you need to be linked to one of these groups to be legit. NO! But that also does not mean that you should run away from them to prove a point. If you happen to join a group based out of England, The US, Germany or Indai for that matter...its not the location that matters, its the training. Is it traditional Karate or some sproty Karate group?

A very good friend of mine just marched off out of Karate because he felt he was not being allowed to test often enough...the thing is he was sporatic in his training and quits everything....so I dont feel so bad. I would rather have someone training hard fail a test than not be allowed to grade, but if you dont come down and train hard continuously then why would you think you should be allowed to test?

Out of respect bring a white belt and let the instructor figure it out. Assume that if you have been away more than a year or two you will wear the white belt for a bit before they let you strap on your old belt. In my club, if you have been away for a year or more I ask that you were a white belt for a bit and then * your skills over time to let you wear your rank when you are caught up a bit. If you come from a different club we may start you off at white and then see if we agree with the rank you were given. I have asked Shodans and higher to start at Ikkyu after wearing a white for some time and they generally see we dont fool about alot at our club and are serious...they stay and work towards OUR shodan or higher.

I have seen so many different "practical Karate Styles" come out in the last few decades, each suggesting that the original system was not applicable in modern fighting...but they all come from the original source....and they are all trying to get your money from you,. The key is that your money goes were it is most important, your training in solid training. Ian is a great instructor and teaches alternative Bunkai, some good, some great, some not so great...but its opening your mind to new ideas. the key to practical karate is this...take the three K's and do them properly. Kihon should be done to infuse speed, power and useablility into the techniques. Do some in the air to get the mechanics down, do some with equipement (Geta and weights or bands) to build speed and strength and then use impact equipment (Bags and pads) to find that useable and real feel to impact. Kata is the text book, but not the only source for use of techniques. But you need to be very clear here, if its not in a Kata it may be omited for a reason...like fancy kicks are not useable in a real fight! Use the Kata to memorize movement patterns and theory on movement as well as tactics. and done enough they are a great work out. Kumite should start off safe and move to more realistic as skill and comfort start to set in. And pressure is important, if your partner is nto willing to go 110% against you then you need a new partner. Use gear only in the begining when contraol is a question. Mix all those with some solid understanding that all the Dojo training in the world will not fix issues like being stupid and being in the wrong area at the wrong time....guns kill and no Krav Maga class teaches you being bullet proof! thats what I mean by stupid! Find good instructors that know that life and self defense are very real and dont teach just sport stuff.

another pain is the constant compairison to MMA or other martial arts. People dont do research, show up and want to be taught stuff we dont do. Like we dont do weapons and they want weapons training, or we dont grapple on the ground and they want Jiu Jitsu from Karate! Its sad that we have issues with this stuff but we do.

First off let me dispell a few myths here.....go look at the MEN that we KNOW created Karate...not a single peasent among them! Karate was a created by a cultural exchange of military and governement officials (read somewhat and very wealthy) people. The Peasants were far to busy trying to farm, fish and earn a living. The old myth that some poor village farmers knew or developed Karate is marketing myth and fake! Now, like most people here I have to say that it all depends on what styles of Karate and kung fu you are looking at. If you take say Hung gar and Uechi Ryu...in a lot of ways they may look similar.....but say Tai Chi and Shotokan/Kyokushin...yah yards of difference. You have to review the TRUE history of the different arts to really get a feel for the differnt roots and then look at them for the difference in mechanics to get a proper view of the similarities and differences.

I love to teach, the gripe was more about those that complain about service and dont pay on time...they forget that we dont make much money on the Karate teaching, I volunteer all my time in fact! And we have to pay rent...with out the funds coming in....well they could look elsewere but I dont see many being a patient as we have been. The ap is an interesting idea. I think that we need to move into the new age when it comes to teaching. I have a blog they follow, well some do and I think it helps. but some people...well its like my grand father used to say...."you can lead a horse to water...but just you try and drown em".

People coast bug the heck out of me too. I also have students that coast, show up late for class and bolt after class is done....right after. then get mad that we dont talk to them about the spots they need to work on and explain things. It frustrates me that students feel we are responsible 100% from white to Sandan for their training and work.....Cant do it. You need to start taking responsibility for yourself from DAY ONE. The instructor must teach...but the student has to learn and has to ask questions, train at home and push to be their early to ask those questions and work and then leave late after asking questions and working on the things that they should be doing in class. Parents that demand things that we can not do is also a tick off for me. We have a group of parents at a different club my junior runs who demand things like belts a few days after testing, we are a smaller group and we have to order from a city that is far away, no MA stores in our area. We try and put together stalk but its hard to make sure you have enough with out going into pocket. Those parents...same ones that are late with fees, dont want to pay for testing or seminars ext. Personal pet peeve students that have a lack of common hygene...or weird thoughts like wearing a deoderent is a bad thing....dude you smell BAD! Wash yourself and put something on so you dont offend...and I note those that STINK also have bad eating habbits to match the poor hygene and you end up with a filthy stinky student! Then I end up sparring with them and they just get worse and worse through the class....smelly feet, horrid BO and DIRT on their legs...in the summer those that wear sandles should wash their feet before coming into the training area...its sad and gross! How about parrents that fail to pay dues....after getting family discounts and the MOFO is a LAWYER that makes 4 times that of the lady that works at a coffee shop and pays the full amount for her kid to train (I have given her free months when her take home was less during a work slow down, but he did not know that). And he was almost a full month late! And he demands that certificate and belt be ready with in a week of the testing. He is a GIANT pain in my back side and has once said to my junior that he is a "client/customer" and this was bad customer service. My come back was customers pay on time and pay the full amount on time or the service is cut off. I dont own my own school. I work with our cheif instructor, but I am the chairman and executive director for our local group. The biggest challenges are actually marketing and coordinating the clubs. The second biggest issues are working with the people that run the clubs to make them work together as a smooth team...and the last is dealing with about 2% of the parents that end up being a big pain for me. the other 98% are fantastic, pitch in, pay on time, support the group and really make it worth while. I have to say, much like others, the days I get to go out on the floor and be a student...to train and bust off a sweat...the days I get to push myself make the training worth while. And the kids that come up and hug you after class, or the adults that thank you and let you know that what you do makes their life a tad bit more fun...that makes it for me. thats what drives me to be better and to serve the students. The 2% that make it more difficult, well they are just a bump in the road!

This is about as old a debate as their is...next to which Style do I train in. I have been on both sides of the fence and I can say I dont mind being with a group or being independent with like minded clubs in the area....but being in a group does open up alot more training options and rank options. But you do have to follow others rules....its up to you what you feel is best for you...weigh the options and see what works best for you....also remember that different groups have different benefits. Big, old groups have the recognition, but are often weighed down in dogma and old protocals, new groups are fresher but often have a juvinille mentality when it comes to politics. just my experience and this is way general. Look about and see what options you have then go for the ones that fit you best.

I teach the way I was taught. I teach speaking english mostly, but with Japanese for most of the techniques. Yes we start white belts out and explain what a Mae Geri is, but by brown belt if you dont know then you better figure it out.

I met my instructor when I was 8. I had come from a different club, same style however and did not like the instructor at all. Dingman sensei, my current instructor, scared the HELL out of me. He was intense, he worked as hard as the students in class and was able to best all of them in kumite and was just scary on the floor. Off the floor however he was a different kind of man, he was kind, funny and liked kids. He was a tad shy with adults but intense with them. But he would always have fun wiht the kids, poke them and pretend that it was not him or smile at them and wink. He is Irish and had a great way about him off the floor. Several years after I had been training I noticed how hard he worked for his students and even went out of his way to make sure they got picked up by parents or in my case he arrainged several times to get me rides home when the weather was poor. I guess what cemented it for me was when he started mentoring me as a instructor and driving me to camps...which helped a great deal with the expenses....and even asked me to teach kids classes when I was in my 20's to off set the cost of camps while I was in university. It really proved to me he was loyal to those that were loyal back. Dingman Sensei is now in his 70's and lets me do most of the decision making as long as I stick to what I think he would want and check with him on big things. His belief in me and my decisions further shows that he deserves my loyalty! The fact that I feel lucky to be his student and not the other way around also shows that I think he deserves my loyalty, not in a groveling way, but in a way that I want to ensure his organization is going the right direction and all the students are taken care of the way he wants.

At some point both Title and Rank become less relevent to the enjoyment of training and working on your Karate. I respect my seniors, those that have been in Karate longer and put time in...but I live in 2013 and Titles that were once linked to the Menkyo system are kind of silly. Its like someone walking around and speaking old English or something...it is meaningless and mis used more than anything. The link of Rank to Title is a modern creation and one I dont adhear to at all. Kyoshi, Renshi and the like were titles or licences given to instructors from other instructors before the Kyu/Dan system was established. They fell out of use and were picked back up again by modern practitioners to feed the ego they felt needed feeding. After nearly 40 years training in Karate and other arts those that seek rank advancement dont impress me, those that train hard and just let rank come as it comes do! I know of many 5,6,and 7th dans that dont impress me at all and I dont train with. Skill and attitude are most important after Nidan! Thats what it should be about.

I can say in my club the answer would be no! You need to relearn the style itself. Its like if a heart surgeon goes on a lecture tour for 10 years and does not pick up a surgical tool and then says "well, Im back...give me a chest to cut open"....NO WAY MAN! You have to relearn, and seeing as though its been a decade...it may take you a year to relearn. In my club you wear a white belt till you are back up to snuff. You wont be demoted, its a sign of respect to those that have continued to train, those that have been training and know the stuff you forgot. But you sit with the Purple belts in my club even if you are wearing a white belt. its actually a great sign of respect that you do this, or ask to do this. And it could save you explaining why your Kumite is rusty and you can not help a lower belt with their forms ext. And yes, ten years ago you did pass that test and you DID know that stuff, but now...not so much. Again, the book simply shows that you went through the hoops years ago, but left. Now unless you took up a similar style or stayed active at home...you are not the same person you were when you had those books signed and you dont remember a darn thing about the stuff you had to learn...so do yourself a favor and at least pack a white belt. Email the instructor or give him a call. We are a really traditional Japanese based club and probably have different rules than a Kempo club would have. But also keep in mind, it should not be a demotion, just a visual reprosentation of your current level. If he says " no you start from white and Test back up to purple....paying testing fees all the way up" I would walk away or at least complain significantly. Our rules are you are still a purple belt, dont have to grade back up to that level, but wear a white belt. The belt color changes, your Kyu does not. Then when you are ready we just slip your old purple belt back on. Just my two cents J

I know all 26 Shotokan Kata and work mostly on Nijushiho, Meikyo and Kanku Dai. I run through all 26 on Thursday nights at the Dojo and every other Saturday when I teach at a juniors club to help out. However, I am also learning Goju Kata for fun...Yes, No life! And while I do my three main focus Shotokan Katas every day at home (except Mondays which I run in the morning and take the night off....and often still go through Kata out of habit), I have been working on the first two Kata of Goju, the Geikisai Katas......very interesting to see how other styles develop. I think Kata and Kihon are very important in training. While I think this...I love Kumite and Kumite Drills like Ippon kumite ext.

This is a tough one. My instructor is 72 and Im 40ish. I have always seen him as a father figure. he is friendly but not a friend, more of a father. I have seniors that are around my age and we see eachother as friendly but I try and keep my distance socially because of family obligations. My students and juniors are friendly with me, but again their is a bit of a distance. we like eachother and think of each other as family, and we would do anythign for each other, but we are not daft enough to get to chummy socially. I think it is very important to be friendly and sociable. The "Family" is important in Karate. But I also dont think that you should be zipping out for beers and clubbing with your students...especially at my age. I feel that you need to be much like a family and make it relaxed, but not so relaxed that ettiquite is compromized. No student would walk up and slap me on the back and say "Hey waz up Sensei" ever! but they would come up and shake my hand and chat, and kids tend to like me and come and hug me and stuff...which is weird because adults find me somewhat unaproachable and intense...NO idea why, LOL.

1>Guard Eye poke....poke that sucker in so hard they cry! 2>Half Guard Ear Bite...lets face it, you pull a mike tyson on them and they take notice. 3>Mount Go for the "boys" lets face it....its a bad spot, the eyes are to far away, the closest soft spot is the groin! Smash that a few times and then UPA away! 4>Rear Mount SPIKE! Flip yourself when ready and drive that suckers head into the matt. I have seen it done on a BJJ Purple belt in a bar once....not good!