ossemon

I have my black belt, I have my dojo and I have my goals. As for my students: We do our best, and emphasize quality. I feel that is more important than looks I was attempted bribed into changing styles myself. That was one of the things leading to founding a new club

Yes, would be interesting to know. I hope grading worked out for OP.

McDojos will be around, but with low quality, they tend to disappear rather fast. Some prevail, but have no continuity, like one of the McDojos near mine. In the end, QUALITY and SUBSTANCE will ALWAYS beat out the lackluster approach of the mcdojo. I told my co-instructors/founders that I would rather have a small, high quality club, than a HUGE crappy one. Emphasize on the quality you do. Emphasize that quality takes time. These things will attract the right people in the end. I have had a couple of students who came to my club, and complained that at [NearbyMCDojo] his friend got a black belt within two years. I gave him my belt and said he could run off and brag about being superquick to a blackbelt. They both got the point, and now trains with me regularly. The friend dropped out from the MCDojo after failing to defend himself as a "3rd dan" when jumped by a guy in a club. 22 years and a 3rd dan after 5 years of practice.. Yup. Quality...

I hated sparring when I was younger. I still can't stand kumite, unless it is freefighting - full contact "street fighting" (jiju-kumite). Competition fighting ALWAYS put me off. I have students that are truly scared of fighting. I tend to take extra care of them, and tell them to have fun while sparring. I have myself and a couple of other senior students I truly trust, and I pair them up with my Kumite-haters. Tell them to have fun, and try their best. Do not counterattack, but rather let them explore. Patience and baby steps are the way to go, I feel.

Lying is bad in general. I ask my students, if I catch them being untruthful: WHY would you make yourself into a liar over a trivial matter? I don't mind you not having time to practice kata outside of the dojo. I truly don't! But if I ask if you have done extra work, or some other spesific, don't turn into a liar. I see through you, and you only fool yourself. I take the same approach to my instruction, in general: If you say you do 50 sit ups, when I am not looking, but only do 25, two things happen: You make yourself into a liar, and you disrespect me. The only person you fool is yourself.

Thank you! I do what I can. There are awful instructors out there, and they tend to be VERY self promoting. Perhaps a bit off topic, but I think bad instructors are a problem, regardless of weight. There are "senseis" out there, flaunting 4-5-6th dans, and they look like crap, unfortunately. I can give plenty of examples from both kempo, aikido and karate. Unfortunately these bad instructors are great at self promoting especially through youtube and their own pages.

Indeed. Movement should come from the center / the hips, and if you can't do a proper tai sabaki, you are doomed to mud walk!

Tendo Karateklubb Oppsal Oslo, Norway Sensei Hagen, 5.th dan, a 3. dan and myself. - Shiomitsu-Sensei 9th dan (european head instructor)

As was just said: Tai Sabaki is a huge karate chapter. In Wado, it is emphasized heavily through the nagashi-techniques, and we have several directions and ways to do Tai Sabaki. It is very interesting, as the movement is taken from grandmasters Shindō Yōshin-ryū jujutsu style before training shotokan

I can share from experience: I am 30 years old, and an instructor. I've been doing karate for 16 years. I was VERY fit when I was 18~, I was about 90-95KG of stamina and muscle. - Something that changed after being hit twice by cars and having surgery complications within the span of a year. I gained A LOT of weight, and when I, after a year of recovery came back to karate, I was 168KG of blubber. My 3.kyu grading was done at 150KG, and I still managed (probably poorly) my jodan sokutogeri. My weight has been an issue for the last 10 years, and I've gone down steadily. I am at 105-110 now, and very happy with how I look compared to 2003. I am still considered overweight, although no longer obese/morbidly obese, There are things I cannot do gracefully, or as easily as a superfit guy/girl. However, I must play to my strengths. I am fast and rather limber, and I KNOW my techniques. I also am aware of my weaknesses, and I know how to handle them. I let my students know I can't do everything perfectly. I am not a perfect karate-ka. I know none. I try to keep fit. I am strong, I am fast, I am agile and I am getting better. I realized long ago that I owe my students to be the best I can be. And as long as I do my best, and strive for better, I can do nothing more for my students.

Striking seiken or tateken is all depending on several factors, many already named. However: Striking with only one option isn't very kata, but rather fairly dead in options. Being able to strike quickly the most effective way is the goal, not the fist orientation itselft. Striking from below and up close usually calls for a tateken zuki, but it varies from style to style.

Thank you all! It is really exciting to have a club going. We currently have about 110 members from 5-59

Hello, and thank you

I have been lurking for a while, but decided recently (today!) that I needed to register, finally. There isn't too much exiting about me. I am from Oslo, Norway, and I train Wadoryu karate in a club I founded with three others some four years ago. I have been training for 17 years this February. I am luck enough to train regularly with high quality senseis.

I might be close. Grandmaster Ohtsuka Hironori - Sensei Shiomitsu Masafumi - Me. Our current grandmaster is Ohtsuka-Sensei's son, (Jiro) Ohtsuka II. I have trained with him several times. Shiomitsu-Sensei is the Sensei who is in charge for my style Wado in Europe. I train with him 5-6 times a year, in England, Sweden and Norway. He trained with the first grandmaster for approximately 25 years. I have a 5th dan in my Dojo, a 3rd dan, and myself. We started my club 4 years ago, and are lucky enough to train with high grade senseis regularly.

Congratulations on your win! WHat style of Wado do you train?