lowereastside

Congrats - Well Deserved.

My favorite karate Movie was Titled " Karate " it was a 1960 production - a B movie. The karate was not the best - The lead Actor was not really a karate man in real life - I THINK. The interesting thing is that there was a scene of real JKA guys doing their thing in the movie. Why my favorite - it was the 1st Martial Arts Movie I saw as a Kid - I'm kinda sentimental LOL. But it was Bruce Lee and the Green Hornet Series that actually got me started.

Forms/kata have a purpose - the problem I have with forms is that most systems have to many - some Kung Fu styles have over 60 Forms. and many karate teachers have made or added other forms into the curriculum. It just never stops. Well just my 3 cents.

My Advise - try to find a qualified Teacher.

I Often Wonder - Who Choose Whom.

Its difficult to puts things into words - but I'll give it a try. The one punch theory works - the multiple punches theory works. What works or does not work IMHO depends on whose in front of you. Do blocks work? - Look I cut in - I attack the attack and move out of the way. So I don't advocate Blocks per say. But I'm not going to say Blocks don't work - there are many on this forum who have probably used Blocks in a real fight and they worked. My Philosophy is to get there 1st with the most. The longer the confrontation goes the sloppier it gets IMO. One must end it quickly no chi sao - no sparring - no sport etc...... I don't advocate the stop go - go stop theory the one punch Kill theory. But I do believe in hitting with Max Force and if the 1st don't get in the 2nd 3rd 4th better get in. A continuity must exist -a flow. Body work @ Footwork s/b thrown into the mix. A few of my students are high ranking Black Belts in karate ( I'm talking 5th - 8th Dan ) The 1 step stuff does not cut it on MY FLOOR. In the beginning when the 1 step did not work for them they tried to recover by using speed and aggression - and that did not work. They kinda had to get rid of the old habits and reset their body and minds. Some things go beyond techniques. Just my 3 cents. Nice post SENSEI8.

This quote comes from a very good friend - " MARTIAL ARTS MAKES YOU STUPID " - It kind of puts some things in perspective and puts the fantasy in perspective.

98 years old - WOW THAT'S GREAT - my training partner in Praying Mantis is going on 86 - I was with him a couple of weeks ago - right in front of me and our kali teacher he drops down and does 40 pushups -and it's not the 1st time he's done this - but he's been doing Martial Arts since the 1950's. But starting at 98 - it goes to show you it never to late to start something new.

When the older Master's perform - at demo's - they demo for the audience not the Judges. I much more prefer to watch the old Master's Demo - not that I don't enjoy the younger group doing their Katas - but a lot can be learned by watching the older folks perform - I look for focus - precision in the execution of techniques - breath control - transition of movement - body structure and so on......

I think that when one is in martial arts for a number of years we all develop our own personal style. Some of my Senior students have met my teacher - and have worked out with him on a few occasions - and all will tell you ( they told me ) that what I do is not what my teacher does. The core is there - the concepts are there. However, we must evolve - my Teacher told me that years ago - and I tell my students the same thing. Even the katas/Forms must evolve - My Teacher's Forms/Katas have evolved in the time I have Known him - and so have mine. About 3 years ago I decided to go more public with my teaching - One of my senior students was watching me teach the 1st form to a beginner - after class in private he comes up to me and says " That's not the same 1st form you taught me " My reply was yes it was not -I informed him that my Forms keep on evolving - just like his Form/Kata should evolve - It was still Jook Lum Mantis just that my understanding of it had evolved - I've seen so many variations of Hakka Praying Mantis that it will make one's head spin - he understood and it's taken him to a different level. We all have our creative gene - which is ok - That's why we have so many different styles of karate - Kung Fu and so on..........Look If the changes are going to to so drastic from what the original was or is - then its time for a change. Anyway Good Luck.

Another touchy subject - My 3 cents - ask 100 Martial Arts Teachers about the purpose of Kata and you will get all sorts of opinions on kata. And now my opinion - The movements of kata should go way beyond the scope of fighting - sure there are fighting applications to the kata moves - however, one must really dig deep into the true meaning of kata/Forms -and having things explained does not hurt either. Today many individuals make up their own Kata/Forms - but one must have a deep understanding of the original to create the new. But then the ones doing the creating will tell you they do have an understanding of what they do. And some do. For many who do kata there is a point in doing them - for others there is no point and many have done away with kata. Even in Mainland Japan many of the offshoot styles of karate have done away with kata.

Inspiring - Awesome - These are the stories I like to read about. Thanks for the post Sensei8.

4 Hour Long Classes? - For teaching Kids to LONG ( an Hour is Good). For Adults - especially the older adults - 4 hours would be to LONG. I teach at 2 locations - the Long Island group is at my student's Kung Fu School - so we have no time limit - the average class runs 2 1/2 hours sometimes 3 hours. HOWEVER, no one is being pushed to the point of passing out. My NYC location - since I rent studio space is about 1 hour long - if no one rents after us the manager lets us use it an extra 1/2 hour longer at no extra charge. Also at the NYC location I teach only 3 students compared to the 12 on Long Island location. And my NYC students are much Younger. ( Go figure ). Since time is a factor the NYC students are pushed - we get down to business. Funny thing is that a couple of weeks ago one of my Long Island Student's was in the City and called if he could come up to the NYC class to workout. The student in his 50's made it through the class - I keep on asking if he was OK several times during the class - he said he was - however, pride kicked in and he did not want to show the others that he could'nt make it. I finally told him to take 5 and he did. There are so many variables involved - the age of the person - physical conditioning - experience of the person - health issues......Sometimes it's not the hour's that one puts in - its the quality of what one does in that hour.

sensei8 says "It's heart!! No heart, then there's no MAist." I would also add using your BRAIN(S) - avoiding getting into confrontations - that one can avoid. Knowing when to walk away.

Going on memory- Wado Karate was founded in the 1930's by H. Otsuka - Combining Ju-Jitsu and G. Funakoshi's Karate based on Shuri-te (Shorin-ryu - Shotokan ). Chito-ryu Karate was founded after WW2 by T. Chitose combining Shuri-te ( Shorin-ryu ) and Naha-te ( Goju-Ryu ) that he studied in Okinawa. When Chitose arrived on the mainland ( Japan ) some say he also received instruction from G. Funakoshi. Do a Googles search - to get a lot more details of the History - Katas - ........ And like Sensei8 say's visit the schools and speak to the teacher's. Good Luck.

While I don't admirer him more than other Martial Artist - Bruce Lee is the reason I got into MA's - via the Green Hornet Series in 1966. So Bruce Lee was a big influence. Sensei8 say " Looking back over your own MA journey, you can easily see there's one MAist that rises above any other MAist in your eyes ". I would have to put 4 individuals in that category - My Jook Lum Southern Praying Mantis Teacher(s) - My Kali Teacher - and my Chinese Medicine Teacher ( I don't study Kung Fu under him but have touched his hands ). This is based on my touching hands with them not just looking at someone Demo or watching someone's class.

One is never too old - there are people in wheelchairs doing martial Arts. One of my students started Judo at age 50 - just got his Brown Belt. A few years back I read where a 37 year old was telling a friend that if he went to college he would be 41 years old when he graduated - so why go to college. His friend's reply was that he would be 41 years old if he went or did not go to College.

In the old days -Karate sparring consisted of groin cups and a very few had mouth pieces and that was it - a far cry from Boxing where every one had a mouth piece - head gear - groin protector -and gloves. But in Karate blows were suppose to be pulled - however things always got out of hand - and injuries were very common. In today's world safety is a big concern for me. Many of my students are in their 40's - 50's - 60's and even though they have many years of Martial Arts experience in other arts - they not only bring the experience - but the many injuries. When drilling lets say low kick against low kick I use leg guards. My goal is to let my students take the Kung Fu that I teach them into their old age. That's why a few years back I got heavily involved in the study of Chinese Medicine.

Congratulations

My 3 cents - I basically did 1 style for many many years ( Hakka Praying Mantis ) - I dabbled in Chinese Wrestling with a very good friend - but at my age and not making grappling my main focus - I'm not going to out grapple - a MMA-BJJ-Wrestler -or Judo expert. I've also learned kali with a very good friend - I was looking for the best way to deal with a knife attack - what I found out - a person with a knife - me without a weapon - not good for me. But the Kali training does make one aware of certain things. I'm primarily a striker - If a student is looking for something else - I have no problem referring them to someone else. One of my students is 29 years old with about 15 years MA experience - a brown belt in BJJ - Black belt in karate - Boxing ......he also trains in MMA and competes - He was referred to me - I did not think he was going to last - In the year and a half he's been with me he's missed only 2 classes - It made me proud when about a couple of months ago he came to class and informed me that he was giving fits to the sparring partners at the Gym he trains at because of my training. He was able to empty his cup to learn and give it a try. No one style can cover all the basis.

Go to Googles and type in ( JKA/Shotokan Karate grading syllabus ) You will get plenty of info. Also remember things change - many color belts have been added - compared to the ranking system of years past. Also today there are different organizations teaching Shotokan Karate - with different color belts and what kyu represents what belt. Hope I kinda helped. And also on this forum there are Shotokan stylist that can help you. Good Luck

SOLID POSTS - by everyone. IMO Forms/Sets/Kata - while applications are important - the break downs etc.....The forms should also teach and develop certain attributes - The 1st form taught in the style of praying mantis that I teach is called Som Bui Jian - This Set teaches 3 basic concepts 1st- The Body Structure 2nd - The Power(s)/Energy 3rd - The Breath. The next step in the process is to take apart the set - each motion 1 by 1. The next step is a step by step developmental until the breakdowns/motions of the set/form are pressure tested - at the advanced level. That means the blows should be at hitting range not an inch or 2 inches off the target - extreme caution must be exhibited in this faze of the training - a trust between the students must exist. At the last second if someone makes a mistake - like missing the blow - the partner should be able to make a quick adjustment - especially if its a head blow. My teacher looked at it like a 12 inch ruler - zero is the very beginning - 12 is a real fight. Student's progress up the ruler 1 inch then 2 inches and so on - you try to get as close to the 12 inches as possible without badly hurting each other. So far no one's been badly hurt in training

Never had a problem sleeping after late night of training - Years ago I would go to my training partner's place of work (He had the 4pm - midnight shift ) we trained from 10pm to sometimes after midnight. we were both single at the time (LOL). I would go home and hit the sack - no problem sleeping - but that's me.

My 3 cents worth - creating your own style - its a personnel thing IMHO. Assuming that one understands what they are doing in the 1st place ( understanding the current style ) - go for it and good luck. The ranking issue can be a tricky thing - My Goju teacher left the parent organization and started USA Goju - and promoted himself to 10th Dan circa 1967 at age 33/34. While I respected the man for being my teacher and at 14 years old all I knew that he was a 10th Dan - WOW! I Don't agree that anyone at 33/34 years old should hold the rank of 10th Dan. Look I've seen a 20 year old start his own style and promote himself to 10th Dan. I'm not against promoting oneself - I'm against 7 year old Black Belts...30 year old 10th Dan's. Anyway - It's my opinion. The important thing is to pass on your knowledge and experience to your students. Many things have been said about my Goju Teacher some good some bad - However, the man imparted knowledge to me that I still carry with me today - and it went beyond pure technique or learning Kata- Peter Urban was one of a kind. Anyhow whatever you decide - Good Luck.

Thanks for the link - DWx. I've made some DIY training equipment - but nothing to write home about. My Chinese Medicine Teacher - who also teaches Kung - Fu to a select few - just finished building a wooden dummy ( not Wing Chun ) with springs in the arms taken from a car's shocks. The spring action in the arms of the dummy is unbelievable. One of the student's was drinking coffee and was sort of nonchalant hitting the arms - when the arms from the shocks shot up hitting the hand holding the coffee - needless to say the cup goes flying - the look on his face was priceless ( LOL ). My Chinese Medicine Teacher is very handy - at DIY. - He's built a number of different training equipment. But I want that Dummy .