Kusotare

Do you think this could be part of your test? Maybe your sensei is testing your humility? If he thinks that you have "assumed" you are good enough, he might consider making you wait a little. Either that or thats just the way he does it in his group. He may decide to award you it at the start of your next keiko. K.

Hello, For those on here interested in serious, in depth research into Japanese martial arts, a new book has just been published by Dr David Hall. "The Encyclopedia of Japanese Martial Arts". Not cheap, but very good. http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Japanese-Martial-Arts-David/dp/1568364105 K.

Spot on and... Very true. K.

It was Mikonosuke Kawaishi who is often (mistakenly) credited with introducing the coloured belt system in Paris in 1935. Koizumi was credited as doing so (in london) as early as 1926, some 9 years before Kawaishi had even arrived in France. Koizumi was featured in a BBC 4 documentary "Everybody Was Kung fu fighting" and in it they confirm these facts. As for the reasoning behind the colours - I don't know. Thanks K

Kyu and Dan grades (Mudansha and Yudansha) were developed for the Japanese board game "go" in the 17th century and, whilst it's true to say that Kano adopted a similar hierarchy for judo, in fact it is a myth that Kano invented the coloured kyu belt system! Those were developed at the London Budokwai by its Judo sensei and founder Gunji Koizumi (circa 1927) and later adopted by the Japanese and subsequently other gendai (Modern) martial systems. Hope that helps with your research. K.

In the UK at least, most public liability insurers will NOT cover instructors who are under the age of 21. This includes assistant instructors so, for us, 12 year old kids teaching (even if supervised) is a big no no! K.

It means it's open to competitors outside your group. It doesn't mean it's a free for all so no, as an orange belt, it's highly unlikely you will be fighting dan grades. If it's a Wado open, it means you could be competing against other Wado groups. If it's a karate open you could be competing against other styles. K.

Having trophies and medals doesn't mean that someone has the skills and ability to transmit a tradition accurately. Assuming your friend knows his stuff (and that's the tricky part)...I'd say you are in great position - learning one on one! Don't knock it and try to internalise as much as possible. K.

I'm not a Goju guy, but this is true in most Dojo imo. In my Koryu dojo we have Suburi (which is practice cutting (often with tanren-bo)), but it doesn't dominate the class. It's something we cover in class but in the most part it is to teach you how to do it (in your own time) outside the Dojo. K.

Not seeking contention, but what makes you think that what your sensei put you under qualifies as pressure testing? There are guys on this board that, as a result of their jobs, require an acute understanding of such things. In the most part, I'll bet that they pay homage to traditional ma, but they left it behind a fair while ago... They had to - because their lives depended on it. If you are really serious about PURELY self defence read these.... http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/self-defenseexplained.htm I could also post some RBSD vids, but the language used in them is so profane and disgusting, that decorum prevents me from mentioning it here. K.

To get better.

Also..., the "self defence" thing is always a bit of an emotive subject. Sure, it gets people into the dojo - but I'd lay a pound to a penny that 99% of dojo around the world today do NOT teach very good self defence (even if they think they do)! But fact is, we all become a bit institutionalised about these things as, your instructor was probably told by his instructor that what the group does is good self defence (of course it is its Karate!!) . That in itself doesn't make it so imo. But, that doesn't mean it’s a rubbish martial art - as the pole suggests, the "other" reasons outside of SD are more important to most people anyway. I just think it falls upon school owners to be a little more brave and honest when it comes to their advertising. If you run a good Karate school, Aikido school or Jujutsu school, be very proud it’s a good school. Don’t measure that against its ACTUAL self defence capacity – because it's probably rubbish. K.

Hi, The most recent book on Wado is here: http://webshop.ishikawa-karate.com It is called "wado no michi" AJ I know the author personally. He is a great guy with a lot of Wado knowledge K.

"Ko" in this respect means Old. It is reference to an old martial art. As previously identified in this thread, the term has two general meaning these days. Probably the Kobudo you are referring to is in terms of Okinawan weapon training. The other Kobudo is realised through training in one of the Koryu (lit old schools) of clasical Japanese martial arts. Regarding the latter, this clip makes it easier to understand. K.

At best, long swords were what you could describe as chisel sharp. Difference being of course that uchigatana only have a sharp edge along one side. K.

That depends. If your grades are registered with a national / international groups (JKA, WKF, JKF etc.), your name is written down in a big book! Short of receiving "Hamon" (as Chunmonchek points out) - your grade would never be expunged. K.

But in such a fun package? I take your point, but isn't there far more expeditious ways to defend yourself as well? Interesting to see PS1's categorisation, as I would say the pursuit of learning a martial art is in fact, all of them (at some stage or another). When you look at the headline results, it says that Self Defence wins (40% at the time of writing), but the other categories combined have the majority vote. In the majority of cases, it's a combination of these categories that will probably keep you alive longer. I’d say on balance that was probably about right. K.

Mugai-ryu isn't known for its Jujutsu as far as I am aware. It's a sword ryu. Are you referring to the Jujutsu that you perhaps do with the Shindokai Jujutsu group? I'm not familair with the group. K.

There are numerous techniques in Japanese Kenjutsu where the blade is managed/augmented by the left hand. K.

I think it depends on your personal views but I myself would say I have a degree in physics but I'm no longer a physicist. How can you be when you've not kept yourself up-to-date and your knowledge and skills current? In our dojang we've never had a situation where someone who was training was slacking for an extended period of time but when someone stops training completely, we call them and "inactive" blackbelts until they start training again and work their skill level back up. I think that's fair comment and in the real world of work, qualifications have to be updated regularly if you are stay up to speed with your career requirements. However, the obtaining of a qualification at University for example is more than just a measure of someone’s expertise in a particular field. More importantly, it demonstrates a person's capacity. As Masterpain points out, we all have our "shelf-life" when it comes to athletic ability and perhaps this is where we come to the fork in the road when it comes to comparing sports (like boxing) to Budo!? K.

I wish you well, but more importantly, I hope you take something away from the experience and improve as a result. That's worth far more than 1st, 2nd or any place for that matter. k.

Did you receive Mokuroku from your instructor? Mokuroku is essentially a list of techniques according to grade/ability. K.

Interesting subject. There are 3 pillars to combative success imo, and the understanding of how to maximise the correct biomechanical use of your body is just one of them. That part, we continually polish and hone through the practice of ongoing kihon (basics), but on its own, it is not enough (from a combative point of view anyway). K.

You can't take a qualification away from someone who genuinely earned it. In academia, if someone earns a degree in physics but ends up in a career that has nothing to do with it, that doesn't mean it negates their qualification! K.

Spot on imo