Kusotare

The word "Ryu" (as in Wado-ryu, Goju-ryu or Shotokan-ryu) is a very interesting one here. Of course it means school, but that in itself is not the full picture. Importantly (from a martial perspective), more completely it means stream or flow - referring to the natural transmission (or connectivity from teacher to student) of a said "tradition". The word "kan" (in your case ShindoKAN) of course means house or hall, so again, perhaps comes with a certain degree of "keeping stuff under one roof". Perhaps not surprising therefore that outsiders and things that may serve to disturb the flow of transmission are met with suspicion? K.

Erm not really! that's a very out dated way of thinking. Out of courtesy you can mention it to your instructor that you intend training at another school, but he shouldn't stop you , and you shouldn't think it rude and unethical - it isn't! You are a consumer in this respect. I'm from your neck of the woods. If you want PM me and I can put you in touch with some excellent Wado schools. Possibly, but go with your gut here I would suggest.K.

Doesn't the fact that you have "your" bunkai (as opposed to the goju's school round the block) - make what you do a set piece? K

I'd second what Mark has said. I've never been keen on the "reverse engineering" approach of Bunkai. The pedagogy of kata is far deeper than that. Stratagems and principles of movement are far more valuable than trying to "shoe-horn" a jujtsu technique into a movement - just because it "could" work. K.

There is also the matter of "Kuden" or oral/hidden teachings. Many traditional martial arts have these and they turn perception into reality. Often, these are just tweaks and are only taught when the sensei is satisfied that the student has put in the ground work -and that can be after years of training. There also needs to be a huge degree of trust as Kuden teachings can turn a mediocre technique into a deadly one. Then there is the fact of life that some techniques just aren't for you. But it's important to train them anyway - particularly if you are called upon transmit your tradition. K.

I'm just glad I don't do Ballet. I've never been able to master the French language! lol http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_ballet

I'll PM you so as not to de-rail the thread.

I'd have bet my house on that being your response. ... and not just because you used the spelling "ohyo" in previous posts! K.

Hi Mark, Apologies if the question has become tiresome. I'm aware of the history of Karate - and it's naming as such, but presumably you started your training in a "modern" karate style? I ask this because I have seen your situation a lot recently (particularly in the UK) and I have a theory behind it. By all means PM me if there are details you would rather not share. K.

Hi Mark B, What version of Naihanchi and Seisan do you practice (as in what Karate style). K.

Well Aikido's ancestors are in there too - The guys wrestling in armour are from the Takenouchi-ryu which, is basically one of the progenitive art to all of the above. That's an interesting observation. I'm very sure these guys were acutely aware of their "positional control" - simply because their lives depended upon it. Embu is never a great way to judge such things, and also - when it comes to positional control, remember these guys were performing kata - often incorporating "kogusoku" or grappling with weapons which - by definition requires a shift perhaps in ma-ai and thus positioning. These guys were no slouches - they couldn't be if they wanted to stay alive. K.

If you lived in the Sengoku period od Japan, your reasons for learning martial ways had a somewhat different focus. If however (like most) we study Gendai Budo then I think the Kendo -Kun is a pretty good explanation as to why... "To mold the mind and body. To cultivate a vigorous spirit, And through correct and rigid training, To strive for improvement in the art of Kendo. To hold in esteem human courtesy and honor. To associate with others with sincerity. And to forever pursue the cultivation of oneself. Thus will one be able:To love ones country and society. To contribute to the development of culture And to promote peace and prosperity among all peoples." K.

Just thought I'd share this... All Judo / Jujutsu / BJJ - disseminate from the schools represented here. Of course in embu only the tip of the iceberg is shown (because most of it is hidden teachings) - but as a History buff and a Budo-ka - I love this... Nothing is new... K.

I see you study Wado-ryu here in he UK RAM18. Wado has a problem in this respect... 1. On the surface, the typical Wado-ryu school's syllabus is more than likely quite brief in terms of number of techniques. That makes it fairly easy to get to Dan grade (there's not a huge amount of mental weight lifting involved!). Truth is, to progress further in Wado - the devil is in the detail and you need to be taught how to utilise the core principles that present themselves - as apparatus! This can only be done under the watchful eye of a truly knowledgeable instructor - however said experienced instructors are about as rare as the droppings of a rocking horse (the world over). 2. As a result of Number 1, there are a number of very well meaning instructors who got to Dan grades in the 70's 80's and 90's here in the UK and then decided they knew enough to open their own schools and associations - most of which augmented their reasoning behind "sport / free style kumite". Whilst this approach will get the next generation of Wado-ka up to Dan grade - they will be faced with the same dilemma when their instructor's teachings comes to the end of the road. Unfortunately, this is Wado's self fulfilling prophesy, as it will only happen again and again. K.

Actually, the swimmers did not wear belts (they were designated Aka (red) and Shiro (white) - displayed on the caps they wore. For the initial belt ranking system Kano looked to the Chinese board game of "go" which had Mudansha (kyu grades) and Yudansha (Dan grades) to designate a players skill and official ranking. The full rainbow of coloured belts were introduced by Koizumi sensei in Europe in the middle of the last century. Regarding grades - at instructor level, as others have alluded to - heritage and length of time within the art are far more important. That said, to a person looking to join a club (with very little knowledge of what they are looking for) - an instructors qualifications are one of the few things one can latch on to. K.

Very well done on reaching this milestone. Prior to his death, at the age 89 - Otsuka sensei is noted to say that he just about figured out Junzuki!!! There is only training... and the journey is never over...

I don't know? I've been a martial artists and a Karate-ka for 30 years and my hands / knuckles are completely un-marked. To the OP's question though, I don't think it is easy to recognise another practitioner, first, because martial arts is such a broad church and secondly, if they are like me, most decent martial artists would rather not display that trait. K.

This is Shu-Ha-Ri. K.

These guys are right. Although I am sure Sensei8 means "controlled aggression" Aggression by itself is too emotional, therefore as martial artists we need to be on top of it. The Japanese have an expression called "sente" which means to have the initiative. In true budo - if you do not think of yourself as the winner before you engage in conflict, you have already lost. K.

Thanks for the reply Wado Heretic. First, I think it sounds like you take your training and understanding (in terms of pedagogy) very seriously. Many don’t these days. I'll be honest - I'm not a great lover of the ideal that Wado is “so vast” that in order to study it properly - you shouldn't have time to study anything else! That's just not my bag so I guess I'm a bit of a heretic also That said, my journey has taken me along a slightly different path (namely Koryu-bujutsu) to perhaps a different conclusion. Traditional Japanese Jujutsu is a strange kettle of fish and is quite a different animal to the gendai jujutsu that is practiced today. Forgive me for cutting this short (as I am off out), but Tim Shaw writes about it very well here: http://www.wadoryu.org.uk/jujutsu.html I'm sure you have read this before, but as a member of a Koryu, I can confirm that his conclusions are pretty much bang on the money. K.

Interesting, what do you feel is the "actual truth"? K.

To my way of thinking, the DNA of a ryu-ha is more to do with its core principles and stratagems than a list of techniques (and where they came from). Even within koryu, there are often many "branches" within traditions that have different exercises and methods etc, but most importantly the underlying principles transmitted through the process kata (both solo and formal partner work)remain intact. That said, whilst I'm no expert in Shorin-ryu, I have a few years under my obi when it comes to Wado and I would be interested to see how you "augment" your Shorin-ryu with your Wado experience. The Okinawan karate being but a “pinch of salt to Wado” quote coming to mind. K

The Zenith of Wado kata is Chinto. It is the natural progression on from Seishan and completes the circle. I understand that Otsuka certainly pared down the amount of Kata he taught toward the end of his teachings, but I've not heard anything about him putting Seishan to the top of the plie. Chances are - if he didn't teach it that frequently, it was simply because he thought it was beyond most peoples ability to grasp. This jouney and the understanding of Chinto is key to understanding the wokings of Wado-ryu's Kihon Kumite also. K.

Why do you have a live Tanto blade? K.

When I'm not wearing a Keiko-gi, one of my favourite pastimes is archery. I target shoot with an Olympic style recurve bow with stabilisers and a sight - but I still think this is a martial art. In the same way as folk that study Iaido. Little or no "combative" function in today’s world but still very much a martial way. K