Kusotare

Indeed! As we have all learnt from this thread it's about making your Kiai "startling"! How you do that is down to you! Chucking ones keys in the face of the opponent is as good as any, but in a karate dojo we assume empty hands of course! K.

Strictly speaking, your rank is only relevant within the association that awarded it. JKA, KUGB and ISKF are all automonous groups that run independantly from each other. The only thing they have in common is the style of Karate they practice (or at least the name anyway). There is no over-arching National Governing Body for Karate in the UK. Karate associations in this respect are private groups that award rank and can, if they choose, recognise ranks from outside as well. K.

Not really! Why Iowa btw? K.

Have you trained outside of the US?

Not really! You are either a member of a koryu - or you are not. If you "dabble" in it, you can say that you have knowledge of techniques that belong to a koryu - but that doesn't mean you "do" koryu or have any great understanding of its raison detre. K.

Seems to be, but that could be because (unless I'm mistaken) you have never trained in, or been a member of a Koryu!? K.

I do, but again we never studied any system exclusively so it really doesn't matter. The reason I ask is because I’m interested in how you got it to work. A Koryu system is the sum of its constituent parts. Take techniques / kata out of any said system and they most likely become useless (or at least less useful). Practicing kata out of the context of the system may look and feel very nice to do, but unless you know how to connect the dots it’s a pretty empty experience. That’s why I was interested in the systems from which you say you have knowledge of kata and how you linked them up to the bigger picture of your training. K.

Do you know the names of the systems you studied or do you mean that you learnt some techniques/kata from certain systems? It's interesting that you use the word system, because in the case of many Koryu Bujutsu they are exactly that! They are a system of education (ie teaching key principles that allow us to fight efficiently)- not just a bunch of fighting techniques. In essence, many of the kata practiced are done so for educational purposes rather than for immediate combative application. This goes even further when we talk about sogo bujutsu ryu-ha as these systems are designed to pass on shared core principles in both the armed and unarmed section of their syllabus. Gendai Iaido however has a different raison d’être of course. Credit to him, that’s a refreshing change. K.

Did you study with a ZNKR group? I think "Mae" is the first of their 12 Seitei-gata. Have you studied any older systems? K.

Ahh Mr Spantons group. Solid Karate Do you know John fro the Luton dojo (sorry I cant remember his surname he'll be about 5th dan by now I think). K

Actually it is Fortification of the body is a happy by-product of verbal exhalation; however the primary purpose of "Kiai" is to gain advantage over an opponent by startling them and breaking their concentration / composure thus creating a weakness / opening (suki). Also, Kiai's do not need to be oral... K.

Which koryu arts do your kata come from, if I may ask? It's a little incorrect to use the term "Koryu" in this respect as, strictly speaking, there is no such thing as a Koryu Karate Ryu-ha. IMO it’s also a little misleading to refer to forms as being pre or post Meiji kata. Leaving the pinan kata to one side - virtually all Kata practiced in “traditional” gendai karate dojo have their origins back to the Edo period or earlier. K.

A rose by any other name... Here in Europe, the location where some products are made gives rise to their name and is protected by EU law: Champaign Cornish Pasties Melton Mowbray Pork Pies Is karate the same, personally, I think so. K.

Kagi (pobably) - in this respect means "hook"!? As far as the suit is concerned , take your pick. gi, karate-gi, do-gi, keiko-gi, Or any combination of the above eg: Karate-do Keikogi K.

Sorry to be pedantic Harkon, but its "Waza-ari" (and pronounced as such) not "Wazari". I wouldn't normally mention it, but if you lost on that question, you could have had them on a technicality! K.

Cave men! If however you are talking about systemised martial arts, I suggest you look up the likes of Donn Draeger and get some books on Hoplology! k.

I advise my students bring a note book along to Keiko. I still take a note book along to every training session I have and make sure I write down the important points covered. k

Start with a club that will teach you good basics.

Happy to buy him/her a beer, but that's about it! K.

Is this not just as disrespectful to Martial Arts not of the eastern traditions? I feel it is' date=' and it sells short the legitimacy of these styles trained in a sporting and competition venue. [/quote'] You're being too sensitive bushido_man It's not my intension to disrespect martial arts NOT of eastern origin - or those born out of the sporting arena - far from it! My point was simply that the origins of martial traditions of yesteryear (and as a result their descendants today) were, more often than not, fuelled by religious or imperial belief! Whether you were a sengoku period samurai or a medieval knight on a crusade - your belief in your god(s) / faith (and thus your divine right to win) was all powerful. K.

OK, ignorant Englishman here, but what does an "association" mean in this respect? Is it some sort of gated community? K.

I'd ask a few more questions first. Like others; I'm not interested in money, but my time is precious (and I owe it to my students who want to learn). When it comes to teaching someone that I don't know Swordwork!! ... That's never going tp happen - I value my life too much! K.

This has been discussed here many times, but TMA and self defence aren't always mutual bed-partners. Most gendai martial arts are designed to reflect the qualities of Budo rather than self protection. These are not dirty words! - It's the truth. The best way to learn self defence is go to self defence classes. IMO, as long as instructors are upfront and honest about this the rewards from learning a quality tradition far outstrip the need to be able to fight. The problem I think you are alluding to is that most TMA instructors out there are falsely selling what they do (probably because they are deluded themselves), and I agree with you - that's poor! K.

I hope you don't mind me saying, but you seem obsessed with fighting!? K

The "raison detre" for MMA and TMA are, in most cases , completely different. This is a fairly lengthy documentary about Okinawan Karate, but well worth watching to understand the true purpose of training in such traditions. K.