GojuRyu Bahrain

I've been teaching Goju Ryu Karate for free for about 10 years now. Jubilee is coming up this summer!! Initially I suggested a 1 dinar voluntary donation per class (2.6 USD) but that didn't last very long as I realized I'm doing it for fun anyways. Echoing what others have written: Despite (or because) of the lack of cost we have remained a tiny group, a handful of people at a time. For that reason, and because Goju Ryu is mostly close quarter fighting, space was not a real issue. Training venues: It started out with my second living room - about 4 x 6 m; a second living room seems to be an Arabic gulf architecture thing that came in handy... Later we moved into a different compound and I crept my sessions into the compound's squash court, which was rarely used. Over the years I added puzzle mats, boxing bag, and two lockers for training tools. By now I've firmly established 3 days to leave the mats out, then move them all away again, all 63 square meter of mats... good exercise. For any extra training session we set up and clear the court/dojo each time. Finally: Why do I offer free training? Love and simplicity! 1) I'm doing it for myself: I love Karate, and teaching is just another level of learning. 2) This way I don't have to bother with the headache of a commercial license here. 3) I'm not committed to any curriculum / schedule / customer needs. Any idea can and will be explored. This is not limited to my ideas, btw. 4) Instead of a traditional class framework it is more a room for exchange and experimentation, and somewhat regularly friends visit and we cross train. This has entailed some drift in the art we practice, recently a lot of Muay Thai elements and a lot more full contact (gloves helmets shinpads)...

In our federation there seems to be less focus on the belt (the physical object wrapped around the waist). Of course there are those who value rank etc.., but belts are not handed down into the next generation, to my knowledge. Color belts are often handed over to the next student, but this is also not a strict system. For myself, I prefer a cotton belt (embroidered with style and my name), as opposed to the silk belts that rapidly age to get white edges. Even the cotton belts eventually wear out and fall apart. I am currently transitioning to my third one; the current one is notably thinning at the knot, so that i already bought its successor The belt remnants will be unceremoniously dumped, I guess. In my dojo, we are less traditional and many train in shorts and t-shirt, so that there is even less emphasis on belts. If we had a ceremonial belt (I mean me having one as the current CI), I guess I would hand it to the next CI after me.

The frequency of x-step sparring is probably related to industrial-scale karate factory vs. backyard/garage/(in my case squash court) group

interesting topic! Having done such drills for about 15-20 years (not anymore in the last 10 years, though, since I teach my own group), I can see some merit in them. X-step sparring is definitely not dealing with practical techniques for realistic situations, because mostly: the distance is wrong (much too far away), the strategy is wrong (linear retreat), the setup is wrong (starting from a 'caricature' Karate stance), and the techniques are wrong (I stopped subscribing to these "blocks" as shown in Wastelander's linked video long ago - they do not work). No - the benefit of x-step sparring, as I see it, is to allow practicing with spirit (with intent) behind the attacks and counters in a manner that is safe to do even in larger groups and with unfamiliar partners. A large crowd at a gashuku, unfamiliar partners, 3 step drill at full blast = no problem. The same intensity can also be achieved from realistic set-ups, with more functional techniques, closer distance, and most importantly better strategy, but only in smaller groups (like mine )

Maybe its time to look at our art skeptically for once? Ask ourselves: If Karate, especially the clinically clean 3K Karate and the sports kumite under full contact pressure consistently degrades into a form of kickboxing...even when done by the best athletes it degrades into wild swinging punches (like the fighters in the video)? could the simple reason be that maybe, just maybe, this form of Karate... is not practical? Not to be mistaken here: I believe Karate to be greatly effective in a self defenses situation, and consequently my Karate classes are based on a pragmatic self defense approach; I put great care and emphasize to include as much pressure testing of any technique/anything we train. For this reason I like clinch work (Kata-based), because it can be trained with a resisting partner with some (if not full) intensity. Of course there is much less classical Kihon line-work.... There is no softer way of putting this (and after nearly 3 decades of Karate training I type this slowly and thoughtfully here): If Karate is simply not that suitable for fighting purposes, then what's the purpose of continuing endless drilling of straight Zukis into air or even makiwara, what is the purpose of solo Katas without testing against a resisting partner?

Wouldn't that be more of "Mushimi" principle, i.e., stickiness? I'd use Hikite deliberately (and differently from the stickiness that you describe) to secure an opponents limb (arm) to my torso and get it locked tight onto my body, which allows to apply the maximum amount of force (e.g., for most throws or breaks).

Seinsei8 wrote it how it is. Nothing to add. I was told from early on that "no hand comes back empty."

PS> A good rule of thumb to see if a Dojo is serious (in regards to self defense): they do some clinch work and stand-up grappling, and integrate that into the analysis of Kata.

How usable is Shotokan Karate in "the streets"? That depends on how one trains! I voted "no" because in my experience most Shotokan Dojos train far, far away from reality.. No pressure testing, unrealistic distancing, no understanding of the strategies/principles contained in the Kata and - worst of all - no interest in making it actually work. Dojos and Senseis that train self-defense ready Shotokan are rare. On the other hand: the material would be great for self defense: Shotokan Kata are full of highly relevant material. Shuto Uke drills as limb control, Capitalizing on flinch reations to shift into advantageous positions....take, for example Kanku Dai the way Iain Abernethy shows it. Brilliant applications, excellent use of natural flinch reflex - integrating it into practical applications, live drills with limb & distance control, seizing the initiative, followed by rapid & effective finishing techniques etc.. But, unfortunately, that is not what the vast majority of Shotokan Dojos (that I know of) train.

Sesan, Sepai, Seyunchin, Kanku Dai, and Sanchin... As Goju Ryu is clearly my preferred style I am a bit surprised that Kanku Dai made it on my list, but I feel it does add a lot to my Karate. Few years back the list would have been different, but Sesan remains my favorite form since I first learned it..

regarding the bold highlighted: Seisan, Sesan, Seishan, Hangetsu are variations of the same kata. As far as I know this Kata was practiced in all early 1900s Okinawan styles, from Shuri-Te to Naha-te. I don't know when Seishan entered the Shuri-te/Shorin-ryu/Shotokan line but read somewhere that Matsumura already taught it. Looking at the significant differences between the Shuri-Te and Naha-Te versions it seems to have been introduced to Okinawan Karate quite a few generations earlier. From this it seems obvious that all Okinawan styles had some cross-fertilization and/or common sources (south China).

Hi David, In Goju Ryu (I assume you practice Goju Ryu based on your reference to Higaonna) we do most definitely not fully extend the arm. As Sensei8 wrote, this will damage your elbow joint, if not on the first punch then on the ten-thousandth for sure.. Briefly (because there is a lot more to consider than can be covered in one post), the Goju Ryu seiken zuki should be performed with a locked shoulder and the elbow facing down (as much as possible). The target is being hit with the first two knuckles (index and middle finger knuckles). Proper alignment of the extended arm is achieved by imagining a straight line from 1- these knuckles through 2- the center of your wrist through 3- the center of your elbow to 4- the center of your shoulder joint. Having the elbow facing down, instead of facing to the side, should make hyper-extension of the elbow nearly impossible, and builds a solid defensive structure that protects the weak sides of the torso as well as your elbows (from breaking through counters as well as from self inflicted injury). Chris Wilders Book "The way of Sanchin Kata" covers the topic in fabulous detail. Execution of the punch is done in such a manner that the knuckles penetrate through the target; about an inch is budgeted in the striking range - hence the distance is relatively short compared to, say, a Shotokan Zuki. Hope this helps.

Still no update on this throw (see your previous post)... I have come across the scissors takedown occasionally in training but not as part of my Yuishinkan Goju Ryu lineage (which is related to Goju Kai). https://www.karateforums.com/leg-throw-takedowns-in-goju-kai-vt50504.html?highlight=scissors

at the beginning of part 2 of the video a text shows that the Japan Karate Association (JKA) produced the video(s). As far as I know the JKA is exclusively representative for Shotokan Karate, and they are not known to be modest.... So its no surprise that the video doesn't distinguish the nuances between Karate and Shotokan... As to Shortyafters comment; there are a number of styles with very different Katas, mechanisms for power generation, training methods, principle strategies etc.. Tthese differences are so fundamental that the comparison to dialects of the same language is really stretched to the breaking point, in my opinion..

I have no personal experience of defending myself in a life and death situation, but a lot of the material on self defense points to realistic scenario drills coupled with awareness and avoidance training are the best preparation for self defense. Scenarios should mimic situations like: one on one, two on one, protecting innocents, non-Dojo terrain.. and include realistic attacks including grabs, holds, pushing, being pinned to the ground etc.. The objective in a self defense situation is to prevent harm and get away, not to win. (I strongly recommend books, videos, blogs, courses etc.. from Iain Abernathy, Lawrence Kane, Kris Wilder) Sparing is still great for many other objectives and skill development and fun, but I'd clearly distinguish self defense training from fighting.