Nidan Melbourne

We allow all our students to cross train in any style of martial art. To us it would be too restrictive on a persons growth, and rather controlling of us to go "No you must only train with us". We have a few people that do cross train either in multiple styles of Karate or other MA, and they have always been open to sharing that knowledge with us if we didn't already do it or know it.

Congrats all!

congrats on the promotion!!! I was supposed to grade for my Sandan this year, but COVID wrecked those plans haha

We haven't lowered our standards due to covid, as people have continued to train in the modified format via zoom throughout the year. Providing individualised feedback has been near impossible due to it though. So we had set our expectations of classes to be lower, as we expect students to have moved backwards throughout the year. but not to the extent that some haven't actually improved. We have also been teaching in person for the last couple of weeks, as our restrictions have been progressively been easing over the last month. As of yesterday we have had 28 Days of 0 new infections and 0 active cases in my state. Our students also are aware that they can't expect to be tested in grade or for a belt promotion for the foreseeable future, until the standards have been met. and they all understand, and are working hard to meet our standards for even remotely being able to test in-grade. the hardest and most problematic has been the no-contact rule. as it rules out so much of what we do in Martial Arts.

We have no formal governing body for my club with the exception of the Australian Karate Federation and Karate Victoria. They pretty much are just there for the support of clubs and tournaments. But don't dictate anything for clubs in regards to grades, curriculum etc. But we have 10 Dan Grades at my club. But my Chief Instructor hasn't set any formal requirements for past 5th Dan as of yet. As he himself is a 5th Dan.

I wouldn't be surprised if it is to keep the pace up and not take all day. When I was at my State Championships a couple of years ago competing, we had 30 odd people in my division and took close to 4 hours to finish.

I know there have been some online Kata competitions going on during the pandemic. But as far as I know, there have been none here in Melbourne (Australia).

Personally I can see why people see it as obsolete. But it does allow you to train in a way that doesn’t mean you have to replace clothing every week. Belts are only really useful to help split classes up into groupings.

At my club your a Sempai in any way possible as an instructor or student. In our adults classes, when all grades are working together, we will partner advanced students with beginners. And rotate around so beginners to work with others and the advanced get to work on it too

Thanks for sharing Sensei8! For Godan and above gradings, how do they work when they cross several days? We generally only work ours on a weekend, and only have our seniors kyu gradings during the week. Which sits nicely into our timetable. I don't know too much about the SKKA unfortunately, so I am in the dark about what your curriculum comprises of and say how many kata that are required or bunkai. Our Kyu Gradings are held in around the same time frame as yours, albeit we are on a much smaller scale in comparison to yours. As we have approximately 350 students across two sites.

With the whole coronavirus pandemic going around, it me thinking about how gradings are done and how their formatted. At my club, along with my old one; we held two different types of grading: Kyu Gradings and Dan Gradings. With these being separate for Adults and Juniors. Our Kyu Gradings (Adults + Juniors) are 2 hours long, and Dan Gradings going for a minimum of 4 hours. Our Kyu Gradings; you will undertake each of the sections that they were tested on in-grade, with more senior students having more to do in comparison to the newer students. Often these gradings take longer than what was intended, which I am negotiating with my CI to make it a 3 hour grading to give it more time. All promotions are done the following classes when the student attends next. Dan Gradings are open to students of 3rd Kyu and above; and is at least 4 hours in duration. The longest i've been part of as either an instructor or participant has been 6.5-7 Hours. Students wishing to be promoted to any dan grade has to meet their requirements. Students not attempting for a dan grading will have more breaks than other students. Out of curiosity, how does your club or organisation do all gradings and how are they formatted?

Like Wastelander has said that it comes with the territory that you will follow the Shuhari Principles. For me as a beginner you should follow the process of learning the techniques, kata etc and allow it to become natural. After I was promoted to Shodan-Ho, I didn't feel like anything was natural in itself. Only when I got promoted to Shodan, where I realised that what I was doing was natural and that I could relax. Which seems that the expression of my karate changed and improved. But when it comes to teaching, I do verbalise to my students that there is always going to be a difference in how everyone does it due to their own physical, psychological and spiritual progress.

I practice Sanchin Kata regularly, as it brings a level of focus back into my training. But also it reminds me to actively engage my body throughout my training. Even when I practice my kihon, it is furthered more as I practice the kata.

Being a Goju-Kai Practitioner, i'd say it is definitely Sanchin and Tensho that represent the style. But out of curiosity, the kata you are working on; is it one of your own creation or one that your particular has in its curriculum?

In many of our dojos, we will have instructors that will have the night off and train in your standard class. As such what do you (regardless of seniority), call them in front of students? For instance you have a 3rd Dan (at my club you are awarded the title of Sensei) coming to train in a Seniors Class which is open to all grades. What would you call them in class in front of other students? I ask because a student of mine asked, and it was something that I hadn't thought of in a long time. Now when I train in such classes, the instructors will generally call me either as Liam or Sempai. depending on who it is and in what context they are addressing me in front of others.

Solid Post. For me as an instructor, I've always prided (little bit of an ego tbh!) myself in my honesty with students. One of the biggest rules I have always had not only with the students but also the people I teach alongside. Is that if we don't know the answer to something, we admit that to who ever asked the question. BUT it is up to us to go and find it out for ourselves. So we can fill in a gap in a lack of our knowledge. For me, I make that additional effort to bring it up in the next class I teach and share that information. Especially if the student or fellow instructor that I taught with is in that class.

5th Dan is still a Technical Grading to me. As with every other rank I’d want to earn it no matter what rank it is for. I’d want to feel like I truly earnt it.

Well an update, we have closed for the foreseeable future with no set date for a review. The senior instructors are still permitted to do our own training. And to take private’s at the dojo as long as there is appropriate consent and cleaning taking place at all times.

Well my dojo has closed for now (which I just mentioned in a new thread). As a result I am doing my own personal training at home. And at the dojo doing my own personal training which means I still have to clean the area after I finish. Also going into the dojo means I can work on my own fitness.

With Covid-19 taking the world hostage. And my sheer craziness with the dojo being closed, I’ve being training and home and looking at various kata/forms on YouTube. With that, I happened to watch some of the Peter Urban USA Goju Kata. Which I found to be uhh highly interesting. As their forms were rather different to what I would normally expect to see. They got me thinking, are there any forms/kata that you have learnt or seen from another style or another “version” of your style that you have seen? For me it was from the aforementioned style and their interpretation of Suparinpei.

Congrats on the promotion! always a good feeling after your return

We're still operating as per usual, as the prevalence rate of the disease here in Australia is a lot lot than in the US. Although we are strictly following the advice of the Health Department. If we get told to close we will, but otherwise if we have anyone suspected of having COVID-19 then we'll shut and have a super stringent clean

I like the idea of 100 man kumite and to be able to last that many fights. Especially the development of their mind set prior to the day.

Speak to the CI about it and what they would like you to do. if they get you to wear a white belt, that they will either get you to go through the same ranks again or will just grade you to whatever was appropriate. When I took a couple of years off due to my knee, the CI I contacted was ok with me wearing my black belt until i got up to speed with the curriculum.

I liked the videos, but do agree they were slightly rushed. Maybe it was because he was trying to get the answer to the question of where karate originated from. Although I do suspect it was probably due to the fact he was limited to the size of the videos he could upload? At the same time doesn't want to upload 20 odd videos for the series. Wastelander any input on it?