Nidan Melbourne

1) Was the tournament an in-house one? 1.1) What was the ruleset being used? WKF, ISKA, NASKA or Rules set forth by the Club? 2) Why was this a blatant disregard in fairness in a MA Tournament in your eyes? 2.1) Any sport, referees are supposed to step off or away from the bout or match if there is any relative or anyone where you could have any bias in it. 2.1.1) This is coming not just from a Karate Official (helped out at a few tournaments; about to undertake the next course to become one officially) but also a Basketball Official. 2.2) Was the official (Irregardless of it was Male or Female) fair in what they were doing? As in they were awarding Points and Penalties evenly without favouring their partner.

First off welcome to the forum Ni-Kyu Gweilo. I didn't know Shotokan had a version of Suparempei that is called Hyaku Hachi Ho. Which lineage [of shotokan] has it come down from? I've looked your styles version; it appears to have the same or extremely similar embusen to to the Goju-Ryu or Shito-Ryu Versions of Superempei.

My old club we had multiple locations; the closest dojo to our Hombu was around 10 km away whereas the furthest away was 27 km away. I feel like having a Hombu dojo and its other dojo's should be within' a reasonable drive for all its students for gradings if required there.

Light Contact varies tournament to tournament, rules and also who hosts the competition. So as such there is no one standard for "light contact". Also officials have a slight variation of what they were informed about the level of contact, or there was a lack of clarity of the levels. As i said tournaments will have their own rules, so you would have a different level of bias there; as such i only compete at wkf tournaments because you can't have any member of your own school officiate your divisions.

Well for the kyu grades it is the number then followed by kyu (Ikkyu, Nikyu, Sankyu etc). Dan grades Shodan, Nidan, Sandan etc.

Thats awesome! It always hits a spot that nothing else can

IMHO if I found out a student of mine lied about their rank, title or position I feel like I would remove their rank and have them recommence from white belt. If their lies were severe enough, i'd probably expel them from the club. That is honestly difficult in my eyes, as you would put your reputation on the line every single time. Because if they got caught out, the higher ups would look at you and reconsider every person you've nominated for promotion or to teach. Personally I do hold Integrity as one of the most important virtues to have as an Instructor and as a Student. I have already had one instructor come to me seeking employment as an instructor (Outside of my club), but refused to supply a Reference from their old school and refused to provide their grading certificates; even though they claimed to have been a 4th Dan Black Belt. If I found out that an Instructor lacked integrity, I wouldn't ask them to teach again.

I can understand why some instructors would complain about losing students to MMA Gyms. But at the same time what are those schools offering that these instructors aren't? People often will move because the other school might offer more for the money that they are paying. Honestly I don't worry about losing potential members, because often they don't feel like they fit in with the culture at the school. At my dojo, yes we primarily teach Karate; but also we do dabble in other martial arts to give students exposure to those respective arts. But NEVER teach anything that we haven't done previously and are up to date with. Yes my school teaches Kata, as they do give you very good ideas and concepts for Kumite and Self-Defense. Because IMHO it is an integral part of Karate, as it is a fundemental pillar of the Martial Art itself. Yes we teach this, but primarily towards our more senior students; as we are also concerned about the physiological development of our students and the maturity required to be attentive to ensure they don't injure their training partner. We do indeed teach this, but depends on the number of students training that particular night. I honestly can't remember the last time we have practiced this form of training. But I do teach this form though with my students, because I feel like it is important to teach it. Having a Physiology background, has it's advantages because I have a level of understanding of Biomechanics of Muscles, Joints etc and their limits and what they can and can't do. This is also the same for understanding of easy targets when having to defend yourself, along with the nerve clusters throughout the body.

If you have a small number of students (<15) you can easily operate as normal, but still have an emphasis on Basics. Because we all know Basics is Life. Also it depends on the ranks and age of those already training. Because you can utilize the most senior student to assist and teach the beginner student. Personally I agree with what Karate_John said, because having multiple classes makes life easier for a rotating curriculum. My Dojo operates 16 Classes Per Week; each with specific grades permitted to attend each one. As such we rotate the required curriculum according to available grades. If you have a wide spectrum of ranks, split into x number of groups and get them to work on a particular skill or set of skills. But instead of them doing it on their own; have students to pair up and work on it together. That way you will find that students will get the practice they need, but also when they are helping their fellow student they'll learn by; watching, correcting and discussing with that person.

Thanks for sharing and reminding us fans of Enter the Dojo. It is always entertaining to see what they come up with.

Having 4 weight classes is ok for males and females respectively. As it creates a certain level of fair play. But at the end of the day are you going to compete? If you're not going to train, then it doesn't stop you from training with the heavier, lighter, shorter or taller opponents. Those who go into MMA tend have the approach of fighting competitively, whereas they may not approach it in the way of learning how to defend themselves.

Over the weekend my dojo we held our Senior Black Belt Grading, and had our first student grading for Sandan. Why am I creating this thread? I am curious to know what is the level of competency and overall requirements to considering a Passing Grade. Do they have to be able to perform at a certain intensity for the whole time, or something else?

First off welcome to the Forum, don't forget to head over to the Introductions area to introduce yourself. I'm glad you're here. Kyokushin is no more dangerous to girls than any other martial art is. Yes it is a full contact martial art that is considered brutal by many, but physiologically does have a lot of benefits and delays the risks of Osteoporosis or Osteoarthritis as it causes microfractures and then heals causing the bones to heal. Martial Arts do not discriminate between genders, as such all genders can participate in all Martial Arts and Styles. I have many females friends that are beautiful people (not just on the outside, but on the inside which is more important in my eyes), but you would not want to mess with them.

Can you elaborate on what this STORM Team is? I have heard the name before but haven't been told what it is before.

It was a very interesting video to watch, and i like how he explains and demonstrates various techniques. What he said in regards to the kata that he was taught by Asai-Sensei was very interesting. But totally agree at the end of the day, because in my eyes if you don't understand what a technique does that you do a kata that has that technique in it; as there is a practical application.

Thats all good my friend, so no need to apologize! it was an easy thing to oversee.

Was primarily towards women, but also towards children. And seminars are far and in between where i am in australia and rarely advertised.

I was asked to do a self-defence seminar early this year and went through various things. It included: 1. Target Areas (against Men AND Women) 2. Basic Escapes (Chokes, Wrist Grabs, Bear Hugs etc) 3. Basic Techniques (Kicks, elbows, etc) 4. Defence against Weapons (Knives and Guns) 5. Use of Keys and other items as self-defence tools 5.1 Used: 5.2 Keys 5.3 Rolled up newspaper or magazine 5.4 Bag 5.5 Shoes (i.e. heels)

That is true, ligaments and tendons absolutely suck if damaged in any shape or form. Hopefully it isn't that severe, and a brace is all that is required!

No!! Students don't teach; they learn!! Students will, as part of their Sankyu to Ikkyu, will assist, not teach, in classes with an instructor that possess no less than a Sandan. Shodan's and Nidan's also assist. Assisting isn't teaching, and teaching isn't assisting. I suppose it also depends on how you define a student and instructor. Is a Sandan that lines up with class not a student themselves, when they elect not to teach but train? But anyway, I feel a black belt 4-5 years of experience in most arts is capable of teaching when needed. To the bolded above: even then there are some Black Belts with that experience may not be suited for teaching, even in emergencies. For instance I know a few black belts that are either very talented but can't teach because they just can't explain how to do things (even kihon). Then there are some that I know that can't teach because of their behavior and attitudes aren't designed to suit being teachers, and they take their aggression out on the students. Well in relation to your question; an instructor and student are not restricted to two distinct roles like in Schools where there is an adult as the teacher and students are children. In Martial Arts; Instructors are at times even when teaching become a student and vice versa. When I train, I have my 'senpai hat' as i help other students whilst training; even when I teach i still have my 'Student Hat' on because there are times that I'm teaching and they [the students] make a comment or suggestion to techniques or anything that we are doing and it makes something just click for me. I agree here. Rank does not make you an effective teacher. Students with the gift should be (and are at my dojo) encouraged to take on an assistant instructor program to develop their skills while they advance in rank. "TEACH AND GROW" is a principle we emphasize and everyone gets an opportunity to do so. Also, lesson plans can be designed to facilitate a color belt covering a class once in a while-as long as you know your student and his capabilities well. Solid Post! Do you encourage the ones who aren't as gifted to teach to help in their own training to grow?

Welcome to the forum! I look forward to learning from what your knowledge and wisdom from all your years of experience. My name is Liam, hope i can help if you have any questions.

Welcome to the forum, look forward to learning from you and sharing information.

Using High Kicks is and isn't counterproductive as it depends on the person using them. I have many friends who are flexible to do those kicks, BUT can't produce the power with those kicks; whilst in comparison i have others who have both flexibility and power (includes strength) in their high kicks. I don't think that those styles who don't do those high kicks are any less important. This is because they may have a different focus on what they do for technical skills. If you have the speed behind your kicks then it is fine, as even the every day person may recognise those types of kicks if done slowly. But as DwX says it is good to have the ability to do those kicks but can be helpful to prevent further injury when performing any type of kick; as the human body will recognise lengthening of the muscle itself. As much as my style of Karate has some high kicks; me personally i don't do them as much because I have restricted Hip ROM (Range of Motion) even when I pivot sufficiently to Technically and Theoretically kick higher.

I believe that the Koreans are able to dominate the Archery Competition because they have had it as a cultural hobby and hunting tool for centuries.

I use WKF Approved and AKF (Australian Karate Federation) approved gloves but they don't protect fingers as much due to the expectation that you would have fists instead of hands open. Speak to your sensei about what he or she recommends, as they may have requirements on types of gloves. As this may be due to what type of kumite you undertake and level of contact permitted. As my dojo can use either cotton mits & pads (cheap), AKF gear (approved usage for tournaments in Australia; moderately priced) or WKF gear (worldwide approval; in my eyes expensive but last ages for quality). I know Wastelander has used MMA gloves previously, but he can say otherwise.