Melau

Your goal in self defense is not to hurt your opponents, but to not get hurt yourself. By training in the right way, your portfolio of skills to achieve that will be bigger than somebody that is untrained. Saying "would you hold up against 3 random knuckleheads" is not the right wording I think. If your intent is to fight 3 knuckleheads, you really do not have self defense in mind. If your intent is to get away from 3 knuckleheads, by running or attacking 1 in order to be running, then yes, your intent is correct. By training to not lose your zanshin, your calm awareness, even when you're being attacked, is I think the biggest benefit of training any MA.

So that gives you the answer in itself I'd say. Your goal is to learn and progress as a martial artist, and that is all that is important. Whatever belt you're wearing isn't going to influence that. If you feel more comfortable going in with a lower belt, while still keeping your 'Shoshin' (beginner mind), all power to you! If the instructors decide otherwise on whatever belt you wear, because they see a white belt is not what you are in skills, they'll tell you and come up with a way to show.

Just like just following a recipe doesn't make you a competent cook, just doing the movements in a kata doesn't make you a karateka. There is meaning in kata, and more often than not has been badly interpreted. While we do see a change in this mentality nowadays, there is still a lot of misinformation and misinterpretation I think. If the interpretation of a kata, its bunkai, cannot be used in a situation where you have an 'unwilling' participant (so in a actual defensive situation), it's kinda missing the point isn't it? Which brings me to a next point. I truly believe there are good interpretations of the applications for the movements in the kata. But there is never 1 truth, for every situation is different. Attacker / defender will always differ in skill, size, competence, thus creating different situations. There are best practices, good explanations by teachers, and these should be trained until second nature. But having the excuse during a self-defense situation "But this isn't how we trained it in the Dojo, that is why it didn't work" is useless. Just like a cook has a lot of standard techniques and well-honed skills by which he/she creates a fine meal, so does a karateka need to apply his skills in bunkai. Always be aware of the 'willing vs unwilling opponent' when training things. If the explanation of the kata's movements only ever will work on a 'willing opponent' it's a good exercise, but not applicable outside of that situation. Don't confuse those 2 approaches. When a teacher will tell you 'This will work in real-live situations' but your opponent must move / behave / attack in a very orchestrated way, be humble, train as instructed, but always think for yourself. There are too many students who think they know how to defend themselves by having been made to believe that bunkai like that actually is effective, which is actually a dangerous thing to believe!

Courtesy is very important in a MA, you want to train with the intention of not injuring your training partners. You also want to expect / assume the same from your partners. You indicate this by showing respect and courtesy to each other. On the other hand, for me it is also courtesy to train hard with somebody. You come to training to become better, and I personally find it an act of discourtesy if you do not train / spar seriously if the moment asks for it. Naturally there is a difference between practice and training, so it's not hard sparring / training all the time. There is always room for fun! But show respect for those that you train with. That also means fighting hard, with a smile and courtesy. But taking it easy on somebody can also be disrespectful in as far as I'm concerned!

What I find that helps here is to follow many seminars, from varying styles. I've been taught that there's only 2 styles in karate, good and bad. Fundamentally, bio-mechanics are similar and a body can only move in so many ways. Good teachers will show you how, regardless of style. So I try to learn from seminars of Wado, Shotokan, people that try to go beyond style (Ian Abernathy as an example) and others. But it takes so much time to find time!

Sorry Melau: I am in my 60's that has to take it easy on the younger guys and not the other way around.As it should be. Be the inspiration for the younger generation!

I'd say work to the best of your abilities, but keep on pushing and testing yourself. Guy at my Dojo went for kumite tournaments quite recently, he's 62 years of age now. Yes he has injuries, had shoulder operations recently, you know, the things that come with age. But he enjoys tremendous respect for just fighting with the younger guys and testing himself.

As someone who has done karate for nearly 25 years, you get a naturally progression to the stage of an 'advanced student' of your art. We all start for our own reasons, but stay for the love of the sport, the training and often the comradery. But the more you learn, the more you start to teach. Eventually you seem to reach a stage where you teach more than you are able to train. How do you deal with it / solve it for yourselves? How do you make sure you keep up on your own training?

It's a great feeling getting your Shodan, at least it was for me. Luckily I was training with / under very competent budoka's, which also made it easier to put it in perspective. You could compare it with getting a drivers license. It's good, it's a lot of responsibility, and by far you're not a good driver yet. You now can learn to drive, drive efficiently, drive smoothly, etc. The same goes for getting your Shodan. It feels good, it means that you've learned a lot and demonstrated it well. Does not mean you're good yet. It means you have a good fundament, a good, rich soil to further develop upon!

Shoshin, beginners mind. It's good to see that you already want to go there with that attitude. I've had a similar transition, coming from 20 years of Wado / Boxing / Jiu-jitsu. Just be honest to the instructors, do let them know that you have experience in other styles. But also make clear that you're there to learn, and that you just want to train! Show up with a white belt and just have fun.

After 12 years (I was 17 at the time) I was finally old enough to go for Shodan (we have an age limit here, Netherlands). It felt good to have gotten an official recognition for hard work. However, even back then I've seen it as an 'stepping stone' kind off experience, a milestone so to speak. I was lucky enough to have very experienced budoka's around me, teachers that never stopped being students. This made sure that I understood that it's was just a first step of many, that being a Shodan means you essentially covered / understood the basics. It's good to have intermediate goals in your MA career. It keeps you motivated maybe, or it is just a good way of getting feedback from all the hard work! But the road will never stop, luckily!

https://www.dojostudio.org Trained there for half a year when I was working there. Nice dojo.

1) How did you first become interested in martial arts? My parents put me on Karate when I was little (5 years old). 2) What discipline did you decide to practice? I didn't decide, see previous answer. 3) Why did you choose that specific discipline over the other disciplines? See 1 & 2 4) What is your skill level within your martial arts discipline? Sandan (3rd degree black belt), Wado-Ryu karate. 5) What other things do you like to do? (When you're not in the gym/dojo, what else do you like to do with your time? This can be physical or nonphysical pass times) Boxing, running, saxophone. 6) What are the first 3 martial arts related brands that come to your mind. (FIRST, not BEST). Matsuru, Kaiten, Adidas 7) How do you decide what martial arts gear/equipment to get? (How do you select one type or brand over another?) Carefull comparison online, personal experience from fellow martial artists. Roughly how often to you buy new martial arts equipment? 8 till 12 months 9) Where do you get your equipment from? Is there a reason for this? Online, convenience.

Plain white gi, as few patches as possible (try hard NOT becoming a walking advertisement). Care for your gi, make sure it is clean (ironed if you really care). Then train hard.

I truly liked your post, it gives a comprehensive overview of how things can change and how to view it. The national grading is as far as I know not officially WIKF, but it is a single wado group event. The line and curriculum is quite clear. Personal preference between for instance Ohtsuka or Suzuki forms in tanto-dori or kata is accepted, but need to be done consequently and well argumented. However, even taking that into account, still differences are present in the explanation between instructors / examiners.

Currently I'm training for my Sandan. In the Netherlands examinations for Dan grades are organized nationally, and so are many of the preperation trainings for these exams. The further I've gotten in my karate career, the more I notice that fewer people have the knowledge about the curriculum, but the more they have to say about it / differ in opinion. I'm at a point where on the one hand I know I have to find my personal way in the style, but also want to know more and more about the details and original way of doing things. But many of the high graded examiners within my country have different opinions on how things need to be performed / excecuted. Anybody else had similar experiences and if so, how did you deal with it?

Been doing my MA for 21 years now, teaching for 8. Objectively I know I have certain motor control, theoretical knowledge about the style and human physiology. But feeling proficient? Far from it. Training seiken tsuki / gyaku tsuki at least every lesson the past 21 years doesn't mean you will not spent doing that technique for another 2 hours under supervision of a Hachidan and feel entirely incompetent. But that's the beauty of it, isn't it? I believe as soon as you stop seeing yourself as a mere student of your MA you will stop progressing, stop looking for new information, stop training as if you still got a long way to go.

Karate for kids? Sure, most of the members of a given dojo will be kids, but anybody that has a sensei that is a bit serious in what they're teaching will know that it's not for kids. It is something for raising a child, yes, but once you progress as a child your karate becomes more adult as well.

I didn't realize there were so many differences between dojo's. Here in the Netherlands the traditional white gi is worn. At least, for the dojo's that are in the National Karate Association (KBN). No patches. Not that it's not allowed to wear something different I guess, everybody just informally agreed to wear as little 'decoration' as possible, no matter if you're 10th kyu or Godan. But luckily it's about the training, not the gi you wear.

Wado-ryu mainly focusses on moving out of the direct line of attack through body movement (tai sabaki) while counterattacking. Timing of the counter attack is either when the intent of the opponent is perceived (sensen no sen), simultaniously with the attack (sen) or as a counter or block/counter (go no sen). Blocks are made with the intention 'to receive' the coming attack. By maintaining contant with the opponent (noru) control is maintained over the position / alignment / etc. of the opponent. At least, this is what I've understood so far in my training! Still learning.

It's good to finally know the Japanese terms for this. I know there are many descriptions / variations on this concept, but I didn't know these terms yet. The same feeling that I often get! However in my experience it's not even really being 'disconnected', it's just not there. There is no 'outside' for the moment, no other place than the tatami / dojo. It's not often we get to experience it, but finding your 'happy place' can be mentally relaxing while simultaneously being focussed / aware.

This post is not about the "Moving Zen: One Mans Journey to the Heart of Karate" book, while I do recommend it. It's a good read! I'm wondering if there are martial artists that have a similar experience when facing a opponent / training buddy on the tatami of comparable or slightly higher level. When performing kumite or partner exercises, sometimes you will enter a state of mind comparable to "Transcendental Meditation " (which is a technique for avoiding distracting thoughts and promoting a state of relaxed awareness), or flow, "awareness", or however you want to call it. For me the tatami is one of the few places where I experience this feeling. Any comparable experiences out there?

That is indeed the case. In this execution I chose for putting the foot down directly. Often it is interpreted as a Harai-goshi in forms of bunkai we are taught. However, no fixed bunkai exist, so it is a matter of interpretation of the instructor. Solid feedback. Thanks for that.

As for the foot, that indeed is a point on which I need to put some practice. Well spotted for the hand by the way, I think that it should be consistent as well (not hip, bit higher I was taught).

Thanks, I think it is fixed now.