Dani_001

Hey all, So this weekend past was the Cape Town Unicity Karate championships along with Karate South Africa hosting the event. We have a few WKF officials in the country and they were there as well. The air was filled with electricity. There were Shito-Ryu schools (Hayashi Ha/ Ryushin-kan/ Kimura Shukokai), Goju-Ryu schools as well. The Shito-Ryu (Ryushin-kan) guys walked away with the most medals I think, their fighters were fierce and well trained. I never competed but I did sing the national anthem for the event (I am a well trained singer too). I have only competed in one Kumite in my life when I was young and right there and then I vowed to train to do it again. I know it is sport karate essentially but it's something I feel I want to at least attempt once again in my life. I also wanna give the Shito-Ryu guys a run for their money HAHAHAHA Our Okinawa Goju-Ryu Karate-do Kyokai event is somewhere in September this year and I will train to compete, maybe in both kata and kumite divisions and if I excel, then I will have the opportunity to compete in the Unicity/ Karate South Africa events. Now for the main query of my post: Our school relies on attendance or how much hours spent in class to follow up to the next grading. So I want to know, will it be beneficial for me to attend two dojo's in my province, same organization where I will be able to fast track my black belt? Do you think it's beneficial to do so? The issue isn't the fees as class is affordable. I feel that I lack training in my own time mostly because there's no reward at the end of it but I want to excel faster. By now, most of you know that I am an eager student, always willing to learn and grow. Apart from that, I am 31 years old so I don't want to be an old shodan (no disrespect to the seniors).

Thank you very much SM, As an "old" Karateka, well, I'm still young, 31, but coming back to flexibility and those kinds of issues, I only restarted training this year, and although enthusiastic, you are correct in stating that one cannot simply climb back into high kicks. It's something that takes time. I would like to become a black belt as in yesterday already, but I need to work on the basics first, then move forward. The main reason why I chose to go back to Karate as opposed to trying a new art was because I knew that I would take very long to reach my potential now in terms of flexibility and I can still reach a degree of strong self defense within Karate. EDIT: I learnt that waza of mae geri from what Masanari Kikugawa Sensei of Okinawa Goju Ryu Karatedo Kyokai told my sensei at a seminar.

Arigato Gozaimasu

Is this why his arch rival in the third movie with Mike Tyson asks him that question how he was trained? I can't remember what he asked but it was based on authenticity.

So Saturday morning went quite well, I really enjoyed myself. There was more time to explain in class with what and how, more executions of waza, kihon and kata. I love training with the senior grades because I aspire to be one, one day. I have a nice bruise on my forearm too haha! I blocked too slow and the brown belt caught me just below my hand with a chest punch and I blocked too slow because I hesitated in my technique. I am looking forward to my grading next month and I feel confident that I will pass.

There was only three kicks initially in Karate, well, in Goju Ryu that I know of. Also as Kusotare stated, Mawashi is an illegal immigrant haha. In tradional Okinawa Karate, you only find these in kata: Mae geri, kansetsu geri and hiza geri. Seeing that Karate was developed for self defense, it would be pointless to raise the leg any higher because it takes longer to execute. Mae geri in competition is to kick above the belt, but a real mae geri is to not kick to the abdominal area, but actually to the bladder. Because bladder is not protected by bone or muscle, it is a soft and sensitive area. I wouldn't worry too much if I was you, but still aspire or try to attain higher kicks for flexibility. When the masters went to Japan, they then saw all these fancy kicks and these only adopted it as part of KIHON, and training drills. Nothing more. I hope that I am correct in the waza and kihon aspect of my post.

Hi there, You may not find much difference between Kyokushinkai and Shotokan as Kyokushin is comprised of Shotokan and Goju Ryu. I agree with what everyone else said so not much to add. Enjoy your experience on this forum and your Karate experience. Welcome to KF!

Thanks Patrick, only problem is that it stated that go90 is only available in the states.

Okay, so this weekend I will be having my first Gashuku. It's not the typical weekend away type of Gashuku, but more of a mandatory Gashuku for extra instruction as our grading is next month. Because of my zeal, I have not been selected to perform with the orange belts, but along with the green, blue and brown belt students. I don't know if I said it before but I take my Karate quite seriously and put everything I have into every technique even if it tires me out. I strive to do the best that I can and strive to be better than average. To say that I am a "natural" is to boast, so I won't say that. No one is natural and takes time to achieve the best that can be done. I would like to thank my seniors on this forum as well for the inspiration and guidance, you too are instrumental as well as the lower grades on this page as I believe that everyone can learn no matter what level.

I agree with everything that JR 137 is saying. I misunderstood your first point. I thought U meant to give others a chance, so my bad. Learn tai sabaki when you are at the level assigned, get the basics right first. I do understand that maybe U want to get the upper hand first, but Karate is a journey and a process.

Hey guys, I recently watched the following series finished and I was really impressed by it. The characters looked like they should in terms of build and character. My childhood fantasy came to life just watching it to want to be the best Karateka there is lol. I heard there is a new series called Street Fighter: Resurrection and would like to know if any of you know where I can go to watch it?

I am from Australia but not a Rugby fan at all ! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! Cool bro, cricket? Nope, only soccer Me too, but anyway bro, all the best on your journey!

I am from Australia but not a Rugby fan at all ! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! Cool bro, cricket?

My pleasure, and all of the best on your journey! By the way, are you a Super Rugby fan? I see Ur from Australia!

Thanks for the advice Dani_001 . Yesterday was the 3rd sparring session in my Karate journey & the first one in my new dojo so I am pretty sure I have a long way to go. Regarding Tai Sabaki , how do you practice that ?! sorry I am still a beginner ! We are all beginners Safroot. The key to learning is to remain humble. Tai Sabaki is evasion techniques. I'm not sure if YouTube has any videos on Tai Sabaki. I am orange belt at the moment, we got taught tai sabaki in yellow already but syllabi can vary from style to style. Ask your instructor about tai sabaki.

Hi Safroot, I trust you are doing well. 1. Totally normal. It's part of the learning curve, it is also part of defensive strategy. You are actually thinking like a sensei when doing this. 2. I see you do Kyokushin. Kyokushin comprises of Shotokan and Goju Ryu. When you become tired, stick to Tai Sabaki and Goju Ryu techniques. 3. Lure your opponent, part of defensive strategy and Goju Ryu again comes into play. Okinawans were way shorter than the Samurai. Once again, Tai Sabaki. Also think of Sandan Gi. A taller opponent in general is all out self defense, quick attack and should never be given to a shorter opponent in kumite or karate instruction. The only way to defeat a taller opponent is to control him, and that often means hurting him for real.

That was a very in-depth explanation. I appreciate your knowledge of the subject and I'm very impressed with the depth of your knowledge on the subject. Even though I have never studied this art I think most have an appreciation for it through TV, movies, books and magazines. That was a very interesting and informative read. Thanks for posting that. Indeed, this post is top notch, I really appreciate the input and knowledge, thank you so much! So can I nominate Matsushinshii for March member of the month???

Are you asking because you have an interest in learning some of these traditions? If so, I think you would be far better off joining a good Judo club for the grappling side of things, an Iaido or Kenjutsu club for the sword work and join an archery / gun club if you feel that completes you. The quality of the coaching you will receive will be a million times better. As far as the link you posted - it flagged red with me when it promoted timescales in terms of how quickly you should be able to proficiently defend yourself!!! If its studying traditional Nihon Bujutsu you are interested in I'd be much more inclined to look into this group... http://www.kenjutsu.co.za/index.html K. The only reason I cannot join here is because I have no time on my hands! Haha!

Hi guys, I don't think I introduced myself here. Glad it's over now as all of you know me already!!!

Hey peeps, so I realized three years later that my opening post is not quite intended to what it's supposed to be. It states "My journey back into Goju Ryu" but it doesn't state why I went back to it. Well, in 2000, I actually started my journey of Martial Arts with Karate. I never knew much of martial arts, but I was an overweight kid with spectacles, so I also couldn't play any of the conventional sports (rugby, soccer, hockey, cricket) due to my spectacles. I then remembered that at high school there was a Karate school. I joined there and had the time of my life. I lost weight, I became confident and became strong. We were always mocked by the conventional sports guys(which I presume is normal) because we were different. After my final year, I lost touch with the school. By then, in their curriculum, I studied their version of Goju Ryu(which was shotokan, goju ryu, shito ryu) as they promoted their own style. I had no idea that they were a McDojo and that their gradings actually meant nothing in the real world. No disrespect, just saying. I then began my years of college and started working. In our Central Business District, there was a Wing Chun/Sanda/ Shaolin five styles school and decided to try something different. I didn't stay long there mainly because I didn't work long in CBD. I then moved over to Seni Silat, which was promoted by a teacher in the greater Cape Town who had come back from Malaysia after his training there for a while, and he was practicing in one of the mosques. I really loved the Seni Silat, I still do. But I was belittled by some of the Muslims because I have a girlfriend, and obviously in Islam, having a girlfriend is frowned upon as marriage is the proper way but they never understood that she has always been there, and at that time, I just recently became Muslim for myself and I wasn't prepared to throw her away because of some idiots that had no say in my life and now they want to say something. So I left, also because the instructor did absolutely nothing about it, in my opinion, he was weak. The rest is history, and now you know why I have names this post "My journey back into Goju Ryu. Actually, the REAL Goju Ryu, and not some McDojo Goju Ryu.

@WOAS, Thanks it does truly feel different. Now I just need to shorten my pants as it touches the ground with a surplus of about 1cm. I am thinking of shortening it by 2 inches and my jacket sleeves by an inch. Just an update, something amazing is happening! In early March, we are having a gashukku, wonder if I spelt it correctly. This is something I always wanted to do as it looked great from pics. I understand that training will be extremely hard on that day as we will be fine tuning techniques in Bunkai as well as Kata. Kihon and fitness will also be tested. This Gashukku is in prepartion of grading, which will be late April. I have to say that since starting again, classes didn't become easier, but I got tougher. My suppleness has increased and I have lost 5.4kgs to be exact. I am very involved when it comes to my training and I take it seriously, sometimes I'm at the dojo an hour before the seniors start just so that I can do added stretching and warming up. I am still pleased that my control is perfect, I can execute a technique at great speed and not make contact or hurt my fellow student. My forearms have been taking a beating though because I instruct my fellow student to block my technique at the speeds that I execute, but I am sure it will get stronger where I won't feel it anymore. That's it from me, and have a lovely weekend and be safe everyone!

Are you asking because you have an interest in learning some of these traditions? If so, I think you would be far better off joining a good Judo club for the grappling side of things, an Iaido or Kenjutsu club for the sword work and join an archery / gun club if you feel that completes you. The quality of the coaching you will receive will be a million times better.If As far as the link you posted - it flagged red with me when it promoted timescales in terms of how quickly you should be able to proficiently defend yourself!!! If its studying traditional Nihon Bujutsu you are interested in I'd be much more inclined to look into this group... http://www.kenjutsu.co.za/index.html K. Hey Kusotare. I'm not interested in the arts. I just wanted to know the authenticity of this specific group as my suspicions arose when I knew that Koga Ryu died. I just needed confirmation. Thanks for your input.

Thank you so so much for pouring your knowledge, I really appreciate it. It's kind of sad that the style has died. There was a school here in Cape Town called themselves Koga Ryu Ninjutsu, but I think they were filed a suit aor something because their name has changed to Ninjutsu Ryu. http://www.ninjitsuryu.co.za/

Okay so I don't know where to put this exactly so I'll just drop it here. Is this style dead? How has Koga Ryu fared so far? Any reputable teachers still alive? I know that the Bujinkan still exist, but how relevant is it in today's fighting? I know that they don't believe in competing, but they host seminars among themselves though. EDIT: Please move to combative. I only saw now. Apologies.

Whoa... I see it now! Please delete my post in the general chat area RE this topic as I didn't know why I had a rainbow belt next to my name! Thank you sooooo much for this PRESTIGIOUS AWARD! May we always uphold the Spirit of OSU and grow in Budo Spirit!