Wado Heretic

I do not adhere to the "pinch of salt to Wado" way of thinking; I consider it a misdirection from the actual truth of the matter. However, that is an experiential conclusion; borne from what I have encountered. I also would not say I augment one or the other; rather I have carried forward experience I had with Wado-Ryu, such as certain novel solutions or responses to situations, that do not exist in an apparent manner in Shorin-Ryu. It would be better to say my Wado-Ryu experience is a part of the lens through which I explore Shorin-Ryu. On a literal and apparent level; I still utilise the Gyakunage Kata as a teaching tool. I also continue to practice Kihon Kumite, Idori no Kata, Tantodori no Kata, and Shinken Shirahadori. I find these practices still contribute to my own personal growth. On a more subtle technical level; the expression and form of Zentai Ryoku, Katamae, Kuzushi, and Tai Sabaki all hold a debt to Wado-Ryu in what I practice and teach. Although; I make a conscious effort to marry them with the expressions found in Shorin-Ryu. It is not a case of picking and choosing on basis of "better", rather finding the common ground, and allowing my students to take the expression where they have to. I would say about 10-15% of what I do would appear to be Wado-Ryu to the trained eye. However, I admit it would probably look like bad or poor Wado-Ryu; and in truth it somewhat is that.

The two friends of a martial artist are tradition and adversity; have a basis in tradition, but always confront it’s truisms with challenges. In many respects, traditional Karate, as a practice, is an exercise in hardening the body and spirit; with pragmatic self-defence being the guide of its technical direction but not the totality of its nature. I would argue that it becomes impossible to understand the 100-man kumite; if one looks at it through the lens of it being a test of self-defence skills (That is what Jissen Kumite is for). Rather, it is a test of the hardening of the body and spirit. It takes a special kind of person to put themselves through such a trial; and if you look at the list of names of those reported to have done it, you will find exceptional martial artists, but perhaps not a list of champions. In my club, I make all black belts go through a ten-man Kumite under modified shoot-fighting rules. I also throw myself into the fray during said grading kumite as a matter of principle. The most I have fought is a 20-man kumite; but had to cycle through the 7 volunteers I could find. Best starting points I could give are Sanchin, hojo undo, and working your way up. Try 2, then 3, then 5, then 7, and then finally 10 (All at about 70% power though). At your size, you might struggle more than most, less ability to absorb body shots after all; so if you want to try such a test, I would focus on developing a solid defence.

That is a pretty good analogy; he was unswayed by my appeal to history, and showing the line from Chibana to myself. Just surprised me; made me wonder whether I had diverged far more than I had thought. Whether I was being insincere without realising. I suppose that is the danger we all face as we move in the circle of teaching, and even though we may keep training with the same teacher (As I have and do), just because our own goals differ from our teachers; we may diverge from what we are taught in dramatic ways right under our noses.

To go back to an earlier post; if a CI is known for giving double grading, then I believe it would be rude or impolite to ask. However, I am known for being hardheaded, and giving no lee way with grading. So I do prefer people to communicate with me directly with their concerns if they have any. Just how I am, I try to be fair, and I know that sometimes that leads to me not noticing somethings I probably should. I suppose I would have to argue for double grading and asking for them, if we view the belts as a simple teaching tool. If we use the belt to help us keep track of a students progress, then those are neccessary evils as it were. If we treat them as platitudes and recognition of achievement; we should not allow people to ask for them, nor should we reward them. I guess it depends on where one sits on the line between those two extremes.

I shall admit I was offended by the remark at first; as in my mind, what I am doing is relatively faithful to what I have been taught. In my opinion; my teacher cannot teach me in full what he knows, nor will I fully absorb what he knows. I will encounter questions I never asked my teacher, and thus will have to realise, or invent, an answer. I will also encounter adversities my teacher never did, and adapt what I do in the face of them. It just struck me as odd; that a divergence from a syllabus came across as doing something different. Maybe that is the person saying it being small minded, or perhaps I have created more changes than I realised. I suppose; if natural divergence, and evolution is not enough, the next question would be whether hybridisation valid enough to "create" a style? Personally; I do not believe one can merely take kata from several sources, or techniques from a melting pot, and put them together. That to me is merely bastardisation. A style must have a comprehensive fighting philosophy, and embody success in the innate strategies of said philosophy. Unless it move away and develops a novel and distinct philosophy, with a technical approach mirroring said philosophy; it cannot be a distinct paradigm or "style".

I recently had someone, a fellow blackbelt in Shorin-Ryu, tell me I was not really teaching Shorin-Ryu. I will admit; I have brought forward some elements of my Wado-Ryu training, and incorporated a grappling aspect into my own grading syllabus. However, in my mind; I teach and work from the Kata as I was taught them, and over 50% of my teaching is kata-based. However; apparently, my incorporation of elements from outside the syllabus disqualifies what I do as Shorin-Ryu. I am just curious; at what point of divergence from the syllabus, has one stopped teaching something and moved into new "style" territory?

I would argue it depends on the CI; I have always preferred to be asked, and to have the opportunity to have that conversation with a student. Then again; I have never opted to double grade a student on my own initiative, and I usually end up saying no and explaining why. I see no harm in having the conversation; just so long as you do not enter into it with a demand. Just, if you are going to, remember the belt is a teaching aid telling the instructor where you are; you should not be having the conversation if your thoughts are ones of seeking a platitude for your ego. Just; I have had students give up because they did not understand the grading syllabus, and I wish they had asked and had the conversation instead.

As an instructor; at the grade you are discussing, I would be looking for the ability to produce what is asked for. I would not be wanting to be too much inventiveness just yet; for the sake of safety, and for the fact I am trying to gauge your initial development. Rather than asking the forum; ask your sensei. He is the only one who will know exactly what he wants to see. If you are confident you can double grade, state this to your instructor, and ask if you can make the attempt. Some will say no just because you asked. However, it is better to take the gamble with that conversation; than it is on the grading with another person's safety.

I have been in a similar situation; while I was in university I ran a karate society, which was basically just a group for any one practicing karate to come together, train, and share knowledge. I also have private students; that I taught in my garden. Some of them were fellow students under my teacher, who simply wanted extra training, while others were solely my own and thus were taught my own approach. I did not hide that I did this from my teacher; but out of deferment the society held it's meetings in a different town, and I would turn any of our shared students away if I failed to see them at my teachers lesson (Unless they had an acceptable reason). Really; the respect that is due is best reflected in not becoming competition. If you do that; I can see no problems. The way I see it; at the end of the day I paid to attend lessons, and I put the hard work into learning and remembering what was taught. If I am competent, and wish to teach; it is my knowledge to share. If you wish to share it; then it is your choice, and has little to do with your teacher. That is; presuming you are competent, have been acknowledged as such, and do not plan to use the same space as them. Teaching, like competition, is the next step in ones growth as it introduces a new adversity. It is something that all should try at some point. Really; if your teacher would think of someone they taught teaching as stepping on their toes; I have to ask why they are a teacher in the first place.

That is actually a typo, it should have said: It was just when I studied Wado-Ryu; I learnt Seisan after Chinto, so just a memory slip.

Just to support Hawkmoon's statement; I have run into three different offshoots of Go-Kan-Ryu, and none of them fell particularly far from the tree. One merely took the Shotokan influence to its logical conclusion, the other simply replaced the Shotokan with Wado-Ryu where they could, and the last was Go-Kan-Ryu in every thing but name. It happens in all martial arts; people either fall into schism because they disagree with leadership, or they wish to follow their own approach and the upper echelons are too rigid to allow it within their organisation. However; the business like model of Go-Kan-Ryu seems to have a greater proficiency for causing such things. I would not let the politics of the greater system put you off; no one would engage in Shotokan, Wado-Ryu or Kyokushin if they did. If the instructor is good, you enjoy what he does, and the club is a good fit in general; then no point being put off by the history and politics.

Go Kan Ryu; is not an authentic Okinawan or Japanese system, and is run essentially like a business. Like any commercial venture; it will have its exploitative elements, but on balance will do what it can to please, and keep, its customers. To be candid; it is the livelihood of its founder and other members at the top of the pyramid, and like any board of directors it wants to see profits. On a technical level; it does what it does well, in Australia at least. It is a successful on the National All Style circuit (Take that with a pinch of salt), and has produced several athletes who have competed elsewhere with mixed success. It is a non-contact system; meaning it is unlikely to prepare you for the rigors of a real confrontation. Though to be fair; I know of point fighters who have more than done the job of defending themselves when attacked (Again, pinch of salt). Kata wise; it is a mix of Shotokan, and Goju Kai (Japanese/Yamaguchi branch of Goju-Ryu). Now, the International Go-Kan-Ryu Karate Federation (IGKF) claims Go-Kan-Ryu is a hybridisation of Keishinkan and Goju Kai. However; the trained eye can see it is a mix of Shotokan and Goju-Kai. Their explanation for this is that Keishinkan is a variation of Shotokan; a claim which has some reasoning but little validity to it. Keishinkan is a dojo founded by Masanao Takaza; a student of Kanken Toyama who himself was a student of Anko Itosu, and Itosu was also the teacher of Funakoshi Gichin, the spiritual founder of what became Shotokan. Modern Keishinkan, as a group, in fact practices Okinawan Seito-Shito-ryu; and is an organisation name, not a style unto itself. From what I can uncover; the Shotokan influence, and the Keishinkan being a variation of Shotokan line, became predominant after the rise of Stacey Karetsian and Gavin Samin to prominence in the new millennium. Both had prior Shotokan experience, and Karetsian himself was a successful competitor before joining Go-Kan-Ryu’s management. I could be wrong; and the Keishinkan Robert Sullivan studied was indeed a variation of Shotokan, however, all the evidence I have found does not render this likely. The timing of the rise of Karestian and Samin to de facto technical directors of the system, and their back ground just makes me think that the Shotokan influence is literally Shotokan, not a Shotokan variation. This should not be a deal breaker; but to me it seems to have all the makings of a dishonest sales ploy, and a revision to make sense of the declared history. Overall, Go-Kan-Ryu is not dissimilar to the Karate classes you will find most kids taking in any dojo or club; limited contact for safety reason, an emphasis on a lot of repetition, and kata on a performance level. It can be fun, and be good exercise. It can be a fine hobby, and if you enjoy it I cannot think of a reason to stop doing it. Now; I would not touch it due to my suspicions and not liking the business practices. I would not suggest it to someone looking for effective self-defence, or who was looking to compete in MMA or the like. If you are looking for full-contact competition, or to have a realistic, and in-depth comprehension of self-defence, then it probably is not for you. I would just keep your eyes on the business side if you are enjoying it, and be sure to keep your toes in reality when it comes to what you are doing.

I cannot add much in terms of historical knowledge (As it has been discussed sufficiently) but I would say in technical terms; the difference between Tegumi and Shima, is very much the difference between Freestyle and Roman-Greco respectively. Tegumi has a much greater emphasis on submissions, and positioning; with throws taking second spot to take downs. Shima, being based on the belt grip, is more of a power wrestling sport; with throws requiring both lifting and footwork being favoured. Tegumi; as an influence depends on the system of Karate. Many Japanese systems employ a Judo or Jujtusu influence in their past. Okinawan systems may appeal to Tegumi, Chinese wrestling, or Judo depending on the time of its initial origins. Korean arts often have a Ssireum or Judo influence. American and European are the most eclectic in their grappling influence; with traditional European Wrestling, and imported arts such as Judo having a large impact. I guess what I am trying to say; finding an influence that is definitely Tegumi becomes difficult when looking "back" as it were, through Kata for example. It is a worthwhile venture to research it though; as it is most readily adapted to a Karate framework, having the same cultural origin. Yet; at the same time, any grappling art is readily applicable to Karate with a little imagination. Shima though; I do use as a training drill with my students, alongside back-hold, jacket, and neck (Clinch) wrestling positions. It is a useful drill for learning how to resist someone trying to pull you off your feet, or charging into you. Like sumo, it teaches the essence of self defence. When your opponent advances; advance. When your opponent retreats; advance. If you are new to grappling, and uncertain of more freestyle rules; its a good place to start.

I would argue that confidence should come from practice. Everyone is different, but the following are some scenarios I have encountered in regards to confidence building; 1. Someone who is not tested enough, but is successful at what tests exist, may have confidence but may also be arrogant. 2. Someone who is thrown into the deep end too often, may actually be relatively good for their level, but as they are always up against a wall may lack confidence. 3. Someone who has confidence due to only being faced with unrealistic tests, that do not test their limits. 4. Someone who attributes success or failure to factors outside their control, and is given a reason to by nature of the test, will lack confidence. Now; some people will walk in with confidence, and from day one will have this attribute. They will be realistic about their progress, and will be focused on realistic progress. Other people will walk in with no confidence, but may come out of their shells over time. Other people will walk in with confidence, have unrealistic goals, and keep pushing themselves to the wall until all confidence is drained. The major hurdle I find; is giving people the confidence to self-manage their own training. I feel confidence in the self is important to truly experience the martial journey; there comes a point where practice is hinged on confidence. Where without confidence, practice will get one no where. For one will not experiment, test boundaries, and find new ways to test the self without it. So, developing confidence starts with practice in the dojo or the class. However, outside that environment, confidences becomes the underlying energy needed for progress. Practice in the dojo has to be realistic, and test people according to their abilities. It should generate self-confidence if it is realistic, yet should be a humbling experience as well. It is a difficult dance for both the instructor and student; I have no dance instructions. So; in short, training at the dojo should help in developing confidence, and confidence should provide a student the energy to move forward in their personal journey.

Thank you for the article; it is interesting to see a citation of psychological works. Should be one to make us all stop and ponder what we may be doing unconsciously to our students.

Only reason I suggest you look for someone from Okinawa is because of my own experiance. First time I tried Shorin-Ryu, it was not good, the instructor seemed to be teaching Japanese karate with an Okinawan name. Indeed; having, started studying authentic okinawan shorin-ryu, I think the name was borrowed. Yet; when I experienced authentic Okinawan karate, it was on a different level to the Japanese karate I had been studying up until then. It could be down to just who I have met; but it does seem to be a good judge of quality when it comes to Shorin-Ryu. In the UK at least, that is.

Being biased; I would try the change, even if it does not really work for you in the end I suspect it may be a worthwhile experience. I find there is more depth, and variety to the Kata. Plus; I find the movements more applicable to Kumite, and Goshin Jutsu. I just tried to list what I found left me feeling like a fish out of water moving from Wado-Ryu to Shorin-Ryu. There are only so many ways to move the body; so you will find a lot of over lapping, especially as the Kata used share a historical basis. However; saying that, there will be something to change and adapt to at every level. I would not call Shorin-Ryu inately superior to Wado-Ryu, but I did find a depth of knowledge in Shorin-Ryu I did not find before, and I have found I have moved forward as a Karateka and Martial artist as result. If you can find someone dedicated, and with an attachment to Okinawa, I would give it a go.

Only two major differences I can think of are stances and power generation. Shotokan generally utilises the hip and foward movement; with an emphasis on kime and full body power. Shorin-Ryu generally emphasises the hip and pelvic alignment; with more emphasis on relaxation when hitting. Stance wise; both use dynamic stances. However, Shorin-Ryu favours stances which are more upright and makes use of contraction of the muscles; whereas Shotokan often puts an emphasis on depth of stance and pushing to ones maximum range of movement. My experience with Shotokan ends at that rather superficial comparison to be honest. I will say that in sparring Shotokan fighters; they are very good at lateral movement, and chaining attacks together at a range.

Losing the ability to walk; which is not me making light of paralysis by the way. I have a back condition I have to regulate (weight control, certain exercises each day, ect.) and in the long run it will probably effect my ability walk, but hopefully not until later life. If I couldn't walk any more, then I probably would stop being involved in Martial Arts. I wouldn't want to enjoy them vicariously by still being involved in the auxiliary activities involved beyond training.

My only criticism of Rousey is that she is competing in a pretty shallow division. She is an impressive Judoka, and she has demonstrated all-range fighting capacity which is of a high quality. I would like to see her against someone of her own caliber; I just do not think we have seen her against someone who has made her dig deep into what she really has. I do not like trash talking; but it is inevitably part of the sport. It has been since it's inception. The Gracie's basic boast was that their jujutsu is superior in real fights. Antonio Inoki wanted to prove the innate superiority of Pro-Wrestling to martial arts, an attitude that carried on in spirit in Shooto and Pancrase. Those fighters who avoid it generally win more points in my book as I prefer the notion of respect in martial arts. However, MMA is a competitive professional sport where you need to get noticed. I cannot look down on an entertainer doing their job too much.

I used to do that but over time I realised I was looking silly; I was doing a supposed self defence drill and I was telling them how to attack exactly. How does that help in learning self defence? So now I generally just accept it is my fault for not giving clear enough instructions, and work with how ever they attack. I do have the occasional internal scream where I have to change the drill I had planned to do because of this; but I would rather accept and embrace the challenge then fall back on my old habit of just making my directions more clear. I have trained with Mr McCarthy so I am thinking that is mostly in jest, or so I hope

I voted yes but that is not the entire story. I am partial to Shureido, and an Okinawan cut. However, as good as they are, they are never "perfect". Generally, what I have to do to find perfect is to train in the Gi for a while. Discover how it stretches and responds to cleaning. Then I will modify it as needed; I have gone so far as to remove and put a sleeve back on. I would say WKF is a good place to start; it is usually a good stamp of approval for a Gi to have. However, if you ever want "perfect" I find it is a lot of hard work and learning how to redo a Gi as you need. So; for me I would suggest a few things for a product; 1. The ability to order a jacket and trousers of different sizes. This is usually why I have to modify many of my Gi, due to my build I either find the trousers are too short, or the jacket is too tight around the shoulders. 2. Consider building in adjust-ability. I often roll up, or cut, the sleeves and leggings to get the cut I want. I do not imagine I am alone in this; I would consider a design that takes this into account. 3. Offer a mix of materials; some times you want a material which breathes easier because of the heat. Sometimes you want something that doesn't allow too much heat to leave the body due to it being cold weather. I would say a choice of materials would be a step forward. In terms of Generic cut; I prefer to purchase European as it is easier to adjust. I suggest that it is the best default cut on that basis.

It somewhat went as I expected; Machida gave Weidman a run for his money, but never really had what was needed to achieve the win. Still, considering we are talking about a loss to the man who defeated Anderson Silva twice, and a loss that came after going the distance and was a judge decision, It's not a career damning loss by any stretch of the imagination. I think Machida has shown us the potential he has in this weight division, while Weidman has shown he is a world class champion. I would dare any one to call him a fluke champion after this showing, while keeping a straight face. Sadly though, at 36 Machida is not a young man, and I think this played into it. His enviable skills kept him afloat, and in a game such as MMA that is only part of the equation. Weidman is as skilled as Machida (Perhaps even more so but as he didn't finish the fight I am hesitant to push him as decidely more skilled), but younger and this gave him the edge in a fight that went the distance. Weidman has power, speed, endurance and skill. Machida could only challenge him with skill and it wasn't enough on the night. I do not think Machida should retire, I suspect he has a few more remarkable fights inside him for us. However, I agree that it is doubtful he will be able to challenge for the champion spot in this division again. All in all, a good fight and I can't fault either fighter on their conduct or their skills. Really, what one wants to see in MMA.

The timing I find most useful and use as my general guidelines; Children (7 - 12) = One Hour Maximum. Logic = At seven children begin to develop the cognitive function needed to practice rudimentary aspects of Karate. They will generally have the capacity to pick up the vocal Japanese commands; plus they will have the coordination to at least learn the Kata with some meaning. However; their primary energy expenditure and use remains aerobic, not anaerobic. Plus, they need to develop strength and speed through play. At this stage I generally spend 20-30 minutes on what would be recognisable as karate; the rest is a mixture of Judo and boxercise. I use this age gap to prepare them to be ready to study karate. Advanced Juniors (12-14 with Brown Belt) = One Hour and a Half. Logic = I consider 12 the ideal age to begin authentic karate training; the cognitive ability is there to focus on the details, plus it is the average age where physical development starts to take on different requirements from earlier ages. However, one still has to find the balance, and they are still mentally children. I find an hour and a half to be more than long enough in terms of exercise, and the amount of knowledge they can absorb at this age. Beginning Adults/14 Years Old = One Hour to One Hour and a Half. Logic = I find that asking two hours of beginning adults is usually not useful. I often find it takes at least 6 weeks to 3 months of regular training for someone to develop the stamina needed to make a two hour session meaningful. Therefore I often suggest, but am not always listened to, that beginners do only an hour or an hour and a half. It gives them time to adjust to the nature of attending a sessions, and to develop the stamina needed for more extreme training. I often have 14 year olds begin on the adult syllabus, though modified to account for their being young teenagers (Bogu Kumite instead of Jissen Kumite ect.). It is a tricky age as by the time they are eligible to test for a black belt they will be adults. Plus, by this time they do need more anaerobic training than even just a year ago. It is easier to fit this into an a mixed class, and modifying the strength training they do, then trying to fit strength training into a junior class. Adults = Two Hours Minimum. Logic = After a few weeks or months of initial training; I just find two hours to be effective for most people. It gives them enough of a work out, while giving me the time to impart the ideas and concepts I want to. Basically it allows me 10 minutes of yapping time if I need it. Plus; for most students, who regulate their own training, 3-4 2 hour sessions a week seems to be the ideal for effective improvement. Adult Yudansha or those aiming for Shodan = Two Hours or more, topping out at 3-4 hours. Logic = Less of a work out, and more or less the fact there is so much more to cover. I need three times the talking time at this level, and I have to observe so much more while coming up to a grading. Really; this is because I am an awful instructor rather than my students needing the time.

Wado-Ryu has nine central Kata. To paraphrase how Shingo Ohgami identified them; Pinan Series > Kushanka (Kusanku/Kanku Dai) Naifanchi (Naihanchi/Tekki Shodan) > Seishan (Seisan/Hangetsu) With all coming to culminate in the lessons of Chinto kata, though I have heard in some circles that Seisan is taught after Chinto. Another interesting point I have heard is that nearer the end of his life Ohtsuka Meijin began to stop teaching beyond Seisan kata at all. Anecdotal evidence so I would not trust it, but I believe it illustrates how important he held these nine kata to be. Within Shorin-Ryu; the central Kata are undeniably Naihanchi and the Pinan kata. Naihanchi deals with power generation and many central premises and principles, where as the Pinan generally introduce many of the Waza encountered in advanced kata.