Wado Heretic

I would like Tyson to win, and if he comes in to the fight in the same shape he managed to come in against Jones four years ago, I think he can win. If he has kept himself in the pink, and puts in a good camp I think Tyson will come in as potentially a higher calibre boxer than Paul has faced yet. But, and this is where I think Fat Cobra hits the nail on the head, Tyson will be 58 going into this match. He had an exhibition bout in 2020 against someone else coming in over 50, but last had a serious bout in 2005. He might be able to come in with heavy and fast hands still, but we need to consider defence: will Tyson have the reactions still to make his defence work? There is only so much one can do against the march of time. Paul is 27, has been very active in his boxing with three fights in 2021 and three in 2023, and he had a match just this month. He only got around to one fight in 2022 for some reason. Even if he has not fought boxers of the calibre Tyson did in his prime, he has fought noted fighters. Paul does not seem to have been dazzled by the reputation of his opponents such as Anderson Silva. Tyson can win if he comes in fit enough, but at 58 I do not see it happening. If Paul does not allow himself to be beaten by Tyson's aura and reputation, and gets in there and does the work I think Paul is more likely to walk away the winner. My breakdown was more to point out Paul can box. He has fought novice boxers, but capable fighters, even if they were aging, over-weight, and from a different sport. His resume is obviously padded, but the traditional boxers he has fought have had equally, if not more, padded resumes. Robinson and Askren are more or less the only two we could call Tomato Cans on his fight card. Woodley had potential on paper, Diaz has potential and went the distance, Silva proved his potential against a former world champion. August and Bourland are inarguably Club Boxers, and Fury puffed up by celebrity and his connection to Fury the Greater, but all traditional boxers with more experience than Paul himself. Yet Paul won two out of three and managed a Split Decision even in defeat. Tyson is a legend and always a point of reference in any serious discussion of a Heavyweight GOAT. Paul will be the lowest rated opponent Tyson will have fought since 1985 during his rookie years. But Tyson is 58, and Paul has knocked people down and out. Speed on the defence is the first thing to get chipped away at by age, and Paul has a dangerous offence.

I am going to go against the grain and vote Jake Paul. I would prefer Mike Tyson to win, but Mr Tyson was last in the ring four years ago for an Exhibition Match against Roy Jones Jr which ended in a split decision. Credit to Tyson in that he is 2 years older than Jones, and Jones was last active professionally in 2018 (Before his fight last year against Anthony Pettis) compared to Tyson's last bout prior being in 2005. But that was four years ago, and Tyson is of an age where 4 years can make a huge difference compared to someone in their 20s or 30s. Jake Paul is not a terrible boxer, even if his record is some what padded: AnEsonGib is a Youtuber. Admittedly he was 2-0 as an Amateur Boxer before facing Paul, so more experienced than Paul, but otherwise a fair competition on paper. Paul securing an early TKO actually speaks in his favour in terms of his talent. Gib has since done well in the controversial Kingpyn High Stakes Tournament but I would take that with a pinch of salt considering the calibre of competitor. On balance, it just suggests Gib was not as easy an opponent as Paul made it look. Nate Robinson was fighting his first fight and was a Basketball player who was basically pushed into an enforced retirement at 33 due to injury. There is no other way to put it except that it was padding Paul's record, and Robinson was in that ring for brand recognition not as a fighter. Ben Askren never knocked anyone out, never mind on their feet: he achieved TKOs via ground and pound. He retired from MMA to have hip surgery, and when it came to the fight Askren came in heavier than he ever had in his previous fighting career. Throughout his MMA career Askren fought as a Welterweight (71 and 77 kg), though he fought a catchweight bout in 2016, but fought Paul in the Cruiserweight Division (80 and 86 KG). And the weight showed in Askren looking bloated and unconditioned. It was more clever padding as Askren was a great fighter in his time, but when one looks at the details more closely, it shows Askren was chosen because he was aging out and not a dangerous striker. The two Tyron Woodley bouts are where it becomes interesting to me. Like Askren, Woodley is a wrestler by training whose victories mostly came from putting people on the floor for submission attempts or ground and pound. However Woodley, from the top of my head, knocked out Josh Koscheck and Robbie Lawler on their feet. An important distinction when considering how dangerous a striker is coming from MMA to boxing: did they ever hurt someone with a punch on their feet? Plus, Woodley went the distance several times against better strikers, at least on paper, such as Stephen Thompson and got decisions in his favour. Woodley's striking acumen and knockout ability were arguably a league above Askren's so he posed a bigger threat to Paul. It is interesting that they went the distance to a split decision in their first meet, but Paul secured a KO in their second. Whether Woodley was not as prepared the second time due to being a replacement, and that made the difference, or Paul had gotten his number from their first bout being the question. I thought Woodley came out a better and more aggressive boxer in their second fight so I have to give credit to Paul for earning the KO personally. Nonetheless, Woodley was a novice at this point so even if I consider him more dangerous than Askren as a cross-over competitor, I am disinclined to consider it a boxing match against a boxer. Plus, as with Askren, Woodley came in heavier than he had during his MMA career. Woodley, as with Askren, was a Welterweight for his MMA career but fought Paul as a Cruiserweight. Personally, I thought Woodley looked as conditioned as he ever had so I do not think the weight made much of a difference to his fitness, but from a fighting weight perspective Woodley was overweight compared to what he once fought at. Plus, as Paul more naturally walks around as a Cruiserweight, all his bouts have been in this class, he is going to have an advantage in conditioning. He does not need to bulk to make weight, and it is unlikely he needs to cut if he keeps himself in the pink. It is not difficult to live at 200 lbs at 6’1 If you keep yourself relatively fit. Anderson Silva out boxed Julio César Chávez Jr. (53-6-1) to a split decision only fifteen months before meeting Paul. Silva won 23 of his 34 MMA victories by knock-out. Silva also finished Julio César Chávez Jr. by KO, and Tito Ortiz by KO, in two of his five boxing matches. The record I can find for Chávez suggests it was his professional debut, and Ortiz's chin has been a little suspect since UFC 66. But those two knock-outs are proof Silva has knock-out power as a Boxer. Paul taking a Unanimous Decision off Silva was no small feat, even if we consider Silva another cross-over fighter, he has been one of the successful ones. This fight alone should make us consider Paul's potential to upset even great fighters. Plus, Silva has fought as a Middleweight and Light Heavyweight meaning he did not come in at an entirely new and unusual weight class to fight Paul. Paul then managed a Split Decision against Tommy Fury. This bout needs a more thorough examination than most. Fury came in undefeated, like Paul, but with two more fights under his belt and seven against Traditional Boxers. Anthony Grant (5-4) was an MMA fighter making his debut boxing match against Fury. On paper, it reads as though Fury is the much more tried and tested boxer because of this as Paul had otherwise only fought cross-over fighters, two of them known more for their wrestling in MMA than their striking and fighting heavier than they ever had before, and all of them aged out passed their peak. However, the only Boxer that Fury fought who came to their fight with a winning record at the time, and who still has one, is Jordan Grant (6-4). Even if we consider Paul's record padded, he largely fought former top talents from the world of MMA. Fury's record, though filled with traditional boxers, is made up of club boxers that between them have a verified combined record of 10-156, which is 6.4% winning rate or roughly one victory in sixteen fights. Admittedly, before meeting Fury said verified combined record was 3-42, however, the average losing streak amongst his opponents before facing him was 7 which is only 1 higher than the average of 6 bouts fought in total before their bouts with Fury. To give credit to Fury, and to balance the argument, each of his opponents had more boxing experience than him coming into their fights. For curiosity’s sake, the reported but unverified combined record is of all of Fury’s prior opponents to Paul is 38-300-5, which translates to an 11.07% winning rate. The reported records give three out of eight of his opponents winning records, though only two verified, and only two with no victories to their names. Nonetheless, it suggests that Fury did not fight a high calibre of opponents. This is not good for Jake Paul because after getting a KO victory over Tyron Woodley and a Unanimous Decision over Anderson Silva he gives away a split decision to Fury. Looking at Fury’s opponents and their calibre he has obviously been protected and has a very padded resume. Thus, this SD loss is either a massive slip up on Paul’s side, or his boxing fundamentals are not as good as they need to be, and his earlier successes came from fighting credible fighters who were nonetheless novice boxers. Fury has since gone on to earn a Unanimous Decision win against KSI (4-1-0) which is not a win to write home about. The Nick Diaz bout was a farce and a catchweight bout. Diaz just did not seem to want to be there from the first second, never mind the first round. I consider Diaz one of the better Fighter-Punchers in MMA regarding his ability with his hands, so I was surprised to see his performance be what it was in this fight. The bug bear of the weight issues rears its head again as with the Askren and Woodley, Paul fought someone who never fought near the Cruiserweight bracket before. With that said, Nate Diaz has a hard chin but he otherwise spent 10 Rounds making Paul look good, though admittedly Diaz did seem to come alive in round 8 and forced Paul to clinch a few times. Nonetheless, I cannot recall seeing Diaz land any flush punches, but I recall seeing him take several. However, having seen Paul knock out Woodley, and knockdown Askren and Silva, I was surprised to see him unable to knock out Diaz. It was a poor performance from Paul rather than a great performance from Diaz from my perspective because Diaz just never seemed in the fight, although Paul still secured the Unanimous Decision. After the slide against Fury and Diaz, Paul seemed to bounce back with a convincing first round knock-out of Andre August. This was, arguably, Paul’s second bout against a traditional boxer. We can discard the previous weight issues as August is a Cruiserweight boxer. Plus, according to BoxRec, August was 10-1-0 with a five-fight win streak going into his fight with Paul. Although, his verified record would be 3-1 if using several sources to confirm rather than one. August’s past opponents, compared to Fury’s, also had a much more even-handed combined record of 42-105-9, which translates to a 26.92% win rate. It should be noted that August appears to have had a significant break between 2019 and 2023 which does not align with Covid-19 restrictions. He is currently 35 so may have been looking to wind down his career, but his trainer has recently said he may retire to focus on his family, so his break from boxing may have coincided with the birth of his children. That aside and said, however, August had a bout in 2023 against the then undefeated, 7-0, Brandon Martin during which August handed Martin his first defeat. After which he fought Paul. One could have attributed the loss to ring rust, but his victory against Martin suggests he had not lost much of his step being out the game for four years. August’s knock-out loss to Paul was only second loss but first loss by KO, and somewhat reaffirms Paul’s potential knock out power. Paul’s last fight was then his third fight against a traditional boxer in Ryan Bourland (17-2-0). A fight which ended with a first round TKO victory for Paul. Bourland had suffered both a TKO and KO loss previously so not an exceptional achievement in contrast to being the first to knock out August in 12 fights. Again, no weight issues to consider as Bourland is a Cruiserweight. However, as with August there are odd gaps in his fight record. Before the 17th September, 2022, Bourland last fought in October, 2018. A gap, again, not really explained by Covid-19 restrictions. Bourland is also 35 and again, the gap aligns with the idea he may have been planning to wind down his career. Nonetheless, he did come back in 2022 and won a TKO victory against Santario Martin, before then facing Jake Paul this month. Unlike with August, where the August-Martin fight could be viewed as a warm-up bout for August after his time out, because he fought Martin on the 11th July and then Paul in the December, Bourland seems to have come into the fight against Paul cold. That said, of the traditional boxers Paul has faced, Bourland unarguably has the most competitive back catalogue of opponents. His opponent’s combined record is 104-129-13, which translates to a winning rate of 42.27%. Significantly greater than the winning rates of Tommy Fury or Andre August’s past opponents. Mathematically, from a chance angle, Fury’s average opponent could win one out of ten bouts, August’s would win two but could win three out of ten, but Bourland’s would win four but could win five. On paper, with maths consider alone, Bourland is the most competitive traditional boxer that Paul has faced, and Paul put him down in one round. In short, I think Jake Paul is a more dangerous boxer than a lot give him credit for because he is a Youtuber, he is a clown for the screen, and he has built his boxing career on PPV Cross-Over bouts against retired or aging MMA Fighters. But he has convincingly defeated two traditional boxers, has a victory against Anderson Silva who defeated former world champion Julio César Chávez Jr. only a short while ago, and he has a 66.67% knockout rate from his 9 victories. But the world of cruiserweight and heavyweight can be very different. The cruiserweight division was created because promoters felt it unfair for men of 190 lbs to be fighting the average, fit, heavyweight of 210 lbs which emerged in the 70s. If Tyson still has his punching power, and sufficient hand speed, then his punches are going to be very different to anything Paul has faced before. Plus, Paul gave away a SD to Fury who has a padded resume, who only gets the attention he does because of Love Island Infamy and bring the brother of Tyson Fury. August and Bourland are at best journeymen boxers who I doubt anyone would be talking about if they were not brought into the spotlight to fight Jake Paul. Mike Tyson in his prime fought the best of the best and was the best of the best. The lowest calibre fighter he ever lost to, in my opinion, was Kevin McBride who was a National Champion and fought for international titles. Paul is dangerous and has a puncher’s chance. However, for Tyson to win convincingly it will require Tyson coming into the fight as fit as can be for a 58-year-old. There in lies my doubt. I do not know if Tyson will manage it, and I think Paul is more dangerous than a lot credit him. George Foreman shocked the world. If Tyson can come back in the shape, he was against Roy Jones Jr, then I think he will win as I want him to. But my instinct is that Paul will upset the world as he often does.

As a karateka first and foremost I would have to state Funakoshi Gichin as a definite on my Mt. Rushmore. Although there were other pioneers we must consider, and show due respect, with regards to getting Tode Jutsu from Okinawa to Japan, I would say Funakoshi has had the most wide-reaching implications. Konishi Yasuhiro, a direct student of Funakoshi, was instrumental in getting Karate Do recognised alongside other forms of Budo in Pre-War Japan. Funakoshi’s students, through the JKA, became global pioneers in spreading Karate to the World. Ōyama Masutatsu was the father of Full-Contact Karate, and he first discovered Karate through Funakoshi’s teachings. From karate come both American and Japanese forms of kick-boxing. Many among the first generation of Tang Soo Do and Tae Kwon Do also credit their training to the Shotokan. The world of Martial Arts could be very different if there had not been a Funakoshi Gichin. Second would be Kano Jigoro. He began the revolution of how Martial Arts was taught in Japan, and his innovations have been far reaching. A belt ranking system is used in most modern Japanese Martial Arts, but also Chinese Wushu, Korean Arts such as Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido, and Western Arts descending from Japanese ones such as Brazilian Jujutsu and many forms of American and European of Kempo and Jujutsu. The Judogi, as the first development of a formal keikogi, led to the creation of the Karategi. Both the Judogi and Karategi are used throughout the world, or have derivatives used in other martial arts. The Judo mentality of Randori has also had a deep effect philosophically on the martial arts, with Karate and other forms of Budo which otherwise eschewed formal competition developing competition rules, as a direct result of Judo being the prototype of the modern martial art in Japan. This has been carried forward into BJJ and SOMBO which are directly descended from Judo, but also some branches of Aikido, because their founders were also Judoka, included competition in an Art otherwise bereft of it. The pioneers of Kakuto Karate were generally accomplished Judoka as well as Karateka. Third would be Donn F Dreager. Primarily because he is the father of Hoplology and set the foundations for the anthropological study of Martial Arts. But he also helped a lot of people heading to Japan in the 60s for training, who have in turn become leading experts or have had a huge influence on their respective arts. Without him a lot of Westerners would have missed out on opportunities, and in turn, a lot of people would have missed out on them bringing their knowledge to their respective home countries. Dreager’s work also helped promote, and likely helped preserve, a number of arts which would otherwise likely be lost to history with his work too. My fourth I have struggled with but I have decided to settle on Rorion Gracie. Although the business mind behind the UFC was Art Davie, the architect of the event was in many ways Rorian Gracie. It was his work that laid the foundations for the first UFC to be conceived of as a concept through his Gracie Challenges, and working in a lot of film and television and making connections. Without his work there would not have been a UFC 1, and without that event, Modern MMA and by extension modern combat sports and fighting arts would likely not be the same. There was an emerging fighting scene in Japan, however, it was mostly hybrid systems such as Daido Juku and Shooto which had very restrictive rules, or it was rooted in Shoot-Wrestling and often blurred works with real shoot fights. UFC 1 prompted Satoru Sayama to create Vale Tudo Japan which in turn led to Pride, and the late 90s MMA boom which gave the sport a lot of the momentum it needed to survive and thrive. I did consider Jack Dempsey for fourth place, as I consider him the first boxer to box in a manner similar to modern and current boxers. He was also an early advocate of cross-training, and an early writer on fighting methods. I also considered Mitsuyo Maeda because without him there would be no Brazilian Jujutsu, and by extension no Rorian Gracie as the world knows him to help kick-start the MMA revolution. Another was Antonio Inoki for his inter-style matches, and setting the stage for the hybrid fighting systems that emerged in Japan in the 80s.

I have only really belonged to one organisation and I am with it for a number of reasons, but the primary one is access to the Head Instructor. I have regular private lessons with him and attend courses at the Hombu regularly. He is my teacher as well as Head Instructor. Plus, very reasonable financially considering it is his self-employment. Although there is a curriculum, it is flexible, so I am studying a selection of kata specifically for me rather than just because it is part of a syllabus. Plus, as long as I incorporate core teachings everyone in the association studies, I am free to otherwise manage my own curriculum. The major con I have found with my brief time in a few larger organisations was a lack of access to the senior instructors. One could attend courses with them but I very quickly found they were repetitious. It was generally similar stuff every time. And it was generally expensive. They were also very strict on the curriculum, which I can understand from a quality control perspective, in that the larger the group the more you have to rely on tertiary means beyond direct instruction. However, the curriculums did not really address actual competencies in my view. They became about knowing the right set of Kata, combinations, and being able to perform various techniques. I do think the scale of the organisation makes it more vulnerable to some of the pros and cons presented in the opening post. I have found that smaller organisations tend to be less vulnerable to politicking and often provide more quality control through direct coaching from the top instructor and seniors. However, the lack of scale often means a lack of broader opportunities, and some times heterodox competition formats, meaning it is can be difficult to expand one's horizons without moving organisation or holding multiple memberships. The benefit of large organisation in contrast is that scale of opportunities, but an immediate increase in politicking and disparity in quality between coaches and students. Costs come down to individual greed in my experience. I have been in larger organisations where I felt there was good value for money, although, in the end I was disappointed with the course quality when senior instructors and the head instructor visited. But I have been in a smaller organisation where I felt the costs did not match the quality of services in the end. The biggest pro for me as a Coach and Instructor is that it takes a lot of pressure off me from dealing with the business side of things. As long as I make sure I fill my forms out correctly, and make payments on time, I can just focus on teaching. But I rent the space out I teach from, and I have a 9-5 day job so coaching is purely a hobby. I only teach because I am the only one doing karate as I want to do karate in my immediate vicinity. In that sense, my view is skewed.

Thank you, I appreciate your words. I apologise for not getting back to this sooner. I believe it important to lay out where one is talking from in topics like this so people have a sense of where the idea emerges. As time goes by I have come to conclude the idea of Traditional and Modern Martial Arts is a farce designed to create two sides for marketing purposes. There are Preservation focused Fighting Traditions and Progression Focused Fighting Traditions. All Fighting Systems come from a tradition prior, and even if the system is only a day old, unless it was created in complete ignorance by someone with no training, it will have inherited knowledge and traditions from its foundational knowledge base. Brazilian Jujutsu is considered a Modern Martial Art but it is older than Tae Kwon Do, which is called a Traditional Martial Art, by nearly 20 years. Arguably 40 years if one argues Modern Tae Kwon Do did not differentiate itself from Tang Soo Do/Kong Soo Do until the 1960s. The traditional knowledge which BJJ inherited as part of its foundation has a straight lineage of nearly 400 years old if we keep in mind Judo was based on Kito-Ryu which was founded in the 17th Century. The forms, or traditional knowledge, of Tae Kwon Do are very young by any comparison with most of the forms coming into existence in the 60s and 70s of the 20th century. The difference between the two is that BJJ goes outside of its own grounds and is forced to progress by the mindset of its practitioners. It has its famous four faces of Self-Defence, Vale Tudo, Jacket Wrestling, and No-Gi competition. Each forces the art to evolve or become redundant. New techniques are conceptualised, tried, and shown to work in competition or not. New knowledge is absorbed to keep the techniques relevant and working. There is a deep tradition on which all of this is grounded, but competition, and facing reality keep the system progressing. Before I continue I am not being expressly critical of Tae Kwon Do. I am simply using it in contract to BJJ because it is relatively young among the Fighting Systems commonly called Traditional. In contract Tae Kwon Do does not have a culture of going outside the world of Tae Kwon Do. The fighting aspect of TKD often amounts to getting good at its competitive format. The forms are learnt to be preserved as forms, but they are very young and do not necessarily apply to effective application. One cannot study its forms as a matter of hoplology and uncover fighting techniques preserved there in. The forms are practiced effectively for the the sake of getting good at the forms and preserving them. But Tae Kwon Do was born out of Okinawan Karate, metamorphised by Japanese demands before it reached Korea, and then modified further by its pioneers. It has inherited knowledge from an ancient tradition, but its traditions are modern. Thus using these two examples we can see the difference between what people call modern and traditional martial arts. Modern are those Progressive Fighting Arts that put emphasis on progression in effectiveness at what one is trying to be good at. Traditional are those systems where the focus is preserving knowledge as one encountered it, and getting good at the traditions as they are taught. But the truth is it is nothing to do with the age of the the art, and the truth is all Fighting Arts are traditional in that they are all traditions passed down. You do have hybrids such as Judo where the Jacket Wrestling Sport pushes the system forward, and allows for progression, but there is a deep history preserved in the Kata, which also have principles and ideas invaluable to modern competition. I try to embody this latter hybrid approach. I keep the kata straight, I keep the kihon straight, and I teach karate within the traditional context I was taught it as best I can. However, I go out of my comfort zone when I can to learn what Karate is good at, and what it is bad at, and try to embrace modern ideas to push my karate forward to get better at what it is already good at. I believe you can preserve the tradition, but progress its effectiveness. They are not mutually exclusive ideas. Thus, to get back to topic, I take forward to others what I find karate is good at within the context of what they are trying to accomplish. They do not need the whole tradition to find skills they can employ and use. But it is all traditional. We are all standing on the shoulders of giants. We are all following traditions.

I have been experimenting with similar ideas, but not with that depth of thinking I must admit. Thank you for sharing, Wastelander. I will definitely steal it.

I have been a Guest Stand-Up Coach at a couple of Gyms/Clubs. I have also been an interim striking coach on and off over the years for a couple of friends Gyms. One is a proper MMA Gym and the other a pro-wrestling school, but they have Shoot-Wrestling Sessions, and some Cardio Kick-Boxing too. My general experience has not been unlike Wastelander’s, which is to say, if you stick to what they will find useful against a resisting opponent they will get something out of what you teach. I have broken down the approaches of fighters such as Lyota Machine, Stephen Thompson, and Katsunori Kikuno. I break down where their techniques come from with regards to Karate Shiai, and how to work those ideas into their own stand-up arsenal with drills. Karate Combat has been a goldmine for me with regards to Sundome Shiai and finding ways to transition those skills to full contact. I have also taken things from Kata Bunkai which apply very well to hand-fighting in both self-defence and a competitive setting, and how the stances can be used as foot-work tools for a variety of tasks. When I have not been a guest, but an interim coach, I am also very focused on context being key. I do not teach them karate, I teach them relevant fighting skills I found through the medium of Karate, and I blend those skills into a session covering the conventional Boxing and Kick-Boxing skills essential in MMA competition. Now I will mention I have competed in Knock-Down Karate, bōgu-tsuki shiai, WAKO Semi-Contact Rules, Low-Kick, International Rules, and under Amateur Muay Thai rules. I was an aspiring Professional Kick-Boxer at one point in my, and during that period I also cross trained in Boxing and Lau Gar Kick-Boxing. The Shorei Kempo I studied in my youth was also an eclectic system which incorporated a lot from Nippon Kempo so I did a lot of Bogu Kumite during my teens and early adulthood. I have also dabbled in Shoot-Fighting, Kudo, Combudo, and Combat SOMBO when I was still competing. Unfortunately, I seriously injured my knee competing in Judo, which required my ACL to be reconstructed, when I was 26 and MMA did not really become a thing here locally until after that happened to me so never got to give it a go, even under amateur rules. Despite the injury, and my lack of MMA experience, the fact I have fighting experience I think does help lend some credibility to when I do go to a Fighting Gym to teach/coach. With my own experience covered I would probably give the following insight in teaching at an MMA Gym: 1. If you are hiring the space to teach, then just teach what you teach. You are a paying customer. As long as you do not make statements about what you teach that are incongruent with reality and designed to try and get customers from other classes in the Gym, then it really is not the business of anyone else (Beyond the purposes of Safeguarding and Insurance) in the building beside you. 2. If you are hired as a Guest Coach to teach novel fighting skills from Karate, then teach novel fighting skills from Karate. Do not go in and try and teach a karate class. The existing audience are not likely to respond well to Reiho, being taught Kata (Without immediate reference to Bunkai), going through repetitions of basic techniques, or Basic Kumite Drills which teach skills they will likely have from elsewhere. 3. Do not pretend to be something you are not. 4. Develop a grasp of the basics of Boxing, Kick-Boxing, and Muay Thai because those will likely be the existing bodies of knowledge in an MMA Gym. It is also not a bad idea to cross-train in the aforementioned arts as they have great tools you can bring back to your karate. I think people tend to have an image in their head about what MMA Gyms are like, and the truth is they are like most Dojo or Clubs you can visit. Karate developed an unfortunate reputation, as did most "traditional" martial arts with the birth of MMA. However, most fighters, or people interested in fighting, are not at all political about styles and systems. As long as you bring functional knowledge to the table, that has an immediate feel of functionality, then where the knowledge came from is tertiary in people's cares.

I have three rules I try to adhere to on the dojo floor: 1. At least 60% of the time in class should be focused on working with a partner. 2. 50% of everything we do should relate directly back to a Kata 3. I as the coach should take part in 50-80% of the exercises. When I began teaching I made the mistake of often focusing on what I wanted to do rather than taking a step back and understanding what my students needed. This was because my motivation was to create a space to train in because the two local clubs I tried disappointed me. We would maybe do some basics to warm up, and then we would work on different drills I had picked up and wanted to work on. To an extent, I let my mindset that a student should work on repetitions in their own time, so they can focus on learning new things in class was probably rigid. I had an unfortunate, but necessary, rude awakening when a student stopped attending and gave me the feed back that there was not enough consistency in classes, and they felt they were not progressing. And that student had attended for over a year at that point and they had previously earned a Shodan in Shotokan, so I took that feedback to heart. However, with that said I do think it important to have an element of change in each class. The way I have found a balance between the two is to have a cycle I go through. It is a 12-Week Cycle based around the Pinangata: Week 1-2: Pinan NIdan Week 3-4: Pinan Shodan Week 5-6: Pinan Sandan Week 7-8: Pinan Godan Week 9-10: Pinan Yondan Week 11-12: Jiyu Kumite, Grading Material Review, and Kata Tutorials. The weeks of that Kata are spent on Bunkai and exercises related to that kata. The weeks also alternate so the first week the focus is on striking skills, and the second on Wrestling skills. Here is an example of the structure using Pinan Nidan. Those parts I have placed an asterisk * next to are where I do something different for that session. The time stamps are estimates I try to stick to during sessions but I am not that strict on them if I think more time is needed spent on something during class, but I do try to run through the sequence in whole. Week 1 Wednesday Sessions: 5 Minutes - Warm-Up: Dynamic stretching, some games with bean bags if we have new prospects. 10 Minutes - Kihon Waza in Naihanchi-Dachi: Chudan Tsuki, Joden Tsuki, Joden Uke, Gedan Barai, Soto Uke, Uchi Uke, Shuto-Uke, and Mae Geri: 60 repetitions each. (I do at least 40) 3 Minutes - Kushin Undo: 32 repetitions. 5 Minutes- Naihanchi Shodan up to three times. 10 Minutes - Renzoku Kumite – strikes and deflections used restricted to those found in Pinan Nidan or the Rolling Bunkai 10 Minutes - *Drilling – Flow Drills, Pad Work, Ude Tanren, or Live Drilling based on what I identified as a general problem during Renzoku Kumite. 5 Minutes Pinan Nidan Rolling Bunkai as a line drill. Students and I form two lines and we work up and down the line until I have practiced with everyone. If a student does not know the Rolling Bunkai for the fortnight, for example if it is a Godan Session but they only know up to Shodan, they will instead run through the bunkai they know as Seme, and will just be directed how to attack as Uke. 10 Minutes - *Partner Practice: I break the class up into pairs or smaller groups and have them practice what they need for their level. Some students may not yet know the Kata or the Rolling Bunkai so will focus on the bunkai they know and need for their level, so they may do Shodan exercises when it is a Yondan session otherwise if they are not ready for Yondan work. The structure is just the basic Rolling Bunkai if they are new to it, or the Flow Drills, more advanced applications, and resistance drills if they are more experienced. 15 Minutes - Pinan Nidan: I pair students up and they take turns to hold a pad and wield a striking stick. As one student goes through the kata the other gives them a target to strike, and tests the quality of their receiving techniques. I go around with a resistance band I tie into their belts, and I test each of their stances and ability to move against resistance with their foot work. As with the bunkai above, students will work on material they know and need to work on for their level, rather than what the focus of the sessions are. After everyone has had a go we run through the Kata eight times. Once with one move at a time to my command and then at everyone’s own pace with me performing the kata too. Then with me observing once a move at a time, once with sequences to my command, once as fast as the student can, once a move at a time but self-paced, and then twice as a standard performance. 1 Minutes - Blocking and Striking Drill I learnt from Aragaki Sensei twice up and down the room. 5 Minutes - Kihon Waza in stance up and down the room: Joden Junzuki, Joden Uke, Gedan Barai, Shuto-Uke, and Mawashi Geri (Performed as in Tae Kwon Do to the Middle and the Head). To the air with me leading once up the room, then I get a striking pad or stick, and make sure everyone strikes the pad, or receives a strike, six times to check the quality of their technique. 10 – Minutes Sanchin: students pair up and do Sanchin once with their partner testing the quality of their Sanchin, and with me going around and giving feed-back. Then we do Sanchin all together twice through. Junbi Undo to cool down. Week 1 Friday Sessions: 5 Minutes - Warm-Up: Dynamic stretching. 15 Minutes - Kihon Waza in Naihanchi-Dachi – Chudan Tsuki, Joden Tsuki, Joden Uke, Gedan Barai, Soto Uke, Uchi Uke, Shuto-Uke, and Mae Geri: 100 repetitions each. (I do at least 80) 5 Minutes - Hojo Undo - 32 Kushin Undo, 20 Split Lunges, 20 Shiko, 20 Hindu Squats, 8 Single leg Squats. 5 Minutes - Naihanchi Shodan up to Five times. 5 Minutes – Drilling: Revisit and Revise Drill done on Wednesday. 10 Minutes - Renzoku Kumite: strikes and deflections used restricted to those found in Pinan Nidan or the Rolling Bunkai 30 Minutes - *Whatever I feel like: I do something unrelated to Pinan Nidan or introduce something new related to Pinan Nidan otherwise not in the syllabus. For example, I might teach an interesting throw I saw watching Sumo, or a striking manoeuvre from Karate Combat, or a suggested Bunkai for Pinan Nidan I found interesting. Generally in week one though it will be related to striking skills. Once a month I do try to do a session of Soft Skills, Self-Defence Drills, or Grappling on the Ground, and it is in these sections I do those things. 5 Minutes - Pinan Nidan Rolling Bunkai as a line drill. Students and I form two lines and we work up and down the line until I have practiced with everyone. 10 – Minutes - Partner Practice: Same exercises as done on Wednesday. 15 Minutes - Pinan Nidan Kata Practice 2 Minutes - Blocking and Striking Drill six times up and down the room. 10 Minutes - Kihon Waza in stance up and down the room: All Te-Waza against the air, and against pads/striking stick up to ten times. 10 Minutes – Sanchin: students pair up and do Sanchin once with their partner testing the quality of their Sanchin, and with me going around and giving feed-back. Sanchin keiko all the way up and down the room, and then once through Sanchin Kata to conclude. Any remaining time we run through the other pinan twice each, and then do three choice kata. Junbi Undo to cool down. Week 2 Wednesday Sessions Warm-Up: Dynamic stretching, some games with bean bags if we have new prospects. Kihon Waza – Same as Week 1 Kushin Undo – 32 repetitions. Naihanchi Shodan up to three times. Kakei Kumite – Grip Breaks and Guard Passes restricted to moves found in Pinan Nidan. *Drilling – Flow Drills, Pad Work, Ude Tanren, or Live Drilling based on what I identified as a general problem during Kakei Kumite. Pinan Nidan Rolling Bunkai as a line drill. *Partner Practice Pinan Nidan Kata Practice Blocking and Striking Drill Kihon Waza in stance up and down the room - Same as week one except we do Mawashi Uke as done in Muay Thai to the middle and the leg. Sanchin – Same as week one. Junbi Undo to cool down. Week 2 Friday Sessions: Warm-Up: Dynamic stretching. Kihon Waza in Naihanchi-Dachi – Same as week one. Hojo Undo – Same as week one. Naihanchi Shodan up to Five times. Drilling – Revisit and Revise Drill done on Wednesday. Kakai Kumite – Grip Breaks and Guard Passes restricted to moves found in Pinan Nidan. *Whatever I feel like – Same as week one but I focus on something related to wrestling/grappling skills. This is when I am most likely to do ground fighting or self-defence drills during the month as they tie in best. Pinan Nidan Rolling Bunkai as a line drill. Partner Practice (Repeat Wednesday Exercises) Pinan Nidan Kata Practice Blocking and Striking Drill Kihon Waza in stance up and down the room: All Keri-Waza against the air, and against pads/striking stick up to ten times. Sanchin – Same as week one. Junbi Undo to cool down. Using this structure I find brings a good balance between working on material in a recurring and consistent manner, but also gives moments of flexibility and change from session to session. I have students improve on a gradual, but measurable way, by having this level of consistency. But everyone also seems to have fun on the regular too. To give a basic structure of weeks 11-12 which are not built around any of the Pinagata: Week 1 Wednesday Sessions: 5 Minutes - Warm-Up: Dynamic stretching, some games with bean bags if we have new prospects. 10 Minutes - Kihon Waza in Naihanchi-Dachi: Chudan Tsuki, Joden Tsuki, Joden Uke, Gedan Barai, Soto Uke, Uchi Uke, Shuto-Uke, and Mae Geri: 60 repetitions each. (I do at least 40) 3 Minutes - Kushin Undo: 32 repetitions. 5 Minutes- Naihanchi Shodan Tutorial and review of Principles. 10 Minutes – White/Yellow/New Green: Jiyu Kimute (Controlled Light contact to the Body and Legs – Threaten with the hand to the head), Green/Blue/New Purple: Bogu Kumite (Hard Contact to the Body Armour – Light contact to the Head and to the Legs), Purple/Brown/Black: Bogu Kumite (Hard Contact to the Body Armour, Controlled Contact to the Head and the legs. 10 Minutes - *Drilling – Flow Drills, Pad Work, Ude Tanren, or Live Drilling based on what I identified as a general problem during Jiyu Kumite 5 Minutes - Rolling Bunkai Tutorial according to Grades present. 10 Minutes – Introduction to Grading Material for each different grade to be practiced in small groups. 15 Minutes – Kata Tutorial according to Grades Present. 1 Minutes - Blocking and Striking Drill I learnt from Aragaki Sensei twice up and down the room. 5 Minutes – Kihon Waza according to Grades Present. 10 Minutes – Sanchin Tutorial and review of Principles Junbi Undo to cool down. Week 1 Friday Sessions: 5 Minutes - Warm-Up: Dynamic stretching. 15 Minutes - Kihon Waza in Naihanchi-Dachi – Chudan Tsuki, Joden Tsuki, Joden Uke, Gedan Barai, Soto Uke, Uchi Uke, Shuto-Uke, and Mae Geri: 100 repetitions each. (I do at least 80) 5 Minutes - Hojo Undo - 32 Kushin Undo, 20 Split Lunges, 20 Shiko, 20 Hindu Squats, 8 Single leg Squats. 5 Minutes - Naihanchi Shodan Tutorial and review of Principles. 5 Minutes – Drilling: Revisit and Revise Drill done on Wednesday. 10 Minutes – Jiyu Kumite 30 Minutes – Free Practice 5 Minutes – Rolling Bunkai Tutorial according to Grades present. 10 – Minutes - Partner Practice: Same exercises as done on Wednesday. 15 Minutes – Kata practice to run through every kata the students should know. 2 Minutes - Blocking and Striking Drill six times up and down the room. 10 Minutes – Kihon Waza: Revisit and Revise as done on Wednesday. 10 Minutes – Sanchin Tutorial and review of Principles. Junbi Undo to cool down. Week 2 Wednesday Sessions: 5 Minutes - Warm-Up: Dynamic stretching, some games with bean bags if we have new prospects. 10 Minutes - Kihon Waza in Naihanchi-Dachi: Chudan Tsuki, Joden Tsuki, Joden Uke, Gedan Barai, Soto Uke, Uchi Uke, Shuto-Uke, and Mae Geri: 60 repetitions each. (I do at least 40) 3 Minutes - Kushin Undo: 32 repetitions. 5 Minutes- Naihanchi Shodan Tutorial and review of Principles. 10 Minutes – White/Yellow/New Green: Kakedameshi-Ju (Grappling Only with no take downs) Green/Blue/New Purple: Kakedameshi-Ju/Go (Striking to the Body but no take downs), Purple/Brown/Black: Kakedameshi-Ju/Go (No hard striking to the head without a helmet) 10 Minutes - *Drilling – Flow Drills, Pad Work, Ude Tanren, or Live Drilling based on what I identified as a general problem during Kakedameshi. 5 Minutes - Rolling Bunkai Tutorial according to Grades present. 10 Minutes – Introduction to Grading Material for each different grade to be practiced in small groups. 15 Minutes – Kata Tutorial according to Grades Present. 1 Minutes - Blocking and Striking Drill I learnt from Aragaki Sensei twice up and down the room. 5 Minutes – Kihon Waza according to Grades Present. 10 Minutes – Sanchin Tutorial and review of Principles Junbi Undo to cool down. Week 2 Friday Sessions: 5 Minutes - Warm-Up: Dynamic stretching. 15 Minutes - Kihon Waza in Naihanchi-Dachi – Chudan Tsuki, Joden Tsuki, Joden Uke, Gedan Barai, Soto Uke, Uchi Uke, Shuto-Uke, and Mae Geri: 100 repetitions each. (I do at least 80) 5 Minutes - Hojo Undo - 32 Kushin Undo, 20 Split Lunges, 20 Shiko, 20 Hindu Squats, 8 Single leg Squats. 5 Minutes - Naihanchi Shodan Tutorial and review of Principles. 5 Minutes – Drilling: Revisit and Revise Drill done on Wednesday. 10 Minutes – Kakedameshi-Ju 30 Minutes – Isolation Sparring/Live Drilling/: Students Paired up to work on faults identified over Week 1 and Week 2 Wednesday from Jiyu Kumite and Kakedameshi. 5 Minutes – Rolling Bunkai Tutorial according to Grades present. 10 – Minutes - Partner Practice: Same exercises as done on Wednesday. 15 Minutes – Kata practice to run through every kata the students should know. 2 Minutes - Blocking and Striking Drill six times up and down the room. 10 Minutes – Kihon Waza: Revisit and Revise as done on Wednesday. 10 Minutes – Sanchin Tutorial and review of Principles. Junbi Undo to cool down. Apologies for the essay. In short, I find having a structure, and more importantly time to review, helps students progress through repetition. However, you need to make sure that they find something new to learn when they attend to keep them interested, and new information in itself is a useful repetition exercise: the ability to take in a retain information is a skill that needs to be practiced just like any other.

Unfortunately, no. As I only have a handful of students I don't tend to put videos out except for Kata, which I only do as I am trying to preserve them as I was taught them by Aragaki Sensei. Plus, as my drills are based on my teacher's creation of the Rolling Bunkai, and he has a DVD out of the Rolling Bunkai, I do not like to put the material out there for free as Karate Instruction is his livelihood. Plus, although I see the benefit of putting the material out there for advertisement, at the same time I do want people to come to me for the material, not just get it off YouTube and potentially misunderstand and misrepresent it. With that said, some of my students do take footage as a memory aide regularly so I can ask and see if I can get anything to share here. If nothing else I can try and put some together that demonstrates the logic. You have inadvertently mentioned one of the names I was not going to mention. I have a teacher who really enjoys that material, and when I have been shown the drills during courses I and my students have really enjoyed them, and we have stolen a few that fit in with what we already do. I find the the eight flow drills I have based on Pinan Nidan from level one to seven, along with students learning the standard Rolling Bunkai for the other Pinangata, my escalations and kanren-waza varitions of the Pinan Nidan Rolling Bunkai, and my competency requirements in Renzoku and Kakei Kumite are more than enough for most students until Purple Belt. If I break down my basic "syllabus" and I use quotation marks as it only really exists in my head and is subject to regular review: Yellow Belt: Pinan Nidan and Pinan Nidan Rolling Bunkai (Eight Applications). Pinan Nidan Flow-Drills Level 1. Green Belt: Naihanchi Shodan and Sanchin. Pinan Nidan Flow-Drills Levels 2-3. Renzoku Kumite Pinan Nidan Deflection competency. Kakei Kumite Pinan Nidan Grip Release Competency. Blue Belt: Pinan Shodan and Pinan Shodan Rolling Bunkai (Seven Applications). Pinan Shodan Flow Drills Levels 1-4. Pinan Nidan Flow-Drills Levels 4-5. Renzoku Kumite Pinan Shoidan and Nidan Deflection competency. Kakei Kumite Pinan Shodan and Nidan Grip Release Competency. Renzoku Kumite Pinan Nidan Counter-Striking competency. Kakei Kumite Pinan Nidan Trapping/Position Competency. Purple Belt: Pinan Sandan and Pinan Sandan Rolling Bunkai (Six Applications). Pinan Sandan Flow Drills Level 1-3. Pinan Shodan Flow Drills Levels 4-7. Pinan Shodan Flow-Drills Levels 6-7. Renzoku Kumite Pinan Shodan and Nidan Counter-Striking competency. Kakei Kumite Pinan Shodan and Nidan Trapping/Position Competency. Renzoku Kumite Pinan Nidan Attacking Competency. Kakei Kumite Pinan Nidan Take-Down Competency. 3rd Brown: Pinan Godan and Pinan Godan Rolling Bunkai (Seven Applications). Pinan Nidan Rolling Bunkai - Escalations 1-3/Ushiro Waza 1-3/Five Ura Variations/Kanren-Waza 1/Dojo Bunkai 1. Introduction to level eight flow-drills with Pinan Shodan and Nidan. Renzoku Kumite Pinan Shodan Attacking Competency. Kakei Kumite Pinan ShodanTake-Down Competency. Bogu Kumite Defence Competency. Kakedameshi Positions, Grips, and Releases Competencies. 2nd Brown: Pinan Yondan and Pinan Yondan Rolling Bunkai (Ten Applications). Pinan Nidan Rolling Bunkai - Escalations 4-5/Ushiro Waza 4-5/Kanren-Waza 2/Dojo Bunkai 2. Pinan Sandan Flow Drills Level 4-7 Bogu Kumite Striking Competency. Kakedameshi Take-Down Competency. 1st brown: One three Kata: Seisan, Fyukyugata Ni, or Jitte. Level Eight Flow-Drills including Pinan Shodan/Nidan/Sandan. Pinan Nidan Rolling Bunkai - Escalations 6-7/Ushiro Waza 6-7/Kanren-Waza 3-4/Dojo Bunkai 3-4. Pinan Sandan Renzoku and Kakei Kumite Competencies. Bogu Kumite Wrestling Competencies. Kakedameshi Striking and Kubi-Sumo Competency. Introduction to Jissen Kumite. Thus, by the time one of my students has reached the point of Grading to Shodan they will have only learnt 21 Flow drills, and only really focused on 8 of them to the fullest extent. In that sense I do not think you need a menagerie of flow drills as long as your core has depth and breadth to it. I shall explain some of my lingo as I suspect some of it is otherwise obtuse: Escalations - These are variations on the basic Rolling Bunkai where I have changed the attack to something similar but it is much faster paced and closer a "realistic" attack. I usually have two points of escalation for each Rolling Bunkai Drilll. Ushiro Waza - Technically Ushiro means back but I use it colloquially to refer to versions of the drills where the Seme starts in a position of disadvantage such as against a wall. It is part of contextualising the techniques in self-defence as none of us are ever politely attacked in a huge space prepared and ready for a fight. Ura Variations - As the phrase Ura implies it just means the exercises are done off the opposite side to the basic version. Kanren Waza - Alternate finishing throws and holds to, or variations on, the ones implied in the classical kata to practice sensible adjustments when confronted with resistance. Dojo Bunkai - This is just short hand for applications I developed myself for the Pinangata on top of the Rolling Bunkai for my Dojo. Some of the Rolling Bunkai have some mirrored applications where the Kata repeats itself, and those are the instances where I have added an additional application for my students. What I mean by competencies just means I am looking for a student to be competent in that area when they have reached that level. For example, when a student is defending, I want to see that they are adjusting their distance suitably, aren't flinching or just reacting, but actively making wise defensive choices. In our version of Renzoku kumite, we take it in turns to be attacker or defender, or play a "tag" version, and we restrict ourselves to using material from the kata we are working in. So the attacker uses strikes from the Kata, and the defender the deflections and trained applications. Our Kakei Kumite follows the same model in that we focus on a specific kata and its content for our practice. But again, in spelling this out, the point was that as good as flow drills can be as a device, and all the effort I have put into developing mine, they are a small part of the picture. I will try and find a video or maybe put one together if time allows.

I do have to agree with points made about flow-drills thus far. Another issue I have found, and I am not going to name names, is that often that instructors “sell” drills and more drills as a form of merchandise, and new material, to keep their customers/students interested. When the truth is there are only so many flow drills that are efficient, and there are only so many skills in combat that translate to training through flow work. The organisation I belong to has a series of Rolling Bunkai, a form of Kiso Kumite, based on the five Pinangata. Each of the Pinangata has their own set of Rolling Bunkai exercises. They are performed as Yakusoku Kumite with an Uke and a Seme. Uke presents an attack such as a punch, kick, or grab, and Seme responds with a defence derived from the sequence of movements from the Kata. Fairly rudimentary, but very good at isolating and showing the principles behind the shapes of the kata, and helps students develop their sense of Miai for their own attacking range, and the defenders their defensive footwork and hand-fighting. I developed my own set of flow-drill variation for each of the basic drills to, essentially, increase the intensity of training. The basic, or initial level, of my flow drills just have a “reset” moment where the Seme corrects distance and position to then initiate an attack in the Uke role. Basically, flowing between the role of uke and seme, back and forth, so it can be done at a faster pace. The “dose of chaos” relating to fighting skill being the need to very quickly correct your range to attack after defending. At this first level the students just stick to the same attack and defence. It is also done in an A-B-C, step through structure, so each part of the sequence is broken down rather than just flowed through. Once the students have a grasp of the back and forth I then show them what I call the Omote Henka which is the second level of training. This is an idea I stole from Aikiken. Essentially, I show them the obvious, and easiest ways, to break the flow and “win”. This second level of training is thus for the student to look for these moments to Henka, so if the Seme is defending poorly the Uke should punish them. Ideally, these obvious Henka should not be possible if the person doing the defending action is doing it with proper distance, pressure, and timing. At this level, if Henka occurs the students just reset and restart the flow. At the third level I add another dose of chaos. Several of the Rolling Bunkai exercises respond to the same attack with a different defence. For example, the Pinan Nidan drills have three defences to an attack from the left hand, four to an attack from the right hand, and one to a kick. At the third level the attacks are from one limb, but can be varied, so if it is a right-hand attack can be a hook, a step-through punch, a lunge, or jab using the front hand, or a grab to the arms or lapel, so long as it is a right-hand attack. The defences can be from any of the drills which deal with an attack from that hand. Each of the defences, of course, work best at different miai. Thus, the purpose of this dose of chaos is to start understanding proper defence to changing distance and angle of attack. For the attack role, it is starting to understand a suitable attack range relating to your partner’s distance and angle to yourself. Limiting it this way also allows the students to keep working on the kata shapes while adding more resistance, and giving a live element to what can end up over-rehearsed motions. At this level, I do instruct students not to use the Omote Henka until they develop confidence with the basic idea and back-and-forth. At the fourth level I then show students what I call the Internal Grafting. The term grafting is one I borrowed from Ed Parker. In his system it meant to start one self-defence technique, shift to another, and then return to the end of the technique you started with. I use it pretty much the same way. Once students have got the idea of the third level and have then been invited to reintroduce the Omote Henka to their practice, I then show them how to use other movements from within the kata to deal with the henka movement, and then get to the reset movement. They start the basic flow-technique, the henka intervenes and changes the flow, and then the counter returns it to the reset. Initially, I only allow up to one counter-riposte, to borrow a fencing term, or one henka movement that is countered. As students get better, I allow as many henka and grafting movements until someone “wins” or they get off the allowed script. Essentially, escalating the flow-exercise into a form of semi-free sparring which still relates back to the kata movements being worked on. At the fifth level the goal of a successful henka, or counter, is to secure a throw or standing hold. I will have to take a step back to the basic idea of the Rolling Bunkai to explain how this works. In the Rolling Bunkai, the turns in the kata are interpreted as take down or a controlling position, and thus each Rolling Bunkai drill concludes with a take down or controlling position. Thus, at the fifth level, if henka occurs, then the goal is no longer to return to reset but to secure a throw or hold to “win”. Once students become confident at going for throws or holds, I then add in Kanren Waza, Kaeshi Waza, and Renzoku Waza. Adapting techniques, counter techniques, and combination techniques respectively. Essentially, what you need to do against a resisting opponent if they resist and the standard version of the implied throw or hold from the kata is not working, or what you need to do to counter said throws and holds. Again, at this level, these additional techniques are grounded on the kata being focused on. For example, if the focus is Pinan Godan, all shapes used come from within Pinan Godan. At the sixth level I introduce the Ura Henka. In contrast to the Omote Henka which are obvious ways to break the flow, the Ura Henka are subtle variations of position, footwork, and timing designed to throw your training partner off. To add more pressure and keep both partners actively working to get the Omote Henka opportunity. The Omote Henka was based on waiting for a mistake whereas the Ura Henka are designed to force mistakes. Up until the seventh level, the rules of the third level are followed. That is the attacks are limited to a variety of attack but off one limb, and the defences mapped to attacks off said limb. At the seventh level the earlier rules of Henka, throws, and holds are allowed. All attacks as found in the Rolling Bunkai are allowed but initially only in the standard manner as found in the Rolling Bunkai, and obviously the corresponding defences. As students progress they can then add in the variety of foot-work and changes in manner of attack to the basic attacks as done in level three. At the final, eight level I then introduce the External Grafting. This is just as with the internal grafting, but now we look at Henka counters from all of the Pinan and integrating them into the flow exercise. Meaning that although the flow-drill being done maybe from Pinan Nidan, if a Henka occurs, the counter can come from any of the other Pinan exercises. Admittedly, one can argue that after level three my exercises no longer really follow the idea of a flow drill in the conventional sense. However, I find that the Henka mechanic, and escalation measures of moving from the flow-drill into a form of Semi-Free sparring helps prevent students just trying to get good at the drills as a flow. They have to practice the principles of the movements otherwise they are going to get caught out or forced into a spar. My students and I tend to do more Renzoku and Kakei Kumite, and I use flow-drills more often to exercise principles I spot missing in our sparring. I much prefer live-drilling, pad-work, or conditioning through Uden-Tanren to flow-drills. With that said, I have such a structured approach to flow-drill escalation because I believe flow-drills introduce a physical intensity other drill do not have. In that way, they are good for conditioning for fighting. In terms of sources for my drills I have borrowed body-to-body techniques from Judo Kata of counter techniques such as the Go-no-sen-no-Kata and Kaeshi-no-Kata which I learnt in my time doing Judo. For hand-fighting I have borrowed from the Lock Flow Drills of Ed Parker's American Kempo (which my Shorei Kempo teacher taught me), the Hyori no Kata of Yoseikan Aikido, and Wing Chun trapping (I learnt the basics when I was in Bangor doing my MSc). The striking aspect comes from my time doing Wado-Ryu and my experiences in kick-boxing. I have tried to stick to shapes found in the kata throughout however.

In reading the histories of the resident Sensei there seems to a blend of those who studied on Okinawa and on mainland Japan. As such I would expect the club to practice classical Goju-Ryu. Which is to say I imagine they focus on Miyagi’s 12 Kata, and the core materials common to all streams of Goju-Ryu. As far as I know JKF Goju Kai is simply the branch of the Japan Karate Federation that exists for Goju-Ryu practitioners, and bar both being Goju Ryu Associations, is unrelated to the Goju Kai of Yamaguchi Gogen and its idiosyncrasies. It does mention Hisanaga Hanshi, their founder, studied with Kyoda Juhatsu. Kyoda was the founder of Toon-Ryu (Tou’on) which many consider closer to the system of Higoanna Kanryo. However, unless Hisanaga has retained any of the teachings from Toon-Ryu I imagine Eibu Kan is likely very much aligned with Goju-Ryu. If you are close by I would drop in. They seem like they have a knowledgeable group of teachers at hand. I know I would visit if I was in the vicinity.

Thank you, this is a pleasant surprise. I do apologise I'm not around as much these days, but I always enjoy dropping in to read, and contribute when I get the chance.

I have admittedly never heard of Eibu Kan as a branch of Goju-Ryu. Does it have any connections to the following: Shodokan Jundokan Shoreikan Meibukan Goju-Kai USA Goju Shodokan and Jundokan may be considered the Orthodox Schools of Okinawan Goju-Ryu. They both stick to the classic 12 kata that Miyagi Chojun settled on as his cannon before his death in 1953. Although, there are some differences between the two in the performance of Sanseru, Seisan, and Suparimpei from what I have witnessed. Meibukan and Shoreikan have innovated and added kata to their syllabi beyond the 12 Kata of Miyagi, however, they are still functionally Okinawan Goju-Ryu in all other ways. They both also have additional kumite exercises not found in Shodokan or Jundokan. Goju-Kai is often called Japanese Goju-Ryu, and it has adopted a number of the conceits of Japanese Karate. Such as kicks including Mawashigeri, Sotogeri, and Ushirogeri as found in Shotokan, Wado-Ryu, and Shito-Ryu and other Japanese style. It has Taikyoku kata for beginners learnt before Gekisai dai Ichi and dai ni. Both versions of their Gekisai also follow the same embusen line which is not done on Okinawa. There are also a set of four "shihan" kata which are very different in character to Miyagi's 12 Kata. USA Goju is an invention of Peter Urban and the kata are similar to, but have key and noticeable differences, including the omission and addition of various techniques to the Kata. There is also a greater emphasis on self-defence techniques which give the kumite exercises an entirely different flavour. If it is connected to any of those it will probably give you more insight into the Goju-Ryu they practice. Otherwise, it is an absolute mystery to me.

I voted Shorin-Ryu because that is the core of what I do. The teachings and principles passed onto me by Aragaki Sensei, and my seniors, form the basis of what I teach and practice day to day. However, in my personal journey, I have incorporated aspects from Goju-Ryu, Uechi-Ryu, and Shito-Ryu into practice through the study of kata. I also have a background in Wado-Ryu, in which I earned a Shodan Grade, and I still use many of the sound principles found in Wado-Ryu through its kumigata.

If one has access to the tools it is fairly easy to grind the edge off, and then sand down into a smooth, round surface. The other option is to hot cut off the edges and tip, and then sand down the edges, but that requires some knowledge of blade smithing, and having the right tools. A pair of steel scissors of the correct hardness can immediately take the edge off of most EDC. Run the between the fold of the scissors where the two blades are connected a few times, and it'll take the edge right off. But that will just take off the sharpness and won't achieve what I think you are after. As Bob mentioned prior as well you can use various tools and just run the blade down with repetition. As long as the counter surface is of higher grit.

I have a student who studied Shaolin Quan'fa in China, though not at the Temple, but in Henan Province. From what I can gather, Shaolin is an umbrella term for a huge amount of distinct styles and systems, which have become collected into the Shaolin Temple. You are not going to find a "Shaolin Style" equivalent to how we categorise other systems. According to the literature, which is not propaganda, the modern Shaolin is largely a reconstruction effort. Its modern content largely follows what was identified as "Shaolin" by the Central Guoshu Institute in the 1920s, and the Northern Shaolin of the Chin Woo Athletic Association. This is because former members of those organisations were the leading force in returning martial arts practices to the Temple when it was permitted. The only syllabus I can find of a Shaolin System is that of Ku Yu Cheung. Which admittedly strikes me as akin to the effort by Wáng Xiāngzhāi, in his creation Yiquan, to synthesise the essential aspects of the arts called Shaolin without really being THE Shaolin style.

I use the pinangata quite extensively. This, however, is due to my model of teaching. The organisation I belong to has what are called the "Rolling Bunkai" and there is a set for each of the Pinan. The Rolling Bunkai are essentially a form of Yakusoku Kumite demonstrating an application for each sequence of movements, and the principles therein. I teach the aforementioned Rolling Bunkai and then the kata sequence. Thus, the basic application is taught alongside the kata movements. I then break down the rolling bunkai into isolation exercises focused on the broader principles of foot-work or hand-fighting found within. I gamify the exercises with Renzoku Kumite and Kakei-Kumite exercises focusing on the shapes within. Lastly I apply self-defence scenarios which take the form of semi-free sparring drills to put into context where we might use said skills in self-defence. I also put a lot of emphasis on the mechanics and structure of the movements as they relate to the application so the kata serve as shadow-training for the applications. Gekisai Ichi, or Fyukyugata Ni, I tend to teach after the Pinangata, but with a focus on the Naha elements present. Most of the time that is my model. However, it does depend on the student. If I have a student that already knows the pinangata I will not bother teaching them a new version, unless they ask me, and I parse their application education down to the novel sequences found in the pinangata. Just so they are on the same page as everyone around them. If I have a student that will not benefit from the rudimentary education found within the pinangata I will move them straight onto Jitte. It contains interesting techniques against more sophisticated martial arts. That said: all adult students start with Naihanchi Shodan and Higoanna no Sanchin. Those are the two kata we run through each class.

Having watched UFC 1 in its entirety a couple of times I came to this conclusion: The only two people who knew what they were doing in a Free-Fight were Rickson Gracie and Ken Shamrock. However, there was only one man who knew what he was doing in a Vale Tudo Match, and the UFC was a Vale Tudo Promotion until roughly 1998, and that man was Royce Gracie. He was conditioned and prepared for Vale Tudo and that is why he beat everyone until everyone else realised what they game was. Now, with that said, I do think that they chose opponents that were credible to the lay-person but were out of their depth in Vale Tudo. Zane Frazier: Kick-Boxer with a middling record after going Professional. Taylor Wily: Retired from Sumo in the lower end of the third division. Art Jimmerson: Was an international level boxer but lost to world level competitors. Patrick Smith: Sabaki-Challenge Winner and Kick-Boxer with poor international record. Gerard Gordeau: World Savate Champion and National Kick-Boxing Champion. The only credible Grappler was Ken Shamrock, and the Gracie's believed that Pancrase was Worked like the UWF and other shoot promotions at the time. There were works in Pancrase, but it was largely legitimate. However, the majority of people believed that Kick-Boxers and Boxers were the best fighters around as that was the professional fighting culture in the US at the time. Most people were also smart to the fact wrestling was worked, but most were also fairly confident that pro-wrestlers could fight if they needed to. The real lesson of UFC 1, and what followed, is that boxing and kick-boxing are sports with specific rules that differentiate them from Vale Tudo and Free-Fighting. And that if you want to compete in a sport you have to train for that sport. The only people doing that at the time were in Brazil, and many of the best among them happened to be part of the Gracie Family. Now, with the above said, I do not think the UFC really hurt Karate's popularity or credibility. I think it hurt the credibility of anyone who was not doing Brazilian Jujutsu for a while. People saw Royce and Rickson winning these no-holds barred tournaments and that is excellent marketing for a systematic approach to fighting. I think karate is making a come back of sorts. There is no denying the nadir many traditional martial arts experienced in the late 90s and early millennia due to the rise of Mixed Martial Arts and the explosion of BJJ and Muay Thai across the world. After people like Lyoto Machida and Stephen Thompson showed how to use elements of sport karate in MMA did set the ground work for stuff like Karate Combat. I also think the Karate Youtube scene is also increasing the visibility of practical karate, and so more people are seeing Karate that works rather what became the self-parody of McDojo in popular culture. Then there is also Cobra Kai raising the profile of the art again. Karate, as already stated, has consistently remained the most popular art in the world. Thus, it never really went away, but there is no denying it has felt a bit like a dark age compared to the glories of the 70s and 80s. Though, I say that as someone who has only been around during this so-called dark age, so I can only judge by what people have said it was like prior to the 90s.

The thing with a boxing gym, or any gym which lives and dies based on competitive output, is that you have to maintain a good level of competitive output. It is better for the gym if its representatives are out there winning. It is better for the gym if its resident professionals are fighting regularly, and thus paying their dues. It is a natural progression, unfortunately, with Covid-SARS-2 restrictions being lightened for gyms to once again focus on their fighting talent. Because fights are happening again. Personal training, and keeping as many people as possible, on the floor was essential during the worst months of Covid-SARS-2 just to stay open. It is inevitable for businesses to change their ethos and practices as the situation evolves. I will be blunt as someone that has coached kick-boxers. During open-floor times I did put more effort into making sure the people who are planning to fight, and who have talent to make it work out for them, are trained thoroughly in contrast to those coming in for a work-out. One, they are more likely to get hurt in the near future than my casuals if I don't drill and work them properly. Two, they are trying to turn it into a day-job: not just an exercise routine. They are putting more in and need more from me. What I used to say to people who wanted that attention but were not planning to fight: Book a private session, or come to a beginner/technical session which I run as a class and advise everyone equally because that is the intent. Do not try to hog my attention at an open floor when I have people coming up to a fight and you are just here to work out. They might get hurt if they don't get trained properly: you won't. That is not to say that is what I think the perspective of your coach was. And to be frank if he was just focusing on the ones that he believed were talented, and more likely to win, while ignoring less talented ones but all of you were due to fight. That is being incompetent at best and callous at worse. Doesn't matter what someone's relative talent is: if they plan to fight, you need to train them properly so that you limit their risk of injury. However, if he was focusing on the gym's fighters over the people just working out: I really cannot blame him, and I would be hesitant to criticise him for it. The only criticism I can offer is if he didn't offer different sessions for amateurs, the Pro-Am/Semi-Pro, and Professional members. If you just have everyone of all levels and intents coming to the floor, and paying the same rates, and you focus on a select group to the expense of others then you are ripping those you give less attention off. Now, Open-Floor is a different ball game if you are just opening the gym for people who pay subscription to come in and use the space. That was usually the time I would arrange for our club fighters to come in and get one on one time with me, or set up spars, so rarely was I there to coach anyone but them. With the above said. I have never taken that approach in karate or encountered it in karate. Because I train and teach for the sake of training and teaching. I do not have any students that compete and so everyone gets as much of my equal attention as I can give as we are all just trying to get better together. Now, if I was to have students that wanted to compete, I would run a separate set of sessions for them to work on competition skills so it would not interfere with the regular classes. Admittedly, the times I have visited Okinawa I have definitely seen teachers give up on some students during a session. Mostly because said student was not listening, and making the same mistake over and over. I can't blame the teacher for deciding to then focus their effort on the people actually listening.

I apologise that I missed this post on its initial publishing. I will begin by stating that in my experience, most Koryu (Historical Jojutsu Schools) employ Kumigata (Paired Kata) almost exclusively. Solo Forms with the Jo have always proven to be modern inventions in my experience, both on Dojo Floors and in studying Texts and Sources. Based on the framing of the question, as there are plenty of examples of Paired Jo Exercises out there, I get the impression it is Solo Form training you are after. With that said, the Seitei Jodo of the Zen Nihon Kendō Renmei (All Japan Kendo Federation) is the most easily accessed form of Jodo in the world. It is often practiced alongside Kendo and Iaido at schools that offer instruction in those arts. it is grounded in Shintō Musō-ryū Jojutsu and provides a sound basis for study of Koryu or Historical Martial Arts involving the Jo/Short Staff. Seitei Jodo as a curriculum is very concise, and the solo and paired work map well to each other. However, I do not believe Seitei Jodo includes Solo Forms. The most widely practiced example of Jo Kata, and I will use "Kata" from here on out for Solo Forms, that I am aware of are from Aikijo/Aikibudo. San Ju Ichi no Jo (31 Jo Kata) and Ju San no Jo (13 Jo Kata), which get their respective names from the number of techniques performed in the kata, are found in the Iwama-Ryu as propagated by the late Saito Morihiro. Apparently, according to Saito, at least San Ju Ichi no Jo was created by Ueshiba Morihei but having reviewed what footage exists of Ueshiba's Jodogeiko I have found none of him performing the aforementioned kata. I quite like Ju San no Jo as it maps well to the Subari (Kihonwaza/Basic strikes and thrusts) and Kumi-jo (Kumigata/Paired Forms) of Aikijo so I would view it as useful Shadow-Training. I have also seen a Roku no Jo (6 Jo Kata) connected to Iwama-Ryu but it appears to have come into existence after the passing of Saito Morihiro. What I have been told is that it was created as an easier first kata for beginners. It is taken from the second section of the San Ju ichi no Jo. I have also seen a Nana no Jo (7 Jo Kata) which is an abridgement of Ju San no Jo. Strangely enough I have seen both demonstrated as variations of the same kata as a six count kata. Admittedly, I think both kata are so brief that you would be better off practicing Suburi for solo practice. I think their sole utility is in learning how to do a kata which is functionally only for an absolute beginner. I have also seen a Niju no Jo (20 Jo Kata) and Niju Ni no Kata (22 Jo Kata), which look functionally the same to me, but appear to be named differently because someone has counted the moves in a different manner. The versions I have seen look like Ju San no Jo with Roku no Jo welded onto the end to extend it. From what I have been told it was created as a midway between 13 Jo Kata and 31 Jo Kata, and I can understand that to an extent because 13 to 31 is over a double the increasing of moves in the kata. There are also some Kata I have seen connected to the Yoshinkan branch of Aikibudo and its offshoots. The first, of what I have seen labelled Jo Kata 1 (Ichigata no Jo) most often, bears a resemblance to the aforementioned 20/22 Count Kata. The second to the previously mentioned San Ju Ichi no Jo but mostly in technique count, embusen, and some novel techniques found broadly in Aikibudo regardless of branch. I have seen a Third Kata, but my resources indicate only the first two are widely practiced. Those are the Aikijo/Aikibudo Kata I am aware of, and outside of Seitei Jodo, it is probably the most accessible form of Jojutsu. I will state that Aikijo is about getting better at Aikido, and the principles of Aikido, rather than getting good with the Jo as a weapon. Thus, unless you intend to study said principles Aikijo might not be the resource for you. Outside of Aikijo, I can parrot Tatsujin, and state that the Kosho Shorei-Ryu of Bruce Juchnik has at least a pair of Jo Kata called Ma-Ai No Jo. You can find virtual lessons for these Kata offered by Juchnik himself. Again, as with Aikijo, these Jo kata are designed to teach ideas and principles about their parent art, in this case Kosho Shorei-Ryu, so you need to be mindful of that. Another source I can think of is the World Jui-Jitsu Federation of the Late Robert Clark. Its black-belt syllabus had at least a pair of Kata for Jo. Admittedly, the late Mr Clark embellished his studies, and invented a lot fo what he taught, so you would need to take any of the kata which a grain of salt. The Ryu-Te of Oyata Seiyū, and its off-shoots, incorporate the practice of the Gusan (Okinawan Jo). However, from the kata I have seen they look like Kon (Okinawan Rokushakubo) kata adapted to the Jo. As the Jo is not studied in Taira Ha Ryukyu Kobujutsu, Yamane-Ryu, or Matayoshi-Ryu I must admit I am sceptical of the authenticity. With that said, even if they are not historical kata, they are adapted from historical kata so you are not going to go far wrong. I have seen Cerio no Kon, Sho and Dai, from Nick Cerio's Kenpo Karate adapted to the Jo. I have also seen the staff sets from Ed Parker's American Kempo Karate and Tracy's Kempo Karate adapted to the Jo. I was not taken with the Parker Set, but Cerio and the Tracy Brothers did at least study weapon arts under reputable sources so I felt the adaptations of their kata had a little more substance. I do have my own system of Jojutsu I teach parallel to Ryukyu Kobujutsu and Kukamishin-Ryu for my students interested in the Jo. It does not exist in Ryukyu Kobujutsu as a weapon, and I believe the Jojutsu found in Kukishinden was an invention of Takamatsu so I have removed it from my interpretation of Kukamishin-ryu. I have four kata I developed as Shadow-Training to mirror the Kumigata and Subari of my system. Thus, I do see a purpose in solo forms for the Jo, but I do think they need to be mapped to partner work, and do something that just working on basic techniques would not achieve better.

It is important to remember that Modern Chinese Arts are as different from their historical counterparts as Karate has become from its historical predecessor. Furthermore, Qigong is often a health activity rather than martial activity far more similar to Yoga than to Quen'fa. The breathing exercises the Okinawans considered important to retain are, as you yourself have mentioned, found in Sanchingeiko. From a martial perspective that is where you find the Kiko the Okinwans felt was important. Similarly, the Okinawans innovated as much, if not more so, than they borrowed from the Chinese Arts. We find only a few one-to-one examples from an Okinawan Art to a Chinese Art. The example of Seisan that Jesse Enkamp covered from his exploration of White Crane springs to mind as an exception to the rule. We also need to keep in mind the Pacific War. A lot of Okinawans died during the Battle for Okinawa, and during the difficulties of its aftermath. A lot of knowledge was lost and examples of codified Kiko that might have existed may have gone extinct. In this case I would have to argue that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Also, a lot of the Chinese Martial Arts influences on Okinawa come very specifically from Fujian Province. The arts that first formulated their Qigong systems: Tachiquan, Xing Yi Quan, and Baguazhang were in different parts of China and unlikely to have influenced Tode as it came to exist in the 1800s. In terms of the influence of White Crane: I think it is frankly exaggerated. Very little in Karate bears a resemblance to the substance of White Crane when you set them side by side. I also reckon Go Kenki's influence is over stated by some as there is little evidence he had any students, and though a few notables trained with him none seem to have held him in high regard beyond curiosity. He did not found a White Crane School in Okinawa, despite his obvious willingness to teach, and so I am left to believe he was nothing special and not as influential as many have argued. A lot of Dojo also have their traditions regarding Junbi Undo, which are preliminary exercises done prior to training, which often involve a lot of elements you would find in Qigong. I think the Okinawans cared about the Martial Applications, and had such a different cultural foundation, that the Qi based world view of Qigong just did not end up being adopted. Then again, it is impossible to say that Qigong systems never arrived in Okinawa. They could have and just not survived. We can only then speculate as to why they did not survive.

I have run through my library of "Karate-Like" Families of Forms I thought it could belong to. I went through Kosho Shorei-Ryu, Nick Cerio's Kenpo Karate, the Palgwe of Tae Kwon Do, and the novel kata of Shintani Wadokai and so on and so forth. I could not find anything exactly like it but it bears the most resemblance, in terms of novel techniques, to the Numbered Kata of Karazenpo Goshinjutsu or the Palama Sets of Kajukenbo. From 07 to the end of the video looks like a Judo foot-work drill for a hip-toss followed by some finishing techniques. Otherwise, I have to agree with the others that it looks like a recent invention for tournament purposes. Admittedly, it looks like a blend of Shotokan's Jutte and Heian Sandan, with some original elements, to my eyes.

If that is the Shorinji-Ryu of Hisataka Kōri then it is likely the Ananku of Kyan Chotoku. He was Hisataka's primary teacher in karate. From what I have been told, and have read, is that Kyan Chotoku developed Ananku from techniques he studied during his time in Taiwan. There are two versions I know of. They have a lot of technique combinations in common. My hypothesis is that the Shi'to-Ryu version is one that Mabuni Kenwa recieved from Kyan at one point, and the Matsubayashi-Ryu version the one Nagamine Shoshin recieved from Kyan: different versions of the kata that came about as Kyan worked on it. The only problem with this hypothesis is that the Shi'to-Ryu version only comes down the Tani Chojiro line, and is arguably different enough from the Okinawan kata to be its own form with just the same name. Not unlike Shotokan's version of Sochin. With that said, in your particular system, Ananku may just be a foundation of study for Ananku no Sai. That may be how it has been designed and thus true for MSSR. Not true to other versions of Ananku, perhaps, but now wholly untrue. Personally, I can see why one might adapt either version of Ananku for use with the sai: there are a lot of movements that mirror Tsuken Shitahaku no Sai and other classical saijutsu kata. I think the beauty of Kobudo, and by extension the study of weapons in general, is that you have to allow yourself to be guided by the tool. There are only so many ways to wield a weapon that plays to the weapons strengths, and are logical and sensible. In contrast to the unarmed arts where we are far more guided by our own unique physiology and thus must play to our strengths. Which is why a universal approach to training for unarmed combat has likely never emerged, and never will, if only due to the great variety of sports and contexts such arts can be involved in. Plus, this is why I think it wise to study the classical kata - they come from a time where these tools were used in actual violence. They have been superseded by modern tools and tactics, and the context of civilian violence changes from age to age, and culture to culture. No one living has that same knowledge. If we indulge in our own modern creativity without deference to the intent of the weapon we are in danger of learning to dance with props rather than studying bujutsu. We might never use said weapons in violence but we should be sincere in our studies. It is perfectly fine to dance with props for fun so long as one is not pretending it is a valid martial study.

Thank you, both.

I was under the impression that Ananku was a creation of Kyan Chotoku and largely passed down via the Matsubayashi-Ryu line. I know there are two versions: the Okinawan version found in Matsubayashi-Ryu and a Japanese version found in Shi'to-Ryu. At what point in the line did it find its way into Matsumura Seito Shorin Ryu, and is Ananku no Sai just a variation of unnarmed Ananku performed with Sai? The only Sai kata I know that can likely be attributed to Matsumura Soken is Tawada no Sai. The Soken no Sai I have seen bears a strong resemblance to Tsuken Shitahaku no Sai which I have mentioned before I believe to be a relatively modern invention. Although it is attributed to the 17th Century administrator Shitahaku Oyakata I consider that unlikely due to a number of factors. Primarily the unusual naming structure, but also how the ten combinations within it seem to appear in some form through the rest of the Saijutsu canon of Okinawan Kobudo: in a manner that seems intentional rather than incidental as it would be if it was an ancestor form to the other kata. Plus, its use of the horizontal fist alignment, as per modern karate, rather than vertical alignment as per classical saijutsu. Having looked up Soken no Sai Dai I would say it has some elements common with Hama Higa no Sai, though it might be closer to Hanta-gwā no Sai, but there is a lot that wanders into lalaland in the versions I have been able to find. That is to say there is a lot of waving of the sai in a manner you would not use the sai if you are aiming to emphasise its strong points as a weapon. I suspect that may be down to the practitioners I have found though. If I was to make an educated guess at a potential source I would have to say Matayoshi feels likely. Just based on the resemblance of the kata to several in the Matayoshi canon.