Spartacus Maximus

My present instructor is probably one exception, but his way used to be the norm in Okinawa. When he says someone has reached a certain level of improvment, that student is told(not asked or invited) to attend a formal complaint evaluation no more than three days ahead. Students are expected to learn, train practise and improve until the day sensei says something to the effect of : you will be considered X kyu or Y Dan. Every other dojo I visited or trained in had exam terms such as bi-yearly or yearly or a system requiring a certain time-in-grade before testing. I rather like how it is done in my dojo because it individualizes evaluation. Each person's level depends only on how often they practise and how much they improve. It is very personal. As an example, depending on how the student applies himself it can take between 6months to 8months of practising to reach 3kyu (the lowest level after white belt).

I have some memory of crossing paths with him when I wandered around. He is quite well informed about karate and has done much research by spending time training and discussing different aspects with many of experts and masters. His grade is not something i consider important because of his significant contribution to explaining karate in layman's terms and making it accessible to younger audiences. As a wild guess based on his level of understanding, I believe he could be between 3rd and 5th Dan( a bit of a stretch give his age)

Sometimes the strength needed to let go falters and disappointment starts to disrupt focus. After all karate has occupied so much time for so many years and I cannot help feeling a sense of great deception at not reaching the goal of finding what I had been looking for initially. Even after searching at the source of karate I had managed to get lost and circle around missing what I tried so hard to find. Luck and unexpected circumstances have proved that searching is as important or perhaps more than anything found.

According to an article on fightingarts.com, 85-90% of people who begin training will quit. The most common reasons in order of frequency was given as Personal & Job Time Constraints 31% Moved Away From School 23% Just Lost interest 18% Injury/Medical Problem 13% Classes Ran Their Term 8% Finances/Cost of Classes 7% Based on experience, are these reasons and frequencies an accurate description of your dojo or are there other reasons which should be considered? As for me, I would probably give loss of interest and boredom higher than moving away. The data given was for adults, so children and teens may have slightly different reasons

Is the practise of requiring a number of years equal to the next Dan applicable? Such as 2 full years of training between shodan and Nidan? In many dojos teaching children, there is a minimum number of lessons or hours for each level. It seems to be more common in the Western world because I have never seen or heard of it in Okinawa or Japan. This brings the question of exactly how long these children and youths have been training. Obviously there is a great difference between 5 years for less than an hour 2 or 3 times in a week and 5 years of training one hour or more daily.

The deadlifts I am familiar with involved lifting some kind of weight. Unless there is a similar thing without weights or any material. The only two things done regularly at the dojo are laps of duck-walk and reps of up/down in shiko dachi with a partner standing on top in Naihanchi dachi between 70-100 times. I need ideas to perform alone, I limited space and with nothing.

As many have stated, the type of weapon depends on what AND how one intends to use it. If the goal is training correct movement or technique, the weapon should be slightly heavier. If it is for demonstration, a lighter and more flexible material is usually favoured.

The Okinawa government website has or used to have awesome video clips of style heads. My teacher's teacher was included there among at least ten others of that generation. Unfortunately I lost the link and am not sure the website is still available.Out of respect for my teachers privacy, I would rather not post him here.

There certainly is a lot of pressure, but also much encouragement from my teachers high expectations and hopes. Strating over from zero to my most recent evaluation has taken nearly two years but in those two years there was more to be learned and practised than in all the five years trained to earn my original shodan fifteen years ago.

The karate seen in the Karate Kid series is Okinawan Goju and Mr Miyagi's name is taken from Miyagi Chojun who is the originator of the style. This was the choice of the movie director (or producer) who practised Goju-ryu. Curiously the stunt double for Pat Morita was Fumio Demura, a Shitoryu expert.

Skills cannot be taken away but ranks can be erased. In the Far East, old-school teachers would disown and banish a student who committed a serious offense. The offender was expelled and the expulsion was made known to other teachers as martial arts teachers were often well acquainted with their peers. Word spread quickly and soon the blacklisted student would be refused everywhere. Being involved in Okinawan karate circles, I have heard of this happening a few times even in branch dojos in North America and elsewhere.

The lower body and especially the legs are often neglected or given only secondary attention in strength building. However, in martial arts these groups are the most important for generating power and to create a strong stable base for all techniques. Without the use of weights or any equipment whatever, what kind of exercises can be done to increase strength and endurance in the lower body and legs? Any suggestions for use in limited space such as a living room or bedroom?

Even before I slowly started to think important parts were missing, I gave little importance to getting the next rank. I postponed my shodan grading at least three times and in the end my instructor at the time had to push me into it. Giving up a rank or grade is easy once one accepts its arbitrary and symbolic significance. Changing ten years of habits and ingrained movements is another category of difficulty.

This seems to make sense and I doubt the problem is just the ankles. What exactly is the description of hyper active ham strings? How does this make the ankles/feet feel limp when kicking?

Between what I did before and what I am learning now, there is a whole world of difference. It is amazing that it is the exact same system. Just a different association. One thing that never sat right with me was the fact that all the kata bunkai and applications I had ever seen came from sources other than my instructor. Books, DVDs or seminars. To become able to do something, it should be practised every time. Doing it a couple of times a month or once in a blue moon at a seminar is not enough! Why learn 16 kata without understanding how to apply the first one? With all this in mind I am still grateful to my previous teachers. It is thanks to them that I followed the path towards where I am now. I cannot have any resentment or blame them.

In the city I lived in there were many dojos teaching karate and three public Kung fu schools two of which were a variety of mantis style. I had already done Shotokan as an after school program for a very brief period between age 10 and 12 so I knew that I wanted karate and as a bonus it was close to home. My siblings had gym memberships so I asked for karate instead because the fees were nearly equal.

When one starts teaching, what would bring the first layperson into the doors to join? Are new instructors or schools intimidating to the public and more difficult to find credible because they are new? It is very hard to think and remember why I started where I started. The reason I continued training certainly had something to do with the instructor's personality, though.

Practise and training essentially consisted of learning the kata by copying instructors and seniors. Little to no explanation of the movements was ever given. Bunkai and application of techniques from kata was rarely addressed. Kumite or partner drills was rare and when practised there was nothing mentioned about the links between kihon, kata and bunkai/kumite. After learning all the kata in the syllabus I realized that I had but a very superficial understanding of what I had. What I had was just a collection of forms because I had no idea of their intent, no concept of their function. It was as if I had been given a box full of tools with the name of each one but no instructions on their use or purpose.

There are a few reasons, but none of these have anything to do with disagreements or any sort of conflict between my previous teacher and I. Since my early teens I trained the same style(Shorin ryu) with the same organization but under a total of 3 different instructors. The first reason for the switch was a change of residence due to work. It is my desire to learn the missing parts I had never been taught that led me to my new dojo.

If a teacher or school's first impression for the layperson depends on the number of students, this cannot apply to one that is just starting out. In that case the place is what makes the difference.

I remember reading an account about one of the old masters of the pre-WWII era who said he refused to accept some people because they had what he called a "murderous disposition". One sensei I had trained under refused the same person twice because of reported dealings with an organized crime family. That was probably one of the few instances where someone would be turned away. There was also absolute zero tolerance for what was called "stupid vs stupid fights". If there was a list of types to never accept, known or suspected criminals would be at the top. For anyone else, an attitude adjustment might work.

The one year until I made the switch was not exactly away from training. It was one year of solo practise without a teacher. Forgetting my previous 3rd Dan and any sense of accomplishment attached to it was not nearly as difficult as trying to unlearn and change years of habits. Even now it is the biggest and most frustrating hurdle and I have yet to overcome it. I had always had a nagging suspicion that for one reason or another, my karate was missing important parts which I was never taught. Everything I am learning now are these details. Breathing, mechanics of movements, meaning and application from kata etc..

Chibana had at least five disciples who each formed their own association after he passed away in 1969. All of these men taught Shorin ryu on Okinawa within short distances of each other and mostly in the same city, Naha. Anyway between the time I left the first association and restarted training under the new one I continued training independently and in another dojo for roughly a year. Under my current teacher I restarted form scratch re-learning everything and being re-evaluated for each level up to 1st kyu.

The teacher I graded to 3rd Dan under is the head of a major Shorin ryu association in Okinawa. My current instructor is also the head of another major association. His teacher and the one who evaluated me to 3rd Dan are both disciples of the famed karate expert Chibana. Since starting under my current teacher I have forfeited that 3rd dan and continued to try my damnedest to forget and unlearn so that I can relearn with the pieces that were missing. This process is causing me much frustration and doubt of the skill level I supposedly have reached.

But surely if one chooses to dedicate one's life to the practise of martial arts, and every life choice is made with this as a priority there must be at some point; difficulties. The most painful have been the loss of close relationships. not far behind are years away in unfamiliar places away from home and family.