Spartacus Maximus

In the dojo as well as at the beginning of my home practise I do both static and dynamic stretching exercise. I also include rotations for the entire range of motion for the ankles. The issue I am struggling with is keeping my ankles stiff for impact for kicking.

Teaching in the dojo and at home should be different but in the dojo everyone must be treated equally whether or not they are related to the instructor. That way children know exactly what is expected of their behaviour and training. Everyone is there to train and although it may seem like a game, the dojo is not a place to horse about. In Okinawa I had a sensei who trained all his grandsons and he made absolutely no difference. He was as strict with them as with ebb the adults. They had to address him as sensei just like everyone else and if they failed to practise seriously he would immediately send them home. No second chance, no warning. Like all children they had good and bad days, but overalll they had no problem. The fact they were treated equally actually motivated them to try their hardest because they knew that when they left the dojo, sensei was just grandpa. Being strict is only beneficial when applied to everyone. Special treatment breeds laziness and resentment which are counterproductive to effective training and enjoyable practise.

As far as I am aware of the only gis with black trim are used in Korean styles and in that case it is the entire trim and lapel width that is black. Generally karate uses plain white or natural unbleached cotton. I have seen other colours but usually these were for tournament teams and such, not regular training. Also for your information there is only one brand made in Okinawa and that is Shureido.

Even with all the support it can be an intimidating role to take. Almost from the beginning, my sensei has expressed his hopes that I will take his karate style and school to a new area. Although it can be a motivating thought, these high expectations sometimes give me pressure and doubt as to whether or not I can ever meet them. Knowing these expectations, his approval of any improvement I make is more important than anything else.

The youngest full shodan level kids I have seen were around 12 or 13....except these kids were "credible" because they trained almost daily AND were from families heavily involved in karate. It was also in Okinawa were practically everyone have done karate for sometime in their lives, usually at school. I have heard of even younger blackbelts elsewhere but they were either not credible or some kind of gimmick to keep children in the dojo

From a prospective student's perspective it adds a boost of credibility if the chief instructor is also an active student under an instructor of his own within a recognized association. There is of course the opportunity to have the chief instructor's sensei or seniors coming in to do a special lesson or seminar. I hope it works well for your plan because I may well be in your shoes in the near future

The Japanese caracters read " karate" and "karate do". The ones inside the red circle read "karate" and in white thread under the word "tournament" it reads"Eikoku sei" which translates exactly to "made in England". The patch represents the okinawan karate style uechi ryu but there is no club name or organization name anywhere. There is also no manufacturer or brand name on the gi anywhere. Also judging by the quality of the embroidery for the Japanese character it is most definitely a European brand. Without a clue for the brand name, the only hope in identifying the gi is if someone recognizes the tag in the photo. Maybe a search for U.K brands and makers of martial arts supplies would get results. How many could there possibly be is also a very good question.

It is a well known fact in all martial arts and combative sports that failing to properly stabilize the wrist when punching can cause sprains and other more serious injuries to the puncher. It also means the loss of much of the strike's power. Assuming the same is true for the ankle when kicking, I have been struggling with this problem recently. After only a few slow, step by step kicks it is as if the ankle of the kicking foot flops outwards and failing to keep the attempted striking angle as well as its alignment.

Stretch marks will happen any time and at any spot where the body changes faster than it can repair itself. They are tears in the underlying layers of the skin. It is common in theses well known cases: 1: For women after childbirth when the body returns to its previous state 2: The result of repeated dieting to lose mass quickly 3: As a side effect of the excessive and prolonged use of several so-called muscle bulking products such as creatine, whey protein shakes and others To minimize the unsightly appearance of these and prevent them to some degree, coconut oil cream is effective. Rubbing it into the areas prone to stretch marks helps the skin maintain its stretchability and helps it keep up with the extra strain. For more information try to research stretch mark prevention in resources on pregnancy or ask a doctor or sports injury therapist

Teaching martial arts to one's children is no different than teaching them anything else. For nearly all children it is quite impossible to separate the role of parent from teacher. As a general guideline, the lessons should be short but focused. They should be done seriously, but also enjoyable like a challenging game. The most important thing is to never force or pressure the child to train. The only thing to do is to allow them to watch training until they can say for themselves what they think. Give the child all the resources and time to decide and if they show serious interest, encourage and support in every way. One of my dojo fellows has a son who has been watching his father train since the age of 3. The man let him watch and try to copy the moves. The boy watched and eventually asked to start but the man told his son to really think about it and then maybe....That boy practically begged to be taken along until finally at 12 years old, the father allowed him to join him. Now that kid is one of the higher grade students and the only child in the dojo. I cannot recall ever seeing a father so proud of his son. They are nearly the same grade now, and this child has no problem keeping up.

Personally I consider a branch dojo easier and more advantageous to start than a completely independent one. Especially if one is at a lower Dan grade. In either case the instructor must continue training in parallel to teaching. As a branch dojo belonging to an association, the new instructor already has a network of peers and seniors to call on for support, advice and training. It also makes it possible to exchange ideas for everyone's benefit. With few exceptions, the chief instructor of an independent dojo must take the time to find resources to pursue personal training or advice. This can be very time consuming and frustrating for someone trying to establish a brand new school.

The choice depends on whether or not one wishes to remain involved with the "official" shitoryu school. If this is not important, the choice of dojo should be made based on the qualities of the instructor. Even within the same style no two sensei teach exactly the same. There are also different approaches within the same organization.

There is no specific way to get ready for a first martial arts lesson. If the required training clothes are not yet available, it is a good idea to put on clothes that allow free movement. One can reasonably expected high intensity activity for an hour at least. For this reason one should be in good, normal condition. It is very unadvisable to go train with an injury, a sickness or a hangover. The dojo may or may not provide a source of drinking water so bringing a large bottle or two is a good idea. Also packing a towel is a good idea. For more specific advice, call the instructor and ask what to bring. As a last recommendation from experience, avoid going in with an average empty stomach or too full. Have at least a small high energy snack a couple hours before.

First thing to consider is what type of injuries the accident caused and how serious. Different injuries take different time to heal and some of the more seious ones require rehabilitation therapy. Besides that, karate like other martial arts cannot be learned quickly. Time in grade is just a guideline and not a guarantee. If a student is distracted by the pursuit of grades and keeps looking at others, there will be less attention to be spent on personal training. Quality is more important than moving onto the next thing. Quality takes time to develop and students should not rush to learn a great number of techniques. It is always best to polish and improve the tools one has rather than acquiring a new set without knowing how to use them. There is nothing shameful in taking more time to learn something.

There is in fact no official rule for the minimum rank required to open a school. What does exist is a set of conventions that vary from one association to the other and one system to another. Some countries have federations with their own rules but only federation certified members are concerned by the decisions. It is best to research how things are done where one resides. As far as Okinawan karate is concerned, most associations require no less than a fifth Dan AND permission from one's s sensei to teach as a branch dojo instructor. This is sometimes modified for those teaching outside Okinawa/Japan. The most important is the sensei's permission to teach, more than the Dan grade.

Any skilled professional tailor would also be able to reinforce the stitching in areas prone to tearing. I have had my sleeves done as well as an extra strip for the trim of the jacket that forms the collar. For the pants I aksed to redo th crotch.

Kempo is sometimes included with karate because it shares some similarities with it and some styles of kempo have karate influence. It all depends on what system. American Kempo for example is sometimes called "kempo karate". Shorin ji (shaloin temple in Japanese) is definitely derived from Chinese systems and has very little in common with Karate. There really is no simple answer, but I would consider kempo a stand alone group of systems because the term has a very broad definition.

The fact that the belt is mostly worn/used outside of Okinawa was presented to a student in Okinawa by a native sensei is most likely due to back influence from mainland Japan and abroad. Even the most conservative sensei on Okinawa have some influence from outside Okinawa as far as certain administration and grading are concerned. This has been going on since karate was introduced to Japan but has become more and more obvious in the last decade or so.

Have you gone to visit the dojo or spoken to the instructor? What is it exactly that you are seeking? What is "legit" for you and what do you expect? When looking for a dojo one should keep in mind that no lineage, style or organization is any guarantee of quality. A dojo is only as good and honest as the instructor makes it.

From my experience in Okinawan karate circles it seems common for higher Dan grades operating a dojo to have a separate in-house policy about what belt to wear. Most will wear whatever their instructor has given them because that belt has a symbolic value as the sign that the instructor formally awknowledges the students skill level and ability to teach as they have been taught.

Perhaps a more effective course of action would be to visit the dojo and see if the instructor will spare sone time to speak with a prospective student. Besides the odd chance that a forum member might be familiar with the dojo concerned, the best information can only be gotten from personal inquiry. The most that may be found here are general opinions from experiences that are each different from the other, even between several people practising the same system.

In my original post I considered the topic as a whole. In "late starters" I would include anyone who started for the first time and those like myself who have had gaps in training or started with some background. In my experience it is twice as difficult to start with a background as it is with no prior training of any kind. With a few gaps I had trained since 13 and was at 3dan. Starting over meant forgetting everything and giving up my 3dan. All this within the exact same style. The more I trained, the more I realized how much I was missing. Having a clean slate when starting is probably more important than when one starts. Fresh beginniners are not caught up in all sorts of habits and are not confused easily.

If several karateka of Dan rank 6th and above had no belts or all the same belt it would be impossible to pick them out. Only seeing how they moved and how they carry themselves just might give an idea. If they were just standing or in any casual position, then no way.

I use a Shureido brand heavy or medium weight, but I requested that the areas prone to tearing be reinforced. This very easy to do for the ties. I had them resewn with heavy nylon thread in tight stitches, then covered with another strip across sewn to the jacket. If the gi provider is unable to do it, any tailor should be able to reinforce at least the ties. This is cheaper to do and there really is no need to buy a whole new dogi.

The way I understand a core kata is one that is an identifying feature which can be used to demonstrate the roots of a system as well as its most recognizable features. As far as karate is concerned, all systems in existence today are developments from three original currents from Okinawa. These are Naha, the old merchant port, Shuri, the royal capital and Tomari the fishing port. Naihanchi kata(tekki in Shotokan) is found in every system developed or heavily influenced by Shorin ryu, which in turn developed from martial arts taught in and around Shuri. In all these styles this kata is emphasized often. Shotokan's founder records spending some ten years on these before learning anything else. This is why Naihanchi is the first choice to come to mind for representing the Shorin styles. Some systems such as kyokushin are more complicated because they include Shuri kata like the Pinan series as well as Naha kata like Sanchin. This is usually because the founder had influential teachers from different schools. This used to be quite common as the notion of style was not as clear cut as imagined by today's conception. Masters and students of different styles often shared and exchanged techniques.