Shojiko

I believe alot of of MMA fighters/teams are thinking outside the box and looking into what TMA has to offer to expand the fighters tool set and think outside the norm. The fight the impressed me not too long ago was the Match between Rose and Wei lei. No brutal trading of exchanges, just a nice clean kick set up to end it and leave with no damage. Rose accredited the kick to her TKD backgound. With Karate - some MMA fighters have cross trained in styles such as Shotokan, or already had Karate backgrounds and have become champions at some point. Some of the head coaches of elite MMA teams have Ranks in TMA so I wouldnt doubt they throw in some TMA techniques with their overall fight strategy. Karate still is a minority IMO, its pretty rare we get to see a new breakout fighter with a Karate background that actually uses techniques from the system.

@SLK59 Pardon me if the initial post sounded like it, but I did not mean for it to look as if there is a hidden intent to be deceptive. I have known black belts that genuinly had no intentions of moving up in rank, they were content with just continuing to train the core aspects of the art, or some just really didnt care while their contemporaries went up in rank.. I would gladly accept what I am told I qualify as in regards to progress/rank, at the same time, I also have a certain respect for those who Ive met that exhibit the Mr miyagi type approach (belt from Jcpenny) when training martial arts Ill add imporant missing detail to the original question that others mentioned in their responses - Would you ever stay at first degree and decline higher ranks in your art? ? (While being confident you know all there is to know of your arts curriculum)

Would anyone consider staying a 1st degree once its achieved and decline higher ranks for the remainder of your lifetime? Or do away with the dan system totally (jk) I personally see more positives than negatives when really getting to think about it. I always thought it would be more impressive that a black belt alone can work and give higher dan ranks in trouble (if they had close to the equal amount of time training). The 1st degree would have nothing to lose and would actually give the term "Black belt" real meaning again..

I can only comment on Nishihiras Karate based on a YT vid of him perfoming Passai and Chinto as you see here in this link ( )Here is a link to vid of Yabiku performing Matsumura kihon, kata, and him instructing Chuck Chandler and Tony Sandoval I believe. They look pretty identical in my eyes. Im not familiar with any place that teaches Nishihiras original way nor am I qualified to be knowledgeable about the technical aspects primarily.. I just know my Matsumura lineage encompasses alot of grappling techniques to be the basis of most bunkai to the kata taught. We do have strikes but predominatly stand up grappling techniques.

Shorin Ryu is a great system to train in.

Can a 1st degree black belt promote students in rank? And if so, to what extent.

I coincidentally practice both methods and think both have their strong points. Long as it gets the job done partner!

what traditionally happens to ones Dan rank if lets say.. the following events occur? 1.you move to another organization same style? 2.your organization ceases operations and everyone goes their own way? For reasons being e.g passing of a head with no appointed successor, or org splits up forming individual orgs that consists of certain groups with in the original org (does your old dan rank deserve to be recognized although its under the name of different org if you decide to join a specific group?) 3.you get the boot from your current organization (which results in not being recognized by the org)

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