mushybees

Karate's awesome. My 3 young kids also train and it's great.

I was very disappointed with the Seishin. It's a so so dogi with very good marketing. I'd go for the Tokaido.

I find if I wear antiperspirant deodrant it causes my head to leak. Regular deodorant allows me to sweat properly and cool properly plus it's better for the gi fabric. Antiperspirant is the cause of yellowing armpits on even the most frequent and best laundered dogi.

In Wado Ryu and japanese kenjutsu this jarring stop and start of movements is an aspect of itsuki. Itsuki is rendering yourself immobile. Wado shares many principles with koryu jujutsu and kenjutsu where an opening for your sword wielding opponent is often catastrophic.

If I was facing a grappler I wouldn't know until we were grappling and then I wouldn't throw a kick or punch. At least not in isolation.

When I started training in karate my instructor at the time had a very poor opinion of weight training. I only have experience of japanese martial arts but it's an attitude I've witnessed quite often. In my case I developed a lot of muscle imbalances, especially in the legs and shoulders which manifested in tennis elbow and the paletta not tracking correctly. All fixed in six months of compound weight exercises. I weight train now at least twice a week for 40 minutes. Not for hypertrophy but for strong and balanced muscles. We don't practise any hojo undo and I'm quite ignorant on the matter but if I was told it was incorporated to prevent against the problems I faced I wouldn't be surprised.

To clarify, I don't personally run a dojo. I'm just a student and answering from a student's perpective. When a disruptive influence joins a dojo discord can spread like wildfire. I've seen it happen and it puts instructors in a very difficult situation. Desiring to help people overcome their character flaws is commendable but some people's problems run too deep and are sometimes potentially dangerous. I would prefer an instructor acts in the interests of his/her student body and their wellbeing rather than trying to save every lost soul. Also I know of incidences where a student has shown worrying behaviour and the instructor has dealt with it very discreetly. You may not necessarily know what has been said or why.

I've seen people progress within the dojo who have demonstrated real character flaws. Arrogance, a propensity to show off, a disregard for other people's boundaries being just a few. I've never seen a change in their character. I've seen them obscure their nature but it's always still been there and has always ended in acrimony. Some people shouldn't train in the martial arts and people shouldn't feel obligated to teach someone they don't like or aren't comfortable teaching. With regards to the situation in question I wouldn't presume to know what your instructors know or what motivates their decision making. The culture of a dojo can very easily be derailed and it's the prerogative of the chief instructor to protect what they've created.

Bowing as I stepped over the threshold in to my boss' office. He was mercifully preoccupied at the time and didn't see it.

Thank you gents. As tempting as it is to try and reuse it I'll admit defeat. In fact, if I ever decide to start my own school I'll resolve to forego badges and school logos from dogi.

Has anyone ever unstitched an embroidered logo (like a school logo) and removed it from their dogi? I have a 12oz dogi and I'd like to remove a school logo and have a different one embroidered in it's place. It's a nice Hirota gi so I'd hate to spoil it by sewing an ugly patch over the old logo.

That's incredible. People are losing the ability to empathise with others and refuse to even consider viewpoints that they've decided is unpalatable. It makes for some very one dimensional and fragile characters. I try and expose myself to left and right leaning political views and everything in between. I have views of my own but they're informed and considered views and I try and understand why someone might hold and opposing position. If I found my teacher had political views I didn't agree with I'd be able to compartmentalise it quite easily. If they respect me enough that they don't abuse their influence to try and sway my political views then regardless of what they believe it can't be too bad. As for the students in question I would expect a sincere apology and they'd be receiving a stern warning. Disgraceful behaviour, regardless of their reasons.

I hear this one all the time citing kubudo weaponry and their apparent dual use as agricultural tools. I hear it from otherwise clued up, pragmatic martial artists. It's quite a pervasive myth.

I forgot about this thread. A couple of weeks after seeing this I had a tumble down garden steps whilst carrying my 3 year old son. I fell forward and would have landed on him if I hadn't flipped over. No injury to either of us except for a small bruise on my leg. It's possible my instinct to not squish my own spawn would have resulted in the same actions. I thank ukemi anyway.

Hikite

It's not a technique but a principle. Kuzushi. Nothing puts an opponent on the back foot like trying to regain their balance and structure.

Spar more and relax. For me personally there is no technique that I'm trying to slip in and no strategy that is playing out in my head. If your focus is on waiting to recognise an opening or an opportunity you'll fail. The opportunities will present themselves, you need to be fluid and able to capitalise on anything instantly. Effectiveness in sparring is a reflection of my total training, not just my kumite skills. In short; it'll come in time so stop thinking about it and enjoy.

If I understand you correctly you don't want to teach the correct kata under the name the kids associate with your club specific version. If you currently name your kata Pinan just name the Shotokan ones Heian. Problem solved.

While I'm still on reasonable terms with the departed instructor I wouldn't expect to be able to hedge my bets and then switch once everything is established and there's no risk involved. I've made my decision but it's tinged with a little regret. I would have liked to support the new club from it's inception but things are just too messy and, in spite of myself, I've always been a little risk averse.

Thanks to everyone for their insights. Time for an update maybe. The split has occured though not the way I thought it would. The instructor has left though not in the direct and, I would say, honourable I was expecting. There's been a lot of backbiting from the departing instructor which has lead to concerns about his character. This has been made more apparent by the dignified way the CI has handled it who has refrained from disparaging anyone. There may be a ceiling to what I can learn in my current dojo but I don't think I'll be touching it for a couple of years yet so I'm staying put for a while. It's been a bit of an eye opener tbh. I've heard a lot about the Machiavellian antics of other clubs and organisations but I've never seen it up close. For all the talk of humility, raging egos rule supreme.

More than which are the most common you should give some thought to what you want to teach through them. The pinan/heian katas are a good start. I don't know Kenkasho or if it's been renamed, what it is analogous to.

There are martial artists who use youtube to good effect and there are youtubers who use martial arts to good effect. I have no experience in chinese arts so I won't comment on his martial ability or his ability to teach. I will say I've watched a few videos and it's all avout liking and subscribing for ad revenue and buying his online course.

Personally I'd do the grading and vow to address any unfairness if I ever run a grading myself. There's no use dying alone on that hill and changing nothing except spoiling your own grading.

There's a lot to think about. I can't address each of your points in turn but I have taken them on board. It's very possible the new club doesn't work out and the door will certainly be closed to return. If that happens I may need to find a different art. The club as it stands is like every other dojo in the area. It's a very family orientated school which is great for most people and if I leave I'll essentially be making the decision to either practice the art in a more serious, austere manner or move on. Wado is taught in as many ways as there are schools. Very few in my part of the world train wado as a serious bujutsu with koryu leanings. Within wado is a goldmine of jujutsu principles Ohtsuka incorporated from his studies in Shindo Yoshin Ryu jujutsu, some of it is very subtle and can't be taught in a hall with 20+ kids vying for the instructor attention. The more children and casual students in the class, the more generic and sports orientated the content becomes. I would love to persue these avenues whilst remaining with the CI but as much as I like him, he has some foibles. Not least of which is his dislike for his students cross training or attending seminars he hasn't arranged through the club. DWx has touched on my biggest concern. I think I will stagnate if I stay where I am. The departing instructor isn't my friend. He's friendly but he's uncompromising and it's something I appreciate. I really am trying to justify a dispassionate, martial arts only decision. I'm trying to find a way of leaving my current dojo to go train with someone who has become a rival whilst maintaining our friendship. It's probably not possible but if I stay just out of loyalty I might end up resenting that friendship. I really have messed up in mixing friendship with the student/sensei relationship and it's not a mistake I'll be repeating.

When I started training I had blisters on my feet for a few weeks. After a short while they become conditioned. I stood lightly on a drawing pin last year, it penetrated the ball of the foot near the big toe by quite a bit and I didn't feel a thing. I won't be modelling hosiery any time soon but my feet are tough!