JR 137

Perhaps a stupid question... If you teach your parent, do you call them mom or dad during class? Do they refer to you by your title? I asked a priest if his parents call him father. He laughed and shook his head no, saying "they've got some interesting names to call me, but father isn't one of them."

I think a lot of people have misconceptions about kata, bunkai and training in the early days of karate in Okinawa. Kata wasn't taught from day one in some systems. Bunkai wasn't taught until later on. My source: http://www.hgweb.nl/isshinryu/history/yagi.htm According to Meitoku Yagi, who was given Chojun Miyagi's (founder of Goju Ryu) belt and gi by the Miyagi family, Miyagi didn't teach the first kata - Sanchin until about 3-5 years after they started training. And Sanchin was more of a conditioning kata than a bunkai-type kata. Furthermore... "In the old days Master Miyagi often taught in two ways. One, the beginners way, was with no understanding of what they were learning. And last, for the advanced student, was a complete understanding of what they had learned. He would very rarely give insights or meaning to the kata that he taught until the student showed mastery of the form through hard and consistent training." I wonder what criteria Miyagi had to determine when a student became an "advanced student." Something tells me he wouldn't consider today's shodans "advanced students." Perhaps Miyagi was the exception in old-school Okinawan karate and not the norm. Perhaps not. I'm not saying his approach was the best approach or not, just saying what I've read. Of course, if it's on the internet, it has to be true.

No argument from me here. But you can train the spear hand, and any other strike for that matter, into muscle memory. But to further your post, if I may... Even if we make it muscle memory, does it become instinct? There are people who've trained for years, perhaps decades who once they're confronted with "the real thing" resort to instinctual stuff like covering up, throwing haymakers, etc. rather than their training that has become muscle memory in the dojo. If you think muscle memory's hard to break, try breaking human instinct during the fight or flight response. Sorry for my skepticism; I had an interesting conversation today with a police officer friend who teaches defensive tactics at the regional police academy. Solid post!! Imho... It is possible to train the spear strike/thrust/block/deflection into muscle memory, however, only to the mechanics of it will survive. Why? We, human beings, are a product of our own comfort! When's the last time anyone saw a spear like technique consistently at every single opportunity?? I've not! I've seen a very small plethora of techniques, but I've not ever seen a spear hand anything except during class. In the heat of the moment, the mind will call upon those techniques that have, for that practitioner, a very high probable intent of success to said target; comfort and belief goes along way with technique effectiveness. It's never even crossed my mind during sparring. Inner knife hand to the side of the neck or throat have crossed my mind during sparring, but that's not something I'd ever throw against a sparring partner. The other shuto strikes such as gammen uchi, hizo uchi, etc. haven't crossed my mind in sparring either. I guess if I recognize the potential/opportunity to throw them during sparring, I'll most likely throw them at the appropriate time in a real situation. Hopefully I don't find out.

Seido Juku uses several different "ceremonial" belts for upper rank yudansha. 5th dan wears a black belt with a red stripe along it (like a junior bb's white stripe), 6th dan has 2 thinner red stripes or a red belt with black stripe (the red with black has been at 6th dan longer), 7th Dan is red with 2 black stripes, 8th dan is red with a white stripe, and 9th is solid red. Currently only one 9th dan, Kaicho Tadashi Nakamura. I've been told this is relatively new, as Nakamura wanted upper rank yudansha to be easily recognized at large gatherings. Because the organization grew as large as it did, he wanted to honor his senior-most students. These belts are only worn during formal stuff and special workouts. During day to day training and teaching, they all wear a standard black belt. Name in katakana and respective number of bars on one side, and organization kanji on the other. Nakamura was born and raised in Japan, and stays close to his roots. To the best of my knowledge, Kyokushin (where he came from) doesn't wear anything but black.

No argument from me here. But you can train the spear hand, and any other strike for that matter, into muscle memory. But to further your post, if I may... Even if we make it muscle memory, does it become instinct? There are people who've trained for years, perhaps decades who once they're confronted with "the real thing" resort to instinctual stuff like covering up, throwing haymakers, etc. rather than their training that has become muscle memory in the dojo. If you think muscle memory's hard to break, try breaking human instinct during the fight or flight response. Sorry for my skepticism; I had an interesting conversation today with a police officer friend who teaches defensive tactics at the regional police academy.

Every weapon (or strike technique) has its intended targets. A fist (punch) will most likely work better than a spear hand at most targets. But there are targets that a fist may and/or will be inferior to a spear hand: The neck - vertical recesses on either side of the throat Possibly at the liver and/or spleen - right under the bottom of the ribs Then there are situations where using the same basic motion modified slightly can work as well or even better... Pinan 2 and 3 left hand sort of circles downward and a right vertical spear hand strike goes over the left arm: The circling arm can be interpreted as an armlock that forces the attacker to bend forward. The spear hand can be used at the neck, or it can turn into a palm heel strike to the chin, thereby twisting the neck. If I knew how to record it and post it on YouTube, it would make so much more sense. Hitting with a spear hand vs a punch is like like jabbing with the top of a baseball bat (the top of the barrel, not the broad side where you'd hit a ball) vs jabbing with a knife. Jabbing with the bat would be far more effective at the sternum than stabbing with a knife would. Same can be said about any dense bone area. Being a son of a mechanic, my father taught me to use the right tool for the specific task. Forcing a tool to do something it wasn't designed for isn't the easiest nor smartest thing to do. But I've learned sometimes you've got to use what's available.

I've been hitting a Century Wavemaster XXL for a few days now at my local YMCA. It's not bad, but I'd take a hanging bag any day of the week. It slides around a bit, you can't get too close to it without the base coming up and dropping on your toes, and it doesn't swing. In case you're considering one. I'd stick to a rag filled hanging bag. I'm going to buy an Outslayer Muay Thai bag when I've got the space cleared out in my basement. You can get a 150 lb 6ft bag filled for $225 with free shipping. And you can pick from different color combos. I've heard nothing but great things about them. Outslayer.com

A lady where I train had a tailor sew a strip of material about 3/4 of the way up on the lapel. Basically the same thing as on the lower portion. Done right, you can't tell it's there unless you look for it. I haven't seen any come like that from the manufacturer though. As Sensei8 said, Century makes a women's cut gi. I don't know anyone who wears one, but I haven't asked either. Some of them could be for all I know.

Solid post!! I'd only start to fret when the numbers start a downward spiral dive to the bottom...then, I'd look at ME, and ME only as the cause. While I agree with taking responsibility, things can fall regardless of the quality of the instructor and assistants. You have to look all all outside possibilities as well. Keep in mind Lex is based in a rec center... Are the hours appropriate - perhaps he'd get more students on other days and/or times the space is unavailable Did the rec center change policies such as fees to members, wanting more money per his students, etc. These things can drive away students, and he's got no control over the policies the rec center sets. Is the building in disrepair Are the rec center clients bothering his students And so on. In a rec center, people look at the programs contained within it to be extensions of the rec center, and not an individual renting space and running his own program. They may also look at it as a short term activity. If parents have a membership to the rec center and view his program as something for the kids to do while they do their own thing in the rec center, what happens if the parents decide to leave the rec center? Being in there throws a different spin on things. A lot of it has no correlation to the level of instruction nor his personality.

People make stuff up because they don't understand why, or they try to be on another level with things, or they over-think what's going on. I taught an intro to karate class in the physical education department at a college I worked at a while back. I explained the etiquette of bowing to them as follows... Bowing is a traditional East Asian way of showing respect and greeting someone formally. Not much different than a handshake to us. Boxers touch gloves before they spar or fight, wrestlers shake hands; martial artists bow. Some athletes have a ritual of the sign of the cross, looking up to the sky and saying something, or other things before getting into the ring, going on the field, court, etc.; martial artists bow. It's just a sign of respect for what you're going to do; it puts you in a state of mind or focus, if you will. You're not "bowing down" to anyone or anything in a subservient way; you're showing respect in a different way. Respect is respect, the intent is the same; it's just shown in a different way than our society in general is accustomed to. Looked at it that way, it's far less mystical IMO. Instead of of a "hey, what's going on?" or a hello/good evening, etc., its a bow and possibly Osu (depending on your school). Walking into the dojo and bowing and saying Osu to your Sensei, seniors and classmates isn't much different than walking into practice and saying hi to your coaches and teammates. Or saying good morning to your co-workers. It's just a different way.

I washed my original gi (the free one with signing up) with jeans and other stuff in hot water. It had a nice blue tint to it afterwards. Motivated me to buy my first heavyweight gi. We also had a problem with colored belts bleeding onto our gis. We all had these yellow, green or brown stains around our waists. It first started with our yellow belts. We just thought our gis were getting old and grungy. After we got promoted to green belt, we realized it was the belts. Then it became fun. I also had a Shureido bo that rubbed its finished off on my gi when it was new. After I figured out it was the bo, I scrubbed it with a wet rag for quite a while to get whatever was left of it off. Brown dirt looking stains on my shoulders and ribs weren't cool, especially with a Shureido gi. They washed off pretty easy though.

I trained very briefly with a Sensei who was affiliated with Taika Oyata. I really liked the approach to karate. The kata were traditional, focusing on the Pinan/Heian kata at the kyu level. There were differences between the way they performed them and the mainstream way. Some minor, some larger. First time I saw them performed Oyata's way, my initial thought was "That makes so much more sense." They kick below the waist and puch above the waist. They train higher kicks and some spin-type kicks, but as the Sensei was saying during it "for flexibility and coordination only; not for self defense." They practice basics a lot, and base self-defense techniques off of kata. They've got some standardized self defense techniques they continually practice, which are kata based. It was short, basic (in a good way), to the point, and effective. They also do "bogu kumite" which is full-contact in kendo sparring gear. It's not required, but is available for anyone who wants to. I'd have loved to stay with that dojo. My work hours made it impossible, and I moved away. Keep in mind every dojo is different, even under the same system and director. It all depends on the teacher and just as importantly the students' ages and abilities. My experience with it could be the norm or the exception.

Couldn't (respectfully) disagree more! To me, it's the game that soccer, baseball, and other sports have. It's a time for people to see the hard work and cheer you on. At my testing so do it as I have always seen it. Family and friends are welcome. It's a big day for student, and support of family and friends is well deserved. It helps to make the families more involved. I see grandparents and other family members show up that I NEVER see in normal classes, to show support. I think it's a very positive thing. I can't imagine too many benefits to testing a being closed but I'm open to hear somebody's argument?!? Dan testing in my former organization was closed to adults. Accord to my Sensei, it was because they wanted you to earn it on your own, without a security blanket of parents/loved ones' support. Trying to remember how he put; he said it better than I just did and in more words. And there are far less distractions. Kyu testing is one thing, dan testing is another. At some point, you've got to do it on your own and not have someone else pushing you or have someone else there to appease. There's also the integrity of the test to consider. Part of the test is not knowing what to expect. If you've seen a few of them, you're going to "study for the test" rather than focusing on training as a whole. I think most places don't allow an audience for dan testing. I think most allow spectators at the end when belts are awarded. Ours wasn't closed because we were doing secret techniques that were too dangerous for outsiders to see or anything like that. I've heard some use that line or other things as ridiculous. Way too much mysticism in MA if you ask me.

Yes and no. My daughter is 5. I'm not leaving her alone. Especially at the dojo where she could get injured. Older kids and adults, sure. Depends on the age.

One of my instructor's instructors is a certified Protestant minister. I'm talking traditional US Southern Protestant (not sure which denomination). He has no problem training karate because we don't do it in a spiritual way, but when he's visited us I have heard him describe moves to the young beginners in terms of "God created man with a soft spot right here-- if you target that soft spot, it can help you defend yourself". I remember it because I thought it was odd in our New England secular dojo, but from what I remember about attending college down south, infusing religion into every day life is just what they do as part of the culture. It doesn't take people aback nearly as much as it does up here. Different cultures treat it differently. I friend of mine lived in Louisiana while her husband was stationed there. In rural Louisiana, not New Orleans or the like. She wanted to teach yoga, but couldn't get many students. Most people who were interested said they had to ask their minister/pastor first. He didn't give them permission, saying the teachings of yoga conflict with the bible. It didn't matter that they knew she's Catholic, or that she told them all they're basically doing is stretching and breathing. People have their beliefs and values. And apparently a lot of people can't think for themselves.

I'm not basing it on any competition standards. Everyone in the dojo has dipped foam. According to my CI, people have showed up over the years with some stuff that wasn't allowed - MMA type gloves, boxing gloves, gloves without thumb padding, etc. I want to avoid return shipping, and the customary restocking fees that MA suppliers love to charge.

People get upset about this stuff, and I understand why. I do too, but for a minute or so, then go about my business. If you're the founder of your own art/style, you make the rules. Call yourself a 10th dan, master, guru, enlightened one, whatever you wish. You can have students sing Zippity Doo Dah while performing a form (I won't sully the name kata here) to be at one with their happy place. You can have students spar naked to spot their "tells" easier. You can have your students get drunk before self defense training so that they learn how to overcome the obstacles. It's your system, you make the rules. If people don't like it, they can leave; it's not like training there is a government mandated required. If there's people out there who like this type of training and think you're a renaissance man/woman/god, so be it. People love to follow crack-pots. Everyone's got a void in their life, for lack of a better word, at some level that they're trying to fill. Some people take that to the extreme. If they're happy, party on. All I can say is, do whatever it is that you've got to do. Just leave me and my family out of it. Don't try to sell me on your "way" (financially or not). If people want to think that's how the MA are in every dojo, nothing I can say to them is going to really change their mind anyway. And even if I could change their mind, what difference does it really make?

I love this idea. I was actually thinking about doing something like this if I ever start my own program, but I've never heard of anyone actually doing it. The students testing for dan ranking don't just wear the white belts. They line up in class as white belts, they hand out the floor cleaning towels at the end of class, etc. My CI, who tested for 7th dan a few years ago decided to have a senior instructor teach class a few times so he could take class as a student. He was wearing his white belt (he also wore it when he taught class) for the amount of time required before his test, lined up at the beginners' end of the dojo, and did everything white belts do. I'm not sure if 4th dans and up are referred to by their titles (4th dan is Sensei, 5th is Kyoshi, etc.) or not during this period. It would be odd to not call my CI by his title (Shuseki Shihan) even though he was wearing a white belt. This was before I joined. There are pictures of Tadashi Nakamura's son wearing a white belt before he was awarded his father's 8th dan belt, so I guess no one's exempted from it.

How did it go?

Ryukyu Kempo may be a generic term, kind of like karate is pretty generic by itself. I know that Seiyu Oyata used Ryukyu Kempo as a name until several others who weren't directly nor indirectly affiliated with him started using it. He changed his organization's name to Ryu Te Renmi and trademarked it. I think the most popular user of Ryukyu Kempo as a descriptive name is George Dillman. Many of his students/protégés use it as well. If it's a Dillman influenced system, be careful.

My former organization: Kyu: We were tested by the head of the organization or the second in line (due to their proximity). We were given our belts at the start of the next class. We would be called up to the front of the class one at a time, and our Sensei would tie our belts on us. We'd pick up our certificates on the way out of the building. It only took a few minutes before warmups. Dan: Called up individually at the end of the test, and he belt is tied on by the head of the organization. Certificate comes 6 months later, after consistent training. My current organization: My CI calls us up one at a time after the test and ties on the new belt. Certificates come later on, after class. We had a student promote from a junior advanced brown belt to adult brown belt without a test. Our CI called her up before warmups and tied it on her. Dan: Not sure, but I think it's tied on by the head of the organization at the end of the test. Shodans get a plain black belt without embroidery. After 6 months of consistent training, an embroidered belt and certificate is issued. In Seido, people testing for Dan ranks wear a white belt for several weeks beforehand and during the test. People testing for nidan and above send their belt to honbu while wearing their white belt to have another stripe embroidered on; they keep the same belt, but a new stripe is added rather than a new belt with every promotion. So I'm estimating that my CI's 7th dan belt is the same one he wore since 1st dan. 5th Dan and up also get a "ceremonial" belt that's worn on special occasions, such as a black belt with a red stripe along it, red with white, etc. They wear their solid black belt during regular training.

Thanks, everyone. A classmate has a Top Ten helmet, but not the hands and feet. Seems like well made gear. Expensive, but it looks worth it. Not sure if the feet and hands will be allowed due to them being leather. I'll check with my CI. Seems like the Century gear is better made than the Macho gear I had is. The guys who would come to class more than once or twice a week were lucky if we got a full year out of it. I remember my Sensei laughing at how me and two other guys were duck taping our sparring gear, yet wearing Shureido and Tokaido gis and buying Shureido weapons. Priorities, I guess.

I was reading a blog a while back by a police officer who also ran a jujitsu dojo. He investigated sex crimes. He wrote that every Friday and Saturday night, before his teenage daughter goes out, she has to escape his mount and apply either a joint lock or choke that he can't get out of. She isn't allowed to leave until she does it. His pre-teen daughter has to escape a wrist grab before she's allowed to leave without a parent. He wrote that his non-police friends and family make fun of him for it. His response - if they saw what I see on a regular basis, they'd do the same. Makes you think. If I can find the blog, I'll post a link.

Great post, Bulltahr. It's ok to be nervous. You've never been through a karate promotion test before and don't really know what to expect. If your Sensei is a normal human being, which everything you say indicate he/she is, you'll be expected to perform just like anyone else with the same amount of experience as you have. The first thing every rational Sensei looks for is spirit. Doing the best you can, listening to instructions, and keeping at it, no matter how difficult it gets. If you do that, everything should fall into place. If you perform to the best of your ability, physically and mentally, you've passed, regardless of what belt you wore beforehand and what belt you wear afterwards. To quote my system's founder (Tadashi Nakamura) - "Technique before strength, spirit before technique."

Our dojo is closed on New Year's Eve as well. We had the workout the night before.