JackD

Uraken is a back fist, lift the elbow a little flick out your forearm and your wrist and back fist follows (it's really a circular technique) but it's probably the fastest strike in karate(?), not powerful unless like Wado Heretic said it's used with a spin. I know a lot about this strike there's a guy I spar with often and he catches me with it every single time! I'd say a Kizami Tsuki is more like a front arm jab, like a boxers jab.

For me karate is one of those things where the longer you do it and the more you learn, the more you realise how bad you are and how much more you should be able to achieve. Early on I took to setting myself small targets that way you can be happy with a little progress rather than beating yourself up for not being brilliant!

Etiquettely the 2nd dan should have actually been thanking you. Every time you get a good knock, (from a higher or lower grade) should be a valuable lesson learned!

This is a great thread! For what it's worth I'm 47 and have been training 6-7 years and I'm still way to stiff, almost robotic. I have a tendency to hold my breath when running through kata, my instructor always used to joke that he'd worry about me performing kushanku as I'd probably pass out before I got to the end. I don't think, for me, it's any of the reasons that Nidan Melbourne gave, it's just about me "learning" to loosen up. I try and concentrate a lot on breathing now rather than the physical movements and trying to stay loose until you snap at the end of a technique, I think I'm improving but like everything in karate with me it takes a hell of a long time. I must try the tip from Th0mas. ps A warning though loosen up too much and you'll get criticised for not putting in enough effort

Slightly different but I read an article on visualising kata some time ago and I've found that very useful, not just to follow the dance routine, but somehow you can kind of get a good feeling for what you're trying to do in the physical and you can focus quite sharply on small details. Sounds a bit crappy writing this down but its helped me, it also means you can still be doing karate in places where it might not be physically appropriate

It's a pleasure Titanium. I might know what it is, doing it correctly is a different matter though

In Wado ryu we call the stance in the second picture Nekoashi (cat stance)

Yes the two books by Shingo Ohgami are fantastic, I started karate 6 years ago and my instructor recommended them and they have been my bible on my journey. I also got a lot from Chris Thompsons book "Wado-Ryu Karate". The great thing with old books is that you can pick them up for next to nothing on ebay if you keep you eyes open. Franks Johnsons book is a little different as it's more of an autobiography, I really enjoyed it though. I've just read a really great old book in the same vein "Moving Zen" by CW Nicol (shotokan).