Wayofaswede

I truly agree, to me the art is the personal expression beyond merely learning to perform a technique. To learn a new kata or kihon is to me - comparing it to music - to practice a new scale. This practice turns into art once I feel confident enough to start writing new songs using the new scale or confident enough to improvise - eventually even with my eyes closed - using that new scale. When the physical expression of internalised technical knowledge is so refined - or "pure" - that it has the ability to effect another human being on a deeper, emotional level, that is when form has become art to me.

Welcome to KF - I identified a lot with your life situation, being a full time teacher myself. Some wise person has said: Never make a life changing decision in November. Now it's still just late October but anyhow... What I am trying to say is that - since you really find the company of all fellow club members enjoyable - there is really no hurry to decide and leave, is there? I would first try to make the adjustments necessary to keep developing myself - teaching is a great way to learn. Can't you be more gentle in the way you correct, and maybe "show" more than you tell, using phrases like "I would do it this way instead". If nothing changes I also think you should talk to the head instructor about your concerns. You could express a more general concern about the trend and change of atmosphere you see . Since you sticked to the dojo as it went "through hell" (the bullying student), I believe it holds a very special place in your heart, and that you should at least try to adjust/talk to CI before you just leave. It of course also depends on what other dojo's there are available and how they seem to fit you and your life situation better. Best of luck with finding the best path - do let us know how it turns out. I hope you find your karate training as useful as I do handling the everyday conflicts you face as a teacher in school.

There was a very interesting thread discussing this video/book on Iain Abernathy's forum: https://iainabernethy.co.uk/content/karate-shortens-your-lifespan Iain's opinion, with very strong arguments for his view is very clear.

Great session yesterday, focusing a lot on endurance, strength and basics (legs are aching in that marvellous way today) I had almost forgotten I had ordered a new training bag through my C.I. that he brought. A beautiful black and orange one that says "Shito-ryu" on the side. Now it will be even more enjoyable to go training - meaning no offense to my old, faithful little bag with broken zipper. Best of luck with your training this week, fellow karatekas - practice makes progress...

Had a great, high-intensity club training session yesterday. Among other things we went through all five pinan katas and bunkai for Yondan and Godan. Really enjoyed the arm takedowns we practiced. Also had time for some free form kumite before finishing. Notes to self: Strength - aim for 100 crunches Kihon - open hikite hand that doesn't kaeshi, kept at solar plexus height parallell to elbow - always open hikite hand when doing kaeshi Kata - feet close together in pinan sandan - "block-strike-move" in Yondan/Godan aims for pressure point on inside of leg with knuckle Kumite - if high guard close to chin, be prepared to push away with kaeshi as partner moves close - otherwise hands are easily caught - return hand immediately after punch in order to not lean over and lose balance

Note to self: Remember right mae geri before kosa dachi ”fist snap” (ura ken?) in Pinan Yondan

Yes, there sure is. Problem is I get a lot of home practice, but not half as much of the more intense - and often in pairs - club training as I would like. Anyway, tonight it's time for solo practice at home again - perhaps with toddlers climbing on top while doing crunches. My 3-year actually participated the other day, wearing my old white belt wrapped 3 times around her before it was tied

No club training yesterday... ...because the lock to the hall we use as club dojo had been broken, so we couldn't get inside. The entire club met outside, eager to train, but had to go home again. Sigh...

Not many people attending yesterday's club session Lead to me and another green belt receiving instruction on our own from CI. Among other things we went through Gekisaida ichi - now I know which differences has been made and will start adding it to my solo sessions. I really like the flow of the kick-elbow-combinations Some notes to self from last night: - Second arm motion in Pinan is much smaller, only the lower arm is used - Hand open protecting the side in kosa dachi in Pinan Yondan - Feet together after "pulling together to the side" in Pinan Yondan

Looking forward to learning those "transitional shifts" I agree about the bunkai and the view of kihon as "building blocks" separate from the continuous flow and logic of a kata

To me martial art is a compassionate way of life, an art of living life with the strength, balance and control of body and mind required to follow the winding path of life in a compassionate and balanced way

Thank you, I sure am. Immediately realized and remembered how much more intense and demanding a club session is compared to my solo ones in the livingroom where it's much easier to pick more comfortable kihon, strength exercises and katas

Yes, Pinan 1-3 (especially 1-2) has been drilled almost every session. 4 and 5 moves into much less known territory. What surprised me the first time I saw yondan was that one of the stances looked just like the ones I associate with Kung Fu. Little did I know then about the history of karate and its Chinese influences. Backwards in segments...sounds very hard, but fun and inspiring. Any particular favorite kihon or bunkai from Yondan you would like to pick out and elaborate some on? Curious and interested to hear about such. Relation to kihon/bunkai always makes parts of a kata seem more logical and makes it easier to remember

Finally able to participate in the first club training session this semester today! Among other things we practiced the two pinan katas for 4 and 3 kyu, Yondan and Godan.

Suit your Selleri! (if that's the proper english name as well...)

Turnips? Starting this semester with a cold. Had really been looking forward to today’s club dojo session - it’s been so long - but it seems the virus my toddlers have had caught me too. Soon though. Soon. Always a bit nervous going back for the first session after summer, really don’t like missing the first one... Lol sorry, it was a lame joke Swedes and turnips are both vegetables Anyway, I'm glad you are enjoying your training! Osu I see Fun to learn a new word, being an English teacher in a public school here in Sweden I’m always looking to expand my vocabulary For a bit of useless trivia, in England, the vegetable that most people call a turnip is actually not a turnip but a swede, which is part of the beet family along with beetroot. Which reminds me. The thing many know as spinach is actually not spinach at all but the young leaves of the beet. So we eat the roots of the beet and call it beetroot, and we eat the leaves of the beet and call it, spinach. A particularly large kind of beet is the swede which we call, turnip, while an actual turnip is fairly small and often mistaken for white radish. Useless veg trivia I know, but in my defence, I never started it lol. I mentioned that a particularly large variety of beet is called the swede, which most call a turnip. The swede has another colloquial name in the southwest of England. That is the wurzel. A large rather bland variety of which is rarely consumed by humans but is often fed to livestock. This is the mangold wurzel, which has nothing to do with mangolds, but does lend itself conveniently to the name of a cheesy pop/rock tribute band that likes the famous band from the 70s, that is the mangled wurzels, tribute of course to The Wurzels. Although some might say calling a wurzels tribute band the mangled wurzels is in slightly bad taste, considering that the founder of the original wurzels band, Adge Cutler, was tragically killed early in his career in a car accident. Sorry. Massive tangent of veg related tenuous trivia there Interesting trivia - languages and music are two big passions of mine (been a drummer since Metallica's "Black album" in the early 90's). Mostly into prog rock/metal though or other obscure genres with awesome drummers.

Turnips? Starting this semester with a cold. Had really been looking forward to today’s club dojo session - it’s been so long - but it seems the virus my toddlers have had caught me too. Soon though. Soon. Always a bit nervous going back for the first session after summer, really don’t like missing the first one... Lol sorry, it was a lame joke Swedes and turnips are both vegetables Anyway, I'm glad you are enjoying your training! Osu I see Fun to learn a new word, being an English teacher in a public school here in Sweden I’m always looking to expand my vocabulary

Turnips? Starting this semester with a cold. Had really been looking forward to today’s club dojo session - it’s been so long - but it seems the virus my toddlers have had caught me too. Soon though. Soon. Always a bit nervous going back for the first session after summer, really don’t like missing the first one...

Beautiful analogy, thank you sensei

Thanks for sharing all knowledge on the matter - which katas would be "etc", that is considered to be old Kata? (and therefore complete arts)

Thank you for your reply, I love these kind of ”old master quotes” pointing to the richness that can be found within a single particular kata. And also puts an emphasis on the very long timeframe required for a martial artist to rreally master something within their art Great link as well, amazing and inspiring techniques on display - added it immediately to my long ”Budo seminars and vlogs list”:

Thank you for your reply, this makes a lot of sense

Thank you for your answer, interesting to hear your experience of the concept

Thank you for your answer and for sharing examples from your art Yes, I mentioned Pinan mostly because of Ian Abernathy’s thorough analysis of the katas - and since I haven’t gotten to that many katas myself yet, being a 5th kyu student. I would define a ”complete fighting system” as enough moves and defensive and - if necessary - counter techniques to be useful in a theoretical ”standard” (aware of the inherent chaotic nature of such a situation and that there in reality is no such thing) fighting situation. Obviously, given such a narrow definition even short, defensive katas could be sufficient

I often read this mentioned and wonder if that is really true for every kata? For instance a short "five block" kata in Shito-ryu as Go ho no uke - is that considered to be an entire martial arts system in itself? Or does this saying refer only to longer katas by more well-known founders, such as the "Pinan series" etc? Would be great if someone could elaborate and explain this idea - as I find it very fascinating and would like to learn more about the concept and its relation to the katas I train.