Furinkazan

That looks like some kind of rice harvesting tool, and not a weapon. There are two questions I have about this thing, assuming that it's actually meant to be a weapon: Using both hands on the longer end, can you generate the same or greater amount of momentum that you would with regular nunchaku using one hand? Are you absolutely sure that this is the kind of weapon where you would want both hands to be occupied? For a bo, I get it. Because you can block with it. I'm not sure what kind of blocking you're gonna do with these if both of your hands are on one side.

If those expectations are indeed there, they're definitely not being met. Not even among the old Asian men themselves, probably the most notable example in the history of karate being what happened to JKA in the years following the passing of Masatoshi Nakayama. They're fully aware of what can happen to their organizations if they choose to be too rigid.

And an even better one: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1326895809643950/?fs=e&mibextid=wwXIfr&fs=e

Here’s an example: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1548962219952392/?fs=e&mibextid=wwXIfr&fs=e

I've heard good things about this art. I just can't get over the fact that their masters and grandmasters wear costu... ahem, I mean uniforms that make them look like Middle Eastern royalty. Even if it's good... I'm not sure I could get past that.

Looks like I'll be back in the market soon as well. I want to order my gis from Tokaido to get the ISKF labels, but I'm taking a wait-and-see approach until after the upcoming test. I just want to make sure that my dojo is still ISKF after this whole fiasco before I purchase those gis.

Hironiri Otsuka is most famous for being the founder of Wado-ryu. What many people outside of Wado-ryu don't know is his background story for why he started a whole new style. His historical significance goes beyond that. The belt system was adopted by Funakoshi and applied to karate. Funakoshi was a godan, but godan was awarded to him by the Jigoro Kano via the Kodokan. Outside of that, Otsuka was the very first ever karateka to rise through the kyu ranks and be awarded shodan. He trained directly under Funakoshi. Then something happened. The famous dojo storming of Motobu Choki where he humiliated Funakoshi in front of his students. Otsuka was one of those students who witnessed this. As a result of this, he cut ties with Funakoshi and trained under Motobu. He then went on to found Wado-ryu. So is it an absolute must that you maintain ties to develop your karate? No. Your karate eventually becomes just that - your karate. However, if you decide that your karate consists of maintaining ties, that's up to you to decide.

I do believe that organizations are necessary. Outside of safety codes that all gyms have to meet, there are no government regulations that martial arts training schools are required to meet. This means that literally anyone can open up a martial arts school, regardless of their credentials or lack thereof, and award credentials to anyone who signs up based on any criteria that they set. It's when the instructors and the credentials they award have the backing of an organization that the more discerning potential students are more reassured. If I moved to an area where there's only one local Shotokan school and it's independent, I MIGHT sign up. But even if I do, I'm going to find the nearest organization affiliated school and sign up there too. If it's four hours away, then I'll drive up there every Saturday. I'll get my training from the independent school, but I don't want their credentials. I'll get my credentials from the organization affiliated school.

You never looked at joining Kensankai, Kiyobukan, or Butokukan?

I'll be honest: if I was to move to another area that had Shotokan dojos, but none were ISKF, I wouldn't be too pressed about it. I would simply pick what's available and look forward without looking back. As a matter of fact, if one of them was ISKF and the others weren't, I wouldn't automatically choose the ISKF dojo just because it's ISKF... unless, of course, the only other option was a JKS dojo (nothing against them; but I vehemently disagree with WKF style kumite). What IS most important to me is that it's Nakayama lineage (as opposed to Gima, Egami, etc). I'm more concerned with that than whether or not it's Okazaki, Kanazawa, Nishiyama, Asai, etc.

I think it's important to note that karate was never one big thing that split into styles. Style splits have happened, but there is no single style of karate - whether extant or extinct - from which all styles of karate descend. I haven't looked deeply into this, but it appears that there has been less splitting of the Naha-te styles. There's Goju-ryu and Uechi-ryu. From Goju-ryu, you have two major styles that were designed to be a fusion with Shorin-ryu and that's Isshin-ryu and Shito-ryu. I don't know whether or not either of these styles do hojo undo. But I do know that, as long as Goju-ryu and Uechi-ryu remain the sole major styles of Naha-te, old traditions are going to be much easier to keep. Shuri-te is way more complicated. Contrary to most misunderstandings, Chosin Chibana was not the founder or inventor of Shorin-ryu. He simply gave it its name. He was the founder, however, of the Kobayashi branch. But all of that being said, there were already multiple branches of Shorin-ryu already in existence during his time. Shotokan itself is technically a branch of Shorin-ryu. Taekwondo, technically, is Shuri-te. When you look at all of this, it's going to pretty much impossible for old traditions to be kept. I don't see this as a good or bad thing. Hojo undo continues to exists solely for traditional reasons. Since karate expanded from Okinawa, exercise and weight-lifting equipment has modernized. Think about this: the heaviest tetsu-getas only weigh about ten pounds. The leg extension machine is vastly superior to tetsu-getas for working your quads, since most machines have over 200 pounds to work with. When it comes to nigiri game; grip trainers, forearm curls, and wrist curls are also vastly superior. So why do hojo undo? Tradition.

I vaguely remember an episode of The Flintstones where Wilma takes up judo, and the portrayal of the judo instructor was, shall we say… “controversial” by today’s standards (i.e., very similar to Mr. Yunioshi from Breakfast at Tiffany’s). She also had a strange kiai where she shouted “hoochie coochie HA” when she used her judo.

I think it's been said here before, but KI and Mugen are good for the money IF you don't need anything hemmed. Because if you do, you might as well get Tokyodo (or even Shureido for a few extra bucks). If KI and Mugen offered free or low cost hemming with your order, they would definitely be the best value in karate gi around unless Arawaza were to enter the chat on that.

Hot take: I don't like "kihon katas." For example, Taikyoku (or what Korean arts call Gi Cho Hyung) and Fukyugata. The most grace I would give is if Taikyoku Shodan was taught only as a template for individual karateka to create their own Taikyokus for blocks and strikes that they want to practice, but never as testable katas with kyu ranks attached to them (I personally have created my own Taikyokus for techniques that are less commonly practiced in Shotokan than other styles, such as gedan shuto-uke and saguri-te). Outside of that, I'm gonna go with Heian (Pinan) Sandan. It's the most difficult kata to extract the bunkai from, and every bunki I've ever seen presented, both in person and online, are way too high risk/low reward. I'll also say that, as Shotokan karateka, we get cheated on Wankan, Empi(Wansu), and Meikyo(Rohai). I remember reading somewhere that the reason our Miekyo is so basic is because Shinpan Gusukuma specifically designed a version of Rohai that Funakoshi could do at his late age.

Ah... so nothing Japanese would meet your requirement anyway. Tang soo do doboks have the piping, the tops for hapkido have the diamond pattern. Not sure about hapkido, but I understand that all tang soo do and soo bahk do doboks manufacturers are either North American or European.

And you're required to have the design on the back? There's a dojo in my area that has this, but I've only seen it on children. I think it's the free gi they get with the trial. I've seen people from the same dojo without the design on the back, so I assume they have freedom of choice when they want to buy a new gi. If you're required have the design on the back, you've got plenty of options on Amazon. You can have iron-on designs made, though I would never do that to a $200+ gi ordered from Japan. Your other option would be to get a large patch made to put onto the back. In either case, you simply upload the image and order it. The patch would obviously cost more than the iron-on, but the patch can be reused years from now when it's time to replace that particular gi.

I wasn’t there in 2007, so I’m only speaking on what’s been passed on to me. I do know that all ISKF students, worldwide, have to test for godan and above at the annual master camp just outside of Philadelphia. So when Okazaki separated ISKF from JKA, it was less about the convenience of the students who wanted to test and more about his authority to promote, which is completely understandable. If you can make yondan, you’re probably already dedicated enough to buy the plane ticket and book the hotel room. Especially considering the fact that it’s a five year wait from yondan to godan, six years from godan to rokudan, and so on and so forth - so you have plenty of time to get your affairs in order. And even if you’re not “that” dedicated, yondan is more than a high enough rank for someone with a life outside of the dojo (job, family, etc) to be content with. I think the biggest slap in the face here is not the potential loss of students, but loss of faith in the judgement of the instructors to assess their students testing for shodan.

So I walked into the dojo yesterday morning, and heard something pretty disturbing. What, you ask? That all students who are up for shodan are required to test at the hombu dojo in Philadelphia. I asked if this applied to people outside of the US as well, but was told that this only applies to the US East Coast for now. I don’t know if this will eventually spread, or if shodan will have to be done at the regional level (the ISKF hombu dojo also serves as the regional HQ for the US East Coast). The upcoming test is this August, and we have a few people who were scheduled to test that now won’t be able to. Now I worry about history repeating itself. ISKF separated from JKA in 2007 for similar reasons: if you tested for godan or above under Okazaki, the JKA did not recognize that promotion. You actually had to test in Japan. Okazaki decided he’d had enough, and now it’s separate. I also read something a few years ago, where someone decided to go independent because the head of the organization presided over black belt testing for one cycle and failed everyone (this wasn’t ISKF, I don’t even think they were Shotokan). Now I’m wondering what’s going to happen. Karate training already costs at least three times the price of a regular gym membership, and now people are being asked to take time off of work, book a hotel room, and either take a road trip or buy plane tickets and get a rental car. I also imagine that one of the proudest moments for a sensei is when he promotes one his students to black belt, and now that’s being taken away from them. I do foresee some dojos leaving ISKF over this, and either forming a separate organization. There’s also the possibility that Frank Woon-A-Tai knows about what’s going, and would be looking to fold some of these dojos into IKD. What is MY sensei going to do? I didn’t ask. But I do expect to hear more after the test. Dojos will likely lose students over this, so their hands will be forced to do something about it.

I read that about two years ago. Lots of good information, but some of it needs to be disregarded completely. For instance, when it comes to building muscle, not only is he telling readers to avoid protein supplements - he's also telling them not to intentionally consume foods with naturally high protein content to build muscle. You can tell by the context that he wasn't trying to challenge conventional wisdom when he said this. He was actually completely ignorant on the subject.

I've trained at a BJJ school that teaches throws. When rolling, we would ask our partners if they would like to start standing (i.e., going for a takedown) or already on the ground. Problem is that the throws are modified for BJJ. For example, with the ippon seoi nage, as you turn away from your opponent, you go down to your knees and pull him down onto you to load him. I imagine that the execution is probably a lot more likely to fail than a standing ippon seoi nage, since with standing, you can use your leg muscles to assist with the throw but you give that up when going down on your knees - which means that in the BJJ modified version, you probably have to be more swift in the execution. Any hesitation, and your opponent is stuck on your back. There's also the fact that going down to your knees when executing a throw, although perfectly fine on the mat, is a horrible idea in a real fight.

Once you go Japanese (including Okinawan, i.e. Shureido), you'll never go back.

Hirokazu Kanazawa, easy. And not necessarily for the martial arts training itself, but because I believe he embodied the "do" aspect of karate-do more than anyone else. That would be what I'd show up for.

Shureido is cheaper than Hirota. Let's assume you're a man of average height (i.e., 5'9" or 175 cm), and you want a heavyweight (#10 cotton) gi. At that height, you wear a size 4 1/2 in Shureido and 5 1/2 in Hirota. The Shureido K10 is ¥21,120 (K10 – Shureido – Karate WKF Kumite Karategi Karatedo Karate-do Kata) The Hirota MH-10 is ¥23,650 (Hirota MH-10 Heavyweight Karate Dogi (READY MADE) [MH-10] - ¥17,710 : KUROOBIYA, Customized Karate Dogi and Obi Direct From Japan) The difference seems small, but then it expands when you add in the fact that Shureido hems the trousers and jacket sleeves for free. Tokyodo International, which is also sold on Kuro Obo Ya, gives you a cut that is similar to Shureido. The only difference that the jacket is shorter. And it's even cheaper than Shureido (The Tokyodo International K-10 size 4 1/2 is only ¥17,000 - Tokyodo Int. K-10 Heavyweight Karate Gi [K10] - ¥12,700 : KUROOBIYA, Customized Karate Dogi and Obi Direct From Japan), and they also hem for free. Dollar for dollar, Tokyodo International is the absolute best deal in karate gis. The only way I wouldn't get a Tokoydo International is if having your organization's label is important to you and it's only available with another brand.

I was feeling more fatigued than usual yesterday and the day before. The day before, I double-dosed on Flonase and Zyrtec. This was accidental, as I wasn't sure whether or not I had taken it for the morning, so I erred on the side of making sure that I did indeed have my dose for the day. Later on that day, I did some Googling and immediately found that you're actually supposed to err on the side of not taking more than one per day. In other words, if you're not sure, it's better to miss a dose than to take two. I've been feeling fatigued daily for years. I thought I was just lazy. I've also been overeating for years and need to lose weight. Because Zyrtec is a downer and it blocks histamine (hence, being called "anti-histamine") it increases appetite. I also found that Allegra and Claritin is non-drowsy, so there's no fatigue. It doesn't zap your energy. So it's not a downer, but still an anti-histamine. The increase in appetite is lowered, but not eliminated. I also found that if you're taking a corticosteroid, anti-histamines aren't necessary. I have achilles tendonitis in both feet. Corticosteroids cause this. However, Flonase is the second strongest out of the four for causing it (after Nasacort). The one with the lowest effect is Rhinocort. Today, I simply took the Flonase (no Zyrtec) and felt the effects today. I'm completely energetic and feel no urge to snack. I plan on purchasing Rhinocort today. I'm posting this just in case anyone is taking these meds and are having similar effects. I do have rhinitis and plan on seeing an ENT specialist so I can ditch the corticosteroids altogether.

Yeah, no. Canadians, Brits, and Australians are very well represented in when it comes to calling out McDojos. There's a karate page I follow on facebook, where an Italian troll in the comments who practices an Okinawan style is always talking down on Japanese styles. There's also a German immigrant to the US named Hermann Bayer who has written at least three books bashing Japanese karate. I don't think that this is based on mere "disagreements." I thinking that this is self-policing motived by respectability politics. Especially when it comes to "sports karate." What I mean by self-policing motivated by respectability politics is this: in middle school or high school, there's a Mexican American kid named Miguel. Miguel is really trying to fit in and be accepted by the non-Latino students. There's another Mexican American kid named Roberto, who doesn't care about any of that. One day, Roberto brings cow tongue for lunch, and he brings tripe the next day. Miguel feels upset and embarrassed. He wants that acceptance, and he feels that Roberto is undermining it. That's kind of what's going on here, where karateka are calling out McDojos. And "sports karate." By the way, I know of no single association or dojo whose sole or main focus is "sports karate." JKS participates in WKF. I don't agree with WKF style kumite (I prefer the JKA/ISKF style), but I also know that if I was to go into a JKS dojo, I'm still going to get much of the same exact training that I get in an ISKF dojo. "Sports karate" is an almost non-existent boogie man.