Shorin Ryuu

I never said I didn't consider what you said; I just don't agree with you. If the movements are not practical, and I've stated my theories on why they would not be, then I feel there is no point in doing them. Like one famed radio talk show host says, I prefer clarity to agreement. If we do not agree, then that is fine. And like my instructor Pat Nakata says, I think it is nice that we can agree to disagree without becoming disagreeable. I look forward to continued interchange in the future.

I see. I am also speaking of fighting in a true sense. If you cannot fight well in the same manner that you do your kata, then there are some general assumptions you can make. Either you do not understand your well enough because you lack the ability or you simply weren't shown, or the kata you are doing isn't worth doing. It is a matter of common sense. If the way in which you do your kata is very impractical for a real fight, then it is very impractical for you to even do kata in the first place. I am not saying that kata is used for preprogrammed responses to events that occur in a fight. I am saying that the way you execute techniques in the kata should be the same way you execute them in a real fight. For example, I wouldn't stand with my shoulders square and front kick like that because that's not how we do our kata.

Well, before we get too carried away, remember that left over right applies to everyone's clothing... Not everyone was a samurai and not everyone carried weapons... Like I said, it stemmed from imitating the Chinese rather than any practical weapons considerations. The Japanese samurai adapted to this practice, not the other way around.

I'd rather spend more time hitting the opponent than bouncing and waiting around.

? I said nothing of the sort. And actually, my views on karate have evolved some since I have written this piece (although the basic tenets are the same). I strongly believe that you should fight in the same manner and style as your kata. I don't do kata to honor Chibana Sensei, although he is highly deserving of honor, I do kata to be a great fighter.

For centuries, Japan has always assimilated Chinese culture in varying ways. The Yoro code from the 700s stipulated that kimono should be worn in the Chinese manner, left over right. The Chinese viewed this as the proper way because it was more difficult, as wearing it right over left would be easier for right-handed people. You'd have to be a barbarian to do it right over left... The Japanese court greatly respected Chinese culture and assimilated much of it. Because it is always been left over right, they use right over left only for burial, as mentioned previously. Edit: As far as the dobok thing... the Koreans have always been influenced by Chinese culture, even more so than the Japanese. But the wearing of gi (dobok, whatever) as a standard for martial arts practice was something started by Jigoro Kano in the early 1900s. Their use in karate was a little later, adopted by the Japanese styles of karate much earlier than on Okinawa, where karate came from. The heavy influence of Japanese styles and martial arts on occupied Korea results in the wearing of the dobok in Korean martial arts today, many of which have their main origins in Japanese styles.

Thanks. Sadly, the answer is yes. "Sadly" because it cuts down on the social life... but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

I apologize for thread necromancy of the worst sort (reviving your own dead threads), but I've decided to come back after an extended absence, and this is an article as opposed to other threads. My definition of traditional kata are those that retain their original meaning as transmitted to them by either the originators of the kata or by those who had the approval of those kata originators (usually karate masters in their own right). This means there probably are much fewer 100% traditional kata, but there are a lot of somewhat traditional kata. An example of this would be Chibana Chosin preserving the kata of Itosu, who preserved the kata of Matsumura (with personal modifications). Chibana Sensei then passed the kata on to my instructor, who preserves them with a few modifications that Chibana either personally approved and/or still retains the same meaning as the original movements. When I refer to meaning, I am referring to what most people call "bunkai", which is much more of a recent term. Back in the day, they just used "imi", which literally means "meaning". I don't have that high an opinion of them. Our empty hand syllabus is the core Chibana kata syllabus, which Chibana Sensei consulted with Itosu over and Itosu approved. Kihon Shodan, Nidan, Sandan (Chibana Sensei's creations) Naihanchi Shodan, Nidan, Sandan Pinan Shodan, Nidan, Sandan, Yondan, Godan Patsai Sho, Patsai Dai Kusanku Sho, Kusanku Dai Chinto Chibana Sensei knew other kata, but he did not consider them as part of the core Shorin Ryu kata and did not teach them much. He felt it was better to refine rather than to learn too many kata.

1. How much do you pay to train per month? $30 a month. 2. What style? Shorin Ryu. My instructor was a student of Chibana Chosin. 3. How may days a week are classes offered? 5 days a week. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, karate classes from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm. We usually stay later anyway. Tuesday and Thursday is Kobudo from 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm. We usually stay later anyway. ... And this is my first post in a long, long time.

From most teachers of old school karate that I have met, the "roundhouse" or "round" kick that we all think of is a relatively new innovation in karate. It was introduced largely for sport and performance purposes. I'm obviously not saying no one has ever used it before recent times, just that most karate practitioners didn't use it.

Eh, that's not me....The first time I posted my message, I thought I wrote something about where I got that clip from...oh well...

I have a video of myself looking terrible doing it...I only wish I was kidding. I was voluntold to do a demo and I sort of picked it at a whim at the karate camp I was at. Yeah, I was bad. First one on the dvd of the demo dvd they made...again, I only wish I was kidding when I said I looked bad. I've seen a few videos on the web floating out there, though. http://www.rkhsk.se/video/OkawaHamahiganoTonfaJapan2001.wmv Not the whole thing. I'll search around my old backup dvds to see if I have that one video clip I found of the whole thing (not the version I do, but a version nonetheless). You won't want to use mine...I'm mainly not pleased with my posture and stance.

Wow. I didn't even know this article was still being responded to. My favorite kata? Hmm...I like so many of them, it is always hard to say. My first response is usually the Passai or Naihanchi kata. Although I have been known to enjoy mangling Hakutsuru.

Yes, there does exists the possibility of training outside the Localized Training Hall Phenomenon (LTHP) that occupies the same time/space of many people's dojo, dojang or gyms. Dr. Obvious, who pioneered this discovery, has since then published his results and was awarded a Nobel Prize for his contribution to the martial arts training community.

Hm. I think I am on "all of them".

Actually, Jussi Häkkinen is correct. Old school karate practitioners (and before it was called karate) didn't focus on specific character development using their karate. Their more Confucian, Chinese outlook made it less of the Zen Buddhist/Japanese "forging of the spirit" type budo that you find in Japanese arts. Of course they thought character and self-control was important. There is a famous Okinawan poem that went along the lines of: "No matter how you may excel in the art of teand in your scholastic endeavors,nothing is more important than your behavior and your humanity as observed in daily life." (Teijunsoku Nago Oyakata 1663) But character was a part of their entire life, not something developed through a single "art" like karate. Many teachers in the old days didn't even accept students unless they were thought to have good character in the first place. Because of this, karate was at first not accepted by the Japanese when it was introduced their in large part during the 1920s and 1930s because they had the same reaction you did. They thought it was not a "true" martial art because it didn't have a standardized curriculum, there wasn't a standardized uniform, they didn't have this overt emphasis on meditation and spiritual development, etc. Okinawans didn't need karate to be "good people". They tried to have that "goodness" present in all aspects of their lives, not just the product of spiritual training the likes of which you are citing as true and "old school". If you look at the types of people who studied karate even back in the old days before it was "public", it consisted of nobility, royal bodyguards, constables, etc. In other words, people who stood up for the accepted Confucian social order and was used to quell any such disruptions in the natural order of things. That's the true history of karate.

Fun, isn't it? I should really shoot more often. I have a gun and I've still only fired several times...

Because Japanese karate isn't "old school". Maybe it is for those off us living now, but as you say yourself, Japanese karate is different from Okinawan karate. My definition of old school karate has already been stated. Perhaps it is a matter of semantics, but Japanese karate is pretty much synonymous with the term "modern karate". It may be modern karate with the trappings of traditional Japanese culture (of sorts), but it is still modern karate.

Again, in terms of "old school karate", you musn't think Japanese, but Okinawan.

Hmm. Obsession over belts or even caring about them is in and of itself not very "old school". "Old school tournament rules" and full-contact kumite aren't "old school" either. Old school karate is purely self-defense with the objective of killing or incapacitating the opponent in the most efficient way possible. Even "old school tournament rules" add such a huge false dimension that limits the practitioner to inefficient methods. I said this in the other post, but the sport orientation of much of what passes as karate nowadays was introduced long before karate was transmitted to the West.

Sport orientation and the general watering down of martial arts occurred well before money became a factor. It occurred before karate was even really introduced to the West.

Those interested in this topic may find this bit of news interesting: http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2005/11/bruce-lee-unifier-statue-unveiled-nun.html They built a statue of Bruce Lee in Bosnia as a unifying symbol.

Perhaps a tangent now, but relevant to the original topic. Actually, a real emphasis on "stronger and deeper" does not have much to do with Shuri-te at all.

I concur. And yes, the music is simply awesome. I play it in my car and people ask me "Wow, that sounds pretty good. Who is it?" I respond with something noncommittal like "Oh, it's The Seatbelts." (They were the band they made up entirely for the series and movie) [/end geekiness]

The sword he has in his hand. Oh, different kind of point. You already answered your question: It looks good.