Jussi Häkkinen

I'd actually claim that showy kicks and other acrobatic things have existed for a very long time - and have been trained by martial artists for fun and body control etc.

3/4 fist is actually a lot older thing than Chotoku Kyan. Kyan just decided that he wanted to keep that way of striking, probably due to the natural feeling of it. Very hard to say. Thrust kicks are an old way as well - stomping and thrusting movements are rather natural. Take note that when there's a kick in a kata, it's most often "supported" (i.e. done after grabbing and controlling the opponent). Noticing that will help to see the places for bunkai that benefits from such a kick. Kata isn't WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get). It's concentrating on principles and ideas, instead. It won't give you the whole package of techniques - it gives examples and generalizations that allow you to study the major principles of fighting, instead of going to an exact "if-then" -level. Techniques are a mundane thing - there are a lot more logical techniques than kata does show (and Okinawans knew a whole array of them). Kata really isn't a "how-to" -guide for techniques. An example: Do a grab from Passai, pull the opponent. He doesn't act the way you'd like and you have to angle the kick a bit to strike the area you wish. OK, what is an angled maegeri keage? (It's a mawashigeri - and it exists in old karate as well. As a principle and as a logical technique. ) Thrusting, stomping and snapping (actually, arcing would be a better word here, instead of "snapping") kicks are all logical things to use. You can see these things as logical and principal ideas in several kata - in Passai, Seisan, Gojushiho, Naifanchi, Kusanku etc.. Questions such as "where am I shifting my weights?", "How am I stepping in relation to opponent?" and "What does this position allow me to do?" are important when thinking about the actual contents of a kata. That way one can see that thrusting and stomping kicks definitely are a part of kata.

An interesting question. I think that you will find several from our kata when you look them more closely - especially from the bunkai aspect. I recommend asking your sensei about it. Seisan is a fine example of a kata that has a thrust kick in its bunkai - it's rather self-explanatory after you see it.

You can. It's a costume and you're not claiming to be a black belt in a some specific style. It's all OK. If it would make you feel better, you can always create your own "Halloween-do" and grant yourself a status of a grandmaster and any rank you ever want to. It's completely OK - anybody can create a style. Black belt is just a piece of fabric. Anybody can buy it, anybody can use it if they wish to. Outside a dojo it really does mean nothing.

I'm sorry to state that this is only a legend, although very common in martial arts circles. Human can not be killed that way. You can ask any doctor about this.

Actually, more often just "ti". "Tu-di" is a name that is used in some publications in Japan during the early 1900's, but the name that Okinawans generally seem to refer to the "old karate" (before the name "karate" in its modern writing form) is "ti" ("te" in Japanese).

Measure your current belt. Then, add 4-6 inches due to added thickness. Give the measurement to Eosin Panther. When it comes to thicker belts in general, you might want to have a tad bit longer "hang" than with thinner ones - they'll just look better that way. I never go by the size numbers. Size 6 of one manufacturer may be a size 8 of others. I just give the exact measurement. They do custom work anyway, so they can make the belt in exact length you want.

I wouldn't say that they necessarily come from the samurai tradition. Okinawa has its own culture that differs a bit from the Japanese culture. In Okinawa, the Okinawan etiquette was used. In Japan, new karateka (being Japanese) adopted their own etiquatte in karate dojo. That dojo etiquette was spread to most countries. Still, in Okinawan styles, the dojo etiquette is Okinawan. However, I don't see the etiquette as an unseparable part of karate - actually, you could follow your own culture's codes in the dojo and it'd still be karate as long as the things you train are karate. Okinawans trained karate with a karate teacher and educated themselves in other issues elsewhere. We go to school when we're kids (learning the etiquette of our own culture) and then study other things. Karate isn't about learning the etiquette, honour or respect - those should already be natural for us. Karate is karate - it's a way to learn how to fight. If we're going towards "perfection of character", I think that we should search it from our own cultures. It would just be so much more adaptable.

Actually, the way for sitting down varies widely even among the different iaido ryuha. What you wrote here is one way, but not the only one. Sword can also be drawn when rising the left knee first, it just requires a bit different technique. If we want to go to the way of sitting that comes straight from the koryu bujutsu, a method called tatehiza is often used. However, that isn't seen in practically any karate school. Different styles, different ways to sit. There isn't a specific "samurai way" for doing it. In karate, Japanese kneeling bow is used (when it is used). However, it is more common in Japanese karate class than it's in Okinawan karate class. You can spend months in an Okinawan dojo and never kneel down for bowing or for any formal occasion.

Hmm. There are a couple of misunderstandings commonly related to karate and samurai myth. Myth 1: Satsuma clan forbade the carry of weapons when they conquered Okinawa in 1609. Truth: Okinawan king Sho Shin forbade the Okinawans to carry weapons during his reign that begun in 1477. When Satsuma-clan conquered Okinawa, the weapon ban was reinforced but there wasn't any real change. Myth 2: Okinawans used their martial arts to fight samurai. Truth: Satsuma clan conquered Okinawa in 2 weeks. There wasn't any heavy defense and the fighting was minimal. The main reason for the action to take 2 weeks was most probably logistics - military actions and stabilizing the situation do take some time. Myth 3: Okinawan peasants developed the Okinawan fighting arts, using their bare hands and farm tools to fight samurai. Truth: In Okinawa, the fighting arts were mostly practiced by nobles and officers. Peasants were too busy to work in their fields (see any description of early karate here - Sakugawa, Matsumura etc. were all memebers of noble families and men in high places. There aren't any reference to peasants until 1800's, when school system adopted karate in Kadena). Training martial arts was a tool (for police officers and guardians) and a method for staying fit/self-defense (nobles). Okinawan weapon arts were born the same way, most probably from the Chinese influence (as did the unarmed fighting, as well). Most of the weapons - spear and shield, staff, nunchaku (flail), sai (iron truncheon), kama (sickle), chain, brass knuckles etc. - were in weapon use throughout the orient during that time. Using them as weapons wasn't unique to Okinawa in any way. Even tonfa was in weapon use, although its connection to tool is rather clear. Use of eku (oar) has most probably sprung from the use of bo (still, oars are used as a weapon in many other martial arts of the area). It's also visible that Okinawan arts concentrate in dealing with an opponent using similar weapons or no weapons at all, instead of fighting with a person armed in Japanese military way. These differences are very visible in kata and katabunkai heritage. What was the effect of samurai to karate or Okinawan weapon arts, then? Very small, I'd say. It's worthy to remember that Okinawa held its close connections with China until the late 1800's. Exchange of fighting arts with Chinese was definitely there all the times. Some karate ("ti" was the name of the art, then - meaning same as "quan" in China. "To-di" hasn't been a very widely used name) masters, such as Sokon Matsumura, learned some Jigen-ryu Kenjutsu, but there aren't many noticeable traces of kenjutsu methods in Okinawan arts - unless we count a possible influence in systematization of arts (debatable influence). I hope this sheds some light to the issue. There are lots of myths around karate, but the truth is - perhaps - less fantastic.

My pleasure!

No. Distance training programs just do not work with martial arts. Fighting is interaction - and teaching people to fight is real time interaction. Being present. Home study programs do not work. They might be great aerobic, but...no. Period. I suggest that you go and find a karate school (or any MA school) in your area. It's not only a "must", it's the only way. If your job schedule doesn't allow you to participate in normal classes, discuss with your teacher about that problem. Some schools have morning and daytime classes - and a possibility for private teaching, as well.

High quality, often preshrunk materials, even thread tension (belt won't warp even in a decade or two of use), often thicker and wider, more stitchings. High quality embroideries (usually done before assembly, so there's no "negative" image on other side of belt), made by order (custom made). It's pretty much like comparing a cheap polyester necktie and an expensive, handmade, high quality silk tie. A well made belt is a piece of art.

..or then not, if all you need is already included in one system.

Karate has a whole lot of takedowns. They are trained on a regular basis at any dojo that teaches Okinawan karate - if the teacher knows his style well. Okinawan karate is not just kicking, punching and blocking. It's locking, throwing and groundwork as well.

Soak the do-gi overnight in a solution made from water and a good amount of detergent. Then, add some detergent directly to the stain area and wash the do-gi normally with a machine. You might want to rinse the do-gi twice, since there's a high amount of detergent in it after soaking. I iron the do-gi after drying it (while it's a bit damp). After that (when dry), I fold it mostly along the seams (so the pressmarks are hidden with seams) Some pressmarks will stay visible - that's OK.

Greetings, fellows. I thought first that the problem was with my ISP. Hmm, I wonder what is wrong. :/

They do - in a way. You can choose the do-gi you want and ask it to be modified - shortened sleeves cost $5/sleeve (total of $10). You can also order a full custom made do-gi for your specifications.

I believe that you could also email them and ask about the state of your order. Their service is top notch. (And the product you've ordered is definitely the best you can get).

In most Okinawan styles the proper way is to tie the belt in a way that it crosses at the back.

Personally, tournament cut. Shorter sleeves and pantlegs generally look better than "full length" -cut. This is mainly a matter of aesthetics. I'm a tall person (188cm/6'2"), so I did feel that a wider belt would suit me better than a narrow one. If a person is very small, wider belt might look overexaggerated, however I'd think that it'd require a person under 150cm/5' of height. So, I'd say that the heavy one is better for pretty much everyone. Remember to buy a belt that is one size larger than your current one, if you end up with a heavy belt. The added width and thickness shows in the length required for the knot, thus leading to shorter hanging ends of the belt. This can be avoided by buying a longer belt.

Yes, there's a "Tournament" -text over the standard label, embroidered on silver thread. The "light" type black belt is basically the same as the colour belt. "Medium" is similar in width, but has higher quality top layer material (you can choose from high quality cotton - more durable - and satin - shiny, byt wears out very fast) and a bit thicker construction. "Heavy" is wider (45mm, while the normal width is 40mm) and considerably thicker (about 6-7mm) and has a same high quality top layer material as medium. My personal choice was "heavy", which looks nice and holds the knot surprisingly well for a wider, thicker belt (it's softer than one would probably think). Embroidery is very well done and overall the product has a high quality feeling. Cotton surface looks nice and not overly pompous and doesn't fray prematurely.

Well, in the style I train, we do every kata we have learned in our syllabus in every grading (well, our gradings get longer every time - all what was before and some more is asked). So, our shodan-requirements for kata are: Fukyugata Ichi Fukyugata Ni Seisan Ananku Wansu Passai Gojushiho Pinan shodan Pinan nidan Naifanchi shodan Naifanchi nidan No free choices, every kata is performed.

If it has to be American made, I believe that you'll find the best belts from here: http://www.eosinpanther.com/ Otherwisely, I'd suggest Tokaido, Shureido or Hirota.

What kind of spiritual meaning does a shinzen have?