ESA-Shotokan

When I train with the KUGB it is the norm to use Sensei and Oss and what have you. When I am with the ESA, no such formality is expected.

"If you can read this - THANK A TEACHER! If you're reading it in English - THANK A SOLDIER!" I like that, Shorinryu Sensei As for beating up groups of people - can't say I am daft enough to get involved in such a situation to often. Whenever the matter has arisen, it is normally sufficient to hurt a couple to be rid of the gang. Best defence is always to make a run for it

Hi there. I train with the ESA on a Monday, KUGB on a Tuesday and then alternate the Thursday, as both train on that day. At the present though, Thursday's are with the KUGB as I am taking that grading next month, hence ensuring I get the time in with the respective dojo and sensei. Fun!

I do shotokan karate and I used to practice breaking, many years ago, but then I discovered that an empi can more or less break anything, so I stopped there. My logic was to discover how to break a piece of wood and I found a technique which did it hence, end of journey. I know I could have continued on and developed punching, kicking, nukite, etc. breaking techniques but the empi does the trick.

Hi there aefibird. Good and valid question. The training with the KUGB and ESA is just so different. Yes both are Shotokan and both use the same Japanese names to describe their movements but that is more or less where the comparison ends. The KUGB training tends to dwell more on "scoring a point" and offensive strategies whereas the ESA concentrate most on defence and using much stronger techniques. When I am blocked by a senior ESA dan, I know about it for a long time and the style is very physical and yet, a lot of the time is spent understaning how the application works and how the body makes this or that technique work. On the other hand, the KUGB training is based more on stamina with drill exercises up and down the dojo. In effect I feel that the ESA karate is karate budo for adults and KUGB karate is more intensive exercise. Don't get me wrong, I love both styles but I could never wear a black belt I had earned from the KUGB in an ESA class and wear it as an ESA shodan. It might sound daft but it is true. It just so happens I put off the shodan grading since 1986!! I want to complete the circle with the KUGB and while I will still enjoy training there, my utmost intention will be to try to improve my karate with what the ESA can teach me. All a bit deep; I know.

Some people prefer it; can't say I do. I get hit enough in a standard class to know I don't want to be going full pelt in a tournament situation. I think I'd lose it if I entered such an event - lot of good that would do me!

KUGB shotokan karate - 1st kyu; shodan grading in March 2004; ESA Shotokan karate - 1st kyu; shodan grading in Auguist 2004.

Kata normally features in lessons in the form of bunkai of kata. We tend to do straight forward kata at least twice per week. I have been working on Ten-No-Kata for the past week as this kata is not taught by the KUGB but is an essential exercise in the ESA.

Another idea is to totally go another way and wrap a rectangle of rough carpet to a punch/kick bag. I am referring to the hard, straw-type of carpet you normally use to wipe your feet on, on a doorstep. Use the reverse side as it is a bit smoother but the effect is correct.

Never heard of them until your posting. Link below has a little more about them... http://www.rkagb.com/weapons/_tekko.htm They sound quite lethal!!

If you are familiar to karate from any style, then maybe an online tutorial can demonstrate what the World Oyama Karate is about. If you are a totally new karateka then I would have to say, no, online training is a none win situation. The most important thing for a beginner in a dojo is training with a sensei and the members of the dojo. When you find a particular move or combination hard, it is quite confidence building to get the same feedback from other pupils. One obvious question is how do you approach a class in the future on passing the online kyu grades, when you have to tell the respective sensei that you previously learned via the web? It is not a very cheap course so I would personally recommend a real dojo.

Yes it can get painful after a couple of minutes but you just have to relax into the stance. It may seem hard to believe but I fidn the deeper you are the better, rather than the opposite. If it is a drill exercise where you are also practicing a basic punch, then I tend to be able to hold the stance for a very long time.

(In Karate there is no First Strike) Okay here is my contribution to this phrase which is so evident within our learning of karate-do. My personal opinion on this has always been, "You should never take the initiative in a confrontation". By this, I am referring to the fact that when an opponent squares up to you, (and I am referring to a non-dojo / competition situation here) they may not actually have any intention than to simply flex their chest and muscles and stare angrily at you with a snotty nose! Once you hit them, things may change somewhat - so why provoke that road? More important for me is the fact that should you initiate an offensive, your attack may in fact be weak and the resultant strike a confidence booster to your opponent, thus giving them the upper hand, mentally. Further to this, and this does include a dojo / competition scenario, you may show up the fact that you have bad geri techniques by launching with a somewhat weak kick which again, gives your opponent the upper hand. When you start a fight, your best defence/offence is the fact that your opponent does not know your weaknesses or strengths. You want to keep it that way! If you are a "bad kicker" then don't throw kicks but instead, give the impression otherwise. How to do that? By fainting kicks by raising the knee as though to kick and then quickly changing your mind and issuing a punch or similar hand strike. You can then have your opponent waiting for the kick to come and come it will, but in the form of a lower, more powerful kick that is stuck in their stomach. Hence, in summary, Karate Ni Sente Nashi, for me means, do not hand confidence to your opponent by taking the initiative. Over to you...

I use "Oss" with the KUGB but none of the above

Sensei Sugiura officially announced that this was no longer a recognised JKA kata around 4 years ago. At the Crystal Palace course in August, Sensei Ueki told students taking 4th Dan to pick another kata when they announced Ji'in.

I was obviously asleep or the such when this happened, but I have read elsewhere that the kata Ji'in is no longer recognised by the JKA and that this has been the case for some, four years now! Does anybody else know more about that?

Now that is a hard one. I have voted for kata but if somebody said that is all I was allowed to do forever, it would not be good.

I have to admit, my passion is karate but that smells of scam-city.com!! $10 to start the process, then how many $$$ for the next part. Fun reading though.

I remember a lesson on Kanku Dai by a Wado Ryu sensei who explained that the first movement of raising the joined hands upwards to eye level and then breaking them apart symbolised how we (humans) are but part of the world and then the universe. We are made of the same stuff and so can use that energy within the kata and our lives... A bit deep but I find religion and dancing somewhat a taming of the shrew, here. I just don't see kata that way. Kata is so much more than that.

Tonight I was working on taikyoko shodan (kihon kata for some) and yet, after twenty plus years in karate, I have come away having learnt even more about this kata and movement / breathing in karate. Kata is essential. On a basic level, you can look on kata as being a way to transport from one place to another, the teaching of karate. The teachings of shotokan are held in the kata and what easy way to be able to gather all the knowledge into a series of "moves" which when broken down, form a million lessons of karate application. If you said to someone, okay I want you to learn these million moves and try to memorise them all by the end of the year! Quite impossible. But ask a person to learn 26 kata and they have all that knowledge in a convenient package. (By learn, I mean to mimic and not to fully "learn" by the true definition of that word.) The trick then is to break down this package and understand the meaning and application of each element. Hence we develop kihon and kumite and variations of the kata itself. Quite a good idea, if you ask me.

When I was with the KUGB coloured-belt grading system, you were able to grade approximately every three to four months. The rules stated that you had to train at least twice per week for three months, or 24 lessons. Twenty-four lessons? How sad is that? I personally believe that as you advance, even the kyu grades should have much longer periods between them. Purple belts (there are two of them)should be a very minimum of six to eight months between gradings and brown belts (three of them) should be at least a year between each. It is very possible to get your shodan in three years and that is just too easy. I realsie shodan is first level and all that and I'm not saying you should be made to wait and be punished but too many people pass through kyu gradings with the very bare, minimum of ability. Thankfully, most shodan candidates do fall at this fence but still, a lot get through and you wonder why.

Yes, you turn away from the attacker but do not lose sight of them. Your head has to turn fast as you turn into the kick. The moment you have started to 'spin' your foot should ne buried deep into their stomach as the kime pushes them back and you complete the kick. Speed is always of the essence with ushiro-geri and is particularly useful with a big, heavy attacker as you can always stop them in their tracks. I tend to always use it to chudan and will then follow up with whatever combination. The attack is very useful in a "real" fight situation as people just do not see it coming. They see you turn and at the same time, they are falling onto the floor or doubled over. If you are ever unsure if your punch will knock a particular bloke down, use a good kick and that is my first choice.

Yeah, I would defo go by Shotokan. I wonder which is the most popular martial art in the world? Maybe that is also karate.

Tall people are not used to being attacked to Jodan, so direct your kicks and punches there; using jumps if necessary. Work on high and low combinations - you should see some results.

Only reply for me here is to refer to my post, "Lesson for the week".