stoneheart

I appreciate the thoughts, Aefibird. Unfortunately, the mass public isn't as savvy about the martial arts as they are about soccer. Joe Average is going to look at a child black belt and think, "Gee, he must be a tough fighter." Martial arts schools, even if they cater to children, still market themselves as teaching effective self-defense. It's cognitive dissonance... You have a black belt in TKD, so you must be able to defend myself on the street, especially if you have 2 or 3 stripes on your belt. And yet, that assertion couldn't be further from the truth when you are talking about a 13 year old. This is part of what troubles me about awarding high ranks to children. We are watering down both our image and our art.

Well, Balrog, if your theoretical student needs a higher rank as a goal to continue training, I'm not sure his motivations are internal enough. Dan ranks ARE a recent invention after all. How did guys like Chojun Miyagi or Chotoku Kyan manage to trudge on without the motivation of getting another stripe on their belts? They practiced for the skill they gained and for the art itself... Reasons enough in my book. Perhaps I am a little old-fashioned in this respect, but I think seeing children running around with high ranks only devalues the rank and ultimately the art. How is a parent supposed to respect an adult assistant instructor within a dojang when he sees a couple of younglings sporting the same rank? It may be an 'unfair' bias, but I think it's a realistic one. You don't wear black belts? What's the Korean word for obi?

Why focus on the fourth dan barrier, though? I think even a second or third dan is too much for a teenager. Assuming a kid starts training at 8 or 8, he could make yidan or sahmdan in the ATA, right?

I'm not opposed to someone 14 years or older earning a 1st Dan. Higher dan ranks probably should be reserved until one is at least in one's twenties with the corresponding years of CONTINUOUS practice, and yes, both proficiency and physicial maturity should come into the picture. I've got real issues with 12 year old kids running around with nidan and sandan ranks. A black belt is a sign of competence in the martial arts. Let's not cheapen that by making it into an attendence ribbon.

luckorskill, Continuous sparring with a decent amount of contact permitted is beneficial. Point sparring is next to useless unless you want to win some trophies.

If that's true, I don't see how the instructor could have promoted those kids with a straight face.

Weight loss was my motivation in rejoining the martial arts. I'm still about 20 lbs away from my ideal weight but am making good progress towards losing the excess pounds, and I am enjoying studying martial arts in of itself.

Those are almost certainly the Taikyoku kata, although most karate schools only use 2 or 3 of them. The ones you practice are movement in a fore-stance with lower and upper blocks and reverse punches, right? Thanks for the answer. I was curious about the forms, because I am taking some lessons in 7 star preying mantis right now, and as a karateka, I'm finding the footwork and movement to be a HUGE change from what I practiced before. I wondered if the progression in Cuong Nhu was a natural one, or at advanced levels when you get into more the Chinese influences, the shift in fundamentals was a huge one.

It's the point sparring only that kills me about the ATA. Just seems weighted too far on the side of safety to me. If you're going to teach a MARTIAL art, it seems to me that you've got to be tested more sternly in the circle. After all, in a street fight, you're not going to have a referree call "Break" for you. That said, I do like the Songahm forms designed by GM Lee. They definitely highlight that TKD is a kicking art.

Spirit At Choice, Do you know what forms Cuong Nhu uses other than the Shotokan kata? I'm interested in knowing more about the Chinese influences in the art.

I also like Kamikaze uniforms, but be sure to buy from the real company: http://www.kamikazekaiten.com. The url provided above is from a Canadian company who at one time was a business partner of the German gentleman who started Kamikaze, but the two have since parted ways. The Canadian company being more savvy with technology registered the kamikaze.com domain name, and now they legally produce their own line of Kamikaze uniforms since they trademarked the name in Canada. It's still not what anyone could reasonably consider the original, though.

I don't. Seems like unnecessary work to me. I'm happy to publicize the companies that sell merchandise I actually use. Hopefully others will buy their gear too and keep them in business, so I can readily find a replacement when I need one.

That is such a broad topic, I'm not sure you can do it justice in a short report. I'd suggesting narrowing your focus to a specific style of karate, perhaps the one you practice? Example: Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate-do. This is a short summary which you can easily find via Google, along with other articles to supplement your research. http://www.iogkf.com/History/Pages/

Yup, a couple of repetitions of sanchin is more than enough to get the juices flowing!

Actually, it's not. Both Goju-Ryu and Uechi-Ryu, the primary Naha-te systems, are generally considered to be "Shorei" styles, but there is no recognized Okinawan style called "Shorei-Ryu".

Aaron, you'd be surprised what lurks in those kata.

Ah. Looks like an eclectic mix he's teaching: http://www.annarino.com/benefits.htm I wouldn't bother trying to find a video of the kata. Chances are that this sensei, even if he is using the kata from Shuri, performs them differently from what any video would show.

You have to understand that kata, even if they have the same name, can be performed differently across ryu. Judging by the kata names you've given, your son could be a Matsabayashi Shorin-Ryu karateka. If that's the case, look for the DVD titled Shorin-Ryu Kata performed by Eihachi Ota.

The version I've been exposed to is an American style, which is not necessarily a bad thing. They focus heavily on sports karate and point fighting and work some decent self-defense applications. I would look for other options however if you want to train in a legitimate Okinawan ryu.

What is a thunder roundhouse?

In my opinion that's a good thing. I certainly don't want to see karate decay more into sport than it already has.

Kata is vital if you are practicing a TRADITIONAL martial art. I don't think you can say you are doing karate if you don't practice kata. If you want to just spar and sweat, there are other systems. Different strokes for different folks.

I used to study it, until I moved away from my dojo. I still practice all the kata and stances when I can. It's a powerful style with deep meaning and bunkai. I highly recommend it as a traditional martial art.

About 8 ounces of fabric. A decent heavyweight will be at least 12 ounces, although you can readily buy a 14-16 oz uniform. The student weights are anywhere from 6 oz - 8 oz. I recommend getting a heavier gi if you can bear the extra expense. They last longer and look nicer. Despite the weight, I find myself cooler in the heavier top because it absorbs my sweat better, and the fabric clings less to my skin.

This is a good discussion. I don't have time to write much, but I would like to observe that kata isn't meant to be a dead catalog of techniques. Kata only comes alive when performed and that means it will be adapted to the idiosyncrasies of the person practicing it. One person will have different limitations and understandings from another. In fact there are accounts of the same old master (I can't recall which Okinawan it was) teaching his students the same kata but differently, since as individuals they had different needs. Here at least is one seed of how the kata began to vary when the students passed along their own versions.