Heian

Hi all, as I may have written in the past, I'm currently a soldier in the IDF and I'm been doing this course and basic training for the past four months which has been badly keeping me from practice and thus my training level has been reduced to pulp now. Soon the course will be over and then I will be home every day (I'm a soldier in the networks&computers core.. thank god the IDF didn't want my fighting skills) and then I'd be able to get back to practice. Thing is , my intention for my whole life is to be the best warrior and martial artist I can be. I used to train every day and sometimes more than once.. how do I reach the point where I am progressing into the maximum ability of hand and leg? please assist me in building up the fastest way into getting back into shape and becoming a MA machine.

Hi all. I'm currently a brown belt (sankyu) and in November I have a belt test. It's the first belt test I have to present two kata - a heian kata and Bassai Dai. Basically I've run through to really tiny bits in the kata (My sensei gave me really scary nuiances which I practiced over a myriad amount of times) But since I can see there are karateka here from all shapes, sizes, ranks and forms, I could really use any further tips anyone can give me on what should I emphasize while working, performing and improving these kata. With preempting thanks, Shai, Sankyu.

Well, since I'm currently in a military course (I'm gonna be a technician in the IDF) I barely get enough time to practice. but when I do , I practice Heian Godan and Bassai-Dai (the two katas I have to present for my Nikyu belt-test) and several more nasty aspects of Ippon/Sanbon Gumite. My sensei told me I'll have to get ready for a brisky little thing called "Teno-mon" (Don't know if any of you are familiarized with the term) - Teno-mon is a test we do for black belts in my Karate-school, which consists of standing infront of a dan-3 , him punching you with full throttle, and you stopping him before he finishes the punch with a gyaku-tzuki (reversed punch) - I have NO IDEA how I'll pull that one off, I can barely walk in the same pavement with a dan-3

As an Israeli, due to the fact that about 80% of the population ARE soldiers , WILL BE soldiers or WERE soldiers and are now reserve soldiers in Israel, I recieved a lot of explanation about the right methods to conduct physical exercise , and one of the things that were very much emphasized (and this is backed by 100% foolproof scientific research) is that running on tarmac or asphalt or, as it were, any tough surface is very damaging to the knees, and many a frenzied young Israelies who wanted to get accepted to high ranking Military units got their knees totally jammed and were released of the military alltogether for screwing their knees due to overpractice on tarmac (some of the crazier ones did it while carrying huge weights on their backs). In Israel Shotokan (The martial arts school I belong to) we used to have the special trainings morning runs on tarmac, which was very acute to Israeli black belts who were all in combat IDF units themselves when they served in the army.. But very quickly it changed and now it is strictly forbidden to run on anything like tarmac, now we do our glorious morning (and, as it is, endless ) runs on the cold , wet, yet soft, grass In other words, NEVER EVER run on Tarmac unless you're being chased by a nuclear bulldog or something.

Sorry for the slow response. I'm a soldier in the IAF (Israeli Defense Forces) but luckily I get to be at home 4 days a week. (so far). Anyhow, the Oshima style of Funakushi is a much less so to say "westernized" version of JKA.. The Shotokan method we do in Israel (where I live) is usually quite different than what's being done in JKA.. form what I've heard, JKA has become so enormously widespread, that I can't really give you a good assessment on how JKA is different from Oshima-style Shotokan. What I do know that in our method we have a very aggressive training regime, we have what is called "special trainings" which are basically biannual training sessions done in winter and summer , both at least 3 days-long, with each practice taking about 3-4 hours to complete (One nasty little bugger, I've done them twice and I'm still recuperating). Since Israel is a fairly small country , almost all if not truly all of our dojos are consistent in their method of teaching, which, in many respects, is drawn from Master Oshima himself. In the dojo so far, we've practiced things like To-ri-te (escape techniques) , some elements in Judo (pretty much like To-ri-te only with more full-body element) ground-sparring (it's called "iai" in Japanese, it is, in fact, a part of the dan 2 test in our system) and when we go into the general "throng" Karate, we do full-contact sparring. At least that's what it's been for the better lot of the time, when the kiddies learn how to spar we give them protective equipment so they won't kill each other, but it's very uncommon for higher ranks to wear them. .Plus, this "forbid to hit someone in the face" stuff is quite unheard of.. My sensei once got kicked in his crotch during Kumite once , he laughingly said that that's one of the most amazingly excruciating times of his life The training regime includes kata training into very extreme nuiances (up to points where the sensei says :"you should put your back leg 5 more degrees forward during Kokutsu dachi)" the sparring training has no mercy for those who can't keep up, which I can attest, being beat up at 13 years old by a frightning dan 3 I really don't know about JKA much, but in Shotokan Israel, which is Oshima style as far as we know it.. we strive for perfect precision (and we've won global contests numerous times for that), KILLER combative ability and inner strength and tranquility.. I can truly say that I've been a totally different person before I started training.. I was timid, unambitious, shy and quite cowardly.. Now I'm a lot more confident, open-minded, courageous and resilient. I have seen similar change in many Karateka in the dojo area I go to and at this point I know one guy in my age who's a couple a ranks higher than me (I'm Sankyu, he's Shodan) who is currently in the Isreali naval commando (something that has EXTREMELY BRUTAL entry exams) another guy in a special covert unit I can't really disclose on much (let's just say that he once GRAPPLED (!!!!!) a suicide bomber ) So, in other words.. to say that Shotokan , as a whole, is not useful for real life combat, is a very generalized and false remark. If you want to know any more about Shotokan do ask, I can talk about this for hours!

huh? Shorei and Shorin are just terms in the throng-karate-style meaning "Slow and heavy" (shorei) and "fast and light" (shorin) they are not.. as far as I know of.. individual martial arts O.o

in my system it is more probable to learn Bassai after the heians because Bassai includes many aspects in the Heians all rolled into one Kata.

"Shotokan only for sports" I TRULY resent that.. I've been studying Shotokan for 6 years.. and I've run into Shotokanist martial artist who can kill you with their pinky.. I don't know what Shotokan YOU'RE talking about.. but we study some pretty nasty ways of dealing damage.. My sensei defeated martial artists from Tae Kwan Doe, muay Tai, ninjitsu, you name it.. We got one of the nastiest killers in the country. In other words.. Dont' go around saying Shotokan is for sports .. it's a bitter generalization that comes , if you ask me, out of lack of knowledge.

Well, the thing about Karate is that to achieve anything of it at all it must require a total modification of one's lifestyle and a lifelong commitment to it's art. I have joined my dojo 6 years ago.. and I remember at first I really didn't take it serious because i had other things that interested me at that time which now look very futile.. and I remember when I was about 16 it finally dawned to me that what makes me a real, strong, focused and advanced person is when I practice the Karate.. long and hard.. without any self-indulgence or mercy. It's then when I started practicing more.. and MORE.. until I started practicing like mad. Many karateka left during my time in Karate because they couldn't commit to something they wished to view as a quick course for self-defence.. Which , as all of you may know.. is NOT what Karate's about.

Name : Shai Rank :Sankyu (brown belt in Shotokan) Style :Shotokan Karate-Do (Israel branch, Oshima-sensei style).

I don't think I can say about a kata that i DISLIKE it. I may say that there are katas I find more hard to complete without a screw up or with greater difficulty. Second I must say I'm astonished to see people practicing ALL the kata at once. in my dojo, you usually work solely on a favourite kata for YEARS on end while paying the other kata much less attention. In the older days, in my method (Shotokan) , for the first 10 years of practice, students would study ONLY Heian Shodan!!! I think it's a very beautiful concept.. to first PERFECT the simplest of methods.. and then move on the the more complex ones. even tho I myself know quite a number of Kata.. the kata which I worked on for the belt gradings (Which are rather brutal in my method) I have learnt to do with extreme nuiances' precision.. I remember my sensei telling me things that were so irritating.. because they were so trivial and small.. like having my back leg a bit more forward during Kokutsu-dachi.. Which is, as he said, a way to "deal and attend more" to my opponent. But then again, it made me a killer in kumite

Hi! My name is Shai and I'm a sankyu (Brown belt) in Shotokan Karate-do , I'm from Israel and i'm currently a soldier in the IDF! I'm sending you all a big warm "Douzo Yoroshiku" (pleasure to meet ya'll) and May we all prosper and thrive in our martial art.