Harlan

Congrats, old man.

Never heard of sai referred to as 'light vs heavy'. Which version would be 'light'? http://www.shureidousa.com/kobudo/sai.html

It depends on your school/style. Some schools want a solid foundation in empty-hand, and weapon study is really an adjunct study that complements it. This is probably especially true with styles that have to borrow weapons study from other styles/traditions. There are other traditions that study weapons either very early on or from day one of study. And schools that just focus on weapons (Matayoshi kobudo, for example).

My vote: to train bunkai, applications, techniques - whatever you want to call it - from day one of training. Reasons: 1. We have inherited a fractured, and incomplete study from which our own teachers worked hard to find answers. To NOT pass along information is to ensure that one's school/dojo/style is always starting from the beginning and never evolving. 2. Considering the modern student and fast paced society, in order to retain intelligent students exposure to bunkai from day one engages them mentally.

Call it anything you like, except 'traditional'.

If your neck hurts, you are training improperly. Frozen muscles...over training. Kobudo is a great way to study and practice good body movement and hojo undo, but bad movement gets you hurt.

As I read this, you are stating that seniors attending your teacher's class (NOT yours) are critical/gossiping of the juniors training with you that are invited to train with them. Your teacher's problem. Pass it along, that there is a lack of dojo mojo on the part of XXX. Ask him if he thinks you should change your curriculum at all. If it continues, and seems personal, a beat down isn't a bad idea.

Average? 10 years. But we only see a new student every 5 years or so. Depending on your POV, we are either a stunning failure or quiet success.

IMHO, seems like the decision for a regular training for specific grades would depend on how many students are in attendance. Small groups can accommodate beginner, but at a certain point the benefits realized by either 'beginners' or 'advanced' students necessitates targeted training.

IMHO: Beware the 'strict' Oki vs Japan categorization. Japanese = low stance for instance. You can train Oki karate in low stance...for strengthening. Fighting...everybody goes higher. Some invoke 'Okinawan' karate as the real deal...but you've got empty karate, and 'schoolboy' karate everywhere.

Personally, I think the 'uniformity' of bo is just useful for a class situation; one should train with different lengths, weights, woods, etc. and train with the bo one feels most 'comfortable' with. If you think about it, if Okinawans were using 6 ft staff decades ago...that would probably translate to at least at 7 ft staff for you. But it's very hard to find someone with a lathe that makes anything larger than 6 ft...or affordable.

Good goju! Met DeWet sensei once...impressive teacher.

'Like all endeavors - it's what one makes of it - what one brings to the training; Two students can be in the exact same class, with the same teachers and curriculum, and experience it differently.' That's my reply.

A fishing kata...assuming a 'deserted isle' has no human threat.

One to one.

From my point of view, we don't leave out so much as we don't 'add in'. Since it's informal, belts are not associated with kata; you learn a kata and when you know the outside well enough to keep up you start on another. One can know all the core kata in a few years, and have no rank. Learning order is: Sanchin, Tensho, Saifa, Seuinchin, Sepai, Sanseru, Seisan, Kururunfa, Suparimpe.

I've always liked FW. Since the first time I saw him, in 'The Crying Game'.

1. Practice with no pauses 2. Take out discreet sequences that 'work' and practice on both sides. 3. Practice with a partner, and as realisitically as possible. Really simple way to decide that some bunkai are unrealistic.

Depends on the student, teacher and style. Many Goju 'schools' teach the same kata...but slightly differently. If a student was directed to learn 'our way' to bring back to their school for analysis, and it was a teacher I respected...then 'yes'. No charge, and no committment. Then again, there are different ways to perform/interprete any kata...and the version shown may be 'standard'...or not...depending.

'Evil Dave'...nice to meet you...and you probably know my view from the prior post. Probably a no-brainer, but my post reflects our training. Our 'fitness', as well as progress, is evident every time we show up on the mat to train, and we don't waste dojo time on it. As for testing, never did that either. No belts...no need to prove anything to anybody except ourselves. We do 'warmup', sensibly, prior to every class and it consists of sets of gong li, punches, kicks (essential techniques) and kata. I have seen testing in our group, and there IS sparring, and more aggressive fitness testing, bordering on the concept of 'shugyo' for higher belts (2nd, 3rd, 4th dan).

I believe that DOING karate is the best way to get good at karate...and that the fitness level comes hand in hand. Meaning: I think the supplementary exercises that we've inherited in karate were targeted for fit males, born out of a desire to be accepted in the 'progressive education' environment of the last 100 years. Also, the idea that getting good at sit-ups by doing sit-ups is totally screwed up. Sit ups are a way of TESTING one's core strength...not important in and of themselves and don't have any relevance to one's knowledge and ability in karate. As a female, an older female living in a sedentary society and having pushed out a couple of kids, I think it's short-sighted to attempt to fit any fitness paradigm that doesn't take this into account. Good way to get hurt. Start with being able to accomplish one sit-up and end with being able to do 10...what is that...like 1000% better? Just saying: keep a clear purpose of WHY you are doing things and best use of time, body, energy, and money.; training smart is more important than training hard. Personally, I suggest doing knee kicks. 'Hiza-geri.' Hundreds of knee kicks, thousands of knee kicks, accelerating speed as the knee comes up, and as high as possible, and using the abdominals (don't 'cheat' by pushing off the floor harder). I never saw anyone disable another person with a sit-up (or a push-up for that matter)...but a good knee kick is your bread and butter in karate. Also, I'm a proponent of kobudo as a fitness regimen. Using a good bo (not a weightless toothpick) on a regular basis will increase cardio, core, legs, and upper body (particularly hard area for women).

I'm going to borrow this one...if you don't mind. Great observation (and explanation).

Bet you won't do that again. Enjoy this time.

LOL! You know what the funny part is going to be? Long after your kids get their black belts, graduate from High School, and quit martial arts to go on with their lives....and you keep plugging along? When they mention that they outrank you....

Kudos to you for learning. I tell my students, 'The hardest part of training...is making it through the door. Every time.' I know saying 'don't be hard on yourself' will be a waste of time...as a perfectionist streak is probably part of the self-motivation. Just realize...the time to get as good you want in the time you have will probably be in the years...not months. Not how hard you try, but how much you gain from the effort. (What is the saying, 'It's not the years...it's the mileage.') I started at 43, when the kids were older, and with one 2-hour lesson/week in kobudo. Just keep at it.