Harlan

With advancing arthritis in the knees, I find that the jumps simply aren't possible anymore. It does bother me, to teach say, Choun no kon, and not be able to perform the jump, but I make sure the student knows it's there and performs it as I was taught. On another level, analyzing kata, it depends.

Fear? Heck, yes. Oh, it's all very friendly, and supportive. First names, Okinawan-style, personal training. And then comes bunkai. Sensei barreling down at you with bo and kiai...

Intent.

Looks like a 'variation' *cough* of the Matayoshi kata we do. Sorry, don't know the of name of the form.

I voted 'yes' because it's what I'm used to. No belt until one day teacher says, 'You're a brown belt'. And you stay that way until it's determined that you are ready to test for black. Makes things real simple. It's all about the training.

No matter the style difference, putting someone with prior experience with newbies/white belts would be disheartening for the beginners. It's just easier to put a green with the other greens until he has the new material, and movement down pat. It's expected that you will learn faster, and the way testing goes, you'd either be tracked with the rest (of the white belts), and not really belong, or pull ahead and that would make them feel like clods.

I think that is generally a problem that mostly applies to storefronts, or commercial schools. If you want to teach, and a student wants to learn, a way can be found. Committment is a two-way street. My teacher has never charged me a dime, has provided me with all the kobudo weapons I needed until I could purchase my own, driven me to seminars and loaned me the gi to wear. He considers his school to be 'free', and I tell him, 'Nothing is free. It's about the 'intangibles', and sometimes the hardest part of training is just making it to the dojo door.'

People train, and quit for their own reasons and I don't care what they are. As long as they show up, put in the appropriate effort while in class, and obviously practice at home, that is the only 'committment' I'm interested in. I'm of the opinion that one gets what one puts into something and that each person's pace of learning is going to differ (no one is slower than me, so I don't judge). Since we don't test, there are no artificial goals so all learning must come from an internal desire to learn. If someone does show up, obviously coast along with no desire to learn, then they'll be asked to leave. I'd rather have one quiet student show up, once a week, without fail and showing slow improvement, than a class of aspiring black belts that take the summers off for golf, miss class because they couldn't get out of bed, or waste my time talking in class.

'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.' I've watched award-winning tournament karate kata, and frankly, most of it leaves me...uninspired. Snap, kime, pretty pouts, and gaaaaawd awfully long pauses and lots of poses are the standard for looking good. And don't get me going on what passes for good kobudo. Personally, I think karate kata should say one thing: power.

Best thing is to keep calling until you get her on the phone. Then she can talk you throught the woods, and dimensions and your payment info. Or, leave an e-mail detailing your bo specifications and the phone number and times you can be reached. I've purchased 2 bo, and one set of tonfa from Crane and have been very happy with the service and quality.

Don't you want to see how you stack up against competitors from other dojos? Nope. Is it because they are worried about losing? Nope. The time commitment? Yep. Cost of tournaments? Yep. Better things to spend money on (gi, gear, seminars, etc.)

You show up for every class for a few years, practice on your own, and one day the teacher tells you, 'You're a XX belt.' That's it. Kinda informal.

Verifiable history. Up front about one's teachers, when and where trained.

I'm of the opinion that the best marketing is one's students. One can have 'the goods' in any particular area (sport, performance art, bunkai, etc.) but if one can't pass it along effectively it makes no sense for a potential student to train with you. As far as what 'accomplished' means: my teacher has been training for 25/30 years, a 3rd dan in TKD and 4th dan in Goju, and in my estimation can be scary 'real'. And his instructor can put him down with no effort. 'Accomplished' is someone that can do something you can't, but want to.

As a female, bruises always get looks but never had a comment in public yet. Usually, it's only family that comments, and one can tell that even an explanation ('You know I do karate...it's from wrist grabs...')...you can tell my sisters only half-believe it. As for casual conversation, no. I don't bring it up, and don't foster conversations that don't seem to have any real interest. It's a waste of time.

A very good site to locate Aikido dojos, or simply to read and learn a lot before jumping in, is this site: http://www.aikiweb.com/

Sorry. I don't know anyone in NJ. My limited experience is that good karate doesn't always advertise, and one has to look hard to find it. But folks that prefer to teach and train, vs. manage and live off of their clients, are often found teaching in community centers, home dojos, etc. and the cost is usually minimal. On the other hand, if you want belts, tourneys, and don't mind spending lots of money on an ego-trip, one doesn't have to look far to find offerings. It's word of mouth. Good luck.

As a person who pays ZERO for karate and kobudo lessons, I'd suggest you do more research.

The closest we've come to that is experimenting using a sai AS a tonfa, and vice versa. (yech) Also, I guess I'd kinda think of eaku, nunti-bo, and to a lesser extent quwa and sansetsukon as having the qualities of two different weapons. Another would be chisi as it employs more empty hand techniques.

Yep. Practically the same boat actually. The key word is 'modify'. Can't do front kicks full strength in that leg...then don't. Can't do horse stanse with toes turned in? Then don't. Started Goju ryu karate at 46, with previous torn meniscus (2) in one knee. An old injury from a decade earlier. Arthritis now, just from life, not karate, and it's actually much worse in the uninjured knee. As long as you are not overweight, and doing exercise that keep the supporting muscles of the knee strong, you should simply modify your practice. It's something everyone has to deal with as they age, and if they want to continue, they have to practice being smart about it. Sounds like you have a seasoned, and accomodating teacher, so no reason not to.

Mirakian sensei is good Goju. I visited that school last year for a seminar, and was very impressed with the dedication of the students. Nice dojo, 'old school' feel, and Mirakian sensei was a joy to speak with.

Punishment isn't the same as correction. The teacher's job is to teach, and make corrections. Corrections on physical form and technique. And if you are really lucky and they give a darn about you, corrections involving the intangibles for the long haul. That would involve mindset, attitudes, conduct that will pave the way for further learning. Basically, a 'well-rounded education' in the particular art. Punishment, either physical (pushups, kicks, runs, etc.) or non-physical (shunning, withholding rank, mental games, etc.), doesn't belong in a dojo. The basic assumption is that everyone is there to learn. So, if punishment comes into a dojo, then either the student shouldn't be there, or the sensei.

I'm unsure of the original question. I read the topic as asking whether or not to take th art based on the instructor's 'skills'. Skills, to my way of thinking, includes all of the above; the ability to teach, inspire, and do. It's the 'whole package', not just head knowledge, or physical ability, but character as well. And then there is the student. What resonates for one student may very well be 'ho-hum' to another.

There are not many katas in 'traditional' Goju, and I think that from the beginning one gets the idea that depth, and variation of bunkai, and multiple layers of principles, are the meat of the system. Essentially, one IS studying one kata...adding depth to it...over a lifetime of study. Adding katas over time is, to my way of thinking, really a teacher's perogative specific to his/her teaching methodology. Some say, 'one kata a year', not for rank...but for proficiency in at least the fundamentals to the system and a reasonable performance level. Others say, 'no matter...you get to the same place eventually'...and can have one working on all the katas concurrently in a relatively short time (a few years). I prefer the latter approach because the student can SEE how a teacher's ideas, or principles, are interpreted in different kata. I think the idea that there are 'higher' katas is artifice, and has more to do with control, money and politics. There are more 'complicated' aspects to certain kata, but I think it depends a lot on the student. Personally, I find Saifa, the first Goju kata that we learn, the hardest physically to 'get'. Quote: It is said that Funakoshi was made to practice Tekki (Nahanchi?) for 7 years, before learning a different kata. This doesn't happen much today, because katas seem to be the curriculum for belt tests; each belt has a kata(s) that must be learned. I think his idea of working one kata, from the ground up, is a great way to explore how one can really dig into what one kata would have to offer. What are everyone's thoughts on this? Do you think that having a "kata-based curriculum" has in a way reduced how much one kata can be explored? Are all the katas a necessary evil? I look forward to your comments.

So...Traymond...it's been almost a week. Any resolution on this? Kinda curious. So little information to go on...this 'Motomoni' of an unknown style...located where? Can't help but wonder about the teacher, or school. Your posts seem to indicate a karate and kobudo curriculum. Another thread states you are going for 5th kyu in Kajukempo. I assume because you are a nidan under Motomoni, you are studying different arts concurrently and have different dojos/teachers/styles for comparison?