nago

The style is only as effective as the person using it.

Ryuei Ryu is an Okinawan Style. It is very authenic, yet very small. I believe it is the current style of Sakumoto sensei who ran the board of education, physical education department here in Okinawa. There are very few practitioners on the island as compared to the traditional sty;es/ The following link has some limited information. Hope this helps. http://www.wonder-okinawa.jp/023/eng/010/001/index.html

I am amazed at what people charge in the states. I live and train in Okinawa, Japan. Have for 22 years now. The cost of classes in Okinawa are pretty much standard 5000 japanese yen ($46) for adults and 3500 Japanese yen ($31) per month. This is the birth place of Karate. You can learn from the real "Masters" (another subject for another forum) that taught the people that are charging double and triple that in the US and we all know the cost of living in Japan is generally higher than most of the US. Dont figure.

You are correct Yumiko-san. Although this is from conversational Japanese not conversational Okinawan. It is spoken in Okinawa, as Japanese is the main language here, but Okinawa has its own language which is totally separate from Japanese. Very few people actually speak proper Okinawan.

info@seido-nara.com

I believe all styles have something to offer. Most of which you can research on the internet. More importantly than the style you take is the instructor who teaches it (in my opinion anyhow) I believe this is one of the most important factors when selecting a dojo (style). and most often then not harder to research.

Definetly not an Okinawan style.

Bas is a no nonsense guy! He is very tough. I believe he is running a school in Cali. now. He is originally from Holland. We fought in some of the same events here in japan. You think he is nuts in the ring you should see him at the after party!

The only question you need to ask yourself "Is he having fun". I believe for kids this is the greatest factor. Techniques will come. Stances will come. The key is to want him to keep with it and the only way that will happen is if he is having fun.

To each his/her own. You are there for one reason. Karate! Keep all the rest outside the dojo.

How about this one? Seidokaikan 3-1 Nishiki-Machi Kita-Ku, Osaka, Japan Attn: Mr.Nobuaki Kakuda Tel. 816-537-1810,

Seido Kaikan Chubu Honbu Hirokoji Park Bldg. 2F 19-20, Nishiki 2-chome Naka-ku, Nagoya-shi 460-0003 Japan 052-221-9555 (011 +81-52-221-9555) Hope that helps. If that is not the one you are looking for let me know and I can see what else I can find.

Here you need to be 16 before you can test for black belt. You must be a 3rd degree to be a referee and a 5th dan to be a head judge. Just one more reason 10 or 11 is too young to be a black belt.

No dojo or phone number, but I do have the Sensei's name: Auston: Mike Nazer Denton: John Ray Hope that helps.

The only thing i see in Texas is: 4603 Palisade Dr. Austin TX 1909 Archer Trail, Denton TX That is from the latest dojo listing published here in Okinawa. If there are any others one of those dojos should be able to tell you.

I am not sure where you are living, but just a quick note. The shields made out of turtle shells are actually illegal in the United States. The turtles they come from are considered endangered.

My experience in my 19 years living in japan is that the majority of the dojos test adults from 5th kyu up. 9th thru 6th kyu are reserved for children. Most testing in all dojos, except for special ones arranged for foriegners when they visit, goes in May and November. Your first test will be the one that comes after 6 months of training. Most organizations require a minimum of 3 years of training in that style before they will consider you for black belt. I have only seen two people fail in 19 yrs here. Your sensei will not send you unless you are ready and it is a great dishonor to him and your dojo if you do fail. Remember in Japan we do not train for ourselves we train for the dojo. To be an embarassment to your dojo is about the worst thing you can do. Most dojo train 3 days a week, but you will still find some that are open 6 days a week. Hope you enjoy your trip. Japan is a wonderful place.

White medium weight Shurei-do karate gi no sparring gear

I switched to Uechi-Ryu after about 6 years of Matsubayashi-Ryu. They are totally different. The best thing I learned was start with a clean slate and dont try and make your new style your old one. (if that makes sense). When I changed I took off that black belt I had in one and went back to white.

Belts are just that. Belts. I train in a traditional dojo in Okinawa. We only have four belts to begin with. White, Green, Brown Black of course there are the normal kyu and dan levels. We have a 17 year old testing for shodan next month. It will be his first test ever. He has been training since he was 4 yrs old. Also he is the great-grandson of the founder of Uechi-Ryu. He trains for other reasons then to be able to wear a piece of colored material. The belts do not measure the person the skill does. Many of our students train for years as a white belt then test for black. I see no problem in holding off till you have the skills and knowledge to test for higher ranks. The only thing it will hurt is some peoples egos and pocketbocks. just my opinion.

Here in Okinawa a 4th degree is "yondan" and a 7th degree is a "nanadan" i have never heard the terms shidan or shichidan ever used in my time here. of course i have only lived the last 19 years of my life here. both shi/yon and shichi/nana are used about the same throughout normal conversation. the are specific times when each is used in lue of the other.

Although I am not a student of Goju-Ryu I have been living and training in Okinawa for 18 years now. Higaonna Kanryo is considered by the Okinawans to be the original founder of Goju-Ryu as a style although the name came later from Miyagi Chojun his number one pupil. Linage is always a touchy subject, but in this case you will find linage charts for goju-ryu in okinawa start with Higaonna sensei.

Welcome to KF!

You can not even test for 4 dan in most associations in Okinawa at the age of 25!

The Marine Corps martial arts program is a good fighting system, but it is taught in marine corps manner. usally not in ur spare time. they try and get as many people to make "grade" as soon as possible to meet quotas. therefore i dont believe the total benefit of the program is ever learned. when u do get some spare time in the corps ur not gonna want to spend it rolling around with other marines. I was in the corps for 10 yrs as a sniper and have been studying uechi-ryu karate on okinawa for 18 yrs. there is no comparasion to a traditional style of karate, but it is not a bad system.