pers

That would only be true if you practice Kanazawa Ryu. Whilst I hold Kanazawa sensei in the highest regard I do not study his style and as such there are differences in our kata. It is also important to realise that Kanazawa implemented a lot of changes in his kata when he left the JKA. (Of course over time the JKA have also altered some of their kata, to the two styles have become more separate). Each large Organisation is going to perform their kata slightly different. The karateka should follow the kata as the head of the organisation wants it performed (or their own sensei if they are part of an independent dojo). Just my tuppence worth. I agree ,good post .

I have been doing shotokan for 23 years .

Good example ,but we are not born with this ability .driving a car and how it becomes like second nature is a skill that we learn and through practice get better and better until it beomes like the way you describe it . Do you remember how you started your first time dirving a car and how it was comparing to the way you drive now ?

Neil , one thing that is so important to remember and I like to emphasise on that : when pratcicing kihon kumite ,defender and attacker should both work with lot of awareness (zanshin ) and go with full speed and power to try and hit the opponent this is the only way that both attacker and defender can improve and learn these techniques to be effective. In the beginning I had many problems with them and sometimes got very disapointed with myself ,but gradualy by watching my sensei and other seniors and being constantly hit by them and I got better and better . by looking at my own faults and try to rectify them ,one that come to mind ... why am I so slow going backwards eventhough I know the attack is a basic one step jodan punch ?! why my block is not fast enough to block the punch ? they could be frustrating questions but by perseverance and looking for those answers it will come .. it is a good idea to let your partner know your intentions are to improve yours and his technique and you are actualy helping him by trying to land your punch or kick on him ,this is the only way to improve your techniques to become effective.

. Age Uke is probably a poor example for me to use, as clearly its useful in the right situation, but look more at the standard 'uchi uke' In one step sparring, these defenses work very well, but this is with the foresight of what attack is coming in - i.e. you know that Age Uke is required as a jodan punch is incoming. Just a case then of getting the timing right, which I seem to be pretty good at. I just can't relate these basic blocks to free fighting and hence any other situation that requires a freedom of defence - i.e. a street attack when fists are coming in thick and fast. Thanks for the replies all - as I said before - much appreciated. Neil when in kihon kumte you become efficient enough to block a fast and powerfull chudan punch to your mid section with soto uke or uchi uke then lateron in your career you would adopt the same principal to deflect and block in free style ,it may not look exactly like the basic form but the fundementals are the same . when you look at two senior dan grades sparring it is hard to tell if they are actualy doing karate or anyother fighting form ,they don't look any diferrent but fundementals are the same as the baisc forms . there is no short cut ,the body has to go through the basic forms and fundementals to grasp .

Ive heard that a few times before. as someone once said ,if that piano doesen't sound as good when you play it ,don't blame the piano !

if it doesen't work don't blame the system ,the problem is not with the traditionl art . after 23 years in karate and going through various stages in my training I know they work ,but the way it works for me now is a lot diferrent than when I was a green belt and it certainly shoulden't take 10 years to develope . but training and quality of instruction is varied from club to club and that is the most important factor to consider . is this roundhouse kick just a pretty looking high kick or can it actualy land in someone's head and do damage ?! is this rising block just looks effective or can it be effective in defence and attack when deployed properly ? if they don't ,then there is something seriousely wrong with the way it was taught .

Good luck with your training and never give up ! shotokan learned correctly is very effective and rewarding ,it would also improve any other sport that you may follow . the more time you spend mastering basic techniques and fundementals the more you will benefit later on in your karate career and any other physical activity.

Bunkai has palyed a big part in my training over the years . Our class was arranged around the bunkai of the kata that we were working on on that particular period . the class started with techniques relevant to that kata and bunkai and later on after demonstartion by our sensei we did it as pair work ,this way when performing the kata we had more idea of what we are doing ,and over the time it had a lot of benefit .

Hi , I have been trainig in shotokan since 1984 . those blocks are there for a good reason .you are a 2nd kyu and there are times you will become frustrated ,everyone will go through this stage ,so did I . Be patient and never give up .in your trainig with your club mates , you should have an attitude of helping each other out during for example "kihon kumite " one attck basic sparring ,by going full blow in jodan to hit them on the chin and thus make them block your punch ! and so on ,this way yoou all have a meaningful training . it is not about competing against each other but helping eachother in this way to improve . try to do it with senior grades who are faster and better ,this way you will improve your own technique . brown belt is the stage that you should be working towards becoming more relaxed and less tense .once you reach shodan you should be a lot faster . I never forget the days as a kyu grade facing my 5th dan sensei in kihon kumite and got hit everytime but also learned great lessons that would always be with me . khion kumite all of a sudeen becomes like fighting for your life when facing such a master who is so fast and powerful that ina blink of an eye he has stepped forward and punched in the chin or his front kick has landed in your belly !! this was the start of my journey and later on it all came to aid me in dojo kumite "randoori " . i give you one example of effectiveness of those blocks ,I have seen one scoring a knockdown with age uke (rising block ) under the chin that would have earned a full ippon in competition ! with correct timing and distance ,moving forward to meet the incoming attack under the chin ,bang ! it could be a knock out !

A block is a strike and a strike is a block. I like the way you say it ! the philosophy as thought in karate is you don't go looking for trouble and do your best to avoid it but once it hits the fan attacking first is your best block ,the concept of my training in shotokan is to try to end the fight quickly and decisively with every technique executed.

Palm hand strike is a devastating technique to the face ,it depends how it is delivered . there is less chance of injury as the soft part of the hand delivers the blow to the face , in self defence it is much more useful . if it is delivered correctly there is no chance of injuy to the wrist .

Sounds to me like you have a limited karate club; perhaps one which concentrates on sports karate. I think a lot of karate is much more than your experience of it. I tend to agree with Angela ,maybe you should look beyond your own club and organisation and see what other reputable karate clubs are doing . they all call themselves karate club and this and that ,some instructers pump up their dan grades to impress people . One has to be vigilant and look beyond the big talks and fancy outfits and flash certificates . karate definitely works in the street ,important thing is to find a good club and instructer to guide you through a very difficult and demanding journey.

Well ,you have already had some good advice from miller and cross . So I just like to add that maybe you should pay more attention to your basics training .All that emphasise on correect posture ,head up ,shoulders relaxed ,knees bent ,stomack forward ,correct weight distribution ,.hands and feet in correct position ... are there for a reason . Pay attention to them ,when you are training in one step sparring with a partner ,slow the kumite right down and check yourself out and correct yourself as you go along . with practice and patiance you will improve and eventualy it could become like second nature to you .

I had the honour to train under the great master Kase at Crystal Palace course a couple of times in the 80s . I was a junior grade then but We were all amazed with his awsome power and speed from a man of his stature . I wish I had more classes under him later on when I was more advance in my training ,but still that memory will always be with me . Sensei Kase was a student of master Funakoshi and together with Enoeda sensei were two of the most powerful karate masters and I had the pleasure to train with both of them ! Our dojo had the honour to have Master Enoeda teaching there on a very successful course .

Nicely said !

I did this kata for my nidan test .As killer said it is a common shotokan kata . it is very graceful kata although I have not done it for a long time as I got interested in other katas more . At the moment my favourite is kanku sho , I really love this kata !

I really don't see the logic in this way of thinking. Are you trying to say that if you have a belt that looks nice, you haven't trained hard?? It sometimes seems that people say what they think they should be saying to appear humble rather than what they actually think. I'm not saying that's the case in this post, but it does happen. As far as I'm concerned, you have to wear the belt anyway (weather it's just to hold your gi together, or to mark grade), so what does it matter if you want it to look nice?? That doesn't take away from the training you have done, and it certainly doesn't mean that you haven't been busy training! No ! I am not sayin if you have a nice looking belt it means you have not train hard ! I can't see how you reached that conclusion ! what I a was trying to say is it is more important to concentrate on traninig and perfecting one's karate as there is so much involved . I have had one belt since my shodan 15 years ago and yes it looks nice to me and I am not planning on buying another one . I am proud of my karate status and grade but I am not the type to go and shout about it but I have nothing against those who do ,but obviously here on a forum is not possible to show if I am really humble or as you said pretending to be one ! My point in my first reply was there is so much to learn and try to improve in karate which should be the main object ,a nice looking belt and expensive gi's should not matter that much ,this is the philosephy I try to encourage among karate poeple . My objection is with those karate associations with selfclaimed 8,9,10th dan instructers who have brought down the standards of karate and gave it a bad name ! they all have flashy certificates and belts ,all for marketing and business and EGO purposes! Sorry if my post was misunderstood .

Lets help this guy out. i'll start with it simply. 1. Japan (karate) and Korea (TKD) Good start ,TKD was the korean answer to Japanese Karate .these two nations were not the best of friends !

That's how I got my kick good, but then I had to unlearn the arms part because I was dropping my arms while doing the kick the hands should be at chest hight away from the kicking leg ,this way you can maintain good balance and utilise the hands to land in a good firm stance after the kick has hit the target.this could be practiced in slow motion with some tention to improve and perfect the kick . shoulder must also be leaning away from the kicking leg .

It never crossed my mind and I never paid much attention .I was too busy learning and training karate cause at the end of the day that is what it's all about ,belt is not going to help much outside when in trouble . I bought one tokaido belt after grading shodan , one side it says shotokan and otherside Japan karate association all in Japanese . It still serves its purpose and that is to hold my Gi together !

I read about him in the 90s in traditional karate magazine . kind of advert interview . I never took him seriously though .I started training in 1984 same year as him ,Stayed with one instructer from 1985 till now ,keep my head down and train for the love of karate .I have not graded since 1995 and I am still proud of my Nidan grade ,because I know how hard it was to get it . Much harder than some self claimed 10th dan !

Nice posts by Wagnerk and karate dad , do you train with master smith in south africa ?

LOL ! Good one !

If kata looks like dance to you have been missing out ,you may come to change your mind later .