pers

I would say to the thread starter that if you like to see what shotokan is about and to further make my point as my above posts , watch Lyoto Machida in UFC , his footwork , stance and how he avoids getting hit by staying out of range and his counters with his excellent timing and the power that he generates with his correct posture and technique . I can see all the ingridiants of shotokan practice in his fighting , all those different kumite drills are evident in his moves .

Kata is the favourite part of my karate , the whole book of your system is in the katas , as said before its about finding the applications and meaning of the moves and the concept of the particular kata . In our dojo when started on a kata it took 3 to 4 classes to reach the end , part by part it was broken down ,demonstarted by our sensei and then practiced , only after reaching the end we practiced the whole kata , and the timing and sequence of moves . I say 2 and half years is good progress but still too early for some students to fully appreciate the value of kata , all that you need in self defence is right in there in the katas for most situations and senarios , you just need a good guide to show you and teach it to you , no disrespect to your current instructor . The beauty of kata is you can practice them all your life ,keeping your technique and your mind sharp , exercie your internal organs with correct breathing and your muscles , you can do that on your own , the benefits are endless and for a life time , you just need to put the hard work and learn them by heart , it is hard work but to me it is enjoyable and interesting , I feel I am in a fight and do the kata like a real fight , I dont care how pretty it looks in full speed and power but how effective it is . But when I do it slow I try to be as correct as possible . we had people men and women who travelled about 50 miles regulary twice a week to come to the dojo , some of them 3rd and 4th dans . If it is wort it make the journey if you can.

Another thing to consider as main diferrence between the two styles is that shotokan is for life ,as I said the emphasis in shotokan is the perfection of technique and ways of delivery and the art of evasion . while kyukoshin demends a great deal of pyhisical conditioning and being able to absorb full contact body shots in their kumite , they stand up chest to chest and unleash full contact blows at each other . shotokan kumite does not require you to stand up and exchange blows but it requires you to avoid getting hit and their training is geared towards that . for a shotokan practitioner who has trained since his twenties and reaches old age he can still train in shotokan , he would just adjust his body and adopt his techniques to his requirements . you still see in shotokan competitions like JKA all Japan championships that in kumite they try to knock each others head off but you see in all of them they try to avoid getting hit and try and hit their opponents ... shotokan teahces to hit and not to get hit ! even an 8th dan shotokan master's ultimate aim when training is to perfect that in his quest ... to hit and not to get hit !

Excellently explained . shotokan is perfection of technique in the first few years ,once we learn how to move and deliver a technique in the most proficient way then other advance concepts is learned , to enhance and perfect concepts such as initiation anticipation and manipulation . shotokan to me is the complete package as a martial art .it has a powerful technique that could deliver a decisive blow . but that doesnt mean that in every shotokan club you will find that ,and the standars vary greatly from club to club and teacher to teacher . if I was to choose a new club in a new place I will look at the quality of the club and the instructor ,not necessarily the style . but if I find the good shotokan club than go for it .

The real art is in delivery and not just any delivery but the one that is an ippon ! a knockout ,otherwise you can teach a balerina in 10 minutes to perform it . Nidangeri is a double kick as in kata kankudai , the application that we were taught was the left front kick is blocked or opponent move backwards which is immediatley followed by a right leg front kick ,could also be used a a faint but it is a extremely strong technique that could cause a lot of damage.

This is nidangeri performed excellently here by Machida. You can find this technique in Kankudai ... Osaka sensei performing this kata ,one of the best I have ever seen. Another proof that kata does have a meaning and it works if done properly ! http://youtu.be/BB6j-Q5bUI8

That would be the next move ,is it not ? and the stance is raised slowly with tension . here yahara sensei demonstrate it best ,this particular move first done 12 second into the kata ... It is one of my favourite katas ,so dynamic and invigorating and meaningful .

It is all about training ,the stretching advice is good . you can also practice kicking slowley aganist a wall or something ,it will eventually come the time that your toes automatically bend backwards and you kick with the ball of the foot . It has always been the ball of the foot for me , but it took me a while to use it like second nature and it was a bit frustrating at times ,but like everything else you have to pay the dues buy training hard in the dojo and do a bit extra at home mastering little bits and pieces that we all find hard in the beginning . but who says learning martial arts and karate is easy ?

Excellent video and thanks for the link . As a instructional video it is great , I have put it on my list of favourites , it is a good reference for those who are learning unsu or maybe haven't done it for a while and can pick good points from this demo . obviously performed at this speed it is all about correct technique and sequence ,timing and the spirit of the kata can not be displayed at this speed . The famous unsu jump has many different applications , in my mindset my left hand is grabbed and pulled away from my body so I follow the momentum by twisting my hip and kicking the opponents hand with my right leg thus freeing my left hand and then land kicking the opponent who is approaching from behind with the left leg ushiro geri !!

turn the TV on and while watching something you like stand up and go into the stance you want to practice slowly sit in that stance and breath slowly from the belly then move forward or backward in that stance again slowly with the breathing in harmony with your slow movement , do that a few times like a slow motion film .you can then change into other stance like kiba dachi or the back stance then move to front ,just keep doing them slowly with breathing from the belly , you should really start to have sore legs after a while but that could be a sign of a good work out ! change the variations as you make progress ,make scenarios in you mind , by doing it slowly but correctly your mind and body start to make a link of the movement and hopefully after a while it becomes like second nature .

I find this type of training unacceptable ,especially for a beginner . it is one thing to train realistically but getting constantly hit in the face and nose is in no way beneficial ,controlling the technique is of utmost importance ,otherwise there will be no one left to train with ! students from seniors to juniors should help each other and push each other to improve but that does not mean they should hurt each other to that extent , one should be able to produce good technique without the need to injure and damage their fellow students and partners in the dojo . I wouldn't want to train in such a dojo ...

I have been doing shotokan since 1984 and I still don't consider myself anywhere near as master of the art and I am not jack of all trades either . But I know for a fact that there is enough in shotokan to last me a life time to accomplished ,but I can say my shotokan foundation is so strong now that I can walk into any other art such as judo aikido or other styles of karate and build on what I already have and compliment it .

Take great care which school of karate he goes to regradless of style ,they may call it shotokan karate but quality of instruction is very important .... I saw the video .....don't worry about how long it takes for a black belt ,learning in a good club something of quality is far more important .

In my humble opinion it is not beneficial to start to learn both at the same time ,it is not to your advantage in the long run . By all means get competent in one and then start the other ,but there is simply too much to take starting both at the same time . you should pick one as your main objective and use the other one to compliment your main choice .

Kanku-sho is my favourite kata these years , I love the grace and power of this kata .

No way ! it takes more than a black belt and a good technique to be able to teach a class of adults .

Good luck with your transfer and training ,luckily as mentioned SEKU is very strong in Hampshire with Sensei Mick Dewey . Good strong traditional shotokan Karate .

Hard to tell without seeing what you do , it is not easy to get it right ,that is why it is such an advanced kata but my tip would be perhaps you need to jump a bit higher to give yourself more time to complete the move . Does this sound appropriate ?

My fellow shotokan practitioner ,you are on the beginning of a long and hard but a rewarding path . Do not take any short cuts ,be patient and practice basics a lot , and I mean a lot ! the more basics you do (as correct as possible) the better you will get at kumite . Do not worry about the height of your Mawashi geri at the moment ,rather put your effort into performing a correct Mawashi geri .one that would actualy work for real ,even at lower heights . karate is not about jodan mawashigeri alone ,once you bulid a sound foundation (basics ) your technique and movement and thus your kumite will improve . Needless to say the instruction you receive and the knowledge your instructor has is very important in your development .

My condolences to you and all his students and his family ,Shotokan world lost a great master . RIP

I do occasionally train with sensei Jess Lavender at cardinal Newman school in Hove ,classes are on mondays and Wednesdays at 7 pm .

I know that gym ,what are the times for shotokan training ?

Difficult question as my favourite kata changes from time to time ,at the moment I am in favour with Kanku-sho . but here are my five katas for now : kanku-sho Hangetsu Sochin Unsu Tekki-shodan

Hello guys , shotokan way is my way ! Trad dan where in sussex do you train ?