moriniuk

This may not be such a new idea, as I think that Savate (French kickboxing) uses a coloured glove ranking system. I'm not sure if they actually wear the gloves or if they are symbolic. Ranking systems have also been introduced into Muay Thai in the west. There was never a stystem in Thailand, although there are a couple of Thai organisations which have recently introduced them but mainly aimed at foreigners.

The grading test, in my opinion, should test the results of training. It's fine to train to improve stamina during training sessions and then demonstrate this during the test.

Joe, I don't really understand your reply. I'm against having a fitness test as part of any martial arts grading. I don't see what being able to do 100 push ups or sit ups has anything to do with demonstrating your martial arts skills. I'm not a jumping kick kind of guy, so this situation is fine by me.

Montana, I salute you. I also conduct gradings during a normal class. I'm a small school and I see the same students each week. I know exactly what they are capable of and when they're ready they get promoted. I can see a problem with this method with larger groups and senior instructors who don't regularly see students though. I've seen dan gradings taken by very senior Japanese senseis take between 10 minutes (panel grading) and seven days (being observed on a course. Lots of gradings seem to include fitness tests, which in my opinion is a waste of time.

I'm generally in agreement with others on here on this. I think that there is something in it, but in the heat of battle there's next to no chance. Maybe like hypnotism, some people are more susceptical to it than others. I have, however, seen videos and have seen similar demonstrations of the leader of KDS Shotokai, Sensei Harada performing "non-contact" knockdowns on his own senior students. Now I have absolutely massive respect for this man who was a student of Funakoshi himself and is a genuine living legend of karate. I have no reason to doubt his ability to perform these feats.

A bit more research has revealed that samurai armour was originally made up from strips of metal bound together with leather cord. This was later modified to being rivetted together. Higher ranking samurai had the metal plates closer together than lower ranks. It looks like that discounts the idea of breaking through wooden armour.

Stumbled across something whilst reading today. Please don't chastise me for it if it doesn't agree with your opinion. If you can see an obvious flaw in the suggestion, then feel free to comment. Could it have arisen from the need to punch, strike or kick through the wooden armour worn by the Samurai?

Yes these kicks work when used in the right situation. I wouldn't spin around and turn my back to an opponent to throw a back kick or a spinning back hook kick (jorakay fad hang). But if I had missed, for example, a round kick then I would carry on spinning arround and throw these kicks. This is capitalising on a potentially bad situation and using it to your advantage. One type of hook kick that I wouldn't use in a full contact bout is a reverse roundhouse hook kick.

It's actually the other way around. I'm originally a karateka who dabbles in Muay Thai I started out with Wado Ryu Karate in 1973. When this club closed I switched to JKA Shotokan (KUGB), and then drifted into Kyokushinkai. I started training in Muay Thai in 1983 to improve my full contact sparring but ended up staying. I then went to work in Saudi Arabia and practiced WTF Taekwondo whilst I was there. It was during my period in Saudi Arabia that I first began travelling to Thailand. I first went in 1988 and trained at the Sityodtong camp. When I returned to the UK I carried on training in WTF Taekwondo and Muay Thai. I carried on returning regularly to Thailand to train at various camps until now. I have drifted through a few karate and kung fu clubs in various styles over the years since, not really swearing allegiance to any one style or group. In 2003 I discovered KDS Shotokai and practiced mainly this style for a few years as well as Muay Thai. I began studying Chen Style Tai Chi in 2005 just to keep up my training after I injured my knee and found much more than a gentle exercise class here. I teach Tai Chi and Muay Thai at my own small school and also practice Ashihara Karate. Although I'm not a regular, I still practice KDS Shotokai too. I practice Karate, Muay Thai and Tai Chi and like each one for differnt reasons not really preferring one more than another.

I've probably met and practiced with him/her. I attending regularly on Friday evenings about 2 years ago. I hope they gained as much as I did.

Was if fairly recently that your student practiced at Keale? There was a club there years ago which closed. It was re-started about 3 years ago. I have practiced at both Keale and Staffs Universities. The instructor there is Mark Hallam, one of the 5th dan technical commitee members. He's an excellent instructor. Some of the underlying principles within KDS Shotokai were originated by Funakoshi's son and Egami but Sensei Harada has further developed these principles over the last 50 something years.

Wa-No-Michi. I'm aware of Shingo Ohgami and I have a couple of his books, "introduction" and "katas". I can't find the section on developing power unless it's within "hand techniques". This power can be quite easily demonstrated and the difference in the type of power developed using the different approaches is considerable and can certainly be felt by the recipeint. It's the type of power that doesn't push you back, but drops you on the spot like a sack of potatoes. To be fully appreciated it really needs to be felt. As well as the fundamental ideas I've already mentioned there are many others like having heavy hands and how to impact your energy into the ground whilst moving, responding to visual responses instead of audible, forward feeling, only moving forwards in front stance and backwards in back stance, the list goes on..... A lot of these ideas are not new and are practiced in other disciplines, but as I stated earlier, I think that many have unfortunately been lost in modern karate for some reason. Dare I mention competition karate? The problem is trying to explain these ideas, especially on a forum. They are better observed and felt. The other problem with trying to explain these ideas on forums is that there are so many closed minded people who are far too quick to tell you that you are wrong before they have experienced something. If you live anywhere near a KDS Shotokai club I would urge you to sample a few classes or better still a weekend course. It needs to be in Sensei Harada's KDS group though and preferably with a high ranking instructor. I'm not trying to convert anybody here, but I think that it would be time well spent for any traditional karateka to at least sample some of Sensei Harada's teachings. Although I don't practice with the group very often now due to work and my own teaching commitments, coming into contact with this group has been the most influential experience in all my 35 years of various martial arts practice. Have a look at the website and look at some of the videos. There is also a Facebook site. But don't mistake the Shotokai practiced by other groups with KDS Shotokai. A very good book is "Voice of the Mountain Dragon".

Joe, I agree with you completely.

Sorry, I wasn't very clear. I wasn't talking about the actual stepping forward, that's another matter. What I really meant is the point when you actually land in the stance and finish the punch or you release a punch from a static front stance or immovable stance (fudo dachi). Yes it's 60/40 or 70/30 ish, but with the greater weight on which leg? Try pushing open a heavy fire door in something resembling a front stance. Try it first with more weight on the front leg and then with more weight on the rear leg and see which way is easier.

Isn't the Indian (Sanskrit) version of chi referred to as "prana"?

Ask your instructors first. I'm not asking mine as they were all rubbish and most are now longer with us. I'm sure some of you are probably practicing this way already and will have been doing so for years. It will improve impact power, we're not punching thin air, and speed of movement. It's about weight distribution in front stance. At the moment when you step forward in front stance or punch from a static front stance what is your weight distribution on each leg? Try experimenting with this.

With regard to the martial aspects of Tai Chi. I agree that the vast majority of practitioners today practice Tai Chi as a form of exercise. Many of these people, particularly in the west, are unaware that it was ever a martial art. But how different is the practice of a Tai Chi form to the practice of a karate kata? In Tai Chi many of the movements relate to throws, trips, locks etc instead of strikes. I think it depends on your mindset during practice. Without any martial intent, both are merely movement similar to dancing. Anyone who has ever practiced Tai Chi with a competent instructor will be in no doubt as to its effectiveness in certain situations The practice of push hands can sometimes resemble a wrestling match. Tai Chi opened my eyes a lot with some of its principles and concepts and I have carried this over both into my Karate and Muay Thai. Try practicing your karate katas like a Tai Chi form, feel all of your muscles working together as you move and see how bad your balance may be.

I'm a founder member of the AAS (Anti-Acronym Society)

I apologise to Protagonist as it appears that your thread has now been officially hijacked. Anyway, aside from these discussions. Try some of the tips that have been mentioned, if you're not already doing so. However good or bad your instructor may be something may just work for you. If you get the chance, compare some good karate books to good books on Wing Chun, Bagua and Xingyi. I think that the contents will reflect what I have experienced in classes. I've got one more tip, really subtle, but probably too controversial to reveal here. It would rock the traditional karate world.

I think we're missing my point here people. Firstly, I'm just offereing some of my own personal advice to someone who has asked a question. I never suggested that these basic and fundamental principles were unique to any particular art. As we all know many martial arts have very similar principles. After all, most have the same roots. They have always been there in traditional karate, but in my opinion they are not stressed as they are in some other arts. What I am saying is that from my own personal experience over many years of practice in lessons, seminars etc with some of the world renowned great masters I have seen very little emphasis of these points until I began following the teachings of one particular master.

Bushido Man. From my experience these fundamental pionts are almost never stressed in traditional karate and similar arts. Maybe sometimes an instructor may mention that your shoulders should be down, but very rarely explains why. It's great if you include them in your practice. I don't think that they are points that should be reviewed from time to time, but should be integral to your practice. Joesteph. To try to under stand what I mean by relaxing your joints, try this exercise. Stand facing a partner in a natural stance. Close your eyes and have your partner hold each of your wrists, one in each hand. Now clench your fists tightly whilst keeping your joints relaxed. Now have your partner randomly move your arms around in all directions whilst you keep your fists tight and joints relaxed. Then try to transfer the feeling to your punching. Throw your fist like you would throw a ball.

I presume that "light kickboxing" is the same as light contact or even semi-contact. If this is correct then the kicks used will generally be different to those used in full contact. In light contact you score by just touching your opponent. so power kicks aren't necessary. I'm not 100% sure about kickboxing, but in Muay Thai kicks definately score more than punches. Muay Thai doesn't use many kicks, mainly front kick and round kick. Sometimes you'll see a side kick, a back kick and a spinning back hook kick. The reason for this is that these kicks have been proven to work. The WMC is the body appointed by the Thai government to regulate and promote Muay Thai globally. They are pushing at the moment to get Olympic recognition for the sport.

Unless you're actually striking something then I don't think you should be applying too much power. By doing so you will probably be doing youself more harm than good. If you are stricking something then maybe you could think about some of the following points: 1. Don't try too hard to strike with full power, just let it happen. (just like in golf, tennis, baseball etc) 2. Keep your joints relaxed and your shoulders down. 3. Breath 4. When punching or kicking etc, imagine that the hand or foot has already reached the target when you begin the movement, and think through the target. 5. When punching in a front stance, keep the rear leg directly behind the hip and the heel on the ground to maintain the connection from your fist through your shoulder and hip and down to the ground. 6. RELAX This is all about maintaining the correct body structure so that the power isn't lost if any part of the structure breaks down. Many of these points seem to have been lost in modern Karate and Taekwondo but they are still stressed in Wing Chun and internal Chinese Kung Fu systems such as Xingyi.

There's a Shotokan Karate club near me that has a student who has recently recieved his 1st dan. He is 80 years old!

I work away from home quite often and always try to look for a different style of martial arts to train in whilst I'm away. I usually get to attend the school about 4 times. I would say that my original core style is JKA Shotokan. Although I have studied KDS Shotokai regularly for a few years I have attended schools that teach Wado, Kyokushin, Goju, Asihara, Enshin, WTF Taekwondo and Shorinji Kempo. This may be a bit controversial but I'd say that they are all basically the same. I've never had any trouble fitting in the classes. Maybe I don't know all the katas or they're practiced slightly different but basically the stances, kicks, punches and strikes are very similar with only minor technical differences. Ironically, considering they are so closely related, I found KDS Shotokai to be the most different from JKA Shotokan. Some schools may have different standards than others, but generally I think it is ok to keep your previous grade. The China Wushu Association have a good system. They just award dan (duen wei) grades in Wushu irrespective of style because they recognise these similarities between styles. Surely if somone has studied Shotokan for a number of years and decides to switch styles to Wado, which has its origins in Shotokan. They should at least be allowed to "fast track" and not start from zero.