snazzed

This post was originally published as an article in a dedicated KarateForums.com Articles section, which is no longer online. After the section was closed, this article was most to the most appropriate forum in our community. I am a dog lover and dogs love me. It is, in fact, one of the things people notice about me. I'm like the frickin’ dog whisperer. One of the greatest fears for many people is getting attacked by a dog. Why is everyone so afraid of fighting a dog? Why aren't we afraid of fighting each other? The way I see it, the big difference is intent. When we fight on the street, we know, or at least we THINK, the guy on the street or in the bar just wants to knock us down and take our pride or money. Maybe he wants to prove himself or reaffirm his ego... we know what his intent is and it doesn't involve the city morgue. What is the dog’s intent? Do we know? Do we even think we know? Yes, most of us assume that dog wants us dead. It’s going to fly at you with raging teeth and keep going until you don't move anymore. Is this true? Most of the time, no, it is not, dogs are just like we are. A trained guard dog or police dog is just like a trained Martial Artist. Trained Guard Dogs or Police Dogs We have been taught to approach a fight a certain way and we have been trained to expect our adversary to respond in certain ways. The same goes for trained dogs. They are taught to attack people, grab the arm and haul them to the ground. Keep going at the arms or legs until the trainer says the magic word. A trained dog expects you to run. When he grabs at you he expects you to fall and yell and stuggle because thats what happened in training. He doesn't expect you to fight back, hitting and kicking, causing HIM pain. He expects to be the one in charge and calling the shots. As soon as you hit them, most dogs will stop and think, "Whoa, he just hit me and he's not scared. What’s going on here? This isn't the way it's supposed to work!" When it starts, you are the one in unfamiliar territory. You've never fought a dog before, how is this going to work? The dog, however, has been trained for this, he's comfortable, knows this situation and knows how to handle you. Once you hit him, the tables are turned. Now the dog is confused and in an unfamiliar situation and the playing field is level and you can fight him the same way you do a human. As a martial artist, this is YOUR territory! At this point, it is just like a street fight. You might be faster or stronger with better timing or he might be. The winner will depend on the individuals - person and dog. True story: I was touring in Northern Ireland and decided to go check out a local castle. Turned out it was privately owned, complete with guard dog. Yay. I walked through the W-I-D-E open gate and checked out a sign with the name of the castle. I'd like to point out, that there were no other signs. Nothing to indicate it was or was not a tourist attraction and nothing to say private property or BEWARE OF DOG. So as I'm walking up the driveway, I hear manic, frenzied barking and this large German Shepherd comes tearing out of the yard. I've been to a few tournaments and been in a couple of "dangerous situations" so I didn't panic. I put my camera away and just focused on the situation. Fight time. I started to back off and brought my arms up beside my head in semi-boxer stance, saying HEY! NO! DOWN! HEY! The dog lunged at my leg and I reacted, simultaneously pulling back and hitting him. I wasn't quite fast enough on the pullback but I did have that leg out of his mouth before he had a good grip. At any rate, as I twisted and pulled back, I brought a hammer strike down on the side of his head... HARD. It didn't put him out, but it stunned him for a couple of seconds and it shut him up. I kept backing off slowly, now saying in a soothing voice "hey, boy... it’s ok... I'm leaving... it's alright... blah blah". This only lasted for a minute or so before he went back to his barking and snarling, so I went back to my bellowing. He sounded mean but didn't come at me again and I continued to back off. At this point the caretaker came out and called the dog off. He made up some story about kids stealing the BEWARE OF DOG signs. The caretaker looked confused at the fact I was still standing. What about the dog that’s not trained to attack, but for some reason, here he is, running at you, teeth out, about to pounce? Untrained Canine Encounters Most of the time we think we know a person’s intent when they attack. What if we KNEW this person intended to put us in the ground. No, really. He's coming, fists or knife out and he wants you DEAD. How do you treat this situation? Well, tell you the truth, the same way you handle the dog. Be calm, defend and counter and best of luck to you. However, most of the time, even the surprise dog attacks have their reasons - they don't include killing you and they are usually the same reasons we have street fights. Territory, fear, mental instability. The thing to remember is that we are animals, too. A trained fighter can react just as quickly as the dog and is just as strong. There is no reason to fear the dog more than you fear the person. True story #2: I know a fellow martial artist who was attacked by a dog. The dog took a running jump at him. He sidestepped, putting a well timed fist into the side of it's head. The dog was dead before it hit the ground. I was not present for this encounter and my friend has no witnesses so he may be exaggerating, but it was in the local rag-newspaper, so he DID kill a dog that attacked him. At any rate when dealing with an attacking dog... Dealing with an Attack 1. DO NOT PANIC. If you freeze up, the dog will just have it's way with you and you're toast. 2. Maintain a confident aggressive stance. Make yourself large. 3. Yell or BELLOW at the dog. HEY! DOWN! BAD! NO! Whatever, as long as you're using low, loud authoritative tones. 4. Don't run. Ever. ALL dogs are faster than you over short distances, except maybe chihuahuas. 5. Flowing from the above, do not turn your back, or even turn sideways to a dog. You look more vulnerable. Stay Square on to them. 6. Stay on your feet. Try not to get into a wrestling match unless you and the dog are in the same weight class. 7. Other than that, Aussie rules and it is the same as sparring with a human. Don't give him an obvious opening. Defend, watch, wait and counter. I succeeded in "handling" a dog. My friend fought and won. You can, too.

Nice site! Thanks muchly PacificShore! Snazzed

There are a ton of posts about McDojos and what seperates them from the real thing. Just do a search in thr Forums. It's aaaaaallllll in there... repeatedly. snazzed

I actually LIKE telling people I do Martial Arts. Well, once I know them a little bit. I work in an office of 30 people and I was amazed to find: Former kickboxing nut: Used to be really good and talks to me all the time about his trophies and medals. His knees no longer allow him to train. KarateMom: Well, TKD. She got into it becuase her 2 kids started and the Club is very family oriented. They told her that she and her husband could come for free. Families should do things together. Guy with a VERY MMA background: Most of what he did was with a Green Beret intructor. When I told him I'm into Karate his eyes just lit up, and now he wants to get together and spar! In an office of Less than 30, include me in there and more than 10% are, or were, involved in Martial Arts. And we all have stories to share. And then there is the cute girl in Marketing who like to have me demonstrate takedowns on her. Seriously though, she does but I don't think its an attraction thing. And I'm now a Yellow Belt on Karate Forums! Woohoo! Snazzed

I think I'm over the worst of my reactions now and I do appreciate the feedback and corrections. One part I particularly like is that with every correction, Sensei shows me "why". At any rate, I must be getting better, as he is backing of somewhat. No more 10 minute long mini-seminars. I just get corrected on an item or two and then he moves on. I've also noticed a few occaisions, doing Kata (or whatever), I will complete a sequence, and glance in the mirror and self-correct something and Sensei (was watching) will turn away and correct someone else... but I swear he was about to come over before I corrected myself. I love it when that happens. It's like "Ha! I don't suck"! Two more months and I think I'll be back in my stride. snazzed

There have ben a few reponses saying "I like being corrected" or "you always need correction", "you're never perfect" and so on... I understand that. Let me give you an example. We were doing a drill, standing in Seishan (sp?) dachi, snap kick with the rear leg followed by a reverse punch (on landing the leg) and then an inside block to get us back to where we started... After years of Shotokan my natural tendency is to go into zenkutso dachi, so I was getting corrected on that. I *know* in my head what to do I just have to break the habit. Of course, new stance, my kicks are off, so I'm getting corrected on that. The height of my hike-te (sp?) should be about 2" higher. Rotate the hike-te fist about 5 degrees inward. Your stance is off... and so on and so on. The rest of the class went on to kicking the pads. Shihan Sensei stood in front of me continually correcting me on the drill for a good 10min AFTER the rest of the class had moved on. He kept correcting me after every execution until I finally got a good one. I have never been corrected so much, and I have never seen anyone held doing something when the rest of the class moves on. I'm not saying I was down on my Karate because they correct me, I'm sayin' I was down on my Karate because I'm getting singled out and corrected until the cows come home. And again, I know that in the Grand Scheme of Things, it is A Good Thing. I know I will get corrected because my old style had differences and old habits die hard. I know I'll get corrected because even if I'm doing everything right, I'm sure I'm not "perfect". It just wears on you to get corrected THAT much. It makes you wonder when you get singled out, why you're singled out. Now before eveyone chimes in and says "stick with it", here is my perception since I started this topic... I think Shihan Sensei *knows* I have old habits and that is WHY he singles me out over anyone else. Sure, the other white belts may be doing the drill worse than I am, but they don't have to unlearn. They don't have habits yet they are starting fresh. I know it is not that Sensei dislikes me. In fact he talks to me about karate and non-karate stuff every other class and if he sees me leaving, even from across the room, he'll call out a "good night". I'm over the depression bit and now I just feel "blank". I know there are changes to be made, and I know I'm going to get corrected a lot. I know I'm still "good" at at Karate, maybe I'm just not that good at Chito-Ryu... yet Geez, why do I always end up writing essays? Why can't I just do little 3 line posts like most people!!! Again thanks for listening snazzed

Thanks for the feedback. Yeah, I know all correction is good. I know that they are taking me to a higher level, but it is a very... humbling experience to be told everything you are doing is... not right. Of course, even being humbled in this way, I think, is a good thing. I think that this will be one of those things where you have to work and work and work at it until something ~clicks~, then you "get it" and it all starts to flow together. Right now I'm at the anti-flow stage. I'm working on fixing so many things at once it is like a giant log jam and nothing is coming right. Again, thanks for the feedback guys. Like you all say, I just have to keep at it. snazzed

I am back in the MAs. After 6 months out due to an injury at a place I refuse to go back to... after 6 weeks of checking out different styles and dojos... I'm back, and have been for a couple of weeks now. I chose the place I'm at because the technique they displayed was very... detailed? precise? Well, it was darn good, anyway. I also chose them because they gave the students a lot of feedback and correction. Now I'm feeling pretty damn craptacular about my Karate. My old (good) place started you with simple basics and then modified things to get more advanced later at brown belt. I only got to Blue... Here they start you on the hard stuff, so I'm having to modify everything all at once and I keep naturally falling back to the more basic forms. I am getting corrected and corrected and corrected to death. Now I feel like I'm spending my time focussing on one thing and other stuff is suffering for it and then they correct on those things too. For example, I'll focus on the arms because we are doing a combo (or whatever) keeping the chest open, or proper arm/joint alignment (or whatver) and my footwork (which I'm usually good with) gets "off"... It gets pretty discouraging. I just keep telling myself, I'm LEARNING so much here. But it it SOOOO hard to stay positive. Sensei says I'm very diligent. I guess thats good. End of rant. Thanks for listening snazzed

Yeah, it was a Gi I had from my place before... 12oz Mikado that I had for a couple of years. Hemmed sleeves and legs. I was at a good place for years before I moved. When I started the McDojo, they actually looked pretty good but it took a while before I realized that there wasn't too much attention paid to instruction. The Sifu was good came from good lineage and had good skills... he just didn't correct his students enough. Resulted in bad technique and a lot of injuries. Thanks snazzed

I think this is a bit of a dumb question and I think I already know the answer but... Is is possible to remove silkscreening from a Gi? I just left a McDojo. I was there for some time before realizing it and one of the things they insisted on was silkscreening the Dojo name and logo on the back of your Gi. Well, I've left and I've found myself a good place but they have a no-logo policy, pure white except for labels that come on the Gi's. You can add the Official patch for the style, if you want but it is not required. I'm kinda broke and I'll pop the $200CAD for a new Gi if have to, but I would rather not. Thanks snazzed

Judge not lest ye be judged.

Hi 15-lisa-newbie: No, Shotokan likes to keep their power "grounded". No flips or handsprings... hardly any jumping even. A little bouncing here and there, but that's about it. Seriously, though, there is a jump or two in some of the Kata but flipping and such won't be taught. Good style though. I actually got my start in Karate at the UVic Shotokan club. If you don't mind me asking, where are you studying and who is your Sensei? Thanks snazzed

At my old Dojo, they told beginners to expect it to take 5 years. If you were naturally skilled and also dedicated you could do it in three. However, that is what they TOLD beginners. I have yet to see anyone do get a BB in less than 5 years... actually come to think of it most seem to take more like 7. snazzed

Jag-Isshinryu: You said maybe some of your buddies would tape it? If so, let us know. I know I'd be happy to buy a copy! snazzed

Well, no disrespect to Yondans was meant. Every Dojo I have been to has been lead by one, and only one, 5th Degree or higher. Sensei 5th degree may not always be there, in which case a lower degree teaches, but there has always been the 5th degree. The fact that these people are among the best I've seen and are teaching a class and are 4th, was a little surprising. I have never been involved with a Dojo where a Black Belt is guaranteed. In fact, I've been doing Martial Arts for 6yrs + and I don't have my BB. I was just very impressed with the skill and technique this individual displayed... and again every Dojo I have been to has been lead by a 5th Degree. I don't recall ever saying that Yondan was not an accomplishment or implying that they were a common sight or ordering one with Ketchup and I don't --- I'm gonna stop here before I start ranting. 6 years, no BB, 30 and I'm considering going to a new Dojo that would toss my rank. I'm thoroughly crankified by your assertion that I'm from a McDojo and looking for the quick and easy path. snazzed

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. Someone asked if I could do both... the thought HAD occurred. Unfortuantely, life doesn't always let us do all the things we would like and it just wouldn't work. Can't afford two martial arts places and the wife would probably divorce me if I was out four nights a week. At one point I thought, maybe I could get her into it and then it would not be an issue. Try as I might, she refuses. At any rate, even as I was previewing my submission, I started to realize that I had already decided and I knew where I wanted to go. So here is the plan: Sensei at Delta Shito-Ryu said, with an air of pride, that they sometimes run late... I'm going to go there tonight, let them know my work situation, and ask them how often it happens. If they run late frequently then this place, as good as it is, is impractical for me. And back to Shotokan I go! Thanks again snazzed

Ok, here is the story. Looking for a new dojo to train at after leaving a McDojo and I have checked out 4 different places 1 of which was very dissapointing. 1 was a good Dojo but the style looked very different from what I am used to... 2 of them look very good and have me pumped about Karate again. I need help choosing... Similarities - JKA and KarateBC members - 10-ish students in their adult classes with a fairly even mix of belts levels. - 20 minute drive from where I live - Well known instructors in the above associations with good reputations. - Excellent instruction and conduct of class. Surrey Shotokan Karate Club: Pros: - Shotokan is where I have my roots. This would be more familiar. - They would respect my existing rank and I might actually earn a black belt before I die of old age. - Club is fairly new and instructor said they would appreciate having an experienced intermediate belt around for leadership and spirit. - Timing: I work an early shift and this class fits my schedule well. Cons: - Fairly new club. They don't have an established core group of students. Delta Karate School: Shito-Ryu Pros: - Excellent, excellent technique. Just with their form, timing and execution, the lead instructors are easily in the top 10 Martial Artists I have seen. And they are only Yondan (4th degree) - Very friendly. Every single student took the time to come up and introduce themselves to me and welcome me to the class. All of them. - They have a seperate "Black Belt Only" class taught by another individual. Should have asked his name and rank. - Weapons classes. - I have seen a lot of Karate places. Some of them are just good Karate Dojos with people learning Karate. These people make me think "Martial ARTISTS" Cons: - It is a different style, so I would start over from white belt... and I'm 30 years old already! - It is just about as late as I could handle. I work an early shift and I would basicaly get home from class and go to bed. Reading this over, I'm leaning towards the Delta Shito-Ryu... but starting over at white belt... man that would hurt. Opinions? snazzed

Don't find a new teacher unless your current one doesn't know what they are doing. The instructor has to be able to demonstrate effectivly and guide the class and pass on his knowlege. They don't have to take part, keep up and out-fitness those lower than their rank. I think you're partly right that the body ages and slows down. It defenitly gets harder to keep the fat off as you get older and some of these Senseii don't train as much as they used to. Instead, they spend their time standing around yelling at people... teaching. I have had both. Senseii that are brutally fit and others that are downright soft. Incidently, the best one I ever had was brutally fit. The worst one I ever had... was also brutally fit. A football coach doesn't have to be at the same level of fitness as his team. Remember, what makes the best teachers is the in depth knowledge, the experience and, above all, the ability to pass it on. It has nothing to do with the size of their muscles... or their gut. Thanks snazzed

Excellent article. In talking with newcomers to the dojo, they often bring up fighting and "real world" application. I often find myself telling them that most of us STARTED taking Karate to learn how to fight, but fighting is not why we stay in formal martial arts. Lets face it if all you want to know is how to fight, you are better off taking boxing for a year. If all you want to know is how to fight, I imagine you would get pretty frustrated in Karate... "What do you mean it'll take at least 5 years to get a Black Belt!?!??!" We may come to Karate (or other MAs) to learn to fight, but we only STAY for other reasons. snazzed

I hate moving and switching styles and dojos. I just wish I could have stayed at the one place and gotten my black belt. Oh well. Maybe next dojo but I'm getting old... Born: 1975 Practicing since: 1996 Kyokushin: Orange Belt: Date? I think I was 9 or so... 1984? I don't really count my Kyokushin time because I was so young and I did it because my parents suggested it. Shotokan: Blue belt (5th kyu): Aug 1999 Started Karate again at age 21 and did Shotokan for 4 years Hapkido: Purple Belt: April 2004 Moved and went to a Hapkido place that was a McDojo but I didn't recognize it. I was there for two years and quit in November 2004 when I got injured... again and decided not to go back. New Dojo, New Belt, coming soon. snazzed

I don't know about other branches of Shotokan Karate, but in the CSKA the red belt is a gimme-belt between white and yellow. Apparently a good number of Dojos in the CSKA are based in school gyms and they do regular intakes with the school semesters and testings at the end of them. A lot of people would start Karate in Spetember, get to the end of four months and try and test for Yellow. A good number would fail, lose confidence and quit. They introduced a Red belt between white and Yellow in order to boost confidence and keep students. Kinda serves the same purpose as "white with a stripe". Apparently in other styles red belt is just before or just after black. It was quite amusing at my first open tournaments, walking onto the mat with a white belt who thought "crap! I have to fight a RED belt?!" snazzed

Disclaimer: Since this is "Karate" topic, I'm going to use Karate terms... I wholeheartedly agree that the instuctor is the most important factor when choosing a particular dojo. However, since others have already covered this, I won't touch on it... one thing I would like to add is the students are also important as they reflect on the instructor. Watch both their skills and their interactions. If you are new to MAs, you may not know what to look for in a Sensei so look at the students. - Are they focused on what they are doing? - Looking at the different coloured belts are they roughly consistent in terms of skill level? - Do all the purple belts look about as good as eachother? - Are all the purples better than the Oranges? Few people have the determination to stick with a good MA school because, well, it is hard. It is physically demanding and you have to perform your techniques PERFECTLY. YEARS of practice! If there are too many upper belts there is a problem. If there aren't enough upper belts there is a problem. If the distribution seems really even, or top heavy, you're probably at a McDojo. The workouts probably arent' that hard and they probably pass out belts too easily. The class mostly black belts. If there are only precious few upper belts, and hordes of white and lower belts it may indicated the same thing. As a result of a poor instructor students may leave, getting frustrated, getting injured or not feeling a sense of earning their achievements. I also think that comradery is important. Watch the students before and after class. Are they friends? Does it seem like they may go check out the latest Jackie Chan movie as a group, or go out for Sushi? Are they practicing their Kata together, sparring or coaching eachother? Or do they wander about the dojo not interacting with other students? Does it look like they are not comfortable with eachother? I'm out of steam. I think I'll end my post here. snazzed

I could be wrong. I was told Shotokan meant "Fighting Tiger" by one of the senior belts at my first Dojo. *shrug* snazzed

One other thing I thought of while I was in the shower... Why is everyone so afraid of fighting a Dog? Why aren't we afraid of fighting eachother? The way I see it, the big difference is intent. When we fight on the street, we know, or at least we THINK, the guy on the street or in the bar just wants to knock us down and take our pride or money. Maybe he wants to prove himself or reaffirm his ego... We know what his intent is, and it doesn't involve the city morgue. What is the dogs intent? Do we know? Do we even think we know? Yes, most of us assume that dog wants wants us dead. Its going to fly at you with raging teeth and keep going until you don't move anymore. Is this true? Most of the time, no, it is not, dogs are just like we are. A trained guard dog or police dog is just like a trained Martial Artist. Trained Guard Dogs or Police Dogs We have been taught to approach a fight a certain way, and we have been trained to expect our adversary to respond in certain ways. The same goes for trained dogs. The are taught to attack people, grab the arm and haul them to the ground. Keep going at the arms or legs until the trainer says the magic word. A trained dog expects you to run. When he grabs at you he expects you to fall and yell and stuggle because thats what happened in training. He doesn't expect you to fight back, hitting and kicking, causing HIM pain. He expects to be the one in charge and calling the shots. As soon as you hit them, most dogs will stop and think, "Whoa, he just hit me and he's not scared. Whats going on here? This isn't the way it's supposed to work!". When it starts, you are the one in unfamiliar territory. You've never fought a dog before, how is this going to work? The dog, however, has been trained for this, he's comfortable, knows this situation and knows how to handle you. Once you hit him, the tables are turned. Now the dog is in an confused and in an unfamiliar situation, the playing field is level and you can fight him the same way you do a human... As a Martial Artist, this is YOUR territory! At this point, it is just like a street fight. You might be faster or stronger with better timing, or he might be. The winner will depend on the individuals, person and dog. What about the dog thats not trained to attack, but for some reason, here he is, running at you, teeth out, about to pounce? Untrained Canine Encounters Most of the time we think we know a persons intent when they attack. What if we KNEW this person intended to put us in the ground. No really. He's coming, fists or knife out, and he wants you DEAD. How do you treat this situation? Well, tell you the truth, the same way you handle the dog. Be calm, defend and counter and best of luck to you. Conclusion However, most of the time, even the surprise dog attaks have their reasons they don't include killing you and they are usually the same reasons we have street fights. Territory, fear, mental instability. The thing to remember is that we are animals too. A trained fighter can react just as quickly as the dog and is just as strong. There is no reason to fear the dog more than you fear the person. Hmmm... I think I'll submit this as an article. snazzed

Large German Sheppard. I was touring in Northern Ireland and decided to go check out a castle. Turned out t was privately owned, complete with Guard Dog. Yay. First off, let me say I am a dog lover and dogs love me. It is, in fact, one of the thing people notice about me. I'm like the frickin dog-whisperer. When a dog attacks you, first and foremost... 1) DO NOT PANIC. If you freeze up, the dog will just have it's way with you and you're toast. 2) Maintain a confident aggressive stance. Make yourself large and don't yell, but BELLOW at the dog. HEY! DOWN! BAD! NO! Whatever, as long as you're using low, loud authoritative tones. 3) Don't run. Ever. ALL dogs are faster than you over short distances. 4) Flowing from the above, do not turn your back, or even turn sideways to a dog. You look more vulnerable. Stay Square on to them. 5) Stay on your feet. Don't get into a wrestling match unless you and the dog are in the same weight class. Other than that, Aussie rules and it is the same as sparring with a human. Don't give him an obvious opening. Wait, watch and counter. For my story, the dog came tearing out of the yard barking in the most manic, frenzied way I had ever heard. Training took over and calm washed over me. Damn I sound cheesy, but thats what happened. I started to back off and brought my arms up beside my head in semi-boxer stance, saying HEY! NO! DOWN! HEY! The dog lunged at my leg and I reacted, simultaneously pulling back and hitting him. I wasn't quite fast enough on the pullback but I did have that leg out of his mouth before he had a good grip. At any rate, as I twisted and pulled back, I brought a hammer strike down on the side of his head... HARD. It didn't put him out, but it stunned him for a couple of seconds and it shut him up. I kept backing off but now I wasn't doing any yellling. I was too focused. He went back to his barking and snarling so I went back to my bellowing. He sounded mean but didn't come at me again. This went on for about another minute as I continued to back off. At this point the caretaker came out and called the dog off. He made up some bullsh1t story about kids stealing the BEWARE OF DOG signs. The caretaker looked confused at the fact I was still standing. Anyway, thats my story. Just remember, 1) DO NOT PANIC. 2) LARGE aggressive stance. 3) Yell or BELLOW at the dog. HEY! DOWN! BAD! NO! Low, loud authoritative tones. 4) Don't run. 5) Do not turn your back, or even turn sideways to a dog. 6) Stay on your feet. Don't get into a wrestling match with a big dog. 7) Defend and counter. Weak spots include the nose, throat, eyes. I know a fellow Kareteka who was attacked by a dog. The dog took a running jump at him. He sidestepped, putting a well timed fist into the side of it's head. The dog was dead before it hit the ground. Snazzed