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I have a few books of the "Best Karate" series and none of them explains the bunkai for katas. Is it in one of the later volumes?

The first "Freeze" is a little misleading because you don't really stop, at least not between the first and second move for example (downblock then punch). What you really are doing is "tensing" the muscles in the last part of the move, whereas everything leading to that final fraction of a second was "relaxed". It's easier said than done though so I wouldn't concentrate on that as a beginner. The reason a beginner might stop between the block and the punch is more to show control of the stance. A beginner will not execute the block properly ("rush it") if they try to move immediately to the punch. There is a rythm to Heian Shodan however. Basically the moves between the turns are part of a "set" and there shouldn't be a pause between the two (just the "tensing" mentionned above). There is also a difference in rythm in the 3 uper blocks in a row and the 3 punches "on the way back": mark a slight pause after the first one, but do the 2nd and 3rd one back to back (they're the high energy point and that's where you kiai). Other tips: (a lot of those are basic tips for all katas) - move your head before you execute a turn, think of it as looking at your "enemy". So from the starting position, look sharply to the left, then execute your down block followed by the punch. then look back over your right shoulder and turn to block there, etc... - look straight ahead when executing a technique, do not look down - do not lift your feet while you step (for example between the first block and the punch that follows it). slide your foot "as if there was only a piece of rice paper between it and the floor"). Also make sure you do a crescent step (the middle of the step bring the right foot at the center next to the left one, so it draws a "crescent" rather than a straight line) - because Heian Shodan has few techniques, and they are "basic", they must be executed "prefectly". As pointed out earlier it starts by having good stances. - in karate the power comes from the hips, so good stances means good hip rotation. - Don't think as kata as "preparing you for self-defense", so yes, you probably want to do lower stances that one would in sparring for example. Even though it's one of the first katas you learn in Shotokan, it is quite hard to "master" and my Sensei always find things he want black belts to correct with this kata. A lot of them have to do with that "tensing" I talked about above, and a lot is also about perfect balance, nitpicking about where on your foot your weight is so that you are never in a risk of being off balance even for a split second.

pants above the ankles, sleeves just below the elbow. That seems to be the "traditionnal" cut for Shotokan (I have the kata books for the "Best Karate" series and my gi is cut like the ones from the pictures in the book). If your style has more grappling I'd say wear longer sleeves to save wear and tear on the arms. Don't roll your sleeves on the outside or someone could catch a finger (thumb especially) in the cuff during sparring and get hurt (our dojo will not allow cuffs on the outside). AS far as the waist, I wear a size 6 when my body length is really more like a 5 so I tend to pull it pretty high up, but I'd prefer it lower.

Since our dojo is affiliated with the ISKF, tests can only be administered by a certified ISKF examiner and are formally recorded in the ISKF rosters. That means they tend to be more formal and planned. it also means that there is less variance from one ISKF affiliated dojo to another, although I'm there is still some. Since ISKF Mountain States is headed by Sensei Yaguchi (8th degree), who is a JKA instructor, you can bet that you have to earn your belt, especially your dan levels.

in our dojo only women are allowed to wear Tshirts under their gi's

I do have a yard but it's too soggy to use, although that time of the year is coming again! Even with the furniture moved, I only have room for one step back or forward and sort of enough room for a turn, so I still can't practice an entire kata. That doesn't mean I can't practice, I just can't practice an entire kata from end to finish. I found it detrimental to practice a kata "piecemeal" so when I have limited room I practice combinations of moves that require no more than one step back or forward. There are lots of combinations that can be done in that little space and it's still great practice. Sensei is always full of ideas of new combinations to do and some of them can combine pretty intricate sequences of blocks, punches and kicks, I've started to think of some of those as "pocket kata". You can still practice that fast or slow, etc... I travel a lot for business to and those are also good to do in a hotel room, especially since a lot of them have a full length mirror wher you can check your form. I still would love to be able to practice full katas at lunch though

Lucky you I wish i had something like that! I have nowhere to train for kata outside of the dojo and my wife insists on having furniture in every room of the house so I have nowhere to practice kata at home either.

It's interesting becuase I don't really care if the guy next to me is better or worse than me even though he's got the same belt. It's my training and my journey. I guess that's the problem I have with belts, they're a "public" display. I don't know if every Aikido dojo is like this but my friend does Aikido and they test for the next rank, but everyone wears the same color: the students wear white and shodan and above wear black (which you can't really see in aikido because of the funny black pants they wear, I won;t even venture a spelling for what they're called ) That system would suit me just fine.

I think kenpo is somewhat unique in the karate family by having so many named "combinations". I don't use the name "technique" because it's somewhat vague. In shotokan (or at least the way my sensei teaches), a technique is a single "move", so if you block then kick then punch, it's 3 techniques in a row. The block, the punch and the kick will have a name of their own, but they're simply descriptive like "inside outstide block", "roudhouse kick", ... or their japanese equivalent which is just as descriptive...as long as you speak japanese or learn the words for "block", "kick", ...

Passing a belt test is both a recognition of higher skill level and an encouragement to keep going, the second one being maybe more important for children. In the ideal situation, the fee for testing should go to someone else than the school/dojo. This way the instructor has not incentive to make you test if you're not ready, and pass you even though you're not ready. Ideally also, your instructor should be able to advise you that maybe you're not ready to test.

When we do our katas, each karateka is invited to stay and perform the same kata if they can follow along. If not, they perform any previous kata. This way, no one is left out of the kata training. I think that beginners just get tired after performing the few katas they know anyway. We sometimes do the "mixed bag" thing, where Sensei will tell you to choose your favorite kata, or your last favorite, or... As a lower rank belt I enjoy watching the higher rank katas, shows me what I can look forward to, but it also allows me to compare the way they do "basic" techniques to the way I perform them. Like an earlier poster said, you can learn a lot by just watching.

Is it a high quality Gi? If it's a McDojo I doubt it, I checked out the Gis at the local McDojo here and you can pick up something equivalent for around $30 on the Internet. KarateDepot.com has pretty cheap prices and low shipping rates. Not Tokaido quality obviously...

does your local chapter have its own camp? Here at Mountain States we have a 3 day camp in August that is sort of a mini-camp, but much easier for me since it's about 40 miles from home, and with Yaguchi Sensei (8th dan) and other top-notch instructors, it's bound to be an invaluable experience.

FYI, here's a link to the ISKF (International Shotokan Karate Federation) Master camp: http://www.iskf.com/mastercamp/index.htm , it has pics and stuff and shows you what one camp can be like. of course two camps are not necessarily alike. I'm going to try and attend the ISKF Mountain States camp this summer if I can get time off work.

My dojo is small so classes have mixed belts from white belts to nidan, the upper belts always practice lower katas with the lower belts, so they get to do Heian Shodan jsut about every single class. Often Sensei will ask them to concentrate a particular aspect of a technique, and once in a while he'll have them do them differently, for example mirror image (start to the right instead of the left), or with eyes, closed, do them in super slow motion when the lower belts do it at normal speed, etc... He always seem to find something for them to improve on... as the class progresses the lower belts progressively move to the back of the dojo until the black belts are the only ones left doing bb katas...

I would have been interested in trying kempo but the only kenpo dojo in my area is the archetype of the McDojo. Used car salesman pitch and one year unbreakable contract required included.

which pretty much makes the point that every dojo is different.

Karatekid101: ENDEVER?

My 7 year old and I started Shotokan karate a while back, and our "treat" for passing our kyu exam is going to get a gi (our dojo doesn't require them for lower level colored belts). I'm not interested in dropping $100 on a gi at this time, especially for my son who is growing fast,, maybe that'll come later. I'd like whatever we get to last about 2 years, by then we'll know if we're sticking to it ans serious about it and can upgrade our gis (and my son will have outgrown whatever we get now). Do you guys have any recommendation for beginners/students gis? Our dojo is not air conditionned in the summer and can get quite hot, so I was thinking about going middleweigth for myself and maybe cheaper 8 or 10 oz poly/blend for my kid. what are good places to buy them on the 'net and what brands would you recommend? There seem to be many brands in the $35 range and it's ahrd for me to choose: - poly/cotton blend or 100% cotton? - elastic waist or drawstring? - 8oz? 10oz? 12oz? 14oz? As a bonus question I'm 5'10 and 210lbs (I know, I know, too much of it is in the belly) with fairly broad shoulders but "stout" (as in slightly shorter than average) legs, so I'm not sure what size to get since I get different answers if I go by weight or size. My sensei tells me I'd be a 6 in a Tokaido but it looks like more expensive brands (like Tokaido, Satori-gi, Kamikaze) are slightly smaller than cheap ones (like KD).