Rain

It is very important that "Shidokan" is incorporated into the title. Karatedo is way to generic. You need to have pride in your style and show it like it is. I've done a bit of research on Shidokan and I think it is an awesome style. If you are the only Shidokan dojo in the city, I think it would be simple and perfect to name it: Shidokan Dojo of (city name).

It is a lot to think about--not just about mothers, but women in general. Sometimes culture can become debilitating to individual potential. There are men who think female fighters are a joke, but what I find much worse are women who think the same way.

At my dojo, the belt is tied with the middle of the belt in front and then the two end cross over at the back. If you do it correctly, there should be a perfect overlap of the two ends at the back that diverge when they reach the front, with one end under the belt and one end over (where it is then knotted). I couldn't get it right until I continuously and patiently observed my peers. Even then, I am still not 100% sure if I knotted it right, but at least now it looks neat. Yes, it does get quite hot during hot days. Usually, I would just wear a sporting bra under. And yes, my gi always come undone for all of the training my style ensues (hard-contact karate) but I don't mind at all. In fact, I like to 'rough-up' my gi. But now I'm going off on a tangent. Anyway, I think you are right Freddy, because thats exactly what I assumed when people started talking about a 'fortune-cookie' knot. But that's just my intuition.

Shidokan is a great style. I don't know if you are familiar with Kyokushin, but Shidokan is actually a derivative of that style. According to the official website, Shidokan is a "combination of Goju-Ryu, Shotokan, Kyokushinkai and Thai Boxing." Shidokan branched out of Kyokushin in 1981 through Yoshiji Soeno. Coincidentally, that is also the same year my dojo branched out of Kyokushin. I personally prefer hard-contact styles like Kyokushin and Muay Thai, as well as certain Kyokushin derivatives. The only Shidokan dojo that I know of in the U.S. is located in Chicago, so it is not well-known in the states. I don't know how it is in Lituania, though, but I'm glad you are enjoying it. Here the link to the official U.S. site for those who are interested: http://www.shidokan.com/index.html

I agree with kenpo_fighter. For me, training in my gi is like showing up to work in professional attire--and then some. Wearing a gi is a custom and a tradition, part of the culture I embraced the day my dojo adopted me.