kivikala

For what it's worth, we follow some contrived habit that was taught to us long, long time ago. Right or wrong, our bow is slight, no more than 30 degrees from the hips. It is done slowly and deliberately. Sometimes the bow is just a small almost imperceptible incline of the upper body. It depends on situation and circumstance. We bow not looking at the other persons eyes but usually the area of the hollow of the throat. Here the theory was that when addressing a senior we do not look in them in the eyes lest we appear to be pretentious or challenging. We do similarly for juniors so's not to appear to be overbearing or demeaning. As for an opponent we do not want the opponent to read our intentions. We like to have the element of surprise on our side, so we slightly avert our eyes, nor do we want to be locked in by a powerful fixed gaze should the opponents spirit be extremely strong. The image here is like being a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. (Moral: Don't be a deer!) As was mentioned earlier it also is less "challenging" this way. Also, by looking at the neck area we can "see" breathing, and catch very small shifts of body weight without having to scan our opponent due to peripheral vision being able to see everything from head to foot. One glance reveals all. It's all part of heiho, strategy, to overcome your opponent before the fight begins. After the bow, a unexpected quick flash to the eyes with a momentarily locked gaze will hopefully unsettle the opponent. It is here, in this split second, that the outcome is determined. However, the bow is always respectful and heart-felt. I believe never be dishonest with a bow. This way even the slightest acknowledgment has great meaning. Sometimes I think bowing is an art, not unlike cha-no-ryu (tea ceremony). It has to be practiced with your soul to understand its meaning.

I believe the key to endurance kibe-dachi practice is simply spirit. Having the will to "tough it out" to carry on with strong focus and determination. There is no "practice" for this. You just "do it". You endure. Having gone through something like twenty special training's with Tsutomu Ohshima and having to endure 90 minutes of kibe-dachi practice in each, I have seen the efforts of beginners and long-time black belts. The first timers easily withstood the ordeal with gentle words of encouragement (i.e. 150 people yelling at them to get lower or we'll have to start all over again!) After the first time it's all down hill from there. That is until next session where you have to do... 45 minutes kokutsu-dachi on each leg! Somehow everyone always completes the practice.

My classes are pretty uniform as we practice basic techniques in the form of the Shotokan's Ten-no-kata Omote at the beginning of each and every class for about 10 minutes. After that we will branch in to more varying kihon (basics) for about 20 mins and then Kata (forms) for an hour and kumite (sparring) for a half-hour after that (actual times may vary from class to class).

no patches.

I can sympathize with instructors and the "pressure" they have in keeping a good kids program operating. I normally run a mixed adult & kids class but once upon a time, insanity overcame me and I created a separate kids class. It was great, it was fun to teach, the kids were good and the money was more than the school made from regular classes. Then came the grading. Between the kids and the parents I don't know who was worse. Trying to "please" everyone was a mistake because the person who was the most unhappy was myself. It was a juggling act to be fair, keep students, please parents and keep to my own standards. Stress, ya. Nothing big, but just everyday a nagging issue here or there. It sucked the fun out of teaching. So I stopped the kids only classes and returned to my mixed classes and everything returned to normal. I was happy, the students were happy, all was good again. I have to applaud instructors that have the nerves of steel it takes to run a successful kids program and not go nuts trying. I do enjoy teaching kids. I now teach an occasional kids class in another school, but I don't have to worry about any of the administrative headaches (i.e. grading, attendance, whatever), all I do is teach. It's like being a grand parent who gets to visit and spoil the kids for a day. Life is good.

Having been in the trades a few years back, I recall doing a house remodel, and a bathroom wall that had to be removed. A few strategic nails cut with a sawsall and my best palm strike *blam*, one wall now flattened. I just wish somebody had a video camera.

For our school we have a couple of rather strict rules which result in immediate dismissal. First and foremost is any signs of disrespect to anyone in the school. Second is a strong prohibition on dueling or "showing off" outside of the school. The third is never show up to class intoxicated. (i.e. no drugs, no booze). Sadly, we once had to dismiss a student for "showing off". It was a difficult thing as the student was one of our best sankyu students. A simple lapse of judgement on his part ended his training with us.

I used to be pretty open with my students, but I've grown more recluse over the years and find it affords me the ability to teach without worrying about personalities or politics. It allows my judgement and teaching to be dispassionate and equal to all.

For my school we have a teaching certificate/license given to those black belts that I feel could sucessfully operate a dojo on their own. (whether or not they persue this is up to them.) Not all black belts got them. This was instituted some 25 years ago when I learned some one (not a student of mine) claimed to have studied under me and was even teaching my specific curriculum (which they were not). I suppose mimicry is a sincere form of flattery but I was not amused. To avoid such confusion I issued specific certificates to indicate who was "authorized". Not that the certificates were worth anymore than the paper itself, it was a matter of pride (and good marketing) for the legitimate teachers to beable to identify themselves. It was sort of a "If it doesn't say Sunkist on the label, you don't know what you are getting" sort of thing. The certificate thing was hardly original as we received similar certificates from Seishinkai many years before when we were promoted to identify us as teachers. For what it's worth...

I think ranks/belts are a good thing. Why? Well, they provide a yardstick for self-measurement. They give some standard within a school to help the beginner keep on track or a least focused. They are a problem when they become THE reason for training. Here I think the focus would be all wrong. Rank systems work well within a specific school or organization. Outside of that things break down rather quickly. Comparing ranks between dissimilar schools is a pointless exercise. A rank-a-holic attitude has grown in dramatic magnitudes since I began. Case in point, when I was at my peak inter-dojo visiting all ranks across almost every style was very very close to one another. Be it a Goju, Uechi, Shotokan, Shito, Shorin, or any other Japanese/Okinawan style (even some kenpo and Taekwondo too) The ranks and their requirements were so similar it was a trivial matter for a student to train in multiple schools and keep things straight. Outside of some different kata (which "different" is a relative term) there was no big wooptido about it. The reality was a brown belt in school X was every bit as good as one in school Y and all black belts had an amazing degree commonality to them. It was what I refer to as good. Measure for measure people were relatively equal. This made tournaments fun. Cross training in styles easy and everyone knew where they stood in the world. There was no central governing organization, just people being honest and working in their respective art. But something changed. Now it seems there is such a divide between ranks and schools that nothing matches up anymore. Some schools set their standards lower to get more back belts faster, Others set their standards so high to promote high turnover or keep a sustaining cash flow. Whatever the reason a brown belt here is not the same as a brown belt there. But I still think ranks/belts are a good thing. At least now there are so many pretty colors.

We encountered our first and last challenge many years ago. Those days it was expected that some miscreant would come in off the street and try to trash the school. In our case, three guys from the local (and rather nasty) biker gang decided to express their dominion over our school. After ten minutes, the dust settled, all three saw the light, got religion, and joined the school. No one ever bothered the school since and 36 years later, one of them still calls me sensei.

In my school, I have no problem with someone wearing a black belt from a different "style". To me karate is karate, there is little difference between styles that should negate a black belt. I would hope the individual would rise to, or exceed, the level of expectations. If not, it will be a lesson in humility. However, if they are a different "art", then they start from the beginning. I.e. I'd no more wear my karate black belt to a judo school than I'd expect them to wear their rank in mine. I am sure that experience in martial training will speed up the learning process but the rank requirements between arts are usually as different as night and day.

To add to the list for my school... 7th kyu - white 6th kyu - white 5th kyu - white 4th kyu - white 3rd kyu - brown 2nd kyu - brown 1st kyu - brown 1st dan - black

The sai is a wonderful weapon. It offers challenges for the student to overcome in the process of learning and rewards of phenomenal dexterity and general hand-eye coordination. The weapon itself is very versatile as well as difficult to master and generally commands great respect if you can prove to be accomplished with it. Training is simple, something that I think many people have forgotten. They key is practice. Repetitive, dull, boring, sometime painful if you should drop a sai on the foot. But the whole thing boils down to there are no shortcuts, it is all work. Sai basics pretty much follow unarmed blocking patterns (inside/outside/up/down) and striking patterns (flip out, twist in, flip down, scoop up) along with thrusting using either end we have a total of 10 basic maneuvers. Practice is the same as its unarmed cousin. Drill after drill, after drill. There just isn't any other way. When I started MA, I was told you can not use any technique until you master it. So my approach has been practice a technique until my arm feels like it wants to fall off then double again whatever I did. It wasn't to learn "fancy flashing stuff" just sound solid techniques. Practicing the basics you learn intuitively the mechanics of your hand and arm. And later you learn by just picking something up you can instinctively find the balance point. This for me, by constant repetitive practice, I can pick up almost any stick-like object (except a wet noodle) and use it effectively as a sai. My personal favorite practice now is using a pair of nijuushisun-no-kudatsuru instead of sais. (rather untraditional but it gives your arms a great workout.) I use this dry, boring method for my students so they can appreciate their overall skill not just their ability with a single weapon. From this they can leap into almost any hand held weapons training and be well ahead of the game. Learning the sai should be under the guidance of a qualified instructor, anything less is just a waste of time.

What seems like long ago, in a galaxy far away, a rag tag bunch of karate-ka were asked to do a demo of Gojuryu Sanchin kata at a small inter-dojo tournament. Since none of the other participates were familiar with Goju Sanchin these rag tag karate-ka decided to show off some of the training involved. Anyone familiar with Sanchin kata knows a slow moving breathing kata that is under 20 moves is as exciting as watching grass grow. So while the one of the karate-ka performed the kata the other would routinely break sticks about the size of 2x2s on the others body, arms and legs. The net result, the cost of the wood, about $10, the absolute dead silence from the audience, pricelesss. This could only be done, by slow steady de-sensitizing of the skin and profound concentration within the kata. There is no trick, it take long hard work and willingness to sacrifice some short term sensitivity to touch. It is painful, it would be a lie to deny that. But the training is to be stoic about the whole thing and show no pain, no emotion whatsoever. It's not fun and was never meant to be. It also was never meant as long term daily abuse either. It is some thing you learn from and gives you inner strength to draw from when ever you need it. But in the end, I believe just proper Sanchin training will achieve this without the need of harsh and potentially harmful methods. But then again you don't know for sure until some whacks you with that stick.

Moderate practice over time using a makiwara, I believe will produce good results. Proper training in this is important as mistakes can be costly. Proper fist alignment, and using good, but not excessive striking power can achive much in the way of knuckle toughening. Like everything in life moderation is the key. Excessive practice leads to injuries, and damage that takes time to heal which sets back your training. Now, what is moderate to me, may be a different story to you. You have to figure that part out for yourself.

It is not "Americanization" per say. If anything it is just a copy-cat of the problem that already plagued Japan during Funakoshi's time. Michi (street) dojos we popping up faster than cell-phone stores. It seemed like anyone with a days worth of training was opening a new dojo and becoming a master of this or that. To the way I hear it told it was epidemic in proportion. Here in the US we are just "following tradition" hehehe.

I'd have to agree with the previous post, it all depends on the school or style. Mostly I think it is a personal preference, there is no "right way" nor and "wrong way". I started with Goju ryu and we tied the belt smooth with no crossover in the back. As best I can remember "everyone" did it that way. I've visited many different schools and they too tied the belt with no cross. It was only in the late 70's at a tournament did I ever notice the first crossed back. No big deal. Now how about those velcro belts? I wonder if they come with pre-crossed back?

Considering that "karate" never left Japan until after WWII. I figure here in the US "Old school" starts sometime in the mid-50's. Before that, it was "no school".

Old school, hmmm... I began in '59 and my classes are still taught the way I was taught. Not much has changed in forty-six years. Training is harsh and demanding, to some, perhaps insane. The aspirations are to push ourselves beyond our perceived limits. It's not about fighting, self-defense or even kata. We are here polishing our own mentality and doing a practice, and in some small way to benefit the community. Anyone who wanted to tag along with us on the road we follow has always been welcome. It's the journey, not the destination. This is old school.

The topic is a bit old but there are some good questions asked, and with anything in life there is often no wrong answers. "Should I expect a good work out from an MA class?" I believe that any good MA program will have it share of aerobic activity. Baring that most workouts should be strenuous. I feel you should leave a workout tired but elated. The workout should push you to your limits and just a bit beyond so you have to constantly grow to keep up. But not so much that it destroys you in the process. "Is there a big risk of injury (I unjured my knee during a throw last night) with all MA types or just some?" Various MA have more or less risks depending on the activity. A well run class geared to the level of participants should not result in any injuries at all. I do not count sore muscles as injuries. Properly trained, and provided you learn, you should not be injured in any class. "If I am more interested in sport and conditioning than self-defense is MA right for me?" That depends on the school. For my school I'd have to say what I teach and how I teach does not match your goals. Another school may be entirely different. "Because only two of us signed up, I am thinking the class may terminate, is there a particular MA type that could be recommended for my situation?" Again that depends on the school, the students, the programs offered. It's sort of like would you expect much turnout at say weight-watches for a karate class? "The class is supposed to be an hour and my instructor cuts it off at 45 minutes, is 45 minutes the norm for MA classes?" Again this varies per school. For myself a minimum of 2 hours and not a second less is what I feel should be offered. I'd like to see the old days again where 3 and 4 hour classes were the norm. I can't count the number of times I got home after midnight. A 2 hour workout gives appropriate time for warmups and warmdowns, time to introduce new techniques and review old stuff, plenty of time for kata and kumite so everyone gets to participate. At the HS I teach I had to pull teeth to get my MA classes as double sessions (2 x 55min blocks) so I would have enough time to actually teach something rather than just babysit for 55 minutes. So to me, anything less than 2 hours is just short of criminal.

You are facing 2 issues. One is ideology about the style. The other is individual egos. The ideology part is in my mind something you either accept or leave. Right or wrong, it sounds like there is a movement there and your club and associated groups have enough different mind-views to effect a radical change. If you do not fit that group you are in the wrong club. The personalities and their egos drive this and if they are resistive to moderation and rational discussion then they have lost the way and are caught up in the movement. Arguing probably will not solve anything and only create emnity. Your post sounds like you need gather your strength and either ride the storm or seek safer harbors. It is all up to you and what you value most. Life is too short to play silly games in this area.

For me the issue of lineage is important. Now, I only speak for myself as my view doesn't matter a hill-o-beans to anyone else, and everyone should seek their own raison d'être. For myself, style-lineage means more than "name dropping" or other superficial references. The lineage one attests to, reflects "transmission". What I mean by this is the correct and accurate transfer of a systems technical style and method of teachings. This includes everything from idealism, philosophy, long term goals, and all that soft, "people stuff" as well a technical nuances, such as ura and omote. To further clarify a bit, it is training to a level where one is authorized to teach that system. It doesn't make the person "the know it all", but capable of carrying on and advancing as the original teacher saw fit. Taking a lesson here or there doesn't count. Claiming lineage A, B, C is informative, as it should be. If one is pretentious about it, then perhaps it is no more than "name-dropping", or a misaligned sense of Budo. So to me those with solid background and history supporting their teaching, they should be proud (within limits) to display their lineage. It tells me the history and source of their knowledge, it indicates how different or alike our training is. It could even show a close bond we have that we were not aware of. So that said, I feel my own small and humble style-lineage is unimportant and of no value but to myself, so you get no stories from me today.

I am going to claim relative ignorance here but out of curiosity I did some searching... Shuko-kai is a Shito-ryu offshoot. Shito-ryu is not all that different from Shotokan except there are a whole lot more kata in Shito-ryu. Shuko-kai from what I see on the web appears to look pretty "shotokan-ish" to me. As for the main subject, Seiku-kai, being they actually have the name "shotokan" in their title would make me believe they are an offshoot there but no where can I find any direct connection. Having some sort of implied alliance with Shuko-kai make it even more confusing. So my SWAG at this is that Seiku-kai is a shotokan sub-set but politically aligned outside of the shotokan structure. It appears to be more sports oriented. But the web site on the specific school does not seem to support this. Thus, confusion. Are they or aren't they? I've had fun chasing down the info for you but at this point you are on your own. Go visit and ask this Takahashi dude what's his story.

All the previous advice about becoming a knowledgble "consumer" is very wise and should be taken to heart. This may sound a bit flippant, but I believe it presents a good strategy to get started. Once you have "eliminated" the truely "bad" schools in your area... open the phone book, "X" out the bad ones, get a dart, step back 8 feet or so and throw the dart into the open phone book. Go join the school it lands cloest to. Life is simple.