cluelesskarateka

Wow!!! Thanks, those videos are fantastic. It's kinda scary how someone that age can move so well, I hope one day I'll be able to make similar claims, unlikely though. Thanks Y'all, its really helped clarify things.

From what I understand, it's like the transition from Fudo-Dachi to Zenkutsu-Dachi, in that it's more powerful because it allows greater hip movement, meaning the hips can potentially reach a higher speed than they would normally, thus adding power to the technique. How they do this remaining in front stance without corrupting it badly i don't know.

Hi y'all. This is specifically to any Shotokan practitioners, especially those who've trained with Mikio Yahara. I was reading an article about a course he did in Russia, and there was disscussion about increasing the hip movement in techniques, with a longer/lower Zenkutsu-Dachi and making the Hanmi position of the hips at 90degrees as opposed to 45. Can anyone explain these ideas to me, as it makes sense but i can't understand the necessary stance alterations to make this possible. Cheers y'all.

As far as I know, Taiji Kases legs didn't have any injuries, and Fudo-Dachi was used because it offers greater stability, freedom of movement, and also makes grabbing techniques easier due to stability. Fudo-Dachi is also easier on the ankles rather than the knees i'd say, as the knees are probably more bent in Fudo-Dachi than in Zenkutsu-Dachi. It might be said Fudo-Dachi is easier on the knees as it is easier to get the correct alignment of the knees in relation to foot position, whereas in Zenkutsu-Dachi it's quite common for the knees to be aligned poorly.

okies, if chambering is detrimental to kicking, as implied by several posts here, why do karate and taekwondo chamber? And i'm not going to accpet 'Tradition' as an answer. There has to be a benefit to chambering, otherwise people wouldn't have bothered doing it that way in the first place to create tradition. Incidently, did anyone see that UFC where someone was taken out by a Taekwondo spinning back kick? Thats just to liven things up a bit, because it seems quite common to view karate/taekwondo kicks as inneffective as they aren't usually seen in UFC, yet the time somone did do one he cleaned the other guy out. Peace out y'all, and excuse any ignorance

Hi y'all, just wondering if anyone can answer these queries definitively. I heard that Gichin Funakoshi had a hip injury/malformation that meant he couldn't practice the karate taught to him by Azato correctly, which is why Yoshitaka's karate was so different from his fathers. Hence why Gichin Funakoshi's stances were al so high. Also I heard at some point early in his career, possibly while in China, that Nakayama Sensei suffered a severe spinal injury, which is why his posture sometimes looks incorrect, and why his kicks didn't meet his own specifications in Dynamic Karate (check up on the foot position for mawashigeri if you're wondering). Thanks y'all.

As my instructor has close ties with Shirai, I'm hoping to get to train with him at some point, and I'm glad of my position, as most of the courses Shirai Sensei does now are invite only. That said, I need to get a lot better before I can even think about it. Have you ever trained with Kase Sensei Miller? Peace out y'all PS. As I said before, I wasn't annoyed, so all is cool. That said, if I could find a short cut that worked I'd be very tempted

Well Miller, I understand what you're saying, and agree wholeheartedly, my own sensei has been doing Shotokan for 30+ years, and his kicks are magnificent, probably partly due to being a student of Shirai Sensei. But I was wondering more about why other martial arts tend not to kick in this manner, and why Shotokan chooses to kick in this manner, as many other methods of kicking have been proven effective. So I'm more looking for the technical advantages of Shotokan style. I'm not annoyed, but I'm not looking for 'short-cuts', if i was i wouldn't still be doing Shotokan. No offence intended. Peace out y'all

Hi y'all, I was just talking with a friend/training partner after a session, and we got onto the topic of why Shotokan kicks like it does. I mean, it doesn't seem to generate particularly good impact, certainly compared to kickboxers and muay thai, and from what I've seen from NHB tournaments its very unusual to see anyone kick in a karate style. So why do we kick like we do? It seems to be harder to kick in a karate way than a kickboxer way. Just to balance this though, the famous Bill Wallace kicks in a very karate way, and seems to have done very well from it. So could it simply be that karate kicks are possibly more effective than kickboxing kicks, but require a much higher level of proficiency? Dang, wish i knew what i was talking bout. Peace out y'all PS, from what i've heard, most of the well known karate kicking techniques, such as sokuto/yokogeri kekomi, mawashi geri, etc. even in none Shotokan styles are descended from the methods pioneered by Yoshitaka Funakoshi, and initially only used by Shotokan stylists, and were later assimilated by other styles when they were proved effective in the old inter-dojo competitions. I also heard from my instructor that karate kicks were designed by Yoshitaka to be used as counter attacks, rather than as actual offensive techniques. PPS By kickboxers kick i mean a kick with little/no chamber, that it more like a swing of dead weight rather than a snap.

About kicking to the chin, if your opponent is standing straight/naturally it won't work, because the trajectory(sp?) means it will contact with the chest first. As for if they're doubled over, i see no point in using this rather than kingeri. What I'm trying to understand is why change a maegeri to a yokogeri keage, as everything you can do with a yokogeri keage you can already do with a maegeri.

Hello all, this question goes out to everyone, though is only really relevant to Shotokan people. Whats the point of Yokogeri keage(side up/snap kick)? Because i've been looking at it lately, and in the lower level kata's it's almost as common as the front kick, but seems infinitely less useful. Answers anyone?

Interesting looking thread. Well, Samurai connections to karate do exist, but it depends on the style. I'll just state what i've heard. Firstly, Wado-ryu karate is 70 percent shindo yoshin ryu jujutsu, and jujutsu is a samurai art correct? There's one link, but admittedly it's not of the sort usually made. And the other bit of trivia I've heard is that Ankoh Azato, teacher of Funakoshi Gichin and Gigo/Yoshitaka actually studied Jigen Ryu swordsmanship, which may have included open hand techniques of some description. Azato took inspiration from Jigen Ryu and modified the karate he already knew, which he passed on to Funakoshi, this is part of the reason why Shotokan karate is radically different from the okinawan karates. For more information on this type of thing with Shotokan search for Taiji Kase, or Steve Cattle. I'm not sure how accurate this stuff is, but its what i've heard, and i'd rather believe that than think Shotokan is so different simply because its teachers didn't know what they were doing. .... wish i knew what i was talking about....

Interesting site, sounds like his grudge against karate is partly due to bad relationships with karate people, and partly because it was of no benefit to him, IE it didn't (in his eyes) help his fighting ability, of course just because karate didn't improve his fighting ability doesn't make it an ineffective art. By the sounds of it he could have taken up origami and still been a great fighter (hmmm, I know I've borrowed that from someone, just can't think who...). Anyway, that's just my 2 pence.

I'll add my two pence here. When training bunkai (or making it up if thats what you want to call it) I tend to first work out one or two applications in response to punch and kick, which are trained in a formal manner, IE not necessarily realist, and more centered around principals and technique, as in gohon and ippon kumite. I will then try to find some grappling/locking/takedowns for the same movement, again practiced in a formal manner. Afterwards I'll try to create some more 'realistic' bunkai, where the attack is maybe one or at most two movements, and the response is in the form of a combination usually consisting of strikes, followed by either a lock throw or takedown, which requires no partner compliance and should be usuable in jiyu kumite (free sparring, not point sparring). Also after having found several applications for a series of move i may change the order to create different combinations. Doing it this way is moderately throrough, though i know there is much more depth in kata, including things such as strategies for combat as well as actual moves. I'm currnetly about four moves into Tekki Nidan doing it this way, and I've been looking at it for quite some time.....

Thanks for the great replies everyone, some of them i already knew about, such as walking in stance with nigiri-game, but i think i'll take a look at the higaonna dvd. Cheers

Hi guys(and gals), I was wondering if any Goju (or any other styles it's relevant to) practitioners could describe some Hojo Undo exercises for the nigiri-gami (sp?) and chi-ishi, as i've had a look around the net and haven't had any luck finding sites with descriptions of exercises. Cheers guys

Sauzin, I think your post helped me more than anything i could say, "We like to grapple so that we can get into a better position to hit you some more." Grappling is used as a means to an end, putting you in a better position to strike, and as such the emphasis is on striking, as you grapple to strike, not strike to grapple. As you said at the end of your post, it's about movement, and being in the right situation to throw/lock/strike, my objection is that people are trying to make every situation one for a lock or throw, and ignoring strike even though they may be more appropriate. Also, i don't feel grappling is inherently complicated, i feel that people are making it unnecessarily complicated. And if it's used in the right situation it won't seem complicated! Hah! My ignorance provides me with invincibility! But seriously, sorry if i'm offending by ranting with misconceptions...

Hi guys, just to clear my position, I don't disagree with there being locks and throws in karate, sometimes you'd have to be blind not to see them (opening move of Gankaku/Chinto, final move's of Heian Godan [not necessarily Pinan Godan though], yamazuki in Bassai Dai to name a few), it's just i feel some people over emphasize them, and try to make everything into a lock or throw, in the book Barefoot Zen (can't remember who it's by) the author shows applications to Naifanchin/Tekki which are excessively complicated and result in an Aikdio style Nikyo immobilisation. I feel some people are trying to shoe-horn in techniques, which results in them seeming overly complicated and unnatural, and also by-passing some very simple effective techniques. Finally (as an end to my ranting ) while i'll admit there has been a bias towards striking (mainly as a result of people not finishing their 'education' before beginning to teach) karate still is primarily a striking art, with relatively limited throwing and locking techniques, if you doubt this, look at traditional Okinawan Goju Ryu. *prays hoping the post actually says what i want it to say*

Hiya, newby to the forums, but i've been reading them for awhile. I've recently been looking at a lot of books on kata applications, as quite a lot seem to have been coming out recently, and it seems an awful lot of the authors seem to be turning the kata into Aikido routines. I know there are a few exceptions, but it seems worryingly frequent that people are trying to turn every move in the kata into a lock or throw, as opposed to more 'traditional' block counter applications, which are predominantly striking based. Thoughts anyone....

Noob here, and would it be too controversial to suggest that high kicks are effective, its just few people will put the effort into learning how to use them properly and develop the necessary speed? In regards to Tae Kwon Do practitioners, I'd say most (not all!) lose a lot of incentive to develop fast kicks as most of their sparring is kick vs kick, as opposed to developing a kick to be used against a punch. No offence intended, though i probably reek of ignorance....