searcher

As it has already been said, observe the instructors and then design your teaching style around the framework that they have. If it is at all possible go visit other instructors of Shotokan that are in and not in your organization. This will expand your exposure to different teaching styles and how other people react to different teaching styles. Even though you have stated that you want to teach a specific style, add some other styles to your own knowledge base. This will also show you other ways of teaching and give you more knowledge to pass on to your students. You need to start assisting as soon as you can to "get your feet wet." You might not like teaching once you start teaching, it is better to find this out as soon as you can. If you plan on opening your own school take some marketing, business, psychology, and sociology classes at your local college or university. The last thing is to get yourself some anti-acid and ibuprofen to help out with all of the frustration that comes with the growing pains of learning to teach. Lastly, ask other instructors about the things they would have done differently when they were learning. Cumunication is the key to learning.

You might want to check out an Iaido school or Haidong Gumdo. They both have solo forms. Some Kenjutsu schools also have solo forms. Sorry I can't be of more help, the styles of Kenjutsu and Bokken-jutsu that My Wife study use a lot of paired kata. If you are looking for just any school that might teach Katana, look in the Yellow Pages and than tell us what type of schools you have in your area.

I agree with shorinryu sensei. There are many self-promoted masters in the world. IMHO it would be better to master an already recognized system and see if there is anything you can improve on in that system. It would at leats give you a basis to start formulating your own style. I have just begun to scratch the surface of the different styles that I have studied and I have "improved" small areas of some of them, but I am nowhere near ready to formulate my own style. Now if you are ready to formulate your style or you have already done this, then set up some demos, give some free clinics, attend tourneys, and get some students. The students will be some of the biggest help in that if they are impressed they will bring in their friends and then they will do the same and so on. If you don't mind my asking, what is your motivation for creating "your" new style?

He is right you need to "shop around" for what is good for you. See what is in your area and go try it out. If it is not what you want then try something else. I played football from 7th grade up through college and I have found that several styles have fit nicely into helping me with my athleticism.

As in Sauzin's post Bugei.com has some very fine swords and they are readily available to the public. They are actually a very good deal starting at around $1000. Now if you want a handmade sword it is going to cost you a very large ammount of money. My wife has a custom made and it is almost outrageous at how much they are worth. If you have any metal and woodworking skills you can get a blade form Atlanta Cutlery and do the work yourself. If you just want one to show off, you might want to get a Century sword or any other comparable weapon. No matter which weapon you choose it would be a very good idea to dull the blade and get some training. The training will let you go to bed each night with all of your body parts in the same place they were when you got up in the morning. For training purposes I suggest getting a bokken and training with that for a long time before picking up the "live" blade. But do not think that just because it is made of wood that it is not dangerous. Remeber that Musashi killed many of his dual opponents while using the bokken.

Agreed. Find out what you have in your area and if at all possible find maybe a Kuk Sool Won or Okinawan kobudo school. Most chinese arts are also heavy in weapons training.

I actually stumbled into my "trademark technique" by accident. I was watching my "hero" in knockdown, Andy Hug and he had this amazing ax kick. I had never tried to use it before, but one night sparring out of a little anger and a lot of frustration I threw it and it landed. At first I thought it was a fluke until the next time I threw it and it landed. In the biginning I was resistant to the idea of being known as a "trademarked" fighter, but in time I got used to it. In the martial arts world of today I use my ax kick only on rare occasions when something is out of control and I need to put an end to things fast. I have now become dubbed as a hook kicker. Now when I was boxing in "The Gloves" I was always told that every other fighter hated my Jab. I used to used it like a swarm of nats, but later on after sparring with some pro fighters I learned how to use it a a knockout technique.

I agree with P.A.L. on this in that in competition it is a good idea to have variety in your forms. If you are into the Jap/Oki forms you should seriously check out Ryuei-ryu, especially if you are living in the San Diego area. UCSD has a Ryuei-ryu school and training group. Shito-ryu has the largest variety of forms in one style, it is like a melting pot of Okinawan forms. If you are into Korean forms you should look into ITF TKD or maybe into Hwarang-do, they both have some very nice forms. If you are into Chinese arts you should check out wushu or one of the northern styles, they have some very nice kicks or if you are not a high kicker look into a southern style like Hung Gar or Choy Li Fut. It really depends on what type of competition we are talking about and for what division.

I was in the same boat as you. Then about nine months ago I decided it was as good of a time as any to get my "fancy kicks" and so I started learning TKD- "ITF style". I still continue to train in my karate styles and the TKD has opened up a whole new world for me. As for the flexibility part you should look up Thomas Kurz and get his stretching tapes. I have never had any problems with my flexibility, but this guy has his ducks in a row. As for the promotion part of it I am at the red belt level right now, the basics are all the same, but you learn new forms and one and three stepp sparring that is just like the yakusoku kumite that is found in most karate schools. Now on the "giving up" of your rank CloudDragon is right you don't give up anything, it is a very humbling experience to enter into a new style, especially when you are already a BB. I am at fifth dan and have started over, so if I were you I would not worry about a little thing like belt color.

backfist I totally agree with your post. The reason for it is "It's all in the name".

I think you want to do a search for Zatoichi style swords. I believe they are based off of the famous Japanese movie character named Zatoichi. It uses a sword that looks like a jo, but is actually a sword.

Matayoshi style kobu-jutsu is a very nice style. It is well-rounded and I have great respect for Shinko and Shinpo Matayoshi. They have done quite a bit for the popularity of kobudo. Good to here that you have a well-established lineage. Have fun and keep us informed of your progress.

Thank you for the posts everyone. I recently asked some of my students the same question. They all basically answered that the reason they were training was for the fighting aspect. I myself have went to and from fighting as being my primary reason for keeping up my own personal training routine. I try to go beyond looking at kata as some mystical set of moves that are for conveying some "ancient secrets" that have been incorporated into the kata by the masters of old. I have to give kata training its due respect in my own training. It has increased my level of conditioning and my balance. My techniques also seem to flow better also as I continue working toward mastery of each form. Thank you all again for your replys.

In these modern times how important is increaing fighting skill to everyone as it pertains to your training? With so many people bashing on the usefullness of kata these days, how do you feel about kata and its effectiveness in helping you learn to fight? The reason for me asking is that we ARE training in a martial art and we should be able to at least fight a little bit. I do not want this to turn into another fight over kata vs. fighting skill, but I would like to know how important fighting is to everyone.

As long as you don't tell your "students" that they are receiving killer techniques and that they can defend themselves it should be alright. Just remember that you are teaching aerobics and not TKD. We can grow in our training in some of the most odd places so keep an open mind.

I use round, tapered, pressure-treated tonfa that I had custom-made. They are extremely heavy and they are almost indestructible. I think they were around 70 or 80 dollars, it has been a few years since I bought them. I have some questions for you, where are you learning your weapons and what forms are you going to learn?

The reason your shoulder hurts is that you have weak rotator cuff, Be careful because you could develop tendonitis or tear your cuff. What is your purpose in getting up to your 1RM for? It is always a good idea to get in a good warm-up before starting your workout, but you should only max out once or twice per month. You should never mix light fast reps with heavy lifting. It will not help you in any way. If you are trying to get stronger or build muscle you need to lift heavy with low reps.

Check out blackandblue.com for some videos on"spinning". Thye are by guys like Mike Chat, Jon Valera, etc. I think it is nuts to try spinning the kama, but if you do and things don't go so well. Will you post which body part you cut off.

I will tell it to you the same way it was told to me by one of the largest tourney promoters in the midwest, "The traditional forms are boring and they don't pack the house". That was his response to after asking why he thought there are more people doing extreme forms and not traditional. I have competed in open forms and IMHO they have their place, as a side show at the circus. If you want real MA you need to stick to Knockdown and Traditional tournaments, they are out there if you look for them. Don't get me wrong they are fun to watch, but they have little, if any, practical martial arts in the whole form.

Forget the graphite bo and find a canadian ash bo, they tend to be the best for open style forms. If you have someone you know who has some light bos that you can hold and see if you like the feel it would be better. For the type of competition you are competing in it is often the best to get as light of a bo as possible. You might try sportmartialarts.com . they have some Joey Greenlaugh bos that are vrey light.

You really need to consider starting out teaching in your garage and once you get a good student base then consider going on to a larger facility. It would also be good to do demonstartions so the public can get to know you and your way of doing things. Also, if you are not part of an association or larger group you should consider joining one. They can help with a great many things like advertising, increasing certification, and letting the public see you are with a larger group than if you are solo. It might also be advisable to go to your local police station and ask if you could teach them a self-defense class or arresting techniques. If you do this do not charge anything the first time and if you do a good job it could lead to some becoming students and/or them having you teach a regular class. Hope this helps you out.

I have been brainstorming and I think I have a solution for the short-term since it DOES take so long to develop GOOD skills. I think you need to find a local boxing club and get your son in it. Now given the nomber of different skills they teach is limited they do have good defense and are very good punchers. This will get him some skills for the short run, but he still needs to be put in a good school.

This is what I have been trying to say for a very long time. Kano refused to promote HIMSELF past 10th Dan, This is just screwed up. Who decided to use the Dan ranking system in the first place. It used to be being a black belt was good enough, but now it is automatically "what Dan are you?". It is getting out of hand. Since when does anyone "self-promote", that is the biggest bunch of hogwash I have ever seen. Now that I am done ranting, this is the reason that my current instructor is going against the Dan rank system. He is considering not even using the Dan grade anymore, but that once you are a black belt that is good enough. If he does this I think I will have to consider my current Dan rank and if I will just let it go.

If you give one pepperspray the other will get a taser. Then you have to give your kid a knife then the other kid gets a gun. Do you see the problem with the whole situation? This can get out of hand even "arming" your child with the skills needed to defend his/herself. Because if your child does defend his/herself tomorrow the other kid will have a buddy with them and then it starts. Is thereno other way to remedy the problem than what has been presented?

I agree, you need to visit some different schools and see what is out there. Remember that the instructor is almost as important as the style. If you visit enough schools you will find the one that you are looking for, so keep an open mind about the styles. Be patient, it will take time and practice to develope good self-defense skills and you should consider enrolling yourself in the class with your son.