f2journeys

What to expect really depends on your school. With some school there isn't much variation between the kyu belt test and the dan belt, it's just one more grade. Others make it more epic. Two parts of my school's test I espicially like is sparring for two hours straight, with only one two minute halt in the middle to hydrate and forming your own applicable kata with bunkie.

In our martial history lessons one of the first things we hear about Karate is that it was once not 'Empty Hands" but Chinese hands. Does any linguist here know if the pronounciation was different in that form? would the Hiragana spelling be different or just the kanji?

I am shamelessly giving my opinion without any kind of introduction here, for that I apologize. I see it as so, and I could be wrong in my assumptions. Kata should always be practiced with utmost seriousness. This means training against real attacks, in that every technique should feel like your knocking it through your opponents’ body. This is the only way to learn how to put forward that kind of technique as often times we must hold back even in the most realistic kumite session. However I do not believe this requires a sacrifice in form. Form over application does not exist, because form is a proper application. Certainly in combat you are not likely to hold your fist at your obi, leaving yourself completely exposed. However how many times have we been told in things like muscular training to go through 'the full range of motion'? We therefore can not truly understand a technique if the full range of motion, from obi to target point, is not exerted. Also I think we should remember that as karate-ka we are not boxers, who waste there energy bouncing around the ring. (I do not mean to offend warriors of that art) Therefore the forms of our stances are very important. Good form keeps you from falling, keeps each technique strong, positions you to best use your tanden and can conceal techniques.