Zaine

Certainly some of the hyung can fall into the karate side, such as the nahanchi series found in TSD. I would not be surprised, either, to learn that some of the other hyung are cognates from kung fu. If you're unsure about a technique, I would say that a general rule of thumb (and a very loose one, at that) would be the harder the technique the liker it is that it comes from karate, the softer the technique, and the more it flows, is kung fu. Exceptions aside, it's how I generally gauge things within my own martial arts. All-in-all, it's going to be so hard to tell at this point. We are far enough away from the original styles from which sprung our modern ones that it becomes increasingly difficult to know for sure which technique came from where. Adding to this mix the penchant for martial arts to be surrounded by so many legends and myths, it's just too muddled. I suggest maybe finding a book on the history of TSD, or Korean MA in general. That might give you some more detailed answers.

Congrats Danielle! I don't even think I can count that high.

This sums up the feelings of disagreement that I had in a much more succinct way than I think I could have said it.

I generally let Korean Karate practitioners make their own decisions about this, but it seems that the consensus here is that it is Karate and I don't really see a reason to say otherwise. I don't think popularity in other countries plays a whole lot into. As wide spread as karate is, it doesn't feel fair to claim that it is a wholly Japanese or Okinawan thing anymore. Making the argument that it is a wholly Japan or Okinawan thing does open the door for arguments based on Karate's own history, which is deeply rooted in Chinese martial art traditions. Does that make Karate it's own thing? Or a branch of some system of kung fu? I think the name argues for my point as well. Karate means empty hand. Does our decision to continue the use of that name mean that it is a Japanese thing? Or like the word "cool" has it simply become a borrowed word within the lexicon of a myriad of languages. Linguistics would suggest that the latter is the case here. Again, this is not to say that we should be flippant about the history of karate in Western countries and elsewhere. It's important to know where our styles come from and respect that lineage. But if we're not calling Shorin Ryu Tode anymore, then I don't think it's necessary for us to consider Karate from other countries as being wholly Japanese.

You bring up an interesting point. My gut reaction is to say that I disagree with your premise, I don't know if it's entirely fair to call the knowledge base theoretical. I, however, am not sure how I want to go forward with explaining my position at the moment, so I am going to think on it and come back to it.

Broadly? No, I don't consider karate to be wholly Japanese. I believe that it is too global for that. With things like Ed Parker Kenpo and the like reaching national and sometimes international popularity, I think that we can safely say that karate is a thing in and of itself. I think styles of karate can be attached to a national identity, and that it is important for styles of karate to recognize their lineage and pay respects to that history, but I would not call Tang Soo Do Japanese Karate, despite it finding origins there. For example, I practice Shobayashi Shorin Ryu. My karate is Okinawan and I hold that distinct from Japanese karate (despite Okinawa being an island owned by Japan). In this system, we draw heavily from the chinese tradition that the name implies, but we would never say that we are kung-fu, or even Shaolin. Funakoshi was Okinawan, but I don't see a lot of Shotokan practitioners identifying their style as Okinawan.

Unlike Bob's answer, I'm the opposite. I twist my torso and then snap back to straight.

Welcome to KF! It's great to have you.

Congrats Patrick! Such a fun journey ahead of you!

Says who? Don't let anyone tell you how to do something that you love, especially when you already have all this experience. I self-trained with videos and books when I was looking to get back into karate with a dojo. It helped me finish up the curriculum that my teacher had when he stopped teaching. I also would do some research into books. Blackbeltwiki could be a resource, but it's a shot in the dark as to whether the Shito-Ryu kata videos on there are the ones that you would have practiced or from some branch that wasn't yours.

Congrats!

Welcome to KF, and welcome back to practicing! I took a long break as well, though for different reasons, and felt the same way. It feels so good to get back in it.

Honestly, if I were in the GMs shoes then as long as he brought me some beer then it would, in fact, be fine.

Welcome to KF! It's great to have you!

That's awesome! It sounds like you've found a really good dojo. I also try hard to "not be that guy" at my current dojo, where I'm going through a similar process. Luckily, they are super interested in the way that I first learned (being that it's just a different branch of Shorin Ryu) so I get to talk about it a lot.

So this is going to depend on a number of factors. Ebay is probably your best bet in general terms, I found a Matsumura Seito complete kata dvd for $11. If you're looking for a specific branch of Shorin Ryu that might be a little more difficult.

You are a martial arts instructor, not a child therapist. I'm not trying to be disrespectful here, just reminding you that it it is not necessarily your job to correct his behavior, it's your job to teach him karate and foster a safe space for all of your students. In this, I would try to have another conversation with the mother. If it seems that she is not comfortable having it in person, send her an email. Just lay out your concerns, and talk about what you need to see. Whatever you do, and you know this given what you've said, don't mention the age thing.

Welcome to KF! It's great to have you.

Welcome to KF! It's great to have you.

Thinking way to much about a thing is my jam. I totally get it. Can't wait to read the updates!

Congrats!

Practicing bind work is tricky, and I know a lot of clubs (in fact, all that I have been a part of) that don't even bother practicing it. Some disagree with this omitting, but it reduces liability and the situation is just not going to come up in any real way. HEMA, being largely an historical recreation turned into a sport, does not need to practice with live weapons. Some do though, and take great care when doing so.

How dare you run away from the almighty Shorin-Ryu. The council shall know about this treason!!! In all seriousness, the transition is going to depend a lot on your openness to change techniques and the teacher's ability to teach. That they've been doing it for 30 years with success is promising. Tang Soo Do, from my understanding, will be a bit easier to transition to from Shorin-Ryu than if you were going to TKD. The stances are deeper, they might kick more than Shorin, but it's not a rough transition by any means. A lot of TSD dojangs will have similar kata with different names. They practice Naihanchi and the Pinans (called Pyung) so that will be familiar (though they differ in some ways so that's always fun trying to remember to do it the new way). Overall, it shouldn't be too bad as long as you allow yourself to remain open to the changes. Lean on your experience where it helps, and be accepting of differences.

Not having seen the video, and therefore having only the context you have provided, means that we cannot provide a totally accurate assessment. That said, I agree that live knives should not be used in partner demonstrations. There's no reason to use a live knife in a live demo other than to add a bit of drama and suspense to the video while putting your uke in not a small amount of danger. The risks outweigh the rewards.

Welcome to the forum! It's great to have you!