Zaine

Great topic! I have always had a special place in my heart for the Pinans. Pinan Shodan was the first kata I ever learned and later on the Pinans became an introduction to crane. Pinan means peaceful mind because the idea (or so it is said) is that after the kata you were to have expended so much energy that you were at a state of having a peaceful mind (euphoria or enlightenment would fit here). There are two origins for this that seem to be prevalent. Both agree that it was introduced in the early 1900s. The first is that it was created by Anko Itosu. Many practitioners at the time assumed that it was a watered down advance kata meant to introduce children into karate. However, it was adopted by many systems in spite of the view and grew to what we know today. The second (and the one that I find more likely) is that it was introduced originally as a kata know as Chiang Nan by a nameless Chinese man. The kata became Channan, which then Itosu separated into 5 different kata. I like the second one better because it makes more sense (because of the crane techniques) and it seems to tell the full story. It's short, but it shows the diverse history that a single set of katas can have. Sources: http://www.iainabernethy.co.uk/article/brief-history-pinan-heian-katas http://web.archive.org/web/20090805102716/http://geocities.com/Tokyo/Pagoda/9536/pyong_ahn.html Channan: Heart of the Heians

First off, welcome to KF! This is a controversial topic and many don't believe that this is a real thing. They may be right, they may be wrong. I will, however, attach a disclaimer to it: I have never seen a legitimate use of someone's psychic power (or chi/ki) used to disarm an opponent. Does that mean it doesn't exist? No, certainly not, it just means that I haven't seen enough to prove to me that it's something that one can accomplish. That being said, if you're interested on reading up on the subject I would suggest that you go to your local library or bookstore (probably would have better luck at your local big chain bookstore) and look in the sports section. If you don't find anything there, look in the new age section. Be careful about looking it up on the internet and finding people who will teach you how to use these techniques for just a easy payment of X amount of money. Most of all, use your judgement and talk to your instructor about it. I haven't know Goju Ryu to focus on chi/ki but that doesn't mean there aren't practitioners out there who do. Good luck on your search.

CredoTe hits the nail on the head, especially with the mention of using your core to move the bo. Get this down, and you will feel less awkward with the weapon in your hand. Confidence is key when you're using a weapon so I would definitely just keep practicing at it. The more you practice, the better the weapon will feel. Thanks for sharing!

We don't make contact with each other and everything is at half or quarter speed. Helmets are only necessary when sparring, which we don't really do at this class. We never got the impression that he was disrespectful, just a little arrogant.

People who are interested in training like this should try to approach it a bit more tactfully. If I go to another school, I'll ask if I can train with them, not ask if I can spar someone. If you trundle in and ask for some sparring, it tends to get people's attention, and not necessarily in a good way. But if you ask to train together, then there is more of mutualness about the encounter. I'd build a rapport with a school training with them for a time, and then let them lead into anything to do with sparring, or bring it up after such a time that there is a bit of a comfort level between you and the school. I think that would be a more respectful way of approaching it. You're right, though I do think it is a bit harsh to assume the challenge was hostile. Not everyone is equally good at being tactful, or understands the Martial Arts etiquette. We never assumed that the challenge was hostile. His arrogance, however, was clear, but we assumed that he was looking to prove himself and show his skill. Had we thought he was hostile we would have handled it much differently.

I train in some way at home 6 days a week. Different things, a couple of days for kata, a couple of days for just basics and a couple of days for weapons. I don't have any equipment (at the moment) so it's never punching a bag, which I would like to do much more. Also, I do various cardio and strength training.

Whereas I am not a Goju Ryu practitioner, I believe the answer to you questions is that times change. We're in a different world than the founders of most of our respective systems and with that sometimes techniques need to get added and subtracted from our core practices. That's just my two cents.

If someone asks I will let them know, but I don't go around letting people know unsolicited, that's just asking for a problem. I will practice in publicly accessible areas every now and again, but only if no one else is around. Other than that it's my backyard.

Good luck!

Generally it contains: Bo Nunchaku Sai Kama Tonfa Eku Not necessarily in that order, a lot of Okinawan karate that practices kobudo as well contains these weapons. However, more specialized schools that I have run into have commonly contained: Sansetsukon (three-section staff) Nunti-bo (Spear) Tinbei (Shield) Surujin (Weighted rope) Kuwa (Hoe) Tekko (A variation on what we would recognize as a brass knuckle) Again, not necessarily in that order. Usually never a katana or any type of sword.

Welcome to KF! Oddly I can find nothing on this kata on the internet. Is it called something else as well?

When you get a BA in Culinary Arts you are essentially getting a business degree so I imagine that this would be similar.

Fantastic advice! I agree 100%, contact the authorities and avoid confrontation with this guy.

I wouldn't mind have a BA in MA, just for the novelty if nothing else! I know many colleges hold various classes, so I imagine the study tract would be to take a lot of the different classes, mixing Kung Fu with Karate. I wonder if you could use it in place of a degree for something related like physical education where some jobs might require it.

Congrats hammer!

Always a pleasure.

That awkward point when all of your rank progressions are political? I hate that as well. Huh? I don't quite understand the question. I have found that with a lot of organizations, there becomes a point where ranking up is a political gesture, or an honorary one. This is due to a lot of reasons, but my Sensei ran into it and hated it. He was promoted to rokudan because the ones who ran the organization felt that he was due for a promotion. He certainly had the skill but he wasn't happy about it.

While I don't agree with kids having black belts, I absolutely understand the reason for some of the better schools doing so. It's an ego thing, kids want to advance in rank and know that they are progressing as much as adults do.

No Taikyoku? Why not?

Wagnerk nails it. I would add that most instructors are okay with communicating with you before you join. So if you're interested in Shotokan, email a couple of the schools in your area and ask what they're about, whether they are more self-defense oriented or if they focus on going to tournaments a little more. Remember, regardless of what their answer is, you can still learn some great self-defense and traditional karate from a tournament focused school. Just because they're "sporty" doesn't mean that they don't know what they're talking about.

It is not. However, some instructors who don't do it may have a place that they can recommend. I started at 9th kyu. Is that the best time to start? Who knows, it's just the time that I started. I am a proponent of starting earlier in your martial arts career however and being that I love weapons I believe that it's something that every martial artist should at the very least dabble in. http://www.legislation.act.gov.au/a/1996-75/current/pdf/1996-75.pdf It seems that "nunchakus or kung-fu sticks or other similar device" are banned under the "Prohibited hand weapons" section, but I saw nothing else about martial arts weapons. Make sure to read over it more carefully than I did though.

http://www.amazon.com/Takashi-KARATE-280cm-Master-Black/dp/B00BLM93WM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1396024875&sr=8-2&keywords=silk+black+belts The all powerful Amazon has some posted.

That awkward point when all of your rank progressions are political? I hate that as well.

What if the owner is an amazing business manager/marketing guy but a so-so martial artist? If he's able to hire people who are outstanding martial artists and manage the work environment to let the talents of his people shine while he concentrated on keeping the place running smoothly for them, wouldn't that be better? I agree, I think that it would be a better arrangement. I think that overall our conceptions of what a mcdojo is can be pretty black and white. Just because you sign a contract doesn't make your dojo a mcdojo. One may pay a lot of money to train but that doesn't make their dojo a mcdojo. While these things may be red flags, they don't necessarily mean that the place is a mcdojo. All in all it's hard for us to say that this-or-that thing will necessarily mean that the dojo is a mcdojo because we can't be aware of all of the circumstances or reasons. Remember that some places make you sign contracts to protect you from them as much as it is to protect them from you. If I had to pick on thing that would define a mcdojo, it would be a mass allowance of students to progress to black belt quickly even though they lack the skill to hold the rank.

My favorite way to teach a kata is step by step. Do the steps a few times, then introduce the next part until completion.