Brandon Fisher

Yep Shotokan does have a good base of self defense.

Absolutely.

Overly long stances, modifications to original kata for the purpose of excercise and physical strength. Yep exactly

From a shotokan perspective it may be weird because Shorin Ryu kata is performed differently and not so rhymtic and sport like. But this is what makes the different schools interesting.

I have the DVD of Matusda Sensei performing all the kata he teaches and its quite good.

Again proper trechnique and a slow pace.

I know some people in PA where is Allentown in relationship to Erie and Pittsburgh?

It was used as a measure of power and proper technique I believe. I agree breaking stacks of bricks and boards does't prove a whole lot except that you can hit something stationary really hard. Fact of the matter is you can knock someone out hitting them correctly and as hard as it would take to break a single board. But you have to hit them in the correct spot.

I am interested also I have never heard of it.

No nonsense yes but based on opinion it seems to me. Everyone has different opinions on makiwara training but it really depends on how they have used it. Some even claim they have used it extensively but in reality few have.

What is the source of the article, rank, experience and all that is needed. How do we know for sure it was being used correctly? In all honesty that article doesn't prove much to me.

This is a very good point. However he was offered and and declined is the key point.

I agree Shodan is only the beginning. As a 5th Dan I feel as though I haven't mastered anything I really feel as though you can't master a style or karate in general. You can only achieve great levels of success. There is always something to improve on and to master something is to be perfect at it.

Good suggestion, in fact thats a really good starting point.

Cross, True makiwara does cause callous on the knuckles but not always problems in later life. Depends on how you train on it. Alos they do harden the hands quite a bit allowing one to hit things much harder without damage to hand. But one thing people have to understand is it take years to develop this. Not weeks or months years if you want to do it correctly and not cause immediate damage to your hands. Note Makiwara training is not just for the knuckles, it is also used for kicking (instep Ball and toes), forearm, elbow, shuto, palms, and any other striking surface you can think of.

Very old school. Nice I like it.

This site has some good information on the makiwara. https://www.makiwarapost.co.uk Just be careful not to go to fast. Makiwara training can be dangerous if done incorrectly or to fast. Train slowly with it and make sure you use it correctly. I am a huge advocate of makiwara training so I am sure you will benefit greatly from it. I personally use makiwara made by shureido. These are quite good but pricey.

I think that the photos of the founders & past grandmasters can be inspirational but only to a certain extent. Karate is something that becomes part of you, no 2 people practice exactly the same and so with that I think inspiration should come from within. I have 2 plaques with famous quotes on the wall in my dojo. One has both Kanazawa Sensei and the other Miyagi and Yamaguchi Sensei on it.

They vary from organization / dojo. Nothing is standard most of the time karate ranking has anywhere from 6 - 10 kyu / gup levels though. Mine is White Yellow (9th Kyu) Orange (8th Kyu) Green w/ white stripe (7th Kyu) Green (6th Kyu) Blue w/ White Stripe (5th Kyu) Blue (4th Kyu) Purple w/ white stripe (3rd Kyu) Purple (2nd Kyu) Brown (1st Kyu) Black (1st -4th Dan) Red / White Split (optional for 5th and 6th Dan) Renshi Red / White Block (Optional for 7th & 8th Dan) Kyoshi Red Belt (optional for 9th & 10th Dan) Hanshi

Though rare not impossible. I started in 1984 and got my godan in 2003 i was getting ready to turn 27.

One of my black belts is flat footed and has never had a problem. In fact he is very good.

I do quite a bit of design work but not hosting. If you have questions I will help where I can.

True it may be a hard transition as I have seen TKD people have difficulty with the different philosophies. Just had one recently. He was olympic style TKD was very good and ranked as a red belt. He got up against us and got tromped sorry to say but learned alot. Its unfortunate that he is moving he would be one that could do it given a lot of time.

Unfortunetly discipline in schools have been limited due to the liability.

Yeah I guess . Its a long time in the making though.