bushido_man96

Good point of view. I agree with you here.

Oooooh, another series of books, I need to check them out! Thanks for this!!

This is the experience that I have had. I think that you both make a good case here. I do believe that kyu ranks are benchmarks, inasmuch as they are a marker of what material they have learned, which techniques are new to them, and what they likely need the most work on for their next test. I also believe that the kyu ranks should represent a certain level of skill as well. Granted, the skill levels may differ slightly from one student to the next, but there should be certain consitensies. For example, a 9th kyu will have trouble with side kicks and certain body mechanics, and even lining up certain stances. However, by 7th kyu, the kick should be smooth, and the back stance should be lined up. By 5th kyu, the student should be able to use the side kick very well in sparring or combinations, and it should be powerful. I agree with you here. This is a very good point. My mother is attempting to get her masters in nursing now, after graduating with her bachelors degree in 1974. I like your analogy here.

Maybe you shouldn't be recognized in their system, but you should still be recognized as a black belt and accomplished martial artist. I can understand the reasoning behind this statement. This is something that I would like to see happen more often; people from other styles coming together to share ideas as opposed to thinking inside of their own styles' box all of the time. Now, if this was my scenario, and this student decided that he wanted to train with me on a regular basis, I don't think that I would take his rank from him, and hand him a white belt. Especially if it is someone that you know personally, and you are aware of their level of skill and knowledge. If you were worried about damaging other egos in the class, bringing in someone who would "line up in front of them without paying their dues," you could work something out to avoid that situation. Would he have to learn the material? Sure, no doubt there. However, he would probably pick it up quick. That, and the fact that he could probably help most of the lower ranks with some ideas and concepts would look silly if he was explaining these things as a "white belt." I agree with you here. I have had a similar situation myself, switching from one TKD organization to another. I had to start over, which I was fine with, because I don't usually go on any big ego trips. I am currently a second dan in the new system, and I did move up the ranks fairly quickly. Now, I have documentation of rank held in two different TKD organizations. It is the same rank in both organizations, but the difference is that if I got a 3rd dan in my current organization, and then returned to my previous one, they would recognize my rank, and require that I perform adequate physical requirements to demonstrate my rank, so to speak. I would probably have to demonstrate my rank material from the other style, but from then on, I would be expected to start learning the new organization's material. I am not saying that one is right and the other is wrong. It's just two different interpretations of how to do things.

I think that this can work extremely well, especially if you have trained yourself to back it up. It is like the no-mind principle. If you have trained yourself to perform your combinations and counters well, and you can recognize the telegraph movements in an opponent, then when you 'space out' like this, instead of thinking, you will just 'read' everything, and react with what you need to. However, I still think that the drilling and preparation is the key to making this work.

This is the kind of training that I am longing for.

Here's a jump back to the original post: I don't think kata training is useless; I think that it has stagnated. By being so caught up in the 'tradition' of a thing, we don't ever think in our wildest dreams that we should modify it. There are so many ways to use forms in training, if we are willing to do them. You can set a timer for 2 minute rounds, and crank out forms, like shadow-boxing. Hard and fast, like you were fighting. You can slow them down, and spend 5 minutes time on a form, and really burn up the legs. You can set the timer for 15 minutes, and get more of an aerobic workout. And these are just physical fitness aspects. There is the bunkai training. You can have preset techniques, or you can improvise. There is also kata-based sparring that you can do. I am not an expert in this field, however, I am beginning to research it, and I can see its worth. It forces you to think freely, and see what happens once the opponent begins to resist, not unlike what judokas and BJJ practitioners experience. There are many ways that forms training can benefit us, we just have to be willing to step outside the box and utilize them. Are there other methods of training these ideas? Sure there are. But hey, variety is the spice of life!

This was one thing I noticed from my junior high wrestling days....wrestling is a darn good workout. If I new then what I know now, I would have never quit wrestling.

Ooooh, I didn't even think of that. Good call.

Yeah, because you can't kick the ankel weights off at your opponent!!

Not that I can offer much on the Shotokan side of this thread, I have been involved in two different TKD organizations, and I have enjoyed my time in both. One was the ATA, and the other is currently the TTA. The problem that I have run into, however, is that I think the GM of my current system is very narrow-minded. Likewise, my current instructor is kind of the same way. He makes a good case about having a strong base in an art, like TKD, or like the JKA would be for most of the readers here, but doesn't like the idea of cross-training very much. I do know of one of the GM's former students that broke away from him, taking a big chunk of the students with him. This student had one of the organization's biggest schools, and to put it bluntly, he took a hit in the pocket. The school I go to is also very curriculum based. We do basics, then forms, then one-steps, and some sparring. My instructor is a very good technician, and is a good teacher. However, I don't feel like we get enough self-defense practice in, and I know that my training is suffering for it. Unfortunately, I don't have anywhere else to go around here, so I do what I can with what I have, and try to expand my knowledge in any way possible. The best thing to come out of all of this is that if I ever were to run my own school, I would know how I would want to do it and what I would try to concentrate on for the students.

Lots and lots of practice, I guess!!

I was wondering??

Sorry to hear that, Patrick. Get well soon!

Great drill, thanks for sharing!

I think I would have to agree with 24fightingchickens on this one. I am a pretty mellow person, and I will let some things go, but in excess, I won't. I only have to cheeks to turn; after that, I'll deal with it. This is pretty typical in martial arts, and everyone deals with it from time to time. It really isn't that big of a deal. Here's an example. We had a blue belt sparring in class. He had sparred before, and should have known the rules, as we start sparring at orange belt level. Well, he goes and kicks me in the back. I let it go. Then, he did it again. So, I gave what I got. He got the point, and that was that. No big thing, in my opinion.

I thought that he looked very impressive. The youtube video probably doesn't do him complete justice.

Hee Ill Cho's complete guide to kicking, and jumping kicks.

YES!! HaHa, I am learning!!!

I think that shuto is an open handed block, like a knife or ridgehand block. I could be wrong, and the karate guys will have to correct me.

No worries!!

Kicking in shoes is defenitely different. I find it slows my kicks some.

I apologize if my point was confusing. I'll attempt to clarify here. What I mean is that your uniform is generally more loose (or restrictive depending on how you wear your uniform in to your regular attire) than your normal everyday clothes. Myself, for example, in order to maintain that business professional look I'm required to have I do have to wear a suit and tie to work every day. This outfit is much more restrictive than when I put on my gi. The point I was trying to make is that there may be occasions when you may have to use your skills when dressed in a suit & tie or in a coat. You should get to know what your moves are going to feel like when you're not wearing your uniform. Now I'm in no way saying that since I wear a suit and tie to work everyday that I need to train in a suit and tie. I'm just saying that every now and then you should train in an outfit other than your uniform (maybe a half a dozen times a year or so). It doesn't even have to be a hard workout, either, just something to familiarize yourself with what you'll be experiencing. When I do, it's usually in jeans and a tee-shirt; not in my fully business attire. And most importantly, when I do this it's not in the dojo, but rather often in my backyard or at a friend's. The main point behind this is getting to know what it's like to attempt those kicks when you're wearing jeans or throwing punches when wearing a coat, and how you might need to compensate or adjust your moves accordingly. Sorry for any confusion on the original post and hope this helps clear up my previous post. Also good points as well.

I envy you!! Keep us posted!

Good deal, Kez. It sounds like you are almost there!