Dobbersky

This is a "Mc" Dojo, this is a "seen you coming a mile away" Dojo!!!! OMG, and he actually has a full dojo paying that. He must have a house in the richest area, drive the nicest car and sent his kids to harvard on them prices. I feel guilty charging £7.50 or $10 a week for my club. £10 a year insurance, £10 grading fee fro Kyu grades and £80 for ALL Dan Grades. Don't care on the grades of the Dan grades as I've trained with 1st Dan's who have more skills and knowledge than some 4th Dans I've trained with. So whether he's a grandmaster or not, doesn't warrant the extravagent prices. The reason why its such a nice place is because you guys are paying him the money to be abel to afford to make it look nice. This is a business not a martial arts school. OMG!!!

Wow, IF I was attending someone else's class and I was senior to the person entrusted with the task I would not jump in like that. I once had someone cover my class and I would do it again especially after what my students told me. I have senior grades and they know what is expected so I leave it to them if I need to. Definately speak to your Sensei. I'm suprised he didn' allow the Yondan the exclusivity of teaching the class as a whole If he's on the Godan's side, I'm happy to poach you all, OSU!!!

Happy Birthday to you both, OSU

Agreed, its about standards. Also I'm not the owner of a PhD, what's TLDR, I work for a multinational company dealing with FTSE 100, companies and I've not heard this jargon, LOL, I must be getting old. Hahaha

Any of the Okinawan styles SHOULD practice full contact sparring. Kyokushin is not like Muay Thai, there's a more to it, it's like saying all TaeKwonDo is like it is on the Olympics. as you got BJJ I would actually recommend, Ashihara, Enshin or Daido Juku, as you can put your already achieved skills into the mix.

Welcome to the forum, looking forward to your posts especially on application of Korean forms.

I agree that some instructors have a gift teaching younger children but with respect, it seems to be predominantly belt factories and McDOJOS that have the "angle" on teaching kids under 6, maybe their syllabus is more akin to kids games than adult's Bunkai and Oyo where neck wrenches and lethal techniques are used. From what I see in little ninjas or tiger tots or any other programs you car to mention is what I see with these "businesses" I wouldn't call them karate schools. It's a about getting kids in the door to pay the bills not about teaching students karate. Sorry if I've rattled cages but it's my opinion

Welcome to the forum. Looking forward to your posts Wado is an excellent style (i have a softspot for it LOL) OSU

My Wado Sensei was a student of Sakugami Sensei so does that make me 3rd generation My Ashihara Sensei is 3rd generation, I think, as I've not spoken to him for 8 years. I know he was taught by his Sensei, but I don't know who taught him but I think it was a direct student of Ashihara Kancho. So that makes me 4th generation. My Tang Soo Do Instructor 3rd generation from Kwang Uk Lee. So that makes me 4th generation.

I too have the same ethos. I start mine from 6 although my guide is 7. I have taught younger and found as you stated it seems more like either cheap child care of karate-nastics! It takes more concentration and indeed a smaller instructor/students ratio. Predominantly the fees charged are less so it seems less value for the instructor/school. I know when I get calls I always recommend gymnastics or dance and say if they still want Ro do karate in a few year's time they can call me again. I think kids under 7 should be allowed Ro grow, the bone structure in the hands and feet are not formed properly enough to be punching and kicking pads etc. Just my 2 pennies worth

Totally agree with this. Most black belt take around 4 years from white regardless of lessons per week. And 3rd Kyu/Gup to 1st Dan should be a minimum of 2 years.

I'm glad you are proud of your son and want him to progress but Brown belt is a milestone in a Karateka’s (someone who practices Karate) journey. I would not look at how quickly your son can reach black belt as this would instigate a belt factory that's only in it for YOUR money but whether it’s HIS lifetime's journey not yours. I had a student take 8 years, yes 8 years, to get to Black belt, he started at 8 and is now 15, he waited 2 years from 1st Kyu or 3rd brown depending on the school before he was invited to grade for Junior Black belt. It’s a minimum of 6 months between each Brown belt and 12 months minimum between 1st Kyu and 1st Dan. So remember it’s not a race, he will grade WHEN his Instructor says he can grade, not before. With Respect: Don't rush him as if you rush him into it too fast he will end up resenting Karate and maybe resenting you.

I picked the amount but for me concidered in UK £'s not US $'s

So glad you had a positive result in each style, the choice is yours as to which you feel is the right one for you. OSU

OSU, welcome to the forum

The version of Bassai/Passai I practice/teach is the Tang Soo So version but amended to make it more akin to techniques used in Ashihara karate. I picked the last one as TSD is always described as Korean Shotokan.

Yeah, but imho, that side kick looked more like a push and not a kick, but nonetheless, the poor guy was horizontal and unmoving. He did look like he was preparing himself for the knock out though, he just didn't know when. For a street fighter he didn't do much fighting at all

Actually you have a point there

This the video I found and what I was expecting/hoping that the class would be about...unfortunately it couldn't have been further! It was the first one I found, and as I'm at work, lol, couldn't spend more time finding a video to the normal standard I put on. but a quick search gave me this not watched it but if its got the IJA seal its got to be good

looking further into Goshin Jitsu is this not just a Self defence way fter looking at the Chinese characters "Goshin" is "guard self". The only thing I can point to is Goshin waza that is used in many Karate/Judo/Jujitsu schools. A Goshin base seems to be more for intercepting attacks 'should' they come not necessarily when they come. Wado in my opinion seeks to attack an opponent first but should the opponent attack then it can be intercepted. The Wado kata though seem based on only the moving around of attacks and then striking your opponent. Otsuka Sensei shows this well when he demonstrates...idori" Is the only thing I feel is true to "Goshin Jitsu" I think that possibly the Instructor wanted to name their style and wanted to emphasis that their style was about Self Defence, not about competitons or other "Sports" orientated Clubs

This is brilliant, If we had a "Rep" button you'd be repped (Reputation)

OSU, yes I've read that too! OSU I would love to know his reasoning behind his choice of Kata for his syllabus

I practice Knockdown "Kyokushin" style fighting, so it's a different ball game. I tend to stick to interclub events for my students with Full Contact Clubs or Muay Thai camps Regarding the type of fighting done by Shotokan etc I'm sure some of the other members will assist. Good luck on your choice. Another thing j would recommend is see if you can get free classes at the respective styles BUT don't make you decisions till you've tried all avenues

I'm a 17th Degree - I've been in Martial Arts over 20 years so I'm just a Blackbelt I'm one of the few that's not really that concerned about "Rank" I don't allow Dan bars in my Dojo so no one will be able to flash the x amount of bands on their belts. I had one student take 8 years to get to Shodan, another took only 4. I had a Shodan wait 3 years before taking Nidan, so it's nothing to do with minimum time in mine. In some schools you can be a blackbelt in 18 months, in others it could take 10 years. I get disheartened to see 40 year old 10th Dan's When most in Yudansha Japan are in their 70's before they get 10th Dan

I like both for different reasons The thing I don't like about both styles is the lack if Bunkai or Oyo of the Kata. It seems that both Shotokan AND Kyokushin only practice Kata to pass gradings. But Ashihara and Enshin DO practice Bunkai so much in their kata which were created by their founders