Dobbersky

This Sensei sounds really Intense, more of the Old School Karate of days gone by when you couldn't get out of your bed upto 3 days after your dan grade lol. His methods are good, too many clubs tend to work on competitions and having "champs" in there schools doing tippy tappy bouncy bouncy one strike and stop sparring. I think your Instructor seems to more akin to Kyokushin than Shotokan. Kyokushin means "The Ultimate Truth". I did hear from my Sensei a story about a 7th Dan Shotokan Karateka who worked on the doors as a favour for a friend. He had to deal with some drunken lads and it ended up he swept them, then finished with a rear punch which stopped just millimetres from one of their faces (a perfect finish for a competition 10 points). The guy on the floor looked up and swung and knocked him out for the count and got up and walked out leaving the 7th Dan on the floor. This shows that Karate "conditioning" that you learn ion the Dojo you translate into street situations. If you Sensei allows Semi Contact/Full Contact Sparring, continuous, all the better; as most of the time one strike is not enough on the street. Also Finally I have never ever been attacked by someone adopting "Zenkutsu Dachi Gedan Barai" except in a Karate Dojo PPS. Never loose sight of who and what you are! You make the karateka not the karate makes you. I've seen people change in attitude and become aggressive due to the "conditioning" that they have had. make the difference. If you can get out of a confrontation WITHOUT fighting you have used your Karate.

Shihan Chitsu If you're a higher grade in Wado, can you tell me one thing; I spent 4 years practicing Wado (Suzuki's way. Only graded to 4th Kyu (1 grading a year)) and we had the Ohyo's etc but why do they only work against other Wado Karateka? I tried this technique on a Tang Soo Do Karateka and it didn't work. I tried it again on my next Wado lesson and it worked (I did nothing different either). Iain doesn't teach the Ohyo's etc. And his Sensei is/was Doug James I believe. I teach practice Ashihara Karate which is Kyokushin based (but I am sure if you wanted to know more about Ashihara then you'd google it). Every technique I teach has Bunkai and they work against "multistyles" of karateka. Waiting to be enlightened

Osu!!! From an Ashihara Boy Ladies, there are quite a few Female Threaders on here who are extremely knowledgeable about Karate. Thanks for allowing me to post in "your" Thread OSU!!!!

I'm not a Doctor so this is my opinion only. If you are inpatient to wait for the flexibility to return if at all then, I would try Yoga/Pillates to help you get those stretches back. Get a Stretching Bar from any Sportshop for around £20 to help you at home.

Wolverine Nothing stopping you getting a Blackbelt if you want one so bad. A good Instructor will help you adapt your karate around you and your abilities. Research where you previous school has moved to, failing that find a local school who will help you get to the level you want. They may even have an Instructor training programme you can sign up for (just be careful its not a McDojo or a Belt factory) Good luck on your Journey and keep us all informed OSU!!!

I like the grappling arts, although I think the Insurance/Licence fees for the UK are a bit OTT, this doesn't include grading fees or weekly/monthly mat fees etc. I wanted to start Judo some time ago and all I wanted to do was train maybe get my BB and that’s all, I had to get a "full" licence to be able to do that and Its like I had to compete in local/national comps too. Going to a Jujitsu Class near me tonight, hopefully I don't need a second mortgage to pay for my licence.

Resepctfully Derwentbob I think your talking rubbish. If you love Wado that much Stick with it. Your Instructor, Not you, will decide what belt you should wear. Wado although it has similar kata etc to Shotokan is a different art, the stances are different and Wado has the influx of Jujitsu. You'll feel like you're sucking eggs going through the Kyu grades again. Whereas you could relearn the Pinans, Kushanku, etc and all the Ippon's etc without having to worry about grading again til your ready for your next Dan grade level. I see your issue as just a "pride" issue and as Yudansha you should always be humble. Talk to your Wado Instructor and se what he/she suggests for your return to the art.

Wow, Excellent Thread and posts I have several belts that I wear when I'm training/teaching. I have a Purple Belt (the 2nd (8th Kyu) belt in my syllabus), My Main BB (a cotton 50mm belt) which after 2 years is only slightly faded where I tie it. I also have a BB with a red stripe and a BB which is split length with red (I also have a white belt which I wear when visiting other clubs. I explain to my students all the time its the karateka that makes the belt NOT the belt makes the karateka. There is a lot of snobbery about. "I'll never change my BB.....I'll never wash it............." etc. I can say that none of my students or me have Dan Bars or Embroidary on our belts. if we "threw" all our belts into a basket and asked someone who'd not seen us training before to hand out the belts/grades to each of us I am sure they would get the grades 99% correct. In my Syllabus the final belt is a Black/Red block Belt. I know that in many schools "Red Belt" is the last belt in the system and this is what the Senior Yudansha are wearing. Does this mean that BB is just an inbetween belt just like the Kyu grade belts? I never wash my belt, but not too sure if I'm happy to wear a frayed and faded BB either. I think as with my GI it should be neat and tidy and smart. I always make sure my students are aware that for BB I expect their Gi's etc to be presentable at all times. We as Yudansha are embassadors to the martial arts and we need to present ourselves that way at all times. OSU!!!!

Osu!!! May God, guide you in your life's new path Amen Sensei. you don't need a dojo to practice Kara Te, just an open space. I am sure you will be able to practice it to a deeper level now and I would love to read your book on your life and trials in Karate Osu

Well I think that this is the case all round, Do Gi's everywhere. I have White Do Gi's in My club but I attend another club in a Blue Do Gi and a Black Full Contact Gi (like a TKD dobok but in black).

Panamaican-san, I would recommend leaving the Pinans/Heians as they are, These kata are for Goshin purposes not Jissen purposes. the kata are if you look at them "grappling kata" not "combat kata". Take a look at Iain Abernethy's view on kata or the Kissaki version of Shotokan's version headed by Shihan Morris this will make you see the kata should not be "amended" too much. Concentrate on formulating other "kata" for the purpose of natural fighting or take up, if you can, either Ashihara or Enshin Karate as their Kata IS formulated to be done in a boxing stance etc. OSU

I must add gavn8r-san. There are gross misjudgments in naming the style since "gokan" in Japanese does means "rape" (the kanji is different but people don't speak in kanji, they speak in sounds). There are also kanji mistakes on the GKR website. I was told by a former GKR black belt that the name Go Kan Ryu was a joke created by the Australian founder because it is an anagram of Kan Go Ryu . I actually think GKR is there because its done something that most Schools can't turned it into an AMWAY product. Regards GKR, yes the Kata is valid Kata, but would you let a 1st year Med student, perform a serious operation on you - the answer would be NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! This is where GKR fails, it tends to get through the net having KYU grades teaching in classes where it should be DAN grades. If you have had your door knocker come, you got to pay in advance. And from there you have a Direct Debit from your bank account which has a cancellation fee of say 3 months - This is what keeps the students (...if I change schools I got to pay 3 months worth of fees to get out, I might as well stay here...) The thing is how effective IS GKR against other styles, I have NEVER heard of a GKR practitioner winning an Open (that is not just GKR - other styles as well) Championship. I believe the sparing is not even semi contact - I practice Full contact knockdown Karate. “Tippy Tappy Bouncy Bouncy” will NOT work on the street. Man, if someone who is not used to hitting someone full force does they'll break their hand (it is medically proven that the average person upon hitting the face of an attacker will break their hand within 3 strikes), unless they train correctly for it. And to be called Sensei and not be a Yudansha is insulting to those who have worked hard to get where they are. I may take a Yoga class for 3 months then open my own class it’s just the same. Right I feel better now where's my hug and my teddy

I would study Ashihara if there was a 3rd option. I don't know much about kyokushin apart from the kata are Shotokan/Goju kata. and Sosai was to me an awesome Korean who created a world first in Modern Karate Kyokushin has some really good ethos and it prepares you for real fight situations and the fitness can be extreme in various Dojos, I would practice Kyokushin for this purpose. the way kyokushin karateka have a "brotherhood" is second to none (except Ashihara and Enshin of course). Kata is practised but Kumite is the main focus. If however you were looking at kata and 2 man "self-defence" techniques with Semi contact sparring the Wado is the one to study, I practised Wado for 4 years and I must say its quite blinkered in its ethos to its style etc.everything must be done to perfection. I practised an Ippon Gumite on a karateka from another style and guess what............it didn't work. I'd google the 2 styles attend a few classes from each before deciding which one to do. not the Pinan forms are very different so cross training in them would not be a good idea. OSU

As long as you realise that non contact does not prepare you for a physical attack. Almost everyone here will have a story of a non contact karate black belt freezing and being beaten up because hey'd never been hit before. In my dojo we practice Full Contact Knock down Karate, see the link. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_contact_karate Although we practice Semi Contact Bunkai of the kata, and the Lower grade controls the pace, although same grade it is up to them how "hard" they want to "fight" Karate and kickboxing work as long as you have a long term footing in one or the other, I recommend at least Brown belt in one before cross training OSU

I like the prettied up versions of why, but the more realistic versions are - money in the correct pot (Senior Yudansha wanting a cut of the profits) - arguments with their instructors etc. (Whether it be a difference of opinion about the performing of kata to just not getting on any more). - breakdown of confidence in their instructors ability to teach. - rising costs in training fees etc. All add up to why there are so many styles. There are 3 "Styles" in my local area that originate from the same parent style, I won't mention their names for legal reasons but they practice the same kata (which is a mix of Shotokan and Goju Ryu Kata), the same basics and use the same syllabus. Mine was due to my a loyalty to my Students above my loyalty to my Sensei. but using that mine is a differnet beast to what it was 3 years ago.

From what I have read about Gokan Ryu translated from Japanese to English directly it means "Rape" school http://www.martialedge.net/forum/japanese-martial-arts/gkr-go-kan-ryu/ Check this thread out, it have views from both sides and from Karateka from all over the world too

I have read many of his books and own his Naihanchi/Bassai Bunkai DVD. he knows what he's talking about and I look forward to attending one of his seminars one day OSU

I personally would wait until you are a few grades higher than you are before you start buying stuff that might end up on the garage sale

kyokushin is the way OSU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I saw this kata and I thought how close it is to Jissen based karate kata, your thoughts Kanshiwa Kata Bow, Left foot moves away from right foot into neutral stance arms in guard position. Step into right sanchin stance. Turn left 90 degrees, left circle block, right full fist punch. Turn right 180 degrees, right circle block, left full fist punch. Turn left 90 degrees, left circle block, right full fist punch. Step into a right sanchin stance, right circle block, right side snap kick. Step into a left sanchin stance, left circle block, left side snap kick. Step into right shiko-dachi, left circle block, right elbow strike, right backfist. Turn left 180 degrees, into left sanchin stance. Slide into left sanchin stance, left circle block, double arm thrust. Step into right sanchin stance, right circle block, double arm thrust. Step into left sanchin stance, left circle block, double arm thrust. Step into right sanchin stance, left circle block, right chop, right backfist. Turn left 180 degrees, left circle block, left front kick. Slide into left sanchin stance, left circle block, push down with the left hand, right shoken strike. Slide back into left sanchin stance and place back of right shoken fist on top of left shoken fist. Step back into neutral stance with hands as above. Bring the left foot to the right foot, and bring hands down to the sides. Bow.

Soheir-san Without Sosai, Ashihara Karate would not have been created and with that the style I practice would not have existed OSU

I have enjoyed your posts But the one thing that comes to mind (note this is to open discussions only) is we don't have Snooker-Que-do or Baseball-Bat-do or even Gun-Fu available. One issue is why teach bokken or Bo/Jo kata if you can't carry them on the street. I agree that there are some decent knife fighters and styles out there. One of my students (taught by an SAS instructor his father knew in the Army) demonstrates how he can cut 6 times to major arteries around the body before the “victim” has time to move. The “trick” is how the knife is held. I recall seeing an add for Le Canne, a French style derived from Savate. This I can see as a worthy art to learn in today's society as walking sticks are legal to carry (not too sure about the ones with hidden daggers in them). I believe in my own unarmed skills, my life is in God's hands and if it’s my time then my God ease my suffering or help me run as fast as I can outta there Amen

All Thank you for all your responses to this thread, No I am not truly this Ardent about Weapons training, Its just that like other in other styles the roots an reasons behind every move and technique have long since been forgotten. Application of kata/forms are no longer being practiced for real situations (because we have "Self Defence" combinations included in the Syllabus - which gives the reason "Why Practice Kata?") they're been performed to win competitions/gradings only, THIS IS WHAT I HAVE AN ISSUE WITH. Its the same as kumite, full contact knockdown karate is nothing like tippy tappy bouncy bouncy strike and scream to get a point. Weapons Kata SHOULD be taught and practiced correctly by teachers who are not there just to get there students through competitions etc.

Weapons Training???? Why is your Karate not good enough? I ask this question as I speak with many Martial artists around the world and when they say "We do Weapons in our school" and I ask "What for?" the only answer I get is "its Fun...” or "It gives us something else to do in our syllabus..." I respond isn't the karate you've learnt/taught good enough as if you have to resort to weapons then you're not confident in your own abilities. I spoke to one "Shotokan Blackbelt" who advised that they have a Bo and a Jo near the door just in case someone comes at them with a baseball bat etc. I advised that great, what about "Tai Sabaki". I don't see the need to train in weapons as I'm not allowed to carry them in the street and the chances of coming across someone "well trained" in weapons on the street, well, I got more chance of winning the lottery. What are your thoughts and opinions on this topic? Thanks Ken

I only have one thing to add, Sosai Oyama. He was saddened by the Karate Competitions etc and formed Kyokushin and from there we have Knockdown karate competitions etc. I would concentrate on you own grade and get to Ichi Kyu. I've know Ichi Kyu's that have been that grade for nearly 15 years suppassed by many going up the grades to Yudansha. Although regarded highly in the club, they were still Mudansha. I too only give out Junior Blackbelts to anyone under 16, but to gain Adult full Shodan they have to "spar" with the adults etc I expect the same levels in Kata etc to "earn" the right to wear the Black belt. OSU