wagnerk

Cool, glad you've decided to start your martial arts journey. Depends on what it is you are looking for in a dojo/instructor... A few common things would be: 1. A black belt instructor (however some clubs will allow instructors from 3rd kyu/brown belt) 2. A variety of things in class (they may not do all of them in one class/session, mind you), eg sparring (however some clubs will not allow beginners to spar until they have grasped the basics) - this can be: Go Hon Kumite (five step sparring)/Sanbon Kumite (3 step sparring)/Kihon Ippon Kumite (basic one step sparring)/Jiyu Ippon Kumite (semi-free one step sparring) and or Jiyu Kumite (free sparring) 3. Partner Work 4. Kata 5. Techniques 6. Pad work Then there's the more "unseen" things, like how does the club make you feel? What are the attitudes like of the higher grades? Do the students and the instructor show control with their techniques? etc... Like all of us before and now (as there will always be someone with more experience, skill, strength, etc out there when compared to us), take it one step at a time Seriously, classes are structured in such a way as to introduce beginners to the art, techniques, club, etc... That's one of the reasons why the grading system (kyu and dan levels) are used. They won't just throw you to the "wolves" (yet, anyway ). However the main thing is to enjoy yourself and don't over think it.

It appears that chishi kata is either the katas Seisan or Sanchin but using the chishi bar??? However like Wastelander said ...it's entirely possible that certain instructors teach specific sets of chi'ishi exercises in a particular order... You can check out these links, maybe they can help you. However I would also get clarification from your own instructor. http://www.iogkf.com/newsletter/edition_2010_1/articles_pg_04.htm

Shotokan (the association that I was with) Taikyoku Shodan Heian Shodan Heian Nidan Heian Sandan Heian Yondan Heian Godan Tekki Shodan Bassai Dai Kanku Dai Enpi Jion Jitte Jiin Gankaku and Hangetsu* these were required but moved to the second Dan grading So 13 katas to 1st Dan (Shodan) Tang Soo Do (the association that I am with) Ki Cho Il Bu Ki Cho Ee Bu Ki Cho Sam Bu Ki Cho Sa Bu Ki Cho Oh Bu Pyung Ahn Cho Dan Pyung Ahn Ee Dan Pyung Ahn Sam Dan Pyung Ahn Sa Dan Pyung Ahn Oh Dan Passai (Bassai) Naihanchi Cho Dan Chil Sung Ill Lo Chil Sung Ee Lo Joong bong hyung II bu (short stick form 1) Joong bong hyung Ee bu (short stick form 2) Jang bong hyung II bu (long stick form 1) 17 forms to 1st Dan (Chodan)

That is a matter of opinion (and the following are mine)... In kyokushin, yes there are a lack of hand techniques to the head in competitions. However you are still taught them in class. As for Kyokoshin being sport orientated, it is... However it is down to the individual on whether or not they go down that route. If you want a martial art that is really not sport or competition orientated, then look at some thing like Shotokai (not Shotokan), ninpo or any other art that is non-competitive (the more self-defence orientated associations). As for lack of knees and elbows, people that practice kyokushin karate do practice these and they are allowed in Kyokushin matches. The "lack" of them are the fighters own choice, not the arts. As for grappling, I can't say as I didn't stay with Kyokushin for very long. Grappling in a "striking" art would be a secondary skill, normally taught at higher levels, whether or not it is included as part of a class or syllabus, I don't know. But saying that arts like kickboxing do not have grappling in them and I can't say that they suffer. In Shotokan, for example, normally you're not taught grappling until your post black belt (and that's if the association teaches it at all).

Give it a go and find out, let us know how you get on

Both are good styles (with links with/to Shotokan karate ). Personally I would say try out both of them. As what may be an advantage for one person, may not be for another. Besides, I would say, that you also want to see what the instructors are like.

I wouldn't judge on the appearance of the outside of the training hall. It could be that they hire out the place for X amount of time a week to keep the costs down. I've been studying various martial arts since the late 90's and none of them have had their own building. Plus I've met quite a lot of tattooed martial artists who are as talented and as nice as the non-tattooed ones I've haven't tried Goju-ryu, but I have seen them, quite impressive. However I'm partial to Shotokan as that was my first art that I ever trained in and that has given the basis on which I have built the rest of my MA skills on. With Shotokan, in general (provided you meet the requirements and are asked to grade), the gradings are every 3 months until you get to purple & white (4th kyu) or brown belt (3rd kyu), then it's every 6 months to 1st Kyu. Then it's about a year from 1st kyu to 1st Dan. That's an average (with an average of about 4 to 4 1/2 years to get to 1st Dan), but like I said provided you meet the requirements and are asked to grade. Saying that some people have been promoted to 1st Dan in under 2 years (Hirokazu Kanazawa for example) and some have take more than 20 years. Cool, keep us updated on your progress on whichever one you end up going with.

And the same to you too

One of my TSD mates who went for his 1st Dan at the same as me does yoga to help with his flexibility and relaxation - he's experienced improvement.

No worries

This is what I've done (that I actually graded in): Tang Soo Do - Chodan (1st Dan), 2013 - Midnight blue belt Freestyle Karate - 2nd Dan, 2004 - Black Belt Shotokan Karate - Shodan (1st Dan), 2002 - Black Belt Ni-Sen Karate (based on Ticky Donovan’s Ishinryu karate) - 6th Kyu, 2006 GKR Karate - 8th Kyu, 2011 American Kickboxing - Red Belt (1st Belt), 2011 British Kickboxing - Yellow Belt (2nd Belt), 2003

Shotokan: White Blue (10th Kyu) Red (9th Kyu) Orange (8th Kyu) Yellow (7th Kyu) Green (6th Kyu) Purple (5th Kyu) Purple with white stripe (4th Kyu) Brown (3rd Kyu) Brown with white stripe (2nd Kyu) Brown with Red stripe (1st Kyu) Black Belt intermediate (Shodan-ho, this was introduced a few years after I left the organisation) Black Belt (Shodan/1st Dan) Tang Soo Do: White Belt White Belt with 1 orange tag (9th Gup) Orange Belt (8th Gup) Orange Belt with 1 Green Tag (7th Gup) Green Belt (6th Gup) Green Belt with 1 tag (5th Gup) Green Belt with 2 tags (4th Gup) Red Belt (3rd Gup) Red Belt with 1 blue tag (2nd Gup) Red Belt with 2 blue tags (1st Gup) Midnight Blue Belt (Chodan/1st Dan)

How long is a piece of string? There is no standard answer, as everyone is different. What would you class as a Master? For me, I would say it takes a lifetime to master any art.

31 years old? You are never too old, when I tried out Kyokushin there were people in their 50's and 60's trying it out. Basic requirements? The willingness to learn. There are also Kyokushin classes for those with disabilities. So the art itself is like any other good karate style (eg Shotokan, Goju, etc), you just have to find the right instructor for you.

Yes, you can start training in this style, it's a very good style. Don't worry about your fitness, like any other style you have different levels (kyu if Japanese based, Gup if Korean, etc) each level will build upon the last. Fitness, strength and conditioning are gained over time through regular training this is built over time and over each level. Hope this helps

Not sure what Korean art you do, but I do Tang Soo Do and using a standard 6' bo that I used in Shotokan.

Congrats mate on the pass and double grade

In Shotokan karate, my favourite is Empi. In Tang Soo Do, my favourites are Pyung Ahn Sa Dan (Pinan/Heian Yondan) and Sip Soo (Jitte).

Yes, heard of that style. They aren't an off-shoot of each other, but they both have similar roots in Okinawan - Ankō Itosu. But after that, I believe that's where the development of each art goes their separate ways.

Kyokushin Karate is one of the full contact styles of karate out there (however they also practice "semi-contact" and "clicker", which is their version of light contact). Compared to a lot of different styles of karate, this style is a lot more physically demanding. A couple of clips that you may want to view would be: Coming from a Shotokan and Freestyle karate background (I tried Kyokushin karate after I gained my dan grades in those arts, before I started TSD), I found Kyokushin a bit harder on the day to day training, however sparring I found a lot harder. Not saying that I couldn't keep up (a lot of the techniques are either the same or similar), but am saying that I wouldn't want to go up against the same rank in a competition (saying that, that was about 8 years ago, I was younger - now a days not sure ). Kyokushin also does the 100 man kumite event, something which I believe no other style has. Now if this isn't enough for you, not sure what would be...

I agree with what the guy's have said re experiencing it first hand. But if you want a couple of books regarding the theory behind it, I found these to be good: Winning Karate by Ticky Donovan The Winning Edge: The Essence of Freestyle Karate by Alfie & Peter Lewis Plus, imo, the books and DVD's by Iain Abernethy are great.

Agreed. Give them a try and let us know how you get on

Cool, a great style

Not necessarily, remember kata is also a training tool. However in the beginning, more often than not, the techniques are normally taught before the kata. There are no stupid questions... Well I should say that the only stupid question is the one not asked. I guess each to their own Generally, just because something isn't listed on the syllabus, don't mean that it can't be implied. For instance in our association which teaches Tang Soo Do; lock, throws, pins, etc aren't specifically implied in the syllabus but because these are the katas we practice them (for our Dan grading we demonstrated them). Now it's slightly different in GKR, as alot of things were stripped out of it, eg the number of kicks, the number of stances and strikes, etc. However as it is in the katas that you practice, it is implied. However from what I've seen from GKR gradings if it's not explicitly stated you won't be tested on it (even though your kata be graded). The question for you is are you practicing karate to pass the exams/gradings or are you practicing karate for something more?

I tried out Kyokushin for a little while and found that they tend to practice kata and basic together and then either did a separate class or a different session for their sparing. Don't know if that is general of Kyokushin or that instructor. One thing, please do not assume that all sparing within Kyokushin is full contact, if that is why you want to spar with them. As they have "semi-contact" which is sparing with pad and "clicker" which would be light-contact, adjusted for Kyokushin fighters.