Zanshin

Maybe you were doing a naff kick. Not saying of course that the TKD guys do naff kicks, but if his opinion is biased about TKD then he could have meant it as a diss. IE that was rubbish do better.

I think that the transition through the Dan grades are of great importance. As said before Shodan is foot on the first rung of the ladder. Nidan is confirmation of Shodan. I was told by a senior Japanese Wado-ka that Sandan should be considered to be the peak of the physical perfection. This of course sort of depends on your age when you started your training. I think that Yondan and above is where knowledge of your system and your own body should start to harmonise, if that makes sense. If you can achieve this harmony then your karate can continue to get better as you get older. Hopefully by the time you are sixty or seventy your karate is effortlessly efficient.

This thread is getting really heavy. And hearing terms like battery, and assault reminds me of a joke. Two kids are arrested, the first for battery, the second for stealing fireworks; The first was charged and the second was let off! Martial_Artist, I don’t wish to diminish what you have written, but dont you think your approach to a simple question is a bit harsh. Surely there are more reasons to study Martial arts than just self defence. And just out of interest what is the "Pure Art" that you study. Maybe we are all missing something

In the most part the sword and "Saya" are placed in the Obi with curve / blade upwards. Some drawing techniques involve the inverting of this momentarily before drawing if an upwards cut is required. Also I remember reading somewhere that it could have something to do with the era, as originally the sword blade faced downward. But in most Iaido today the starting position is blade up.

You've got to love that Adidas Master Gi in hot weather. We don’t tend to get a lot of it here in the UK but when we do I drag mine out. I still tend to feel a bit naked in it though. Welcome to the Forum

This site is a great source of Info on Shito-ryu/kai http://shitokai.com As to whether it's ok to do Kumite in your first lesson, as long as you were being well supervised and it was with a relatively experienced partner you should be ok. Importantly you should enjoy it.

Well said sir. I think it was Funakoshi sensei that, when asked why he practiced Karate, replied...."to get better". Says it all really.

judo, tkd, sumo, kendo, kyokushin... all have a sportive aspect. What of these? Exactly that, "sportive aspects" drawn down from the traditional art (although strictly speaking, Sumo is a traditional art or Koryu). Interestingly though when competing in most of these, the refereeing and scoring is conducted in Japanese (not TKD obviously).

Personally I take any opportunity I can to train in nothing but my underpants. I find it really relaxing, and if truth be told the ladies love it.

Whether you call it sport or art, the techniques are just techniques, and the language doesn't change the technique. It doesn't but IMO I think it helps to reinforce the "Cultural Identity" of the particular Martial Art that you are learning, and I think that’s important. And as mentioned earlier the "Universal" language for Karate is Japanese. Again not vital to doing or teaching the techniques of Karate, but certainly advantageous if you train with Instructors of different nationality to yourself, or overseas etc.

What do you hope to do with it career wise? Become an Instructor, or maybe Military? Or Martial Arts Movie Star Personally, if I am being really honest, I do Martial Arts because I love the outfit.

Isn't that cheating and if so why bother?

I would think that they would teach boxing in their own language as it is a sport. Traditional Martial Arts like Karate are NOT sports, and that’s perhaps the difference.

The club where I train charges £ 4.00 per 2 hour session. This is paid on the door "pay as you train". In the UK we don’t tend to have contracts - although I think that the GKR lot are trying to bring this in. Also, not many instructors in the UK, teach Karate as a primary source of income, so I guess were quite lucky in many ways.

I am not American and do not train in the US but claims like this... "Here is your chance to become the lean, fearless, stress-free person you have always wanted to be -- We Guarantee It!!" ...sort of ring alarm bells with me. But that said, you can not judge a Karate club by its webs site. Personally though, I would look into the more traditional arts. Maybe ask your sensei what "Ryu" the school's karate is based on.

I think I have got off quite unscathed. I have suffered the odd broken nose, fingers and toes, but my most painful was a dislocated knee. Went to do a mawashi geri overstretched, and ended up with my knee on the floor with the bottom of my leg sticking out at 90 degree angle, the wrong way. Stung a bit and took about 4 years to recover. Still hurts going up the stairs in winter. But I am sure that there are many other forum members that have much more gruesome injuries than that.

Big Sigh!! And a Wado-ka as well Oh well, each to their own!

Some styles do use "Okinawan", but most do use "Japanese" because they are Japanese styles. Which "styles" would these be? Wado ryu is a "Japanese" karate rather than Okinawan. The founder Ohtsuka Sensei was keen to make this apparent in his style. The first Shotokan and Kyokushin Dojo were also established in mainland Japan, so technically they are regarded as Japanese and not Okinawan. So which styles use Okinawan then? And our survey says...

Exactly, and that is why I think that training using Japanese, helps me at least try to understand the "improvements" that where made to the core combat principles through this addition. It's what gives Karate its Martial Arts identity, and I personally think that’s a good thing. I suppose we all have different tastes, and I think that’s what makes us Human.

I would buy into this idea, but there are fighting styles, concepts, principles, etc., that came from and have existed in other parts of the world for as long as history goes back. Fighting didn't come from Japan alone. Therefore, I don't feel that only Japanese terms (or those of another language) are the only way to explain a principle. True, but many of these fighting systems have their own "specific" ways to approach combat. Japanese Budo is heavily intertwined with "Zen" and the development of the mind and spirit to make them ready for Combat. For me, it is a vital part of my training to at least try to acknowledge this higher level premise. You will find it hard to do that, if you don’t understand some of the Karate related Japanese terms that have "percolated" down from these "Zen" approaches.

Your instructor is very wise. Also the Japanese is the universal language of Karate so if you train / or compete overseas (in France for example) you can understand what is going on. Some styles do use "Okinawan", but most do use "Japanese" because they are Japanese styles. Which "styles" would these be? Wado ryu is a "Japanese" karate rather than Okinawan. The founder Ohtsuka Sensei was keen to make this apparent in his style. The first Shotokan and Kyokushin Dojo were also established in mainland Japan, so technically they are regarded as Japanese and not Okinawan.

Going beyond physical technique, I think Japanese is better when referring to a karate "principles" or "mindsets". For many of these, direct translations do not always exist, or if they do, they do not always fully explain the requirement. I suppose it’s a case of how deep you want to look into your Karate. If you only want to learn the moves, then English would probably suffice, but this is really just scratching the surface. If you want to get to grips with the workings of your karate then I think it is important to at least try to look at it from a “Budo” perspective, and knowing and “understanding” the Japanese terms for this is key. Terms like “Maai” are made a bit “two dimensional” when expressed (and only considered) in English as “distance” for example.

"Do itashi mashite" ...and all the best with your Wado.

Hi Richard, The attached site is the official JKF website. On the shopping page they advertise a DVD of the official WKF Shitei Gata. The only problem is, I think you can only access it through the Japanese version of the website. https://www.karatedo.co.jp

To me, the basic uke are of vital importance to the Karate-ka, as they teach correct timing, distance, co-ordination, focus and movement, the key requisites for Kumite. On the subject of exactly what each technique is designed to do as part of the uke waza this is, by its nature, subjective.