Whats the deal with the Shotokan\ karate sidekick?

[cathal]

Ah, well to each his/her own.

[blitzcraig]

Instructors have alot to do with style too. They teach like they want to teach.

[aefibird]

I agree.

 

Instructors from the same organisation, or even the same club can teach differently from one another, and they're all supposed to 'pulling in the same direction'. No wonder instructors from different karate organisations teach so differently if instructors from the same club can't even agree on a technique...

[Mart]

Thats really a new concept to me. So there are organizations and are they supposed to teach in the same manner, like is there a curriculum?

 

If so why? im not critisizing but ive never heard of this sort of thing.

[aefibird]

Yeah, I agree there isn't particularly a set 'curriculum' within organisations.

 

My point was that if two instructors from the same organisation can't even agree how to do a technique (which is not necessarily a bad thing) then how confusing it must be for their students, especially beginners.

 

For example, my karate organisation regularly holds courses run by the chief instructor or other senior instructors within the org. If I do a particular technique with my instructor (say, an Ushiro-geri, for example) I have to remember that my instructor likes your head to be positioned in one way when doing this technique and that the chief instructor likes you to do it an other way entirely. It is still the same kick, only done two ways. Also, a third instructor that I often train under tells students to perform the kick in a different way to my instructor and the chief instructor. There isn't anything wrong with their 3 ways of doing this kick, it's just that it can be a little confusing at times.

 

All I was meaning that even within a particular style or an organisation (whose members are all supposed to be singing from the same hymn sheet!) there can be big differences.

 

In the end, there are as many varieties of martial art as there are martial artists. It's just that humans like lumping things together in groups, so from that we get the 'shotokan group' and the 'wado-ryu group',etc etc, even if the techniques practiced within that particular group are wildly different in style and form from one another.

[aefibird]

EDIT: double post.

Edited May 25, 2004 by aefibird

[Killer Miller]

You know, I was re-examining side thrust kick the other day (kekomi), and we do use the side of the foot, but more heal on the thrust. If using the bottom of the heal, as many do, you are forced to lean your body in order to have a straight line on the kick. This is a HUGE no no in Shotokan... You never do any technique that forces you body center to change - this aid in recovery of technique, and quick response to another technique.

 

However, with the foot/heal angeled down slightly (side of foot/heal), you are able to maintain a straight line of your leg on the thrust and yet still maintain a complete center of gravity with out moving your body's center point - as if a pole was going down the center of your body...

 

- Killer -