Power

[Wa-No-Michi]

Wa-No-Michi. I'm aware of Shingo Ohgami and I have a couple of his books, "introduction" and "katas". I can't find the section on developing power unless it's within "hand techniques".

There's a bit in both books actually. In introduction to Karate under "Study of Tsuki" pg 82-87, and in Karate Katas he says pretty much the same thing but on page 90 there is the energy curve graph that is very interesting.

This power can be quite easily demonstrated and the difference in the type of power developed using the different approaches is considerable and can certainly be felt by the recipeint. It's the type of power that doesn't push you back, but drops you on the spot like a sack of potatoes. To be fully appreciated it really needs to be felt.

As well as the fundamental ideas I've already mentioned there are many others like having heavy hands and how to impact your energy into the ground whilst moving, responding to visual responses instead of audible, forward feeling, only moving forwards in front stance and backwards in back stance, the list goes on.....

A lot of these ideas are not new and are practiced in other disciplines, but as I stated earlier, I think that many have unfortunately been lost in modern karate for some reason. Dare I mention competition karate?

The problem is trying to explain these ideas, especially on a forum. They are better observed and felt. The other problem with trying to explain these ideas on forums is that there are so many closed minded people who are far too quick to tell you that you are wrong before they have experienced something.

If you live anywhere near a KDS Shotokai club I would urge you to sample a few classes or better still a weekend course. It needs to be in Sensei Harada's KDS group though and preferably with a high ranking instructor.

I'm not trying to convert anybody here, but I think that it would be time well spent for any traditional karateka to at least sample some of Sensei Harada's teachings.

Although I don't practice with the group very often now due to work and my own teaching commitments, coming into contact with this group has been the most influential experience in all my 35 years of various martial arts practice.

Have a look at the website and look at some of the videos. There is also a Facebook site. But don't mistake the Shotokai practiced by other groups with KDS Shotokai.

A very good book is "Voice of the Mountain Dragon".

One of my students trained for a brief period at a KDS club when he was at Uni in Keal. He enjoyed it and found some similarities with Wado.

Some say that Wado today is more like Shotokan used to be (pre Nakayama), and I know that the KDS Shotokai try to observe this earlier version of Shoto, so perhaps that why the transition wasn't as hard as it could have been.

Most Wado katas are geared around teaching you how to move correctly, and the word "Kime" is a moot point. Some argue that it is so slight /quick in Wado (because it has to be due to the ability to relax and transmit energy) that it hardly exists if at all.

Your right though, Forums are not the place to learn these principles. You have to work on them under the watchfull eye of a knowlegeable instructor.

[Wa-No-Michi]

Sorry, pushed the return key before I had finished.

Also, I would add that courses are good (vital even), but they are no substitute for training week in week out with a good instructor when it comes to these sort of fundamentals.

As you say moriniuk, they are not transmitted in an instant, they have to be experienced and then realised, tempered and honed.

No short answers really.

[moriniuk]

Was if fairly recently that your student practiced at Keale? There was a club there years ago which closed. It was re-started about 3 years ago.

I have practiced at both Keale and Staffs Universities. The instructor there is Mark Hallam, one of the 5th dan technical commitee members. He's an excellent instructor.

Some of the underlying principles within KDS Shotokai were originated by Funakoshi's son and Egami but Sensei Harada has further developed these principles over the last 50 something years.

[Wa-No-Michi]

About two years ago as I seem to remember.

Apologies to the people of Keale for spelling their town wrong btw.

[moriniuk]

I've probably met and practiced with him/her. I attending regularly on Friday evenings about 2 years ago.

I hope they gained as much as I did.

[Wa-No-Michi]

Well there you go.

So what's a MT boy like you dabbling in the traditional Karate world for?

Sorry if that sounded like a pick up line.

[moriniuk]

It's actually the other way around.

I'm originally a karateka who dabbles in Muay Thai

I started out with Wado Ryu Karate in 1973. When this club closed I switched to JKA Shotokan (KUGB), and then drifted into Kyokushinkai.

I started training in Muay Thai in 1983 to improve my full contact sparring but ended up staying.

I then went to work in Saudi Arabia and practiced WTF Taekwondo whilst I was there.

It was during my period in Saudi Arabia that I first began travelling to Thailand. I first went in 1988 and trained at the Sityodtong camp.

When I returned to the UK I carried on training in WTF Taekwondo and Muay Thai.

I carried on returning regularly to Thailand to train at various camps until now.

I have drifted through a few karate and kung fu clubs in various styles over the years since, not really swearing allegiance to any one style or group.

In 2003 I discovered KDS Shotokai and practiced mainly this style for a few years as well as Muay Thai.

I began studying Chen Style Tai Chi in 2005 just to keep up my training after I injured my knee and found much more than a gentle exercise class here.

I teach Tai Chi and Muay Thai at my own small school and also practice Ashihara Karate. Although I'm not a regular, I still practice KDS Shotokai too.

I practice Karate, Muay Thai and Tai Chi and like each one for differnt reasons not really preferring one more than another.

[bushido_man96]

I teach Tai Chi and Muay Thai at my own small school and also practice Ashihara Karate. Although I'm not a regular, I still practice KDS Shotokai too.

I practice Karate, Muay Thai and Tai Chi and like each one for differnt reasons not really preferring one more than another.

Man, that's like the ultimate yin/yang of hard and soft styles there. Pretty cool that you get to teach and train in both.