American Karate

[chh]

Personally, I think you need to look for a different dojo, even if you have to look outside your immediate area. I'm not passing judgement on your current school, it just doesn't sound like where you as an individual should be. You seem to be more than a little interested in the history and traditional aspects of karate, and it sounds like your current instructor simply has nothing to offer in those areas. I suppose you could pick a style, get some books/vids and memorize the movements of each kata in that style. You almost certainly won't be able to fully learn and understand them without a teacher, and when you them teach them to others I would bet anything you'd be teaching something very different from the originals. You think people get uppity about someone teaching made-up kata, wait til they see you claiming to teach a traditional style with the kata all mutated. Just my opinion. Good luck finding what you're looking for!

[karatekid1975]

I can give you sites that have kata on them. I'm sure, since you use Japanese term, the Japanese stylist can help you find sites that have Japanese term. I have a few in my bookmarks (for katas that is).

 

Speaking of Japanese term, since your instructor uses them, I would guess he came from a Japanese style. So I will give you a few sites to look at. Lemme know if you see anything you reconize.

 

Here's a good one. This one taught me a lot about Shotokan. It has kata, teckniques, bunkai, ect: http://www.shotokankata.com/ Click "take the tour" link at the bottom.

 

Here's a Shorin-ryu site. Katas are similar: http://www.shorinryu.dk/html/indexe.htm Click on "kata" on the left.

 

Both these sites have a lot of info. These would be a good place to start. Also check out this site: http://www.martialinfo.com/MartialMainFrame.htm This site has boat loads of info on many many styles. Scroll down till you see "styles" on the left. You can research many styles from this site (I have). Plus it has many great links.

 

I hope this helps

[Kirves]

My sensei' is 33 years old, he had trained in martial arts for 4 years, got his blackbelt in Jan. 1999 and opened his dojo in Sept.1999.

 

In Okinawa, one master said that a martial artists should not write books on martial arts until they have 40 years of training under their belt. Same goes for modifying stuff, they don't understand it properly enough to make major changes.

 

Okay, 40 years may be a bit over stretched, but gets the picture. When someone makes changes to his art after learning only a few years, it usually means he drops the stuff he has yet to understand or learn how to use. Thus he is forever stuck on second grade.

 

Just my 2c.

[Tobias_Reece]

I have a saying which I stole from someone on this board.........

 

"If you walk the walk, you have to talk the talk"

 

I admire your journey of terminology seeking. However, I think that your instructor is holding you back - anyone who calls their katas "Competition One" and "Basic Two" needs to be.......well......I dunno......can't think of anything thats not too offensive

 

Like everyone else on this board I'm happy to help you with anything you need. Hey - ever thought of starting up Okianwan Kobudo?

[ZeRo]

i agree with tobias

[omnifinite]

I'm with them. I think you deserve better. I think you should find something taught by someone more knowledgable (15 years of experience at the very least). You'll appreciate what they have to offer you much more and you'll thank yourself for taking the chance. After a while in the new place you'll start thinking things like, "So that's why we do this," and, "My old sensei didn't even know about this," and, "I know now what would have happened to me if I stayed." Even if you can find the kata terminology and histories, you won't know the correct postures, why they're correct, and what the hundred applications of each movement are. I'm already confident your instructor doesn't know these things.

 

So, yeah, plenty of good advice for you in the thread so far .

[Tobias_Reece]

i agree with tobias

 

Argh, someone actually agrees with me. This......feeling........inside me.......I cannot.......understand.........is...it....pride?........no wait, its just hunger..... LOL (that's one for Kensai)

 

But seriously, cheers Mike and omnifinite (if you are agreeing with me Omni ?)

[americankarategal]

Thank you all so much for replying, I am really excited about the information you all have sent my way. I did speak with someone that trained at the same dojo as my instructor and has been training fo 15-20 years. I asked him where this all came from and he said iit really started with Bruce Lee when he started breaking away from tradition. He said that people would train in one or more styles and begin to "tweek" them to make them a little different and then claim to have developed a new style. He also said that we are more of Sport Karate, we do japanese terminology because we use technique that began in japan such as : dachi waza, uke waza, , tsuki waza, ect......

 

Thanks agian everyone and still anything else you find or think of please let me know

[omnifinite]

But seriously, cheers Mike and omnifinite (if you are agreeing with me Omni ?)

Yes, I was agreeing .

[karatekid1975]

americankarategal,

 

I'm going a little off topic, but you taught me something. I gripe about my dojang (too expensive mainly), but I know what my art is, and I know the history, my instructor's instructor, ect. After you started this thread, I spoke to one of the instructors, and he was very open about these things. I checked on his answers and, my school is legit. Instead of griping about the price, I should look at other stuff. No, I don't agree with some of the stuff they teach (or why we wait so long to learn good self defense), but I never asked why. I found out that my master instructor is very big on drilling the basics. Which isn't a bad thing for beginners. I was so close-minded that I didn't see that. Maybe all that stuff I said in other threads was a result of me, not them. I donno, but I will shut my mouth for now on, and "watch and ask questions" more often. I should stop "assuming" things.

 

Anyways, I really hope you find a good dojo. You sound like someone who loves what you do, so you deserve something better. Oh and thanks for this "lesson"