Part Three: Hasen no Kata- A series of Kata

Part Three: Hasen no Kata- A series of Kata

                Many years ago I became a Kata nut, I loved the history and tradition of Kata and researched them deeply to find out who created them, tried to figure out their intent and wanted to awash myself in, or steep my training in the foundation or text books of Karate.  But very early on I realized that their was no way a part time student who spent less than 4 hours a day in the club could know and do all 26 Kata well, and even more I realized you were not really meant to.

                I know of some great Karate men that would spend hours and hours doing all 15 Kata and then working into the more senior Katas and I did that as well as a new shodan I could “dance” through all 26 Kata with just a few mistakes,  but that’s when I realized the mistakes were not what I should be worried about, it was that I was dancing through some of the Kata and not really studying them hard. 

                I kind of became depressed and wanted to stop training in Kata all together, I mean if you cant learn the 26 Kata of your style why bother….but then Dingman Sensei pointed something out to me….Goju has Seven Kata and not everyone knows all seven main Kata!  No master can demonstrate all 26 Kata perfectly and not miss a technique.  But they can impress you and make you inspired by watching their Kata…..Their Kata, it had a nice ring to it and I started looking for a kata to specialize in.

                I promptly asked Dingman sensei what “His” Kata was and he replied “which one”….leaving me scratching my head and confused after he had just said that the masters had their Kata…and he did not seem to have his!  But he quickly explained something his instructor had taught him…Hasen no Kata! 

                Hasen no Kata means running together Kata in a stream of movements.  You could see this if you did all five Heian Kata in a row with no bowing and just finish one, move into the next. But the term has been hijacked by Yaguchi sensei for Dingman Sensei, and then me, and now my readers…both of you!

                Hasen No Kata has come to mean your personal study triad of Kata! Hasan no Kata has become a selection of three Kata that you study to work on your Karate and get a better understanding of Karate. Now Dingman Sensei says you should pick three opposing kinds of Kata, one that is your body type and perfect for you, one that is the opposite of you and one that is of personal interest to you and study them. For instance if you are a giant of a person that is heavily muscled and not to quick you may want to pick Hangetsu to work on your stance and power even more, then empi to really work the speed and explosiveness part of your training and perhaps Kanku dai to balance out your training.

                Why Three and not all 26 or not just one…well I already said that I don’t believe its possible to know all 26 Kata well enough to really explore them and know them inside and out in this life time…and why not one, well you pick a Kata that is like you are ( a big powerful guy doing Jion only) and you will not grow as a person or in Karate, you need that opposing factor to really push yourself to the next level.  By selecting three Kata to really focus on you allow yourself to grow as a Karate person, study different aspects of the Karate system and create a very special strategy in Self-defense or Kumite.

                To select your Kata first you have to be very honest with yourself and sit down and think about what your strengths are and what your weaknesses are and what kind of body you have. If you think you are a little pixy and you are fast as lighting but in reality you are long and lanky and kind of awkward, well your picks will be flawed. Also, listen to your instructor and your seniors. While the final choice is yours, your instructor knows you best and will push you to find the right fit for you.  Now if they pick a Kata you simply can not get into, well give it time, they may still be right! But if you find that they picked Jion for you and you simply don’t like it and it feels weird for you, well talk to them and find out what is missing. You may in the end choose not to pick that Kata at all.

                Sometimes it seems obvious that you should train in three Kata and you pick three Kata that would be obvious to put together like Jion, Jutte and Jiin…right I mean they are a Kata run that seems to be perfect right? Well I personally don’t think so.  They are to much alike and all you get is basically the same Kata done with no real growth outside of powerful movements and solid stance, no real speed play, change in levels and they kind of play into that “Im really big so why move fast” mentality.  Why?  Well there is nothing scarier than a big man that can rocket through you and change direction to follow you like a heat seeking rocket! Trust me it does not fit the model that Dingman Sensei and Yaguchi Sensei set up.

                Now most sport Karate guys work on a kata to compete, they perfect every detail of it and get it as show ready as possible. Kind of like working with a pure Bread show horse, every hair is groomed every detail of the Gi is ironed into it and every technique is perfect to with in the most aesthetic set as possible. That is counter to the art of Hasen no Kata, its not about polishing a kata till you can display it, its about getting into the bowel of the Kata and learning from it. Its not about mastering the Kata Dance, its about learning how to think like the Kata wants you to, hard wired in moves and creating a reaction to stimuli that is done with out thinking. The art of Hasen no Kata is a lost art of really learning from the Kata and providing an open door or blank canvas to remake yourself with each Kata. In place of one great dance you have three teachers!

                So, how do you pick them, or what should you pick. Well the first Kata should be playing to your strengths, the second to your weaknesses and the third a fundamental Kata that grounds you in the arts very roots. For a Kata that focuses on your strength pick one that is tailored to your body type, for instance a smaller more nimble person would pick Empi and a more athletic person Unsu or a bigger person Jion and a long tall person Gankaku!  These strength based Kata should focus on your ability and body type and be presented as your focal Kata when training.  This means when someone asks you for your Tokui Kata you answer this one. Be careful when selecting your strong side Kata as you will not want to make an error like Picking Gankaku if you are short and light but feel that this is a great Kata to show off your speed. It may be that you can make it do this, but the intent of the Kata shows that its made more for someone built like a crane, and not a sparrow!

                For your weak point Kata pick on that is the complete opposite of you.  Dingman Sensei used to say that if you are built like a rhino you should not pick sparrows Kata as your favorite or specialty Kata, but should do it to compliment your ability and build off of it. So, if you are built like a runaway train, doubling up on Jion and sochin may not help you build snappy quick movements and speed in your training.  So, maybe if you are built like a king elephant, go for Empi to compliment your lack of speed and abundance of power.

                The last one to pick is your fundamental Kata.  The other two Kata are normally selected around Nidan to be honest, but the fundamental Kata is one that you pick to do at shodan to ground yourself in the fundamentals of Karate. This Kata is normally one of the first 15 Kata and normally selected from Bassai Dai, Jion, Empi, Hangetsu and Kanku dai.  The reason that the Tekkis and Katas like Gankaku are not selected are because they are wildly different from the Karate fundamentals and also because the Tekki Kata are training Kata and not a fighting Kata.

                So, you select a Kata that is fundamentally what you think of as Karate. For instance if you are a bigger person then maybe Jion or Bassai Dai will be your pick, and if you are a lighter person then maybe Empi or Kanku Dai, a very technical person would obviously go for Kanku Dai and a more “runaway train” kind of person Bassai to the next level. No matter what you select this will be your go to Kata for a while and one you return to the most to polish your fundamentals.

                So, what Hasan no Kata have  picked, well I picked some unique ones, and one was selected for me. For my grounding in fundamentals one of my seniors gave me Kanku Dai to work on.  One day after working on a demo with Tammy Sensei we were talking Kata and she suggested that I take up Kanku dai. I was a younger guy and brown belt at the time and she saw something in me that suggested that Kanku Dai was a good fit. I have to agree, I find that the intricate and yet basic movements are a great base for Fundamental training in Shotokan. Its also the flag ship of Shotokan Karate.

                My training in Kanku Dai also affords me the study of basics and body movement that helps me remember and hard wire in specific movements that help me teach the basics as well. Its an advanced, long kata that is dedicated to the very basic core of Karate training, hip movement and stance use.  It also has the two main kicks in Karate (Mae Geri and Yoko geri) imbedded in the training. Wide circular moves along with direct linear movements help define the Kata as well as a few fancy techniques that help make the Kata interesting.

                My study of Kanku dai has shown that it is a very difficult Kata to do correctly. The very nature of it being basic and fundamental do not allow you to hide weaknesses or mistakes in the training of it and basically it keeps you about as honest as possible when studying your own movements.

                When I got my Nidan under Tanaka Sensei many moons ago I was looking for my other two Kata to fit into my Hasen no Kata.  My first selection came because of my instructor.  While not built the same, we are both shorter men and both focus a lot on technical proficiency for our body types. We are not so big that we look great doing power Kata like Sochin and we are not so fast (well Im not) that Unsu looks good on us, and he was thinking 10-30 years down the road.  What kind of dynamics do we want for our bodies. I always loved hip spring and coil of the body so Nijushiho became my primary Kata for study. My instructor did this Kata a lot leading up to his Rokudan and he felt that the change of direction facilitated by the coil of the hip was perfect for showing dynamic change in direction. And I agreed….of course.

                My second Kata was Nijushiho, which played to my strengths of being kind of average height and not exactly and athletic build. It was more of a thinking Kata and had the ability to be both dynamic and complex in presentation. I needed a third Kata to work on that was similar but different enough to complement Nijushiho!

                I played with Kanku sho for a bit but found that it was to similar to Kanku Dai and also thinking down the road I could not see a 60 year old me doing this Kata at all.  I then turned to Bassai Sho, but as much as I like this Kata, it did not fit. I still go back to the Kata in my training but not as often as I do my other Triad Katas.  From Bassai Sho came Jiin and then Sochin and finally Chinte. All great Kata but none seemed to fit me.  I finally went back to my training in St.Vital with Brian Dingman Sensei and our attempt to study Meikyo.

                I watched videos of the Kata and studied the men that did this Kata. All of them were a bit introspective and it fit with my other Katas nicely.  Where Nijushiho was Dynamic and the timing made it very technical, it had easy to follow Embussen and you could pretty much be on target 99% of the time, Meikyo was more difficult and angles had to be perfect. The Sharp change in direction was not really lead by the hips, but more a shoulder rotation and lean. The Kata fit perfectly and complemented my other forms. While it did not adhear completely to the selection process for Hasen no Kata, I have always been a mild rebel when it came to Karate so that fit as well.

                Now to me the act of finding a Hasen no Kata selection is a soul searching process where you look at all 26 Kata and go through them. Learn a bit about each and figure out what your style is, what it is not and were the strengths and weaknesses of your body lay.  Then you can select and start training and studying the depths of Karate.  Remember Karate up to black belt is being lead around and shown what to do, after Shodan you start your own research and your own studies.  It’s like an education plan. In elementary (white to orange belt) you learn the very fundamentals of Movement in Karate. In Junior high/.middle school (Green and Purple belts) you start to “get it” and you are lead into some more advanced ideas. Your high school years (Brown belt) you start to put into practice the very basics and work on mastering them. And by university (Shodan) you pick your specialty and work on it, your education is much more self-guided and you will truly develop your own game plan.

                Hasen no Kata is simply the act of going to the next level and starting self-guided education and studies.  Its not something that Yaguchi Sensei, Dingman Sensei or myself created, its an extension and redefining of what already existed.   So pick your three once you are that level and start to really go beyond the first steps of Karate training that are the Kyu levels.

Kata: a street map to the puzzle of the Tokui no Kata Part 2 B

Part Two (B): Tokui no Kata- Personal or speciality Katas

The following 11 Kata round out the Shotokan Curriculum for Kata and can be used to select your next Tokui Kata or to form your Hasen no Kata going forwards. I will do the same to these Kata as I have the first 8. These are higher level black belt Kata and many Nidan choose to not select any of these, but play with them as a bit of a fun. Once you have your Nidan however you should begin looking for Hasen no Kata groupings to compliment your training and to use for your Karate training…I will explain this in my next blog…..



Sochin:

One of the most overdone Kata in tournament history! I love Sochin and if done well it is a regal and powerful looking Kata…but everyone is doing Sochin at Nidan and up! For this reason alone I have avoided making it anything close to my Tokui Kata and its not in my Hasen Kata group!

Sochin is built for a powerful, strong and thick body. The dynamics kicks also rely on a flexible hip, so it can be a hard match for smaller more athletic people that do the kata and have great kicks, but tend to look “off” when doing the power movements. Thick limbs and powerful kicking is not always a combination you can find in a person. Enoeda and Shirai are both hold/held these traits as well as Kagawa. The three of them do Sochin justice in their presentation.

Those that study this modern Kata tend to forget it is not even a hundred years old yet and created by Funakoshi Senseis son as a demonstration Kata. The presentation suggests age to the Kata that does not exist. Its applications are very basic but the movement timing is hard to get down if you only train in this kata in a shallow way.

If you are looking for a Tokui Kata and don’t mind following the crowd then this could be a great fit for you. It’s a powerful and dynamic Kata that requires a good stance, great timing and form, but some people are not built for it and still take up this as their Kata. When I see light, athletic people take up this Kata I think it’s a cop out, like taking up Hangetsu simply to avoid the better fitting Empi. My suggestion for those that like this very likeable Kata is to make it part of your Hasen Kata group if anything.



Unsu:

Dynamic, explosive, challenging and built for guys like Yahara Sensei, who is probably sick of being known for this Kata. Its very athletic and requires a great deal of agility to perform. Its also a all-consuming and time heavy Kata that will take lots of practice….as all Kata do…but even more…to get this one right. The benefits of this kata are HUGE when you look at the big picture on training, but its not made for everyone.

A fast, dynamic body that can execute whip like moves and has a solid grounding in Empi and Kanku Dai will do well on this Kata. Its dynamic changes in direction and explosive moves make this a fan favorite when done right and offer up the kind of Karate training that will make you a monster in Kumite.

Those that are suited for this Kata will excel at athletics and it will be a hard Kata to master well, so it keeps people’s attention when training. Keep in mind that its hard to learn, harder to master but the effort will pay off big time for you.



Nijushiho:

Nijushiho is a unique Kata with strange angles and a unique feel to it. The flow is very different and the explosive hip movements that are taught will help you in all your kumite. The re-enforceable lessons of hip twisting and coiling then lashing out are front and center in this Kata as well as some unique faints that will serve you will when you advance in Kumite.

This has been my favorite Kata for some time as the first few movements seem to establish a unique wave like flow to the Kata. Like waves lapping on the side of a boat the first three moves take on this wave like movement to generate power and help drive the hips into the techniques after the initial backwards retreat.

Nijushiho may not be as dynamic as Unsu but you have to appreciate the intricacies of the kata to truly enjoy performing it. The wrist locks, elbow strikes and throws that are incorporated into sliding movements make this a very powerful and potent Kata.

This Kata is suited for average and very nimble people. The admittedly hard side thrust kicks are best performed by someone with a nimble set of hips and strong hip flexors to really show the power of the kicks.



Bassai Sho:

Bassai Sho, or the lesser of the Bassais, is anything but smaller than the first Bassai, it simply has a different feel of grandeur. In a lot of ways this Kata feels completely different, for one thing there are more “how to disarm a guy with a stick” applications than you can….well shake a stick at. The whole Kata was created by Itosu sensei to basically teach you how to do this.

Bassai Sho is great for average and long limbed people. The slow movements and the concentrated moves mixed with the explosive movements and the changes in direction using unique stepping movements to retrace your steps for an attack make this a unique and under used Kata.

Its unique look tends to keep it from being as popular as other Katas. It’s a great way to push performance and training in a different direction.



Kanku Sho:

Kanku Sho is very popular amongst athletes competing who need explosive movements and dynamic showing forms. However the Kata is fantastic for those wanting to learn the rapid changes in direction and the dynamics of power mixed with timing.

This is perhaps as difficult a kata to learn as Unsu and is built for lean, athletic people that have the spring and explosive nature to bring to the table.

Much like Sochin and Unsu this Kata has been wickedly popular with tournament competition and maybe is a bit overdone at that level. While instructors like Shinna have brought back the katas like Jitte and Jion is always popular, the higher up the competition the more the participants tend to rely on flash and not solid basics. They have the solid basics but they feel it must be wrapped up in a nice shinny bow!

Kanku sho is a fantastic Kata to learn and for young athletic types it’s a great way to show their ability, but perhaps not built for older members worried about what happens when they land off a huge jump and it really is not built for bigger people trying to show power and timing over explosive grace!



Jiin:

Jiin is the lost brother to Jitte and Jion. Its pretty much a rework of Jion but has some turns that remind me of Gankaku. Its built for a big powerful person that wants to look like they are chopping down a tree when they move. Thick limbs help you do this kata and basics that are spotless. You need solid stances and concentrated power that almost sends vibrations through the air.

Jiin is one of the Katas that Nakayama did not get to for his best Karate series and as such has suffered from the issue of lack of info on the Kata. I have done tones of research on this Kata and found that its very tricky at points because I get so confused with Jion when trying to do this Kata in a series. But its also a great Kata for bigger guys to show off.

Its also just a slight bit out of the norm and interesting for those board of Jion but looking to continue on learning the Kata in a series. Kind of like learning Tekki Sandan after mastering the first two, the Jiin Kata is just different enough to be interesting but similar enough to not be to out of the norm.





Chinte:

Chinte has been called a girls Kata for years, and probably because Nakayama said “Chinte is a perfect Kata for self-defense. Men and ladies would benefit from learning its unique hands and applications for defense”. Far to many focus on the “And ladies” part of his comment and the Kata has been lost to a generation of ignorant young men not wanting to learn the same things that ladies learn!

Chinte has a tone of dynamic hand movements that can all be attributed to self-defense skills and the use of them can be devastating on an attacker. It is also a technically difficult kata with tones of balance points in it that make the Kata

While its true that ladies will do great with this Kata, so will average sized men and smaller men with fast hands. The other hard sell on this Kata are the hops at the end. While its controversial about the reason for the hops, it seems that it is a big deterrent for some people. When I study Chinte I realize that the Kata is very unique and has lots to offer, now it’s not part of my three Kata studies but the fact is that I see value in training this kata for all genders.



Gojushiho sho and Gojushiho dai:

Another favorite of mine are the Gojushiho Katas which served as a year long study of mine when I first was graded to shodan under Dingman Sensei (2 years before my JKA grading to Nidan). These Kata are very different from each other but follow the same Embusen and thus present a similarity in training that helps you learn the kata. Basically, you know if you are facing the wrong way or not during the Kata when you know one of them.

With dramatic turns and fast hand movements this Kata is particularly good for people with sharp form, quick hands and good use of their core in moving. It’s a true concentration builder as you can easily be off line or out of the embusen with some of the turning. This series also has differing speeds in technique’s and build on changing tempos.

Both of these katas are also very popular in international tournaments but some of the tournaments I have seen show the performer dressing up the kata with horrible pausing and strange changes in tempo. A Kata should be alive and a living performance not a Noh performance.



Meikyo:

A hugely misunderstood Kata by those that only trained in it slightly, Meikyo has a very depth to its character that you have to appreciate to perform this Kata properly. The use of 180 degree turns and the three direction jump make this a very athletic Kata if done properly.

It’s a very rooted kind of Kata so stance must be solid and the hips set firmly when doing the Kata. Angles are also very important. The first time I saw this Kata done It was Sensei Brian Dingman and I learning this Kata from a book and he has almost perfect form, and with a slight miss in the angle he was off in the Embusen noticeably. It took us a quarter of an hour to figure out it was the angle that was causing him issues.

This Kata is perfect for heavier people who are stalky and have solid foundations but still have dynamic explosive ability to use power in the proper methods during changes in direction and the jump. One of my favorite Katas its very introspective and because it is hard to do, very humbling when you realize you have missed a mark.



Wankan:

Wankan is the other lost Kata of Shotokan, and perhaps part of it still is! The Kata seems kind of Half of what you would expect out of a Shotokan Kata and it lacks lots of the dynamics of other Kata and it seems to be missing something…the second Kiai point. See all Shotokan Kata have two external points in the Kata where you Kiai to show focus, power ext……Wankan only has one!

This “missing kiai point” has been what others have used to point out that the Kata is missing something, that something being the second half. Some have even shown what the second half “looks like” an suggested that they added this back on and made the kata twice as long. I don’t know about all that and maybe its true, but seeing as the JKA only teaches the first part and you start and end on the same spot…that’s good enough for me.

Wankan is a great kata for stance work and unique defensive techniques, lots of leg locks standing up and interesting timing. I remember learning this one for my first Koyo camp, we had never done it before and it was different. We also did Chinte and I had seen that unique Kata way more than Wankan.

Wankan is built for bigger people with great stance or fast and sharp people with great hand speed and leg speed. Its kind of undefined because NO ONE DOES IT. It’s a bit of a leper in the Shiai world from what I can see and perfect for those looking to counter good kickers.





Those are the senior Kata that you can look at around shodan or nidan. They represent the last of the 26 Shotokan Kata and house the stronghold of the JKA knowledge on self-defense, sell most of it. In the next blog I will talk about the Use of Hasen No Kata, as was explained to me by Dingman Sensei.

What is Shodan?

What is Shodan?

                I think that those of us in the West mistake Dan ranking for something it is not. First off Dan ranking is not limited to Martial arts! Did you know that the very popular game of Go uses Dan ranking to allow others to know the level they are playing at…or against!  Seriously, its not just a black piece of cloth holding our gi tops closed!

                First off you have to remember that the Kuro Obi (Black belt) is separate from the Dan ranking system, yes it’s a symbol of that rank, but not all martial arts use Obi to represent rank. Think of Kyudo, the art of Japanese Archery…no belts but yes to Dan rankings.

                So, how are these ranks and belts linked and what is a Shodan or nidan for that matter or Rokudan?  Well to understand the Dan rankings you have to understand where they came from and why!

History

                Prior to Jigaro Kano (Judos inventor) the Dan ranks were only used by Go schools (yes they had schools for Go…more like clubs) in the Edo period of Japan to help rank players.  Go was taken very seriously and if you were a good strategist in Go and a high rank…chances are you worked with the military in some way as you were seen as a very intelligent and skilled strategist.  It had nothing to do with any sword, spear or fighting skills. In fact you probably never held a sword or had a fight in your life…you were an intellectual.

                Martial arts at the time used the Minkyo system or the “License” system to show your level in martial arts. They also used Shogo or titles to identify your ranking.  The Menkyos given out included the the Mokuroku (entrant to the art: beginner), Shomokuroku (Basically intermediate student), Gomokuroku (Senior student) and the Menkyo (senior student). When you graduated you received the Menkyo Kaiden (this is the master of an art given around the thirty year mark of training). The Menkyo Kaiden means the “license of total transmission” and means you graduated from the school having known all the techniques and understanding and mastering the style. Some people would gain the Menkyo Kaiden earlier than thirty years into training, but that was the norm.

                Kano came along and was looking for a simpler system for ranking. A holder of Menkyo’s in several Jiu Jitsu styles Kano was looking to modernize the martial arts and bring them up to modern standards with an easier to understand system. He was also a lover of Go! He decided to incorporate the ranking system they used in this game to apply it to his students. At first he had simple students then he began seeing intermediate students as Dan holders and assigned them the ranks.  He started formulating criteria for each rank after he assigned the ranks for years with just his observations and victories of his students as criteria.

                The use of Shogo goes back to the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai.  The Butoku Kaicreated these titles to assign teaching ranks, not as a way of showing what skills the holders had. The instructors would have to be Dan level students and after they observed their teaching skills they assigned a rank.  Renshi was assigned a polished instructor, someone that was good at teaching and showing students how to perform different skills.  Kyoshi referred to an advanced teacher with skills that could generate other good instructors.  Hanshi referred to a senior expert or teacher of teachers.  Kyoshi was given to some as a title for a Sensei, it has no other real meaning than teacher but in the west some use the term to mean a high ranking senior instructor….which is not what it means. Shihan means chief instructor and was never meant as a grading. These titles and more were assigned to instructors to designate them as different teaching levels, not as rank in Martial arts. 

                When Funakoshi Sensei came from Okinawa they did not really use or assign ranks for martial arts training in Karate. They had an instructor, senior students and then students. They used no Gi, just whatever they were wearing at the time and often a special groin wrap like Sumo’s used. A meeting with Kano lead to a friendship and Kano took up private lessons with Funakoshi for several months and learned several Kata from Funakoshi.  This exchange also lead to Funakoshi developing the Karate Gi after training in a Judo gi for modesty and also deciding to introduce Dan ranks to his teachings as well.

                In 1924 Funakoshi awarded the first Shodans ever in Shotokan Karate and as far as I can see the first ever awarded in any style of Karate. Funakoshi had only ever given out ranks up to Godan as he felt five levels of Dan ranking was enough, any higher and it was purely for ego. Years later the JKA assigned up to 9^th Dan as the other styles in Karate were constantly assigning higher and higher ranks to placate their instructors.

                Interestingly the traditional Dan rankings of Go also only use 9^th Dan as a highest rank attainable because 10^th Dan is seen as perfection, which does not exist in reality.  But what about the Koru Obi…where did that come from?  Well, the answer to this comes from the Japanese Swim teams! Different athletic departments in Japan were suing markers of rank to identify the level of proficiency at given sports. The Japanese swim teams would use a black ribbon around the waists of swimmers that were high level athletes to show their ability during meets. 

                Kano was a university professor and educator, much like Funakoshi was. He was exposed to the university level athletics at work and it is said that the use of the black ribbon greatly influenced his decision to use the black belt and white belt system with his Judo, which in turn influenced Funakoshi when they met and interacted.

The Japanese are and always have been culturally obsessed with order and ranking. Not as a way of feeding ego, but as a way of distinguishing different levels in society.  Samurai had different levels from the lowly Koyakunin (gate guard) to the Umamawari (3^rd level retainer, first level to wear two swords) to the Gokenin (banner knight) to the very Shogun or military ruler of Japan, all the ranks influenced the want for ranking in the Japanese martial arts.

Traditional martial arts however had used a Kimono style outfit to train in for generations, Kano was the one that developed the more durable and mobile Keiko gi however. The use of a Obi or wide band of cloth used to fit the Kimono was used prior to Kano, but he modernized it based on the swimmers ribbon to create the more modern Keiko Obi or Training belt.

When Funakoshi showed up in Japan he used his clothing (Japanese Kimono style) to teach in with the wide band Obi.  After adapting the Keikogi however he started using a Chinese style Obi, which is about 1/5 as long as the Obi for a Kimono and more like a Keiko Obi in appearance.  It was his practice however to have his students use the Keiko Obi. In the beginning he had a white Obi and a black obi for ranks. It was not till much later that Kyu levels began using colors. First only Brown was introduced, then when Karate came to Europe they started using colors for lower Kyu levels as well.

So what is a Shodan? The reality.

                So, that’s what ranks are, were they came from, what they used to be and how the symbol of the Dan ranks came about…but what the heck is a Shodan?

                Shodan is the lowest level of Dan ranking in Martial arts. It represents the act of knowing the basics and being able to understand what was expected of a student. It’s the starting point for really learning the style you are training in. A Shodan holder is no longer a rookie student, they are now a senior student in a style of martial arts. The Shodan is no longer considered a beginner, not necessarily and expert but rather they have met the requirements of showing the basic knowledge to move up to a serious student now.

                The Shodan is the first “Real Rank” that an organization recognizes you as a full member of the greater organization. Normally Kyu ranks come and go and are seen as members of a Dojo and not really full members of an organization. In which I mean you are not registered with any governing body and don’t really represent the organization until you receive your Dan level.  

                A shodan in the East (read Asia/Japan) Basically means you are a semi dedicated student, normally a young person that is taking Karate while in school…..in the west it tends to mean you have studied on your own for five years and are training around school and or work.  Different life styles in the east and west make the rank mean different things.

                Also, the East is filled with black belts. A friend of mine said that in the 70’s you could strike up a conversation with a person on a train and 9 times out of 10 that person would have reached Shodan level in some form of martial arts…normally Kendo or Judo…before they were out of school.  Shodan is a common rank in the east and the feeling is that you train till you get your black belt, and if you are serious then you stick around. 

In the west, because you are not likely to run into a tone of black belts, it is seen as a more prestigious rank. Normally it means that the owner of the black belt has given a lot of their personal time to training in the arts and they are seen as a high level student with lots of dedication, something that the western students would have a hard time selling to those in Japan.

Over use

                In Japan the Dan rankings were given out rather liberal and without thought of abuse at the lower levels because basically it means you are good enough to start learning past the very basics…but in the west the “Dan rankings” are being overdone and outpace Japan in many ways. 

                While its very easy to get a shodan in Japan and Asia, the ability to move past Sandan is seen as the true accomplishment of your training.  Getting to sixth dan is not difficult but being assessed or given rank past that takes a life time of dedication and often a single minded approach to training and teaching full time.  The use of any rank past Yondan is seen as a high level of dedication.  The number of Japanese 8^th and 9^th dans is very low and only a few Rebel instructors have taken the rank of 10^th Dan…a rank higher than Nakayama Sensei ever accepted while alive. 

                In the west however Shodan seems to be a mile stone of mythic size, Nidan and Sandan are not as long but still show great importance….but as of late the number of 10^th Dans has risen with each break up of organizations and the newest thing is Post 10^th Dan Rank assignments to those that break off and form their own styles of Karate. I actually read an article from a 12^th Dan in Shotokan Ryu style of fighting.  And to be honest, after reading his post and watching him do Kata and spar…he would be a very weak Nidan in the JKA if that! Ranking is by far the most overdone thing in the west and it has its own meanings from the original Asian roots.

Entitlement

                In many styles of martial arts the Shodan simply implies that you have mastered the basics and that is about all. You cannot teach, you surely won’t be allowed to open a club up and you don’t even have the right to represent your club at national tournaments. In Kyodo the Shodan rank means you won’t hurt yourself with bad stringing habits or shot someone else with an arrow. You won’t have a senior watching over you and holding your hand, and heck you might even hit the target with the arrow once and a while.

                In many styles anyone lower than Sandan cannot teach independently at a club or own one and they must be watched over when teaching at their instructors club! They may be asked to teach a junior or new person basics, but they are only themselves graduated from that study so they are not seen as masters in any way shape or form!  At Godan a person is seen as a full Shidoin or master practitioner and testing is normally abandoned for a more reasonable form of rank advancement…they are assigned rank based on time in and awarded the rank for what they have done for the organization and teaching experience.

                So, the lower level Dan ranks are based on what you can do, the higher ones are based on experience teaching! But when can you say you represent the organization and what kind of entitlements does it bring with being a Dan level Practitioner.

                Well in the west the Shodan is a lower level ranking that often means you can open a club and be a junior instructor in the organization. You can train members up to black belt and you are entitled to teach on your own, something that the Japanese would kind of laugh at!  A shodan, especially a new one is still trying to find themselves and their place in Karate.  However we tend to put a lot of entitlement and meaning to the rank than they do in Japan. 

                The issues that come up with Ego and a sense of entitlement with Dan rankings is common especially among younger students. The Shodan HO was created to help quell this issue.

Shodan ho?

                The Shodan ho is the cure for young egos and issues with youth and one that we don’t give enough credence and use to in the west.  The Shodan Ho is a level for children and youth that have not reached the age of maturity (varies from 15-18 in some organizations) the student can progress through the ranks but only achieves a Shodan ho prior to adult hood and must retest for a full Shodan at that time.

                Some organizations make the student wear a black belt with a white stripe down the length of it to represent the fact that they are a high level student but must keep in mind that they are children.  In some cases when a student gets a Shodan and is not held to the Shodan Ho level they develop issues with them in the organization. The student feels that they deserve more respect from juniors, even seniors and issues come about.

                I personally am all for the Shodan Ho level, for those under 15.  This is something that we don’t use in our organization but something that would serve us well in my mind.

What its not

                So, a black belt is simply a rank indicator and a shodan is the first step along the path of training in Karate, a representation of knowing the basics.  But why do people put so much importance in a symbol that you have “graduated” the lowest level of being a student and moved into being able to really learn Karate now?

                Well, Karate Shodans are really not the final step in your learning, but people feel that they have thrown their whole life into training and deserve to be recognized…and fail to see that the road ahead is much longer than they think it is!

                Karate’s Shodan is not the end, but a new beginning! It’s the start of the fun training, the deeper study of the art itself. Its not the highest level of attainment for skill and you are not a lethal weapon when you get your Shodan!  The issues with Ego tend to be more with those in the west and those that don’t get that its only the first real step in a martial arts life!

                We live in a fast food society, everything is a 2 week course or a 4 year education to be seen as a “master” of some realm of educated knowledge/skill base.  Its silly to think that a Doctor would have to study for their entire life….wait…they do!  And lawyers must keep up on their field of study lest it pass them by!  So, why then do we think that you get a black belt and know everything about that subject.  Its not the end, but the beginning.

                Its also not a license to bully others around or expect special attention or respect! I see way to many BIG heads come out of Shodan testing and people that start pushing around lower belts and demanding respect that they don’t deserve. Its not a license to have juniors bow down to you…it’s a signal that you OWE something back for all those seniors that helped you along the way…and now you get  to be one of those seniors that helped you learn!

                Attaining a black belt in Karate has many meanings one of them is that you have mastered the basics, the second is that your training really begins now!

Do I need to teach if I am a black belt/Can I teach?

                There are basically three kinds of Shodans that exist. The first is the Athlete Shodan, this Shodan is going to train and become or is already a competitor. They will push themselves to be the best they can be at techniques and execution and probably won’t focus on teaching for some time. They may not teach at all and may just end their competitive career and stop training or become a student again just training for health.

                The second kind is that guy that shows up and just works out for fun. No interest in teaching or competing or ranking any higher on purpose. They will just work out and enjoy Karate and nothing is wrong with that.

                The last guy is the teacher guy. The one that will start working with Juniors right off the bat and will develop a style of teaching that helps his students progress at a solid pace. This guy is the one that most people think they want to be, some want to be the athlete but many want to teach right away. They rush to Shodan in the hopes that they will be granted a Dojo or some students and they love the feeling of teaching…for many reasons.

                Now do you need to teach, not really!  But its part of the education for all three kinds of black belts I mentioned.  You can expect your instructor, as part of your education to request that you teach for him on occasion. It’s a great way to learn the techniques, and Kata inside and out….and that is why you are asked to do so.

                While teaching is an integral part of learning Karate and those that are able to help out will find a great deal of knowledge is gained by teaching, you may be one of those guys/gals that is just wanting a work out and not interested in teaching any classes. That is what you need to tell your instructor up front. You just want to get a black belt and work out without the pressures of competition, teaching or anything beyond just showing up to train. And trust me, that is fine. The instructor will have a better idea of what to expect and what you expect….but don’t plan on going to Nidan or higher, and you probably have no interest in that in the fist place.

                Some Shodans are given special permission to run clubs, under the watchful eye of a senior that is. But they get to run a club and teach students, and from my experience they do a great job! They are very enthusiastic and if they are even halfway decent instructors they will be able to work with the students and help them out, they remember better what its like to be a low man on the totem pole who is just learning and can help from a different point of view than a senior Dan often has.

Different ranks…different color belts

                We have all seen them, more modern martial arts start using strange colors for senior Dan ranks…Red belts are very popular with 10^th Dans from other styles, or the white and red belts, even black and white and red and white…but none of these have any roots in tradition.

                Kano began using the alternating Red and white color belt for very senior students that were 8^th and 9^th dan, but Karate never did this.  The colors that Funakoshi, Nakayama and their peers in other styles choose to use were always just Black. 

                Again, and I suspect due to ego needs, the western Karate people…some of whom have questionable rankings, have adopted use of alternating color belts or simply the red belt at a specific level. This again, basically just ego issues and or adapting a practice that was not based in any tradition.

10^th dan and dead

                As of late we have seen a influx of massive rank advancements in groups that have broken away from the JKA and in other groups as a reflex to this sudden bump in rank for some instructors.  Now having said that, it has always been something that small groups of people had done to show that they were the leader of their group. One such person was Kanazawa Sensei. Kanazawa broke away from the JKA and suddenly he was promoted on a rather fast track from an outside organization, but he still holds his legit 8^th Dan with the SKIF…but you can be sure he advertises himself as a Soke 10^th Dan Shotokan.

                I can also think of another senior Karate instructor that had his students promote him to 10^th Dan when they left the JKA, and he in turn rewarded them all with Rank gifts.  Now I say gifts because he basically gave them ranks and ones that they were still rather far off from if they stayed JKA. 

                Funakoshi Sensei only ever promoted people to 5^th Dan, the highest level he felt was attainable in Karate.  But his views soon fell away as Nakayama sensei had to deal with other groups ramping up the top rungs and made it necessary for him to follow suit. But it was still a standing practice to only give out 10^th Dans posthumously for those at the highest of the levels in Karate who had given of themselves a lot. This practice was actually told to me by someone that now endorses the living 10^th Dan of their senior. Those that seek ranking higher than 9^th Dan are kind filled with the same Ego they charge others with.  Trust me, I would rather be a humble Shodan than a not so humble Judan that still has a pulse!

                Some styles feel that they must promote people to the higher levels to help the juniors move up, but the reality is that you don’t need to hold a 10^th Dan to run an organization and promote Karate and if you need that external rank to warrant your hard work…well take up Go!

What do I think a Shodan is

                I have been doing Karate a long time and purposefully took my time going from rank to rank, I have always felt that until you had  good grasp of your current rank you should not jump up a rung.  I did however skip my Green belt testing and went right for purple belt in one test.

                Having said that I think that the Shodan is a very important mile stone in your training. It shows that you have mastered the basics and you are ready to make a choice about your Karate life; Student, athlete or just working out.  I don’t see it as a level that the ego should grow considerably and I do think that you have an increased amount of responsibility at this point, not as much as some think…and much more than others do.

                Shodan is the first step in your training and the signal to you that there is something much deeper to training and its time to explore for yourself.

Kata: a street map to the puzzle of the Tokui no Kata Part two A

Part Two (A): Tokui no Kata- Personal or speciality Katas

So, you have gotten through the first seven or Shite Kata and now you are a Shodan. Shodan means “First step” in Karate and like Sensei Dingman likes to point out, getting your Shodan means you are READY for the first steps in Karate and they are BIG ONES!

First off Shodans are going to learn how to apply the basic techniques that they have been training in for three to five years (or ten if you have taken your time like some of us did). And you are expected to continue to forge or polish your techniques as well. You are also going to be doing some teaching, which will help you learn even more than just taking a class and moving mindlessly through it.

The next thing you will learn are the next nine Kata to make up the core 15 Kata before going for Nidan and Sandan. These Kata will make up the rest of the lower level text book that you should be learning up to Shodan. Back in the day most of us knew all 15 going into testing but really focused on the first seven for testing. With limited training time in the modern Karate era, I always say up to 1st kyu you should know the first seven, then pick up the rest of the 15 for Shodan. I could make up some fancy terms like Gedan no Shite Kata or some such bunk but the truth is that you just have different levels of Kata, Pre Shodan, Shodan and post Shodan.

Pre Shodan Katas were covered in my first blog post in this series, this post will cover the Shodan and post Shodan Katas. Each of these Kata will represent a different body type, a different system of fighting and a different series of lessons. I am going to go over these quickly but the most important thing as Shodan is to learn the first 15 Kata and select your Tokui no Kata or A Kata you are going to specialize in for the next two years of study.

When you select your Tokui Kata you are saying “this is me” and putting all your training into perfecting this Kata and while still learning the rest you are putting 90% of your time training Kata into this personal Kata. It will also decide what katas you will learn going into Post Shodan training. You can see what direction you are going in by your first Tokui Kata selection.

You will also use this Kata along with your Kumite skills and Kihon waza to grade for your Nidan. Nidan is known as the fighting level but its also the level you will start to formulate your training going forwards. Its when you will train to understand yourself better and move into being a better instructor as well. Yes, being a black belt means you will begin to teach, and being a Nidan and up means you will begin to be able to bring people up higher in level…and this means you need a better understanding of Karate and your style as well….through Kata.

As a Shodan select one of the following kata to work on as your specialty Kata daily, by the time you test for your Nidan you should know the other 15 (and maybe a few more) but you should know your Tokui Kata so well that when you test you just focus on showing good Budo Seishin during Kata.



The Kata:

Tekki Nidan:

One of the least practiced of the 15 really, this kata to me is an anti-grappling Kata with some throwing moves in it for good measure. I liken it to the Heian Sandan of the Tekki Katas, not well liked and if you were forced to learn it most often hurry through it on their way to the slightly more liked Tekki Sandan.

The bad rap that Tekki Nidan gets is not warnented, it’s a solid self-defense Kata that teaches counters to grappling and still keeps the offensive movements and Tanren style of training front and center. The Kata is of course perfect for those that are likely to be attacked from behind and should be in the curriculum/training program of most ladies and smaller men. But this does not limit the training in this Kata to those that are smaller, it is also a great Kata for larger people who want to learn how to deal with rear attacks and close in attacks from those grabby types.

I would say however that I have never seen this as a Tokui Kata in my Karate training life time! Its simply to short and not dynamic enough to attract attention from most, but the value of learning this Kata is without question. I would say that even if you don’t want this as your focal personal Kata, learn it and train in it often to keep drilling in the “what to do if…”Kind of situation.



Tekki Sandan:

For some reason the sandan entry of the Tekki Katas is done more as a team event than a Tokui Kata, but its not as rare to see this Kata used as a Tokui Kata than its Nidan counterpart!

Tekki Sandan is a dynamic, arm blur of a kata and its use of large arm movements and fast snapping moves done on smaller scales can be very impressive….or a hot mess! Most people that select this Kata are medium built and have solid foundation style Kata Dachi (Stances) that imbibe huge power to the upper body and the legs are so solid and stance is unmovable will flexible.

Tekki sandan can be a hard Kata to pull off, especially if you don’t do Tekki Shodan a great deal when a 4th Kyu. Most people that avoided really training hard through the 4th Kyu avoid this Kata because they know the grounding they should have in Kata dachi is just not in place.

The Kata teaches some very important lessons for self-defense however. In order to defend yourself and apply enough power to end a fight, without moving is not easy. This Kata teaches you to use your core to generate power off of your stable stance and rooted feel. Once you get this down and your upper body moves are forged to be sharp and dynamic, this Kata will impress the judges and be useful in defending yourself, which is the real reason for studying Karate and Kata.



Kanku dai:

Kanku Dai is the flag ship of the Shotokan style. It teaches self-defense, body dynamics, and is both basic and very complex depending on the depth of your training in the Kata. Besides being my personal Tokui Kata it is also the Kata that Nakyama Sensei said all black belts should train in.

Kanku Dai is the longest of the Shotokan Katas and has components that will be recognizable from the Heian Kata series. It truly is the Kata that you get to use to put into play all your basic knowledge and continue to forge your fighting skills.

The Kata is good for average builds and for people that have a good understanding of their center in training. However it can be used by anyone to learn, the people who pick this Kata tend to be very analytical in training and not to big or small, not to lean and not to powerfully built. The success of average built people depends on their ability to make this Kata look both Regal and powerfully dynamic in its use.

The whip like actions of the torso/hips and the quick changes in direction are more like the skills required when facing a real self-defense situation. Also the “tricks” of ducking under strikes/club swings and how to defend against a wrist grab help with an insight into defense against an armed opponent and also a defense against being grabbed. Kanku is chalked full of different lessons that a student should learn and as Sensei Tammy pointed out top me years ago “you can study Kanku dai for 30 years and still get something out of drilling and studying it”.

As such, anyone that takes up Kanku Dai as a Tokui Kata should be in it for the long haul and should know beforehand that this Kata could take a life time of study.



Jion :

Noble, powerful, basic and filled with dynamic power, Jion is perfect for larger, slower people that are more meticulous in their approach to Karate. The larger, more powerful movements look better when done with sharp and clean lines in the techniques.

I used to say that big people with powerful and dynamic use of the body looked best doing this kata. It was built to generate and demonstrate power, but after seeing Tanaka Sensei doing Jion I am starting to change my mind a bit. I think average to larger people should pick up this kata well as a Tokui Kata. It lends itself to this type of body.

Jion teaches, as I stated, the use of power and dynamic application of force in a Kata. Its very basic nature makes it easy to train and understand however. The biggest fear you have with doing Jion is having less than solid fundamentals in and techniques that lack in good Tachi Dachi and kime!

Jion is a very popular Tokui Kata and is probably one of the most overdone Kata I have seen in the clubs I have traveled to and train at. Not that I am going to say you should not do this Kata, but the fact is that the reasons it is picked is that it is easy! Karate should never be easy! I would say that if you are thinking of picking up Jion as a Kata then you should do it for the right reasons and remember that Sharpe form is required to pull it off and not to pick it because you are lazy. I was going to use this Kata for my Sandan test but felt that I wanted to do something that showed better changes in Timing and went for its counterpart Jitte.

You may notice that the timing in Jion is similar to most of the Heian Katas, they are very closely related and students will feel a comfort in learning this Kata that makes it easy as a “first” Kata to learn outside of the syllabus of seven, but keep in mind, its very basic and with Basic Kata if you are not perfect, you will fail in presentation and application.



Jitte:

Jitte/Jutte represents the second Kata in the “temple Kata” group but is vastly different in its presentation than the Jion and Jiin Katas. The timing is different and the application of the Kata vastly different. In fact the only similarity is the start. However, having said that it is also a Kata best done by average to larger people because of the power and timing that it needs.

Lots of people point out that this is a Kata that is used to defend against a bo/staff attack, but that is not 100% true. The Katas applications are many and can be used in different ways, and it’s the personal approach to bunkai that makes this Kata interesting. Along with various empty hand techniques and tid bits about disarming people the Kata offers a different point of view on Goshin karate applications.

This Kata however is kind of “funny looking” and reminds most of the Heian Sandan Kata. Its not as popular as you would think and while people like Shinna Sensei have used it to compete with, I would say its not the kata I have seen the most come up in tournaments.

There are also a dozen changes and variations on hand techniques, applications and the like that keep this Kata alive and changing. Everyone seems to want to change it to match their own thinking and their own style. Check out some of the changes and pick the ones you like, then work on the use of core in transitioning power from the floor to the application points in Kata (arms or legs) and focus on good form, with these slower more dynamic Kata bad form kills the Kata!



Hangetsu:

Another Kata not popular on the tournament circuit locally, don’t know if I have seen it to much in the regionals or nationals, but this Kata is great for those that like to show great power, have the ability to go from a tension filled slow movement to a dynamic and explosive movement. With changes in direction, sliding feet and unique hand movements this old Kata is great for developing whole body power.

Perfect for larger people and for average people this Kata is made for people with strong, flexible hips and a solid Tachi Dachi or those looking to develop these attributes. Hangetsu is also perfect for people that just ooze power and Kime! My favorite performance of this Kata to date has been Shirai Sensei of the ITKF when he did a demo at a tournament and showed the Katas perfect power and crushing, ripping form. His sharp changes and sharp starts made the Kata come to life.

Hangetsu teaches dynamic tension, explosive reversals and the all-important “stealing step” or getting in closer without someone noticing. It offers some basic movements with a little different twist and at the same time teaches you to keep your core tight when defending yourself. While not the most popular Kata by itself, it’s a great way to have smaller/lighter people learn body dynamics and power along with speed and explosiveness when coupled with Empi.



Empi:

Empi is probably one of the more popular Kata to see at tournaments and yet the least understood by most Karate students. Fast, graceful and dynamic this Kata teaches changes in level, reversal of directions, making disadvantageous situations advantageous for you and all while pushing a student to be faster and more explosive.

This Kata is perfect for smaller, lighter students that want to show their ability to move with crisp form and at speeds that use the natural ducking and raising that this kata offers. This kata is NOT built for a solid and sturdy student that is more power than speed in their ability. It can also be hard on bigger people’s knees, especially the first movements, so care must be taken and the kata may be altered to keep a student’s knees healthy.

I love Empi, I think that when done right like Yahara sensei has shown in demonstrations it is truly a wonder to watch. Growing up in Karate a friend of mine did this Kata as his Tokui Kata, Jamie Dewitt, and his ability to perform this Kata as a young man was impressive. It’s a very athletic form for those that have light bodies and good form. It is also a lead up to Unsu when training and can be used by bigger people to train in fast movements and dynamic direction changes, however again it can be hard on the body.



Gankaku:

Gankaku is perfect for long, lean people or people with average to athletic builds. Because of the balance and often being on one leg, the regal nature of the single leg stance the lines of a longer, leaner student make the main posture more regal and appealing. While the kata teaches balance and use of hips for movement very well the most interesting thing about this kata for me is the changes of timing in the Kata.

Having said all these nice things about Gankaku, its also kind of one of those under studied Katas of the 15 and often put at the end of the lists talking about the first 15 Katas. I think this is because it is not so popular for the very reasons that make it great for the right person…if you don’t have long lines, and you don’t have good balance…it simply is very hard to make it look good for competitions and seeing as most students look at performance and not lessons, it can be hard to get people to enjoy this Kata enough to make it a Tokui Kata.

The other reason its not as popular is that it really does work best for lean, long people and taller students. Most of the people I have trained with love the powerful forms and not the ones that make them feel awkward and out of control with turns and changes that throw them off balance.

If you pick this Dynamic and fantastic Kata as your Tokui Kata it can also serve to be your focus for a life time. Young, athletic, long athletes will still make this Kata look fantastic, even if it lacks the explosive and impressiveness of a Empi it has the ability to be even more so for the right person.

I will cover the more advanced Katas in the next part B of this blog......

Oh, and yes...that is Dingman Senseis picture!

Kata: a street map to the puzzle of the Tokui no Kata Part One

Part One: Shite Kata levels: the Pre learning steps of Karate

As you progress through your Karate training from a fresh enthusiastic white belt to a panting dirty, rough around the edges (but skilled) brown belt ready to test for your Shodan you will have worked through all of the Shite Kata. 

                Shite Katas represent the required kata for testing to Shodan. They are the “text book” of Karate as it were. Mostly not “fighting” Kata they are more a series of Katas to teach you how to move.  Yes you will learn more about self-defense from training in them, but honestly the best things you can learn are good solid Kihon waza and fundamentals that will serve you better in your black belt training, the first steps of understanding real Karate.

                Your shite Kata are the five Heians, truly a road map of how to produce power while moving, learning how to turn, stances, arm movements, basic kicking and when used in unison with the Kihon training and Kumite training you are learning the very fabric of what Karate is, you are getting ready by learning these new baby steps of the style and techniques that are Karate. 

                When a student learns the Heian series they are seen as new to Karate, beginners that are learning a new physical language as it were. We forgive the minor mistakes and we let the students’ progress, teaching them easily with verbal commands and helping them reacquaint themselves with their body and movement. The juniors are really just getting a glimpse of the “how to” of Karate!  If they study hard, then the brown belt levels will be easier on them, and if they progress through the next level and keep training the Heians for reference then they will have a great deal of momentum moving into brown belt level training.

                In Tekki you are now learning more about power generation when you are not moving, you are training your legs to be stronger and you are building your body with a completely different way of training. When I was coming up in rank we would spend hours doing Tekki, and your 4^th Kyu was HELL! You spent literally half the class in Kiba Dachi and if you stood up you were beaten back down with the Shinai!

                Truthfully, this is the level that most people walked away from Karate. It was hard and unforgiving back in the day.  We pushed each other and Sensei would blast us with conditioning and hard sparring. It is much less difficult now and we see way to many people just cruise through this level not realizing it is a significant jump for a student and really meant to start the process of forging your Karate skills. My thoughts are that we need to slow down the grading at this point and really push students to train even more at this point. With out the solid training at this point the lessons that are meant to be passed to the student are lost and they don’t hit that mile stone of realizing that the Brown belt is a last series of training that is very important.

                Speaking of Brown belt, At brown belt we start to learn the Bassai Kata.  Bassai is the first real fighting Kata you will learn as a Karate student. This is the forge Kata that will teach you the one thing that is most important in Karate training….spirit/intent!  You can have weak Kihon, shoddy Kumite and sub par Kata and still patch together your own Karate if you have Budo Seishin (martial spirit)!

                Now I am not suggesting you will get your Shodan if you scream like an idiot and act out the Noh play of some sort while doing a horrible Kata, getting lambasted in Kumite and showing us your best impression of a spaztic ballet dancer being electrocuted while performing flight of the bumble bee for your Kihon waza on testing! What I am saying is that we are all different, and while some 20 year old will do Yoko Kekomi straight up to the rafters, the 50 year old testing will get maybe hip high, but if the 20 year old treats Karate like a gym activity and barely tries and the 50 year old trains like “his hair is on fire” then the 50 year old will get more benefit out of training and also demonstrate proper Budo seishin!

                Bassai Dai is the Kata that introduces you to fighting. Its also at this level that you start moving more in Kumite like a real fight.  Brown belts used to be full of power, scary to spar with because they had lots of power, and were still learning control. This level showed a wildness to it in their Kumite and their Kata that was filled with spirit and aggression.  I hated sparring with brown belts when I was a purple belt because we had a couple of special names given to us by them…the target…and…the victim!

                Your Bassai Dai, which means to penetrate or destroy a fortress/opponent, is filled with new ideas of changing directions, opposing tensions and rotations lead by reverse rotations to generate power, speed and dynamic movements.  It’s the final step from learning to move, including power and forging the body and now learning to release the said power. Its also the last of the Shite Kata levels.

                Some groups use the system of 3^rd kyu = Bassai Dai, 2^nd kyu= Jion or Empi and  1^st kyu= Kanku Dai.  But it really limits the level or depth of training in such a dynamic Kata. My thoughts are that you should enter the yearlong training as a Brown belt (3-6 months between testing’s and then often 6 months before shodan testing) and focus on the required skills of those levels with a focus on the Bassai Kata…then work on the black belt level Katas that teach you different things.

                That’s my take on Shite Kata and the Kyu levels, my next blog I will talk about the Tokui Katas or specialty/personal Katas and what they bring to the table and selecting your black belt Kata.  And my last blog in this series will be on Hasen No Kata (kata series) and how Dingman Sensei taught me to find mine…and I know we use the term differently than some do…but that’s life!