True Standards in Teaching Karate

I have been around the block for a LONG time now, been training with my instructor for nearly 30 years of my 34 year journey in Karate and I have seen some real great instructors on the floor….and I have seem some guys that were just a hot mess! I have trained under some of the very best that Manitoba, Canada and even the world have had to offer and I have trained under some very questionable instructors! Granted almost all of them were “approved” to teach one way or the other but I take away from that the fact that everyone is different and we have to select who’s banner we choose to stand under in our journey in Karate.

Steve Burch came back from the last JKA Koyo Camp and introduced an idea that came from the marketing meeting they had, but it fell into me as being more of a new standard for teaching in Karate. It had more to do with the presentation of yourself as a person over your presentation of Kicky-Punchy things. The idea was brought up by a gentleman I respect a great deal as a marketing guy, and I don’t think he even realized the ramifications it had for instructors. Brad Jones stated that “we have to respect our students, and their families and show it to them”. Now he was talking about marketing but it, as usual, got my brain spinning. It was such a simple concept, and one I personally try and approve…but even I have to say that I was at one point being swayed by the darker side of Karate and starting to feel the pull of “ME SENSEI! YOU STUDENT!” in my head…even if I knew it was wrong.

I was very lucky in my journey into Karate. My first instructor was no gem! He drank before class, smoked after and that is when he showed up to preach about living a good life and being healthy because your body was “a temple”…..I trained with him and his son for a year and a half before I left to do Judo. The one thing I originally took from that was the pathetic fact that some guy was teaching a class on Karate, he was qualified to do that…but then he started talking about health…and the fact was some people are “do what I say, not what I do” People and it drove me nuts….and out of his Dojo!

My very first lesson on Karate standards for teachers was that you must not preach things that you do not already do. I don’t smoke….I tell people not to smoke because of the health risks associated with it, but I don’t preach about the ease of stopping smoking or even how to do it…because I never have had the misfortune of having to stop that habit so How in the world can I tell someone its easy or even direct them on how to do it, I however do let them know it’s a great idea to chat with their doctor about it…who should be a expert!

I moved to Dingman Senseis Dojo and began learning Karate from a real Sensei! Someone I can look up to and someone that has never really been a “Do as I say” Kind of guy. He used to smoke and quit, he now tells people its not good for them , but in such a way as it is respectful and from his heart. He is flawed but he does not bring those flaws to the Dojo and he also does not let them effect his students. He also puts his students above his own needs as a rule and he bends over backwards for them knowing that the good he is doing for them is going to build better people and a better world.

But he is a unique instructor with a unique set of personal principles, ones I try to mirror in my life. He is a great role model and someone I consider a second father and I think I always have. He is above most of the greif that is caused by those instructors that are self-important, egotists that think because they have a black belt strapped around their Hara and they were “here first” that it entitles them to something that it does not. He taught me that the longer you are in Karate the more battles you will have. Not physically, but often ethically and morally. I see instructors who have pathetically bad business practices that boarder on fraud and I have to not say anything, knowing that it will catch up with them. I see instructors sexually harass and goad students in to less than professional situations and I shake my head knowing the final outcome of something like that will be personally destructive and will end the Dojo they run…and Ruin so many lives.

When you run a Dojo the standards should all be above board. Money comes in the proper channels and goes to pay the rent/mortgage, bills and the requirements of the club. Then you pay yourself, Then you put savings aside if you have any at that point. No one is against an instructor making a buck, hell its expected! But I have seen instructors who were well loved go to jail for tax fraud (in the states) and I have seen instructors so money hungry that it splits the organizations apart! Money is great, we all need it…but is it better to make $500 a month on a Karate club and make it for an indefinite amount of time, foster good relationships with students…or screw them out of money and fight for 5 years making only $1000 a month? Or even $5000 a month but for 5 years? The point is that money collection and the amount you charge should be above board and your services should be worth it! You cant stop working and sit back and collect money forever! You have to build relationships and push to be the best person and instructor you can be.

Dingman Sensei once told me he may not have a million bucks in the bank….but as long as he has loyal students who love and respect him ….he is the richest man alive! And I believe him, because every time he is out on the dojo floor his eyes light up, he forgets any physical pain he is in and he loves teaching. The interactions he has with his students is something to watch and learn from. He loves teaching everyone, from the white belt that just walked in the door to the black belts who have been busting their rumps to improve and be stronger. The relationship is symbiotic. The more they train to please him, the harder he works to help them. It’s a beautiful thing!

The other thing that I know about Sensei Dingman and some of the other greats are they are Honest…sometimes to a fault! Dingman Sensei had to tell me three times I did not pass my Black belt. I hit someone twice and the third time I simply was going through the motions. He could have told me I failed by posting others names and just letting me read it, but he cared enough to let me know I failed and had to work on control, and the last time not give up hope of ever getting a black belt. The standards were so high then that I was not sure if I could ever pass. He was honest with me, sat me down and let me know what I needed to do and that I should not give up…for me! Not because I was part of his monthly paycheck at the time, but because he really wanted to see me succeed. He knew me and knew how hard it was for me to fail again and again, but he first told me in the office, then took me to his home and chatted with me for hours about things I needed to work on and how I should focus and push to be better. I did what he said, redoubled my efforts and not once did I think of giving up.

Years later I partnered with him on my business. He asked if I would open my massage business in the Dojo and help his students with the aches and pains of Karate training. I agreed and became a sort of business partner. I naturally rolled into working more and more in his office and saw the day to day business that he had running and I can truly say that while Sensei Dingman is one of the most honest people I know…he honestly is a bad business man! Not because he was ripping people off…the opposite! I saw people take advantage of him and break Dojo Rules, like not paying on time…skipping paying months and showing up for Seminars with out having paid! I caught this almost every time, and so did the office staff, but Dingman Sensei simply said “I know, times are tight…let it go this time”. And he would let the person train for a month free without worry of paying for classes. He is without a doubt all about the students and improving their lives!

Some of the more self-important instructors I have trained with did things a tad bit different. First off most of them were a “First of the month or out” kind of people and I have actually seen instructors make people sit on the side and watch class because they did not get paid until the second week of the month, and every month the kids would watch for a whole week while mom and dad were waiting for a paycheck! Or the instructors who make deal like “pay for six months and I will knock $20 off and pay your Org fees for the year” after having bumped up the 6 month payment amount to already cover this amount. Its pathetic to offer something that you are seriously not offering. Or taking money from people and not declaring it with the club. When you talk about business practices one must be honest and also conduct themselves as a business.

Karate instructors don’t always make the best business people. I have always thought that they should have office managers and people that run the club. Not just collect fees but run the club. The instructor shows up and teaches and focuses on being the best instructor they can be while the office manager makes things work, markets and basically does the office work. I have seen to many instructors start to make bad and even dishonest business decisions based on self-importance, misdirected feelings of entitlement and the practices are less than above board or honest…and most of the times it has harmed or torn the Dojo apart completely.

Another act of unacceptable behavior that I have been told about is unwarranted violence against students or their family members. Now Karate is a very physical art and often adrenaline Junkies become involved in the Dojo, they get out of control and you have to step in and calm them down. Also some people just have that “See Red” kind of moments when they lose their cool or sometimes people miscommunicate when they spar and things get out of hand. As an instructor you need to be above that and humble, but if you see it in your students you need to nip it in the bud and stop the behavior from happening. Its important to have an friendly atmosphere with serious training but controlled and safe! I have seen instructors who insight almost riot like atmospheres in their Dojos and they push people and insight a almost frenzy in their kumite classes. They totally miss the point in almost all regards about Kumite…its controlled aggression and keeping calm under the worst situations while using the emotion of violence to their advantage….a bunch of morons beating on each other is who we are training to defend ourselves from…not who we are trying to become. Instructors need to avoid this kind of issue and work with those that have issues, not create new ones.

Other violent acts I have been witness to and also been told about include instructors hurting their own students or family members of the students thinking its funny or after losing their cool with the students or family. One instructor thought it was funny to kick people in the groin and then laugh when they didn’t “see it coming”. Well my answer to that kind of childish behavior is to do it right back with the instructor. What is good for the goose and all that! And as for violence towards students, not acceptable! Hell, its not acceptable in general in our society, why would assaulting your students or their family be acceptable in any way shape or form. Just should not happen! Not only is it grounds for an instructor to be turfed but its also a great way to end up in jail or court!

I am a big believer in social gatherings with instructors and the students. It’s a great way to get to know students and to have a good time away from the hard work and toils of the club work outs. It allows us to get to know our students from an outside perspective, but over socialization can lead to pit falls of their own. We all have flaws but booze and personality flaws do not go well together. I know of several instances that socialization has caused way to much stress and issues in an organization. Keep your cool and socialize to be nice, not for other reasons. I know of one instructor who had a “open” relationship with his wife. Something NO ONE Needed to know about in his club and something that is personal to them…unless you announce it at a function at your home when everyone is pretty much encouraged to be as drunk as they could be. Problem was…in the end, his wife that was not present…did not realize they had made that change to their relationship! Ended the calm feeling when you go into a club when you ralise your instructor was hitting on your girlfriend and actually got to experience the open ended relationship status while his wife, upon finding out, made that a more permanent thing!

Over socialization does not have to be as excessive as including inter-marital relations that ruin relationships! It can be as simple as an instructor getting to drunk at a party and looking like an idiot or getting into an argument with someone when they are out of control. These kinds of silly slips (having a bit to much fun) Can lead to issues that destroy organizations and clubs alike! Its important for instructors to realize that they are put on a bit of a pedestal and people say “now they will show us how to behave”! Good or bad that’s the truth. One mans having fun is another man’s sloppy drunken mess! Far be it from me to preach to drinkers that you cant have a beer once and again, but if you know you have an issue with drinking….being to fun loving or even violent…perhaps you should leave that kind of fun for personal time and not dojo events.

One thing that instructors need to realize is that the student body is a group of consumers! They are the clientele of an organization or Dojo and they are buying our products…they are not employees or slave labor to be barked at and pushed around. They pay us money to teach them an art and tradition, they provide us a paycheck or loyalty in exchange for our best! If you treat your students as if they are not what they truly are, then you run the risk of losing focus on what your job is. Its not to show up and turn in a half- hearted class and collect funds to further your wallets expansion program, it’s to teach with passion and respect!

Teaching can not be all about power, money and ego…and if it is you are in the wrong business! I have seen men that thought they were powerful and wanted even more power fall by the wayside because they lose focus on what the truth of being an instructor is! High standards and supporting your students with pride and passion in your art as well as providing a true service equally to everyone in your club, not just those that peek your sexual interest or those that you think you can use to get more trophies! Many instructors have mixed up feelings and a ill formed understanding of the relationship that an instructor has with his student body. They feel they can crap on them continuously and the student will “Have to take it”. They have options and they will exercise their options if you don’t give them a reason to stay! A reason other than “but I am real good at the kicky punchy stuff and have a kind of charisma that is infectious.” Trust me..that does not work! Any situations that you don’t handle professionally and properly with the correct standards will cause someone to walk out the door!

One of the biggest Taboo’s that I have seen and something that Steve Burch brought back with him from Ottawa was “Treat students and their family with RESPECT”. I remember the first time my Mother met Sensei Dingman. She sized him up good! My family is a very traditional kind of middle class family that wants to raise its own kids according to a specific moral code! She did not like my first instructor on instinct and Momma bear was very critical of this Kratty stuff her little boy wanted to do. She met Dingman sensei at a tournament about a year after I was training and she told me that he put her at ease right away by talking about me…and not himself! He did not try and sell her on his club, he simply told her how I was doing…which was crazy because at the time he was not teaching the kids class but quoted things that Sensei Tammy and Brian would have known being the instructors of the kids class.

Dingman Sensei always referred to my mom by her last name when talking to her and never talked down to her. He also treated my Brother and his kids the same way, so from a personal point of view he was always a perfect representative of what an instructor should be…personal, professional, passionate and proper when dealing with family or students. Even now that I see myself as more of a friend to the family and I see Sensei as a second father, he still makes sure that he is always personally proper and only lets down this guard on special occasions.

I have seen, however, some instructors that treat their students like slaves, dismissive towards the family members and actually mistreat family members or insist that they are to be called Sensei by the family members. I would NEVER ask a student to get their mother to call me “Sensei” or even “Sempai”….I am not their Sensei or Sempai and its silly. I recently visited one of Steve’s students at a pavilion for folklarama and insisted his mother call me James as I was introduced as “Sensei James” and did not feel comfortable having her call me by a Shogo that did not apply to her. I do however remember a time when I was out with a particular instructor and he was introduced by his first name to a student’s friend. He quickly corrected the student to call him “sensei” and use his name only after that Shogo was inserted. It kind of makes my skin crawl when instructors are pushy and force people to use outward signs of respect like use of Shogo when they have no relationship with the student. It’s the same reason I don’t call Chiropractors, Dentists or Doctors by their “Dr.” Title if they are not my doctors. I have no relationship with them and don’t intend on bowing and scraping to some self-important Git that wants to feel…well more important than they are to me!

A instructor and senior in a club must show equal amounts of respect to students as they do family members. Its sad when you consider that Dingman Sensei goes out of his way to remember tid bits about students lives and tries to know their names or at least their faces for every student that he trains with…while other instructors view students as a paycheck alone! I have had instructors like Terry Proctor offer to give me lifts out to camps and tournaments, I remember years ago getting rides home from seniors like Walter Crawford and others and I have also gotten rides from Rod Tymchuck (sorry for the misspelling) who did not think about throwing me in the car and zipping out to events. I have also seen instructors refuse to allow different students in their car because they simply did not think it was their job to carry the student around…..like to the camp they were paid to teach at! Really? I have also witnessed instructors bow out of respect to grand parents of students and treat them very well, while others can’t even figure out their students are not replaceable cattle that are just there to make them money!

Dirty looks and indifference to students and family members are just as bad as outright disrespect to students and family members. They come here to learn and they show respect to anyone that has something to offer them, they deserve the same in return. Also its very important to stress this…Students learn from our actions. Like a child that is beaten will probably beat their own child or a child that sees their parents as they fall down drunk have a higher risk of drinking their fears and sorrow away….students see arrogant instructors disrespecting them and dismissing them as unimportant Cattle or Sheep and they too will start to treat their students like this. Unless we break the cycle and train as consumers and teach as true instructors should, this self-important crap will bury most clubs and more than one organization.

As a senior or instructor it behooves us to create the right atmosphere in a club for students to train stress free in a professional environment that promotes learning. You can teach Kata and you can teach Kumite and basics and fundamentals and conditioning and the rest…but if the environment is not professional and proper for learning you will lose students right left and center. The other factor that we tend to forget is that a Dojo is a business as much as it is a place to train in traditional aspects of Karate. It’s a unique set up that people come to in order to learn Karate and distress! If we don’t create a stress free experience for people that are seeking that they will travel up the road and train with someone else. Someone better suited to just teaching and leaving the politics and stress out of it.

The atmosphere is almost as important, if not more so, than the teaching quality of the instructor. I have been to great clubs with qualified instructors and felt uncomfortable being their and it ruined my experience totally, I would never go back! We have also hosted different instructors who made the very dojo I trained in day in and day out feel uncomfortable for me to be in by behaving poorly and basically creating a temporary feeling of discontent in the club. And its catchy! One person that is out of sorts in a group can pull down the training of others. Its very hard to keep positive when one negative person brings in that kind of “energy” to training. The best thing for an instructor to do is to push the positive atmosphere and help others be as positive as possible while teaching, before class and after class. That’s why Dingman Sensei’s smile and Irish Eyes create such a positive training environment.

At the very least instructors must strive to get along with others in the club, I mean its your club and you want people to come to the club…why act like an arse when they get their? Never mind that you are a business person that should know better, you represent more than your own name! You represent your instructor and even any masters you train under. You represent the organization that you are a part of and any instructors and students who train within that group…so when you invite people into your dojo you need to act as a gracious host and also as a humble instructor who is glad to see the students, any students, show up and learn from you. You should not treat them as useless or call them names, you cannot bring personal drama into the club or its business and all the professional business that you are involved in MUST be on the up and up!

Not everyone is going to want the same things you want in life, and not everyone wants to be the kind of Karate person you want them to be. This is a hard lesson that instructors must learn as much as the one about respect. Some teachers will refuse to teach specific kinds of students, like kids or older adults, those that are not fit or those that are not interested in a specific aspect of Karate. I have also been told by one instructor that he wont teach women Karate because they “don’t get it”…wonder if I should introduce them to Sensei Tammy? I have been told by some instructors that they wont teach specific students based on Sex, weight, age, race, ability, religion and even based on economic status. I kid you not! I have had people say they don’t teach ladies…fine that’s money out of your pocket and by the way…they do get it! I have had people say they don’t teach kids…fine by me, I do and they will learn and stick around to be adults and grow my instructors clubs. They don’t teach heavy people…who need the fitness levels increased…fine, I like to help and we could all lose a bit here and their! They don’t teach older people, they don’t teach people with any kind of disability and they don’t teach…and this one got me right mad….people of particular religious back grounds. In the last case it was an American saying he would not teach Muslims Karate….I am not going into religion here…but REALLY??

If you are a Karate instructor and you want to teach more than just in your garage you need to be more open minded and remember that as long as students train hard and focus on the right points they all deserve to be taught and unless they disrupt the class and add to a poor atmosphere you cannot close your doors to them. Or at least you shouldn’t. First off most instructors would give an arm to have a large Dojo with lots of happy students, but if that is not your goal then why teach? And for the record, I would never close a door to a student that wants to learn. We have even tried to work with students who had disabilities that greatly affected them mentally and physically and when we could make it work it was MAGIC! For the students and great for our feeling of accomplishment as a team! Good Karate teachers can and will teach anyone any time and any place as long as the student wants to learn!

Having said that not all students have the same goals! They don’t all want to be the next Tanaka Sensei or the next great tournament champion! Hell some don’t even want to compete! But they have just as much right to be their and learn good Karate and Karate traditions in a comfortable and respectable atmosphere as anyone else. So, what should an instructor do with an older guy that does not want to compete and could care less about his reaching a high level….teach them what they want to be taught…Karate. Karate is a flexible art and can and should be molded to fit each person’s needs and wants.

Dingman Sensei has a knack for teaching each person as if they are the most important person in the room. He has mastered the art of eye contact when teaching in such a way as he lets you know you are doing good and you are working hard, or you need to push a bit harder and do a bit more. I have not! He has also mastered the art of tailoring his teaching to the group and even the individual he is teaching. Its amazing to watch and learn from him. Some instructors hang out at the senior level and leave the juniors for a higher level student. I also see some instructors teach to a group of people, like the “Team” of a dojo and the rest are just kind of present to create a situation that the team can be taught. Its kind of sad. I have also seen instructors dismiss other students in favor of training with athletes in their club, again….all students deserve equal time.

Instructors need to create a training program that fits all students and all needs, or is flexible enough that the club builds up all students equally and does not favor one kind of student alone. Have trained with Yaguchi Sensei in a FULL class of people, some are world class athletes like foot ball players and hockey players that were so high end even in Karate that they were miles ahead of the mom and dad training in the same line as them…but Yaguchi challenged all of them in a proper way to ensure that he did not lose anyone’s interest. It was really inspiring and truly fantastic to train under people like him.

Not every instructor is going to be a Tanaka with a wall full of medals and even at an advanced age he is still something to behold. The story of Shoji Sensei comes to mind when I think of “common looking” instructors and what they are capable of. Shoji was a average looking person, not to tall, kind of stalky and not exactly someone you would look at and say “now that guy was/is an athlete of the highest caliber. He had sad eyes and was very introverted out of the Dojo. But I have read stories of his teaching and it so reminds me of Dingman Sensei with his flamboyant and driving energy that pushes you to work harder even when you don’t have the energy. Shoji was known to have students that would give their right arms for him and were so loyal and caring that the funeral was packed to the roof when he passed away with students from all walks of life and all ages that came to give their respects for a man that touched hundreds, dealt with them with respect and yet drove them harder than any instructor they had ever known…and they performed because he expected it and pushed them to be their best. Shoji never got the notoriety of other instructors, in fact in North America he is not very well known, but in the old JKA and before Nakayama passed he was a force! He showed all his students the right path for Karate and did so as a wise uncle or father would with respect and care for each student. He developed lots of students who went on to do great things in Karate and while in his youth he was a fantastic Karate athlete he once said that “Karate is not for the athletes, they just benefit from it in different ways, its for the common man!”

The biggest issue that Karate has right now is the self-important instructors who command respect and don’t give any, those that will destroy the organizations and build their own to suit themselves, all the while burning students and causing them to leave never to return. As was suggested at Koyo Camp this year, Karate needs a new standard for instructors to live up to, and its not all about techniques and knowledge…but mostly about behavior and a new way of addressing student issues and pushing themselves to accept responsibility for the business end of things while also realizing it is a bit of a business….with unique needs and requirements. Basically we need to hold ourselves to a higher standard of interpersonal communication with our students, our seniors, our peers and ourselves.

Karate should be for everyone and not for the elite or close minded, and instructors should realize that we pay their wages…..and we cannot be forced to respect them! If this continues they need to accept their part in students leaving and finding instructors like Dingman Sensei who does respect students and who love Karate as much as they do their students! Its all about finding a higher standard and knowing what to accept!

A pain in the NECK

                Now A lot of you I know personally who read my blog say they love reading about all the times I hurt myself….while I think its great you read my blog I do question your motives sometimes. I do also note that its always after a hard class I teach that you seem to “Enjoy” reading my blog about hurting myself even more and the hits on the particular posts about my injuries like “how I kick Jackie Chans butt” seem to go up even more after said classes…So I am going to indulge your sadistic side one more time…but with more of a tale of warning than anything else!

               

                Over the years I have managed to hurt myself in ways that even my instructor could not imagine! From broken ankles jogging on ice, to shoulders ripped from sockets doing Judo….From smashing my head into a rock riding down a hill to getting hit by cars…not once but three times! I have broken my nose 14 times, broken almost all my toes, my fingers, ribs and cut off a toe (well almost, it was put back on), and a multitude of other injuries that put me down but not out.

                I have to say however the scariest accidents/injuries I have ever had were the bike ride from hell and the fish flop incident.  The bike ride from hell of course was when I took my old banana seat bike down Concordia hill in grade 5 and cracked my skull, broke my nose and ended up in the hospital for a few weeks! Not fun! The fish flop incident is what this post is really about however and may serve to explain a few things about some issues you may note when I train…so read carefully!

The Fish Flop Incident!

                When I was in High school I used to do Karate full time (like every night) and even snuck in some other sports.  I used to do Judo part time (about twice a week), Tried my hand at wrestling but being as small as I was it did not last, and even tried some basketball…but really 5’3” in high school did not make me a slam dunk king…really not a spud webb kind of guy (oh, for gods sake google it!!).  Dispite the height and weight issue (being 5’3” till I sprouted in grade 12 to my current 5’6”…I know huge difference…and going from 145.lbs in Grade 10 to a more substantial 185.lbs in grade 12 after hitting the gym) I found one sport that helped me both beef up in the gym and use my size to my advantage…Gymnastics. But it also almost cost me the use of my legs and arms!

Some of you note that my hands shake a lot when trying to keep them steady, this is why…..

                What some of you don’t know is that I went to high school for FOUR years…no not the normal THREE and not because I had to…but because I wanted to! And yes it plays into my story….I graduated with my peers after three years in high school and in fact had more credits than I needed. See back in the day you needed 25 credits to graduate…I had 30!  I had been on the gymnastics team for three years and some of you (who can see my face book page) will see a picture of me with my best friend and the whole gym team after we won the KCAC championships…I got gold on rights. This was my third year on the team and I loved it.

                Literally year round I would bug the gym teachers to set up the rings and floor mats and I would even skip Karate to go train on floors or pick up new skills on the rings, I hate the high bar and the pummel horse was my worst event, my legs were way to thick from Karate training.  I had kind of weird affection for Gymnastics back then, I hit the gym to balance out my body, having big legs and small upper body from years of Karate made gymnastics hard in the beginning.  I also hated parts of it….like back flips…..my first year I would not try a back flip even with spotters and coaches helping….I simply hated them.

                By the third year I was a vet of Gymnastics and could walk from one end of the gym to the other on my hands, My rings were spot on and after two years of hitting the gym and lifting weights till my arms, chest and back were so sore I could do a Iron cross…if not briefly. I also had a killer floor routine because I was so flexible from Karate. And my Gym coach noted that I was the most serious on the team, he said it was something he saw my Karate helped with. I was in my glory…….

                After I graduated I looked at what I had done academically and noticed that I had some holes in my plan. I wanted to go to university badly and start studying to be a athletic trainer, physiotherapist or the like and I had almost all the things I needed…but my math and a few other credits were not strong enough…so I went back for a fourth year.  The fourth year also did one more thing for me…it gave me another year of going to the gym to work on my gymnastics.

                Fourth year gymnastics was great! I had the skills no one else really did, the young guys on the team were super nice because they saw I knew more than them and they wanted to learn. The tumbling was UBER FUN because I had mastered the back hand springs and could tumble across the gym doing flips, care wheels and other kinds of fun stuff…not the Olympic level and really rough compared to them…but I was ten times more knowledgeable than the new guys and that made it fun….and one more thing…I was the older guy on the team that could coach the guys…and girls! 

                Yup, I was in my teen glory….I would show up and warm up with the team, then while they watched the coach teach basic skills I walked over to the rings and blasted out a few rounds of my routine I had worked on for four years.  And every eye was on me!  While they were busy learning high bar fundamentals or doing drills for balance I was flinging myself around on the trampoline and having fun.  And once and a while I filled in for the gym coaches and showed everyone the drills…and showed off a bit.

                After about three months of training and getting to know lots of the grade 10 students from first year and working out with the team I was “the guy” that people went to when they wanted to chat. Being a bit of an introvert my first three years of high school this was very different for me and I was shocked when the girls would flirt with me…that never really happened before…in the gym, I was the guy with the big yellow Walkman on that was to serious to talk to girls and they just avoided me. Before that I was the teacher’s son and they avoided me for that too!

                On one occasion I was working out on the high bar and having fun when a girl I had a bit of a crush on came over and started chatting with me. I won’t ever forget that day, and not because of the girl. It was a after school work out and I had missed the bus for Karate so I just ran down to work out at the gym. I had my hands all chalked up and my hand guards on, Chalked up and was just about to jump no the high bar and start working out when the girl came over and we started chatting about gymnastics and the dreaded back flip.

                By this time I was very secure in my flipping and decided to show her and advanced and somewhat funnily named flip called a Fish flop! Now a fish flop is normally not to hard, in fact we used to teach it to newbies that could not land on their hands when doing a back flip.  You start off the same….bend legs, throw arms down and then launch legs and throw arms up when you arch back…but in place of landing on your hands then throwing your legs down to land on your feet, you basically miss with your hands, land on your chest/torso and roll out to a flat on the floor position. Seems easy enough…I had don’t thousands of them on the floor and they were easier for me than a actual back flip using your hands to catch yourself (normally called a back hand spring).

                To be honest, I think I only did a real back flip twice in my life that did not have a trampoline involved, but the back hand spring, well I mastered that in my second and third year of Gymnastics because someone told me I could never do one….so I learned to do it to say “yah, right” to him!

                Now the fish flop started off okay, I however made one near fatal mistake……I tried to do it on the crash mat under the high bar. This mat was thicker and less dense than the floor mat, but still not exactly a landing pit in thickness….meaning if you jumped in the air it would comfort your landing but you could still feel the floor threw it.

                So I told the girl, “Oh, back flip you should try a fish flop first, here let me show you” or something like that….and I started to do the flip.  The start was good, bent my knees, Threw my hands down and started to launch by thrusting my legs hard to the ground….but two things happened that screwed the pooch on this flip…the mat made my feet slip just enough to throw me off balance and this loss of balance meant my arch was pretty much gone!

                With a fish flop you throw your arms up and then by your sides when you are half way over, thus when you land you look like a fish, arms by your side head straight and legs pointed. …and it offers little to no protection for your head if you miss the flip…which I did.

                I got to the height of the lunge into the air and realized that I had two options, tuck and land on my ass or go for the flip and pray to god I did not land on my head….well ego would not let me land on my ass and God basically looked down and said “yup, you are a moron”!  I curved over and basically closed my eyes and prayed!

                Instead of landing on my face/chest/torso…I hit the ground with the top of my head. I was bolt upright and had just jumped up in the air and hammered myself, perfectly horizontal, into the less than absorbent mat….totally aligning my spine, shoulders and toes with all of my new found muscular 180 ish pound frame….right into the floor!

                My neck did NOT break…a small thank you to the big guy in the sky…but I did do some major damage to my peripheral spinal nerves.  I got what we in the business call a stinger or burner! The spine in my neck compressed under the weight of my body landing from about three to four feet in the air and caused the nerves that exit the spine to be pinched.  Now I cannot say it was the single most painful injury I have ever had…that distinction goes to the time I was stabbed in the arm pit! But it was a close second!

                Within a micro second waves of thoughts and panic washed over me….no longer was the cute young girl in front of me important, I was thinking that I might have a life of Karate and WALKING ON MY OWN taken from me, My head hurt from landing on it….Yah, I know you would think I would be used to it by now….and my arms and upper body was numb!  Numb…the single scariest thing you can experience EVER is not feeling or being able to control a body part after an injury!  I kind of laid their and played back the injury at a zillion miles an hour in my head! I forgot about the girl who was shocked and stairing at my limp body after the big “GONK” or “THUNK” of pile driving myself into the floor and started to see if I could feel things like my toes…and I could…but my Right hand was numb…and the right arm…and the right side of my neck…my left arm was a bit numb too! I first thought “HOLY CRAP GET ME TO THE HOSPITAL…AMBULANCE…MEDIC…FRIGGIN SHREPA WITH GOOD DIRECTION….HELP” but the panic subsided and the brain took over.  You can feel your feet what else can you do?

                I slowly rolled over and saw the gym coach was telling me not to move and trying to stabilize my neck…but I could not feel his hands…and my bell was RUNG man! I went to the hospital and they said I was fine, no broken bones and go home….Hate that hospital!  I got home and my Mom was PISSED. She was used to me hurting myself but she did not like it much! By the time I had gotten home I cold feel my left side completely, had a head ache and my right side was all pins and needles. I was sent home with pills for pain and told to see my regular doctor.  See back then….Medicine was not as evolved as it is a decade later thanks to law suits and wellbeing held accountable for being gigantic morons back then! If I did this now a days, First off I am 40 and a lot bigger than 180, if I could get this old butt to back flip I would be doing them on a regular basis…but if I hurt myself as a 17 year old kid today doing that…it would be MRI’s up the wazzoo till I glowed, back then it was here is a Tylenol call your doc in the morning.

                Anyways, by the time I got to my regular doctor…a week later I was pretty much okay. No physio or anything just time. But I had this small shake in my right arm…and I still have it like 25 years (giver or take) later! I did go to my doctor however and he explained some interesting things to me……

                The stinger is more common in Impact related sports like Football and Hockey. The injury can be mild and only last a few hours, a bit more serious like mine and have a few years (give or take like 25) and can be misdiagnosed later on or they can be mobility and life threatening. Now opposed to the more serious spinal cord injury this occurs in the nerve after it has exited the spine and can lead to shooting pain, numbness and weakness, but not often in loss (partially or totally) of movement.

                The other thing that is scary is that they are not reported as often as spinal cord injuries, not because they are minor but because coaches tell athletes to “walk it off” more often than not. Only a medically trained person should diagnose these injuries and coaches are doing it more to get key players back in the game.  Now, it is a fact that most stingers are minor and the symptoms often go away in minutes or hours, but repeated injuries to these nerves can result in permanent damage and the injury may also involve spinal disc injury or spinal bone fractures, so its very important to get a doctor to look at you.

                Now I was lucky, I had some major issues with this stinger and I still feel the results of that one fish flop gone bad….I tell all my students and all my Juniors at my instructors club to remember when playing sports like football, ice hockey, field Hockey, rugby, wresting or even sports you would not think of getting injured in like Gymnastics that if you hurt your neck or spine in any way, you don’t pass go you go directly to the hospital! And I NEVER suggest young kids play sports known for impact.  Yah, that does not make me popular but it sure keeps the young kids safer if their parents listen.

                My experience was scary as hell and I can tell you that I have rarely been scared like that…not about myself at least. I don’t scare easy when it involves my own health or such, I kind of take it as it comes, but this scared me because of the possibility of permanent damage and I still deal with the issues to this day. Its was never noticeable in the past, but lately I have noticed it acting up more and more…Keep safe and protect your neck!

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.