Karate Thoughts Blog

Respect and Acceptance

2012-02-25T18:53:00.004-10:00

I have found that two things are very inexpensive to give but are worth a great deal: respect and acceptance. This is especially true in Karate.

There is a respect given because a person is physically strong. This is shallow. Physical strength declines with age, and even with the best mechanics and conditioning, we do grow slower and weaker with age. Respect for physical strength alone would diminish as a person ages.

But respect for a person's character and humanity will grow with age.

I know people who study many different styles of Karate. I am sure that each of us like our own style, and sometimes might question another person's emphasis in Karate. But I have learned to appreciate and respect different styles and emphases in Karate. My own emphasis has changed many times during my Karate life. One of the things I appreciate is that my Karate friends and I accept each other. We don't look at each other with a look of "I think I could take you." Instead, we have a look of "I think I could learn something from you." "And if you had a problem,I would have your back."

Respect and acceptance, of course, are just as important outside of Karate. Everyone is different. Thank goodness for that! The older I get and the more I experience life, the more I respect people and the more I accept different views and lifestyles.

Life is small when a person is narrow minded. The opposite is also true.

In Hawaii, we have a "mixed plate" for lunch -- different kinds of food. Together they are great. A musubi is good but you can't beat a good mixed plate lunch.

Now I'm hungry.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Video Coming Soon

2012-02-25T18:52:00.002-10:00

The video should be ready very soon. Just a little longer.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Karate In the Ryukyu Kingdom Lecture Follow-up

2012-02-19T20:22:00.013-10:00

Photo by Sensei Angel Lemus

Aloha,

Last Thursday, Sensei Pat Nakata and I presented the lecture,

Karate in the Ryukyu Kingdom, Okinawa Prefecture, and Hawaii.
How is Okinawan Culture Spread through Karate?

at the Manoa Campus of the University of Hawaii. The lecture was sponsored by the Center for Okinawn Studies, which is headed by Dr. Joyce Chinen. My contact at the center for the lecture was Lynette Teruya, who was very supportive and helpful. Gay Satsuma of the Center for Japanese Studies attended, as did Dr. Alfred Yama Kina, who had given a lecture a few months ago about his experiences in Shuri. My Sensei in Hawaii, Sensei Rodney Shimabukuro, and his wife, Joyce also attended.

Here are links to the Flyer and Handout for the Lecture. I hope that you will review the Handout as it presents some of the materials we covered. It includes a Bibliography, a chart about the Ryukyu Caste System, and a list of ten Karate people with their Ryukyu Kingdom titles.

The lecture started at 3:00 p.m. and the room was filled with attendees, including three members of our Hawaii Karate Kenkyukai: Sensei Herbert Ishida, Sensei Hisae Ishii-Chang, and Sensei Sean Roberts. Sensei Angel Lemus who is also a member of the Kenkyukai attended and took video of the entire lecture. He is working on the footage for uploading to Youtube. Nakata Sensei and I are very grateful to Lemus Sensei for his expertise and hard work. I will post here when the video is uploaded.

I had prepared a Powerpoint presentation with about 90 slides. Lemus Sensei is incorporating the slides in the video. I'm sure that this is a big job for him.

I started the lecture with information about the Ryukyu Kingdom and its caste system. Karate experts and instructors were almost exclusively members of the Uekata and Peechin class, with most being in the Pechin class. Sometimes these classes are compared to "Lords" or "Daimyo" and "Samurai", but in my opinion, comparisons to Japanese classes are not very helpful. To me, the Uekata and Pechin classes (with the various subclasses), were Ryukyu Kingdom officials and the equivalent of civil servants with many privileges.

I contrasted the historical information we have about Karate experts in the Ryukyu Kingdom with the popular story about Karate being developed by Okinawan peasants and farmers to protect themselves against the invading Satsuma samurai (1609). In fact, I have found that most of the "popular" stories about Karate are simply myths. To understand the development of Karate, it is essential to study the Ryukyu Kingdom.

Nakata Sensei presented information about the Chinese origins of Karate, outlining some of the sources of Chinese contacts. He shared how his teacher, Chosin Chibana, said that known Karate began with Kanga Teruya, who became known as Tudi (or Tote) Sakugawa. You can see the handout for his birth and death dates and social rank.

I was given a lot of help with the Caste System chart by my Sensei in Okinawa, Sensei Katsuhiko Shnzato, and Dr. Alfred Yama Kina. Dr. Kina also studies Okinawan dance here in Hawaii with Sensei Kikue Kaneshiro. My Hawaii Sensei's wife, Joyce Shimabukuro, also studied with Kaneshiro Sensei. I learned a lot about the Kingdom period by reading Dr. Kina's thesis, which is listed in the Bibliography.

I mentioned that in the Ryukyu Kingdom, rank in Karate either did not exist or was pretty irrelevant -- what mattered was your position in Ryukyu society and the level of your service to the King. Karate instructors might have taught students who were of higher social classes, and I'm sure that each was acutely aware of this.

Lemus Sensei and I both study styles of Karate that trace to Chotoku Kyan. Kyan Sensei's father, Chofu Kyan, is listed in the handout, and was a member of the Ryukyu Kingdom's last Sanshikan (Council of Three). The Sanshikan was one of the highest bodies in the Ryukyu government. Chofu Kyan was a student of Sokon "Bushi" Matsumura, who is also listed in the handout. Chofu Kyan also became King Sho Tai's Chamberlain and oversaw all of this assets. He is another example of a Karate expert who was a member of the Ryukyu Kingdom's "official" classes.

Shinzato Sensei had actually prepared a much longer list of Karate experts for me. I reduced this to 10 for the handout. During the Ryukyu Kingdom period, all were of the Shizoku, or privileged classes. Okinawan elders I have spoken to all said that life for "commoners" was very difficult in Okinawa, and working people worked extremely hard all day. Natural resources were very limited. Only the privileged classes had time for Karate -- and access to instructors.

After the Ryukyu Kingdom was abolished and King Sho Tai was forced into exile in Tokyo, Karate had to adapt to the policies of the Japanese Empire. It is very interesting that Karate experts where of the same social classes as Ryukyu dance and music experts. All of these "professionals", deprived of their stipends, lands (if applicable), and titles, had to find a way to make a living. Many moved away from Shuri and began to teach their respective arts to the pubic -- rather than just to members of their own social classes. To me, this probably brought about the greatest change in Karate. Teaching Karate to the public resulted in two Karates -- the old and the new. The new was ultimately taught in the Okinawan school system and this form of Karate, generally, is what spread to mainland Japan and other countries.

But the old was also preserved, particularly with people such as Chosin Chibana, Nakata Sensei's teacher in Okinawa (his original teacher in Hawaii was Sensei Walter Nishioka, who is also a member of our Hawaii Karate Kenkukai -- in fact, I saw him today at our training). Chibana Sensei learned from Anko Itosu (who learned from Sokon Matsumura, who learned from Tote Sakugawa, who learned from Kusanku (a Chinese envoy)). I asked Nakata Sensei to share Chibana Sensei's Karate-Do No Kokoroe, which is printed in the Handout. I will let you watch the video to hear Nakata Sensei's words. One story that moved me involved a challenge match that Nakata Sensei was forced to accept when he studied in Okinawa. In the end, Chibana Sensei intervened to restrain Nakata Sensei from finishing off his challenger, saying that we must also have compassion for our enemies.

Karate was taught in the Okinawan school system around 1903 or so. The first Okinawan immigrants to Hawaii left Okinawa in December of 1899 and arrived on January 6, 1900. At least three Karate practitioners were among them. Kisaburo Kawakami had actually arrived four years earlier. His son, Kitaro Kawakami, was a student of Kentsu Yabu, which makes me suspect that his father had learned from Sokon Matsumura. Succeeding waves of Okinawan immigrants continued to bring Karate to Hawaii. The early students had learned the "old" style, not the public school version.

One question we asked was "How is Okinawan Culture Spread Through Karate?" I summarized some of the exhibits, demonstrations, lectures, and events that our Hawaii Karate Museum and my friends in the Hawaii Karate Kenkyukai had participated in over the years. I also described our museum's donation to the University of Hawaii of the Hawaii Karate Museum Collection, a permanent collection at the Okinawan Collection of the Hamilton Library at the Manoa Campus. Please check the Digital Archives for some excellent books and materials that are online.

We have worked to help establish Karate as a subject worthy of study, individually and at the University level. But the way that Karate is taught is from Sensei to student, and the way that Karate is learned is through training. If Okinawan and Ryukyuan culture is to be spread, it will have to happen in the dojo, school, recreation center, or garage. It has to be spread from Sensei to student, and from older brother or sister to younger.

I have often been advised by Okinawan elders that in order to understand and appreciate Karate, you should study the history and culture of its homeland -- Okinawa. I agree completely. Together, as Instructors and Students of Karate, let us do our very best not only to learn the physical aspects of the art, but to also learn about the Ryukyu Kingdom and Okinawa, and the values that shaped and guided the early Karate pioneers.

Nakata Sensei and I hope that the lecture was one small step in this direction. We were supposed to end at 4:30 p.m., but with questions we went to about 4:45 p.m. The Center for Okinawan studies then served some refreshments.

I am very grateful to Nakata Sensei of sharing his insights and lessons. I have learned so much from him over the years, and continue to do so today. We also want to thank Lemus Sensei, Shinzato Sensei, Dr. Kina, Dr. Chinen, Lynette Teruya, and everyone who helped us with the lecture, and to all the attendees. I also want to thank Shimaburo Sensei and his wife Joyce, and the Center for Okinawan Studies, Dr. Kina, and Joyce for the beautiful lei.

If you like the video, I hope that you might ask your students to watch it. Again, I will announce here when it is available online.

Respectfully in the art,

Charles C. Goodin

Good Basics -- Like a Propeller

2012-02-02T15:23:00.003-10:00

This is a simple principle, but an important one:

If your basics are good, as you gain more power and speed, the movements will be stable.

If you basics are bad, as you gain more power and speed, the movements will fall apart.

That is why it pays to take your time and learn your basics well. For instructors, this is why it pays to take your time and teach the basics to your students well.

It is like the propeller on an airplane. At slow speed, flaws or imbalance in the propeller will probably not cause too much of a problem. But at high speed, the propeller will fly apart and destroy the airplane -- and cause a crash.

With good basics, increased speed and power makes the movement feel even more stable -- like a perfectly balanced propeller!

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Just One Week Until Our Lecture!

2012-02-02T15:06:00.002-10:00

The lecture by Sensei Pat Nakata and me,

Karate in the Ryukyu Kingdom, Okinawa Prefecture, and Hawaii.
How is Okinawan Culture Spread through Karate?

will be in just one week! I hope that you can attend or will be able to watch it when it is available on Youtube.

Karate is not just from Okinawa, it is from the Ryukyu Kingdom (and China too). In order to understand Karate, it is very helpful to student the history of culture of Okinawa and the Ryukyu Kingdom. This is the shared history of all Karate students.

Respectfully,

Charles

Here is my earlier post:

Aloha,

On Thursday, February 9th at 3:00 p.m., Sensei Pat Nakata and I will give a lecture at the University of Hawaii. A poster is above (click the poster for a larger pdf file) and the information is included below. Please feel free to distribute this information to anyone who might be interested. I am very honored to give this lecture with my good friend and senior, Sensei Nakata Sensei.

I have asked my good friend, Sensei Angel Lemus, to take video of the lecture and we hope to be able to present it on YouTube after the event.

I am very encouraged that this lecture is sponsored by a the Center for Okinawan Studies at the University of Hawaii. The subject matter of Karate and its place in Okinawan history and culture is truly worth of study. Those of us who are fortunate to practice and teach the art, are caretakers of this great tradition.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Center for Okinawan Studies Lecture Series

University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

Karate in the Ryukyu Kingdom, Okinawa Prefecture, and Hawaii
How is Okinawan Culture Spread through Karate?

Learn about the origins of Karate (Tudi, "Tang or China" Hand) among members of the highest levels of Ryukyuan society. Karate was part of the upbringing of selected sons of noble and samurai families who were trained to become bushi, cultured gentlemen. Based largely on Chinese martial arts and values, Karate was usually taught secretly or in private.

About twenty years after the Ryukyu Kingdom was abolished and Okinawa became a prefecture (1879), Karate became a part of the public school curriculum. Taught publicly and to a large number of students for the first time, Karate had to adapt to Japanese values and objectives. But the old form of Karate still existed with the new. Explore why the myth of Karate being developed by Okinawan farmers and peasants was spread in Japan... and still exists today.

Karate came to Hawaii with the very first Okinawan immigrants starting in 1900. Originally limited to members of the Okinawan community, the art is now widely practiced by students of all ethnic groups. Through Karate training, students are provided an opportunity to learn about Okinawan history and culture.

Speakers: Sensei Pat Nakata (Okinawa Shorin-Ryu Karate Association) &
Charles C. Goodin (Hawaii Karate Museum)

Date: February 9, 2012 (Thursday)

Time: 3:00 - 4:30 pm

Location: Moore Hall 319 (Tokioka Room)

Event is free and open to the public.

For more information or disability access, please contact:

Center for Okinawan Studies, tel. 956-0902 / 956-5754

University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

One Minute Bunkai -- Angel Lemus

2012-01-30T12:17:00.002-10:00

Aloha,

My good friend, Sensei Angel Lemus, has created a very interesting and useful website called One Minute Bunkai. The URL is oneminutebunkai.com. I hope that you will visit it and watch the bunkai videos -- no music, no verbal explanations... just the techniques shown in a very clear and easy to follow format. I really enjoyed them.

I am very lucky. Through our Hawaii Karate Kenkyukai training sessions, I have had the opportunity to see Lemus Sensei execute such bunkai. He reminds me of a jazz musician, just jamming! He seems to be able to effortlessly transition between techniques and applications -- something I am always working on myself. I have occasionally been on the receiving end of Lemus Sensei's applications, and I can say that they definitely work.

I always say, if you don't know what you are doing, then what are you doing? Bunkai is the meaning of what we do in Karate. One Minute Bunkai is an excellent idea, and I am grateful to Lemus Sensei (and his students) for sharing it with us.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Lecture: Karate in the Ryukyu Kingdom (2/9/12)

2012-01-19T20:30:00.005-10:00

Aloha,

On Thursday, February 9th at 3:00 p.m., Sensei Pat Nakata and I will give a lecture at the University of Hawaii. A poster is above (click the poster for a larger pdf file) and the information is included below. Please feel free to distribute this information to anyone who might be interested. I am very honored to give this lecture with my good friend and senior, Sensei Nakata Sensei.

I have asked my good friend, Sensei Angel Lemus, to take video of the lecture and we hope to be able to present it on YouTube after the event.

I am very encouraged that this lecture is sponsored by a the Center for Okinawan Studies at the University of Hawaii. The subject matter of Karate and its place in Okinawan history and culture is truly worth of study. Those of us who are fortunate to practice and teach the art, are caretakers of this great tradition.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Center for Okinawan Studies Lecture Series

University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

Karate in the Ryukyu Kingdom, Okinawa Prefecture, and Hawaii
How is Okinawan Culture Spread through Karate?

Speakers: Sensei Pat Nakata (Okinawa Shorin-Ryu Karate Association) &
Charles C. Goodin (Hawaii Karate Museum)

Date: February 9, 2012 (Thursday)

Time: 3:00 - 4:30 pm

Location: Moore Hall 319 (Tokioka Room)

Event is free and open to the public.

For more information or disability access, please contact:

Center for Okinawan Studies, tel. 956-0902 / 956-5754

University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

Finding Yourself

2012-01-10T12:31:00.002-10:00

I often hear young people say that they have to find themselves. My reply is that "your self is not something you find, it is something you make."

Finding yourself is not a miraculous thing. It is not a matter of where you live, but rather how you live. If you can't find yourself here, you won't find it over there. It takes work. It is the result of your interactions with other people. It is the result of the challenges you face and how you face them. It is the result of caring about others and things, and sometimes of loss. What are you willing to do for others?

Finding yourself is really experiencing life... and paying attention to the process and results.

Alcohol and drugs can certainly make the process much harder. There is a saying that most people are born sleeping (unaware because of inexperience) and die drunk (unaware because of excess). Watch it! Beware and be aware!

I am still making my self... a little each day. Karate training is part of this process.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Repost About Work and Work Ethics

2012-01-10T12:24:00.003-10:00

This is a combined repost of two posts I had written in March of 2011 about work and work ethics.

-----------

Here are some things I tell my own children about work, and some things I have heard over the years.

Anything worthwhile takes work.
When they complain that a task is difficult, I say, "That's why they call it work."
If it was easy, they could easily hire someone else could do it.
A job worth doing is worth doing well.
You might not be stronger or smarter than another person, but you can accomplish more by working harder.
Chotoku Kyan used to say, "If he practices three times, I will practice seven!" With this work attitude, Kyan Sensei became a great Karate expert.
Fall down six times get up seven.
When you work for someone, give them 100%. Don't show up late, leave early, call in sick unnecessarily, or spend time on private calls. You are there to work. Earn your pay.
If your boss has to lay someone off, who do you think he will let go -- his best worker or his worst? (That is assuming that the worst worker is not a relative.)
A job is not done until it is done. (Keep working at it until it is done.)
A commitment made is a commitment kept. (If you say you are going to do something, do it.)
If you can learn to work hard at Karate training, you can apply that same attitude to school, work, family obligations... anything.
There is no shame to being less skilled than another Karate student, as long as you are still working at it.
In Karate, the work is never done.
Work on your character is never done either.
Life is easier if you enjoy your profession (job).
Generally, you can get a better job (in terms of pay, benefits, prestige, etc.) if you get a good college education. If you have the opportunity, get a graduate degree.
No matter how good your job may be (in terms of pay, benefits, prestige, etc.) you have to consider your quality of life.
Opportunities rarely come by chance, you have to make them.
You make your luck.
Fish or cut bait.
Crap or get off of the pot.
The sooner you start the job the sooner you will finish it.
Thinking about the job is often harder than doing it.
A lazy employee is like dead wood.
If I have to ask you to do it, I might as well do it myself.
Don't ask me if I need help. I will always say no. If you want to help, help. If you don't want to help, don't was time talking about it.
If you help someone, forget about. If someone helps you, never forget it.
Some workers do the work of three people.
Honest work is always worthy of respect.
Do it now. Do not put it off until tomorrow.
Don't say it, do it.
A large weed was once a small weed. Why didn't you pick it then? It would have been much easier.
Finish one job, begin another. Don't waste time in between.
It is hard to find the time to do everything you need to do. You have to make the time.
What you did (accomplished) yesterday is good, but what are you doing today?
No matter how much education and special training you might have, you work for your client. He might have no such education or training, but he is your boss. You are lucky to have him. Don't forget it.
People who work in ivory towers are resented.
I met many attorneys and doctors who had children who did not want to pursue education or a profession. One day when I stayed late at the law office where I worked, I met a cleaning lady from the Philippines. She had come to Hawaii with her husband. He was a cleaning man too. They had ten children (as I recall): three doctors, two lawyers, two engineers, a school teacher, and two children in college. I was in awe of that couple's accomplishments!
Don't just work hard, work smart.
If you have to walk to the other side of the building to get something, ask yourself if there is anything you could take there.
Karate training is always a work in progress.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

What Makes a Dojo?

2012-01-05T22:35:00.003-10:00

One of my sons is getting married soon and is in the market for a house. I recently told him, "What makes a house a home is not the square footage, the furniture, or the location. What makes a house a home is the people inside it."

The same can be said about a dojo. People make the dojo. Everything else is just "things."

The dojo is the place where people get together to practice Karate. When you practice Karate in your daily life, that is your dojo.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

The Objective of Karate

2012-01-03T15:34:00.002-10:00

What is the physical objective of Karate? What is the reason we practice potentially destructive Karate techniques?

To me, the goal is not to win or defeat an opponent. I am not training for this reason. If someone attacks me, he is not an opponent -- he is a criminal. I have not agreed to fight, to a game. I am an innocent victim. I am a victim of this criminal.

My goal is to avoid being injured or killed. If I can run away -- great! If I have to defend myself, my goal is still to avoid being injured or killed. I am not trying to win or defeat the attacker. It may be that the only way to avoid being hurt is to injure or kill the attacker. If so, that is unavoidable. But that does not mean that I defeated the attacker. It is not a win. It is a terrible, but necessary and unavoidable thing.

The goal of Karate is neither to win nor to lose. These apply to other subjects. The goal of Karate (at least the self defense aspects of the art), is to avoid being injured or killed by an attacker. I am never a fighter. If someone attacks me, I am a victim. I am exercising my right to self defense... not fighting.

It's like catching a puhi (moray eel) and trying to take the hook out. You have to expect that it will try to bite you. It's not the eel's fault. It just wants to get away.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Better Than or Worse Than

2012-01-03T15:14:00.004-10:00

This is a story.

Bill and Dave were talking in the dojo as they watched Sam perform a kata.

"I hate Sam," said Bill.

"Why?" asked Dave.

"Because he thinks he is better than me."

"He is better than you," said Dave.

"I know that," conceded Bill. "I hate him because he knows it."

In Karate training, there will be many students who are better than you, and many students who you may be better than. Learn from the former and help the latter. But don't ever let it bother you.

Too many people say that such and such a person is "great!" So what? How did that person become great? If he was born great, that won't help you. But if he worked at it, perhaps you can also become great by working the same way.

And if someone attacks you, it doesn't matter that you are better or worse than other students at the dojo. What matters is what you will do at that very moment.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Perfect Effort

2012-01-03T14:58:00.002-10:00

Instead of trying to perform a kata perfectly, try to make a perfect effort. Let's say that you enter a tournament and perform a kata the very best that you can. Who is going to evaluate it? The judges? How do they know how well you did? Do they even know your style and kata? And even if they do, how do they know what you were thinking, how focused you were, whether there were any gaps between your thoughts and actions?

The focus should not only be on the result, which is a subjective thing anyway. The focus should also be on the effort.

If you learn to make a perfect effort, everything you do will improve. If you only learn to copy one thing "perfectly," so what?

Now, you do not make a perfect effort by sitting seiza and yelling: "I will seek to make a perfect effort!" It is not something you can get by yelling, writing, or thinking. It is something you have to do.

So the next time you perform a kata, don't concentrate solely on the moves and timing, concentrate also on the effort you are making. If you truly try your best... congratulations! Now do that all the time.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Celebrity Sensei

2012-01-03T14:29:00.002-10:00

One of the worst things a student can do is to turn his Sensei into a celebrity. You take a quiet, humble, down to earth, extremely skilled teacher and turn him into a media star. There is a saying that observation changes the result of the experiment. To what extent do the perceptions of the students and the public change the Sensei?

Even if some degree of notoriety is unavoidable, you have to ask what the effect of having a celebrity Sensei is on the student. Is the student learning Karate... or how to become a celebrity? The Sensei is a role model. So what is he a role model of? A student is rarely influenced by only one aspect of a role model.

Try this. Write down all the characteristics of your Sensei. Now circle the ones that you admire and seek to be like.

For me, I do not seek celebrity status. I don't want to be anyone's master or soke or hanshi. I just want to be myself. I like being an "unknown" person. Even if I write articles, very few people visually associate me with that "author" (that is one reason I rarely include my photograph with articles).

Through Karate training, I am working on myself. This is a personal, rather than a public journey. Celebrity status, if anything, would be a distraction. The focus is and should always be training.

You might think that this post is unnecessary. But have you seen any Karate Sensei celebrities? Did you ever see how the students react to them? Have you seen them posing for photos, asking for autographs, asking to have their books signed, wining and dining, rubbing elbows, hanging on, dropping names, etc.? Back in Okinawa or Japan, this person is normal. Here he is a celebrity. What happened?

And, of course, some people are quick to point out that their celebrity Sensei is more well known than your celebrity Sensei.

I will tell you who the real "stars" of Karate are to me: the Sensei who teach in their home, garage, carport, yard, or the park; the Sensei who teach in a recreation center or church and have to pay out of pocket for the rent because they do not charge tuition to students who cannot afford it; the Sensei who work with special needs students; the Sensei who come straight from chemotherapy to the dojo; the Sensei who truly "walk the walk" and talk little about it; and most of all, the Sensei who are dedicated to training and polishing their character.

What counts most is not that you are well known but that you know yourself well.

Celebrity status requires too much baggage.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Lessons From Fishing

2012-01-01T19:39:00.003-10:00

Yesterday, the last day of 2011, I went fishing... and essentially got skunked. It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed it, but no big fish for New Year's lunch.

From time to time, people stop by at my fishing spot. Usually, they wonder what I have caught.

"Catch anything?" they ask.

"Only little," I often reply holding my hands a few inches apart.

And then comes the line. "That's why they call it fishing, not catching."

I smile and agree.

Karate is like that. We think of "Karate" as a noun, but it really should be verb. "Training" is the word that comes closest to the idea. When we say "Karate" we really should say "Training."

Then when we are practicing Karate and a person walks by and says, "Are you a black belt or good yet?", we could say, "That's why they call it training."

I did get a new fishing pole, a 9 foot, medium action Ugly Stick. I can cast much father with it, and am confident that I will catch more and better fish next year. I also received a nice pair of scissors as a gift, which I am using when I make my rigs.

But whatever the result may be, I will be fishing and training.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Resolutions for Karate Students for 2012

2012-01-01T18:28:00.003-10:00

Here are some Resolutions for Karate Students for 2012:

Practice Karate because you enjoy it. If you do so, your happiness will be attainment of the goal you seek.
Focus on skill and conditioning, rather than rank and titles.
Try to get a little better every day.
Ask your Sensei if there is anything you can do to help him (or her).
Arrive at class early to help set up. Stay late to help put things away.
Try hard to get better at just one thing this year. If you can do that, you can apply what you learn to other aspects of Karate.
If you haven't already done so, begin the serious study of body dynamics.
Pick one junior student at the dojo and make it your mission to help him (or her).
Be a positive influence in the dojo.
Be humble.
Be respectful of and kind to other people (whether they study Karate or not).
There is no end to improvement in Karate. Remember: not yet, not yet. Mada, mada, mada.
Try to win a tournament (just joking, unless you view daily life as a tournament).
Seek to dig deeper rather than climbing higher. The keys are inside you.
Learn something about other styles of Karate. At a certain point, styles become irrelevant.
Try to remain calm and focused the next time you are in a dangerous situation, like an earthquake, a hurricane, or a car accident. Be prepared.
Read a book about Okinawan history and culture.
If you can afford it, plan a vacation or stopover in Okinawa.
Don't forget to spend time with and pay attention to your family.
Apply the principles of Karate in your daily life.
Enjoy Karate in 2012.

Thank you for reading this blog and for your kind words and support. I continue to work on myself.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Where My Stories Come From

2011-12-26T00:46:00.003-10:00

From time to time, I am asked where my stories come from.

The stories I write, and often the blog posts themselves, appear almost like daydreams and I write them down. I usually do not plan them. I will be doing something and the story or post will start to play in my mind (all the parts at the same time, sometimes in words, but usually not). If I find them interesting, I will write them down (sculpt the thoughts with words).

I don't think this is very unusual. The creative process is often a spontaneous thing, with sometimes complex and extensive ideas perceived in an instant.

Of course, I practice and teach, and conduct a fair amount of research. Since I spend so much time on Karate, it is natural that my thoughts and daydreams will sometimes focus on the subject.

But it is not like I say: let's come up with a story or post. They just seem to sprout, like weeds in my garden. I don't have to plant them either!

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

My Christmas Wish

2011-12-26T00:29:00.002-10:00

I told my kids that my Christmas wish was for world peace. One of them said that such as wish was a cliche. It sounds like something a contestant would say at a beauty pageant.

But this is really my wish -- world peace.

Since I cannot control the world, I should seek peace in my own daily life, in my family, in my dojo, with my friends, and with my business contacts. If I do this, it will have at least a small impact. An if everyone did so, the result would be World Peace.

I practice and teach Karate as a way to avoid physical violence. A peaceful person is unlikely to provoke a fight and a vigilant person is more likely to recognize and avoid a violent situation. If, as a last resort, the use of Karate's destructive techniques is necessary, then that cannot be avoided and anything goes. But if it is possible, I would run away. I am a pacifist who has practiced martial arts for over 40 years!

My goal for 2012 is to win the Nobel Peace Prize for teaching Karate. That would be something! But prize or not, I will work to promote peace through Karate.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

My Best Student

2011-12-26T00:20:00.003-10:00

I have written about this before, but it deserves repeating.

My best student is the student I am teaching. The only caveat to this is that the student must be trying. I have very little time for a student who does not try, but almost unlimited time and effort for a student who sincerely tries.

I try to teach a beginner how to punch, block and kick with the same attention to detail and enthusiasm as when I teach an advanced student or instructor. And I learn a lot in both cases. In fact, I often learn more when I am teaching beginners. When I am teaching the fundamentals, any new realizations or discoveries will have a major impact on everything I do.

I believe that all students are special. Honestly, I think that a teacher is very lucky to have a good student. A student is lucky to have a good teacher, but I think that the teacher is actually luckier. For a teacher, passing on the art is almost a biological imperative.

My best student is the student I am teaching. And because I learn by teaching, if my student is the best I am also learning from the best.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Another Martial Art

2011-12-25T23:55:00.002-10:00

If could study another martial art, which one would it be?

Ju Jitsu
Sojutsu (spear art)
Naginata jutsu
Escrima
Kenjutsu

Scroll down for the answer.

The answer is D, Escrima. I think that Escrima would compliment my Karate training very well. I am a fan of the Filipino martial arts. I would like to study the other martial arts as well, but Escrima is on the top of my list.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2011-12-24T21:01:00.006-10:00

From our family to yours, best wishes for a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! You can click the image to enlarge it.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

At What Cost?

2011-12-23T22:18:00.003-10:00

So let's say that you are a Shodan. It will take some work to earn your Nidan. It is not just a question of staying in Karate. It will take effort.

Rising from Nidan to Sandan will be even more difficult.

In fact, the higher the rank, the steeper the mountain becomes! The climb becomes more and more difficult.

Well, actually, I think that most of us enjoy training, so it is not really that difficult.

But I want to ask a question. If you have already reached the 99% level among Karate students, how much is it worth to you to strive for that remaining 1%? Let's say you are already proficient at self-defense. If so, it is worth expending considerable time and effort to become a little bit more proficient?

When I was in high school, I took a driver's education class. Then I got my driver's license. Since then, I have driven pretty well. I haven't had to take any additional classes. I am not a race car driver. For my personal driving, I seem to have learned what was necessary.

How much is necessary when it comes to Karate? I started practicing Shorin-Ryu about 37 years ago. That is quite a long time. I'm glad that I haven't had to go to 37 years of driver's education classes!

Don't get me wrong -- I really enjoy practicing and teaching Karate. Actually, my emphasis is on teaching. But I continue to try to improve my Karate skills too.

It is not like I am looking for a higher rank or titles so that I can draw more students. The opposite seems to be true -- the more skilled I become (over a long time), the fewer students I want to teach. My idea of an ideal class is one in which I teach a single student in depth! I don't need a higher rank or titles to do that.

And the point I am getting at is this: if you enjoy Karate training, than that is reward enough. If you do not enjoy Karate training, then external rewards such as rank and titles will probably not be enough. An unhappy 7th dan will probably become an unhappy 8th dan -- and make his students unhappy too.

But there is another point. How much time and effort are you willing to put in to improve just a little?

One of my sons was lifting weights and broke his previous record by 10 pounds. I mentioned this to a serious lifter who replied that a his level, lifting even a pound or two more would be very difficult. The more advanced you become, the harder it is to progress even a little.

If you are not interested in rank and titles, and are only interested in skill, how much time and effort would you be willing to expend to improve 1% or 2%? And is that margin of improvement really relevant when it comes to self defense?

I do not know the answer, but I thought it was an interesting question.

For me, training and teaching is worth it. I enjoy training and I enjoy teaching and helping students. It is sort of like gardening. I grow vegetables in my home garden. Nothing makes me happier than giving eggplants, okra, cucumbers, and avocados to my relatives and friends. Often, there is more than my immediate family can eat. My avocado tree had about 400 fruits this year. It seemed like the more I gave away, the more fruits there were.

I feel exactly the same about teaching. It makes me happy and it seems that the more I teach, the more there is to teach.

I think that improvement is a byproduct of the process, not necessarily the goal.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

90th Percentile

2011-12-23T21:25:00.005-10:00

My two year old granddaughter is at the 90th percentile in height for her age. She is a tall girl.

I started to think. What would the 90th percentile be for Karate? Please go along with the question. I realize that numbers and Karate don't quite mix.

Let's set up the question a little. We will only count adults, not children. And we will only include Karate students who have trained for at least a year. That will eliminate students who start and quit right away, or in just a few months.

So if you take all of the living adult Karate students who have trained for at least one year, what would represent the 90th percentile? Let's ask this in terms of rank -- and I fully realize that rank is a subjective and imperfect thing, but we need something to use as a basis.

What rank would a 90th percentile adult Karate student who has trained for at least one year be? Please keep in mind that this would cover students who have trained from 1 year to nearly a lifetime. What is your answer?

Here is my answer/guess: Shodan (1st degree black belt).

90% only means that you are in the top 10%. If you look at all Karate students, I would say that about 1 in 10 become Shodan -- maybe more, maybe less. But if you have 10 students who train for at least 1 year, it would be pretty good if at least one of them eventually became a Shodan (certainly not in a year, but at some later time).

What would 95% be? Maybe Nidan (2nd degree black belt).

How about 99%? I would guess 4th or 5th dan.

So when you see a 9th or 10th dan, that person probably represents the top 99.99 percent -- like one in a million!

So being at the 90th percentile in Karate is not such an unusual thing. If there are 100 people, you would be among the 10 who have reached this level.

I will come back to this point in a later post. But for now, I think that it is good to appreciate the accomplishment of students who rise to the heights of Karate training as evidenced by their character, skill, conditioning, contributions to the arts, etc., all of which might be represented by their rank (maybe so or maybe not, but hopefully so).

My granddaughter may be at the 90th percentile for height, but she is one in a billion to me!

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

The Secret of Karate Is...

2011-12-22T11:43:00.002-10:00

The secret of Karate is... to train. You learn by training, and by training you learn.

Thinking, talking, and writing about Karate is OK if you are training and can physically do it. Otherwise, it is just a mental exercise. If you can do it, there is really no need to say much about it (except to try to help others).

How much of the time you spend on Karate is actual "training"?

Let's all try to train more in the coming year!

And, of course, there are no secrets in Karate -- only things you can learn by training.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol

2011-12-18T19:43:00.002-10:00

I saw Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol tonight with my wife and mother.

We all gave it a 10!

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Mada, Mada, Mada

2011-12-16T22:56:00.002-10:00

The other day, after a Hawaii Karate Kenkyukai training, I complimented my friend's student on his progress. The student responded, "Mada, mada, mada."

That was very well said!

See: Guest Post: Mada, Mada, Mada, by Sensei Pat Nakata, who happens to be the student's Sensei.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Dojo Guests

2011-12-16T21:53:00.002-10:00

From time to time, we have visitors to our dojo from within the Kishaba Juku family. I always enjoy meeting other students. Usually, I try to teach them, to the best of my ability.

Initially, I try to get a feel for where they are in their training, what their strengths are, and what their weaknesses might be. Of course, we are all learning. I have weaknesses too. Perhaps that is a poor word. We all have areas where we need more work.

Usually, I will watch a student perform the Naihanchi Shodan kata. That is enough to get a good feel. You cannot fake Naihanchi. You can either do it, or you cannot it. It will reveal quite a lot about the student's strengths and weaknesses (areas that need work).

After that, I will usually work with the student using the Naihanchi Shodan kata. All students in Kishaba Juku know this kata, so it is a good choice.

The subject I will concentrate on will almost always be koshi. There is always work to be done on koshi. I also seem to have a simplified koshi pattern among Kishaba Juku instructors.

But... the point of this post is not about what I try to teach visitors. The point is what I do not get to teach.

In the rush to teach during a short visit, I have to concentrate on technical things. But if I had more time, I would spend just as much time and effort emphasizing two things:

That our effort in Karate has to be just as intense to avoid fighting and having to defend ourselves. We have to be careful, be aware, and defend only as a last resort. We have to do everything reasonably possible to avoid defending (not fighting). We do not initiate. And we try to avoid having to respond -- because the defensive techniques of Karate can be extremely destructive.

That our effort in Karate training is shallow if it is limited just to Karate. If the self discipline of Karate translates into our daily life, then Karate training is truly meaningful and useful. Being able to defend ourselves is good, but being a good person is even better.

Unfortunately, I am in such a hurry with visitors, and am so enthusiastic about trying my best to help them in a limited time, that these lessons are neglected. My regular students hear these types of lessons more often.

Visitors might get the impression that I am a body dynamics freak -- which is only partially true.

But I am comforted by the fact that our visitors will have certainly heard the above lessons or admonitions back in their home dojo. Kishaba Juku is not a commercial or political style. We emphasize traditional values -- and tend to be body dynamics freaks (in a good way).

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Guest Post: My Experience with Sensei Goodin and the Hikari Dojo

2011-12-14T11:16:00.006-10:00

This Guest Post is by Eli Jones, a student of Sensei Bill Lucas at the Tallahassee Karate Club. Lucas Sensei also teaches the Kishaba Juku form of Shorin-Ryu.

Eli visited our dojo here in Hawaii recently. This is his summary about his training and is published with his permission. We really enjoyed having him visit us! I think that he is also a good writer.

My Experience with Sensei Goodin and the Hikari Dojo

It was about 9:30 PM on Wednesday when our plane touched down in Honolulu. I checked the time as we were collecting our carry-ons and moving toward the aircraft’s exit, and was immediately thinking to myself … “Ah man, guess I won’t be able to make it to Sensei Goodin’s class tonight.”

I, of course, realized this would be the case as Sensei Goodin holds class from 5:00 – 6:00, and our flight wasn’t scheduled to arrive in Hawaii before 9:00. Even so, the privilege of training with another Kishaba sensei was something I kept thinking about since two months earlier when Sensei Lucas informed me of the arrangements. So needless to say, contacting Sensei Goodin was the first order of business for the following day.

Even before meeting him in person, this sensei captured my fascination with his extensive knowledge and philosophies of martial arts just through our initial phone conversation. One of the first things to be addressed was my vitae as far as Kishaba Juku and any previous training went. He asked me what kata we practice in our dojo, so I, with my ever-failing memory, fumbled through the list as best as I could. “Let’s see … we do two Naihanchi, sometimes three, and five Pinan. Oh yeah, we also do the two Fukyugata. There’s also Passai, Rohai, Wankan, Gojushiho, and um … Yara no Kusanku and Matsumura Kusanku, and there’s probably a few more in there that’s not immediately coming to mind.” – There were. Sensei Goodin then replied, “You do two Kusanku in your dojo?” I simply answered, “Yes,” to which he responded, “Interesting …”

On a side note: when an intelligent person bears witness to a situation, or hears someone utter a certain combination of words, to which their only response is “interesting,” I, myself, find that to be very … interesting.

Nevertheless, I definitely appreciated the fact that Sensei Goodin wanted to learn a little more about me, and do believe that it’s important to know what kind of outside student a sensei is exposing his/her core students to. In terms of being someone from another dojo, I’ve always considered myself open-minded and not particularly resistant to new information. I do, however, have a lot of old habits that seem to play an unwelcomed, yet recurring role in my training which was noted in our discussion about koshi, tachi, and general body mechanics.

As we continued talking he touched on various principles, gave me the training schedule, explained how class is conducted at the Hikari Dojo, and went on to tell me a few accounts of his personal experience with Shinzato Sensei. All of this only went to further my excitement as I realized this opportunity was going to be more than just the chance to attend class in a different state; it was going to be an all-around learning experience.

The first night I attended class was on a Monday. Being as my father-in-law works only a couple blocks up from the Hikari Dojo, he decided to stop by and watch after work. I really appreciated his encouragement and support for my karate passion, but also felt the situation warranted an explanation. “Uh Mr. Gildea (I still formally address my in-laws) … my sensei in Florida spoke to Sensei Goodin and requested that he not only give me a few pointers, but uh … ‘pick apart’ my techniques, so uh … I’m not really sure what you’re expecting, but uh … yeah.” – Eloquence at its finest, ne?

In spite of the carefully-worded forewarning, Mr. Gildea was eager to watch a class and seemed genuinely interested in learning a little bit about karate – which was great! He came to the right place, and Sensei Goodin certainly has a vast wealth of knowledge on the subject. Unfortunately, I knew that with these two men, whose opinions I greatly respect, watching my every move … the potential mistake factor would be significantly increased.

Well to begin with, I wasn’t sure where fellow male karateka went to change into their gi as I walked into the women’s bathroom and began donning my attire. An observant Sensei Goodin noted this error as he rounded the corner and stated, “Dude! You know you’re in the girl’s bathroom right?” while maintaining a cautious distance from the facility’s entryway. With a reflective tone I replied, “No, I didn’t … I couldn’t see the sign that said …” “Right here,” he pointed to the sign. Yep, sure enough, there it was. Seemingly tickled by my lack of observation, he directed me to the men’s bathroom where I proceeded to change into my gi while considering my immediate blunder.

First impressions are lasting right? Well if that’s the case, my ability to observe, and perhaps even my level of literacy, was already put into question … or at least that’s what I was thinking as I stepped onto the tatami mat. Once class started, we lined up and began with kata.

Now there were a number of things that I needed to, and even now need to, work on in terms of my understanding and application of Kishaba Juku. Quite a bit actually, but I’m going to just touch on a few of the more outstanding key points for the sake of blog length:

Stances: As I recall, one of the first things to be addressed was my tachi. They were, in fact, too long. This is actually one of my long-time habits; I’ve always been bad to exaggerate stances which wouldn’t provide a promising outcome in a realistic combat situation. Nevertheless, Sensei Goodin explained why stances need to be height appropriate in order for koshi, connection, and overall technique to come together. In my case this meant using shorter tachi.

Hikite: Next, the issue of what I’ve always referred to as my “chamber” hand came into question. During techniques that involved an affirmative strike or block, my hikite often found itself hovering over the arch of my hip. This is, of course, not correct as it doesn’t sufficiently protect the side of one’s torso. It was explained to me that the hand needs to sit approximately in the area of one’s floating rib to effectively guard, and serve as an ideal position for the hips to drive a strike forward with power and efficiency.

Movement with the lats: As it turns out, I was largely using my arms and shoulders to punch which is also incorrect. In order for any technique involving the upper limbs to maintain the proper connection, the movement must come from the latissimus dorsi (not excluding koshi of course). This gives the individual the ability to drive a strike, make a connection with the opposing party, and recoil accordingly. The recoiling aspect of a technique is specifically important as it allows the business end of a strike to work like a whip, drawing the technique back in such a way as to immediately strike again, and again, and again … as many times as needed. It was equally stressed that timing is essential, being sure to have both the execution point of a strike and stepping movement into a stance coincide in order to generate both speed and power.

Breathing: It didn’t take Sensei Goodin very long to notice that I wasn’t exhaling to the same extent as his other students. As a matter of fact, I was holding my breath! Another habit that I developed somewhere along the way was to limit my breathing. I think I always believed that it would make my center tighter, should I absorb an incidental strike to the mid-section. Well … nope, that’s not how it works. If anything, I would’ve dropped like a bag of bricks if someone were to hit me with my current breathing technique, or lack thereof. Sensei Goodin noted the importance of correct breathing; that it is necessary to expel air upon the execution of a technique, and tighten the hara in the event of that “incidental strike.” He explained that if you’re holding your breath, then there’s air to be knocked out of you. And much like a kiai, the expulsion of air serves to focus one’s energy into the technique being executed. It is, therefore, important to exhale assertively at the completion of each movement.

Koshi: Last, and most definitely not least, koshi! Being as my goal was to create a significant amount of power with as little movement as possible, I was sure to use small koshi movements … Only one “small” problem, I wasn’t creating significant power. Actually, I wasn’t creating any power at all. Sensei Goodin understood what I was trying to do; I was attempting to emulate an advanced technique where smaller koshi motion can generate the same level of power as larger koshi motion, but without prior understanding or development/augmentation of the basics. He explained:

“You’re using smaller hip and body motions, but you don’t really have the basis to generate the amount of power required for the [advanced] technique. You have to establish yourself in the basics: learn how the koshi works, learn how to apply the body mechanics, and understand how to generate power first. Practicing the technique as you are, you have less movement, but there’s nothing backing it up beyond that. Granted, the goal is to eventually be able to execute the technique with less movement … but full power.”

With other areas of interest being explored, these were among the major focal points we worked on for the two nights I was able to attend. With that said, the second night I attended class was on the following Wednesday. I’m not sure how much attention everyone on the mainland paid to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, but suffice it to say that it’s kind of a big deal if you live on Oahu. As it turns out, this year President Obama participated in the event which resulted in increased security on the island. Among the precautions taken to insure the president and other politicians’ safety was the closing, and police-monitoring of certain streets. The reason I mention this is because a great deal of the roads that were closed surrounded the area that Erika and I were staying in.

Well Sensei Goodin, as well as friends and relatives, had given me sufficient warning regarding the magnitude of the event and the impact it would have on driving. Unfortunately, I didn’t plan my travel time well for the second night of class. We left the apartment we were staying at with what I thought was plenty of time to make it to class EARLY … which ultimately ended in my calling Sensei Goodin to make sure I could still come to class late. Apologetically I said, “Goodin Sensei, we’ve been on the road for forty-five minutes now and the traffic is just inching along. I’m not entirely sure when we’ll make it to Aiea but …” Sensei Goodin very understandingly replied, “Just get here when you get here, we’ll be training.” I was immensely thankful for his patience and willingness to still allow me to train that evening, when in truth I probably deserved an “I told you so, better luck next time kiddo” instead.

So I finally make it to class, bow onto the floor, and begin training with the other students – by the way, his students are incredible, very gifted martial artists and extremely nice people on top of that. After a certain portion of kata, Sensei Goodin had his students work with each other and he took me to the back of the dojo to work on that which was eluding me so – the basics! To begin with, he had me work on my koshi motion in front of a mirror so that I could see exactly what I was doing. Soon after, he added strikes and blocks to the hip movements so that I could get used to the motion of executing techniques with koshi. This worked perfectly for my learning style as I pick things up much easier in an ABC format. After I had practiced the movements for a while, it was time to put the techniques together in a way that made sense … and what better way to that than through Naihanchi Shodan!

As we went through Naihanchi Shodan, the focus was on all of the aforementioned key points: stances, hikite, use of the lats, breathing, and koshi. Sensei Goodin explained how everything must be integrated for speed and power. He then gave me an example of how a beginner might start off going through Naihanchi, and then demonstrated a more intermediate way followed by an advanced set of techniques. Thinking that I had the 411 on what he was explaining I boastfully stated, “Ah that’s the kaisho, gyousho, and sousho way of going through Naihanchi, huh.”

He said, “No.” - Yeah, I would’ve probably giggled if it were someone else trying to look smart, but it was me … so … it is pretty funny though isn’t it?

He gave me a more thorough example of how a kaisho, gyousho, and sousho form would appear as it pertains to Naihanchi, which was as informative as it was cool. It wasn’t long after that that class, sadly, had to come to a close. Just as it is in our dojo, we all stood in a circle so that everyone could see each other. Sensei Goodin told us about the importance of Kishaba students from different dojos training with each other; that it’s good to see how other dojos train, and that Shinzato Sensei himself encourages us all to learn from each other. He told his students that if they ever found themselves in Florida they should train with Sensei Lucas, and very graciously extended a future welcome to any yudansha from the Tallahassee Karate Club. After a very warm farewell from the Hikari Dojo students, Sensei Goodin and I had one final chat … then I was on my way home to reflect and work on what I had learned.

It’s hard to sum up the gratitude I have for Sensei Goodin’s willingness to have me in his dojo and share the invaluable information that he sent me home with. In short, I am deeply honored, and truly appreciative for the experience. I am also thankful to Sensei Lucas for making the request and being an open-minded sensei who encourages constructive criticism from other, though familiar, sources; a willingness to consider others’ viewpoints is among the many important facets that make up the true spirit of karate.

Eli Jones

Pinan Yondan - Part 16

2011-12-10T01:28:00.002-10:00

By now you've certainly realized my point about the first movement of Pinan Yondan. I could have just as easily used the first movement of any kata, or the second, third, etc.

Any movement can teach you a great deal about Karate. What you learn is cumulative. What you learn in Pinan Yondan will improve your Pinan Shodan. And when you improve your Pinan Shodan, your Pinan Yondan will improve too.

Each movement is like Karate DNA. The building blocks of each movement are essentially the same. And the principles of movement are essentially the same too.

The ending form of movements may differ, but the methods of generating power, of moving, of shifting, of hitting, etc. are essentially the same, especially at the koshi/core level.

Don't you think so?

Do I think that Itosu Sensei intended this for school children? No I don't.

But I do believe that this was inherent of the kata system that preexisted the "modern" kata such as the Pinan and Fukyugata, when Karate masters taught a small group of students, in depth, with an emphasis on the fine points, customized for each student.

Is this relevant today? It is if we make it so.

All it takes is a movement, such as the first movement of Pinan Yondan (you probably knew that I was going to say that).

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Pinan Yondan - Part 15

2011-12-10T00:45:00.002-10:00

When you have performed the first movement of Pinan Yondan, you are in nekko ashi dachi (a left cat stance) with a combined chudan and jodan shuto uke or uchi. The next movement is the mirror image, to the right.

But you could perform the same movement to the left, back, right, front, or any angle. You could move clockwise or counterclockwise.

You could execute the mirror image first. There is no difference between the right movement or the left movement. You could even execute the left movement to the right and the right movement to the left. There is no difference.

And if you can execute a chudan/jodan combination, you could also execute any other useful combination. You could execute a standard chudan shuto, or a gedan shuto, or a jodan/gedan combination. And these could also be executed in any direction, clockwise or counterclockwise.

And why does it have to be a shuto? It doesn't.

And why does it have to be in a neko ashi dachi? It doesn't.

Once you understand the first movement and learn how to execute it well, the idea is not to do that movement only, but to use that knowledge to enable you to do any movement in any direction, as needed.

And if the second movement is to the right, it could just as easily move forward to the left, or in any direction. It isn't limited either.

Each movement you learn is an invitation to many movements. It is like playing cards with a handful of wild cards.

Of course, many people cling to a literal interpretation of fixed kata and fixed movements. But we are preparing for the unknown -- an unknown attacker or attackers, at an unknown time, from an unknown direction, with an unknown technique. We are not preparing for a fixed attack -- that would be pretty easy. We are preparing for the unexpected.

To respond to the unexpected, you have to be able to adapt and move freely.

Learning kata can either help you or hinder you in this regard. In most cases, I would say that it hinders people because kata are taught in a rigid and fixed way. At first this is necessary, but students should be advised that the ultimate goal is fluency of motion.

A hard, rigid kata may look good to some people. This gets back to my earlier pretend question: "Would you like to look good at Karate or be good at Karate? Looking good and being good can be two different things. And what looks good to a layman will usually differ from what looks good to an expert.

The first movement of Pinan Yondan is an invitation to fluency of movement.

Another way to visual this is to say that each movement is an intersection point for an infinite (or at least large) number and variation of movements.

In English, we have just 26 letters. But using those letters, if we are fluent, we can form words and sentences to respond to any question.

And don't forget. If you are fluent at movement, the idea is to be just as fluent at application.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Pinan Yondan - Part 14

2011-12-09T23:45:00.002-10:00

The recoil of the first movement of Pinan Yondan, initiates the second movement, and so forth.

Through the use of recoil with koshi dynamics, a portion of the energy of each movement is recovered, and recycled, so to speak, into the next movement.

That is one reason a person skilled a koshi dynamics does not get as tired during kata -- he or she is expending less total effort. The idea is to get more done with less. And real skill is getting a whole lot more done with a whole lot less.

It is like bouncing a ball. It does not take much energy to keep it bouncing... if you time it right.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Pinan Yondan - Part 13

2011-12-09T23:29:00.002-10:00

The first movement of Pinan Yondan is like... an uncontrolled sneeze.

Imagine that you are standing there, ready, and you suddenly sneeze. That is how the first movement feels.

Have you ever thought about a sneeze? It is a very powerful thing. Why? Because it comes from your core. You don't sneeze with your hands and feet. It comes from your lungs. Your whole body tenses, with very little effort.

Moving in Karate is like that, or at least it can be like that.

Ah...choo.

You wind up on the "ah" and strike on the "choo."

That is kind of funny. We are talking about "ah choo" when our art comes from "Loo Choo."

Ha ha ha!

Another way to describe the sneeze is like a "core twitch." When you are skilled at koshi dynamics and your body is conditioned, you simply twitch it and movements appear. If it sounds easy, it should be easy.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Pinan Yondan - Part 12

2011-12-09T23:11:00.002-10:00

When you execute the first movement of Pinan Yondan, you are in a left neko ashi dachi (cat stance with your left foot forward). From the ready position, you move/drop into this stance.

But how? This is an important question.

Many people say that movements follow this pattern: eyes, feet, hands.

This is always true, however, it also not always true. It is not that rules are made to be broken, it is that rules are made for beginners.

If you first look to the left, then step slightly forward with your right foot, then turn into nekko ashi dachi, then execute the two hand movements (as described in earlier posts), you will be too late. The attacker will surely hit you.

Personally, I rarely move my feet first. I usually move my hands and feet together. They move together because of an important point: the feet and hands are powered by the same, koshi (core driven) body movement. I do not move my feet with one body motion and my hands with another. The same body motion (internal torque) powers both.

Since there is only one body movement, my feet and hands move together, but are slightly off timed.

When my feet reach the neko ashi dachi position, my hands will be recoiling from the strikes. It will look like my feet and hands are moving together. But actually, my hands are slightly ahead, and they too are off timed.

Again, when my feet are in position, my hands will have already struck. It will not be a case of stance first, then hand movements. And there will not be two or more body movements to power these movements. There will be only one body movement with multiple effects. And this is all timed with the body drop, as previously described.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Look Good or Be Good?

2011-12-04T22:40:00.002-10:00

I'm taking a short break from Pinan Yondan but will return to it soon.

This is a story.

A Karate Fairy Godmother appeared to a student and asked him:

"Would you like to look good at Karate or be good at Karate?

The student was about to answer, when the Karate Fairy Godmother added:

"There is a catch. If you pick 'look good at Karate', you will look good to the public but will not actually be good. If you pick 'be good at Karate', you will actually be good but the public will not think so."

This is actually a very interesting choice. How would be pick?

In my own experience, the better a Karate instructor is, the more difficult it is for the public to recognize his skill. And sometimes the greatest skill is intentionally hidden. Remember that many 10th dans learned from no-dans, who learned from unknown hermits. Who is more skilled, the 10th dans or the hermits?

I think that the proper answer to the Karate Fairy Godmother would be:

"Skill at Karate comes from training, not making wishes. And in any event, looking good is not the issue, being skilled is. So if you don't mind, I will just train."

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Pinan Yondan - Part 11

2011-11-30T12:01:00.002-10:00

I wanted to pause for a moment to say that what I am describing with respect to the first movement of Pinan Yondan is how I teach in our dojo, which is part of Kishaba Juku, which is a form of Shorin-Ryu, which is one of the styles of Okinawan Karate. I might teach differently than other instructors in our own dojo, differently than other Kishaba Juku instructors, differently than my own instructors, and we all teach differently than other instructors in other styles.

I might teach differently on Monday and Tuesday, or even at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.! And I certainly might teach two different students differently.

I would teach the same cumulatively, but it takes a long time to get the cumulative. During that time, my own thinking will have evolved.

So if what I am describing differs from what you have been taught or teach, then welcome to the club!

If it was fixed and static, I would be bored. As it is, Karate is always interesting and exciting to me. It is always new.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Pinan Yondan - Part 10

2011-11-29T23:13:00.002-10:00

Of course, you exhale with the strikes (in the first movement of Pinan Yondan). You do not hold your breath.

Squeezing out the air is also an important part of the koshi process. It makes the body firmer (less filled with pockets of air) and better able to generate torque driven, whip-like movements.

It also makes sense to exhale or kiai with strikes because you could get hit. If you are close enough to block, the attacker is close enough to hit you.

We tend to exhale through the mouth with a "hiss" sound. Essentially, we kiai this way for all movements. So we kiai all the time.

Making a kiai that can be heard is good for training. That way, I can make sure that the students are doing it. In a self defense situation, the kiai might be silent, or another sound, or even a yell, like "Stop!" or "Help!"

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Pinan Yondan - Part 9

2011-11-29T22:50:00.004-10:00

When you have performed the first movement of Pinan Yondan, you are in nekko ashi dachi (cat stance) with combined chudan and jodan shuto uke or uchi. The next movement is the mirror image, to the right.

But that does not mean that the second movement naturally follows the first. It might, but there are a lot of other things you can do from the first movement.

Even though it is not always present in the kata, you can always kick from nekko ashi dachi. Amazingly, in our kata, when you are in nekko ashi dachi, you usually kick with the back foot in kata, even though the front foot might have less weight on it (depending on what weight distribution you follow).

You might try kicking after you have performed the first movement. Imagine that you are holding or grabbing the attacker with your hands. Where and how would you kick him?

I have heard that if Chotoku Kyan grabbed your arms with his hands, he could kick you in the throat. His legs were almost like arms.

It is good to explore the kicks that could be thrown from any movement in a kata. Although they might not be present in the kata, they are always present in the bunkai (applications) or imi (meaning).

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Pinan Yondan - Part 8

2011-11-29T21:56:00.003-10:00

Let's not forget the drop. You start off in a standing position with your knees only slightly bent. In the first movement, you drop into nekko ashi (with the weight being 50/50 or perhaps 60 [back]/40 [front]). The drop from standing to nekko ashi is not haphazard. It is timed with the strikes.

For me, the "hit" of the drop is timed with the "hit" of the right hand (jodan shuto uchi). This transfers power from the body to the strike(s).

So there are three hits and recoils -- the left hand, the right hand, and the drop into nekko ashi dachi. It is an orchestra of movement designed to generate and transfer power, to draw it back in, and to transfer it to the next movement.

And we have not even addressed koshi (whole body, core driven, body dynamics).

I should add that with the "drop", the right side of your butt can be used to strike and unbalance the attacker. And your right foot could be stomping on the attacker's foot, your left foot could be trapping, etc.

There is a lot going on... and we are not done yet.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Pinan Yondan - Part 7

2011-11-29T21:35:00.002-10:00

So with your left arm/hand, you execute a chudan shuto uke (middle knife hand block) or chudan shuto uchi (middle knife hand strike) to the left, and with your right arm/hand you execute a jodan shuto uke (upper or high knife hand block) or jodan shuto uchi (upper or high knife hand strike) to the front. This is a very nice combination. I cannot think of another kata in which it appears.

My point here is that your two hands work together. There is a saying that your hands should work together like man and wife. Obviously, two hands working together are stronger that two hands working separately.

The movements are executed simultaneously... but they are not simultaneous. This sounds contradictory. The movements start together but the focus of each movement is not at the same time. The way I do it, the chudan shuto is slightly ahead of the jodan shuto. This is by design.

If the movements "hit" at the same time, they will cancel out and my body movement will split or stall. If the movements are slightly off timed, the strikes and recoils will allow me to move freely.

We say that simultaneous movements are never simultaneous. To the untrained eye, they would appear to be simultaneous. But if you "know," you will see that they are off timed. In this case, my left hand is slightly ahead of my right. My left hand hits and recoils. At about the time of the recoil, my right hits and recoils... which is about when I will ride the recoils to initiate the next movement to the right. In slow motion, you would see waves of motion.

The first movement of Pinan Yondan is not stiff, rigid or fixed. It is dynamic, fluid, and explosive. Do you think that Anko Itosu would have designed it any other way? You have to remember that Itosu Sensei learned from Sokon "Bushi" Matsumura. Can you imagine Matsumura Sensei being stiff, rigid and fixed?

Come to think about it, the first movement of Pinan Yondan looks like a crane spreading its wings... very light and maneuverable -- like our Tomari Passai.

And any way, why should any movement be stiff, rigid and fixed?

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Pinan Yondan - Part 6

2011-11-29T21:11:00.002-10:00

With your right arm/hand, you execute a jodan shuto uke (upper or high knife hand block) or jodan shuto uchi (upper or high knife hand strike) to the front. Because you have turned to the left (without turning), it might seem that the high block/strike is to your right (from the point of view of the left). But from the starting position, you are blocking straight up, to the front.

Almost any movement can be executed as a block or a strike. In kata, I execute almost all movements as strikes.

So with my right hand, I am striking, not blocking. Typically, I visualize that I am striking up under the attacker's jaw or hitting the neck when I execute a jodan shuto uke.

With any shuto, you can hit with the side of your hand. But typically, I am hitting with the side of my forearm (radius). That way, after I hit, I can quickly grab. When you hit with the side of the hand, it might be more difficult to grab. Also, I feel that I can strike very hard with my radius, which has become conditioned over the years. Plus, I am pretty boney.

In addition, when I hit with my radius, the position of my hand is more forward. My striking point is in line with my sechusen (vertical center line). Since I have turned my head, this is in line with my right ear (approximately). So, my the striking point on my radius is in line with my right ear. If the striking point was on the edge of my hand, my right arm would be too far back (to the right). This is just my opinion.

And, of course, you could be striking with your elbow, or a combination of the above.

But one point I want to make is that I am not blocking or striking up the the left. Sometimes I see people turn their shoulders completely to the left and execute the jodan movement overhead... to the left. This seems awkward to me. Again, this is just my opinion. Plus, if you do this, it will take a long time to turn all the way to the right for the next movement.

When you turn to the left without turning, it will be very fast to turn to the right without turning.

We execute most movements in hanmi, naihanchi, or something like that.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Pinan Yondan - Part 5

2011-11-26T23:57:00.003-10:00

In my last post, I wrote: "With your left arm/hand, you execute a chudan shuto uke (middle knife hand block) or chudan shuto uchi (middle knife hand strike) to the left."

Almost any movement can be executed as a block or a strike. In kata, I execute almost all movements as strikes.

So with my left hand, I am striking, not blocking. Typically, I visualize that I am striking the attacker's neck when I execute a chudan shuto.

While I execute most movements as strikes in kata, that does not mean that I would execute them the same way in a self defense context. There are many interpretations for each movement, and how you do them depends on what you think that you are doing. The response depends on the attack.

My kata performance typically reflects a striking interpretation. I would not alter it to reflect grappling interpretations, but I would practice such applications... and others. The kata will generally look the same but the applications will differ. See: The Why of Bunkai: A Guide For Beginners.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Pinan Yondan - Part 4

2011-11-26T22:41:00.004-10:00

With your left arm/hand, you execute a chudan shuto uke (middle knife hand block) or chudan shuto uchi (middle knife hand strike) to the left. (I am not addressing the right hand in this post). Because you are striking to the left, many people assume that you must also turn your body to the left. In other words, some people turn their shoulders so that they are square to the left. This means that you would turn 90 degrees to the left.

I believe that this is a misunderstanding, caused originally by the terminology that developed in modern Karate. Take a yoko geri, for example. When you hear this, what do you visualize? Most people think about a side kick -- a kick with the side of the foot. However, in early Okinawan Karate, a yoko geri simply meant a kick to the side, not a kick with the side of the foot.

The first kick in Pinan Shodan, for example, even though it is done with the tip of the toe (tsumasaki), is a yoko geri (side kick) because it is executed to the side. However, you will often see this kick executed with the side of the foot, because early books described it as a yoko geri. In my style of Shorin-Ryu, there are hardly any kicks in kata with the side of the foot (the only one I can think of is in Passai). Most kicks are done with the tips of the toes.

In the same way, when people think that the first movements of the Pinan kata are done to the left side, they might also think that you must turn to the left.

Let me ask you this... if someone suddenly and unexpectedly punched you from the left side, would you turn into the attack and execute a block or strike? Or would you simply block or strike without turning?

One of the first things you learn about body dynamics is that blocking or striking to the side is fast, while turning to the side is slow by comparison.

In addition, if you turn your shoulders to the left, you present a cross section of your body which is easier to attack. And you are also presenting your vertical centerline (sechusen), which is very vulnerable to attack.

All this is my way of explaining why I strike to the left, but do not turn to the left. When I am in the ready position at the beginning of the Pinan kata, my bellybutton (tanden area) is facing the front. When I execute the first movement, my belly button and shoulders might be only slightly turned to the left, perhaps only 20 degrees or less. If a full turn to the left is 90 degrees, I am only turning about 1/5th of that (or less).

One result of this is that I can block very quickly. I do not have to spend time turning my body 90 degrees. In addition, when I execute the second movement to the right, I only have to turn a little. If I had turned 90 degrees to the left, I would then have to turn 180 degrees to get to the right. That would take a long time.

So the idea is to block to the side without turning to the side... like the Naihanchi kata.

This brings up something I often tell my students -- the Pinan kata should look like the Naihanchi kata, not vice versa. In fact, all the kata should look like the Naihanchi kata.

For people who relegate the Naihanchi kata to simple drills or "basic" kata, this might not make sense. But we (in my dojo and style) view Naihanchi as the foundation for all movement.

Some people might think that a block without body turning would be weaker than a block with body turning. Without going into detail, we use koshi (full body torque) to generate power, which is not based on rotational body turning. In addition, we work on very short power generation like the proverbial "one inch" punch. With such mechanics, tremendous power and speed can be generated with very little external movement.

To summarize, the first movement of Pinan Yondan (and the other Pinan kata as well) is executed to the left without turning to the left.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Pinan Yondan - Part 3

2011-11-26T20:06:00.002-10:00

Kate are an excellent way to learn important aspects of Karate. However, the very structure of kata is also a major problem. Kata are prearranged sequences of movements. Students learn and repeat the sequences over and over -- literally for decades. It can become like saying a prayer at dinner -- if you say the same prayer over and over there is a danger that you are only repeating the words without the meaning. The same thing can happen with kata. Kata can lose their spontaneity.

Self defense is all about spontaneity. How will you react to an unexpected attack? Will you respond by starting a kata? I don't think so.

Kata are good for learning Karate but can be bad for self defense.

Therefore, as you prepare to perform the first movement of Pinan Yondan, you should think about how the self defense techniques that it encapsulates would work. What are you defending against? How are you defending? What are you doing?

And most importantly, you need to be able to perform the technique as a reaction rather than a prearranged sequence. It has to become like touching a hot stove -- you don't stop to think about it before you pull your hand away. It is just a natural and spontaneous reaction.

When you perform a kata, it should not look like you are are thinking: "this is movement 1, this is movement 2, next comes movement 3." Instead, it should look like suddenly there is movement 1, movement 2 erupts, movement 3! It does not look prearranged or intended.

The first movement of Pinan Yondan should almost look like a body twitch.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Pinan Yondan - Part 2

2011-11-26T19:00:00.003-10:00

Before you can properly perform the first movement of Pinan Yondan, you have to have the correct posture and idea about body movement. I am reposting Body Posture 3 (from April 14, 2007) to help with this. It combines three posts on the subject.

In Basic Posture (December 17, 2006), I wrote:

Slightly tuck your chin.
Lower your shoulders.
Squeeze your lats.
Tuck your koshi.
Slightly bend your knees.

In Basic Posture 2 (December 31, 2006), I added:

Keep your elbows close to your body.
Shift your weight in the direction you will move, then move.
Protect your sechusen (centerline).
Move as if on a tightrope.
Move from place to place at a walking pace -- time your strikes and blocks to arrive when you get there.
Squeeze out your air -- almost all of it, but not quite -- in synch with the timing of your strike or block.
Hit on the recoil of your koshi.
Recover the energy/power of the recoil for the next movement.
Train to move freely in any direction.
Kicks and strikes are like stabbing.

After my recent trip to Okinawa (March 30 - April 8, 2007) to visit and learn from Sensei Katsuhiko Shinzato (and his fine students), I would like to add:

Keep your elbows close to your body and after a block or strike, generally return your elbows to or near the sides of your body (a little in front of that).
Never punch or block directly to your sides (the side centerline of your body). You should block or strike more in line with your chest. This will give you more power and make it harder for the attacker to apply joint locks or throws.
Lower your shoulders, and drop them a little extra before a block or strike.
In all kata and movements, maintain the tanden/koshi alignment of the Naihanchi kata (or close to it).
The rear foot in most stances is at a 90 degree angle (rather than a 45 degree angle).
Maintain a hanmi body alignment.
In a hanmi body alignment with a 90 degree rear foot, your stance can be narrower (even on a straight line). This makes it easier to move and also protects your centerline.
Even if the upper body rotates, keep the lower body in the Naihanchi alignment. Even in kosa dachi (a crossed stance) your koshi is in the Naihanchi alignment (your koshi will be in the same direction as your front big toe).
Do not be limited by the "specifics" of stances. All stances are transitions. The weight shifts throughout and even the length of the stance changes. There are no fixed stances. I only learned to appreciate this recently. I was paralyzed by the specifications of a Karate book I had practically memorized.
Drop your body as you execute a block or strike. The "drop" is really like a spiral (not only in a downward direction).
When you "drop" there will be a rebound. Use it.
Move like a whip -- but not the end of a thin whip. The whip includes your entire body with the base at your feet (usually). Move like a thick whip.
Blocks must "enter." You do not simply hit an attacking arm or leg -- you also enter toward the attacker. Your block jams in a combination of a striking and pressing manner. The block also has an osae feeling. When you block or strike in this manner, you will be very close to the attacker and able to counterattack or strike again.
Osae (press) between movements. If you do not osae, you will create an opening for the attacker.
Tuck your koshi. If you look at yourself in a mirror from the side, the line of your belt will show your "tuck." If your belt slants down, your koshi is probably not tucked. When your koshi is tucked, your belt will be horizontal. This is difficult to see if the student ties his or her belt too high around the waist. Then it will be horizontal even when the koshi is not tucked.
Tuck your koshi when you block or strike. Before the next movement, your koshi may drop. Tuck it again when you perform the next block or strike. You can also keep your koshi loosely tucked between movements.
Another way to say "tuck your koshi" is to say that "your belly button points up." My Aikido Sensei used to say the same thing!
In the process of lowering your shoulders, tucking your koshi, and squeezing your lats, you can create a tension that is called "gamaku." But the name is not important -- the tension is what counts because you can use it.
Delay your strikes as long as possible. When performing elbow strikes, for example, move your body and adjust your weight, holding off on throwing (or igniting) your elbow strike as long as possible. This is like the idea of a whip snapping -- the actual "crack" at the end is delayed.
Overload your weight in the direction you wish to go. In the "bump" that occurs, you have an opportunity to move easily. Drop your weight and shoulder at this moment.
Learn to take "neutral" body positions between techniques. In this way, you can move easily, freely and in any direction. This generally means bringing your feet together. But even with your feet together, keep your Naihanchi alignment. When you keep long stances, your directional choices are more limited.
Fight sideways. Your shoulders should not be "square" to the front.
Work to feel the connection between each movement. Each movement should connect to the next. There should be no "dead" spots, or places where you drop your connection. An entire kata can be done in this connected manner. But the idea is not that you could do the specific movements of a kata but rather that you could connect any movements you desire at any time. Do not go, stop, go, stop. Just go, go, go.
The recoil or "reaction" of one movement can be used to generate the next movement. Don't waste it.
Fully extend your blocks and strikes. If you "choke up," you will not properly penetrate (kikomi) and you will have less recoil or reaction to use.
Horizontal or angular rotation of the trunk is "koshi." Vertical rotation of the trunk is "hara." Koshi gives speed, hara gives power. (I am still working on articulating this.)
Your weight should not be on your heels, nor should it be on the balls of your feet either. Your weight should be naturally distributed over the soles of your feet so that you can move easily in any direction.
It is much easier to move when you are already moving. A great deal of energy is required to move from a stationary position. Once you start moving, don't stop until you are completely through with whatever you are doing (including escape).
There are many ways to move, depending on your body type, age, and level of skill. As such, the elements of Body Posture that you will emphasis will change as you progress and age. Generally, beginners learn to use fixed stances and move in a staccato manner. Advanced students learn to use flexible stances and to move freely in a connected matter.
When returning to the formal or "ready" position at the end of a kata, you must maintain your awareness and body posture elements so that you are ready to move in an instant. The kata is not done until you complete the bow -- and even then you should remain prepared.
Kicks and strikes are like stabbing -- with a sword, not a little knife.

These points are presented for your consideration and reflect what I am learning and teach in my dojo. Other styles and even other dojo in my own style might emphasize different things.

I did not make these things up (and do not claim any credit for doing so). I am very fortunate to have very fine Sensei and mentors in Karate. They in turn had very fine Sensei. We are each just a point on the great line of Karate.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Pinan Yondan - Part 1

2011-11-23T23:26:00.004-10:00

I mentioned that I recently spent most of a class teaching a student the first movement of Pinan Yondan (4). I wanted to share some of my thoughts about this kata and the opening movement.

First, Pinan Yondan is a very elegant kata. In some ways, it reminds me of our Passai, which is the Tomari version of the kata. To me, Passai is the most beautiful Shorin-Ryu kata.

According to my friend and senior, Sensei Pat Nakata, Itosu Sensei originally created Pinan Shodan when Karate was introduced to the Okinawan school system. It appears that the students would have already known one or more of the Naihanchi kata. The Pinan Shodan kata was developed as a relatively simple kata for the school children to learn during a school year. In private Karate schools or dojo, students might be taught Passai, Kusanku, and Chinto. These are pretty advanced, long, and difficult kata. The Pinan Shodan kata obviously borrows from the Kusanku kata, with an emphasis on a relatively short 8-direction pattern. Remember that the Japanese ran the Okinawan schools at the time. Itosu had to get their approval. An 8-direction kata would play to Japanese budo sentiments (unlike the side to side Naihanchi kata which looks very "Chinese").

After the first year, Itosu needed to create a second Pinan kata. This went on until there were a total of five Pinan kata, which we still have today. I sometimes say that Chotoku Kyan's Ananku (as we sometimes practice in Kishaba Juku) is like a sixth Pinan kata because it is also relatively simple.

To me, Pinan Shodan, Pinan Yondan, and Pinan Godan are pretty difficult, while Pinan Nidan and Pinan Sandan are pretty simple. Of course, this is relative. It can be argued that simpler kata are actually more difficult because there is no room to hide any errors. Robert "Snaggy" Inouye used to say this about Pinan Nidan, which is a pretty linear kata, and has elements that are similar to Fukyugata Ichi.

In any event, the fourth Pinan kata is pretty advanced, and has elements of the Tomari Passai kata (at least to me).

The first movement of Pinan Shodan is actually a series of movements:

From the the ready position (with the feet about shoulder's width apart and the hands down to the front in fists), the student will:

Look to the left; and
Step or shift and sink into a left nekko ashi dachi (cat stance) facing to the left; and
Strike to the left (chudan shuto uke) with his left hand; and
Block or strike to the front (jodan uke) with his right open hand.

This, in a nutshell, is the first movement of the kata. I do not believe that the exact hand position appears in any other kata in Kishaba Juku, but it does in transitional movements. For example, you can see it in the second movement sequence of Passai, right after the hands are raised overhead (like the opening movement of Kusanku).

"Movements" are more or less an arbitrary thing in Karate. Who is to say where one movement ends and another begins in a flowing sequence? "Movements" are a forced convention, probably required for the early Karate drawings and photographs. While they seem necessary, they are also inherently limiting, both in body dynamics and potential applications. They are far to literal for fluent Karate students.

As I have outlined it, the first movement of the kata is actually a series of movements. Or you could say that it is compound movement.

The first two elements of the movement are the same for all the Pinan kata. They all begin with a look to the left and a left nekko ashi dachi. Pinan Shodan and Yondan have compound movements (blocks or strikes with both hands), while Pinan Nidan, Sandan and Godan begin with a single left hand block or strike.

Let's begin to analyze each element.

1. Look to the left.

In all the kata (as I do them), you look first when you change directions. I like to say that this is like changing lanes when you drive -- you have to look first. It makes no sense to simply block to the left unless you know who and what you are blocking. What if it is a truck? If it is a truck, you have to jump out of the way.

In some styles of Karate, the students do not look first. Instead, they shift direction, block and shift at the same time. I think this is designed to make the movement look cleaner. But again, what if it is a truck? You will feel pretty silly blocking a truck. You have to look first.

Now I don't mean a dramatic "look." I mean that you quickly turn your head and look to the left, with your eyes set to see the periphery as much as possible (in other words, as much of a 180 degree view as possible).

You look at about eye level. You do not look up or down.

Many students tend to turn their heads only part of the way (looking side eyed). I remember seminars with Sensei Toshihiro Oshiro. He would say, "Point your nose." When your nose is pointing to the left, your head will be properly facing the left.

When a student fails to turn his head completely to the left, his peripheral vision to the left (to the back from where he originally started) will the incomplete and he will open to an attack from that direction.

So, the first movement is a look to the left. The remaining three movements will follow just a split second behind. By this I mean just a hair's breadth. The "look" will be almost imperceptible. But it will be there.

In the next increment, I will discuss the next element(s) of the first movement of Pinan Yondan.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T22:21:00.002-10:00

Happy Thanksgiving from Hawaii.

I am very thankful for my Sensei and fellow students in Karate, and for all my brothers and sisters in the martial arts around the world.

I am also very thankful for the people (many already in heaven) who have supported the Hawaii Karate Museum and our Hikari Dojo.

And I am thankful that Karate is an art that is always new, always interesting, always challenging, and always rewarding. After 37 years, I am still just scratching the very thick surface!

I will be 54 next week. As the years have gone by, I have also become more and more thankful for the health benefits of Karate.

Finally, thank you very much to the readers of this blog around the world. We certainly have shared many Karate thoughts! Hopefully there will be many more to come.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Teaching One Movement

2011-11-19T17:06:00.002-10:00

At a recent class, I spent just about the entire time teaching a student the first movement of Pinan Yondan... just that first movement.

At another recent class, I spent just about the entire time teaching a student shuto... just shuto.

I could not have been happier! As a teacher, I am happiest when I am teaching something that the student needs to learn at that point in his or her training, when I have the time to concentrate on that student, and when the student gets it. Sometimes it takes a whole class, or even several classes, to work on a single movement.

If the student starts to get it, I will try to reinforce the movement and then give him or her time to work on it. I will not immediately move on to other movements or techniques. There is no sense confusing the student.

I always say that if a student can get one movement, he or she can get any other movement. By this I mean that if the student can learn the form of a movement and the body dynamics applicable to that movement, then learning other movements is basically a matter of just learning the form -- the body dynamics will be pretty much the same.

I started to learn the basics of Kishaba Juku body dynamics through gedan barai (downward block). My second son, Charles, started to learn through chudan shuto uke. Once we learned that movement, we applied the body dynamics to all other movements. And really, there is no difference between gedan barai and chudan shuto uke. Essentially, they are the same movement.

So if I can show a student how to do a single movement, that is a really big thing. From that one movement, the student can learn everything else. And I have found that such moments of critical teaching usually take place one on one. It does not happen when I am teaching a group and offer corrections, suggestions, or examples. Group teaching is necessary and important, but real progress happens one on one, with a focus on the fine details.

For this reason, I would prefer to teach a small group, and even then, look for opportunities when a student is ready to learn a certain movement. My job is to be aware at that time, and then to teach just enough for the student to "catch" the idea. Then it is up to the student to work on the movement, the body dynamics applicable to it, and then to apply that to other movements. If everything works right, it is as if the student catches on fire. So, so, so!

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Ichariba Choodee -- Brothers and Sisters in Karate

2011-11-14T10:44:00.003-10:00

This is an excerpt of my Editorial in the current issue of Classical Fighting Arts (Volume 2, Number 21, Issue #44), about how we are all brothers and sisters in Karate. It is a subject I believe in wholeheartedly. I also conducted a pretty extensive interview with Sensei Pat Nakata about his teacher's (Chosin Chibana's) memories of Anko Itosu. I hope that you will read the magazine and the many fine articles written by other authors.

There is a saying in Okinawa, "Ichariba choodee," which means, "Now that we've met and talked we're brothers." You might have read this saying in a book or at one of the many Okinawan culture websites. I first heard it at a coffee shop on the way to Yonabaru. I had arrived to Okinawa to visit and train with Sensei Katsuhiko Shinzato, the head of the Kishaba Juku form of Shorin-Ryu. He was kind enough to meet me at the airport and was driving me to an inn conveniently located close to his home where he teaches a small group of students.

Before we reached the inn, Shinzato Sensei suggested that we stop at the coffee shop so that we could talk and become better acquainted as this was our first meeting. During the conversation he explained the saying, "Now that we've met and talked we're brothers." The thing is, it was not just a saying to him -- he meant it.

When I trained with Shinzato Sensei I felt like a member of his Karate family. I know that I was a visitor and guest. Shinzato Sensei and his students graciously went out of their way to help me get around and with necessities. But I never felt like a stranger or a foreigner, a beginner yes, but never an outsider. I found that Shinzato Sensei and his students welcomed me the same way we do here in Hawaii, with Aloha.

This is not an editorial about me. My story is neither special, nor unusual. The point I am making is that Karate students are welcomed in Okinawa, as brothers. When I mentioned this recently at a Karate demonstration for which I was the emcee, I was reminded that I should not only say brothers, but brothers and sisters! I wrote to Shinzato Sensei about this and he confirmed that choodee means siblings in Uchinaguchi (Okinawan), while ikiga choodee means brothers and inagu choodee means sisters.

We Karate students are brothers and sisters.

Shinzato Sensei mentioned another thing to me at the coffee shop. Japan in generally viewed as a vertical society in which every person knows his place. Okinawa is more of a horizontal society based on mutual respect and assistance. "When the typhoon came," Shinzato Sensei explained, "even the King needed help." This was represented symbolically at the dojo, where the students did not line up in the traditional rows facing the Sensei. Instead, all of the students, including Shinzato Sensei, formed a circle and bowed to each other as a sign of mutual respect.

* * *

I am reminded again of something Shinzato Sensei told me during my first visit and has repeated many times over the years since. He said, "We can learn together." He did not say, "I am the teacher and you are the student," or "I am the head and you are the lowly slave." He said, "We can learn together." No titles, no positions, no politics. The basis for our relationship is learning and that comes from one thing -- training. You learn by training and by training you learn."

Last week, we had a visitor at our dojo. He had come all the way from Florida, where he also studies the Kishaba Juku form of Shorin-Ryu. It was my pleasure to tell him that "Now that we have met and talked, we are brothers and sisters in Karate." I was not just saying this. I meant it.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Awareness

2011-11-13T23:25:00.004-10:00

I watch a lot of documentaries about Word War II.

When England was attacked by German bombers and submarines, the problem was not just having the firepower to destroy the attackers -- the problems was locating the attackers and having the time to direct the proper resources to intercept and destroy them.

The answers were radar and sonar.

How does this relate to Karate?

Most advanced Karate students have the firepower to defend themselves. But we are preparing for a surprise attack ( a false crack). We do not know who will attack us, where, or when -- and for that matter, we do not know how many attackers there will be and whether they will be armed. But firepower is not the main problem -- identifying the attacker(s) and having time to react to it is.

We might not have radar and sonar, but we can increase our awareness of our surroundings, particularly if we are in a potentially dangerous environment. We can also try our best to avoid dangerous situations, such as places where a lot of drinking takes place.

I always say that avoidance is 100% effective, but that even the best Karate expert can get hit and injured. No technique is 100% effective. There is always a margin for error and a lucky punch could connect. And again, it is very hard to defend yourself against a surprise attack. The time to use Karate is not after you are already hit and possibly injured. The time to use Karate is in advance, when there might be time to avoid the attack or at least prepare for it.

Awareness is the key, particularly in a potentially dangerous environment (such as walking at night in a dangerous part of town). If you can't avoid being there, you must turn up your human radar and sonar, and try your best to avoid an attack.

Ironically, a person who thinks he is good at fighting might be less aware. His confidence might blind him. Even a great fighter can get knocked out or killed, particularly if he is blindsided.

I am reminded of Choki Motobu, a "great fighter" in Karate's 20th century history. He did fight from time to time, but many of the stories about him involved him running away and hiding from a mob (sometimes in a tree or hanging onto ceiling rafters). Even he realized that there is a time to fight and a time to run.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Fight or Attack?

2011-11-13T23:06:00.003-10:00

This is a story.

Sally was speaking to her Sensei, about another student, Jane.

"Sensei," asked Sally, "if Jane and I were to spar, who would win?"

"You would surely win," answered the Sensei.

Sally smiled.

"But," continued the Sensei, "if you were to attack Jane she would surely kill you. You are good at sparring. Jane is good at Karate. You have the advantage when there are rules. She has the advantage when there are none."

Karate is self-defense as a last resort. At that point, there are no rules and anything goes. Most forms of sparring are bound (limited) by rules. Most of the effective techniques of Karate would be illegal in sparring.

The moral of the story is, don't mess with Jane.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Speaking Ill of Others

2011-11-13T16:54:00.002-10:00

This is a story.

Four senior black belts, Bill, Sam, David, and Mark, were up for promotion. Only one would be promoted and their Sensei was interviewing them.

"Why should you be promoted?" he asked Bill.

"Because I am better than Sam, David, and Mark," answered Bill.

"Why should you be promoted?" he asked Sam.

"Because I am better than Bill, David, and Mark," answered Sam.

"Why should you be promoted?" he asked David.

"Because I am better than Bill, Sam, and Mark," answered David.

Finally he asked Mark, "Why should you be promoted?"

"I shouldn't," answered Mark. "Bill, Sam, and David are my seniors. I have learned a lot from them."

"What did you learn from them?" asked the Sensei.

"To respect my seniors and not to speak ill of others," answered Mark.

"And why do you think that you should not be promoted?" asked the Sensei.

"That is not up to me, Sensei. All I want to do is train and help the other students."

So who do you think the Sensei promoted?

If it were me, I would have kicked out Bill, Sam, and David. If a student is arrogant, it is my fault. If a student speaks ill of others, it is my fault. At some point, you have to correct such students or allow them to go their own way. If you keep promoting such students, then it is your own fault.

And this is very important, a student never improves by speaking ill of others. Improvement only comes from dedicated training. You can't build a house by criticizing other houses.

Speaking ill of others only shows your own weakness.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Kenpo.Me For Sale

2011-11-02T11:28:00.002-10:00

I do not sell many things, but I have listed the Kenpo.Me domain name for sale at Ebay. Please see:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150689615465

If you teach Kenpo, in particular, this might be a good domain name for you. The proceeds will go to our non-profit's projects.

Currently, the domain goes to the opening page of our various websites. See:

Kenpo.me

I may also sell some duplicate copies of books we are holding, including a nice copy of the massive Uechi-Ryu book and three or four books authographed by Sensei Morio Higaonna. Please contact me if you are interested.

Again, all proceeds will go to our non-profit's projects.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Kalihi Machete Attack

2011-11-01T12:24:00.002-10:00

Please read this short article:

Hearing set for man charged in Kalihi machete attack

I often tell my students that you have to think that an attacker could be armed. We can't simply train to block a punch.

I'm not saying that we are capable to defending against a machete attack without getting injured. What I am saying is that we have to think that an attacker could use a machete or other weapon. A small knife could easily be concealed. Because of this, avoiding the conflict, if possible, if the best strategy. And being aware of the situation is essential. Even a second or two of advance warning could be critical. It could give you the time to escape or use something in the environment as a shield or self defense weapon.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Making a Mistake in Kata

2011-10-27T22:29:00.004-10:00

I am a member of the Hawaii Karate Kenkyukai (Study Group). We have some pretty amazing members, one of whom is Sensei Angel Lemus of the Okinawa Shorinjiryu Toude Zentokukai.

A few months ago during one of our training sessions, Lemus Sensei performed a tonfa kata. About half-way through the kata he stopped, smiled, and said, "I'm lost." He started again and completed the kata with no problem.

We all had a good laugh.

Lemus Sensei could have easily covered up the fact that he was lost. We do not know his kata. He could have moved on and finished the kata and we would not known any different.

My point is that he was both honest and good humored. He did not get angry or irritated. He actually laughed, which made it OK for us to laugh too. And after all, each of us have gotten lost in kata. My favorite error is when I start one kata and end with a different one.

At our last Kenkyukai training, one of the members was performing a kata and appeared to get lost. Right away, Lemus Sensei said, "That's nothing. You should have seen me." Once again, we all laughed.

We have some pretty senior members in our group. Elder Sensei also come to observe. But we have a light atmosphere with the focus on training and learning from each other. Mistakes happen. What matters is that we learn from them and keep going. I like the saying, "fall down six times but get up seven."

In our group, if we make a mistake, we know that it is OK. And one of the first instructors to laugh and encourage us to go on will be Lemus Sensei. I consider him to be one of the most skilled Karate Sensei I have ever met. And his applications are truly amazing. He plays an attacker like a musical instrument.

So it is OK to make mistakes.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Children and Education

2011-10-27T13:41:00.002-10:00

I've written this before but it remains true.

I've never met a person who said he wished that he had spent less time with his children, nor have I met a person who said that he wished that he had less education.

But I have met many people who have said just the opposite.

Time spent with your children is a treasure indeed! Grandchildren too!

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Directory of Okinawa Karatedo and Kobudo

2011-10-27T12:40:00.001-10:00

I came across this website, which appears to be at the Okinawan Prefectural website:

Directory of Okinawa Karatedo and Kobudo

It is mostly in Japanese, but there is enough in English to make it somewhat understandable. The listings are broken down by style and also area. It is pretty amazing to see how many active Karate dojo and instructors there are in Okinawa.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Is Koshi "Hard"?

2011-10-24T15:22:00.003-10:00

From time to time, actually more often lately, I find myself trying to explain "koshi" to people from other styles or dojo. I did so recently, with a verbal explanation and short demonstration of koshi movement, and the person I was speaking to said, "That must be hard." I think that it looked like it must be hard to use koshi motion in all techniques all the time.

The fact is that if koshi was hard or difficult, I probably would not do it! In fact, koshi is very, very easy, and it makes it much easier to move freely, with speed and power. It does not take more effort to use koshi. In fact, it is more difficult (strenuous), in my opinion, to move without koshi -- to just use the power of your arms and legs rather than your core (koshi). Koshi-less movement makes me really tired. But with koshi, I have been able to keep up with Karate as I have aged (I am a 53 year old grandfather).

And Koshi is a very natural movement -- like walking and breathing. If it was awkward or unnatural, once again, I probably would not do it. I am not unusually coordinated. I am a terrible dancer. So if I can do koshi motion, anyone can do it... really.

Koshi is also a simple movement. There are not different koshi patterns for each movement. Basically there is just left and right koshi and possibly center, but really these are just the same thing. Once you can apply koshi to one movement, you can learn to apply it to all other movements.

So koshi is not hard in terms of physical exertion, difficulty, or complexity. If it were, I probably would not do it. It is easy, and it makes moving much easier.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Nokuru

2011-10-18T14:01:00.002-10:00

This is a story.

A visiting Sensei from Okinawa was observing advanced Karate students perform kata. After each finished his kata, the Sensei would make a few comments in Japanese or broken English. He was accompanied by a younger instructor from Okinawa who would translate his comments.

The last student to perform was the highest ranking in the dojo but was very egotistical. After he proudly competed his kata, the visiting Sensei said, "Nokuru."

All the student in the dojo, including the last one who had performed the kata looked at each other. None of them understood the word.

The translator whispered into the visiting Sensei's ear because he did not understand either.

The visiting Sensei repeated, "Nokuru." He then spoke to the translator in Japanese who nodded several times and then addressed the students.

"I'm sorry," began the translator. "I thought that Sensei was speaking in Japanese, but he was speaking in English. He say that this student (pointing to the advanced student), has 'No clue'. His kata is like an empty dance and has no meaning at all. No clue."

The visiting Sensei nodded in agreement and repeated, "Nokuru."

The moral of the story is: being egotistical often makes you blind to your own cluelessness.

We should study and practice Karate with a sense of humility. Then we can more easily identify and work on our faults.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

"I Trouble"

2011-10-16T22:03:00.002-10:00

I was a friend of Shihan Bobby Lowe, who recently passed away. I was not his student and was a member of his "lunch buddies." Even though I was 30 years his junior and his junior in Karate by just as much (or more), I got to speak with him on a comfortable level, because he respected that even though I was a junior, I was the Sensei of my own dojo. Sensei tend to treat other Sensei as equals. At lunch, we all addressed each other as "Sensei," which could sometimes get a little confusing. I was also a member of the Hawaii Karate Kodanshakai and Hawaii Karate Kenkyukai with Lowe Sensei.

I am explaining this as background. I got to speak freely with Lowe Sensei, even though I was his junior.

In all my conversations with Lowe Sensei, I never heard him speak negatively about another Karate instructor or student. Never. He said good things about people, but never anything bad.

I'm sure that he met all kinds of Karate people, some good, some bad. But if he had a negative impression, he kept it to himself.

The only thing he ever said was that a certain person had "an eye problem." At least that is what I heard. So I inquired about this person's eye.

Then Lowe Sensei explained, "that person is always talking about I, I, I. He has an 'I' problem."

Lowe Sensei was funny like that. But his comment was very to the point. The lesson: don't be egotistical.

In his last years and months, Lowe Sensei would often call me to ask about the health of other Sensei. He would also always ask about my wife, who had suffered from breast cancer in 2007. He always thought about other people, even when his own health was failing.

Lowe Sensei was one of the most senior post World War II Karate Sensei in Hawaii. He was a great supporter of the Hawaii Karate Museum, and a mentor and example to young instructors such as myself. We both also liked tapioca pudding, which I'd get for him at buffets.

I will certainly miss Lowe Sensei... and continue to learn from his life and example.

I'm sure that there is lots of tapioca pudding in heaven.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Picking A Kata

2011-10-16T21:39:00.002-10:00

This is a funny thing sort of and something that is not spoken about much. If I am asked to participate in a demonstration, the kata I will decide to perform depends on who else is performing kata. If a Karate instructor who is senior to me is also performing kata, I will generally not select an advanced kata. As a courtesy to my senior, I will generally perform a basic kata, such as one of the Naihanchi or Pinan kata.

Of course, these are excellent kata and in my "style," the Naihanchi kata are simultaneously the most basic and the most advanced kata. But in most systems, they are considered (incorrectly in my opinion) to be kata for beginners.

But let's say that my senior (even if in another style) performs Gojushiho. If I then peform Kusanku or Chinto, it might appear that I think that I am senior to him (in that I have selected a kata that could be considered to be more advanced). There could be hurt feelings. So it is much safer for me to perform a more basic kata.

There is an exception to this. If my senior (even if in another style) has asked me to perform a specific kata, then I will generally do so. If someone asks, I should be able to perform any kata in my system at any time. I should not have to rehearse something I should be expected to already know (hopefully reasonably well).

But then, if my seniors are present, I will hold back and not go all out when I perform a kata, whatever kata that might be.

This is like performing a kata in a group. My movements will always be a split second behind my seniors. I will never move first or end first. My movements will be barely perceptible shadows of my senior's movements. Again, I do not limit this to my style. A senior is a senior.

But wait, it gets even more interesting. If my senior performs first and makes a mistake, I might make an error too -- just to join the club.

In any event, I would never perform a kata "all out" in public because there is little reason to do so. How I perform a kata depends on what I am trying to get across. And in any situation, one thing I am always trying to get across is courtesy and respect.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

What You Think You Are Doing

2011-10-16T21:23:00.003-10:00

I have written about this before but it deserves repeating. "How" you perform a kata depends on "what" you think you are doing. If you have no idea about what you are doing, it will be very difficult to perform a kata with feeling and focus.

You can tell a difference between a student who is "just going through the movements" and one who understands what he is doing. No matter how well a student "just goes through the movements," the performance will feel/look shallow and lifeless, like a copy. The more he tries to yell and emphasize movements for dramatic effect, the worse it will become.

But when a student understands what he is doing, the kata comes alive. You can see that he can see!

And as we advance in Karate, our understanding of "what" we are doing will grow. This will be reflected in our performance of the kata.

When you understand "what" you are doing (imi or bunkai), you can then optimize your body mechanics to accomplish those specific objectives.

You don't get medals or trophies for that.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Relative Humility

2011-10-11T11:32:00.004-10:00

I have been fortunate to meet many senior Karate instructors.

I have met 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th dan who are so humble and unassuming that you might not even know that they practice Karate.

I have also met green and brown belts who are so full of themselves that you can only shake your head.

And have you met the shodan who acts like his Sensei's rank? Yikes! His Sensei is a hachidan so he acts like a hachidan too. I guess that is rank by association.

When it comes down to it, it all depends on the person. That sounds nice, but it really isn't. I hold senior yudansha to a much higher and more demanding standard. An arrogant brown belt might be forgiven. He still has a lot to learn. But an arrogant senior yudansha has already learned a lot, and it has done no good.

We all should hold ourselves to a very high standard, and practice character as much (actually more) than we do kata or techniques.

Come to think of it, they don't give belts or titles for character. Just be a good person.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Scales at the Gate 2

2011-10-11T10:29:00.002-10:00

This is a follow-up (variation) to my post, Scales at the Gate.

This is another story.

A 10th degree black belt in Karate was standing at the gate of heaven. The angel who guarded the gate sat next to a large pair of scales, balanced by a golden chain.

"Welcome to heaven," said the angel. "Can you tell me a little about yourself?"

"Well," said the judan, "there's not much to say. I lived and tried my best."

"But aren't you a 10th degree black belt in Karate? A hanshi, shihan, grand master... I mean great grand master. You know more than any other Karate instructors. Basically, you are the very best."

"Those things don't matter," said the judan. "I did practice Karate, but I tried my best at whatever I did in life. Being a good husband, father, grandfather, and friend was much more important to me."

"But you've won hundreds of awards, been inducted into numerous Halls of Fame, been featured in countless magazine articles, appeared on a dozen television specials, and had a special day named for you in your home town," continued the angel.

"Can I tell you something?" asked the judan. "When I taught Karate I always emphasized that rank and titles without skill are meaningless, and that destructive skill without character is dangerous. In Karate, character comes first. Then it comes second. Then it comes third. Character is what counts."

The angel could not speak for a moment. Standing before him was an honest, humble, accomplished person. "Well come right in," he finally said.

"What about the scales," asked the judan.

"Never mind. I'm afraid you would break them," replied the angel.

In the End, your character is what speaks most loudly about you. And not just in the End. In the Beginning and Middle too.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Hard to Attend Class

2011-10-10T11:00:00.003-10:00

Sometimes it is hard for students to attend class. Sometimes a student might be sick or have too much school work. Or he might have a part time job with a conflicting schedule. There are a million reason why a student might miss class. Occasionally, it is just because the student is lazy.

I attended a class yesterday. The Sensei who conducted the class has had several physical challenges this year. These include two heart attacks, receiving a pacemaker, emergency open heart surgery, the diagnosis of cancer, and the beginning of chemotherapy. All of this has happened just this year! They say that the odds of this Sensei surviving the first heart attack was 2,000 to one. And he started chemotherapy just 3 weeks ago.

Despite all of this, the Sensei was at class yesterday, not only leading the training, but performing kata and explaining applications and history as well.

There are a million reasons why a student might miss class. But for this Sensei, even a million things could not prevent him from training. It is truly amazing what a determined person can do. For this Sensei, such determination is as much a part of his Karate training as punching and kicking.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Until It Bothers You

2011-10-07T10:17:00.003-10:00

At class, I recently mentioned that a student will not really improve until it bothers him. I wanted to explain this.

Students come to class day after day, year after year. As instructors, we try our best to teach and inspire the students, and they do generally learn.

However, I do not believe that any student can become exceptional simply by going to class and learning. At some point, the student must want to learn and improve himself. It has to become a burning desire, almost an obsession, something that will wake him up at nights thinking... "how should I do that technique?" Sometimes his body will twitch and move by itself.

The instructor can set the table but it is up to the student to consume and digest the meal.

I have to admit that I am a pretty obsessive person. When I want something, I will pretty much go crazy until I get it. I will study the subject, practice, examine my progress, study the subject more, practice more, and keep working at it, almost to the exclusion of all other things. I attack problems. Personality-wise, I am a pretty passive person. I avoid conflict. But when it comes to learning and improving, I am aggressive. In school, I attacked tests.

At class, I am always teaching. In a way, the students are passive recipients of what I teach. They come to class and I teach what I think they need to learn.

But when a student reaches a certain level, he knows what he needs to learn... because he is working on it and it bothers him. At that point, he will come to class with questions. I can see that he has taken control and is working on himself. He is not just a passive recipient of what I might chose to teach. Such a student really stands out.

Until then, I will teach and try to inspire the students. I am presenting a certain curriculum the best that I can. But I am waiting for the students to wake up and really want to learn... to become bothered and obsessed, and to take an active role in their own improvement. Then I can really teach!

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Scales at the Gate

2011-10-04T14:15:00.003-10:00

This is story.

A 10th degree black belt in Karate was standing at the gate of heaven. The angel who guarded the gate sat next to a large pair of scales, balanced by a golden chain.

"Welcome to heaven," said the angel. "Can you tell me a little about yourself?"

"Well," said the judan, "I am a 10th degree black belt in Karate. A hanshi, shihan, grand master... I mean great grand master. I know more than any other Karate instructors. Basically, I am the very best, if I must say so myself."

"Great," said the angel. "Let's put all of those things on the right scale. Anything else?"

"Well, I've won hundreds of awards, been inducted into numerous Halls of Fame, been featured in countless magazine articles, appeared on a dozen television specials, and had a special day named for me in my home town...."

"Let's add them too," said the angel placing the accomplishments on the right scale, which by now was overflowing and hanging down to the ground (cloud). "Is that it?"

"I would say so," said the 10th dan proudly. "Looks like my accomplishments weigh quite a lot!"

"They certainly do," agreed the angel. But this is not merely a contest of sheer weight, it is one of balance."

"What do you mean?" asked the 10th dan.

"Well, we put all your worldly accomplishments on the right scale and then we put your character accomplishments on the left. They have to balance."

"But I'm a tenth dan!" argued the 10th dan.

"Yes, that's on the right side along with your other worldly accomplishments. Let's talk about your character."

"And I'm a hanshi..."

"Got it. Character."

"Shihan..."

"Check. Character"

"Great Grand Master..."

"It's in there. Character."

"Uh..."

"Character."

In the End, your character is what speaks most loudly about you.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Character and Technique

2011-10-04T13:40:00.003-10:00

It is just as important to work on character as it is to work on technique. In the dojo, we sweat from our hard training. In daily life, we also have many experiences that test our character. What makes a Karate expert (or an expert of any martial art) great, is not just that he has excellent technique (and applications), but that his character is just as excellent, if not even better.

Sadly, some people use their advanced level in a martial art as an excuse to indulge vices. For some people, martial arts training magnifies their egos, anger, short tempers, jealousies, and vices in general... and their high rank allows them to get away with it.

But this is not just a martial arts thing. Power corrupts many people in many walks of life.

But at the same time, martial arts training also brings out the best in many people. Martial arts training can magnify the good in a student, and give him the strength to help others in difficult circumstances. We tend to hear only of the bad cases, but I suspect that there are ten good examples for every bad one.

For every step forward you take on technique, you also have to take a step forward on character. The progress has to be equal, throughout your Karate life. This is an easy thing to say but a difficult thing to do. Technique alone is much, much easier. But technique alone can create people who could abuse their knowledge, skill, and position.

So what should you do when you meet bad examples? Learn from them how not to be. That is also useful and can help you to avoid pitfalls.

Technique and character must be two side of the same coin.

And may I add that you do not develop character by simply yelling about it in the dojo. Just as the techniques of a kata are applied in self defense situations, the lessons of character that we learn in the dojo are applied in daily life.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

An Egotistical Student

2011-09-28T15:28:00.002-10:00

This is a story.

A Karate Sensei was addressing his students after he watched them perform kata.

When he got to Dave, an extremely egotistical student, he said, "You are absolutely the worst student I have ever seen."

Dave turned to the student standing next to him and said, "Did you hear that? 'Absolutely the worst!'"

An egotistical person hears what he wants to hear.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Transgendered Student

2011-09-28T15:04:00.002-10:00

I have previously written that I would teach a gay student the same as any other student, and that a gay student would be equally welcomed in our dojo.

I have the same feelings and policy about transgendered students. They are equally welcomed in our dojo, and I would teach them the same as any other student.

I try to address the unique strengths and weaknesses of each student. That is not a matter of gender (or sexual orientation) to me, so much as it is a matter of physical conditions (height, weight, reach, speed, physical conditioning, etc.).

Our dojo is like a family. And like the early Karate dojo here in Hawaii, if anyone messes with a student in our dojo, they are messing with all of us. I guess you can tell that I was a Kenpo student and instructor first.

One of the most important things a Sensei can do is to be accepting and supportive of students... and then to make them extremely skilled.

Now, what would I do if I accepted a transgendered student and all my other students quit? Then I would have one good student! But knowing my students, that would not happen.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

How Important is Consistency

2011-09-28T13:29:00.004-10:00

How important is consistency in your dojo? Is it important that all the students do the same things in the same way, or that each student become the best he or she can become? There is an age old tension between these objectives. Actually, it is not "age old," just since about 1900.

Once Karate became public and classes became larger, it became more and more important for there to be consistency within the school or dojo. With the rise of styles (and the resulting competition for students), such consistency became even more important.

If you did a certain movement the wrong way, it could reflect either poor instruction, or even worse, disloyalty. It certainly would not look good for a student from Dojo 1 to move like a student from Dojo 2.

Of course, this is all pretty ridiculous! If you are like me, you are more interested in skill than conforming to a group standard. In addition, I am not loyal to a style per se. If anything, I am loyal to my Sensei (plural) because of my admiration of and affection for them. Style means very, very little to me.

In my particular "style" (Kishaba Juku Shorin-Ryu), we must be the least consistent Karate students in the entire world! Most of us know many ways to do every movement, and how we perform the movement at any given time is more a matter of personal choice at that moment than anything else. As you can imagine, a group performance of kata is not a very uniform thing (unless we agree in advance to move a certain way).

I do not believe in "cookie cutter" Karate. That may be fine for cookies, but not for Karate students. All people are different. Each student has unique strengths and weaknesses. If a small, weak woman moves exactly the same as a large, strong man, then her Karate will not be the move effective for her (and vice versa). Consistency, in that case, will be a disservice to the student.

In our dojo, we want each student to become the very best that he or she can become. And that requires special and long term attention on the part of the instructors to customize the training to accomplish that objective.

Of course, we have a small dojo, with a pretty high ration of yudansha (black belts) to mudansha (non-black belts, or kyu holders). We can afford to spend more time with each student, but even in our case, it requires hard work. A "cookie cutter" approach would be much easier, but we are making Karate students, not cookies.

There is another issue -- sometimes the emphasis on consistency is more a group control thing than a Karate teaching thing. Some Karate instructors spend more time and effort enforcing their domains or kingdoms than actually teaching Karate. Somehow I cannot imagine the early Karate masters (such as Matsumura, Itosu, Higashionna, Motobu, Kyan, etc.) doing this.

The kingdom of Karate is entirely an internal matter.

Anyway, I am not a fan of consistency, even with cookies.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

An Open Letter to My Son: Five Virtues by Dr. Jinichi Tokeshi

2011-09-19T14:30:00.002-10:00

Last week when I received the current edition of the Hawaii Pacific Press, I was very pleased to see an article (actually, an open letter to his son) by Dr. Jinichi Tokeshi, a local physician and teacher at the John A. Burns School of Medicine. In addition, Dr. Tokeshi practices Kendo and Iaido (sword art) at the Aiea Taiheji Kendo Club, where my eldest son Christopher practices (and where my third son Cael and I also practiced). Dr. Tokeshi is also the author of Kendo: Elements, Rules, & Philosophy, an excellent book on Kendo.

Here is a link to the article that was published by the Hawaii Medical Journal [Volume 70 No. 8 August 2011]:

An Open Letter to My Son: Five Virtues by Dr. Jinichi Tokeshi

As a father, physician, and martial artist, Dr. Tokeshi has some observations and advice that I agree with very much. I hope that you will read the article very carefully.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Not Fighting 2

2011-09-19T13:13:00.003-10:00

I think I missed one of the points in my last post.

I should have added that the better you become at "fighting" the less that you want to do so. I have practiced Karate for over 35 years and many of my friends have practiced for much longer. I certainly think that my Karate skills are better today than when I was in high school. I know that I can do things today that I could not do back then (except the splits).

But when I was a young man, I think that I had a hotter temper. That temper has cooled quite a bit with age and experience.

I am reminded of a saying that my Sensei in Hawaii, Sensei Rodney Shimabukuro, taught me: "A Karate man does not fear others, he fears his own hand." By this I believe that he means that we fear the consequences of the use of our Karate techniques (or hand) more than we fear being attacked by other people.

If self-defense is unavoidable and the last resort, then you must do your very best without reservation or hesitation. But until that point, you must exert just as much effort to avoid the use of destructive Karate techniques.

Aside from a moral principle, I also believe that this is a logical strategy. Even an attacker who appears weak or lacking in fighting skills could be armed or accompanied by friends who you might not see. He could also have a contagious disease or come back to attack you (or your family) in the future. Avoidance is a good strategy up to a point.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Not Fighting

2011-09-19T11:32:00.003-10:00

As I grow older (and hopefully wiser), my attitude about Karate is more and more about "not fighting." I probably am the least likely person to get into a fight. I would run first or try to talk my way out of the situation. I would not fight over a material possession -- short of someone trying to break into my house and threaten my family. I would not fight over an insult, particularly about Karate or manhood or any such thing. I certainly would not fight about an insult against me, my Sensei or my style of Karate. Why would I?

I often tell my students that if someone insults you, why should believe that person? If that person is an idiot, would you believe an idiot? If you do not believe the idiot, then why would you take his insult seriously?

What does it matter if an idiot calls you an idiot? Perhaps that is just a double negative.

I also tell my students that you should be careful when someone praises you. How do you know that the person knows what he is talking about? He might be wrong. If you are good at something then you are good at it -- whether someone praises you or not.

If you are very confident and comfortable with yourself, you will not be upset by insults or swayed by praise.

Now, I also tell my students that although I am the least likely person to "fight," I would do everything imaginable to protect my family and loved ones. Then there is no holding back, and I would be a terrible person indeed. Then the proverbial can is opened. But of course, that is not fighting, that is self defense. When self defense becomes the last resort, then that's that!

But otherwise, fighting is not my thing.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Passing of Shihan Bobby Lowe -- September 14, 2011

2011-09-15T10:18:00.002-10:00

I have been notified by the family of Shihan Bobby Lowe (Edward "Bobby" Lowe) that he passed away peacefully last night, Wednesday, September 14, 2011, at 9:18 p.m., at Queens Hospital, in Honolulu, Hawaii. I do not usually post such notices, but I have spoken directly to the family and am certain about the facts. I visited Lowe Sensei at the hospital the night before.

In time, I and many others will write about Lowe Sensei's Karate legacy. At this point, I simply wanted to notify people of his passing.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Shuri Lecture: Thursday, September 22nd at the UH

2011-09-14T10:14:00.004-10:00

I just received an email notice and flyer from the Center for Okinawan Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The notice read:

The Center for Okinawan Studies Lecture Series resumes with a talk by Dr. Alfred Yama Kina on Thursday, September 22, 2011 at 3 pm in Moore Hall 319. Dr. Kina received his PhD in folklore studies from Indiana University in 2006. He will be speaking about his observations/experiences living in Shuri, the old capital of the kingdom of Ryukyu. Please see the attached flyer for details.

Here is a link to the flyer (pdf format).

I am going to try to attend. Dr. Kina is also a licensed Okinawan dance instructor, and studied in Hawaii with Kikue Kaneshiro.

Let's support our local Okinawan culture experts!

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

My Next Articles

2011-09-12T10:55:00.002-10:00

The next issue of Classical Fighting Arts is at the printer. I have two pieces in it.

I wrote the editorial, which is about getting back to the roots of Karate in Okinawa. I also conducted an interview with Sensei Pat Nakata about what his teacher (Chosin Chibana) told him about his teacher Anko Itosu. I learned a lot when I interviewed Nakata Sensei. I hope that you enjoy the interview.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

A Room Full of People

2011-09-12T10:44:00.002-10:00

This is a story.

A martial arts expert walked into a room filled with people with his friend, another martial artist. After surveying the room he proclaimed, "I could easily defeat every one of these people!"

In fact, the martial arts expert felt this way all the time.

His friend nodded and said, "In an emergency, how many of these people could you help? If there was a hurricane or an earthquake, could you summon the strength to help others, or would you panic? There is more to life and martial arts than fighting skill."

The martial arts expert was so upset that he reared back and was about to punch his friend. Right at that instant, there was a big earthquake....

No there wasn't but you get the point. Self defense skill is useful, but there is certainly more to life and martial arts than that. If there was a hurricane, earthquake, or other disaster, could you summon the strength to remain calm and help others?

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Never Forget Effectiveness

2011-09-07T09:30:00.003-10:00

There are two concepts in Karate that need to be understood.

First, faster is generally better. A faster movement will generally transfer more power... a good thing.

The second is that as we advance, we are to refine our movements. You could compare this to polishing a diamond.

However, these two concepts are sometimes used by students to justify the minimization of movements to such an extent that the original meanings of the movements are lost. Some students emphasize speed above all else and one way to accomplish this is to minimize (or streamline) the movements.

Take a simple outward block (what I call uchi uke.. like the first movement of Pinan Godan). Most students will prepare for the movement by crossing their bent arm across their body. Then they will block, sort of in a windshield wiper-like manner. This is a gross simplification, however my point is that there are two movements involved.

To speed things up, the first movement (the preparation) can be minimized or even eliminated. The block would then be thrown, much like an uppercut. The sideways movements are minimized or eliminated. All that is left is a vertical rising block. Actually, there is no difference between uchi uke and soto uke when the block is minimized in this way. The element of blocking from the outside or inside is eliminated. You just block up and out.

Again, these are gross simplifications, but I hope that you understand my point. To make things faster, movements are streamlined... sometimes to extreme degrees.

Here is what I am trying to get to. That first part of the block, the preparation in which the student crosses his bent arm across his body, has meaning. In some cases, that movement is actually the block and the second part of the block is actually a strike. If you eliminate that first movement, you also lose the meaning.

As kata are streamlined (minimized for speed), this movement and that are eliminated -- as are the meanings associated with those movements. Soon you are left with a shorthand kata that might look good (to the untrained observer) but will be less meaningful than the original kata.

Of course, a Karate expert can perform a kata in many different ways. He can perform the kata the longhand way or the shorthand way -- either way, he will know all the meanings (imi or bunkai). He can perform the kata as he likes or as needed. He can also execute techniques as he likes or as needed. If a preparatory cross is needed, he can do it. If not, he can skip it. He can do what is needed because he understands the movements fluently.

But there is a major problem when less advanced students try to copy an advanced form (that might be minimized). That student might not understand the movements as fluently, and when he minimizes or eliminates a movement he actually loses something. His kata will now be less effective.

Speed does have value. But what matters is not how fast you get from Point A to Point B, but how fast you execute the movement once you get to Point B. Don't rush. After all, the attacker is attacking you. You know where he is going. He is coming toward you. Your job is to defend against that attack.

And when you defend, speed only matters if it makes you more effective. Does your speed allow you to generate and transfer more power, or are you just floating? Are you all flash with no pop?

Hey, there is something to be said about just hitting really, really hard. It might not be elegant, but it generally works.

And refinement does not simply mean making movements faster. Refinement is always balanced against the effectiveness of a movement. If the movement is refined, it becomes more effective, not less.

I often tell my students that sometimes the best defense it to simply tackle the attacker, wrestle him to the ground, and punch the crap out of him (or choke, joint lock, stomp, etc.). Before you reply that this is a crude defense, think about some of the Karate experts you have seen. Some look so good, so fast, so refined, but could they withstand such a defense? Could they really?

If you make a movement faster, it must be more effective. If you make a movement more refined, it must be more effective. Everything we do must be measured by effectiveness.

An ugly effective technique is way better than a pretty ineffective technique.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Bunkai Article Translation

2011-08-24T14:46:00.003-10:00

My article, The Why of Bunkai: A Guide For Beginners, has been translated into Spanish. Please see:

El Porqué del Bunkai: Una Guía para Principiantes

The translation was done by Víctor López Bondía, with my permission. He was very polite to ask in advance and then let me know when the translation was posted.

I studied Spanish in high school and college, but did not do very well in it. It is very rewarding to see my article so expertly translated in Spanish.

I was just reading the translation. Cada Movimiento Tiene Muchos Significados. They certainly do!

I will let you in on a little secret. When I read my articles, it is almost as if someone else wrote them. I feel disconnected from them... now even more so in Spanish. I may write a lot, but it all comes down to one thing -- training.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

A Slip During A Bo Kata

2011-08-16T14:25:00.002-10:00

I mentioned that I recently observed a Karate tournament. At one point, a teenage girl (I think she was a teenager, but she might have been a young adult) performed a bo kata. It was a pretty standard kata and things were going as expected. But then she lost the grip of the bo with her right hand. For a split second, the rhythm and flow of the kata was broken.

There she was, hold the bo with her left hand only. Her right hand was empty, and the bo momentarily floated in the air.

Of course, she quickly regained her grip and continued with the kata. But for that split second, the kata became interesting. It was alive and unscripted. I almost expected her to charge forward with a Kendo men (strike to the head)! That would have been good.

I was in Kendo class one day (a long time ago). The Sensei was practicing with a student and at one point the student lost his right hand grip. Without a moment's gap, the Sensei charged and slapped at the shinai (bamboo sword) so that the student could not regain his grip. The student backed up but the Sensei followed and slapped the shinai maybe twice more before hitting the student with a strong men!

When you lose your grip, you create an opening and could easily lose the match (or be injured). People do lose their grip. Fighting is not clean. But in those rare moments when you lose your grip, there is an opportunity to improve. There is a spontaneous moment. The kata comes alive!

Men!

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Hawaii Karate Kenkyukai Update

2011-08-16T14:05:00.003-10:00

On Sunday (August 14th), our Hawaii Karate Kenkyukai had a special one year memorial demonstration for Mrs. Diane Satoko Nagaishi at the Hawaii Kotohira Jinsha Temple. It was a good opportunity to take a photograph of all the dojo heads, except for Sensei Bobby Lowe who could not make it that day due to his health. Lowe Sensei is shown on the second photograph on the page (from an earlier training).

If you visit the Kenkyukai website, the first photograph is the one taken that day. I am in the back row, far left. In the caption, there is also a link to the program we used that day.

Here is a list of the instructors shown:

Front row (from left): James A. Miyaji, Walter Nishioka, Fumio Nagaishi, Pat Nakata, George Sasano, Herbert Ishida.

Back row (from left): Charles C. Goodin, Angel Lemus, Hisae Ishii-Chang, Alan Lee, Sean Roberts.

Of course, many of the Sensei have senior students who have trained and taught much longer than I have. The top photograph was only of the dojo heads present that day. My point is that even though I may be a dojo head and considered to be a "Sensei," I never forget that my friends' students are senior to me in both age and training. Plus, they are stronger than me too!

The basis for the Hawaii Karate Kenkyukai is study and training. Actually, it is training. The study of Karate is training. You study by training, and by training you study. The only way to improve in Karate is by training. We get together to train and learn from each other.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

One Thing to Make Your Dojo Better Part 2

2011-08-16T13:57:00.002-10:00

So here is my answer to the question: "Can you think of one thing to make your dojo better?"

Of course, the answer is that if you improve, your dojo will be better. If you become more skilled, if you understand the applications/meanings of the kata better, if your understand body dynamics better, if you become a better teacher, if you get in better condition, if you attend class more regularly... all of these things will make the dojo better.

A dojo does not improve with a bigger or better space or better equipment. A dojo improves when its members or students improve.

And besides, you are the only thing that you can control. You can try your best to help other students, but you are completely responsible for your own progress. I am not talking about advancement (rank, titles, etc.), I am talking about your personal progress and development as a Karate student. I am talking about what you see when you look in the mirror.

Improvement always starts with yourself. And if you can help other students, that is even better (you will also improve in the process).

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

One Thing to Make Your Dojo Better Part 1

2011-08-16T13:54:00.002-10:00

Can you think of one thing that would make your dojo better?

This is a serious question, so I will give you some time to think. I will give my answer in the next post.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

More On Tournament Kata

2011-08-03T11:33:00.003-10:00

This is a follow up on my last post, Tournament Kata.

My point in that post was that it appears that at least some people, when they perform kata at a tournament, do not appear to understand the meanings/applications of the techniques they are doing.

I am following up to make two additional points.

First, it is natural that beginners will not understand the meanings/applications of the techniques, at least not when compared to intermediate or advanced students, or to instructors. It should be expected that as a student advances, his understanding will increase.

Should it be expected? Really?

Far too often, I see cases where as soon as a student learns a kata well enough to perform it (just do the movements), he is taught another kata! Instead of working on the first kata -- its body dynamics and meanings/applications -- the student is already learning another one. Somehow, the body dynamics and meanings/applications are just never taught.

In my opinion, there is no value at all in just learning kata. One kata is not really higher than another. If you can do one kata well, you can probably do other kata just as well, once you learn them. Hey, a good punch is a good punch and a good kick is a good kick. The opposite is also true. A bad technique is a bad technique, even if it done during an "advanced" kata.

Of course, the learning process is ongoing. A student will be learning kata, body dynamics, and meanings/applications all the time. And things he learns in Passai, for example, will also apply to earlier kata that he has learned. It is a cumulative process.

My second point is this. I really think that some people do kata for performance only. I think that some people do not know what the techniques of the kata mean, and they do not want to know. Perform for performance only.

The problem with this is that performance separated from meaning/application can easily lead to distortions. Movements can be exaggerated, punctuated, and dramatized in ways that have nothing at all to do with the actual meanings/applications. Movements can be sped up or slowed down for visual effect, rather than for practical application. And don't even get me going about snapping the gi and stomping the floor for sound effects!

The meanings/applications are a necessary reality check. In order to know how to move, you should understand what you are doing. And this process will continue as you advance in Karate, until you become fluent in the kata. See: Content Rich Expression of Karate.

Trophies and medals are nice but skill and knowledge are priceless. (Also, as a father of four children -- now all adults -- I have had to deal with trophies. Where do you put them all? I just taught my children that trophies were meaningless. At least the house was neater.)

My trophies are the accomplishments of my students.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Tournament Kata

2011-08-02T13:01:00.002-10:00

Not long ago, I was watching kata performances during a tournament. I kept thinking to myself, "Do these people know what they are doing?"

I don't mean that they do not know how to do the movements of the kata -- the steps. I mean that I wonder if they understand the meanings of the movements of the kata -- the applications. In many cases, I strongly suspect that the contestants were merely going through the steps with little or no appreciation of the meanings.

Tournaments are bound by rules, even for kata. Generally, it appears that each movement must be precise and clean. There also seems to be a dramatic flare to the performances. Pauses in the kata are often accompanied by dramatic facial expressions and exaggerated kiai.

When I perform a kata, I sort of visualize/feel what I am doing. It is purely self defense. I have already failed -- the fact that I am defending myself means that I have been unable to avoid the violent situation or did not foresee it at all. I have been attacked. Having failed, I must now resort to self defense, which could injure or kill the attacker. I could become injured or killed too. It is not a good situation. My main thought is to get away safely as quickly as possible.

There is no element of drama here. If I poke the attacker in the throat or eyes, I am not going to put on a dramatic face. If I kick him in the groin or attempt to break his spine, I am not going to smile like a movie star. I am horrified that I have had to resort to violence, and I am paranoid that there may be other attackers, who may be armed, I have not yet seen. I want to get out of there -- not put on a show.

Performing a kata is not a great or magnificent thing. There should be no theatrics or flare to it. It is a rehearsal for an unfortunate, grave situation.

Knowing what you are doing makes you not want to have to do it. You can see this on the faces of some people when they perform kata, but not many -- regret.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Have a God Day

2011-07-28T16:21:00.002-10:00

I am a real estate attorney and teach Karate for love of the art. I do not make my living from Karate, thank goodness. If I did, I certainly would be poor.

Anyway, every time I send a document to a client, I write "Have a good day," in my email. But I have noticed that quite often I make a typo and write instead "Have a god day."

I do not know if the origins of "good day", "good night," and "goodbye" originally were based on "God," but I think so.

In any event, it is funny how a typo can sometimes be profound.

My own name is funny, "Charles C. Goodin." I sometimes think of it as an urging to me to see the good in people and events.

"Sensei," is interesting too... "Sense I."

Just thinking.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin (I try to)

Like Your Instructors

2011-07-21T15:12:00.002-10:00

This is a story.

A Karate Sensei met a student who had trained with five noted instructors. "You are so much like your instructors," said the Sensei.

The student was elated and smiled from ear to ear.

"Yes," explained, the Sensei. "You are lazy like your first instructor, a drunkard like your second instructor, a chain smoker like your third instructor, foul mouthed like your fourth instructor, and dishonest like your fifth instructor." "Why have you come to see me?"

"Actually," replied the student, "I was looking for my sixth instructor."

You have to be careful what you copy. All instructors are human and we all have our faults. What makes any Karate student exceptional is long term dedication to working to improve himself. Hopefully, a Sensei has many positive character traits to go along with his skill in Karate. A good Sensei inspires his students.

What should you do if you have an instructor with a bad character? I cannot tell you. However, you should remember that an instructor does not only teach technique -- all instructors also teach by their example.

Don't be like the student in the above story.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

One Word to Describe "Karate"

2011-07-21T14:31:00.003-10:00

If someone asked me to use just one word to describe Karate, I might say, "fishing."

I know that this does not make much sense. But to me, that word is as good as any other word, and it makes no sense to me to try to describe Karate in one word, two words, a sentence, or even a paragraph. Any description is only of a part or an aspect, and no description comes close to the real thing.

If you want to understand Karate, you have to train. You have to experience Karate, not just think about a word or words. Many people think they understand Karate.

If someone asked me to use just one word to describe Karate, I might say, "I do not accept your premise."

But I do enjoy fishing and I do enjoy practicing Karate. So maybe fishing is a good word.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Errors -- Like Nuts

2011-07-21T13:58:00.004-10:00

I am a real estate attorney. As such, I regularly review documents. I am even on a committee that prepares forms used by real estate professionals here in Hawaii. In short, I do a lot of very technical proofing.

One of the unspoken rules of proofing is this: if you find an error, look for the others. The fact that there was one error indicates a lack of care that suggests that there might be other errors.

I also do a lot of yard work. I am pretty skilled a weeding. A similar rule applies: if you find one weed, look for the others. If there is one weed, there will surely be others. And if you are sitting on the grass picking weeds, don't forget to look where you were sitting!

So how does this apply to Karate? When I see an error in an Karate student, it makes me look for other errors. One error suggests that there may be others. An error rarely occurs alone.

There is a weed that we call "nutgrass" here in Hawaii. I think it is actually called nutsedge. When you find it in the grass, you will just see a green shoot, possibly with a few leaves. It looks easy to pick. But actually, that shoot is just the top of the weed. It is connected to a nut in the soil, and that nut is connected to others. Picking the shoot doesn't do any good. You have to kill the nuts. The way you do this is to use the shoot as a delivery device for poison. Through the shoot you can poison the nuts.

Technical errors in Karate are a lot like nut grass. You only see the shoots, but there are nuts beneath the surface. You could correct errors all day, but it won't do any good unless you get the nuts.

You have to get the nuts.

There is another thing about errors. An error in one area can also indicate errors in others. In particular, if I find a student who does not properly observe courtesy, it makes me question his technique (and other aspects of his training). On the other had, if I find a student who properly observes courtesy, I will suspect that his technique (and other aspects of his training) will be just a good.

When I find an advanced student or instructor who is out of shape, I wonder about his training. If he trained well, would be be out of shape?

Like I said, you have to get the nuts. The errors you see are usually just on the surface. You have to dig down to get the nuts. Otherwise, the weeds just spread.

When a student makes an error, you have to ask yourself, "Why is he making this error?" Does he raise his shoulders because he thinks that is a good way to generate power? If so, it would be best to show him how to generate power with his core, rather than just yelling "Lower your shoulders." Even if he lowers his shoulders, this will not help him to properly understand power generation, unless you teach him.

Dig beneath the surface for the source of the problem. If you can get to the source, you can solve all the problems arising from it.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Content Rich Expression of Karate

2011-07-15T11:53:00.004-10:00

I have friends and know instructors who can explain the mechanics/body dynamics of any movement of any kata they know, and demonstrate it without rehearsal, actually without even thinking about it. Walking through a kata, they can demonstrate the applications and meanings of the movements, and multiple variations depending on changing circumstances. And they can show the relationship of any movement to other movements in that kata and other kata of their curriculum.

Please take a minute to re-read the above paragraph.

Basically, I am saying that I know people who are fluent in their kata. Their kata is not just a hollow imitation or show -- it is a content rich expression of their understanding of Karate.

To me, that is one of the ideals of Karate training.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Use of "Sensei"

2011-07-15T11:38:00.002-10:00

This is mostly for my own students.

My own students usually refer to me as "Sensei" in conversation or possibly "Goodin Sensei" in a more formal context. They are very good about this. I also follow the same formalities with my Sensei. My students would also address my Sensei as "Sensei."

The point I want to make is that my students would also address my friends who are Sensei of other styles or Japanese martial arts as "Sensei." They would not address them as "Bob" or "Sally" as this would be impolite.

In our own style, heads of dojo are usually addressed as "Sensei." Thus, if a person was the head of dojo in Florida and visited our dojo here in Hawaii, we would refer to him or her as "Sensei."

In our own dojo, we have three generations of "Sensei." There are times when my Sensei in Hawaii, myself, and my son, who is the head of our dojo, are all present at the same time. In that case, the students could refer to any of us as "Sensei." To avoid confusion, the students could use our name, such as "Goodin Sensei." However, since my son and I are both "Goodin Sensei," and since my son is only 25, students might sometimes refer to him as "Charles Sensei." This might not be the best protocol, but it works in our dojo.

For a student, it is always better to err on the side of politeness. I think this is true in life too.

To me, "Sensei" is not just a title, it is a term of respect and affection. To me, to be a good Sensei is the highest accomplishment in Karate... like being a good parent.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Make Your Karate More Okinawan

2011-07-13T17:41:00.003-10:00

This is a story.

A Karate Sensei was speaking to his students. "As you are all aware, Karate was developed in Okinawa. If you want to understand Karate, you should learn about the Okinawan culture. As an assignment, I want each of you to learn more about the Okinawan culture and do one thing to make your Karate more Okinawan. You have one week."

A week passed and the students returned to class, eager to show their Sensei what they had done to make their Karate more Okinawan.

The first student walked to the front of the class. She had printed her gi with bingata (beautiful Okinawan stencil dye).

The Sensei shook his head. "Will textiles make your Karate more Okinawan?"

The second student walked to the front of the class. "Before I came to class today, I ate andagi (sweet, deep fried Okinawan pastries).

The Sensei shook his head. "Will food make your Karate more Okinawan?"

The third student walked to the front of the class. "Hai sai gusuyo," he said. I am learning Uchinaguchi (the Okinawan dialect).

"Well, that is a good start," said the Sensei. "But will language make your Karate more Okinawan?"

Just then, another student rushed into the dojo, bowed apologetically, and joined the line of students.

"You're late," said the Sensei. "Did you do the assignment?"

"I'm sorry," began the student. "I took my elderly grandmother to the park today. She enjoyed it so much and the time just flew. I am sorry for being late."

The Sensei clapped his hands. "Now that is the answer!" exclaimed the Sensei. "Okinawans treasure and deeply respect their elders, particularly their grandparents. You have demonstrated this by spending time with your grandmother. Okinawans treasure the young as well. In fact, Okinawan treasure and celebrate life itself, which is viewed as a precious treasure. As such, we practice Karate to preserve and enhance life, not to take it."

What can you do to make your Karate more Okinawan? Time for some andagi!

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Koshi: Transferring Power Up And Down

2011-07-13T11:36:00.003-10:00

One of the very useful things about the proper use of the koshi (and body alignment), is that power from the lower body can be freely transferred and directed to the upper body. Power from the feet and legs, for example, can be transferred to the arms and hands for a strong punch. Since the lower body is much stronger than the upper body, this is very helpful.

Although we don't speak about it much, power from the upper body can also be freely transferred and directed to the lower body. This is noticeable when we kick in a whip-like manner (as opposed to a large, trusting type kick). It is also noticeable when we use the koshi to step, raise the leg, or shift positions.

Have you ever watched a television show about dinosaurs? They certainly make them look real. When you see the raptors running, you will always notice that their tails act as counterweights. This is true of other animals, but it is really noticeable with dinosaurs (at least to me).

I think that our arms act as a sort of counterweight that allows us to step, raise our leg, kick, etc. more effectively. In such cases, the upper body's power is transferred through the koshi to the lower body.

The koshi, thus, works as a two way street. Power from the lower body can be transferred and directed to the upper body and power from the upper body can be transferred and directed to the lower body... usually in a crisscross manner.

Such a good thing, the koshi.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Learning the System

2011-07-01T09:53:00.003-10:00

This is a story.

A Karate student said this to his Sensei. "Sensei, I have now learned all the kata of our system. Now I know it!"

The Sensei laughed hard and replied, "It is good that you have learned the kata. Please think about this. You are like a chef who has gone to the market and assembled all the ingredients for a fine meal. Now you have to go back to the kitchen and cook!"

There is a big difference between a shopping cart full of ingredients and a fine meal. There is also too much emphasis today on being able to simply "do" a kata rather than learning the kata, working on the body dynamics, working on the connection of the movements to each other and in other kata, working on the variations, understanding the applications, etc. Learning the kata is step 1. Imagine that there are 10 steps. Don't just complete step 1 and move on to another kata. You still have 9 steps to go!

Simply being able to "do" a kata is like memorizing a passage in a foreign language without know what any of the words mean. That is sort of like a person receiving a dan certificate in Japanese which actually talks about beer or sake. Don't laugh. It happens.

Kata is not something you "do," it is something you work on... for a very, very long time (and then continue to do so). You don't "do" the kata, they do you.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Koshi 10% - Cheating Energy and Age

2011-06-30T10:31:00.007-10:00

When I started to learn about koshi, it took 100% of my Karate attention. It became the single focus of my training. Often I would be thinking about koshi at home or work and my body would involuntarily twitch.

Koshi, koshi, koshi.

I certainly became koshi crazy!

As time has gone on and I have become more comfortable with koshi (coordinated, whole body) mechanics, my views about it have changed. For one thing, it is no longer the focus of my training. It is still part of the focus, but one of several connected things.

I have written this before, but I believe that it deserves repeating. If you do not know how to use koshi and have reached a point where just trying harder provides negative results, then, at that point, koshi will deserve 100% of your Karate attention. At that point, it is the missing link -- something that will connect your body and Karate and make your training much easier and much more productive.

At that point you will be like a drowning man gasping for breath.

But once you become more comfortable with koshi mechanics, you will certainly see that it is part of the overall dynamics of Karate. Maybe it is like the transmission in a car engine. The car won't run right without a transmission, but certainly there is more to a car engine than a transmission. I'm sure that you could think of many similar examples.

But in a nutshell, koshi is essential but not the whole thing. While you really cannot do Karate without koshi (coordinated, whole body) mechanics, it is also true that you can't do Karate with koshi only. It is a connector, amplifier, and director (and makes things much easier).

Of course, when I first started to learn about koshi, I overestimated its importance. Again, at that time it was 100% to me. That number has declined steadily over the years. There are two reasons for this.

First, as you train more with koshi, the size of your koshi motion reduces, until sometimes it is probably impossible for an untrained person to realize what you are doing. A trained person will probably recognize it. I understand that a really skilled person can completely internalize the koshi motion so that it is not detectable at all, except by its effects. This is something we are all working on in Kishaba Juku.

My point is that in the early phase, when koshi seems 100% important, the koshi motion is large. As the student progresses, the koshi motion shrinks. At times, it can seem like the student is not using koshi at all.

That is why a good teacher is necessary. If a teacher shows a new student (at least new to the koshi concept) by demonstrating a very small or internalized koshi motion, the student will never get it. Never. Thus, the teacher exaggerates his koshi motion and reveals it. Sometimes we say that he "opens" his koshi. He does not really "open" it, he just makes the motion obvious enough for the student to observe and copy it. Then the teacher probably resumes his usual minimized form of motion.

Actually, demonstrating an open koshi is probably uncomfortable for a teacher, because it is less efficient, slow, and takes more energy. Plus, there is always the chance that an observer will think: "That is too slow! I could hit that guy." Well, of course he could! An open koshi is like training wheels on a bicycle.

I like to go fishing. Tying knots is something you have to do all the time. When you read books about tying knots in fishing line, the illustrations are always big and easy to follow. The knots, before they are tightened, look really big. But when you are fishing, the real knots are small (and tied in the dark with hands slimy from the bait). The instructional picture are big so that you can learn. The real thing is tight.

Just like koshi.

So in the beginning, when koshi requires 100% of the student's attention, koshi looks big. As time goes on, it becomes smaller and either minimally detectable or undetectable (hopefully).

The second reason that the relative importance of koshi decreases over time is because koshi alone simply does not work. You need it, but you also need other things.

Two examples are body alignment and weight shifting. These are just two examples, but if your body alignment and/or weight shifting is wrong or weak, then no amount of koshi expertise will help you. Koshi does not make a bad Karate student good -- it makes a good Karate student better. This is really important. Without good fundamentals, koshi will just make a bad student worse. (Looking back at what I just wrote, I am shocked by the truth of the statement.)

Let's use a fishing example. A student with good fundamentals and good koshi is like a barracuda. Have you ever seen how a barracuda accelerates toward its prey? It is really awesome (and a good example of whole body mechanics)! But a student with bad fundamentals and a weak koshi (or exaggerated koshi), is like a jelly fish. All fizzle and no pop.

There are many fundamental processes involved in Karate. I won't go into them here, but I am sure that you know what I mean. In a physical sense, koshi brings them (the fundamental processes) all together, amplifies energy/power, and enables the student to direct it, as needed.

I now would say that koshi is about 10% of the overall process. This is not because I believe that koshi is unimportant but because I recognize that many things are important.

And it is probably wrong to break things up in percentages. Karate is not accounting. Everything is important and each aspect interacts with the others. The whole is what is important and koshi is part of that whole.

I just thought of a good example. What percentage of your body is your heart? Whatever that percentage is, you certainly cannot live without your heart, nor could you live with your heart alone. The heart is an essential part of the whole body.

When I move now, I do not emphasize koshi unless I am teaching students who need to see an "open" koshi. Moving on my own, I feel like I am not even using my koshi, except for maybe a small twitch now and then. I say the "less the better," but by this I mean that a tight, compressed koshi is better than an exaggerated, loopy one.

About a month ago, I demonstrated a kata and used no koshi at all. I do not mean that I used a small or internalized koshi, I mean that I completely turned my koshi off. This took some work because it is not natural for me to move without koshi now. Anyway, do you know what happened?

The kata looked somewhat crisp and powerful... and I was gassed (ran out of energy). Wow! It took so much more energy to move that way. I suddenly remembered how hard it was for me to practice Karate before I started to learn about koshi. I could not do several kata back to back. I needed a day to recover between training because of muscle strain. I hurt and was frustrated. Which made me like a drowning man in need of... koshi.

Moving with koshi is almost like cheating compared to the way I used to move. Now I see why Shinzato Sensei could move with such apparent ease when I first met him. He was cheating (in a mechanical sense).

Perhaps that is what we do in Kishaba Juku. We cheat energy and age -- at least we try our best to do so.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Repost: Heavy Koshi

2011-06-30T08:49:00.001-10:00

I am reposting this blog post from October 17, 2009. Again, it is so that I can discuss the subject further.

Heavy Koshi

Back to mechanics.

In Kishaba Juku dojo, we work hard on body dynamics. That is an understatement!

Sometimes I say that we are like racing car mechanics. We are trying to customize our students (and ourselves) for maxim speed, power... dynamics.

Sometimes I will see a student who has worked on developing a good koshi movement, which essentially is the use of whip-like (core driven torque) mechanics in all Karate movements. But some students are like a firecracker that sizzles -- just a dud. The whip is there but there is no power (or very little).

Most of the time, the reason for this lack of power is because the student has not yet learned to put his weight behind the block, strike or other movement. The "crack of the whip" is there, but it is just fluff.

It is important for our movements to be light and heavy. We move lightly, but at the moment of explosion and power transfer, all or much of our weight should be behind the movement. This is usually accomplished by shifting weight in different ways. Imagine a whip with a hammer at the end.

My point is that koshi is just part of the formula. It is an important part, but not the whole thing. Usually, when an advanced student has struggled for years to overcome the limitations of linear mechanics, koshi is the answer... at that particular moment. But it is the coordination of movement principles (body shifting, weight shifting, body alignment, delay, koshi, etc.) that leads to results.

Move lightly but hit heavy.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Koshi -- Who Would Have Imagined?

2011-06-28T17:23:00.006-10:00

I am certain that I would not have learned to use koshi (whole body mechanics) if I had not met Shinzato Sensei. OK, I might have been able to learn from one of his senior students if I was lucky enough to meet one of them, but there were none in Hawaii (we are 3,000 miles from just about anything).

But I am absolutely certain that I would not have discovered it myself or learned to use koshi from reading books and articles on the subject. I've even written articles on the subject and I am sure that they would not have helped me at all. If you learn something about koshi, it is easy to write about it. If you have not learned something about koshi, reading and writing about it are not very helpful (except to make you want to learn it).

I would even say that the videos I had watched about koshi would not have been helpful. Before I learned to use koshi, I just dismissed videos I was lucky enough to watch as "magic". This was true of the videos I watched, first of Oshiro Sensei, and then of Shinzato Sensei. They looked great and I could "see/understand" none of it. Now I can appreciate what they are doing and how they are doing it (to the extent of my understanding).

Basically, nothing except learning from a real teacher of koshi would have helped. It takes hands on training and someone to observe and copy (or at least try to copy).

I first watched a video of Shinzato Sensei about 15 years ago. He was doing Pinan Shodan on some grainy video. I kept watching the first movement over and over. It was impossible to anyone to move like that! More correctly, it would have been impossible for me to move like that the way I was moving. No amount of extra effort or extra power would have helped. I already had reached the point were "more" was producing less.

Then, about 10 years ago, I was fortunate to meet Shinzato Sensei. The "wow" factor was multiplied by 100 in person. How could he move like that? And how could he perform kata over and over and not seem to get tired (he's 19 years older than me)? And how could he keep smiling and laughing? How? How? How?

After about a day of training, I told him that if I could only learn to perform shuto I would be happy (I realize that is still arrogant). I thought that if I could learn to do just one movement correctly, that would be more than enough for me to work on for a long time. How lucky I was! By accident I had discovered the right approach. Trying to learn to do everything he did would have been impossible. Even learning three things would have been impossible for me. But a single movement might be possible.

I actually only learned part of shuto because I had recently undergone shoulder surgery. Shuto hurt. But I did learn gedan barai (downward block). I could do that (sort of) with my shoulder.

So when I returned to Hawaii after training in Okinawa, I worked on gedan barai. Over and over and over. Again and again and again, for about a year and a half, until I could "throw" the block with my koshi (whole body using koshi, lats, torque, recoil, etc.). Then I applied that mechanic to all other movements. I am serious. I tried doing a chudan uke with the same mechanic. I tried doing a shuto with that mechanic. Punch, kick, any block, any strike... I eventually applied my gedan barai mechanic to everything. If you watch me and understand koshi, you might see the gedan barai flavor in my movement. (My second son, in contrast, has a shuto flavor.)

And guess what? There is only one koshi motion. There are not different koshi motions of each technique. If you can apply koshi correctly to one movement, you can learn to apply that same mechanic to all movements... even movements you do not currently know.

Koshi teaches you how to move. Whatever movement or technique that you know or might learn, koshi will apply to it.

I would never had expected this, and I certainly would not have begun to learn koshi mechanics were it not for Shinzato Sensei, who I only admired in grainy videos 15 years ago. I think I wore that tape out!

I give credit to Shinzato Sensei. He gives credit to Kishaba Sensei and Nakamura Sensei, among others. I am sure that they also gave credit to the seniors from whom they learned and the fellow students with whom they trained -- probably many Karate experts no one has heard of.

It was an unlikely chain of events that led me to Shinzato Sensei and it was my misfortune and good luck that my recent shoulder surgery made me lower my sights to learning a single movement (rather than the whole curriculum!).

Who would have imagined?

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

My Transition to Kishaba Juku

2011-06-28T14:17:00.004-10:00

Next February will be my 10 year anniversary as a student of Sensei Katsuhiko Shinzato and a member of the Kishaba Juku form of Shorin-Ryu. While I still have a very long way to go (an endless pursuit, actually), I feel comfortable with the Kishaba Juku forms of movement and have applied them, to the best of my ability, to all of the movements, techniques and kata of our system. It has become so second nature, that I can only remember my earlier form of movement like a distant dream.

I wanted to reflect on why I had a chance to transition from one form of Shorin-Ryu (which I had practiced for about 25 years or so) to another (which I have now practiced for almost 10 years). This is an important subject. In the last 10 years, I have seen many people visit our "style" but very few transition completely to it.

The first reason I had a chance, was because I really wanted it. I had come to a point where it was either "find it" or quit. When I met Sensei Katsuhiko Shinzato, I realized that he was "it." I firmly decided to learn from him to the best of my ability, or to fail miserably trying. There was no holding on to what I had previously learned. There was no, "a little of this and a little of that." It was 100% or nothing.

The second reason I had a chance was that Shinzato Sensei is an extraordinary Sensei and technician. I would say "magician," but that is just what I thought at first. I would say, "Karate genius," but we reserve that for Nakamura Sensei. So I will just stay that Shinzato Sensei is amazingly skilled at body mechanics, makes it look very easy, and can explain it to anyone who is willing to spend the time and effort to learn and practice. He is also very forgiving of slow students, such as myself. He also entertains questions, which is a good thing in my case.

The third reason I had a chance was that I was the head of my own dojo and belonged to no organization. I had no one telling me not to learn what Shinzato Sensei was teaching me. My Sensei in Hawaii encouraged me to learn at every step of the way. This is very important. I think that many people have a hard time transitioning to Kishaba Juku either because their dojo or association prohibits it or discourages it. Another reason is because some people try to keep one foot on this bank of the river and the other foot on the other bank. I just jumped and took a leap of faith (and/or desperation). I jumped and no one blocked me from learning. My own students accepted it and became my guinea pigs so to speak. In fact, many of them could learn from me faster than I was learning from Shinzato Sensei. I had to hurry to move along!

Being isolated in Hawaii, there were no other Kishaba Juku dojo here. This was a good thing. I only had Shinzato Sensei as my example. I had not learned from Kishaba Sensei or Nakamura Sensei. I did not have their examples in my mind. I only had Shinzato Sensei. Trying to be like one of these Sensei is really hard. Trying to be like them all or a combination, would have been too much for me. In addition, I did not have anyone telling me, "No, Kishaba Sensei did it like this," or "Nakamura Sensei did it like that." I did not have to deal with the memory of these teachers, or anyone else's recollections of them, except for Shinzato Sensei.

Finally, Shinzato Sensei has been very helpful to me during my transition. He would entertain my questions, read my draft articles, offer his comments, and give his encouragement. More than anything else, he has offered his example. I am inspired, not just by the way that he moves, but by his approach and dedication to training. Karate is not just an intellectual pursuit to him (although it includes that) -- Karate is about training to him.

I joke with Shinzato Sensei that I am trying to catch up to him. This may sound like a rude thing to say. In a Japanese sense, it is. However, what I mean is that as he trains, I will also train. As he improves, I will try my best to improve. I am not just trying to be a duplicate of him -- I am trying to copy his approach and they way that he pursues Karate. If I do this, I know that I will not be exactly like him. That is not my intent. He is not like his teachers and they were not like theirs. But they all were very dedicated to and had an approach to training, learning, and teaching.

I am also aware of the fact that I am a long distance student. I cannot train with Shinzato Sensei very often. If I try to literally copy him, I will always be copying a version that will have changed. In his case, this is a real problem, since I think he changes his technique and mechanics not just from day to day, week to week, month to month, or year to year, but from morning to afternoon sometimes! If I try to move the way that I remember he did, I will always be out of date.

But if I move forward from where and when he taught me, then I have a chance. If I follow his plan for advancement, then I have a chance.

I have also commented to Shinzato Sensei that he is very extraordinary because what he teaches progresses on its own. If you practice what he teaches you and apply it to what you know, additional lessons present themselves, and you repeat the process. It is like planting a seed. A seed does not simply replicate another seed. From a little seed, a great tree can grow and eventually produce its own seeds.

My point is that if you copy Shinzato Sensei and later show him your one perfect copy of that technique, I think he would think, "Is that all?" But if you learned from him and that set you on a course that leads to your own advancement/progression/learning, then I think he would be quite happy.

The last reason I think that I had a chance to learn and transition to Kishaba Juku, is that I am a rather obsessive person. And once I put my mind on something, I rarely change it. Once I saw how Shinzato Sensei moved and they way be approached Karate training, and the strength of his character, and how much he enjoyed Karate and encouraged others, that was it. If anything, my admiration and pursuit of him has only increased over the years.

I joked with him, not long ago, that I felt that I was catching up to him, but when I looked he had run farther ahead.

So where am I now? Much better than before and with a long, long way to go. After all, I am chasing a moving target.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

Repost: Kishaba Juku-ness

2011-06-28T13:58:00.002-10:00

I am reposting this blog post from January 21, 2008. That way, I can more easily write some follow-ups to it.

Kishaba Juku-ness

Most "styles" of Karate consist of a certain set of kata and a core group of basics. The kata and basics, and an emphasis on such things as kumite and kobudo, tend to identify the style. As with any curriculum, the students need to know what to do in order to do it. The style is a matter of "what."

I have mentioned before that Kishaba Juku, in my opinion, is not a style per se. It is a private training group. The emphasis of training is not on "what" but on "how." Essentially, Kishaba Juku is about learning how to move, how to generate power, and how to transfer power. Again, this is just my opinion.

Since the emphasis is on "how," the "what" is not so important. Shinzato Sensei has often said that the principles of Kishaba Juku can be applied to the kata of any style or system of Karate. In other words, the Kishaba Juku principles of movement could be applied to Shotokan, Shito-Ryu or Kyokushin. It is not necessary to learn Kishaba Juku kata in order to move the way that we do. The same movement principles could be applied to just about any kata.

Again, the emphasis is on "how" rather than "what."

In Kishaba Juku, we generally practice the kata that the senior instructors practiced before they formed their private training group. It was the movement principles applied to those kata that mattered, not the kata themselves.

Thus, a person could practice the very same kata we do but move in a completely different way -- a way unlike Kishaba Juku. And a person could practice completely different kata but move exactly like we do (to the extent that "we" in the juku move alike).

I can watch a person move and tell you very quickly whether they move like Shinzato Sensei or not. My seniors can say the same about Nakamura Sensei and Kishaba Sensei -- they can recognize their special way of movement.

You cannot tell this by the kata itelf or even the basics. What counts is how the person moves.

The format of Karate tends to require that students learn a certain curriculum. A student cannot achieve rank and seniority by simply being able to move.

But when it comes down to it, knowing a million movements means nothing at all if you cannot move well. And a person who can move well can make just about any movement work.

The other day, I attended a training session with some senior instructors here in Hawaii. When it comes to the form of kata, I am closest to Sensei Pat Nakata, who practices Chibana Shorin-Ryu. Our kata are similar.

But when it comes to movement, I move most like Sensei Alan Lee. He learned from Sensei Tomu Arakawa, who learned from Sensei Kanki Izumigawa, who learned from Sensei Seko Higa. Lee Sensei teaches Goju-Ryu. He is my senior and moves much better than I do, but our way of moving is very similar.

My form is closest to Shorin-Ryu but my movement is closer to a branch of Goju-Ryu.

This may sound strange, since I have only learned Shorin-Ryu, but with Kishaba Juku it makes perfect sensei. What is relevant is how to move, not whether we do Shorin-Ryu, Goju-Ryu, or some other style.

I am confident that I could teach a Shotokan student how to move like I do, using his own kata. Of course, this assumes that the student wants to learn this.

I am not a musician, but I imagine that there is teacher somewhere who can teach students how to play with more feeling and soul. That is a lot like what we do.

I have to qualify this post by saying that I can only speak from my own experience as a student of Kishaba Juku. I can speak for myself and my dojo, but not for others, and certainly not for Shinzato Sensei.

After a student learns what he is supposed to do, the question becomes how to do it. That is the essence of our group, in my opinion.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin

I Must Be Good

2011-06-28T12:18:00.002-10:00

This is a story.

Two men were talking.

"Are you good at Karate?" asked the first man.

"I'm sure that I am," answered the second man.

"How are you so certain?" asked the first man.

"If only you knew how much I've paid for lessons!" declared the second man. "I must be good!"

I'm sure that many parents have found themselves in this position. They paid so much for Karate lessons over the years. Plus there were the tournament fees, testing fees, certificate fees, travel, gis, embroidery, weapons... For that much money, their child must be good.

There is a saying that you get what you pay for. I agree with this. However, in Karate you do not just pay by money. You pay by your dedication and hard work. Money is usually just a token.

Paying a lot for Karate just means that you have paid a lot. It does not mean that you are good or bad at it. Some people pay a lot, some people pay a little, and some people pay nothing at all. It all comes down to your dedication and hard work. Karate skill comes from training, and most of that will be on your own.

Respectfully,

Charles C. Goodin