Hajime!

I've been studying the art of Karate intermittently for 13 years, very recently in two dojo's.. the bulk of my training has been done in one dojo under a very skilled and respected 7th Dan Kyoshi. I've recently attained the rank of Brown Belt and in context with japanese martial arts, the transition from kōhai (trainee), to Senpai (mentor), the 1st kyu of mudansha.. one without dan. Next of course being yūdansha.. one with dan, and respectively, Sensei (teacher). Dan, of course, being the rank of black belt. Now, there are ten degree's of Dan. The first, and, on my doorstep, Shodan..

A common perception of earning your black belt is that you have reached your final goal in your chosen art. This may be the case for some, but not for all. I like to believe that I am not among those students. To attain the rank of Shodan, is to reach the beginning of your training, to master the basics, and really start to learn.. from there, the horizon is ever present, your ability to learn is continuous and never ending. Students commonly train abroad, under different instruction. Broaden there horizon to expand their current "arsenal" of knowledge.

I am at the point in my training where I am training to start perfecting my technique and mastering my basics.. other components I will be working on are self defence, one step, the ever popular kumite (sparring) and my personal favorite.. kata.

About Kata's. They are pre-arranged movements defending against "invisible enemies". They are a part of martial arts training, in my case, Shotokan Karate, a hard style (hard as in opposite of soft, not difficult.. although don't get the idea that it is not difficult - it's just not what I'm currently making reference to). There are "arguably" 27 different Kata's in this style.. I have read there are 26, so, I don't really know. I can do about 1/3 of them comfortably. It is my goal to continue my training, and learn them to a degree where I, and my fellow karate-ka believe that I am (in my mind) actually part of this "confrontation", by emphasising proper eye contact, kime (focus), breathing and realism mixed with traditional technique.

I've been doing a lot of reading and investigating other facets of information online regarding certain kata's that I'd like to learn. I have this interest to learn and master kata's that are less commonly known or practiced in my school. Not to show off, as that would naturally be counter productive at this level of kyu and generally I don't like it when others showboat around.. but still, I guess I just want to learn them all. Now I know if you do train with me and you're reading this, you're probably thinking "it's better to master one, than to be semi-proficient at ten", to which I agree; but, if I've adopted this lifestyle, why limit my training? "Fighters", and martial artists in all different arts who focus primarily on fighting and battle tactics constantantly work towards betterment of strategy and style; thus, I will do the same towards my kata.

I will certainly delve deeper into Kata, Kumite and especially Kime later, and how the mind changes after adopting Karate as a way of life..

As well, I'd like to talk about the difference in one's mentality from when one progresses as a white belt, through the rank of Shodan, and beyond..

Stay Tuned!