Yoshukai Karate International October 2011 Vol. 1, Issue 4

Upcoming Events

October 15, 2011 General Training

1:00 – 4:00 PM South  Olive  Community  Ctr  

345  Summa  Street  West  Palm  Beach,  FL  33405  

 (561)-­‐804-­‐4945  For more information:

johnrobertalford@gmail.com

November 12, 2011 Pre-Test Training

1:00 – 4:00 PM James  P.  Gills  YMCA    8411  Photonics  Drive  New  Port  Richey,  FL  (727)  375-­‐9622  

 For more information:

mkmendelson@yoshukai.org

January 14, 2012

Winter Testing Bamboo  Dojo  Vero Beach, FL

For more information: mike.mcclernan@yoshukai.org

This past September marked the 10th anniversary of “9/11”, a pivotal event in world history that profoundly touched every American alive at the time. September 11th, 2001 was also the deadliest day in history for New York City firefighters: 343 were killed. The terrorist attacks shattered steel and shattered lives but they

failed to obtain their true objective, which was to shatter the spirit of the American people.

This monthʼs issue is dedicated to the 2,983 men, women and children who were killed in the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993.

World Trade Center North Flight 11

February 26, 1993 World Trade Center South

First Responders Flight 175 Pentagon Flight 77 Flight 93

Yoshukai Karate International Vol. 1, Issue 4

2

3rd  Kyu  Jared Cleveland

Rayna Herringdine Ricky Knight

4th  Kyu  Nicholas Fredrick Danielle Scrogham

Casey Corley Stephen Stack Travis Cappello

5th  Kyu  Xavier Jackson

Alicia Swain Caleb Sanders

6th  Kyu  Camden Dennis Jada Robb

Grant Hickey Justin Shaw Jacob Mauldin Jilian Sweetland

Anna Claire Patten Colin Yager

7th  Kyu  Nick Collier Anika Sweetland

Jade Douglas Mia Sweetland Arron Newberger

8th  Kyu  Justin Douglas Abigail Patten Patrick Barnett Braxton Reynolds Joseph Cosme Dylan Seiffert

Bryson Jordan Le Isis Le Tolbert Kiyu Dalton Le Raegan Wills

9th  Kyu  Jacob Childers Hanna Scrogham Christine Rines Dylan Skinner

Courtney Rogers Erik Truckner    

CONGRATULATIONS    

Sylacauga  Karate  School!    

 On  September  24th,  Nick  competed  in  the  World  Yoshukai  “Super  Fights”  in  Oxford,  Alabama  

where  he  won    1st  place  in  point  fighting  and    

3rd  place  in  the  semi-­‐full  contact  fighting    (Beginner’s  Division  ages  15–  16).  

 

Caleb Andrew Sanders

February 5, 1998 - September 16, 2011 It is with profound sadness that we announce the tragic loss of one of our young members - Caleb "Chip" Sanders. Caleb was recently promoted to 5th kyu green belt and was a member of the Sylacauga Karate School. He was the beloved son of Rev. Henry L. "Charlie" Sanders, Jr., and Carolyn Sanders, brother of Elijah Sanders and Keziah Sanders, and grandson of Henry L. Sanders, Sr. We would like to extend our deepest sympathy and prayers of comfort to the Sanders Family during this difficult time. Memorial messages may be sent to the family at www.radneysmith.com.

Yoshukai Karate International Vol. 1 , Issue 4

3

1

The History of the Colored Belt Contributed by D. Mendelson

We have all heard the legend of the white belt that darkens with age until it turns black; a phenomenon attributed to the

accumulation of dirt after many years of training. The belt turns white again when the student has traveled full circle in his training and becomes a master. The dirt (or color) signifies knowledge and skill and the transformation back to white represents purity and truth. So why do we have colored belts at all? Why not simply wear the original white belt that came with the uniform?

Many believe that colored belts are a Western invention driven by greed over the prospect of commercialization and labeled as a neat way to denote progress and achievement. While its true that Western budo enthusiasts embraced the idea, the colored belt had much humbler beginnings.

In 1883, Jigoro Kano (the founder of Judo) implemented the first ranking system. According to the official history of judo’s Kodokan, Kano decided to separate his student body into two groups: students who possessed skills proficient enough to be considered senior were referred to as yudansha, the “graded group” and all others were referred to as mudansha, or “without grade.” That year, Kano awarded two of his most senior students (Tsunejiro Tomito and Shiro Saigo) the rank of shodan, the first level of yudansha.

Kano’s 10 level system of grades, known in Japanese as dan-i, was not a new invention but rather an adaptation of a system used in the ancient Chinese board game of go. Traditionally, go players were ranked according to their handicap with the

2

difference of one rank equal to one free move at the end of the game. Players were also split into kyu (amateur) and dan (master) levels. Although formalized by Japan in the 17th century, this system can be traced back to the 3rd century where Handan Chun first described it in his book “Classic of the Arts.” The system was called the 9 Pin Zhi and included 9 playing levels ranked from strong to weak.

Prior to Kano’s ranking system, traditional Japanese arts awarded rank in the form of paper scrolls called menkyo, or “licenses.” Menkyo established the succession of the ryu (school of thought of any discipline), and a license granted one the right to be called the leader or at a minimum, an instructor who was qualified to carry on the core of the art. There were very few levels of menkyo with menkyo kaiden being the highest. A headmaster customarily awarded only one menkyo kaiden in his lifetime – usually to a son or someone he trusted to carry on the traditions and the secrets of the ryu.

In budo, menkyo was issued in the form of a densho (scroll or manuscript), which contained a record of the advanced techniques or secrets of the ryu and in some cases might even include detailed drawings or symbols that would hold little meaning to an outsider. And since the criterion for issuing menkyo was at the discretion of the headmaster, it was difficult to compare the skill level of practitioners between schools.

Kano’s implementation of the dan-i grading system was a revolutionary step not only for the combative arts but for the traditional arts as well. Kano himself was a modern thinker and very knowledgeable of Western teaching principles. The dan-i system provided a more efficient and objective ranking method for schools with large numbers of practitioners, something that a feudal ryu would not have contended with. It also imposes a coherent order within large

Yoshukai Karate International Vol. 1, Issue 4

4

3

groups that may be spread geographically.

Ironically, Kano’s introduction of the 10-level ranking system did not coincide with the issuing of colored belts. It wasn’t until 1886, around the same time that the Kodokan was pitted against the Yoshin ryu jujutsu school of Hikosuke Totsuka in a contest sponsored by the Tokyo police, that Kano began the practice of using colored belts to symbolize rank. Kano’s judoka won the event, which sealed the reputation of the Kodokan and prompted an increase in membership. It is believed that Kano’s motivation for employing a two-colored belt system was due to the large number of new students who began to study with him. The black obi would presumably make it easier for new students to identify senior students as someone from whom they could accept instruction.

Although Kano’s system authorized 10 levels of rank, he never adopted a color scheme to the belts worn during training. In the Kodokan, there were only black and white belts. The person who is credited with the introduction of colored belts is Mikonosuke Kawaishi. Born in 1899, Kawaishi began his budo training in jujutsu and then later studied judo under Kano. In 1926, he brought the art to the United States and in 1931 he founded the Anglo-Japanese Judo Club at Oxford University in England. In 1936, he began teaching judo in Paris and became known for his intuitive style of instruction and a numerical ordering of the techniques that he felt was more suitable for the West. At some point during his teaching career, Kawaishi experimented with a colored belt system to recognize advancement in judo. This practice caught on in France where there was a rapid growth of interest in judo and by the 1950’s the concept had made its way to the United States.

Although Kano never adopted the use of

4

colored belts, he did incorporate a red and white striped belt. This was reserved for 6th, 7th, and 8th dans, more so to recognize their contributions to judo rather than their technical skill. A solid red belt was used to denote the status of 9th and 10th dan. The rank of 12th dan was reserved for Kano himself (there was no special provision for 11th dan), who wore a white belt twice the width of the original.

In time, most other Japanese martial arts adopted the dan-i ranking system however the popularity of using colored belts to identify kyu grades has been limited primarily to karate and judo because it was convenient and it made it easier to ascertain the student’s level quickly.

Today, judo and karate organizations have wide latitude in the color choices they use to denote rank. Some schools even use "half-grades" denoted by tags or stripes at the end of the belt. Since it can take two or three years to progress between belts, these tags are thought to maintain enthusiasm, while providing targets for students to aim for. Despite the practical advantages within the dojo, colored belts have little meaning outside the dojo. Yet, they remain the most coveted prize of the martial arts enthusiast.

How to tie your belt

Although there are a number of ways to tie a karate belt (just take a look at the back row of any karate class), there is a right way and a wrong way. The right way is comfortable, visually appealing and functional. The wrong way is simply a knot...

The diagram on the following page shows two methods that result in a neat and functional knot that is also comfortable and visually appealing: the basic square knot and the “Super Lock” knot.

Yoshukai Karate International Vol. 1 , Issue 4

5

2 3 1

4 5 6

Basic Square Knot

The belt is wrapped around the waist and then tied around all layers in a simple square knot. Good for beginning students and most applications.

Super Lock Knot

A little more complicated but great for stiff belts and for those engaged in grappling activities.

Yoshukai Karate International Vol. 1, Issue 4

6

Yoshukai Karate International Vol. 1, Issue 4

7

YOSHUKAI KARATE

INTERNATIONAL www.YoshukaiKarateInternational.com

DOJO DIRECTORY

UNITED STATES

The Bamboo Dojo www.the bamboodojo.com

FIAMA Martial Arts Academy http://www.fiama1.com

Port Orange YMCA Mmyer4006@aol.ocm

Suncoast Yoshukai mkmendelson@yoshukai.org

Sylacauga Karate School, AL Eddie.Machen@gmail.com

Titusville Yoshukai Karate International

www.tyki.org

West Palm Beach Dojo johnrobertalford@gmail.com

Yoshukai of Tampa Bay www.YoshukaiTampaBay.com

GERMANY

Yoshukai Essen http://i-defense.de/

AUSTRALIA www.yoshukai.org.nz

Sydney City Dojo frazer3@iprimus.com.au

Melbourne Dojo hamish.rathgen@yahoo.com

NEW ZEALAND www.yoshukai.org.nz

University of Canterbury Dojo darelhall@xtra.co.nz

Tokomaru Dojo, Palmerston North dave.leathwick@agresearch.co.nz

Wellington Dojo cberry2020@gmail.com

MALAYSIA

Koru Sports Academy www.korusportsacademy.com

Sprinter Situp

Exercise of the Month

Lie on your back with your legs straight and arms at your sides, keeping your elbows bent at 90 degrees. As you sit up, twist your upper body to the left and bring your left knee toward your right elbow while you swing your left arm back. Lower your body to the starting position, and repeat to your right. That's 1 rep.

“It is important that karate can be practiced by the young and old, men and women alike. That is, since there is no need for a special training place, equipment, or an opponent, a flexibility in training is provided such that the physically and spiritually weak individual can develop his body and mind so gradually and naturally that he himself may not even realize his own great progress.”

Gichin Funakoshi