American Karate

I haven't posted in a long time.

After, my shotokan dojo closed down in May, I bounced around for a while. I wound up doing MMA for a good while. Muay Thai, with BJJ. But it wasn't the same. So I started going to a local American Karate place for a month.

I didn't like it one bit. I should have seen the red flags when the head sensei never talked about what I would learn and spent the interview bashing on other local TMA schools and MMA in general.

I wound up going back to doing MMA and I'm happy with it. But I'm what is American Karate? I can't find anything concrete about it. I was told that it is basically a lump of different arts, but what does it specialize in? While I was training in it no one seemed able to do anything competently. The sensei specialized in kicks but he started off in Taekwondo.

Rasma,

I would say its just a Freestyle School unless of course its similar to the ultimate Ameri Do Te School

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CGMWlXosp4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sr0-ogsa4z4&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsxNC0vcKZE&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbTJb1e05O0&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-5edQQXMfQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWDxKqfL9e8&feature=related

That series is hilarious. I've seen one of his Tiger Wisdom clips on the belts but I didn't realize it was a show.

The American Karate dojo was actually kind of similar. What I didn't like about it was we talked throughout the whole class. If you meet at a dojo for 2 hours a week, there really isn't enough time to designate 20 minutes for discussion alone.

And no one got to try over half of the grappling techniques. They were only going over basic stuff like bear hugs but for the most part I got the feeling that it was the sensei just bullying the middle school kids. He never let any of the adults try getting out of bear hugs or a couple of holds.

On top of that I just didn't like how the school was talking about how they were the best in the city. And only I hated here the phrase "On the street" constantly. The only thing I really liked were the judo standing wrist locks.

"Judo standing wrist locks"... Mmm, that would be another red flag (of which there seems to be many!) about that place. I wouldn't bother with it again if it were me. Just sounds like too much BS.

If you felt comfortable telling folks where you can travel to or the geographical areas you can train in, someone on here might know of an alternative Karate school near you.

I'm with Prizewriter on this.
If you don't like it and your alarmbells are ringing, look for a different place.
Look around at those other TMA schools, and as always; attend a few free classes and experience what suits you and your time schedule.

I've already left the school a couple weeks ago. A blackbelt teaching the class told me that the opening square block in Heian Shodan was a wrist escape. I went over to practice MMA now. It fits my schedule nicely which is a big thing for me since I'm in college.

I still want to get a black belt in Shotokan mostly because that's where I started my journey and that's what my dad trained in. Which I'm probably going to have to wait a while probably at least untill I'm out of college and have a job with a steady schedule. Funny coincidence though one of the professional fighters at my mma camp is my old sensei's brother.

And to Prizewriter. How is standing Judo wrist locks a red flag? I've never heard of that one before. I was looking for a YouTube video of them, but I can't find them.

They don't normally do "Wristlocks" in Judo, hence it is a red flag to me. It shows a lack of understanding of Judo. They are mis-using the name of Judo.

I've seen wristlocks done in the Judo Kata of Goshinm Jutsu, but they were based on Aikido movements. Kenji Tomiki, a high rank in Aikido and Judo (by the founders of both arts, may I add) created the Kata. The wrist lock movements came from Aikido though.

So "Judo Wristlock" is misnomer. Judo players do not use wrist locks in Randori, and aside from the Aikido moves in Goshin Jutsu, they never learn wristlocks (a lot of Judoka never even learn the Kata).

So it's a red flag in the same way a a "Kickboxing Throw" or a "Greco-Roman Front Kick" is a red flag. It sounds like a made up move.

Try googling Judo Goshin Jutsu, but bear in mind any wrist controls in the Kata were based on Aikido.

Good choice Razma! And also a nice coincidence about your instructor being your old Sensei's brother.
You might want to keep your Shotokan training warm at home. Maybe visit some seminars in your area or train with a (former) co-student, maybe even your dad, every once in a while.

I know college can be quite the hassle on your training. I spent half a year studying abroad, which ment no training for me other than individual training.

Good luck, I hope you'll find a nice dojo again and enjoy your 'outing' in MMA.

I'm definitely gonna keep doing kata. And now there's Shotokan Classes at the gym I go to. I might try going to those about once a month. I enjoy doing MMA for the competition and pushing myself, but it's not something I can do forever.

The head coach is in his early 50s and he already can't even hold pads anymore from his shoulder and knee injuries from boxing.

Also, I learned a lot more in the dojos I've trained at. Pressure points, Japanese culture. Japanese words. Those were always interesting tidbits.

I would certainly check that out!
As long as you are having fun at the MMA gym.
Could it be that you get a discount on those Shotokan classes, since you are already a gym-member? Worth a try.

When a practitioner trains to the level HE believes makes him an expert and when his sensei doesn't see his "true talent", he can only assume that he knows better than the dried-up sensei "teaching the MA equivalent of the horse-&-buggy".

So this new black belt (& sometimes brown belt) goes forth into the world w/ some certificates he had printed, a dozen trophys and several "war stories" of "the old days" and opens a studio in a strip mall.

To the average western student, any studio w/ a few well-placed dragon posters, Chinese calligraphy and maybe even a picture of Bruce Lee spells authenticity.

Thanks to the internet, the new "master" can get a few ground-fighting techniques, tae kwon do kicks & Muay Thai knee & elbow techniques to round out his awesome new style.

Now get a bunch of these "masters" & "grand-masters" together in an open tournament, where they all pat each other on the back, bolster each others' egos and show off the number of stripes on their ratty, extra-wide black (substitute red, gold or multi-color) belts.

Return w/ them to the studio & display, in a prominent window location, the garish 6-foot trophy won by the 7-year old black belt for musical sword forms.

That's what you escaped from. Congrats!

Owari