[lakan_sampu]

yeah, takedowns....
sweeps coupled with hip throws more like that of judo. Some throws also come from gripping the opponent's gi. That's what I've seen so far in our former dojo and competitions.

[karateshopma]

Most of you seem geared towards Shotokan, so my Okinawan/freestyle karate pov may be different.
We have seven belts, white through orange being a combo of time and knowledge and blue through black promotions relying on ability. black belt takes about four to six years.
As far as compition goes, our adult class is given the option, but nothing is mandatory, the bulk of the class is self defense and sparring. We spar pretty roughly, but never more than a seven pr eight, remembering that we are all friends and we take care of each other.
Jason

[shurite44]

Hope you don't mind but I thought maybe I could chip in a little info. The question on terms for throwing in Shotokan. Most schools will use the same term used in Judo. There are basic throws and sweeps but they are not emphasized, most Shotokan karateka are at a fairly basic level of understanding when it comes to throws. Unless of course they have expanded their training with judo, and that is very common for Shotokan black belts.

When I was a first dan here are the throws I can remember doing under a JKA instructor. We developed a rudimentary understanding of throwing. Different schools of course would vary on how much emphasis they put on throwing. One of my instructors in the late 70's and early 80's traded out with a judoka to teach a judo class to us a couple times a month. I would describe what we did as on overview of judo, we basically would practice one technique for each category of judo techniques.

O-goshi
O-soto-gari
Kesa-gatame
Juji gatame

Many referee terms in Shotokan are the same as judo also, which of course is understandable.

[shurite44]

On the question of how long to get a black belt. This is something that is really impossible to put an answer too, because it vary's depending on the promoting association, the individual's age and general aptitude, and really the country you are training in.

Many service men training overseas will get their black belts in a year or two. In the US normal training time to black belt is 3 years, and most open tournaments are set up this way. ie: 0-1 years beginner, 1-2 intermediate, 2-3 advanced, and 3 or more black belt. Most systems will have a 10 Kyu ranking system counting backwards to 0 which is black belt.

After BB most organizations will have time and grade, plus age requirements. One standard method for dan ranking is 2nd dan = 2 years training, 3rd dan = three years training and so on. Many will have an age requirement also, the only one we have is 35 years old for 5th dan, and 16 for 1st dan. You will also find the age requirements are often waived or actually dropped from a system.

Of course like I said this time limit really varies. The example I give above is a fairly typical method for ranking in a traditional karate class.

[Kyorgi]

I've got a question for Oz here,

How long have you been practicing Kyokushin? What is your current rank? How long is the average time it takes to earn a shodan?

[opariser1001]

hey,

i have been training kyokushin for about 6 years, and recently got my shodan. the typical time is 4-5 years for shodan i would guess but i changed teachers midway through so i could become an uchideshi, and essentially had to prove myself all over again so i had a brown belt for like 4 years.

[shotokai]

man all u guys sound real good in your areas of karate i jus started up japanese martila rts again shotokan is what im trying to master but shotokai is wat i wanna teach in the future

[shurite44]

Originally Posted by shotokai

man all u guys sound real good in your areas of karate i jus started up japanese martila rts again shotokan is what im trying to master but shotokai is wat i wanna teach in the future

Teaching helps improve your own technique. My advice is even when you become an instructor you always still need to take lessons and maintain at least one if not several instructors. In other words never stop learning yourself.