Shotokan Question

brianoak

Hi,

I used to train 15 years ago under Mick Lakes in Little strand Street. I attained a third brown belt with I think the JKA. My question is, if I was to return to training would I have to start again at the beginning(I probably need it it) and also is there anybody affiliated with that club still training? And if so, where? I am based in D3.

Cheers!

CIARAN_BOYLE

Oss

I think I'm the most regular poster here with a shotokan backround so I'll answer your question.

Just so you know my backround I've been doing karate for 2 years now and a second purple (4th kyu) so I'm not an instructor or an expert on etiquette.

Also please note that my answer is only what would happen in my club and I can't speak for whatever club you go into.

In my club you would be told to train wearing a white belt untill sensei told you put on a brown belt but you wouldn't have to do gradings and if you wanted to enter a competition you would do so as a brown belt rather than as a white belt.

It wouldn't take as long to be told to put on a brown belt as it takes to get a brown belt in the beginning. Most probably you be told to bring a brown belt to training within a year if you train regularly but it would be based on your own standard.

By the way I wouldn't use the name third brown to refer to your grade initially. Some clubs (and affiliation organisations) order the brown belt grades third brown second brown first brown (possibly to align with the kyu grades) while others order brown belts first brown second brown third brown (which makes more sense)

Best of luck taking shotokan back up

Zen65

brianoak wrote: »

Hi,
My question is, if I was to return to training would I have to start again at the beginning(I probably need it it) and also is there anybody affiliated with that club still training?

Brian,

Each club / association has their own way of dealing with people who have not graded with them, and with people who have been away from training.

There is a good Shotokan club in D3 at St Joseph's CBS in Fairview. The club is affiliated to SKIF (the largest Shotokan association after the JKA). In SKIF the normal approach is that you would have to retake your brown belt gradings, but not the previous grades. After 15 years it's no harm to start back that way.

Contact the SVJ club here if you wish.

Cheers,

Z

cade

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

Oss

Shouldn't that be 'Osu', considering the Japanese Hiragana 'n' all.

Anyhow, OP the easiest way to think about this is that you'll be expected by both the instructor and other members of the club to train at the level your belt signifies. A brown belt training at the level of a white belt will only make the club look bad to any potential new members visiting to observe a class.

I myself left my original club for five years, swapped over to my college club to train, same style but different federation so I went from brown back to white by the instructors orders. It didn't bother me as I was still training with the other senior student on par with their skill level.

Have a talk with the instructor of the club to see what his/her stance on this matter is. You may need to start again, you may be told to wear white until your skill level returns to where it was and then simply be allowed to wear your brown belt again without regrading - though unless you trained either under or with the instructor in the past you'll need your grading certificates to prove that you had indeed attained that belt previously.

Best advice, forget about belts altogether, find a club that you enjoy and could see yourself attending regularly, then focus on your training your abilities.

brianoak

Hi guys,

Appreciate all the replies. Looking forward to getting back to it.

Cheers!