September 5, 2007

Welcome to our traditional karate school, Koryukan Frederick, home to old-style classical Okinawan karate.

You and/or your child are about to embark on a journey of learning, which will challenge and condition your body, cultivate your mind and nurture your spirit. We sincerely hope that you will have a positive, healthy and highly educational experience, one that you will enjoy and hopefully make part of your life, and a way of life.

In this document, you will find a brief introduction to Okinawan karate and its history, our program and its history, our goals and training methods, and answers to some frequently asked questions, along with a few general tips on training.

OKINAWAN KARATE: Traditional Okinawan empty-hand “civil” martial arts are much different, in original intent, outcomes and training methodologies, than modern sport-oriented karate. However, Old-style Okinawan arts are commonly referred to as “Karate” nowadays, a generic and modern Japanese name created only in 1933. Therefore we practice "karate"! A rough translation of “karate” or “karate-do” is "the way of the empty hand". You may use the term “karate” loosely as we do, and as I will in this document. However, it is important to recognize that in the old-days (pre-1900s), Okinawan karate was taught as a system of self-defense and life protection, with deep roots in Southern Chinese boxing, mainly from the Southern Chinese province of Fujian. The learning format was typically informal with gatherings of small groups at a time. In the late 1800s/early 1900s, a watered-down version of it was introduced in the school systems on Okinawa, and later on in Japan (starting the 1920s). The purpose of its introduction into the school systems and universities was to build strong youth, and to test physical and mental prowess through hard training and competition. I deem this important to mention, as it is precisely what shaped modern karate and other modern arts into the format they are in today. The Japanese format of the mid 1930’s spread back to Okinawa, then to Korea and other countries. The format for modern karate and other linear martial arts is universal, and consists of training in the 3 K's of karate: Kihon (basic techniques), Kata (forms) and Kumite (rule-bound sparring), in large groups and in a fairly formal and often rigid format. The formality and rigidity find their roots in the Japanese society of the pre-WW-II era. Modern karate is also a major industry and moneymaking business. However, the benefits of modern karate for people of all ages remain tremendous, holistically, physically and mentally; which explains the popularity of modern martial arts overall.

OUR GOALS AND TRAINING METHODS: It takes a lot of thoughts, efforts and experience to put together a solid Youth karate program. Due to the nature of martial arts and the physical violence and social attributes attached to them, building a sound and safe Karate curriculum is actually a complex task. We’d like to believe our school has a good perspective on this matter, and a solid curriculum based on sound pedagogical principles. As my karate teacher and mentor often says, "the outcome dictates the means". Our Youth program, while based on the principles of old-style, also follows some of the modern karate approach to training, and is geared towards a healthy and safe development of our youth. One desired outcome is to build physical strength, flexibility, self-confidence and discipline in our children, and to promote courtesy, integrity, perseverance and other social values... Our means and training methods are therefore geared towards this desired outcome. However, we also balance this with exploring the principles of ancient Okinawan martial arts, by introducing some of these principles to our students, in theory and hands-on. We do that when appropriate, depending on age, technical level and performance, interest and commitment to serious training, maturity and other factors… In that sense, we maintain a very traditional aspect to training, and our classes technically aim at the study of self-defense techniques through safe two-person practices, and through the practice of choreographed sequences of movements called forms (kata in Japanese); all in a pedagogically-sound building-block fashion, and in a safe and friendly environment. Proficiency in such practices is another aim to achieve, and once achieved, it will enable us to study old versions of kata as practiced in the past by karate pioneers such as Matsumura, Yara, Motobu, Aragaki and others, as well as kata from the Southern Chinese Kung Fu styles of White Crane, Tiger and Monk Fist. In addition to studying kata, yet another aim is to emphasize early on on two-person practices that put the principles of attacks and defenses into perspective and application, and ultimately lead to yet another desired outcome, that of functional spontaneity. We do introduce various forms of two-person practices very early on in training, as early as next week. As students advance, we also expose them to the historical and practical links between kata and two-person applications. Along with regular training, we also study and explore the anatomical and physiological weaknesses of the human body using basic applied science principles and the ancient machines. To get to this ultimate aim of traditional training, meaning to help students get to it, we make students go through endless repetitions of basic techniques, teaching them how to properly execute blocks, punches, kicks, strikes and stances and combinations thereof while developing and taking advantage of proper body dynamics. We have a variety of 1-person and 2-person training methods geared towards this and other effects. This is not to forget the emphasis on building physical strength and endurance, a benefit essential to our youth, and the emphasis on FUN and motivation as well. We instructors are very conscious of the fact that we remain students of the arts as much as our beginning students are, so you will see us consistently practicing the basics in class.

For specifics on our curriculum and training methods, please visit our website – see below.

Most importantly to us, as we hope it will be to you, karate is a way of life. Our hope is that you will become a better person because of your study of martial arts. This is the holistic benefit of karate training. We emphasize the learning and practice of martial virtues, and I would like to mention only five of them here, commonly referred to as the "Tenets of Tae Kwon Do", in honor of our program’s history in Tae Kwon Do, though they are universal to all styles and to humanity: Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self Control and Indomitable Spirit. We also adopt the YMCA's emphasis on "family values", "building strong families" and “citizenship”.

HISTORY OF OUR PROGRAM: I would like to share with you a brief history of the martial arts program at the Frederick County YMCA, for reference purposes only.

The program was originally founded in 1993 by the late Holly Garber (3rd Degree Black Belt), as a modern Tae Kwon Do program. Our school used to be part of a larger association called United States Tae Kwon Do Union. Our Grandmaster then was the late Peter S. Cha, a 9th degree black belt who brought his art to the United States in the late sixties. At that time, Master Daniel J. Raiten, a 5th degree black belt in TKD, oversaw our program, and was our senior instructor and our link to the late Grandmaster. Master Raiten still teaches Tae Kwon Do in the Rockville area.

As we grew in martial arts as a school, following years of training, education, research and technical advancement, we slowly but successfully made a transition to traditional old-style Okinawan karate, the predecessor to all modern styles of karate and Tae Kwon Do. We now study and teach Koryu Uchinadi exclusively, under karate pioneer Patrick McCarthy Hanshi. Koryu Uchinadi translates as "old-style Okinawan hand". "Hand" was the word mainly and commonly used on Okinawa when referring to martial arts. The official date for the transition was March 2003, which marked the birth of Koryukan Frederick as it exists today.

Since we made this giant-leap move, we began extending our arms to the martial arts community, and to the Frederick community at large, in an effort to preserve and promote old-style karate and its learning, going beyond the barrier of modern styles and ranks. From regular study groups to seminars and lectures, our most recent outreach is the launch of an after-school karate program at Trinity School of Frederick. This program has been fully operational since September 2006.

Earlier in the year, we introduced traditional Japanese Aikido to our intermediate and advanced students, to compliment our karate training, and become more proficient in circular and soft body movements, and in using an opponent’s energy against them. We hope to bring Aikido back into our regular training once the YMCA allocates us more class time and space.

At our dojo, we take karate very seriously, and we are committed to the preservation of this wonderful tradition through continuous research of its history, anthropology, ethos and technical theories. We belong to two research societies, and we are proud to be the MD-state official representative of the International Ryukyu Karate-jutsu Research Society.

For more details about us, our goals, mission and philosophy, please visit the “About Us” and other sections of our website – see below.

WEBSITE: Please allow me to take a moment and mention our website. To prevent this memo from turning into a thesis more than it already has, we invite you to visit our website at www.koryukan-frederick.com, where you will find valuable information on our style, its history and founder, the research society, our locations, schedule and fees, important announcements, useful links, not to mention the knowledge-base full of pertinent technical information, the curriculum and much more… The website was designed with our students and parents in mind, to centralize all information in one location, and for ease of updates. Everything is there!!! Please take time to read through it and make a point to visit it regularly for updates. All suggestions on the website are encouraged and welcome.

Meanwhile, here are generic answers to some frequently asked questions:

UNIFORMS: Martial-art training uniforms were initially designed in the late 19th century by Judo’s pioneer Jigoro Kano, and later modified around 1934 for the comfort and ease of training in karate. Since Karate was established as a Japanese art in 1933, white uniforms have become an integral part of this wonderful tradition. The various uniform colors one observes nowadays are only a product of business practices and Western fashion statements.

We do not require students to purchase uniforms in the first few months of training. Only if they enjoy karate and choose to continue training, we will then ask that they purchase and wear traditional karate uniforms.

Uniforms can be purchased directly from the YMCA at a considerable discount.

RANKING SYSTEM: Ranking systems in karate (belts and grades) were adopted only in the 1930s, along with creation of the art itself and its name. The ranking system closely follows the model used in the Japanese sport of Judo. Most martial arts schools today have some sort of ranking system (as there are hundreds of systems and variations). Our school is no exception, by our own choice. We have adopted a ranking system, mainly geared towards the young ones. It is used as students progress in training, but is not something that is required. The karate ranking system gains popularity for many reasons. If often plays an important role, allowing students the opportunity to set small goals for themselves as they pursue training. Please be conscious that at most schools including ours, tests are also an additional source of income.

Our system consists of two major parts, colored belts and black belts. There are 10 levels of color-belts referred to by the term "Kyu", and are numbered from 10 through 1 (in descending order). After reaching the 1st Kyu a student is then considered a candidate for black belt, the second major part of the ranking system. The second part consists theoretically of nine levels of black belt and the Japanese term used to describe them is "Dan".

The following describes how the kyu and dan numbering systems relate to the different belt colors:

10th kyu:	white belt
9th kyu:	white belt w/t stripe
8th kyu:	yellow belt
7th kyu:	yellow belt w/t stripe
6th kyu:	orange belt
5th kyu:	orange belt w/t stripe
4th kyu:	green belt
3rd kyu:	green belt w/t stripe
2nd kyu:	blue belt
1st kyu:	brown belt
1st dan and above:	black belt

In order to move from one level to the next, it is necessary for a student to test in front of a panel of instructors. They are the ones who will have the final say whether or not a student may be promoted. It is also important to know that it is customary in the program to be invited to test. In other words, instructors have the responsibility of recognizing when a student is ready to test or not. As a matter of fact, following Japanese martial culture, it is culturally inappropriate for a student to ask or suggest to an instructor that he/she is ready to advance to the next level

REGULAR TESTS: Please know that we do not have a regular testing schedule. In other words, we will not necessarily have a test at the end of each session. Tests are determined based on the overall and individual progress of students. We typically announce a test 2 to 3 ahead of time.

BLACK BELT: There is a lot of mysticism about the black belt, and such a rank (at various Dan levels) can be highly over-rated. In reality, it is generally over-rated, and often gives a false sense of security to the uneducated (on karate). The important thing to remember is that a student who achieves black-belt level (or around that level) is most likely to be a dedicated hard working student who enjoys karate training, and this is what counts. Often black belt becomes an important if not the only goal for a beginner. While this is psychologically understandable, it remains a misconception and a mistake. Once the so-called goal is achieved, one realizes that the destination does not matter; only the journey to get there does. The lesson here is to train hard, train often, and focus on training not on belts. Personally, I hope to develop the attitude in our students that the study of Karate, or any martial art for that matter, is a lifetime process, and the present ranking system is simply created so all students may merely set small individual goals to strive for as they “begin” their journey. Beyond the beginning stages of serious training, belts (including the black one) are best used to hold the pants up. Once more, please be conscious that at most schools including ours, tests are also an additional source of income.

COMPETITION: Though we are not a competition-oriented school, we do support those students who choose to participate in competitions. These contests usually consist of forms, sparring and/or breaking. We will thrive to prepare those who wish to compete according to their particular interests. Just ask away.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

1.       In karate, one should not compare oneself or one's child to other students, whether from the same school/class or other. It is very important to understand that each individual progresses at his/her own rate, on his/her own time. We do our best to work individually with every student based on their abilities and needs. With time, all students should grow to appreciate that karate is a journey inwards. Every time you train at the dojo, in every class, no matter how many students there are on the floor, you should focus your attention on your own self and on the instructor, as if it were only the both of you on the floor.

2.       In karate training, there will be times of difficult tasks and challenges, both physical and mental. Please remember that perseverance will be the key to success, as in everything in life. Then will come the great reward, a tremendous sense of self-esteem that comes from accomplishing difficult tasks.

3.       At the risk of repeating a point made earlier in this document, belts should not be a main goal in training, especially the highly over-rated and highly commercialized and eye-catching black belt. We hope to mentor our students to train for the love of training and to become better individuals. One’s focus should be on one’s own development. Belts and ranks will then be natural consequences to training. Developing the proper perspective on this matter is extremely important.

In conclusion, I hope that the information above will help you understand where we come from, and some of what we strive to do in our program. It is meant to be a brief introduction and is certainly not going to answer all of your questions; if any, perhaps even raise a few... I trust that by working together and communicating well with each other, we will be able to fill in more of the gaps.

I would also like to take the opportunity to acknowledge and thank our wonderful team of instructors for their time, devotion and dedication to the art of karate and to our vibrant and demanding student body.

Once again, welcome to our program and please let me know should you have any questions or concerns. You may contact me by e-mail at dalong65@hotmail.com, or by phone at 301-748-7786.

Sincerely,

Charles Radi
Instructor & Technical Director