HIS Karate-Do

We are very pleased with the attitude and progress being made by all of our members, especially the beginner white and blue belts who started over the past year – our “post-pandemic” generation of trainees.  The intent of HISKF, is to offer a weekly serving of karate-do that, over time, allows busy families in our community pick up a decent understanding of Shotokan Karate-Do, its values, traditions, techniques, and culture while improving their strength, flexibility and balance.  I liken it to drinking several glasses of water a day to keep hydrated and stay healthy.  This low-key regimen can be very beneficial when practiced over a period of years.  By contrast, when your senseis were young, I’d say our training regimen was more like “drinking water out of a firehose”, haha.  Typically, we’d be training at the University Karate Kai several times a week, and we might also be found at the Pearl City Dojo, the Main Dojo, and as brown/black belts, at the late-night Special Training Unit.  Sure, we were crazy for karate – but we were also on a compressed timetable and knew that we’d be leaving the university for our professional careers in just several years.  Sensei Wayne [...]

When I think about it, the first time I ever visited a karate dojo, an examination was being conducted.  My friend, Dennis, was a black belt in the Karate Association of Hawaii and a member of its best dojo, the University Karate Kai.  Coincidentally, Dennis was also the reason that Sensei Wayne and Sensei Peter became interested in the art.  One day at the university, Dennis invited me to join him in watching a UHKK practice session.  As it turned out, “practice” was a special examination being given by Sensei Funakoshi for only two white belts.  Dennis told me that watching the exam was a good way to view karate techniques and see what might be expected of a trainee.  As I watched the two beginners being tested, I thought to myself, “Wow! These white belts look really good – in fact, they look really great!”  Not knowing any karate at the time, I couldn’t believe what was expected of a white belts taking their first promotion test…and it was a very long one..  It wasn’t until after the exam was over that Dennis revealed that both examinees were previously brown or black belts in other karate schools.  The Karate [...]

Hi Everyone, All of you who have been training for awhile are familiar with the three basic Shotokan stances (dachi): zenkutsu-dachi, kokutsu-dachi, and the kiba-dachi.  While practicing kihon, you go into these stances on most every class.  This strengthens your legs and flexibility, of course – but one uses these in the 26-30 katas that make up the pantheon of Shotokan katas.  Many of our students may not know that there are additional dachi that, while not covered in basic kihon, are a part of higher katas and jiyu-kumite (free sparring).  Today, I’d like to share a little bit about Gigo Funakoshi, his impact on modern Shotokan, and his signature stance, the fudo-dachi.  Gigo was the middle son of Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of Shotokan Karate-Do.  If I were to ask what stance is pictured below, I doubt that our color belts would be able to identify it since we never teach it in regular practice.  The fudo-dachi has been described as a combination between a zenkutsu-dachi and a kiba-dachi.  A very strong and centered posture, advanced students sometimes with briefly shift into this stance while blocking, then repulsing an incoming attack. The fudo-dachi (rooted stance) is a very powerful [...]